Mel Brown and the HomewreckersNeck Bones & Caviar2000 -

Mel Brown and the Homewreckers - Neck Bones & Caviar - 2000 -

Written by Warren Dallin

Mel Brown is a famous American who is one of Canada's best bluesmen. Coming to Kitchener, Ontario in 1989 he never bothered to go back home to the Delta in Jackson, Mississippi. That must show how welcomed he felt in the emerging blues scene in the area. I have some first hand knowledge of him since he was the first real blues man I saw when I got engulfed in the blues. But take note he is an established backing player for many big names in blues and has been playing on the Delta, Texas and California blues scenes since the late 1950's.

However the blues on the album speaks for themselves. Seven songs on the disc are creative covers with five originals totalling over an hour of solid blues. There is a good variety of style, from some laid back swings a la T-Bone Walker to funky instrumentals. There is no song under four minutes, so you know there is plenty of inspired interpretation and jamming on each track. The original song Summer Magic is a seven and a half minute jazzy jam. The Allen Toussaint cover Get Out of My Life, Woman is the fastest version I have ever heard of that song, showing a desperate sense of urgency for that unloved gal to leave. Blues on the Green has a pounding bass and driving drum beat that could break up concrete, while keyboardist John Lee adds some vibrant tinkling on the ivories. Mel, who normally plays a Gibson guitar also showcases his piano abilities on Lord, Have Mercy, which is a loose cover of Lowell Fusion's "Sinner's Prayer". He pounds the keys with such ferocity that you can feel his soulful call for pity. Mel also does a nice slow homage to John Lee Hooker with I'm in the Mood, fresh with some added harmonica. The Homewreckers are a tight group of talented backing musicians who add vibrant percussion and piano fills that never sit still. I'm sure there are some wrecked homes out there!

This was Mel Brown's debut album for Electro-Fi which won him 3 awards globally including the W.C. Handy Award for "Best Comeback Album of the Year". It also was nominated for a Juno in 2001 as "Best Blues Album". The liner notes also denote a detailed history of Mel's life, as if his authenticity needs to be justified. However, it does provide some respectful insight that helps the listener enjoy the disc even more.

I also would advise to follow the old cliché "Play It Loudly!", since they have honed their sound based on extensive bar and club gigs.

Copyright 2002. Review by Warren Dallin.

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