Jon Cleary, the New Orleans-based multi-instrumentalist and singer, cooks up a batch of funky music on his first Basin Street release. Backed by a small core band and a smattering of guests (including
Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar),
Cleary delivers hard-hitting urban blues and soul that can bring to mind
Tower of Power,
Bill Withers, and even a little
Steely Dan. His singing can be a bit generic, but his organ and Wurlitzer flourishes are quite tasty, as is the dead-on rhythm guitar of
Derwin "Big D" Perkins and the bass-and-drum lock-up of Cornell Williams and Jeffrey "Jellybean" Alexander. ~ David R. Adler