Bernard Allison Highs and Lows
Bernard Allison
Highs and Lows
Ruf
Perhaps the best insight into Bernard Allison’s blues-rock funky sound is his dad, Luther’s admonition, “don’t let them label you like they labelled me, as Chicago blues.” This is Allison’s fifth studio album with famed producer, Jim Gaines, and his twentieth overall. True to Allison’s wont, this one has hard-core blues, R&B, rock, and his trademark funk. Allison gathers bassist George Moye and guitarist Dylan Salfer from his road band with in-demand Memphis session drummer Steve Potts, keyboardist Toby Lee Marshall, and saxophonist Jose Ned James. In addition, his godfather, Bobby Rush co-writes, sings, and plays harp on the outstanding track “Hustler.” The searing guitar of Canadian great Colin James enlivens “My Way or the Highway.” Eight of the eleven are Allison originals or co-writes. As is customary he honors his dad with two of Luther’s tunes. The remaining tune, “Side Step” with its slicing slide guitar, is from Gaines.
The opener “So Excited” is an ebullient response to be able to tour again while the funky title track with uncredited background vocals is lyrically in synch with the blues idiom. “Strain On My Heart” veers into R&B. These all set up the sixth track, co-written with Rush and lyricist Andrew Thomas. It’s unmistakably Rush’s show through and through from the funky beat to his trademark harmonica, to his lines as protagonist, “I’m a natural-born hustler…It’s all in my blood…My name is Bobby Rush.” Accompaniment of Allison on organ guitar and James on sax fills in all the spaces.
Bernard takes his two Luther songs back-to-back, “How You Got It” and “I Gave It All,” injecting funk into the call and response of the former and takes a smoother blues route through the latter with Marshall’s B3 and James’ stabbing sax punctuating the anguished choruses and Albert King-like guitar leads. “My Kinda Girl” brings back the funk and hints of R&B while “Satisfy Her Needs” again features his organ guitar and a similar vibe. Allison wraps it up with another standout track, “Last Night,” featuring the robust sound of sax, B3, and stinging guitar leads as it shifts the initial choppy tempo into a smoldering slow blues, reflecting the changing moods of a man chasing his elusive lover. Allison’s spiraling lead takes it out.
Allison, as he proven through his career, took his dad’s words seriously. He’s not easily pigeonholed, offering up a potpourri of styles, mostly bound together by his hallmark funk. Thankfully, too, he stayed away from the wah-wah pedal this time. The album mostly delivers an upbeat, joyous vibe commensurate with Allison’s joy in being able to tour again.
- Jim Hynes
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