NANCY WRIGHT
PLAYDATE!
DIRECT HIT/VIZZTONE RECORDS VTH 111
WHY YOU WANNA DO IT–I GOT WHAT IT TAKES–YES HE DO–BLUES FOR THE WESTSIDE–BEEN WAITING THAT LONG–TRAMPLED–SATISFIED–WARRANTY–CHERRY WINE–THERE IS SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND–BACK ROOM ROCK–GOOD LOVING DADDY–SOUL BLUE
Nancy Wright is one of the most-respected sax players in any genre’ on the contemporary scene today. A san Fran Bay area resident, Nancy plays festivals and clubs everywhere, and will release her latest album for Vizztone Records on September 30. it is entitled “Playdate!,” and features her wailin’ sax and soulful vocals mixed in with some mighty special guests spread over these thirteen cuts.
Her goal on this set was to have a lot of fun , and that attitude comes thru within these grooves. The party starts with Wee Willie Walker on vocal on the funky tale of the Devil and his temptation, “Why You Wanna Do It?” Elvin Bishop joins in on slide guitar as Nancy blows her horn in tandem on a sweet read of “There Is Something On Your Mind.” She gets down ‘n’ dirty with Joe Louis Walker on guitar on another instrumental that shows how versatile her sax work is, as you feel just like you are sitting in Rosa’s Lounge as they trade licks on “Blues For The Westside.” Jim Pugh gets in on the fun with his organ work supplying the fire as Nancy blows strong like Jr. Walker doin’ the Shotgun on “Trampled.’ Producer Kid Andersen’s chicken-pickin’ pulls it all together!
Nancy’s no slouch on vocals, either. She’s joined by Victor Wainwright on piano on the call-and-response jump-blues of “Yes He Do,” and asks a lover to choose between “me and that Cherry Wine,” set over a cha-cha stop-time groove.
We had three favorites, too. Nancy blows a sultry, Pink Panther groove over Terrie Odabi’s vocal on the story of a lady of the evening who’s services come with a “Warranty.” Frank Bey adds vocals on “Been Waiting That Long,” an unreleased song written by Nancy’s friend and mentor, Lonnie Mack, who passed earlier this year. And, Nancy takes us all straight to Sunday mornin’ down South with the spirited gospel fervor of Martha Carson’s “Satisfied,” featuring the Plymouth Church Of Jazz And Justice Choir from Oakland backing her.
Talk about having fun with an album—Nancy Wright’s “Playdate!” comes at you just like one of Louis Jordan’s legendary Saturday night fish fries, and it’s sho’ nuff funkier than that proverbial mosquito’s tweeter! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.
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