Got an appetite for some Cajun’-flavored blues? Then by all means, get
yourself down to the store and pick up some Live Crawfish. And when you
get home, you can satisfy your hunger with a little "Cajun
Roux" and "Red’s Nuts." If that still doesn’t do the
trick, well, then, grab your plate, "Shout for More" and
"Eat More Crawfish."
Big Al and the Heavyweights stir up some sure-fire crowd pleasers
with their first live release; the band’s third CD and a definite
contender for another Nammy nomination - if not an outright win.
From the first track to the last on this 13-song, 68 minute CD, the
band shines. One of the many things that stands out on this compilation
is the band’s diversity. From Cajun’ inspired Louisiana boogie to
straight-ahead blues, smokin’ solos to tight, well-formed harmonies,
slow indulgences in the low-down dirty to frenzied exclamations of joy,
this rare blend of musical geniuses can do it all, and it’s all
well-done.
On some tracks, it’s easy to pick out the influences - Chicago
here, Texas or New Orleans or Dixieland there. But on others, it’s
more of challenge: a shake of Swamp Music is thrown in with a dash of
Detroit and a slice of roots, and there’s something in the percussion
or guitar or harmonica that’s vaguely familiar, but you just can’t
quite discern what flavor it is because it compliments the others so
well.
The band - Albert J. "Big Al" Lauro Jr. on drums and
background vocals; Tim Wagoner on lead vocals and guitar; George
"Harmonica Red" Heard on vocals and mouth harp and Calvin
Johnson on bass - traces its roots back to 1992's "The Unknown
Blues Band." Lauro's Web site says he and then-lead guitar player
Warren Haynes met while both were playing with a still-famous
"country outlaw's" (David Allen Coe) band. Haynes went on to
play with Dicky Betts and later, The Allman Brothers Band, and Lauro was
forced to look for a new guitarist. Eventually, the lineup on this CD
was cooked up.
The band has a had a few good breaks on the way, most notably in the
form of Dan Akroyd's nationally syndicated "House of Blues"
show and a performance on the Food Network's "Emril Live." But
it’s good music, not good luck, that keeps the Heavyweights in trim.
There’s some marvelous scat - accompanied note for note by a
wailing electric guitar - on "Cheatin’ Blues"; some
in-your-face harmonica work on "Red’s Nuts"; and some hot
guitar work on a tight, tasty version of "Bound By Love."
This is definitely a band that’s in its element live, and this
album is almost as good as being pressed up against the stage. From the
Louisiana-flavored opener "Cajun Roux" to the Chicago-styled
closer "Honda Wanda," Crawfish is packed with incredibly good
music. Another helping, please.
Web: www.bigal.net
