The Milligan Vaughan Project
MVP
Mark One Records
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The Milligan Vaughan Project brings together
two of Austin’s finest musicians. Singer Malford
Milligan has been a part of that city’s music
scene since the early ’80s, and is probably best
remembered as front man for the ’90s Texas super
group Storyville, which consisted of Milligan,
David Holt, David Grissom, and the rhythm
section of Double Trouble, Tommy Shannon and
Chris Layton. Guitarist Tyrone Vaughan is the
son of guitar legend Jimmie Vaughan and
currently a member of another super group, Royal
Southern Brotherhood, playing on the band’s last
two albums.
One
listen to the project’s debut release, MVP
(Mark One Records), and blues fans will wish
that these two had joined forces a long time
ago. The disc consists of nine studio tracks
recording in Austin at Arlyn Studios and 512
Studios, with two bonus tracks pulled from their
first live show at Austin’s One 2 One club
during SXSW. Grissom, Milligan’s former
Storyville bandmate, serves as producer (with
Omar Vellejo) of this incredible set, which
burns from start to finish.
Milligan’s force-of-nature vocals are on full
display from the get-go with the funky blues
rocker opener, "Soul Sensation," with Vaughan’s
guitar and the ultra-tight rhythm section
pushing him relentlessly. If you’re not still
listening after that one, you probably need to
be browsing the Soft Pop section at iTunes.
"Dangerous Eyes" eases the pace a bit, taking a
nimbler approach, but is no less intense,
"Little Bit of Heaven" takes a more soulful
approach with a dash of funk thrown in for good
measure, and the swaggering blues "Driving You"
is superb.
Two
cover tunes arrive at the midpoint of the album.
First up is a simmering read of Buddy Guy’s
"Leave My Girl Alone," highlighted by a robust
vocal from Milligan and a blistering solo from
Vaughan, followed by a frenzied take on the Les
McCann jazz standard, "Compared To What." For
the tender ballad "Here I Am," Milligan goes
into full soul man mode, really showcasing his
vocal versatility. The torrid blues rocker
"Devil’s Breath" leads into the studio finale,
Milligan straight testifying on Rev. James
Cleveland’s "Two Wings," backed by Vaughan on
acoustic guitar.
As
mentioned above, the disc closes with two live
tracks from the band’s debut live performance at
SXSW, a cover of Storyville’s gritty "What
Passes For Love" (from their 1996 Atlantic
Records debut, Piece of Your Soul
--- check out this band at your first
opportunity as they are one of the great bands
you might have missed in the ’90s
soul/blues/rock genre) and Freddie King’s
classic "Palace of the King," which closes the
disc in perfect fashion.
MVP is an excellent debut for the Milligan
Vaughan project, a collaboration that will
hopefully be an enduring one.
--- Graham Clarke