JOHNNY BASSETT & THE BLUES INSURGENTS

"CADILLAC BLUES"

CANNONBALL RECORDS

  Detroit native Johnny Bassett has had a pretty good year. He first appeared on the new Cannonball label a few months back on a disc called "Blues Across America: The Detroit Scene." He also has a disc out on the Fedora label called "Bassett Hound." Johnny is a 62 year old blues guitarist with a style heavily indebted to jazz. His playing reminds me of the late Fenton Robinson. It’s blues music with a touch of class.

It’s Johnny’s smooth, tasteful guitar with a two piece horn backdrop that opens the disc with a song called "I’m Gonna Do, What I’m Gonna Do." This is one of 5 songs written by Chris Codish who plays the B3 organ on all the cuts. I was amazed by how young Johnny sounds on this disc as most of the songs are about women with lyrics you’d expect more from someone 26 than 62.

In the title song Johnny sings about still having the blues

but "I got ‘em in my Cadillac." Funny thing is, later in the

disc in a tune called "Get Over Here Baby" Johnny is driving around in a Mercedes. Anyway, being from Detroit I guess you have to have the obligatory car songs. There’s another tune on the disc called "Cadillac Baby!"

Throughout the CD each musician is generously given the chance to solo at different times. Weather it’s Codish on the organ or Keith Kaminski on sax, or Dwight Adams on flugelhorn it’s really a beautifully layered recording. Much of the credit here has to go to the sure hand of producer extraordinaire Ron Levy. A case in point is the song "Memories Of Your Perfume." Here is a mellow song that opens with the church organ of Codish before the horns fall in so sweetly you barely notice it. Eventually the elegant guitar of Bassett takes over.

It has only been in the last couple of years that Johnny

Bassett has quit his job to become a full time touring musician. He recently appeared at Black-Eyed Sallys in Hartford in front of a huge crowd. He’s also fortunate to be a member of the Cannonball label group. This is the best new blues label since Evidence Music was formed. This is going to be a very well received disc and Johnny Bassett will deserve all the accolades that will be coming his way.

Bill Harriman

**** 1/2