WWBS: HOLLER OUT for MORE RECEIVES HIGHEST RATING!
July 07, 2005
| This review is reprint of a Walla Walla Blues Society Blues News article by Rusty Faust, providing a "5 Onions!!" rating which means "Can't Miss!!" in the region known for wonderfully, delicious onions. ************************************** ROSE CITY KINGS – "HOLLER OUT FOR MORE" 5 Onions!! Portland’s powerhouse blues band has done it again! Rose City Kings’ new CD chronicles a fantastic performance at Mississippi Studios recorded on – of all days – April first of this year! From start to finish, this record captures the energy and intensity that this fun and funky five-piece brings to every performance. Individually, all these guys are superb musicians … together, they mesh so tightly and play off each other so well that you’d think they’d been playing together all their lives. This new album includes favorites from both of their studio albums and one previously unreleased track that is a genuine crowd pleaser in more ways than one! No speeches, just great original blues as we start with a quick intro and jump right into a version of ‘Delta Hop’ that shows off some smoldering guitar right out of the box. Going from ‘Devil In My Shoes’ to ‘Biscuits n’ Gravy’ shows the depth of this band’s roots – one foot in Chicago and the other keepin’ time at a Delta fish fry – while ‘Up On It’ is a boisterous groovin’ rocker. The album’s title "Holler Out For More" and the art on the cover were both inspired by the gritty ‘Tequila Blues,’ while ‘Way Down Low’ and ‘Double Belly Twist’ are two other smoky grinders that also lend themselves to a more mature audience, if you know what I mean. More fun and seriously danceable songs round out the album that then ends, as did their others, with another near-spiritual effort – uplifting without preaching – something that leaves you with a great positive impression of the record. A total of 12 powerful shots of intoxicating original blues in all, this is the first live recording that has passed muster to the critical ear of RCK’s prolific songwriter, singer and very talented guitar player Dan ‘Kingbee’ Berkery. The harmonica from Joe ‘Super’ Powers is absolutely first-rate and Jeff ‘El Nino’ Simonson is outstanding on those keys! Add to that the rock-solid rhythm from bass player Ron Camacho and drummer Roger E. (both very cleanly reproduced on this CD, not always the case on a live recording) and you have here an exceptional album that is the next best thing to experiencing this consistently remarkable band in person. The musicianship, quality of the recording and trademark personality injected into every performance are all captured and preserved brilliantly. You’ll see why these guys won the CBA’s ‘Muddy Award’ for Best New Band in 2003, Best Contemporary Band in ’04 and represented the Northwest at the International Blues challenge to start this year. Definitely on their way up, this is a band to watch – and listen to – for years to come! ************************ To see the article as well as the complete Walla Walla Blues Society Blues News magazine, VOLUME 11, ISSUE 7, July 2005 please go to this linK: http://www.wwbs.org/Blues%20News%20Page%2010.htm |
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