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6/1/2004

Steve Jones

The Bo-Keys, The Royal Sessions (* * *)
For years, it seemed the R&B instrumental — a staple in the '60s with groups such as The Mar-Keys and Booker T. & The MG's — had become a lost art. But the sound has been revived in Memphis thanks to 28-year-old bassist/producer Scott Bomar, who has put together a band steeped in tradition but with a thoroughly updated sound. Former Stax sidemen Ronnie Williams (Bar-Kays) on Hammond B-3 organ, drummer Willie Hall (Bar-Kays, Blues Brothers) and guitarist Charles "Skip" Pitts (Isaac Hayes, Al Green) join trumpeter Marc Franklin and saxophonist Jim Spake, who have backed local legends for years. Their album was recorded at Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios (home to Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson and others) and is a bubbling stew of Southern-fried soul. And while classics such as Back at the Chicken Shack and Doin' It to Death are reminders of the group's roots, their numerous originals show there is more to them than just nostalgia.