The underrecognized guitarist and musicologist Duke Robillard is arguably the most important roots and blues musician to come from Rhode Island. Heck, let’s extend that to one of the most important in roots music at large. Now 77, Robillard has found a new home with the nation’s fastest-growing blues label, NOLA Blue, with his offering Blast Off!. Maybe more people will take notice of the founder of the Roomful of Blues and a former member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Should they do so, they will discover or reacquaint themselves with early ‘50s R&B, seminal New Orleans hits, early ‘30s jazz, a taste of Tom Waits, a couple of new instrumentals, and unparalleled renditions of jump blues. This is Robillard’s showcase of his many versatile styles, his encyclopedic knowledge of American roots music, and his distinctly RETRO approach, unmatched by any of today’s guitarists.
Robillard has kept the core of his touring band intact now for almost three decades. They are Bruce Bears (keyboards), Marty Ballou (bass), and Mark Texeira (drums). Guitarist/vocalist Chris Cote has appeared on Duke’s recent records, and frequent collaborators on horns include saxophonists Doug James and Mark Earley. TrumpeterJeff “Doc” Chanonhouse and clarinetist/altoist Billy Novak also contribute.
This is mostly a case of “what you see is what you get” for long-term Robillard listeners. He’s been plying this same turf for decades now, but likely feels he has a new platform with the new label. Execution remains solid, but the album is hardly a revival or resurrection. Robillard admits that it is a career retrospective. Those looking for new ideas or a different sound won’t find those here. On the other hand, those looking to revel in the unbridled spirit of American roots music have an enticing menu to consider. Robillard is as much a bandleader as a soloist here, giving his band, especially the horns, plenty of room on these tunes.
Opener “When I Get Lucky” was first recorded by Floyd Dixon in 1954, and features Cote, a jump blues specialist, on vocals. The New Orleans chestnut, first popularized by Louis Armstrong and later by Dr. John, “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You)” has Robillard and Cote trading lyrics over the backing horns. Novick’s arrangement differs from the 1975 single Robillard had with The Rommful of Blues. It’s Duke’s only vocal; all others owe to Cote. “Confusion,” by Allen Toussaint and recorded by Lee Dorsey in 1966, is yet another slice of NOLA music, but even with the blaring horns, it doesn’t quite give us that sweaty Crescent City feel.
“Feel My Cares” is a blues ballad Robillard wrote at age 17, slightly before he founded Roomful. His guitar solo over Bears’ B3 is quite a stinging blues statement. “Lowdown,” written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, revisits Robillard’s stint touring in Waits’ band in 2006. Note also that Robillard played on Dylan’s iconic Time Out of Time. He’s been the guitarist of choice for artists of that stature.
The instrumental “Playboy Hop” is powered by James’s baritone sax, Earley’s tenor, and Duke’s tremolo-soaked guitar. The title track is a collective write by the band, featuring Duke’s best solo on the album, going up a half tone at a time before reaching a searing climax. Duke honors his blues heroes, Guitar Slim with “Stand By Me” and the Tampa Red shuffle “Look a There Look a There.” Red was one of the important Chicago blues writers before Willie Dixon. “The King” is a tribute to his favorite big-band leader, Count Basie, and another chance for the band to stretch out, especially Novak on clarinet and James on baritone.
Robillard deviates from his mid-century fare to give vocalist Cote his due on the Percy Sledge-associated soul ballad “Warm and Tender Love,” which features great guitar and an emotive tenor solo from Earley. Similarly, the band nods to the late Steve Cropper’s Booker T. and MGs era with the instrumental original “Galactic Grease.”
Again, Robillard is not one to break new ground, but few are as authoritative with vintage material, most of which makes up this repertoire.
