Customer Reviews

Piety Street

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

...how could this go wrong? The band is fierce: session ace Ricky Fataar, Meters bassman George Porter, Jr., Brit-turned-Nawlins keyboard ace Jon Cleary (who is also a fine singer), and Scofield doing his trademark twitch and twang on top.

I will say that I saw this band live in Boston, and they were riveting! There was genuine joy in the interplay, the backbeat was firm, the improvisations were loose and quirky, and the singing (by Cleary and Porter) was soulful and invigorating. It was one of the better shows I'd seen in recent memory.

That said, this album is astonishingly lifeless. Like a lot of contemporary soul stuff coming out of New Orleans these days, it feels over-produced and stifled. There is way more digital clarity then analog fun. The interplay and fun from the live show is nowhere to be heard. It just has none of the groove and swing and gritty fun that I heard in person.

I would say by all means check these guys out on the road while you can (Scofield's website has tour dates), and maybe spend your Scofield CD budget on "Quiet" or the live trio album with Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart.

I'm going to make this short and sweet. After reading a lot negative reviews for this album I was a little hesitant to pick it up. But after listening to the first track I knew I was in for a great ride. This album is funky, soulful and fantastically played. If you're expecting a jazz album, prepare to be disappointed. But if you just like music and don't worry about genre, pick this up. Sco's guitar playing on here is great. Not very jazzy, more bluesy than anything. But he brings the adventurousness and harmonic knowledge gained from jazz to the table. Jon Cleary is a great singer for this style of music and George Porter is as funky as ever. If they played this in church I might actually show up.

I bought this album not knowing what to expect (seeing as how "This meets that" did nothing for me) and was totally floored. I read somewhere before the album came out that he was going Gospel and needed to get this when it came out. The songs on Piety Street are either upbeat or laid back, but they still groove throughout. There isn't one bad song on here. Don't pay attention to these 1 star reviews. If you like bluesy gospel, pick it up you'll love it.

John Scofield said his initial intent on this CD was to play 12-bar blues. He decided that has been overdone so he recorded gospel songs. The songs are old gospel songs aside from two credited to Scofield. Scofield recruited Jon Cleary on vocals and piano, George Porter on bass, and Rickey Fataar on drums. They are all experienced musicians, but not jazz musicians. The songs and singing are all good. I give the CD only 3 stars because the music, including Scofield's playing, is generic blues. If it weren't for the vocals, the songs would be hard to differentiate.

I recommend this to fans of Scofield's bluesier albums. If you're more of a Scofield jazz fan, you might not like this one as, say, "This Meets That".

The 'Piety Street' album by John Scofield is amazing. A great take on Gospel music, particularly the older traditional songs of the Church. This just about ranks with the magnificant Holmes Brothers album, 'Speaking in Tongues' as one of the most funky and dynamic albums out there. give it a listen!

Unlike his many rivals, who anxiously fuse jazz with folk, classical, world, pop, rock, the guitar maestro John Scofield is stylishly leaning back to gospel/blues.
Gospel fans may be fascinated to see how the music is inventively massaged without being pulled out of shape, but there may be just too many semaphored turns for jazzers.
Some admirers may not approve of his latest gear change -- a downhome, organ-propelled celebration of the New Orleans blues-gospel tradition -- but there's a refreshingly loose and unvarnished ambience here, Scofield swapping uncomplicated licks with a line-up that includes the singer/pianist Jon Cleary.
According to many, John Scofield was easily the best thing about Miles Davis's band. He is a superb electric blues guitarist.
When he decides to party with hard-grooving hot-licks bands, he always sounds as if he's enjoying himself.
Along with the blues, this bittersweet, passionate church music put the heart and soul into American modern jazz.
There are 13 cuts on "Piety Street", ranging from well-known gospel standards with a couple of originals.
Alongside New Orleans vocalist John Boutte, rollicking pianist Jon Cleary and a propulsive rhythm section with Shannon Powell's tambourine on top, Scofield's guitar sings "Motherless Child", "Walk with Me" and eleven gospel classics that all transmit that healing feeling."Occasionally, you're left with the feeling that Scofield and band's instrumental proficiency rather overwhelms the soul-stirring simplicity of the originals".
The album highlights: "That's Enough", "Something's Got A Hold On Me", and "Never Turn Back".
But "it's one of Scofield's own - "It's A Big Army" - that's the album stand-out: a fun, upbeat cut of jazzed-up 12 bar blues that sees breathless group vocals and handclaps thrown into the pot". - BBC
The album debuts at # 3 of the Top Contemporary Jazz chart. Issue date: 2009-04-18

In "Piety Street" jazz-blues-funk guitar guru John Scofield pays homage to the gospel-blues genre. In the 13 tracks on this album, Scofield covers classic gospel songs from James Cleveland, Thomas Dorsey and others with style and grace. For the album, Scofield assembled a seasoned band including vocalist/keyboardist Jon Cleary (formerly with Bonnie Raitt), Louisiana bassist George Porter, Jr, drummer Ricky Fataar of South Africa, Louisiana singer John Boutte, and New Orleans percussionist Shannon Powell.

The synergy of the ensemble playing these gospel-blues classics alone makes it worth picking up this album.

Scofield's playing is solid and worthy. I particularly like what he does with the tracks "That's Enough," and "It's a Big Army." I was hand clapping, toe-tapping and finger snapping all the way through them!

I love the material, and the ensemble. He stays pretty close to traditional interpretations of these songs, though, and plays a lot of frequently referenced blues-gospel riffs. The interesting modulations and tasty riffs that have virtually become trademarks of John Scofield's recent albums are much rarer but still present on "Piety Street."

If you enjoy Scofield and/or blues-gospel, you'll like this album- no question about it. A very good, but not great effort from the jazz-fusion guitar master. At least worth a listen. Check it out!

John Scofield is really 'Under Big Top,' on "Piety Street'. With George Porter (bass),Ricky Fataar (drums), Jon Cleary (piano),and John Boutte (vocals), "Piety Street" is a 'flat-out' tent revival : lift your spirits, and move your feet ! Plus, Sco's guitar work is slippery, smoldering, and inspiring . On songs such as "Motherless Child," "99 and a Half," and "Never Turn Back," Sco and the PIETY STREET band 'raise the roof'!! In contrast, "Angel of Death " ( Hank Williams) , with its haunting intro , and dirge-like feel, evokes the 'hereafter. These guys should do a Sunday service with the Rev. Al Green ( Memphis)...

Great disc featuring the ever funky Jon Cleary & Ricky Fataar from Bonnie Raitt's band. If you're a fan of greasy funk with some gospel & soul, this disc is a must for you! Highly recommended!

As I am a big Jon Scofield fan it is nice to here another side to this musician's craft.