40: Blues With Horns Volume II
Moon Voyage Records
Forty years of music and a twentieth album to celebrate the occasion, the band Chris Daniels & The Kings with Freddi Gowdy continues its original quest to deliver music of incredible energy. This music is based on a call and response between lead singers Daniels and Gowdy and the horn section, consisting of an alto sax, a trumpet, and a trombone. The eight musicians and vocalists who make up the current edition of the band also tackle guitars, drums, and bass, along with several special guests on percussion, backing vocals, mandolin, violin, accordion, and the B3 organ.
The ensemble offers us a varied and primarily danceable musical performance that combines funk, jump, shuffle, and ballad. The tone is dynamic and the energy is overflowing, with titles like Jump (When My Baby Says), I Like Funky Music, and Everybody’s A Millionaire, which joyfully proclaims: Everybody’s A Millionaire / It’s what’s inside, what you can share. Among my favorite selections are, notably, the feverish, punchy Congo Square, tinged with horns, enriched with accordion, and seasoned by the essential slide guitar of Sonny Landreth. Also standing out is Stealin’ Candy, a ballad with a gentle swing and a pleasant pace that slows down the tempo and presents a more romantic side of this experienced band.
Original compositions and covers share the selected tracks, whose goal seems to be nothing more than celebrating life and letting the good times roll! Chris Daniels & The Kings with Freddi Gowdy simply run on passion, energy, and groove. Happy 40th!
