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PAT SMILLIE BAND
Letter to Hampton (Fat Bank Music)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner
Many people tell me that the blues has seen better days. That may be true in some cities, but I'd argue strongly that the blues is very much alive and well, thanks to many local bands following in the steps and 12-bar blues of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, or Paul Butterfield. The Pat Smillie Band is an example of one of the many local Chicago-area bands that are clawing their way up, and I hope that they'll land a regional or national record deal soon. I know it's not the same Chicago blues scene as generations ago with rooms teeming with talent like Mr. Kelley's, Silvio's, or Just Angels' in nearby Harvey, but there's always been a strong, but often struggling, blues community in the home of urban, post-war electric blues. The Pat Smillie Band's CD, Letter to Hampton, features a range of blues styles, and I'm particularly drawn to the title cut as a textbook example of gritty Chicago blues. Pat's been around, and his career as a singer/songwriter has taken him from his native Detroit to Windy City rooms like the Checkerboard Lounge, the Beat Kitchen, the Old Town School of Folk Music, and Koko Taylor's Celebrity. Pat and his band played a searing set at this year's Chicago Blues Festival this past Memorial Day weekend, and I hope that he lets more people in on his sound, particularly with cuts like "Thirteen Below Zero," a tribute to Chicago winters, and "Letter to Hampton," nicely done on the CD, but outstanding live. I've been criticized for years for preferring bar bands over stadium headliners, but to me, a good blues nightclub is one of the best incubators of the blues that we have. Check out sights and sounds from Pat on his web site, www.patsmillie.com: he's sandwiched in between Fruteland Jackson and Gloria Shannon in the "Big City Blues Photo on Maxwell Street" portrait by Robert Jr. Whitall, and there's stories and sound samples aplenty online.
Track List:
Thirteen Below Zero * Last Time I Saw Him * Drowning Down * Finest Hour * The Comeback * Letter to Hampton * Finally Over You * Let's Make A Date * Latanya * Can We Make This Happen?
© 2003 - Eric Steiner