Scottie Miller is a potential Dr John understudy; he is not there yet but with his excellent songwriting, vocals, piano and mandolin skills he is not too far behind the esteemed Dr, although he has yet to acquire the menacing dark occult influences that the Dr John is so renowned for.
Scottie has written all twelve songs on the album and gets support from band members; Mark O’Day, Patrick Allen and Dik Shopteau who together form a very tight unit, which is not surprising considering they have been playing together for over seventeen years.
The music is built on a solid rock platform, which is ably demonstrated on the first couple of high tempo tracks, particularly impressive is Keep The Good Thing Going which benefits from a funky edge created by supporting vocalist Ruthie Foster and a Horn section led by Larry McCabe.
The title track changes things with an introduction of a more laid-back vibe and gives Scottie the chance to demonstrate his Mandolin playing.
The song Come Along is the one that conjures up thoughts of Dr John, Scottie’s vocal is particularly throaty and the lyrics definitely carry some menace alongside the thumping rhythm section, easily the best track on the album.
The concluding song is an acoustic one titled Goodbye, hopefully, it is not meant as a farewell, as this is a strong impressive album with equal measures of blues, rock and funk, I want more!
ADRIAN BLACKLEE
Read/Listen/Buy the full album here –
