Album Review of
A Dose Of The Blues

Written by Robert Silverstein
July 25, 2019 - 3:01pm EDT
Review Rating Star Review Rating Star Review Rating Star Review Rating Star Review Rating Star

A highly entertaining album of soulful R&B and Chicago-style blues, A Dose Of The Blues is the 2019 CD by vocalist, trombonist and singer Big James. There are several cover songs on the eleven-track release with the majority of songs concentrating on a range of Big James originals. With James, who goes by the name oneSELF in the credits, as a star vocal attraction, A Dose Of The Blues also features the blazing electric guitar solos of Mike “Money” Wheeler, along with Brian Lupo (rhythm guitars), Roosevelt “Mad Hatter” Purifoy (keys), a pair of drummers and a hot horn section with James handling the vocals and trombone solos. The classic R&B sound of the 1960s is in evidence as is a more up-to-date Chicago blues sound that will simply amaze fans of the genre. Influenced by classic R&B soul singers like Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, Sam & Dave and James Brown, to name just a few, tracks here like “Giving Me The Blues” and “Can't Get Enough Of Your Love”, with its pure STAX meets Motown sounds like something you might have heard on the AM radio in 1966. Asked about his influences, James says, "James Brown definitely! I'm more influenced by OV Wright, Little Milton & Tyrone Davis!" An album to play and replay, A Dose Of The Blues carries the classic R&B sound alive and well into the future.