SCREAMIN' MISS JACKSON and the SLAP YA MAMA BIG BAND -
I HEARD THE VOICE OF A DONUT
2016 - Little Paradise Records
This is not intended as an insult, far from it, but this seven piece band create a hugely appealing 'ramshackle' atmosphere that is quite addictive and tremendously uplifting in pretty much the same way as the music played by some of their predecessors eight or nine decades ago. Even better, this band bring touches of modernity to their extraordinary raggle taggle blend of vaudeville, old timey, blues, jazz, hokum, a little western swing and, surprisingly, classic country rock all tied up by a hugely talented band that I've seen described as a 'Street band,' something I know was most definitely intended as a compliment!
I've never seen this collective perform live but know that when (not if!) I do, they will be great in any live setting from street, to pub, to concert hall. The album not only oozes quality but also creates what I imagine to be a true impression of people who enjoy each other's company and are out to have a good time, dragging their audience along with them into whatever genre takes their fancy. It doesn't really matter which genre any song starts out in, it is always going to have this bands highly individual stamp on it. So many of these songs are impossible to place in a particular generic field anyway and even if your initial thought is that you think a particular song could perhaps be jazz, you will soon get to thinking maybe it's a blues or possibly hillbilly until you eventually end up back where you started in being unsure about the generic strain! It is far better to treat it as one of those albums that simply has to be taken at face value and enjoyed, something that all listeners will find incredibly easy to do.
The band consists of April jackson on washboard and vocals, Rebecca Philip plays guitar and vocals, Marc Griffiths, banjo and vocals, Marc Leggassick is on mandolin, electric guitar and vocals, Henry Slim, harmonica and vocals, Mark Furnewall on double bass, piano and vocals and Robert William Alexander on drums. On this recording they brought in Paul Godden to play steel guitar and dobro, Jean Godden, violin and Joss Murray on trumpet. That sounds like a confusing mish mash of instruments but at no time is it too much, more a question of adding more character, texture and personality to their sound. They have four lead vocalists, all with totally contrasting styles, having come to this collective from a variety of genres, which goes a long way towards explaining how they have mastered so many different styles and turned them into their own unique mix that I'm sure will soon be recognizable to a much wider audience. Eleven of the twelve songs are band originals, the exception being Oozlin' daddy blues, a song made famous by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. It hardly matters, such is the quality but a breakdown of the writing credits is as follows; April Jackson wrote four songs, Marc Griffiths, five, Mark Legassick wrote one, as did Rebecca Phillip.
The albums opening song, A little rub has an unusual start with just a cappella female harmonies but are soon joined by banjo and sax as well as guitar and harmonica, eventually including mandolin on a song that has a strong Vaudevillian jazzy feel with April handling lead vocal on her own composition. Hungry Mama Rag is propelled by banjo, guitar and percussion with April again on lead vocal on an easy rolling song that includes band harmonies with the lead instrument for much of the song being harmonica. It also includes a beautifully played, melodic guitar solo followed by bass and percussion before reverting back to the arrangement and vocals on a song that is probably best placed in the 'hokum' category . On first play of this album when I reached Mark Legassicks composition, Take Jesus on a date I was absolutely astounded and had to play the track several times over to convince myself the band hadn't somehow acquired a time machine and travelled back to those heady days of the late 1960s to record a song with the Byrds, with Roger McGuinn on lead vocals! It is a classic country rocker that takes the listener back to the Byrds 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' era, or would were it not for the fact it is a Legassick original. The vocal whilst not exactly the same has much of McGuinn's texture in it and the instrumentation includes a chiming electric guitar intro that is soon joined by banjo, bass, percussion and Marcs vocal on a song that is a virtual classic 'country rocker' and one that I just can't get out of my head! Don't think though that this is a copy of the Byrds. Whilst the sound has similarities it has the easy going feel that this band seems able to imbue even the most dramatic stories with but there is also a huge amount of individuality that gives the song its edge. Last curve in the road gets underway with a mandolin intro and lead instrument soon joined by bass, percussion and keyboards with Marc Griffiths lead vocal on a song that is a slow moody country ballad but as with the above song could be classed as country rock or at least a folksy country blend. Finally, Baby it's you starts with just guitar and Marc Griffiths vocal on what could be termed a classic country duet, with April joining Marc on a beauty of a song, with the break being a lovely dobro solo.
My mind still boggles at just how any band can accommodate so much talent in terms of writing, arranging, vocals and the incredible playing. I guess the reason must be that they not only have a great time together but that they all have so much feeling for every song that they know there are no other circumstances that could make any improvements to what they have. This is a great album by a unique and highly original band that is at the top of its game. Can't wait for their next recording!
http://www.littleparadiserecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SlapYaMamaBigBand
This is not intended as an insult, far from it, but this seven piece band create a hugely appealing 'ramshackle' atmosphere that is quite addictive and tremendously uplifting in pretty much the same way as the music played by some of their predecessors eight or nine decades ago. Even better, this band bring touches of modernity to their extraordinary raggle taggle blend of vaudeville, old timey, blues, jazz, hokum, a little western swing and, surprisingly, classic country rock all tied up by a hugely talented band that I've seen described as a 'Street band,' something I know was most definitely intended as a compliment!
I've never seen this collective perform live but know that when (not if!) I do, they will be great in any live setting from street, to pub, to concert hall. The album not only oozes quality but also creates what I imagine to be a true impression of people who enjoy each other's company and are out to have a good time, dragging their audience along with them into whatever genre takes their fancy. It doesn't really matter which genre any song starts out in, it is always going to have this bands highly individual stamp on it. So many of these songs are impossible to place in a particular generic field anyway and even if your initial thought is that you think a particular song could perhaps be jazz, you will soon get to thinking maybe it's a blues or possibly hillbilly until you eventually end up back where you started in being unsure about the generic strain! It is far better to treat it as one of those albums that simply has to be taken at face value and enjoyed, something that all listeners will find incredibly easy to do.
The band consists of April jackson on washboard and vocals, Rebecca Philip plays guitar and vocals, Marc Griffiths, banjo and vocals, Marc Leggassick is on mandolin, electric guitar and vocals, Henry Slim, harmonica and vocals, Mark Furnewall on double bass, piano and vocals and Robert William Alexander on drums. On this recording they brought in Paul Godden to play steel guitar and dobro, Jean Godden, violin and Joss Murray on trumpet. That sounds like a confusing mish mash of instruments but at no time is it too much, more a question of adding more character, texture and personality to their sound. They have four lead vocalists, all with totally contrasting styles, having come to this collective from a variety of genres, which goes a long way towards explaining how they have mastered so many different styles and turned them into their own unique mix that I'm sure will soon be recognizable to a much wider audience. Eleven of the twelve songs are band originals, the exception being Oozlin' daddy blues, a song made famous by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. It hardly matters, such is the quality but a breakdown of the writing credits is as follows; April Jackson wrote four songs, Marc Griffiths, five, Mark Legassick wrote one, as did Rebecca Phillip.
The albums opening song, A little rub has an unusual start with just a cappella female harmonies but are soon joined by banjo and sax as well as guitar and harmonica, eventually including mandolin on a song that has a strong Vaudevillian jazzy feel with April handling lead vocal on her own composition. Hungry Mama Rag is propelled by banjo, guitar and percussion with April again on lead vocal on an easy rolling song that includes band harmonies with the lead instrument for much of the song being harmonica. It also includes a beautifully played, melodic guitar solo followed by bass and percussion before reverting back to the arrangement and vocals on a song that is probably best placed in the 'hokum' category . On first play of this album when I reached Mark Legassicks composition, Take Jesus on a date I was absolutely astounded and had to play the track several times over to convince myself the band hadn't somehow acquired a time machine and travelled back to those heady days of the late 1960s to record a song with the Byrds, with Roger McGuinn on lead vocals! It is a classic country rocker that takes the listener back to the Byrds 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' era, or would were it not for the fact it is a Legassick original. The vocal whilst not exactly the same has much of McGuinn's texture in it and the instrumentation includes a chiming electric guitar intro that is soon joined by banjo, bass, percussion and Marcs vocal on a song that is a virtual classic 'country rocker' and one that I just can't get out of my head! Don't think though that this is a copy of the Byrds. Whilst the sound has similarities it has the easy going feel that this band seems able to imbue even the most dramatic stories with but there is also a huge amount of individuality that gives the song its edge. Last curve in the road gets underway with a mandolin intro and lead instrument soon joined by bass, percussion and keyboards with Marc Griffiths lead vocal on a song that is a slow moody country ballad but as with the above song could be classed as country rock or at least a folksy country blend. Finally, Baby it's you starts with just guitar and Marc Griffiths vocal on what could be termed a classic country duet, with April joining Marc on a beauty of a song, with the break being a lovely dobro solo.
My mind still boggles at just how any band can accommodate so much talent in terms of writing, arranging, vocals and the incredible playing. I guess the reason must be that they not only have a great time together but that they all have so much feeling for every song that they know there are no other circumstances that could make any improvements to what they have. This is a great album by a unique and highly original band that is at the top of its game. Can't wait for their next recording!
http://www.littleparadiserecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SlapYaMamaBigBand