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On one hand, Refreshingly Soulful Blues<\/i> is a mightily odd title to give to an album; it reads more like sales copy or a review than a proper title. From the standpoint of truth in labeling, it does better, earning a 67% rating or better (refreshing, yes; soulful, yes; blues, sort of but not really). Still, a reviewer\u2019s job is to focus upon the music, and the listener\u2019s role is essentially similar.<\/p>\n
The Vince Junior Band is an Asheville-based quartet led by guitarist, singer and songwriter Vince Floriani, Jr; the band plays \u2026 well, you guessed it. This 11-track CD features nine original songs and a pair of covers (one well-known, the other a relatively obscure choice). Recorded in Swannanoa at George Scott\u2019s Juice Box Studio, the album\u2019s sonic aesthetic is simple, straightforward and unadorned, exactly the right approach for an unassuming collection of comparatively laid-back tunes.<\/p>\n
The music here has two primary unifying characteristics. The songs have a friendly, easygoing, playful and laid-back feel, the musical equivalent of a well-worn and supremely comfortable sweater. And the musicianship balances precision and note-perfect execution with a loose-limed and informal vibe, suggesting that everyone involved had a good time recording the songs.<\/p>\n
That good time experience is communicated in such a way that it affects the listener. Floriani\u2019s voice is almost conversational in its delivery, so even though he\u2019s singing, it feels more like he\u2019s telling the listener a collection of stories. For the most part, the lyrical subject matter on Refreshingly Soulful Blues<\/i> is modest and human-scale; songs like \u201cStep Sister\u201d and \u201cCamaro Sue\u201d don\u2019t concern themselves with societal ills or big-picture topics. Instead, they\u2019re simply fun, appealing vignettes. And there\u2019s not a thing in the world wrong with that.<\/p>\n
The four musicians\u2014Floriani plus keyboardist Noah Pitts, bassist Steve Frankel and drummer David Cohen (the latter at least as well-known for his editorial cartoon work)\u2014play together in a manner that suggests they know each other very well; there\u2019s the feel of an unspoken communication between them. The band\u2019s approach is one that echoes celebrated American band NRBQ: an original sound that draws from country, pop, soul, rock, a little bit of blues, and other forms of Americana, but that can\u2019t be described as neatly fitting into any one of those styles. For example, its title notwithstanding, \u201cColor of Your Blues\u201d displays shades of ska\/bluebeat.<\/p>\n
By definition, the record\u2019s primary soloists are Floriani and Pitts. The keyboardist takes the spotlight most notably on \u201cTight Tonight,\u201d where his electric piano textures move the song along and provide it with some complexity. Floriani shines brightest on an inventive reading of the oft-covered Jimi Hendrix standard, \u201cLittle Wing.\u201d The Vince Junior Band\u2019s version of the song sounds nothing like Hendrix\u2019s original, nor, for that matter, like Derek & the Dominos\u2019 or Sting\u2019s covers. Instead, the band takes it in a different direction, one that effectively makes the tune fit seamlessly into a set dominated by original compositions.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the strategy used for a cover of the Beatles\u2019 \u201cDon\u2019t Let Me Down\u201d as well, though the result is different. Stripping away the original\u2019s signature electric piano part (played in 1969 by Billy Preston), the Vince Junior Band wholly reinvents the tune. The bouncy yet characteristically understated arrangement steamrolls through the nuances of John Lennon\u2019s shifting tempi, instead favoring an almost reggae feel. The band\u2019s cover will likely find more favor with those who haven\u2019t heard the Beatles\u2019 Let it Be<\/i> original, but Floriani and band deserve credit at least for taking the risk of tackling the song.<\/p>\n
Back on more solid ground, Frankel\u2019s bass line foundation for \u201cShake Your Rig\u201d won\u2019t win any awards for inventiveness, but that\u2019s not at all the goal here. His rock-solid bottom-end delivers a familiar melodic line that does exactly what it\u2019s supposed to do: support the arrangement. The band\u2019s playing is tasteful as ever, though\u2014consistent with all of the tracks on the album\u2014the understated instrumental approach means that Cohen never has the opportunity to lean into the beat, much less hit the drums with great force.<\/p>\n
Refreshingly Soulful Blues<\/i> is best described as a quiet record; its overall tone suggests that listeners in the same room as the band could carry on a conversation while the band played. Of course, doing that would be rude, and would make those in attendance miss out on some enjoyable tunes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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