CD REVIEWS
DOGHOUSE DADDIES
"DIG THIS"
GREENBACK HILL MUSIC
BY PETER "BLEWZZMAN" LAURO © MARCH 2008
It's been well over a year and a half since my first encounter with these Daddies, and here they are - still in the doghouse. That's right, the DOGHOUSE DADDIES are back, and on their second CD "DIG THIS", it appears they're still dishin' out blues with a bite.
On "DIG THIS", the nucleus of the DOGHOUSE DADDIES, BILL MORLAN on upright bass & vocals and MARK ROLLINGS on guitar & vocals, are joined by newcomers NEIL NOLAN on saxophone & harmonica and JERRY RICCARDI on drums & vocals. And from the sounds of things, the two newcomers seem very comfortable in the doghouse.
On "MESSIN' WITH THE KID", the discs opening track, it doesn't take the new kids long to establish their credentials. The scorching 90 second solo NEIL performs on sax is surely this tracks - and possibly one of the discs highlights, and JERRY on the drums proves to be a admirable rhythm partner for BILL on the big bass. Good stuff on this very popular cover tune.
Although the band slows the pace down a bit on "CONJURED", that's the only thing that changes. Lots more great sax; softer, yet scintillating rhythm; mellow, yet masterful guitar work by MARK and soothing, soulful vocals by BILL make this another highly enjoyable track.
When's the last time you made someone say "OH BABY" for nearly seven minutes? That's OK, I can't remember either. Well, with "OH BABY" being one of the longest songs on the disc, what that means is you just get to hear that much more of what's been highlighting all the previous tracks.
This track rocks way too much to be called "AIN'T NO ROCKIN' NO MORE". And what's got it rockin' is MARK performing some of the discs best guitar work. This one also features all the dogs in the house on some harmonic howlin'.
I'm sure everyone will have fun adding their own lyrics behind the title of "IF THE SEA WERE WHISKY". Some of mine might be...........then I'd be a swimming fool". However, if you want to find out how it really goes, you'll just have to get the disc. This particular track was one of the bluesiest - and all of my readers know what that means - it was also my most favorite. BILL'S got the perfect voice for this song.....as a matter of fact, he may have just had a swim before recording it. Being a soft, slow and low down blues number means lots of great sultry sax and hot guitar licks - and that's always a good thing. The Doghouse Daddies nailed this one.
"MO BLUES", written by JERRY, is the discs only original track, and as you might expect, it's heavy on the rhythm.....very heavy. This eight minute, nearly all instrumental track, features the band in total jam mode often fed by hot drum leads. This one's a smoker.
Although there are only nine tracks on "DIG THIS", most of them are long and the disc features nearly an hour of rockin', sockin' music. Other tracks not mentioned are "BLACK DIAMOND", "FUN TO VISIT" and "MY BABE".
Check out the band at www.doghousedaddies.com and tell them you wanna be in the doghouse too.
Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro
Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com
DOGHOUSE DADDIES
“DIG THIS”
Reviewed by Bruce Hibbs, March, 20085
There they go again! “Blues with a Bite” is the defining and most appropriate words for the latest work from one of Kansas City’s favorite bands, DOGHOUE DADDIES. This group, consisting of Bill Morlan, Mark Rollings, Nell Nolan, and Jerry Riccardi, has been running around KC and the Midwest now for long enough to have their style of Blues become a “must see and must hear” brand. Whether they produce well styled covers, which this CD is, or original songs, a DOGHOUSE DADDIES CD is always worthy to listen to in any sitting, whatever the environment, wherever you might be. Did I mention this band has been to the International Blues Competition the past couple years and was a finalist in this year’s completion? From somewhere around 150 bands all over the world competing, this is only validation well deserved for this hard working, congenial group of musicians.
If you don’t mind, let me run through the songs on this CD and give just a hint about what I like. Let’s open with a nice upbeat, “Messin’ With The Kid”, showcasing Bill Morlan’s strong vocals and Nell’s very smooth tenor sax, Mark Rollings’ tasteful guitar, puts the ensemble together that flows nice into “Conjured”, a Blues shuffle that will introduce some of the lyrics that I think Bill enjoys. You know, something with a little edge, not your watered down pop vocals. Again, a very nice long sax solo from Nell Nolan and interesting phrasing on the guitar from Mark.
"Black Diamond” features back-up vocals from Mark and Jerry that blend well with the gravel delivered by Bill. I can just see him, sunglasses, fedora, upright bass, a hint of a smile, stroking the song, thoroughly enjoying himself and the guys he is playing with. Many times a CD producers will put the strongest song on track four, but personally I like track five, “Fun To Visit”, more than the Johnny Guitar Watson, “Oh Baby” on this CD track four. “Fun to Visit” is upbeat and I love the Doghouse Bass countered with the drums from Jerry Riccardi while Mark’s guitar shows his fun and silly side while technically difficult, you can tell he enjoys his work.
Mark does the vocals on “My Babe”, an old Willie Dixon standard, while Nell Nolan comes at us with his harmonica, no less effective than his sax play. This creates a well placed and nice bridge to the finals of this most enjoyable CD. As Bill growls through “Ain’t No Rockin’ No More” you can be assured, because I’m telling you so, that the very best is now about to happen.
“If The Sea Was Whiskey” is one of those blues songs that evokes emotions exactly as its name implies. Gut bucket blues sung in the perfect Bill Morlan style, guitar work done with feeling and just a penultimate song sitting the stage for “Mo Blues”. Remember I told you above that this CD was about covers. While mostly true, the very best of the “Dig This” CD is an original Jerry Riccardi song that to me is reminiscent of a big band jazz sound. It begins with Jerry on the tom toms, sitting the stage for the big bass followed by the sax and guitar, sounding very much like a big horn ensemble. The temptation here is to send the sound way up. Oh hell, go ahead. It makes for great fun as this thing builds bigger and bigger as those drums make their presence known, laying down the beat for hard driving guitar solos followed with the sax pushing the limit, to an amazingly big sound coming from this four piece band. Right at the end a change of tempo with a great finish ends this most wonderful CD.
This CD is a live product recorded at Trouser Mouse Bar and Grill and lovingly crafted by Bill Morlan. A truly nice CD from a tight band together with arrangements tailor made for a band proud to be a Kansas City favorite. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going back for “Mo Blues”.
