Brad Vickers And His Vestapolitans – The Music Get Us Thru
New release: Brad Vickers And His Vestapolitans – The Music Get Us Thru
Format: CD
Label: ManHatTone
Release: 2021
The Music Gets Us Thru… just about anything!
After this extraordinary year, we are truly grateful to bring you this, our seventh CD. Recorded before lockdown, our great core band of myself, bassist Margey Peters, drummer Bill Rankin, and saxman Jim Davis again had a fantastic time playing with some dear and terrifically talented friends. Joining us on various cuts are wonderful special guests: Charlie Burnham on violin, Dave Gross on guitar, Mikey Junior on harmonica and vocals, Dave Keyes on piano and organ, Dean Shot on guitar, and our versatile co-producer, V.D. King on an array of instruments, including accordion (!)
As always we celebrate the music that we love, and the styles that have influenced us: blues, folk, jump, and “great American roots ’n’ roll”. Once again, along with new originals by both myself and Margey, we cover a few long-time favorites.
We start the album off with a new one of mine, “Dumb Like A Fox,” an uptempo number with a swampy feel. Next, a chorus of friends helps out on one of my favorite Jimmy Reed numbers, “Take It Slow.”
My original “Please Don’t Say” pays tribute to Cajun pop classics. Margey’s swingy “Big Wind” provides a much needed dose of optimism. What would a Vestapolitans recording be without a Tampa Red (Hudson Whittaker) song? We celebrate him with our version of his “I’ll Never Let You Go.”
Margey’s rocking “The Music Gets Us Thru” shows how music helps us to keep on pushing. Next, written by Margey with the late Steve Tarshis, on “Now It’s Time For Me To Sing The Blues” we find that, eventually, everyone’s got to ante up. Changing pace, my “What In The World” gives me a chance to take out my slide and pay homage to the Sacred Steel sound.
Margey’s “Grab My Car Keys” is a simple blues about loss. Then we have some fun on one of my favorite classics, Larry Darnell’s “I’ll Be Sittin’, I’ll Be Rockin’. ”
With her “Birds On My Family Tree”, Margey gives a nod to Annie Ross. We wrap things up with the rousing “When I Am Drinking,” by the great bluesman J.B. Lenoir.
Tracklist:
01. Dumb Like A Fox
02. Take It Slow
03. Please Don’t Say
04. Big Wind
05. I’ll Never Let You Go
06. The Music Gets Us Thru
07. Now it’s Time For Me Sing The Blues
08. What In The World
09. Crab My Car Keys
10. I’ll Be Sittin’, I’ll Be Rockin’
11. Birds On My Family Tree
12. When I Am Drinking
Website: https://www.bradvickers.com/
