DAVID EGAN
DAVID EGAN
RHONDA SUE RECORDS RSR 003
THAT’S A BIG OL’ HURT–CALL YOUR CHILDREN HOME–OUTTA MISSISSIPPI–BLUES HOW THEY LINGER–DANCE TO THE BLUES WITH ME–ONE FOOT IN THE BAYOU–THE OUTSIDE–FUNKY DREAMS–DEAD END FRIEND–SAD SAD SATISFACTION–ROOT BEER BABY–EVERY TEAR
Pianist David Egan was born in Shreveport, LA, into a musical family that loved opera and theater, which he believes gave him an ear for a good melody. He spent some time as a tour guide in Nashville before a stint with Jo-El Sonnier, but while traveling with the Cajun band, File’, he honed his piano chops with them until 2001, afterward concentrating on his own material. This has pleasantly resulted in several Grammy nominations, plus the prestigious Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship, the state’s highest award for an artisan.
David’s self-titled debut contains an even dozen originals that showcase his looks at life and love thru the eyes of a man who’s seen it all, and lets his heart and soul do the talking. He compares his singing voice to a “field holler,” but we aren’t going to sell him THAT short. He has a soulful croon that’ll remind many listeners of “Silk Degrees”-era Boz Scaggs, and it fits his material very well.
He’s joined by Joe McMahan on guitar, Ron Eoff on bass, and Mike Sipos on drums, with a few special guests along the way. He kicks things off with the cheatin’ tale, “That’s A Big Ol’ Hurt,” which features some fine stop-time piano work. He celebrates the sheer joy of his music by urging a potential lover to “get on up and Dance The Blues With Me,” with Li’l Buck Senegal on guitar. The walkin’ lope of “Root Beer Baby” is a lusty look at carnal desires with enough double-entendres’ to last until “your soda pop daddy comes ’round!!” And, a serious shot of New Orleans-styled funk is the tale of a mythical guitar man (Is it Jimi or is it SRV??) who’s a sho’nuff “real-life Johnny B. Goode if there ever was,” entitled “Call Your Children Home,” which features guitar from Li’l Buck and David’s lifelong friend Buddy Flett.
Perhaps the most unusual cut was our favorite. David uses a unique Gregg Allman-meets-Vince Guaraldi piano pattern to remind a paramour that she’d better make hay while the sun shines, “Outta Mississippi,” which takes off to a tripped-out sax and guitar climax.
David Egan has become known as one of the most respected composers in the blues community, with his works recorded by the likes of Irma Thomas and Joe Cocker. With this collection, fans can now enjoy the man himself thru these ultra-hip tunes! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.
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