Duke Robillard

Roll with Me

Stony Plain Records

 Duke Robillard has always embraced the past with exuberance. The venerable guitarist, singer, and all-around blues stylist formed Roomful of Blues in 1967 to emulate the kind of tough but freeing music radiating from Chicago blues clubs then. Soon, they began looking back to the swing, jump, jazz, and rock and roll of the 1940s and 50s for inspiration. By the time Roomful of Blues released their debut album in 1977, they presented a retro-fresh, horn pumped, intoxicating sound that incorporated it all. Robillard left Roomful just three years later, but it has been obvious throughout his fruitful career that Roomful has never left Robillard. Most of Roll with Me was cut nearly 20 years ago and it has Roomful written all over it. In fact, five of the horn players on hand are former or now-current members of the still vital Rhode Island blues institution. They, Robillard, and a band of altogether consummate players light up a jubilant, impressive set of old blues and Robillard originals in the tradition of the greats.

Their romp through Eddie Boyd’s “Blue Coat Man” gets the house on its feet and rocking, the first in a line of celebratory songs upending bad times—the subject matter in this one sure resonates right now—into a straight up party. Authenticity darts out from the swing of the band to Robillard’s gravelly, booming voice and the sting of his guitar. Robillard’s own down and dirty “Just Kiss Me,” written during his Roomful of Blues days and recorded in a stripped-down version for his first solo album, explodes with these five horn players adding to the scorching arrangement. Robillard rips notes here and throughout the album that show his singular, knockout knack with blues guitar playing.

“Look what You Done” and “You Got Money” were cut in 2014 and spotlight current Robillard band vocalist Chris Cote delivering the goods excellently. The former, a sauntering, deliberate-sounding Muddy Waters blues has the great Sugar Ray Norcia—also a Roomful alumnus—on heated harmonica. Clarence Brown wrote the latter, a rollicking number with Bruce Bears leading the charge on piano.

Business decisions that revolved around the time being particularly prolific for Duke Robillard led to his leaving Roll with Me in the can. A lack of artistic triumph could never have been a consideration. This is one heck of a Duke Robillard album that occupies space with his best; a truly wall to wall fantastic ‘roomful of blues.’

Tom Clarke for MAS

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