Bobby Jones
Comin' Back Hard
Delta Groove (2009) DGPCD129



11 tracks, 44 minutes. Highly recommended. Let's get one thing perfectly straight before we progress any further with this review of the new Bobby Jones CD, Comin' Back Hard. The folks at Delta Groove could have put Ethel Merman behind a microphone with their stable of talent and made one damned good blues record back in the day. That is not to diminish the talents of Jones. His voice simply drips blues, but how on this blue earth can you go wrong when you assemble The Mannish Boys for support? This is a lineup that starts with Al Blake, Randy Chortkoff and Lynwood Slim contributing their harmonica prowess. Add these fret wizards to the mix; Kirk Fletcher, Franck "Paris Slim" Goldwasser, Kid Ramos and Junior Watson. Toss in Fred Kaplan's piano and organ efforts, Tom Leavey and Ronnie James Weber tackling bass chores and Richard "Big Foot" Innes behind the traps. That right there is what's called an all-star blues lineup. Jones' history dates back to his days in Chicago during the 1950s and '60s when he fronted The Aces, and it's safe to say he's lost nothing over the years. She's The One opens up as a thick and saucy slice of funky R&B before Jones launches into Willie Dixon's Two Headed Woman with some delicious Kirk Fletcher guitar. Come In Out Of The Rain comes loping straight out of Chicago with Jimmy Reed-like harp from Delta Groove honcho Randy Chortkoff, then Jones tears into Ike Turner's jumping Get It Over Baby. Kaplan fires up Tired Of Your Jive with some simmering organ, before Kid Ramos delivers one of his incendiary conversations with his six-string. Mel London's Cry For Me Baby shows Jones as a superlative vocalist with an unerring sense of dynamics as he takes the listener on a roller coaster of feelings over a stumbling backbeat. Three Handed Woman is worthy alone for its "she's right-handed, left-handed and under-handed too" line, not to mention a full-bodied harp solo from Lynwood Slim. Junior Parker's Mystery Train features Jones trading verses and having a ball with labelmate Finis Tasby, and Chortkoff's potent harmonica speaks volumes. How Long Will It Last, another from Ike Turner's pen, is a slashing slow blues that closes the album on a perfect note; it leaves the listener wanting more. As much as Bobby Jones has a lengthy history in music, his powerful voice was more than a step or two away from blues for too long. Big thanks to Randy Chortkoff and The Mannish Boys for putting him squarely in the spotlight. He gets to shine and receives the potent backing his soulful, shattering voice deserves. Not to be missed.

Delta Groove

© 2009 by Craig Ruskey

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