Customer Reviews

Really Blue

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being from the same area, I've been fortunate, for almost 20 years now, to have seen many of Mr. Principato's performances & collect his recordings. This guy is totally awesome & it's a must that you collect as many of his recordings as you can! Even better, catch him live, even in Europe! He's got the highest rating from me - a true fan!

"Really Blue" is not just another blues album. The legendary guitarist, singer, and composer Tom Principato, who always seems to have an inexhaustible variety in his repertoire, focuses most squarely on the blues for this particular album, and his blues sound and style is absolutely original and rich in creativity.

It is often said that the blues are a common property, since everybody at one time or another has experienced the blues. But the pre-existence of blues greats, like Elmore James, BB King, Albert King, Freddie King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and others, really complicates matters, as they basically defined the genre, left such a huge footprint with their strikingly different styles of execution, and put forth so many enduring and powerful original compositions, which became standards. On top of that, those standards have already been covered ad nauseam by the British Blues Movement babies, like Peter Green and Eric Clapton, as well as the newer generation American bluesmen, like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray, Tinsley Ellis, and Smokin' Joe Kubek. Yet, Tom Principato's brand of the blues is completely his own and not like anyone else's, and this is where this album scores major points.

Tom Principato has a beautiful guitar tone that gets addictive to a fan of the blues guitar, like myself. He forged his very own sound: melodic, free of blues/rock cliches, clean, and purposeful. When he plays, you hear every note, often with blazing progression speed, and together the notes form smart progressions that make purposeful phrases.

The album opens with the Principato original, "Every Minute, Every Hour", which cooks and screams with incendiary guitar workouts, carries a strong driving rhythm, and features passionate growling vocals by Tom. One critic of this album noted that Tom Principato's songs are mostly a vehicle for his guitar soloing and that his singing is, I quote, "less than scintillating but never offensive". I take a real issue with this critic on two levels. First, Tom is a smart and powerful vocalist who adapts his singing style to both the style of a song and to its lyrics; in other words, he knows just where to give that extra oomph and where to hold back a little. Tom's music wouldn't be the same without his singing, and I am just as big a fan of his singing as I am of his guitar playing. Second, the songs on this album wouldn't need to be as creative or as complex as they are to simply be a vehicle for guitar soloing. There is considerable finesse in the arrangement of each song, and while the guitar obviously plays a major part, I don't get the feeling that Tom is constantly soloing -- he spends just as much time playing a supporting role, laying the backbone of a song with other instruments in a rhythm section. Blues and rock-n-roll are often guitar-driven music, and I take no issue with that, but Tom strikes a careful balance between delivering solos and playing a supporting role.

While the album is grounded in the blues, Tom and the Band play exuberantly and with great passion, which really transmits a strong feeling from every song, be it a Principato original or a cover. Out of 12 songs on this album, 8 are Principato originals, and my two favorite compositions would be "One for Danny" and "Stranger's Eyes". "One for Danny" was dedicated to Tom's late guitar mentor Danny Gatton, and this blazing rockabilly-flavored tune would no doubt do Danny proud -- you're probably dead if this song doesn't get you movin' in some way or another. "Stranger's Eyes" is considerably more bluesy, subdued, and tender, and Tom's so properly tortured singing tugs at your heartstrings. The composition includes harmony modulations, which give it some complexity, but the execution by Tom and the Band is absolutely flawless and filled with nuances.

Aside from my two personal favorites, there is not a weak track on the album! "Sweet Little Woman" is a grindin' cover of a Little Johnny Jones tune, done in a perfectly suitable retro flavor with plenty of string bending. "Walkin' Blues", a Robert Johnson song, gets a complete reworking as a sort of jazzy marching blues, with Tom delivering some fun scats around his guitar playing (a la early George Benson style) and Chuck Leavell on Hammond B-3 Organ. "Really Blue", a Principato original, makes you lament with its bluesy guitar crying in minor tone and organ fills. "Standing at the Cross Roads Again" cooks in the grand tradition of retro rock-n-roll and gets more help from Chuck Leavell on piano. "Kansas City Blues", a Joe Turner song, is liable to set the house on fire with Tom shouting exuberantly on vocals in that infectious Southern style, grinding rhythm guitar from beginning to end, and a stingin' solo -- blow your top, blow your top! "Baby, Please", a Principato original, is probably best described as soul blues in the Motown tradition with a healthy helping of blues guitar and slight vocal reverb effect to complete the retro feel -- very creative. "In Another Dream", another Principato original, doesn't really fit into the blues idiom at all: it is like daydream, spaced out and off on its little mental escapade. "Here, in my Heart" closes the album out with a gentle lullaby.

"In Orbit" gets a special mention. It shows a perfect example of a difficult-to-define Tom Principato tune: it's jazz that swings with the best of 'em (Joe Maher on drums, Jeff Sarli on upright bass) but gets worked over with a blues guitar tone -- makes you wanna get up and dance, awesome!

This album must have been an ambitious undertaking, and the quality of the material is commendable: there is absolutely zero filler. The supporting members of the band are quite numerous on this project and all top-notch musicians. Tom Principato produced this album with Peter Bonta (with Bob Dawson for "In Orbit").

Tom still plays material from this album at his live shows. Recently, I had the pleasure to hear him play "Every Minute, Every Hour" and "Stranger's Eyes" live, and they gain a whole new dimension at the live show, of course.

If you like this material, you definitely owe it to yourself to catch the Tom Principato Band live! Tom Principato is a true independent musician and a true gentleman, who unquestionably has great talent and chops but has worked incredibly hard to get where he is today. It's not an easy living being an indy musician these days in the Washington, DC, area, but he is filled with passion on the bandstand and loves what he does. Support him and his band, and you support independent American art.

A great CD all around. From SRV BLUES to straight BLUES to ROCK with a bit of FUSION and some very cool instrumental tracks, it's all here and not one weak track. This is another outstanding guitarist that had to work for 20 years to become an overnight sensation. Well he should be anyway. I love discovering these gems and rarely regret it. Buying this without knowing a thing about the man or his musik proved a good idea after all and more PRINCIPATO will follow. If you like any of the above styles, this should be in your collection. It is so much fun to watch the curious faces of my guests over drinks, trying to figure out who this might be and inevitably failing while being unable to control their tapping feet.