CD Review: The Torch - Ronnie Baker Brooks - Page 2

His latest release, The Torch, which will be released on August 22, 2006, is his way of acknowledging the debt he owes to the past while, at the same time, showing his commitment to developing his own particular sound. He's taking the flame of inspiration he grew up with and blazing his own path, and if this disc is any indication, it looks like he's going to take people on a hell of a ride.

First off, all those years of listening to the greats play and playing in his dad's band have sure paid off. He knows his way around the guitar like nobody's business. Hard and heavy, slow and moody, or fast and furious, it doesn't matter to him – he can handle it. But he's also more than just another guitar hero.

Taking the blues as his foundation, he's constructed songs that go off in widely divergent territories. "Be A Good Man" shows he can do a classic rhythm and blues song, which would put Sam Cooke to shame. We're not talking what passes for R & B these days, but the real stuff that makes your hips move so much you can't sit still.

The very next cut on the disc, "Train" is a great instrumental that starts with a flat out sprint of honky-tonk boogie-woogie music, takes a brief station break to add fuel, and then lays it flat out to the finish with guitar and organ blowing steam, until they pull up with a classic 12-bar blues break. Not only is it one hell of a ride, but it's a whole lot of fun.

Of course, Ronnie Brooks also knows what the majority of his generation listens to – he says so himself: "When I grew up, all my friends listened to rap and funk, and I listened to the blues… I think we both saw some connection between them… It's a hip-hop world right now, but I want to bring a little blues to the party."

His choice of producer for this album reflects what he's attempting to do. Jellybean Johnson has worked with Prince and Janet Jackson in the past and brings that sensibility to some of the less bluesy numbers. But they don't let the edge get completely smoothed out; no matter how much polish has been applied, the grit of the Chicago streets can still be heard.

He even gives a nod to his old buddies by including a little rap in the song "If It Don't Make Money, It Don't Make Sense". In the hands of some people, throwing in different styles like this would sound like nothing more than an attempt at some instant street credibility. But because he has already shown his willingness to expand his horizons on other songs, and the fact it's not just an add-on but an obvious natural progression in the song, it works to show how the blues can be the building blocks for most popular music.

Article Author: Richard Marcus

Richard Marcus is the author of the forthcoming book What Will Happen In Eragon IV? and has had his work published in print and on line all over the world. The not so long-haired Canadian iconoclast writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees …

Visit Richard Marcus's author page — Richard Marcus's Blog