Spider In My Stew
VizzTone, 2021
9/10
The harmonica genius Bob Corritore returns with 14 new tunes, and he’s got an all star selection of guests along with him, including John Primer, Bob Margolin and Adrianna Marie, among many others, for the festivities.
“Tennessee Woman” starts the listen with plenty of soulful blues swagger, as Tony Tomlinson’s guitar and Shea Marshall’s sax add much liveliness to Oscar Wilson’s vocals, and “Big Mama’s Soul Food” follows with Sugaray Rayford’s gritty pipes complementing Kid Ramos’ strong guitar work and Blake Watson’s energetic bass lines.
With the wealth of talent on hand, there just isn’t a bad tune present, and some of the best ones reside in the middle, including Shy Perry’s expressive pipes and Brian Fahey’s drum acrobatics on the rhythmic “Wang Dang Doodle”. “Drop Anchor” then flows with Corritore’s always flourishing harmonica amid Alabama Mike’s frisky vocals on the melodic climate, while “Why Am I Treated So Bad”, one of the album standouts, recruits a gospel influence as Francine Reed handles vocal duties alongside Johnny Main’s guitar and Mike Hightower’s bass.
Landing near the end, the groove friendly “I Can’t Shake This Feeling” will get you shaking your body to Lurrie Bell’s inimitable singing and Corritore’s harp skills, and “I Shall Be Released” exits the listen with Reed’s powerful pipes emitting much emotion as Ramos and Main contribute guitar and the rhythm section of Hightower and Fahey don’t disappoint either.
Corritore has released several recordings in the last couple years, and each one has been nothing short of fantastic. Spider In My Stew continues that theme, and with the large amount of talent on hand, each track shines in its own unique light and resonates with so much talent.
Travels well with: Johnny Burgin- Live; Kid Ramos & Bob Corritore- Phoenix Blues Sessions