Published on Jun 25, 1999
When you’re in the mood for a little party in the cubicle,
nothing seems to beat roadhouse blues with a strong piano backbone.
You can be having the day from Hell at work, but after a few of
these numbers, you’ll suddenly find your mood improving – at least
until someone drops a new stack of work on your desk that had to be
completed last Thursday.
Carl “Sonny” Leyland’s latest disc
I’m Wise is a wonderful example of how mentally lifting
roadhouse blues can be. With the rhythm section of guitarist
Malcolm Chapman, bassist Matt Radford and drummer Brian Nevill
backing him, Leyland and crew plow through 14 tracks that are sure
to get your toes tapping in no time.
Relying both on his own creations (Leyland wrote half the songs
on
I’m Wise) as well as some well-known names of blues like
Roosevelt Sykes and “Big Bill” Broonzy, Leyland proves what an
uplifting experience the blues can be. Tracks like “Wine Women
& Song,” “Midnight Steppers,” “Kingfish Boogie” and the title
track all are prime examples of this. Leyland’s vocals fit the mood
perfectly, almost elevating Leyland to the “master of ceremonies”
for the Mardi Gras that unfolds with each track.
The one inherent danger to all this is that one can too easily –
and unintentionally – turn this into festive background music for
their day-to-day activities. I found that I had to re-listen to
certain portions of
I’m Wise three times before I was able to walk away with a
clearer understanding of the music. Granted, it’s not bad music to
have in the background, but in order for one to have complete
enjoyment of this disc, they may want to limit what they’re doing
to things like dancing and snapping their fingers.
Throughout tracks like “Get Used To The Blues,” “The Honky Tonk
Wine” and “Done Tore Your Playhouse Down,” Leyland and his band
remind the listener that the blues is not always about feeling
down, it’s a celebration of life. In that sense,
I’m Wise is the perfect title for this album, because
Leyland recognizes the healing powers of the blues.