SCOTT ELLISON
ELEVATOR MAN
RED PARLOR RECORDS RDP 1502
HOLLER FOR HELP–ARLENE–BEHIND THAT SMILE–FISH STICKS AND JELLY–ELEVATOR MAN–JESUS LOVES ME (BABY WHY DON’T YOU)–SCHOOL GIRL–PUT YOU DOWN–HIT IT GET IT AND GO–WEAR OUT YOUR WELCOME–I THOUGHT I’D BE GONE–MY LITTLE SHEBA–SHE’S ON MY TRAIL
Scott Ellison has been on our blues radar for some time. Hailing from Tulsa, OK, this in-demand guitarist, composer, and vocalist has been playing since the Seventies. He’s had several highly-acclaimed albums, (check out “Ice Storm” from 2008!), and his latest is “Elevator Man,” thirteen cuts of soulful blues that show off Scott’s incredible guitar chops and his lyrics with a touch of humor.
One of those rare guitarists who plays exactly what the song calls for, Scott fires the first salvo with the slide-driven leadoff cut, a “message song” of sorts, about the evils of excesses that results in a “Holler For Help.” His voice takes on a Wolf-like quality in “Arlene,” featuring harp from Jimmy Markham, while Scott’s acoustic dobro makes the Delta-fied “Fish Sticks And Jelly” sound like a good meal!
“School Girl” has a second-line feel, and “Put You Down” would be right at home at any Hill Country juke joint. There are a couple of sweet slow-blues, too. “Wear Out Your Welcome” is the tale of a “sometimes lover,” and “trouble Behind That Smile” features backing vocals from Marcy Levy, she of Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally” fame. The set closes with another juke joint romper, which finds Scott trying to escape a literal female hellhound, “She’s On My Trail.” It follows a cool blues-meets-rockabilly groove, and leaves you wanting more.
Favorites? Sho’ nuff, brothers and sisters. Want more good rockin’ blues? Then just “Hit It, Get It, And Go!” The “Elevator Man” is a stone-cold shot of funk that deals with Scott’s “ups and downs” in the love department! And, a downright icy-sounding shuffle is “Jesus Loves Me (Baby Why Don’t You), and was featured in the 2013 movie “Homefront,” with Winona Ryder and James Franco.
A member of the Oklahoma Blues Hall Of Fame, Scott Ellison has scored big with “Elevator Man!” This is one of his strongest album to date, and we give it two big thumbs up! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.
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