Jay Willie & James Montgomery

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Cadillac Walk

Zoho, 2020

8/10

Listen to Cadillac Walk

The Detroit legend James Montgomery has had a lengthy and esteemed career in the area of blues dating back to the early ‘70s, and here he’s aligned with Jay Willie’s slide guitar prowess on a 6th record for Zoho, where they rework 9 covers and offer 1 original.

“Three Cool Cats” starts the listen with flowing harmonies courtesy of Kyle Mangold and Willie on the spirited and rhythmic jazz opener, and the title track follows with strong rhythm in the harmonica fueled affair where the intricate guitar work and tumbling percussion excel alongside Lee-Ann Lovelace’s vocal contributions.

In the middle, Montgomery, who is a Detroit native, sings on “Detroit Blues”, where a swampy blues feeling shines bright, while “Give Me One Reason” flows cautiously with plenty of timeless appeal as simulated horns by Paul Opalach leave an impression. The sole original, “Montgomery Boogie”, is an instrumental tune, and soars quickly with intricate musicianship in a display of proficient skill.

At the end, the bristling rhythm section of “Eatin’ Dry Onions” makes this one of the best, and the album finishes on the guitar acrobatics of the mesmerizing “Mean Town Blues”.

An album with a massive amount of energy and soul, Willie and Montgomery sound like they had a lot of fun making this record, and we’ll all have just as much fun listening to it.

Travels well with: J.C. Hopkins Biggish Band- New York Moment; Funk Shui NYC- Shark NATO On A Plane