SAM COCKRELL AND THE GROOVE
Color Blind (Boom Boom Records)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Sam Cockrell is a talented Chicago bass player who's released a great new CD as a solo artist. Sam's not playing solo, though. He's got his first-class band, The Groove, behind him: Chris Forte on guitar, Rick Perkins on keyboards, and Rob Davis behind the drum kit. Colorblind also features Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love, perhaps better known as The Memphis Horns. The Memphis Horns have played on more than 300 gold records for folks like Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, B.B. King, and Robert Cray, among many others, over the past four decades. They play on half the record, and both halves give Sam a chance to sing with a soulful and expressive voice that was built for the blues. Few bluesmen have Sam's versatile and soulful pipes. Color Blind is a classic, horn-infused R & B record in the Memphis blues tradition. It features 14 original songs, including "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," the song that Robert Cray sang on his 1990 CD of the same name. There must be something in the water that Chicago bass players drink, 'cause I wrote about Willie Kent a few months ago. Just like Willie, Sam's put out a solid blues record as a solo artist. Sample some Sam Cockrell online at www.samcockrell.com.

© 2002 - Eric Steiner