RHYTHM KREWE - UNFINISHED BUSINESS

RHYTHM KREWE - UNFINISHED BUSINESS CLASSIC BLUES LABEL: RHOMBUS RECORDS RELEASE DATE: MARCH 3, 2023 The Southern California band, Rhythm Krewe, began life in 1990 as Floyd & the Flyboys, when guitarist/vocalist/songwriter, Steve Zelman, assembled a nine-piece horn band made up of firstrate players on every instrument. Credits read like a Who’s Who of the music industry, including artists, who have performed/recorded with Ray Charles, Santana, Tower of Power, The Temptations, Lyle Lovett, the Eagles, Brian Setzer, and more. The release of their debut album,

 Unfinished Business, includes nine original songs penned by Zelman, as well as covers of songs (recorded) by Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Professor Longhair, and James Cotton, all featuring elaborate horn arrangements and stellar instrumental performances on a swath of traditional blues, swing, jump blues and soul tracks. 

 1950’s jump blues classic, “She Moves Me,” from the Johnny “Guitar” Watson catalog opens the album with hot horn jabs emphasizing Steve Z’s points of adoration and vamping on the rhythm, as we enjoy a round of hot solos from him and Jim Blazer on piano and tenor sax man Chris Mostert. Gary Coppola steps to the mic for the spicey rhumba “One Hell For Another,” a sordid tale of a hard-working man’s struggle to get ahead; in classic style he takes one step forward and then two steps back. Steve Z’s swampy guitar riff sets the palette for the southern fried song of love and devotion “Little Bit Of Heaven.“ “Better Late Than Never” is a sweet talking blues about a man who is head over heels in love and encourages everyone to do the same. Coppola digs deep into the piano driven 12 bar blues “Time Of Day,” testifying to unrequited love freely given from his tormented soul.

The band frames James Cotton’s “She’s Murder” as a hot Chicago shuffle that depicts the dangerously beautiful woman, who is prowling Steve Z’s heart strings before he pleads his case with an ice pick guitar solo. In fitting style, piano and guitar introduce us to Professor Longhair’s blues rhumba “Her Mind Is Gone,” then borrow a bit from Albert King’s “Don’t You Lie To Me,” and mix them with the playful lyrics that jibe at the fairer sex. The greasy shuffle, “ Prescription For Disaster,” finds guest vocalist David Morgan playing the role of a man done wrong by a salacious woman. The salsa infused “Wild Love,” features some tasty drumming from Danny Pucillo, Jr., and slick organ tones from Jim Blazer. The title track, “Unfinished Business,” mixes all the elements of big band blues together: big vocals, big guitar, big horns for a simmering showstopper. Steve Z mellows the mood on the blues confessional “Sweet Surrender” before he and Coppola share the mic for the fun loving “Monkey Toes” that starts out gently swinging and builds to a Bo Diddley beat finale.  

 Writing and arranging for a nine-piece band is a difficult task in any genre. Staying true to the traditional forms of classic blues and soul is a labor of love, and one the Rhythm Krewe have taken on with panache. Rick J Bowen

WEBLINKS

• OS: www.rhythm-krewe.com
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Betsie Brown, Blind Raccoon, betsie@blindraccoon.com