Rachael B
Senior HTF Member
Triple Fret is an album that puts 3 blues guitarist/singers in one group. Do too many cooks spoil the stew? They sure didn't this time! It's hard to keep up with who's singin' or pickin what. You'll have to read the album notes to keep up. On several songs they each sing one verse of a three verse tune. Forget Three Dog Night! These guys are the real three big cheeses.
Backing up our three guitar-teers is Lucky Peterson on organ, whom some of ya'all may know from his Alligator Records' albums? Then, again you might not? He's good. Also, Steve McCray drums, John Colby keyboards, Johnny Gaydon on bass, and the Nutmeg Horns, Jamie Finegan on trumphet and Robert Feiner on tenor sax. This group has everything it needs to move ya and groove ya!
So, this is a blues album, well, not really. This album is more about rock and R & B and maybe a pinch of gospel. My best discription of the album is it's like the Allman Brothers meets Otis Redding with a dose of delta soul. It's a "blues" album that ought to pull in listeners who don't usually frequently listen to blues. This is way more a rock album if you call a spade a spade! This album trumps generes....
The lead-off tune, Bottle Of Whiskey, made me a believer right off the bat. It so reminds me of an Allman track. The guitars are blazing, Lucky's organ is layin' down a rhythm, and the horns are subtley backing it up. Even after seven minutes, when the track ceases and desists, you wish it hadn't. They said they were, "...gonna drink a bottle of wiskey and play the blues for you...", and they did apparently. Each guitar slinger sang a verse and popped a solo. Hot dam, which one was better? I'll have to ponder that...
Next is Bluesman and it's an upbeat soul tune, very good. Then comes my fav, Get Drunk And pop The Trunk. I could so imagine Otis Redding singing this one. It's so his sound. It's got those Memphis Soul type horns and guitar chops roastin' on top. If I was gonna get drunk and pop the trunk, I'd put this album on.
Don't Tie Me Down starts as a slow jam but the chorus picks up each go round before returning to the slow tempo. These guy don't want no woman to tie them's down, I'm believin. All three slingers get a go on this one. There's a bunch of guitars zinging about the soundstage by the time it fades out.
I'm Praying For You is the most bluesy piece on the album, but even it sounds soulish/gospel with those accent horns and Lucky's organ.
Out in the middle of the album is an instrumental piece called Where's Lucky. It sounds more like something Tower of Power or Average White Band would lay down. It's a good excuse for Lucky and the two horn men to show their wares. It works for me.
Ain't Nothing But The Truth reminds me of Richie Haven's late 60's/early 70's sound at it's core. It's the organ part that underscores the song that makes me feel that. It pulls above that baseline and moves on to a more soulful total sound though.
The album ends with Take It Slow that is so bleeding good. It could of just as well led-off the album. They saved the best for last. This is a rockin' number. The slide parts sound very Allman-ish...but otherwise really reminds me of Canned Heat with some boogie piano. When they sing, " rock me baby, rock me all night long...", you realize this song is infectious enough to do the trick. Of the three guitar slingers, Benard Allison sounds the best to me. This is his tune all the way. ...way to go Bernard!
This album sounds g-r-e-a-t in stereo SA. I haven't ever bothered with the CD program, myself. It'd be hard to talk myself into that. The M/C program is pretty good and simple. The front three act in unison. The singers/guitarists are spread across the 3 speakers. It's as if the centre is a "fold out" of the left and right. The sides will have a few rhythm guitars, horns, and organ. I wouldn't call it particularly aggressive. It's mostly an "auto-cycle" mix, if you catch my drift. Plain... That's OK with me. I tend to prefer stereo and I didn't hate this mix. There were only a few places I thought too much was in the rears. That's high praise for the mix from me, more or less!
Triple Fret was recorded in the U.S. in Conneticut and mixed in the U.K. It's on JSP Records, a U.K. label. They've done this one up right. They released 3 really good blues SA-CD's this summer. Guitar Shorty with Otis Grand's My Way Or The Highway & Michael Hill's Black Gold & Goddesses Bold are the other two. They're pretty good too. Triple Fret is a cut above though, IMO. JSP seems to be a really quality concious label in all respects.
If you want good rockin', Triple Fret is the "blues" album to get, IMO....
Backing up our three guitar-teers is Lucky Peterson on organ, whom some of ya'all may know from his Alligator Records' albums? Then, again you might not? He's good. Also, Steve McCray drums, John Colby keyboards, Johnny Gaydon on bass, and the Nutmeg Horns, Jamie Finegan on trumphet and Robert Feiner on tenor sax. This group has everything it needs to move ya and groove ya!
So, this is a blues album, well, not really. This album is more about rock and R & B and maybe a pinch of gospel. My best discription of the album is it's like the Allman Brothers meets Otis Redding with a dose of delta soul. It's a "blues" album that ought to pull in listeners who don't usually frequently listen to blues. This is way more a rock album if you call a spade a spade! This album trumps generes....
The lead-off tune, Bottle Of Whiskey, made me a believer right off the bat. It so reminds me of an Allman track. The guitars are blazing, Lucky's organ is layin' down a rhythm, and the horns are subtley backing it up. Even after seven minutes, when the track ceases and desists, you wish it hadn't. They said they were, "...gonna drink a bottle of wiskey and play the blues for you...", and they did apparently. Each guitar slinger sang a verse and popped a solo. Hot dam, which one was better? I'll have to ponder that...
Next is Bluesman and it's an upbeat soul tune, very good. Then comes my fav, Get Drunk And pop The Trunk. I could so imagine Otis Redding singing this one. It's so his sound. It's got those Memphis Soul type horns and guitar chops roastin' on top. If I was gonna get drunk and pop the trunk, I'd put this album on.
Don't Tie Me Down starts as a slow jam but the chorus picks up each go round before returning to the slow tempo. These guy don't want no woman to tie them's down, I'm believin. All three slingers get a go on this one. There's a bunch of guitars zinging about the soundstage by the time it fades out.
I'm Praying For You is the most bluesy piece on the album, but even it sounds soulish/gospel with those accent horns and Lucky's organ.
Out in the middle of the album is an instrumental piece called Where's Lucky. It sounds more like something Tower of Power or Average White Band would lay down. It's a good excuse for Lucky and the two horn men to show their wares. It works for me.
Ain't Nothing But The Truth reminds me of Richie Haven's late 60's/early 70's sound at it's core. It's the organ part that underscores the song that makes me feel that. It pulls above that baseline and moves on to a more soulful total sound though.
The album ends with Take It Slow that is so bleeding good. It could of just as well led-off the album. They saved the best for last. This is a rockin' number. The slide parts sound very Allman-ish...but otherwise really reminds me of Canned Heat with some boogie piano. When they sing, " rock me baby, rock me all night long...", you realize this song is infectious enough to do the trick. Of the three guitar slingers, Benard Allison sounds the best to me. This is his tune all the way. ...way to go Bernard!
This album sounds g-r-e-a-t in stereo SA. I haven't ever bothered with the CD program, myself. It'd be hard to talk myself into that. The M/C program is pretty good and simple. The front three act in unison. The singers/guitarists are spread across the 3 speakers. It's as if the centre is a "fold out" of the left and right. The sides will have a few rhythm guitars, horns, and organ. I wouldn't call it particularly aggressive. It's mostly an "auto-cycle" mix, if you catch my drift. Plain... That's OK with me. I tend to prefer stereo and I didn't hate this mix. There were only a few places I thought too much was in the rears. That's high praise for the mix from me, more or less!
Triple Fret was recorded in the U.S. in Conneticut and mixed in the U.K. It's on JSP Records, a U.K. label. They've done this one up right. They released 3 really good blues SA-CD's this summer. Guitar Shorty with Otis Grand's My Way Or The Highway & Michael Hill's Black Gold & Goddesses Bold are the other two. They're pretty good too. Triple Fret is a cut above though, IMO. JSP seems to be a really quality concious label in all respects.
If you want good rockin', Triple Fret is the "blues" album to get, IMO....
