Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers review…September 28, 2015…

MINDI ABAIR AND THE BONESHAKERS

LIVE IN SEATTLE

HEADS UP INTERNATIONAL  HUI–37996–02

HERE SHE COMES–WILD HEART–HAUTE SAUCE–I CAN’T LOSE–BRING HIM ON–BALL AND CHAIN–BE BEAUTIFUL–GONE–MAKE IT HAPPEN–BLOOM–I’LL BE YOUR HOME–SUMMERTIME–FLIRT–COLD SWEAT

Mindi Abair is one of the most-respected sax players on the scene today, having played with Aerosmith, on American Idol,  and even on the Opry stage.  She got a 2015 Grammy nomination for her CD, “Wild Heart.”  The first time we heard The Boneshakers do “Cold Sweat,” we were hooked.  Mindi joins this powerhouse outfit for “Live In Seattle,” cut at Jazz Alley.  It’s fourteen cuts including three brand new songs, all of which gives Mindi a chance to put a raw, edgy stamp on her sound.

Mindi fits right in with this band, and kicks things off with two cuts from her catalog, “Wild Heart,” and “Haute Sauce.”  Long-time Boneshakers vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson joins the festivities for a bluesy take on a band original, “Ball And Chain.”

Mindi cranks up the funk on a number written about winning, aptly-titled “I Can’t Lose.”  She switches gears with a ballad about being yourself, striving to “Be Free, Be Strong, Be Beautiful,” and gets in a Memphis mood on an instrumental she wrote with Booker T. Jones, “Make It Happen,” with the keyboard parts handled by Rodney Lee.

As the night progresses, the band really hits its stride.  Mindi tells the crowd that when you are with people you love, you’re at home, as she and Randy Jacobs do a cool duet on “I’ll Be Your Home,” another cut with a soulful, Memphis feel.  Randy’s guitar recalls Hendrix as Mindi absolutely lays down a killer groove on a cover of Gershwin’s “Summertime,” and Sweet Pea returns to close the set on lead vocal on our favorite, “Cold Sweat,” as Mindi goes into full-on “Maceo” mode!

Mindi Abair meshes perfectly with The Boneshakers.  “Live In Seattle” shows what can happen when the right players inspire the best from each other!  Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.