Blues Bytes

Surprise

October/November 2017

The Milligan Vaughan Project
MVP
Mark One Records

MVPThe 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

 

 

[Pick Hit][What's New][Surprise][Flashback][Feedback][Back Issues][Home Page]

 

The Blues Bytes URL... http://www.bluenight.com/BluesBytes/ 
Revised: November 10, 2017 - Version 1.00
All contents Copyright © 2017, Blue Night Productions. All rights reserved.