Mike Greene and Youssef Remadna – Take It On
Ingestuurde recensie door Iain Patience
This is a good album. Mike Greene has been around a while. A US bluesman, he now lives and records mostly in France, so largely goes unnoticed elsewhere, which is a pity.
‘Take It On’ is a solid sounding CD. A bit of good old R&B, with a nicely produced- never over-produced – feel and some good old-fashioned simplicity in the arrangements, a simplicity that almost belies the craftsmanship of the entire package. Greene’s guitar work is perfectly pitched, with a mix of acoustic, slide and electric touches that ably drive the album along. Remadna plays strong support guitar with mighty fine Harp that genuinely grabs the attention.
Kicking off with the old Willy Dixon classic, ‘I’m Ready’, the 13 tracks flow through ‘Come Back Baby’ – an oft overworked gem, here hit just right – to Blind Willie Johnson’s ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’ and Dylan’s little known ‘From A Buick 6’. Along the way the duo take in some JB Lenior with a rolling take on ‘Mojo Boogie’ and Chris Thomas King’s ‘John Law Burned Down The Liquor Store’.
The album is self-produced and recorded at Greene’s home studio in the South of France. The vocals are shared between the pair, whose voices mesh well, producing a gritty feel reminiscent of that early nineteen-sixties R&B sound. At times, I found myself thinking of early Stones, with guitar work echoing Keith Richards as a young lad.
All in all, this is a fine effort from a duo that deserves a wider audience. If you like your R&B raw and redolent of the great years of discovery, this might just fit the bill.
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