7/1/2004

Scott Barretta

Over the last several years Memphis bassist Scott Bomar has assembled all-star bands for memorable Bluff City performances by Sir Mack Rice, Rosco Gordon, and the Reverend Gatemouth Moore. The Bo-Keys is an outgrowth of these efforts and includes three veteran Stax session men — guitarist Skip Pitts, who laid down the unforgettable opening wah-wah riffs on Shaft, drummer Willie Hall (Isaac Hayes, the Bar Kays), and keyboardist Ronnie Williams (Rance Allen, the Soul Children, Rufus Thomas) — and the younger but well seasoned Bomar, trumpeter Marc Franklin, and saxophonist Jim Spake.

The Bo-Keys celebrate vintage Memphis soul but stay clear of Blues Brothers territory, turning instead to the less stereotypical sounds of Stax and instrumental groups such as the Mar-Keys, the Packers, and the unit led by Willie Mitchell. As the title suggests, the CD was produced at the latter's studio, engineered by his son Archie, with Poppa Willie contributing with his presence and, one suspects, approval.

The CD opens with the jazz standard Coming Home Baby, on which Pitts' insistent, percolating wah-wah riffs and squeals create a dynamic tension with the smooth melodies and solos laid out by the horns and organ. Pitts plays a similar role throughout most of the record but shows off his blues lead chops on jimmy Smith's Back At the Chicken Shack and gets raunchy on Under the Table. Anchored by the rock-solid rhythm section, the band explores territory as diverse as Williams' meditative I Remember Stax, the psychedelic My Country Loves Me, and the Willie Bobo-style Afro-Latin funk of Spanish Delight. The album is mostly instrumental, and, aside from a take of Doin' It To Death that salutes James Brown without aping him, the vocal contributions consist mostly of hipster jive from an unidentified, rough-voiced band member.

The recently unveiled Stax museum attests to the new-found respectability for vintage soul in Memphis, but this record provides strong evidence that the genre and its original practitioners still have a lot more to say. A joy to listen to, The Royal Sessions is equally suited to the dance floor or just kicking back with the sound cranked up.