Music CD - Roomful of Blues: Raisin' A Ruckus

	Music CD: Raisin' A Ruckus Artist: Roomful of Blues List Price: $16.98 Our Price: $9.98 Your Save: $ 7.00 ( 41% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Alligator Records
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Tracks: 1. Every Dog Has It's Day 2. Lower On Your List of Priorities 3. Talkin' To You Eye To Eye 4. Big Mamou 5. Round It Down 6. I Would Be A Sinner 7. Black Night 8. Boogie Woogie Country Girl 9. Solid Jam 10. Sweet Petite 11. While I Can 12. Raisin' A Ruckus 13. New Orleans 14. Life Has Been Good
Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0014551491927 Label: Alligator Records Manufacturer: Alligator Records Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Alligator Records Release Date: 2008-01-15 Studio: Alligator Records
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Their Best, Yet! Comment: Roomful Of Blues just keeps on rolling. During the last 40 years or so, they have dealt with numerous personnel changes, and have had to shift some musical gears in order to accommodate them. But their latest release, "Raisin' A Ruckus", is proof they are still at the top of their game. Since the band's last release, "Standing room only", Roomful has added a new rhythm section, and also vocalist Dave Howard, late of the High Rollers. All the new parts fit very well. Unfortunately, this is the last CD to feature longtime trumpet player Bob "Bubba" Enos, who died shortly before its release. He will be greatly missed. 8 of the 14 cuts are originals by various band members, including "While I Can", written by and featuring guitarist Chris Vachon's wife, Bethie, On vocals. Other standout originals include Dave Howard's "Sweet Petite", keyboardist Travis Colby's "Round It Down", Vachon's "Solid Jam", and sax player and longest standing band member (since 1970!) Rich Lataille's title instrumental. Covers include "Big Mamou", "Black Night", and a rousing version of "New Orleans", made popular by Gary (US) Bonds. There are many opinions as to which Roomful lineup is preferred, and I've heard them all. To these ears, this is their best yet. Give it a try, then check out some of their other offerings- you just might become a "Room Head", too! Customer Rating: Summary: Still creative after all these years. Comment: In 2000, former Roomful of Blues manager Bob Bell wrote that the band "is, and always has been a living, breathing creative unit". How right he was. "Raisin' a Ruckus" is their 19th album, and with three new members, the current incarnation is as strong as any before it. New vocalist Dave Howard has the phrasing of Sugar Ray Norcia, but possesses the soulful grit of Kim Wilson.One of the highlights of the disc is "Lower on your list of priorities", an original he first recorded with his band the High Rollers (check out that band's "Sure Bet" to hear how hot this Rhode Islander is on harp). "Ruckus" has some well chosen covers including "Big Mamou" by the late Cajun saxophonist Link Davis. Jesse Mae Robinson's "Black Night" features a beautiful guitar solo by band leader Chris Vachon, who knows how to fit guitar into horn charts better than anyone performing today. "New Orleans" is given new life with a great horn arrangement featuring saxophonists Rich Lataille and Mark Early, with trumpeter Bob Enos, who sadly passed away on Jan 11, just four days before this recording was released. "While I can" is an original penned by Vachon's wife Bethie and features her and Howard in a duet remarkably similar to Lou Ann Barton and Kim Wilson. The title cut is a swinging Lataille original worthy of earlier instrumentals in the Roomful canon like "Red, Hot and Blue "and "Back on Front Street". Russian born bassist Dimitry Gorodetsky brings the vintage jump blues style to this band, while new drummer Ephraim Lowell drives the group, especially on "New Orleans" Personnel changes-about fifty to date-usually weaken a band of this stature.Not so with Roomful of Blues. A five star effort is just about what we can expect from a living, breathing creative unit. Customer Rating: Summary: Swinging fun for everyone Comment: Just received my copy and was just elated by the new vocals of Dave Howard. For those of you Roomful of Blues fans that liked the 'sound' of the Sugar Ray Vocals..........Dave has his own blazing gritty sound, but it reminds me of the Sugar Ray days. This CD will be a welcome bluesy, swinging addition to your 'jump blues' collection. Check out tracks Sweet Petite, Life Has Been Good and Lower On Your List of Priorities. Sadly, master trumpeter and long time musician for Roomful Of Blues, Mr. Bob Enos has passed away on January 11th, 2008 on his way to a blues-cruise getaway. The last song on this, Bob's last CD with Roomful of Blues, is aptly entitled..........Life Has Been Good. So were you Bob, and thanks for the many memories of swing, jump blues that we have listened to over the years with you. Customer Rating: Summary: Great musicianship, caught me by surprise! Comment: I work in a record store and the store manager has been a fan of Roomful of Blues for a while now. When he put the record on over the sound system in the store, I started dancing in the aisles! Great energy, excellent vocals, tight playing and clever lyrics abound all over this record. This has to be the best band playing besides Bob Dylan's backing group and the E Street Band. Highly recommended. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: Roomful of Blues, according to Down Beat magazine, is in a class by themselves. With their masterful combination of jumping, horn-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B, it s no wonder why the great Count Basie called them the hottest blues band I ve ever heard. Since 1967, the group s deeply rooted blend of swing, rock n roll, jump, blues and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (with the nod for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). The band, with a membership that has continued to change and evolve over the years, has always boasted great musicianship featuring a stellar horn section. With a non-stop performance schedule for almost 40 years, Roomful of Blues has earned critical, popular and radio success and a legion of fans around the globe. Twice, the prestigious Down Beat International Critics Poll selected Roomful of Blues as Best Blues Band. Roomful of Blues joined the Alligator Records family with the Grammy-nominated THAT S RIGHT! in 2003, followed by STANDING ROOM ONLY in 2005. Both CDs received massive amounts of critical and popular praise and earned them hordes of new fans around the world. Down Beat described STANDING ROOM ONLY as bold, brassy and highly danceable jump blues with contemporary energy and sophistication...swings with a vengeance. Now they re back with RAISIN A RUCKUS, a foot-stomping CD highlighting the intense vocal and instrumental power of the world s smallest big band. Even though Roomful of Blues lineup has changed over the years, the band has always been one of the tightest, most joyful blues ensembles in the world. Currently an eight-piece unit led by guitarist Chris Vachon, the band has never sounded fresher or stronger. In 2007, singer Dave Howard took over the vocal duties, bringing his gritty and soulful vocals and adding another bright new dimension to their jazzy, jump-blues musical roots. With new members bassist Dima Gorodetsky and drummer Ephraim Lowell and long-time members keyboardist Travis Colby, baritone and tenor saxophonist Mark Earley, tenor and alto saxophonist Rich Lataille (the longest-standing member of the group) and trumpeter Bob Enos, RAISIN A RUCKUS swings with ferocity and rocks with urgency and purpose. Moving effortlessly from originals to carefully chosen covers, the expertly executed songs sizzle from start to finish. Roomful of Blues winning combination of jump, swing, blues, R&B and soul remains their calling card, as does their ability to fill the dance floor.