Walter Jr.
Standing on the Word
(independent)
Standing on the Word, an unapologetically Christian CD that comes in a booklet-fold cover that looks like a Bible, sat on my desk for months, pinned there by my bad childhood experience with organized religion and general distaste for pseudo-spiritual dreck that’s poorly disguised as music. To be sure, Walter Jr.’s lyrical capacity doesn’t reach much beyond obvious Christian metaphors and 12 different ways to say “praise the lord,” and his voice struggles to stay on pitch. That aside, Walter has a pretty soulful band; the music spans 12-Bar ZZ Top/Blues Brothers-type numbers, smooth, easy soul a la Sam Cooke and outright ’70s funk, at times grooving into Zappa or P-Funk territory, with bass notes popping and Hammond organs howling so soulfully it almost feels like you’re listening to Electric Ladyland at times. Hire Mavis Staples and it’s right in the pocket. —Tom Sturm
Susan Angeletti
Wisdom
(independent)
Susan Angeletti’s voice is a powerful stimulant. The rock and roll/blues crooner sounds as if her pipes are made of glistening chrome and studded leather; what comes out is both broad and majestic, but when she lets it loose, it can capture your attention like an oncoming herd of elephants. I made the mistake of sampling her upcoming disk first thing in the morning without a full dose of caffeine, and the raw, bone-rattling rock Angeletti and guitarist B.J. Korona produced left me shaking in my slippers. Returning later, more fortified, I was still awed by her vocals. The collection of seven tunes, most penned by the duo, have great range. Some have an epic, Pat Benatar feel and one ballad is as soulful as a B.B. King solo. Angeletti’s voice, with its superhero physicality, makes the rock and roll stylings of many other contemporary divas seem meek and polite. Angeletti plays a CD release show at the Iron Horse Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. —Mark Roessler
Joey DeFrancesco, Robi Botos, Vito Rezza and Phil Dwyer
One Take Vol. 4
(Alma)
Jazz recordings are sometimes graced with the phenomenon of the “one take” recording. Alma Records has come up with a great way to try to create that kind of spontaneous magic with their One Take series. Volume four of the series has just been released, starring the Hammond B-3 star Joey DeFrancesco with Robi Botos on keyboards, Vito Rezza on drums and Phil Dwyer on sax. The six “one takes” are heavy on standards, and played with straightforward gusto. The highlight of the album is an incendiary take on a DeFrancesco penned number, “Not That,” which lets the “Philadelphia Flash” cut loose for some extended organ madness, and Dwyer adds a soulful sax solo. If no new ground is broken on the CD, that’s just as well. One Take brings us music that is fresh, lively and spontaneous. In the age of auto-tune and digital recording, that’s increasingly difficult to find. —Jeffrey Siegel
