Young and Evil

Li'l Ronnie & the Grand Dukes

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 8, 2001)
• Original Release Date: May 8, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Planetary Records
• ASIN: B00005J9LP
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #468,148 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Thomas J. Cullen III, Senior Writer, Blues Revue
Anson’s lean, fluid playing adds compelling star power to the proceedings.

Product Description
The American roots music of Richmond VA’s Li’l Ronnie and the Grand Dukes is equally influenced by 50’s R&B, various styles of the blues, and rockabilly. Along the way they mix in some soul, swamp rock and even a touch of jazz. All of this is evident in the grooves of Young & Evil, the latest album by veteran singer/ songwriter/harpist Ronnie Owens. The seasoned and versatile Grand Dukes—guitarist Mike Dutton, drummer Bobby Olive, bassist Steve Riggs, keyboardist Steve Utt, and sax player Terry Hummer—are joined on five tracks by one of the premier guitarists in the blues today, Anson Funderburgh.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Blues album!, January 15, 2003

By	"kac1971" (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews

"Young and Evil" is proof positive that music is going the way of movies: you must go through the independent labels to find the true gems these days.

I have always been a big fan of true form blues... Texas artists like T-Bone Walker and Gatemouth Brown ... to Chicago blues masters like Big Walter Horton and B.B. King ... and the West Coast guys like the Hollywood Fats Band and Kid Ramos too. Li'l Ronnie and the Grand Dukes have managed to blend it all into this album without falling into the "blues- rock" trap and
using few cover tunes to carry the record (although there are four nice ones on this one).

Out of the seven original tunes on the CD, my favorite has to be "Mellow Chick." All of the musicians show their best work here. The only thing missing is frontman Ronnie Owens' near perfect toned harp (which you get in other tunes on the CD, particularly in "Buck Naked" and "Think Big"). This
'50s styled R&B song features Owens' cleverly catchy lyrics, while drummer Bobby Olive and Steve Riggs on bass keep the rhythm section nice and clean. Guest guitarist Anson Funderburgh (as in the Rockets!) plays the bouncy rhythm line, while Grand Dukes' guitarist Mike Dutton's chord accents blends with Terry Hummer's syncopated horn lines. There's also some nice stuff mixed in from Steve Utt on keyboards. But you have to WAIT UNTIL THE END FOR THE BEST PART!!!... Dutton and Funderburgh trade some nasty guitar solos.

And don't miss out on the instrumental ... "Think Big." Owens kicks it off the obviously (and quite impressive) Big Walter influenced tune. Dutton and Funderburgh's guitar styles blend very well together. With Funderburgh holding the bottom end and Dutton playing embellishments off the harp, the tune has a cool old Chess Records feel.

Two others you'll want to listen to before taking this CD out of your disc changer are "Let Me Down Easy" and the Slim Harpo cover tune, "I've Been Your Good Thing." Not a bad tune on the whole CD... I highly recommend it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Blues album!, January 15, 2003

By	"kac1971" (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Young and Evil (Audio CD)

"Young and Evil" is proof positive that music is going the way of movies: you must go through the independent labels to find the true gems these days...

Out of the seven original tunes on the CD, my favorite has to be "Mellow Chick." All of the musicians show their best work here. The only thing missing is frontman Ronnie Owens' near perfect toned harp (which you get in other tunes on the CD, particularly in "Buck Naked" and "Think Big"). This
'50s styled R&B song features Owens' cleverly catchy lyrics, while drummer Bobby Olive and Steve Riggs on bass keep the rhythm section nice and clean. Guest guitarist Anson Funderburgh (as in the Rockets!) plays the bouncy rhythm line, while Grand Dukes' guitarist Mike Dutton's chord accents blends with Terry Hummer's syncopated horn lines. There's also some nice stuff mixed in from Steve Utt on keyboards. But you have to WAIT UNTIL THE END FOR THE BEST PART!!!... Dutton and Funderburgh trade some nasty guitar solos.

And don't miss out on the instrumental ... "Think Big." Owens kicks it off the obviously (and quite impressive) Big Walter influenced tune. Dutton and Funderburgh's guitar styles blend very well together. With Funderburgh holding the bottom end and Dutton playing embellishments off the harp, the tune has a cool old Chess Records feel.

Two others you'll want to listen to before taking this CD out of your disk changer are "Let Me Down Easy" and the Slim Harpo cover tune, "I've Been Your Good Thing."

Not a bad tune on the whole CD... I highly recommend it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Add this great blues CD to your collection!!!, January 9, 2003

By	"kac1971" (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews

"Young and Evil" is proof positive that music is going the way of movies: you must go through the independent labels to find the true gems these days. I have always been a big fan of true form blues... Texas artists like T-Bone Walker and Gatemouth Brown ... to Chicago blues masters like Big Walter Horton and B.B. King ... and the West Coast guys like the Hollywood Fats Band and Kid Ramos too. Li'l Ronnie and the Grand Dukes have managed to blend it all into this album without falling into the "blues- rock" trap and using few cover tunes to carry the record (although there are four nice ones on this one).

Out of the seven original tunes on the CD, my favorite has to be "Mellow Chick." All of the musicians show their best work here. The only thing missing is frontman Ronnie Owens' near perfect toned harp (which you get in other tunes on the CD, particularly in "Buck Naked" and "Think Big"). This '50s styled R&B song features Owens' cleverly catchy lyrics, while drummer Bobby Olive and Steve Riggs on bass keep the rhythm section nice and clean. Guest guitarist Anson Funderburgh (as in the Rockets!) plays the bouncy rhythm line, while Grand Dukes' guitarist Mike Dutton's chord accents blends with Terry Hummer's syncopated horn lines. There's also some nice stuff mixed in from Steve Utt on keyboards. But you have to WAIT UNTIL THE END FOR THE BEST PART!!!... Dutton and Funderburgh trade some nasty guitar solos.

And don't miss out on the instrumental ... "Think Big." Owens kicks it off the obviously (and quite impressive) Big Walter influenced tune. Dutton and Funderburgh's guitar styles blend very well together. With Funderburgh holding the bottom end and Dutton playing embellishments off the harp, the tune has a cool old Chess Records feel.

Two others you'll want to listen to before taking this CD out of your disk changer are "Let Me Down Easy" and the Slim Harpo cover tune, "I've Been Your Good Thing." Not a bad tune on the whole CD... I highly recommend it!