 You
know Randy Jacobs. The name might not bring instant recognition,
but if you've been to a big name concert recently, you've
seen him. He's that guitarist that owns the
stage with his blistering rock-funk solos and in-the-zone
showmanship. In the 80s you might have been shakin’ it
on the dance floor to Michael Henderson's "Wide Receiver," which
he co-wrote, or driving too fast to "Walk the Dinosaur.” He
co-wrote that one too when he was a member of Was (Not Was). Since
then he's been touring with other artists as well as his
own band, the funk/rock/blues/soul and whatever else makes
ya wanna shake it, Boneshakers. Closing in on the third
decade of his career he has finally released his first solo
album, From Me To You.
If you want to hear spectacular musicians
playing a set of strong songs without that high-tech sheen
that seems to bury the music on so many smooth jazz releases
these days, this is one you have to grab.
Jacobs brought in the heavy-hitters for
this one: Rick Braun, Mindi Abair, Euge Groove, Wayman Tisdale,
Andre Berry, underrated vocalist Wendy Moten, and Bob Sheppard
-- a sax player whose solo recordings have leaned straight-ahead.
Sheppard is also featured on quite a collection of influential
jazz, fusion and adult alternative releases. Jacobs
and long-time friend and co-producer, John Gilutin, took
the high gloss away and let them cut loose and play! The
intimacy that the title implies defines the sound of the
CD. It
sounds like this music is being made by humans, not computers. Although
Gilutin is credited with some programming, if there are loops
and high tech effects, they've done quite a job of keeping
them in the background and out of your ears.
Jacobs originally intended to focus entirely on his acoustic
guitar work, but as they got into the sessions he decided
to record a broader range of material. The acoustic
songs are beautifully written ballads. It's a credit
to Jacobs as a guitarist, writer, and arranger that, even
in sparse settings, these songs never fade into the realm
of background mood music. "Mi Corazon, Mi Amor" features
Rick Braun on Flugelhorn and reminds me of Braun's lovely "Hymn
for Her.” "Kisses for Miss Faye" opens
with a lilting piano/guitar line and features Bob Shepard
on soprano sax. Sheppard plays mostly in the instrument’s
lower range, but even the high notes are strong and emotive
without the overly sweet tones that earmark most soprano
driven ballads. "Tell Me Why" and "Never
Over You" feature some complex guitar work that it's
easy to overlook due to the intimacy and beauty of the settings.
Don't think it's all about acoustic ballads though. "Trixie,
Get Off The Table" is as loose, funky and full of attitude
as those classic Was (Not Was) songs. "Ooo What
She Does To Me" is bouncy and bright. "Trixie" features
Euge Groove. Mindi Abair plays on "Ooo...” Both
of them get to improvise a bit, and they sound the way they
sound live, which is a joy to hear. "From Me To
You" is bluesy with a tinge of early Avenue Blue flavor. The
catchy, up-tempo "No More Rainy Days" gives Andre
Berry and Wayman Tisdale, a bass fan's dream team, a chance
to work it out. It's one of those songs that radio
would have jumped all over back in the day when great songs
mattered more than promotional budgets. Straight out
of left field there is "Dobro Jones." Yeah,
he plays Dobro too. It sounds like some 80-year-old
blues guy sitting in front of an old building on a Saturday
night. The thread that pulls this all together is,
of course, Jacob's guitar work; always stunning whether it's
in your face or so subtle you don't notice those sneaky,
tasty licks that break out all over these songs.
There are a lot of independently released CDs that sound
too organic or flat out homegrown because the artist didn't
have the budget or the chops to pull off a tight, professional
project. On the other side there are releases that
are so technologically driven that the musicians become inconsequential. When
an artist can put out a release that reaches such a level
of musicianship that the songs and the players can hold their
own without falling back on technology, and actually
get the feel of a live show onto a recording without having
it sound like it's all over the place, there’s cause
for celebration. It's a totally fresh sound and a thrill
to hear. From Me To You gives
you a chance to hear one of the coolest guitarists out there
and some of your favorite players just getting in the studio
and playing for the fun of it!
From Me To You is
available from Randy's website (www.randyjacobsmusic.com)
and
CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com/cd/randyjacobs).
Visit Randy's page on MySpace: www.myspace.com/randyjacobsmusic
- Shannon West
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