Homesick for the Road
Perhaps taking their cue from Alligator's 1985Showdown!withAlbert Collins,Robert Cray, andJohnny Copeland, Telarc brought together three fairly young veterans on the contemporary blues circuit for this session.Tab Benoit, schooled in blues in Baton Rouge, steps forward to sing and play guitar onWillie Nelson's "Nightlife,"Jay Hawkins's well-worn "I Put a Spell on You," and his own "Down in the Swamp," supported in all three places byKenny Nealon rhythm guitar. Neal, a member of a prominent Baton Rouge blues family, provides vocals and solo guitar for his lament "I've Been Mistreated," a rendition of his fatherRaful's "Luberta" (where the elder contributes a spot of singing), and several more album tracks. Also in the thick of things isDebbie Davies, who worked with Albert Collins before carving out her own niche. Her singing and guitar are out front on four Don Costagno songs and parts of three other tunes. Furnishing the grooves behind Neal, Davies, and Benoit isRonnie Earl's old Broadcasters band. The three guitarists and their backup players are all good musicians and the material is for the most part OK. But nothing here, nothing at all, is memorable or distinctive. This album is recommended to loyal fans of the headliners.--Frank-John Hadley