Big Jay McNeely Blowin' Down the House - Big Jay's Latest & Greatest Review by Gary Hill
This album is a classy set. I'm not blown away by everything here, but it works reasonably well. There are some tunes that really stand out from the rest, too. There are pieces here that are full on jazz. There are pieces that are more traditional blues. There is some rock and roll in the mix on some of these. There are a handful of instrumentals, but most of the tunes have vocals.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Love Will Never Fail
Soul and jazz merge on this high energy cut. It's a smoking hot tune with a very traditional sound.
Love Is Stronger Than Hurt
This is a bit noisy. It's also incredibly cool. It's not a huge change from the opener, but this is a little less "pop" like.
My Love Never Ended
A slower number, this one just oozes cool. I like this better than the first two, but it's less accessible in some ways.
I've Been Mistreated Now, here we get a full on blues number. This is great stuff. It's quite old school in treatment and delivery. It's also packed full of cool. The theatrical bit at the end is a bit over the top for my tastes, though.
You Don't Have to Go Home
This smoking hot blues tune is one of the best numbers of the whole disc. I really love the groove and vibe of this thing.
Party Now, this cut is a lot of fun. It really does feel like a party. There is a lot of funk and a lot of soul built into. It's high energy and one of the highlights of the disc.
Big Jay's Hop Old school rock and roll and jazz are merged on this bouncing little number. It's nothing extremely special, but it's fun and a real change.
Blow Blow Blow Here we get some noisy fast paced jazz. This one doesn't really work for me as well as some of the rest. This is the first full instrumental of the set.
Willie the Cool Cat Another jazz instrumental, this one is a lot of fun. It's actually one of my favorite tunes here. It's just so catchy and cool.
Rock Candy Another fun jazz instrumental, this is one that lands near the top of hte heap, too. It has some great melodies and a nice energy level.
Nervous Man Nervous
Old school rock and roll merges with fast paced jazz. This is a fun tune.
Get on Up & Let's Boogie High energy old school rock and roll is the order of business here. It has some cool guitar soloing. The jazzy jam later in the track is great, too. This tune is just a lot of fun. That makes it a great choice to end the album.
