Shakin' Woods - The Blues Proper Sessions Vol. 2 EP

Size: 99 MB
Time: 15:14
File: FLAC
Released: 2021
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Enemy (4:07)
02. I Believe I'll Dust My Vroom (3:53)
03. The Chain (4:47)
04. Long Grey Mare (2:25)

The Blues Proper Sessions Vol. 2, the second installment of Shakin' Woods three-EP Blues trilogy, sees the band digging deep into their hardcore blues roots with four songs steeped in tradition yet still thoroughly current. Singer/guitarist Rich Russman kicks it off with "Enemy," an original that nods heavily to the lineage from the three Kings to Clapton. "For this EP I wanted all the guys in the band to choose something," Russman says. "I brought the original and asked everyone to choose covers. There's such a rich tradition of covers in the blues world, but that tradition is also about respect. You start digging back, researching, finding out who your idols looked to. Van Halen and KISS led me to Clapton and Hendrix, and that led me back to the three Kings, Muddy, Robert Johnson, that whole generation of players who laid the groundwork for everything we play today." Slide and keyboard player Austin Day takes over the vocals for a sizzling take on "Dust My Broom," injecting Elmore James 'timeless feel with an Allman Brothers groove. Russman amps up Peter Green's "Long Grey Mare, "adding a smoky, Chicago tint to the proceedings. Drummer Paul Dudley, who formed the band with Russman, rounds out The Blues Proper Sessions by excavating a haunting blues core from Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain," rebuilding the song into something entirely new while retaining it's unmistakeable original feel. Although Shakin' Woods is a quartet, Grammy-nominated harmonica player Rob Paparozzi assumes the position of "Fifth Beatle" on this EP, brilliantly accenting all four songs and reinforcing the true blues grooves within them. "At the end of the day," Russman notes, "everything we do revolves around the blues."

The Blues Proper Sessions Vol. 2

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Shakin' Woods - Blues Groove Sessions Vol. 1 EP

Size: 146 MB
Time: 16:30
File: FLAC
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Like A Superman (3:43)
02. The Place To Be (3:57)
03. Cayman Review (4:08)
04. Still Alive (4:41)

Shakin’ Woods is a blues band based in Washington, D.C., a strange place to be these days (though I suppose every place is strange in these uncertain times). The band is made up of Rich Russman on vocals and guitar, Paul Dudley on drums, George Belton on bass, and Austin Day on keyboards and guitar. George Belton had played with Rich Russman before, performing on his 2015 solo album, First In Line. You might also know Rich Russman from his other bands, The Creaky Bones (formerly known as The Virginia Southpaws) and The Jones. The Blues Groove Sessions #1 is Shakin’ Woods’ debut release, a four-song EP featuring mostly original material. It is the first of three planned releases, all of the tracks for these three EPs apparently already recorded. The music on this first release is blues, but with funk elements.

The disc opens with “Like A Superman,” a groovy blues rock number featuring some good percussion, some exciting work on bass, and something of 1970s vibe. “You might think it’s a shakedown, but I’m hanging on.” In the second half of the track, the band delivers a short, but delicious jam. That’s followed by “The Place To Be,” which is still blues at its base, but with a funkier style. This one has a groove designed to get you moving, and everything is working just right. And I love that moment when it breaks down and we can focus on that great bass line, a seriously cool section. When this crazy pandemic is over, and concert venues re-open, I hope this band goes on the road, because this track is making me think they’d be fun to see. “You don’t know what’s right/Dropped the ball on life/Took the wrong hand/Thought the offer would stand/Thought you give and you get/It all came back to regret.”

Things get even funkier on the group’s cover of “Cayman Review,” the only cover on the disc. This song was written by Trey Anastasio and included on his 2002 self-titled album. Though I used to enjoy seeing Phish in concert, I basically got off that train in 1999 (after a particularly lackluster show down in Orange County), and so wasn’t familiar with this tune. But it is a totally enjoyable song, definitely a good one to dance to. Shakin’ Woods is into it, seeming committed to making folks dance, making folks smile. This track features good leads on guitar and keys. I particularly like that work on keys. The EP then concludes with “Still Alive,” a slower, more serious-sounding blues song. This one has a heavier sound, to be sure, driven by guitar. “You weren’t all there/Well, maybe I didn’t care/But living life without you/Is a pain I couldn’t bear.” ~Michael Doherty

Blues Groove Sessions Vol. 1

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