Scott Ramminger

Live at 3^rd & Lindsley Nashville

Arbor Lane Music

Scott Ramminger is a humorous songwriter, vocalist, and tenor saxophonist who was raised in the DC area but shuffles between those stomping grounds and his new home in Nashville in recent years. Live at 3^rd & Lindsley Nashville is his sixth record since 2011 and the fourth this writer has covered. The recent project resembles his third album, Do What Your Heart Says To, his most acclaimed album to date, recorded In New Orleans, and released in February 2017.  Like that one, Ramminger has a knack for gathering some of best players in the city but unlike that one, this one is live, recorded at one of Music City’s best clubs for live music.

Ramminger is a first-rate entertainer and offers a mix of ebullient, mostly joyous, and downright funky tunes, some with a witty charm as if he is winking through at you as he sings.  He taps two of Music City’s best but relatively unheralded guitarists – James Pennebaker from Delbert McClinton’s band for the first six tracks, and versatile guitarist Joe V. McMahan (Kevin Gordon, Mike Farris, Allison Moorer & Shelby Lynne) for four of them. Veteran bassist Ger Hoffman (Joe Diffie) and drummer Maxwell Schauf (Lonnie Mack) form the rhythm tandem for this tight quartet. The final track, likely timed for the release or to highlight Muscle Shoals royalty or both has Spooner Oldham, David Hood, Will McFarlane, and Doug Belote for “Come Valentine’s Day.”

On several past albums, notably the aforementioned one, Ramminger brought in female vocalists to provide harmonies but here is the lone vocalist, a courageous gesture but one that allows his oft witty lyrics to shine through clearly. The best example of this is the memorable “I Really Love Your Smile,” with lines such as “I like the clothes you wear; I like your derriere…I really love your smile.” It’s the first time McMahan appears too, and his inventive solo is a contrasting change to the more traditional, on point solos from Pennebaker. Both guitarists energize Ramminger, who consistently delivers gutsy, honking Lee Allen-like takes. He follows that tune with “More Than One Flavor,” and an earlier song, the self-deprecating “It’s Hard to Be Me,” making this the strongest two-song sequence on the album.

This is not to slight the first half of the album. Perhaps we’re more warmed and accustomed to the style midway through. Nonetheless, riches abound from the opening “Thinking About You,” “Someone New to Disappoint,” to the humorous ode to aging “Walk a Little Straighter.” The stretched out slow blues of “Lemonade Blues.” Pennebaker shines though his set, revealing more extended soloing opportunities than were afforded to him in Delbert’s band.  His chemistry with Ramminger is palpable.  The two of them dig deep into the blues, striking the right notes as opposed to showboating.

The relaxed vibe and Ramminger’s I-don’t-take-myself-too-seriously approach make for a fun listen. Give Ramminger his props, he has a natural knack for catchy, and memorable songs.

• Jim Hynes