CD REVIEW
BY SONNY BOY LEEBorn into a show business family, Nelsen Adelard got his start as a professional musician at age 15 and paid his dues playing in various rough and tumble bars around the country. He has opened and jammed with Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Johnny Winter.
Blues Got a Hold on Me opens with a jump blues, "Don’t Stop Now," which features solos by most of the players, and notably Rick Arbuckle, who wails on sax. The title song, "Blues Got a Hold on Me," comes up as track four with Adelard's Chicago-style harp driving it. "Jive Talkin’ Mama" delivers get down, back in the alley blues with hammering back to back sax and harp solos, complete with Chicago ending.
For just plain old mournful minor key blues, Adelard and his bandmates pour out their hearts on "Black and Blue." The sax and guitar cry out and weave in and out of Adelard’s soulful vocal. The band gets to stretch out a little on "Didn’t Have to Leave Me Alone," a song built around a simple two-chord vamp reminiscent of "Spooky." Adelard pleads with conviction on the blues ballad, "Give It One More Try," and in the great tradition of the Memphis-Muscle Shoals deep soul connection, he’s painfully convincing. The CD closes with "Ain’t Misbehaving," an interesting and different way to end a powerful musical experience.
In addition to Adelard on harp, vocals, guitar and keyboards and Arbuckle on sax, other players featured include Steve Gable on guitar, John Duzik on bass, and Nick De Gaulejac on drums. Producer Michael Monarch also played keyboards on several tracks.
As Muddy said of Adelard in 1978, "That boy can sing." Adelard now has his own web site at http://www.nelsenadelard.com.
CD review courtesy of
