Track Listing
- Something's Got To Give
- Baby What You Want Me To Do
- Crocodile Tears
- Wish You Didn't Have To Go
- Deliver The Goods
- The Wind Cries Mary
- Mustang Sally
- Hey Joe
- Gone With The Wind
- I've Got News For You
- Food Court Blues
EB Rating - 4.5
- Tony Janflone Jr
guitar/vocals
- Tom Salyers
keyboards
- George Elliott
bass/vocals
- Curtis Swift
saxaphone
- Sonny Pugar
drums
- John Sferra
drums
- Rick Dickerson
drums
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Being an avid and somewhat narrow-minded fan of blues-rock and Texas blues guitar,
It seems I never tire of listening to talented artists playing in those styles. On the other hand, it's
always something of a special treat when I encounter a performer who swings left or right of my favorite
styles, and yet still manages to maintain my interest. Pittsburg's
Tony Janflone Jr. is just such a performer. While I'd still classify
"Live at the Blues Cafe" as a blues-rock CD, the band's sound, including Tony's work on guitar,
has a bit of a jazzy feel. Tony's vocals are smooth, slick, and soulful, as opposed to the raw, passion-drenched
vocals I would normally favor. Both vocals and guitar are excellent, which helped to overcome my
narrow-mindedness towards straight blues-rock, and each time I spin this CD it grows on me a little more.
The band, which includes keyboards and horns, is as tight and balanced a unit as any I've
heard, and has a big, very professional sound. Horns in a blues setting is a very touchy subject for me, and
must be perfectly executed to avoid seeming overbearing or unecessary. That perfect execution is achieved
on this disc. This live CD is well engineered and perfectly mixed, which I'm very happy to say is becoming
more common these days. Recording technology has gotten to the point where recording live is no longer a
valid excuse for so-so audio quality or poorly mixed instruments. The talking and crowd noise between songs
is the only giveaway that this is a live recording.
The CD is made up of about a 50/50 mix of covers and originals. Tony's orginal songs hold
their own quite well in comparison to the covers, and the covers are all very nicely done interpretations.
The CD flows smoothly from song to song, with no major breaks in either mood or quality. There are only one
or two songs that have a straight up blues-rock feel. Most songs are subtly tugged to one side or the other
of that center-line.
While there's lots of guitar, and leads breaks on every song, I would stop short of calling
this a strictly "guitar-oriented" CD. Vocals, keyboards and horns contribute too much to the overall package
to allow that one-dimensional classification. Tony has a fairly unique style, and doesn't sound a whole lot like
anyone I can think of. However, imagine a cross between Santana (for the soul) and Robben Ford (for the jazzy feel)
you've got a vague idea. "Live at the Blues Cafe" should be a refreshing addition to the collection of any fan of
modern electric blues.
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