Curtis Salgado
Soul Shot
Alligator Records
|
I just got back from the Blues Music Awards in
Memphis and was happy to see Curtis Salgado
win the BMA for Soul Blues Male Artist of the year.
Having just been blown away (literally) by his new
release on Alligator Records, Soul Shot, it’s
safe to say that Curtis will be the favorite to win
the award again next year. So let’s give it a spin.
The disc opens with the Bobby Womack classic, “What
You Gonna Do?,” and it’s almost overpowering.
Curtis’s vocals are top notch and he’s backed by a
band dominated by members of the Phantom Blues Band
who are up to the task. Up next is an original,
“Love Comfort Zone,” and Curtis is definitely in
love with the woman he’s with. “When I home get
tonight…there’ll be some candlelight…she’ll be
looking fine…I just can’t wait…won’t be late…so you
tell the boss…I ain’t working overtime!” Curtis is
happy and it definitely shows. Rest assured his
woman is a spoiled Queen and deservedly so. Darrell
Leonard’s trumpet dominates the intro for our next
tune as Curtis tackles George Clinton’s “Gettin’ to
Know You.”
Another Salgado original, “She Didn’t Cut Me Loose,”
is our fourth cut and is probably my favorite tune
on the disc. Curtis learned some valuable life
lessons and he’s happy to share them with us, “we
fell in love…we tied the knot…we held it tight…or so
I thought…then she laid it on me…oh yes she did…said
I was good enough to keep her satisfied…she didn’t
cut me loose…she set me free…best thing that
happened to me!” Curtis learned a valuable life
lesson about love and is very happy that this woman
is gone from his life.
A ballad, “Nobody but You,” is up next and we find
Curtis is back in love. “Don’t you know baby…that
I’m all strung out over you…you make feel like I
wanna live…every time I wanna die…I don’t need any
one else…but you!” Life is good and Curtis is
content to stay right where he’s at with a woman
loving him and treating him right. It doesn’t get
any better and he knows it. This romantic streak
continues with “Let Me Make Love to You.” “Let me
make love to you baby…I’ll be good…I’ll better than
better…neater than neater…sweeter than sweeter…I
promise I’ll do anything you want me to….anything a
man in love will do.” Curtis is at the top of his
game vocally and every tune on this disc is
reflective of that.
The next song he tackles is the Otis Redding tune,
“Love Man.” “Make love to you in the morning…make
love to you in the night…make love to you when you
think about it…I’m the love man!” Curtis is eager to
please and working hard at it. “He Played His
Harmonica” is another original tune about a sharp
dressed, street smart harp player. “And when the
young blood with a pompadour, a tailored suit, one
button low…he said ‘there’s more to me than meets
the eye…I’m hustling…dressing fly…I’m here to rock
your world…and I ain’t lying….then he played his
harmonica….people came from blocks around….just to
hear his righteous sound!” A cool tune, I like the
vibe and the vision I have in my mind’s eye of the
harp player in question. Good job, Curtis.
Another ballad, “Baby, Let Me Take You in My Arms,”
gets the Salgado touch and Curtis is full of
emotion. “Baby…let me kiss you…baby…baby…let me kiss
your lips…let me kiss you til I feel your soul…can’t
you see that I need you!” He’s definitely a lover,
not a fighter with a sweet, silver tongue to boot.
Curtis’s version of “Strung Out” by Johnny Guitar
Watson is the next tune and Franck Goldwasser has
the guitar lead on this one. “I’ll do whatever she
says…it’s got to be…it’s got to be…because I’m
strung out…baby…strung out you!” She’s in control
this time and Curtis is smart enough to know it.
The last cut on the disc, “A Woman or the Blues,” is
another Salgado original and Curtis is finding
himself with a difficult choice to make. “You see a
man comes to a crossroads…deciding which way to
go…it’s up to you…when you choose…a woman or the
Blues!” The road to hell is paved with good
intentions and the way Curtis lays the story out,
both paths have their pitfalls!
Soul Shot is an excellent disc and one that
will garner attention come BMA time. No less a
pundit than Dick Shurman feels that this disc is
“arguably his best recorded work ever.” It’s
dynamic, the vocals are outstanding and the players
backing Curtis are at the top of their game. I’ll be
blessed to see Curtis on tour this summer and I
would strongly suggest you do too. The Soul Blues
Male Artist of the Year is at the top of his game
and his disc reflects it. Grab a copy from him on
the road or get one at
www.curtissalgado.com This one is a must have if
you love soul blues.
--- Kyle Deibler