Customer Reviews

Keep This Love Goin'

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NRBQ has finally resurfaced, following an extended hiatus. During that time Terry Adams was faced with health issues that required his full focus, and as a result Joey Spampinato, the other remaining original member of the band, decided that his musical destiny now lay in co-leading a band with his brother, being a sideman for his wife, Kami Lyle, and playing with Cape Cod's Rip It Ups. Once Terry's health permitted him to resume playing in public, he formed a group of his own, due to the above circumstances, calling it the Terry Adams Rock & Roll Quartet. Over time it became apparent that Joey was fully involved with the changes he had made during Terry's illness, and that he was no longer interested in continuing NRBQ with Terry. With that in mind, and with Tom Ardolino (who plays on two songs here) essentially in retirement due to his lack of interest in touring, Terry felt that the level of musicianship in his new quartet was such that it was appropriate for his new band to assume the mantle of NRBQ and its musical legacy.
And so we now have Keep This Love Goin', the first NRBQ album of new material in close to five years. The new members (Scott Ligon, Pete Donnelly and Conrad Choucroun) are gifted, enthusiastic and sensitive musicians, whose talents are in keeping with the NRBQ heritage without sacrificing their own individuality. The album's first song, Boozoo and Leona, is a tribure to one of Terry's favorite musicians, Boozoo Chavis, and it's a true evocation of the spirit of Boozoo's music. Pete (bass) and Conrad (drums) create an infectious groove here that's as smooth as anything you'll find these days. Keep This Love Goin', co-written by Terry, Scott and Pete, is in the tradition of the wonderful love songs NRBQ has recorded over the years, acknowledging the best records of the mid-sixties while adding the distinctive touches that have always marked an NRBQ recording. The same is true for both Here I Am and Let Go, each of which seems at times like a newly discovered track from the Beach Boys' Friends album. Sweet and Petite evokes a different era, sounding like an obscure R&B 45 from the fifties with its slightly goofy, street corner vocals. My Life With You, heard here in a vocal version, is a ballad by Terry that reflects his lifelong affection and affinity for Thelonious Monk, ans was originally recorded as an instrumental for David Greenberger's Duplex Planet Hour. In Every Dream, a rockabilly-ish recasting of the main theme from Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 (this is an NRBQ album, after all), features a guitar solo by Scott that will conjure up fond memories of Al Anderson's playing for NRBQ fans. The Animal Life, written by Scott, is an upbeat celebration of the sensibilities of the various species with whom we share the planet, and is highlighted by an extremely catchy refrain. The album closes with Red's Piano, acknowledging Piano Red, another of Terry's musical heroes.
If you're a longstanding NRBQ fan, you'll find plenty of familiar (and therefore excellent) musical territory here, and you'll know it's an NRBQ album by how much it makes you smile.

Tom was the NRBQ drummer for a long time, but his health had stopped him from performing lately. He is responsible for drumming in 2 of the songs here and he did the cover art.

Tom died at 56 on January 6, 2012 in Springfield, Mass. He will be missed.

My interest in this release comes by way of following the career path of Scott Ligon, central Illinois' own musical genius. This inter-generational collaboration with one of his own music heroes, Terry Adams, is nothing short of inspired and does the NRBQ legacy proud. In this barren cookie-cutter, Auto-Tuned " contemporary" musical landscape this stands apart as groovin", upbeat, happy, and tuneful. To quote Steve Martin " talking about music is like dancing about architecture ", so take it from someone ( me ) who has been actively seeking out feel-good music since 1963 and quit talkin' and start listenin' !!!

I just orderded this CD and was a little sceptical about if these new musicians can fill the shoes of the past NRBQ lineup.Then I had seen that they were playing at a club in Austin TX . I went , they played , and NRBQ is back . Terry Adams is brilliant keeping this band going and hopefully forever .They have always experienced new lineups in the band and so long as they stay true to the Q styles then I'll be happy knowing that it will Be NRBQ forever.This cd stays true .H B Bailey

After a seven-year hiatus that included health issues for Terry Adams, side projects for Joey Spampinato and the virtual retirement of Tom Ardolino, NRBQ has reformed and renewed. Spampinato joined up full time with his brother in the Spampinato Brothers, and Ardolino released himself from the rigors of touring, leaving Adams to rebuild the band with new partners. Initially billed under their leader's name, the new quartet cut its teeth in gigs and the studio before Adams felt they captured grooves worthy of the name "NRBQ." Adams' new bandmates are guitarist Scott Ligon, bassist Pete Donnely and drummer Conrad Choucroun. Ligon and Donnely also add vocals and songwriting, making this a group, rather than a showcase for Adams.

Happily, the new quartet has captured the eclectic mix that made the original band so intoxicating. Leading off the album is Adams' tribute to New Orleans legend Boozoo Chavis and his wife Leona, with Choucroun propelling the song with a terrific second line rhythm. Just as this parade passes by the band turns to the pure pop of "Keep This Love Goin'" and "Here I Am," offering up shades of the Raspberries, Beach Boys and Gary Lewis. There's rockabilly rhythm guitar and a touch of Carl Perkins' lead style on "I'm Satisfied," and the slap-rhythm of "Sweet and Petite" sounds like country came down the mountain to wax some rock `n' roll.

Less successful are the supper-club tunes "Gone with the Wind" and "My Life with You," neither of which gets the polished crooning they deserve. Still, Adams jazzy piano and a trumpet/trombone solo on the latter are superb, and you have to appreciate the band's reach. The album closes with Piano Red's "Red's Piano," a tune taught to Adams by Red himself, and fleshed out here by Adams' piano and Ligon's guitar. Fans looking for the sound of Adams, Spampinato, Anderson and Ardolino won't find it here, but they will find the spontaneity, humor, breadth and musical know-how that earned NRBQ the label "best bar band in the world." [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]