Artist:     Roomful of Blues

Album:     In a Roomful of Blues

Label:     Alligator

Release Date:     03.15.2020

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In a Roomful of Blues indeed. In the wake of more than 50 years of high-steppin’, blues-rooted hootin’ and hollerin’, and after some 60 members walked in and out of their doors, Roomful of Blues still rattles those doors right off their hinges with highly animated swing.

The eight-piece band, led by longtime guitarist Chris Vachon, never loses sight of the revival aspect that’s defined them from the start, but they certainly reimagine their sound here, aiming wider, and emphasizing more of the facets that have made the blues a staple of life for so many, through generations. For instance, Vachon’s “Phone Zombies” bops and rocks contagiously, but, with acerbic, riotous lines like “You’ve seen them in the malls, just walking into walls,” the song can’t fail to make a new connection.

They kick the party off with Don Robey’s old R&B jumper, “What Can I Do?” A 1961 B-side for Texan Buddy Ace, it encapsulates everything great about a Roomful rocker. It’s unusual, and the rhythm’s quick and tight. The horn trio, still heated by original sax player Rich Lataille, pumps alongside rippling piano. And vocalist Phil Pemberton sings the hell out of it. At times, with a touch of acid coating his otherwise smooth and clear pipes, Pemberton recalls soul great Curtis Salgado, who in fact fronted Roomful briefly in the mid-1980s. He’s an unassuming star here. Pemberton’s delivery of Vachon’s “In a Roomful of Blues” demonstrates his soulfulness, and his persuasiveness behind the dual intent of the song.

Much has changed in the nine years since the last Roomful album, and Vachon’s words to this bold, punchy blues are as tasteful as his guitar playing is cool and cutting. Every one of these players plays to great strengths. “You Move Me” moves like a serpentine figurine out to tease, its backbeat strong and confident. “She Quit Me Again” burns with late night rejection, but the music exudes silky elegance. “She’s Too Much” rumbles on a samba groove, conjuring a vivid picture of swaying horns and energetic dancers at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club during the Swing era. This Roomful of Blues can play practically any style of blues with vigorous panache. At this rate, I fully expect they’ll blow the doors off the joint at their Centennial.

—Tom Clarke