Been A Long Time Coming
An Old Soul with a Lime Twist, (08/02/06)
Hailing from Michigan, Root Doctor has quite a southern influence on their album. These guys have a tight sound with an amazing vocalist blazing down the path. Been a Long Time Coming has a mix of originals along with a few covers from the Malaco and Stax Record labels from Jackson, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee, respectively. There is also a cover of the old Willie Brown "Mississippi Blues." Root Doctor is a band that lets Freddie Cunningham lead with his voice while the band creates the dark night sky behind the shining star. The Doctors do use the roots of the music to blend their sound.
No matter how they put this album together it would sound good. Each song is so strong that you want to hear the next song. There are four songs on here that are covers that I would say are very hard to pull off for most bands: "Last Two Dollars," "The Turning Point," "Respect Yourself," and "Rainy Night in Georgia." Root Doctor holds their own on each song. They play each song with their own style while keeping the song to its original sound. The songs are also spread out through the album to keep a great flow throughout. These guys even place the only acoustic number, "Mississippi Blues," right smack in the middle of the album; while most albums save the acoustic number for the last track.
This album uses a good dose of organ very effectively. The horns are played in just the right spots. The guitar parts are added in only when needed, there are no guitar solos just for the sake of having a guitar solo. Root Doctor goes after an older Soul sound and does a good job of hittin' it. The originals on the album sound good and the covers prove that this band knows where it is coming from and where it wants to go. Hopefully this lineup stays together for a long time. This group has the focus to make the long haul and should hit the road often with their sound. There are still plenty of veterans of the Soul school around touring, but to hear other groups hit that sound and bring it to the audience is always a welcome addition. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.
Kyle M. Palarino is a contributing editor at BluesWax
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