Many musicians think of the Blues simply as a I-IV-V progression played either slow or as a shuffle. Thankfully that's not the case with Johnny Feds -- the "Deacon of the Blues." On "Pinky Gets the Blues," a glorious multiplicity of beats and voices abide. And Pinky (Johnny's customized Fender Stratocaster) ain't no damn "Blues Mummy!" Feds cherry-picked the tri-state areas' finest Blues players for this album: John Elmo Lawson (bass); Paul Undersinger, Jeremy Driesen, and Kirk Devereux (drums); Fred Lind and Chris Burke (keys); Dave McDowell (horns); Tom "Blues Buddha" Dudley, JP Patrick, Michael Rev Rochelle, and Duchess Diane Cricchio (vocals). Together, Feds and Lawson penned the preponderance of tunes. Exquisitely produced by John Elmo Lawson in Elmo's Garage Studio, the CD thunders with ringing guitars and big-bang-boom drums. Think The Yardbirds but recorded with today's technology.
You'll never get bored listening to this record. Every track paints a different mood. Tom Dudley kicks it off with a back-woods, swampy, roadhouse tale of the "Deacon of the Blues." "Six string over his shoulder, played it 'til his fingers bled. Gonna play that Blues 'til I'm old and dead!" In "Jamie's song: Son Goes Down," JP Patrick takes it slower, heavier, deeper in a howling lament. "Tortured soul has crossed to earth. The wind howls. Tears flow like rain. Nobody's life will ever be the same. The Son goes down." Pinky's shimmering phase tone drowns the listener in an overwhelming torrent of pain. Tom Dudley's got a funky "Axe to Grind" with his cheating woman. "Caddy in my driveway. Too bad I drive a Ford. You're nothing but trouble. Don't wanna hear a word. I got an axe to grind. You're not gonna like what you hear. I got an axe to grind, baby, and it's me you're gonna fear." Duchess Di coos seductively in her man's ear on the Jazzy "It's Not What You're Thinking." Fred Lind's instrumental Fishstyx brings a touch of New Orleans by way of the Allman Brothers. "Redemption" blisters like "Ghost Riders in the Sky" with flaming slide guitar and Dudley's gut-wrenching vocals. On "Fragile Heart," with lyrics by Jeanne Cashman, Tom Dudley lets his "Soulshine" as he delivers a loving ode to his lady. And finally, on the slow Blues of the title track, Feds lays it down old school -- soft, simple, and clean.
The players on "Pinky Gets the Blues" lock in like they've been on the road forever. That's because they have! It's rare that a record with such gorgeous sonics does an equally good job of capturing the fire generated by a first-rate band. Pick this CD up and find out how the Blues can make you smile just as easily as it can make you cry!
©2018 Roger Zee