Sonny Rhodes
A Good Day To
Play The Blues
Stony Plain Records – 1273
Released 2001
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Sonny is the performer who believes in giving his all with every show and when you see this turbaned performer in one of his bright suites you won’t be disappointed. This disc though a strong effort, suffers from some inconsistent material for him to let loose and really play the blues. He was born and raised in Texas, and you can hear that in his vibrant playing, however he lived for years in the Bay Area and thus was exposed and influenced by a wide variety of influences. His lap steel playing is sharp, gritty, and at time stinging to the bone. His vocals display his strong Texas upbringing, he played behind Albert Collins and Freddie King when he was younger, and these roots are exposed at their most basic in his phrasing. The material here, he wrote or co-wrote 8 of the 13 cuts, is not weak it is just not as strong and animated throughout as the session at which he recorded Blue Diamond, which was as sharp, cutting, and balanced a performance as watching a fine cutting horse work his magic on the poor hapless cow. The music here is good, but he set a benchmark for himself, and he doesn’t quite reach up to it on this one (though for anyone else it would be considered a great effort). This is a showman you truly have to see live to appreciate, and having seen him for over 30 years I can say I’ve never seen a bad show. The consummate showman can play the blues.
Produced by Bob Greenlee
Songs, time and writers
1 Big Bag O’ Blues – 2:36 – Smith
2 Love And Harmony – 3:15 - Smith
3 She’s Not Happy Unless She’s Sad – 3:15 – Greenlee
4 Driving Two Ways On A One-Way Street – 3:54 – Greenlee
5 Honey Do Woman – 3:25 – Smith
6 Ten Pounds Of Love (In A Five-Pound Sack) – 4:18 – Greenlee
7 I Bleed Blue – 3:11 – Greenlee
8 If The Blues Fits, Wear It – 2:57 Smith, Greenlee
9 I Wanna Get Your Boogie – 3:11 – Smith, Greelee
10 Win-Win Situation – 3:17 – Greenlee
11 Good Man, Good Woman – 3:00 Smith
12 Monkey See, Monkey Do – 3:25 – Smith, Greenlee
13 Good Day To Sing And Play The Blues (Van Fire Blues) 3:44 – Smith
Musicians
Sonny Rhodes – vocals, lead guitar, lap steel guitar
Ace Moreland – guitar
Bob Greenlee – bass, acoustic guitar
Anthony Mitchell – bass
Ronnie ‘Bird’ Foster – drums
Juan Perez – percussion
Steve Leigh – Hammond B-3
Doug Bare – Hammond B-3, piano
Charlie DeChant – tenor and baritone sax
David Weaver – trumpet
Bill Wamuel – horn arrangement