Lionhart
sextet brews punchy blues, R&B
Peter
North, Freelance
Published: 2:28
am
Even
before the weekend kicked off, Hank Lionhart and Fistful of Blues had Blues on
Whyte patrons feeling as if the spirit of summer was upon us.
It's
not often a band can watch a room steadily fill up toward midnight and that much
closer to the next working day, but this sextet's brew of punchy blues and
R&B not only lured but also kept an appreciative crowd hanging on Wednesday.
That certainly bodes well for this weekend.
Give
a lot of credit to Lionhart, who returned to Edmonton from the West Coast last
year for what initially looked like a short-term contract using his design
skills. Now it looks as if the singer and frontman will call Edmonton home for a
while yet, which only makes our local roots scene stronger.
No
matter what skills Lionhart draws on in his nine-to five-world, he isn't about
to allow his passion for belting out a tune to dry up and wither on the vine.
Couple
that with his being a consummate professional, after years of working in bands
like Hot Cottage, Uncle Wiggly's Hot Shoes Blues Band and Vancouver's Kingpins,
and all the man needed was a band after his most recent relocation.
His
musical equivalent of "just add water and stir" came in the form of
the core members of Tacoy Ryde, and in no time the ensemble has created a tight,
well-rehearsed and sonically appealing show that would be fit for long-term road
work if the world of six-night cabaret and club engagements hadn't dried up.
"Four
of us are originally from Stettler, so we go a long way back," chuckled
Lionhart between sets where the dots were convincingly connected between soul,
Chicago blues, Memphis R&B and the blues-rock of the '70s.
Flanked
on one side by guitarist Ken Kirkwood and keyboard player Dennis Meneely, and by
bassman Duane Smith and guitarist Barry Nighswander on the other, Lionhart
alternately growled or sweet-talked his way through originals like Cook For Me
and The Road and slickly rendered covers of You Don't Love Me and Turn Back the
Hands of Time.
Armed
with a pliable set of pipes and impressive control, he displayed respect for the
music and the individuals he works with.
It
all makes for an infectious good time as Lionhart directs traffic, adding a
little body English here and there. Taking aim at Kirkwood, who unleashed a
handful of muscular and impressively constructed solos, Lionhart would groove
along in subtle air-guitar style as Nighswander spun the sonic wheel and added
solos that combined the sparkle of Carlos Santana with the bite of Michael
Bloomfield.
It's
an added bonus that four band members can provide perfectly placed choruses and
backing lines on the R&B material. Most impressive was the vocal wave that
crested behind Lionhart's lead singing on the Tyrone Davis classic Turn Back the
Hands of Time.
"We're
having a really good time with this," says Lionhart. "We've got five
original tunes ready to take into the studio, so we'll work on a few more and
begin recording by late summer."
He
keeps this ensemble reasonably busy playing cabarets from Calgary to Grande
Prairie on weekends.
Hank
Lionhart and Fistful of Blues play three sets tonight and Saturday night. They
also kick off the jam Saturday afternoon at 3 at Blues on Whyte.
©
The Edmonton Journal 2007
