Chuck Leavell – Back To The Woods (CrossCut Records).

Chuck Leavell needs very little introduction. He was the pianist for The Allman Brothers and played keyboards with The Rolling Stones; enough said. For Back To The Woods he has selected a number of Blues classics, both piano and guitar based. He’s also assembled a top class band and invited a number of all-star guests.

He opens with Little Brother Montgomery’s No Special Rider, a New Orleans piano Blues. Good sounds and good times. Leroy Carr’s Evening Train is played as an acoustic, strolling Blues with Keith Richards on guitar whereas Memphis Slim’s Wish Me Well is a pulsating Blues with Leavells fingers a blur at times and John Mayer guesting on guitar. Leroy Carr is obviously a favourite and four more of his songs are featured; the shuffling Low Down Dirty Dog, Mean Mistreater with Candi Staton sharing the vocal, the old time piano Boogie Woogie of Memphis Town and the highlight of the lot, the Professor Longhair-esque Naptown Blues. All four show that Leavell can sure play the Blues. Ray Charles made Losing Hand a hit and Leavell gives it a smouldering treatment. The eponymous title track, written by Charlie Spand, is a straightforward piano Blues but augmented by Danny Barnes’ tuba and clear, sharp guitar. Barrelhouse Buck McFarland’s I Got To Go Blues is played at lightning speed with added fiddle and guitar. Fast fingers all round on this Country Blues. Leavell gives fellow pianist Otis Spann’s Boots And Shoes an updated Delta feel (Keith Richards and John Mayer both making another appearance)and Jesse James’ Southern Casey Jones is an upbeat New Orleans epic with wailing sax from Randall Bramblett. Another in the New Orleans style is Skip James’ If You Haven’t Any Hay with piano mirroring the vocal. Candi Staton takes the vocal on her own for Leona Manning’s The Blues Is All Wrong although the song sounds a bit thin without bass or drums. Leavell finishes it all off where he began, with a Little Brother Montgomery song. This time it’s Vicksburg Blues which is triumphal. It’s just Chuck on piano and singing, simple and effective.

www.crosscut.de

www.chuckleavell.com

David Blue.