Been A Long Time Coming
It's easy to get jaded as we regularly get inundated with dozens of blues records a month, most decidedly unmemorable. Root Doctor is a band that made us take notice, blending a powerful mix of R&B, soul, funk and hard blues delivered by terrific vocalist Freddie Cunningham.
Root Doctor's sound harks back to the 60's and 70's era that melded soul, blues and funk similar to band like Tower of Power, Blood, Sweat and Tears as well as drawing from soul factories like Muscle Shoals, Stax and Hi Studios. Interestingly the record was recorded through a mixing console purchased from the legendary Muscle Shoals Recording Studio. Custom-built and delivered to Muscle Shoals in 1978, the board was used on sessions by Aretha Franklin, Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Blue Bland, James Brown, and many many others. Underpinning Root Doctor's sound is a strong classic soul undercurrent delivered magnificently by front man Freddie Cunningham in a warm, rich baritone. The band has great chemistry, laying down a deep groove on soul drenched numbers like a steamy version of Johnnie Taylor's classic Last Two Dollars , the irresistibly funky, catchy Love Bones and a great R&B hook on Been A Long Time Coming featuring vocals by keyboardist Jim Alfredson. Root Doctor handles the blues with equal authority on numbers like the down home acoustic blues of Mississippi Blues , the tough Too Late To Try To Do Right or the chugging good time feel of Me And My Wife . Throughout the band is rock solid featuring stellar guitar from Greg Nagy, fabulous Hammond organ from Jim Alfredson who gets plenty of room to cook and batch of soulful horn players that give the whole project that classic soul/R&B feel.
Hopefully this new record will spread the word about this fine soulful outfit who certainly deserve wider recognition. Been A Long Time Coming is knockout disc from start to finish and fans of classic soul, R&B and blues should enjoy this one immensely.
Jeff Harris, WITR Rochester NY - www.baddogblues.com
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