Wallace Coleman – Stretch My Money/Live At Joe’s/The Bad Weather Blues (Pinto Blue).
You may, or may not, have heard of Wallace Coleman and if you haven’t then please allow me to give you a little piece of background. Respected bluesman Robert Jr Lockwood always said that he would never have a harmonica player in his band – that was until he heard Wallace Coleman play. Coleman was, at the time, playing with Guitar Slim whilst working on his day job and two years later, in 1987, once he had worked enough to earn his pension he joined Lockwood for a ten year stint.
Since starting his solo career, somewhat late in life, in 1997, Coleman has won many awards for his harp playing and these three albums give a good account of him as both a studio and live artist.
Stretch My Money (2000) was his debut and opens with the Lightnin’ Hopkins song Mojo Hand. This introduces us to Coleman’s deep silky voice and slightly understated harmonica considering this was his first solo track. Spare Woman is self-written but played in a Muddy Waters style. His voice is not as powerful but, not many are. Highlight of the song is the excellent slide guitar provided by Frank ‘Silk’ Smith. Dead Presidents is a Willie Dixon song and it’s not about what you may think – it’s all about those Presidents who are depicted on dollar bills. Coleman is starting to get into gear now and his harmonica playing is really warming up. The title track is another of the self penned numbers and is pretty much standard fare. His harmonica is starting to be used more than just a filler and the song gives Mark Augustine the chance to show his prowess. Bring It On Home is another Willie Dixon song and, although Coleman is not in the same class as Howlin’ Wolf, his style of not over exaggerating his harp playing has a certain panache. Shake Me is probably the weakest track on the album despite the good harmonica – it’s all just a bit too light. The opposite could be said of Strong Love. This has a much heavier sound and is a real grower. Earl Hooker’s Off The Hook is a laid back jazz blues where Mark Augustine excels on Hammond B3. Dangerous Man is the top track on the album and Augustine continues his good form on this Roosevelt Sykes song. Vernondo Parker keeps it all together on drums. Sugar To Shame is a jaunty, happy blues that has Coleman coming out of his shell and the shuffling blues of the Howlin’ Wolf song Who’s Been Talking is a highlight where everything just clicks. Painesville Slim on guitar deserves to be singled out for particular praise here. The closing track, Homeless People, shows a social conscience and although the overall sound is a bit thin, Coleman’s harmonica has continued to get better and better.
Coleman’s second album, Live At Joe’s, gives a flavour of Wallace and the band on stage. Opening with a classy performance of the Little Walter classic, Juke, he shows that he a top live performer and certainly in the top 10 harmonica players in the world. This is followed by the first of his self-written songs, Hard Life. Coleman produces a true downtrodden blues here and his harmonica compliments Tim Matson and Mike Modin’s guitars perfectly. You’re The One is best known as a Jimmy Rogers song and Coleman manages to evoke the true image of Chicago blues. Another of Wallace’s own songs is the low key Love Spell. This is played in an intimate fashion and the sparse use of harmonica is very effective. Robert Johnson’s songs have been covered by Wallace Coleman since his days with Lockwood and it is a brave man that adds a harmonica part to a Johnson song. Coleman is certainly brave as there are normally only two ways to play a Robert Johnson song, play it exactly like the original or completely make it your own. He doesn’t really do either but this song carries itself. He goes back to Little Walter for One More Chance With You. This swings along very well and Coleman produces another top class performance on harp. Big Dog Blues is an everyday tale of buying a small dog that turns into a big one, been there have you? Coleman’s wailing harmonica saves this one. Young Fashioned Ways is a Willie Dixon written, Muddy Waters song that is perfectly played – enough said. There’s more Muddy Waters on Lonesome Room Blues and although he is not as strong as Muddy vocally, this is still a highlight of the album and it is Chicago blues personified. Coleman returns to Little Walter for Tell Me Mama and Fred Goodnight excels on drums as he does on Juke. My Last Meal is a prison song, a rich seam for blues singers, and is another made famous by Jimmy Rogers. Coleman’s sweet vocal sets this off well. The session finishes with Way Back Home, written by Wilton Felder. This is a laid back finish to the show but shows Coleman’s expertise and he is ably backed by Tim Marston and Mike Modlin on guitar.
The most recent of the trio, 2003’s Bad Weather Blues, sees Wallace return to the studio, this time with guests Bob Stroger and Billy Flynn. The eponymous title track is a shuffling blues with a singalong chorus. Mark Hoffman’s introduction on guitar is a bonus and the complete package shows how much a storyteller Coleman is. Pretty All Over is a chugging Chicago blues and marks the improvement in Coleman’s playing and songwriting since the first album – he has become more professional in his songs and his playing has become more classy. He is so comfortable with his harmonica that you could easily be fooled into thinking that he’s not playing anything that difficult. Southern Comfort is a case in point. This laid back instrumental is deceptively simple and shows a master of his craft at work. Better Way To Live is the second of two songs from Jody Getz, Coleman’s sidekick, and this one draws out Wallace’s voice to produce one of the best vocals on the album. He makes his usual visit to the catalogue of Little Walter, this time for Everybody Needs Somebody. Again, his voice is not as powerful as Jacobs’ but he still manages to turn in an accomplished performance and there’s always that understated harmonica. Standing Still is a jaunty country blues and is a piece of good fun. The self-penned Blue Mist is a virtuoso harmonica performance. This slow blues will have you desperate for more. I wondered when we were going to get a Robert Lockwood song and Mean Red Spider ends that wait. The acoustic guitar and harmonica fit in so well together and this is a very, very good version of a classic song. Coleman’s songwriting has certainly improved since his debut album and Cloudy is a straightforward, medium paced blues. The professionalism of his harp playing should not distract you too much from his words. I’m always impressed by harmonica players lung capacity and Coleman shows his on the lung bursting Billy Bob Jam – the man has lungs of steel! From that, he slows down into Seems Like, which is a wistful, soulful blues and is so proficient. Old Fashioned Guy is standard fare but the wailing harmonica makes it more than listenable. High Tech Blues is a self explanatory tale of those who are neglected by computer lovers. It’s a contemporary theme and shows the blues is moving with the times even if it does go back to the loving topic. Bad Weather Blues closes with Going Down Slow and he’s saved one of the best for last. This has it all – rhythm, harmonica and vocal are all top drawer.
If you are a fan of harmonica players then Wallace Coleman has to be on your list.
http://www.wallacecoleman.com/Copyright David Blue 2006.
