Dean Zucchero – Song For The Sinners
This effort gets off to a rousing start with basic & confident blues but what makes the succession of tunes interesting are their contrasts. Varied vocalists, guitarists & approaches provide a potpourri of convincing workouts. Some are better than others but always entertaining while some are more retro with a compendium of notes that add up to hot licks.
There are slices of T-Bone Walker & even Taj Mahal stylings with wonderfully applied female backup vocals similar to The Raelettes. Songs like “Lullaby” are energetic & expressive with a swampy Dr. John swipe. The 12 original tracks were produced by Dean Zucchero (bass/bgv) & recorded at various locations for Song For The Sinners (Drops Feb 21/Pugacious Records/42:22).
It’s not simply a blues-inspired set since the music will dive into the barrel-house piano with a Fats Waller-Jelly Roll Morton gutsiness. The only thing Dean left out was Scott Joplin. From the barrel house venom, the showcase slows down considerably to wade in lounge blues with “Crawfish No More.” Not an exciting tune but if you’ve got a slow groove in your heel & require the low flame of a curvy dance urge while holding a drowsy cocktail waitress real close on her break this is the number. With its Sam Cooke cum Marvin Gaye cool phrasing engaged diligently & smooth.
It’s that evening time when the whiskey is set aside & the lips chill out with some wine. You’ll pay for it in the morning, but it would be worth it. The delicious “Shine” has buttery vocals throughout with a driving mainstream beat & the song is sticky like a candy apple. It’ll be memorable even when the night comes to an end at 3 a.m. & when many of these songs will indeed go home with you.
Highlights – “South Side,” “Lullaby,” “She’s Saturday Night,” “Crawfish No More,” “Shine,” “Tone of the City” & “Mama’s Bottle.”
Musicians – Jimmy Vivino & Albert Castiglia (lead vocals/lead & rhythm guitars), Mike Zito (lead vocals/electric guitars), Sean Riley (lead vocals/dobro), John Nemeth (lead male vocals/bgv/harmonica/engineer), Joey Houck (lead vocals/guitar), Little Freddie King (lead vocals/chicken guitar), Victor Wainwright (lead vocals/piano/bgv/engineer), Johnny Burgin (2nd rhythm guitar/guitars), Ron Hotstream (lead vocals/acoustic & electric guitars), Glen David Andrews, John Boutte & Jerry Dugger (lead vocals/bgv), Chris Adkins (lead & rhythm guitars), Caleb Tokarska (guitars), Jake Eckert (engineer/dobro/electric guitar/twang guitar/rhythm & slide guitars/bgv/tambourine), Bobby Rush (harmonica), River Eckert (synth), John Papa Gros (organ/piano), Tom Worrell (piano), Bruce Sunpie Barnes (accordion), Waylon Thibodeaux (fiddle), Michael Leasure, Terence Higgins, Matthew Johnson, Eric Bolivar, Doug Belote & Wayne Maureau (drums), Washboard Chaz (washboard), Whitney Alouiscious (bgv) with the Roadmasters’ Horn Section (Satoru Ohashi – trumpet/trombone, Tom Fitzpatrick – tenor & soprano saxes, Michael Mullins (2nd trombone), Tiffany Pollack – vocals/bgv/lead female vocals) & Lil Riccie (dog sounds).
Photos courtesy of Michelle Van Vliet & Dale Gunnoe. A 16pp stitched lyrics insert is included. CD at Bandcamp & Amazon + https://www.deanzucchero.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Dean Zucchero “Biting Through (feat. Jimmy Vivino)”
