Blues Wax – March 13, 2006

Jimmie Bratcher – Red

BluesWax Rating: 7 out of 10

Back From Church

Red Album Cover

My first experience with Jimmie Bratcher and his Blues was during a memorial service for Stan Koron, the latepresident of the Kansas City Blues Society. Stan had passed on to that great Blue Room in the Sky rather unexpectedly and Jimmie had come to sing a goodbye song to him. He had written a great song and decided to dedicate it to Stan because it just fit Stan’s personality so well. Stan was a long-time promoter, producer, manager, and tireless supporter of the Blues who will always be missed. That song is included in Jimmie’s latest CD Red. The song is entitled “Three Chords.”

The first time you experience this Bluesman and his band you go “Hmmm.” This is good stuff, easy on the ears, at times gritty, soulful and jazzy, too. Then they take you on a journey with a sweet little ballad that is really easy to listen to and if you listen a little deeper there is an ever-present soul-saving message, too. You see Jimmie’s day job is saving souls for Christ, yes sir, you heard that right, he’s a bona fide reverend singing the Blues.

Red comes right at ya with “Bad Religion,” a rocking Blues number complete with a driving rhythm section, stinging slide guitar, and gritty vocals. The next track, “Mercy,” adds horns and a feel good Funk sound for a cool groove. “I See Red” gets a little bigger with full vocals, great breaks, and a driving rhythm almost like a Texas-style Blues. “Drive” showcases the horn section with some killer leads. “Dance With Me” takes us down that Country Blues ballad lane and does it quite well. “Restless For The Son” caught me off guard as I thought that the CD had switched to a Miles Davis track; not quite, but it is very jazzy and easy to listen to. “Three Chords” is a classic low-down, greasy Blues song with some very big guitar and vocal work; tasty, tasty.

The rest of this sweet CD is down-home Blues. “I Love My Baby” adds a little flavor with some sexy female backup singers. “Take It Back” swings us down to the Delta for a quick visit to Memphis and Highway 61. How low can you go if you were born on the “Right Side Of The Tracks,” this low-down, dirty Blues track will surely let you know what’s what? The haunting Miles-style horn in the background and that big Hammond B3 organ just makes this song work no matter what side of the tracks you’re from. Jimmie finishes up with “No Pretense” and “Happy” to complete a CD that people will enjoy many times over. The musicians on this album are all very good at their instruments and the songwriting is excellent. Producer Jim Gaines (Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Daniel “Slick” Ballinger) does a fine job of creating a quality work of art.

Jack “Sulli” Sullivan is a contributing editor at BluesWax