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All The Buzz! Review by Cascade Blues Association
The Randy Oxford Band
Della Records
Total Time: 74:45
Think / Texas Hurricane / Knockin‚' Myself Out / Crazy ‚'Bout You / Bumble Bee / Why Don‚'t You Do Right? / Peach / Help Me / Moscow Blues / Darkness Of The Sun / Sugar In My Bowl / Hard Way To Go / High Flying Bird
By Greg Johnson
Just from the opening revving up-build of Randy Oxford‚'s trombone that leads into the James Brown‚' classic ‚"Think,‚" you can tell right away that this album is unique. Despite the very capable guitar work of Steve Blood and Jerry Lee Davidson, it is clearly Oxford‚'s masterful horn that powers this band. And that alone sets this group apart from probably anybody else.
Randy Oxford is no stranger to the Northwest Blues scene, having played key stints with both Little Bill Englehardt and Junkyard Jane, he continues to keep himself working steadily with outfits such as Nicole Fournier‚'s 3-lb. Universe and The Howlers among many, many others. Along the way he has earned enough BB Awards from the Washington Blues Society that he‚'d need a wheelbarrow to transport them all. So when it came to putting together a band under his own name, Oxford gathered a fine collection of top-shelf musicians, bringing to the table a diverse background in musical tastes and regional upbringings. Jack Kinney on bass and drummer Riky Hudson provide compulsive backbeat to the dual guitar stylings of Blood and Davidson. And it all falls together quite nicely behind the rich voice of Virginia Klemens. Oxford himself provides enough sound from his single trombone that at times you‚'d swear there was a full horn section blowing the roof down here.
As you listen to The Randy Oxford Band‚'s debut release, ‚"All The Buzz!," unique can be said to be an understatement when hearing the new renditions of some very old Blues classics. There is such a feisty, funkiness behind it all. The Sonny Boy Williamson number ‚"Crazy ‚'Bout You‚" for example, could almost forget make you that this comes from a certified Chicago Blues man, offering perhaps more of a feeling of a band such as Cold Blood. Williamson is also the subject again with a stunning cover of his signature piece ‚"Help Me‚" and Memphis Minnie may have never envisioned her timeless number ‚"Bumble Bee‚" as the rambunctious shuffle depicted here. Riky Hudson takes a turn at vocals with a more modern number, Prince‚'s ‚"Peach,‚" that takes on the band‚'s personality to perfection. The definitive vocal highlights on this collection are Klemens‚' sultry take on ‚"Why Don‚'t You Do Right?‚" that‚'d make Peggy Lee proud and also the near-psychedelic ‚"Darkness Of The Sun,‚" that crosses vocals with guitar and trombone to the utmost level.
"All The Buzz!‚" is strong first release from a band that should be destined to become a Northwest favorite. Just knowing Randy Oxford‚'s stage presence and the trombone offered as a lead instrument here make this one group to check out!
© Copyright 2003 All contents on this site
