TOM CRAIG AND SOUL PATCH
GET READY FOR ME
SOULPATCHBAND.NET
LOUITA–HOW DID I BREAK THE RULES–GET READY FOR ME–CAN’T STOP THINKING ‘BOUT YOU–SHE DID IT TO ME (SHE’LL DO IT TO YOU)–BALLROOM DANCER–CAPTAIN FUNK–PLEASE FORGIVE ME BABY–TORNADO–I CAN’T HELP MYSELF–NOTHIN’ THAT A MAN CAN’T DO–EVERY WOMAN
Tom Craig was a jazz vocal major in college, and his style owes much to the crooners such as Mel Torme’ and Ol’ Blue Eyes. He fell in love with blues and R & B thru the music of the three Kings, Otis, and Pickett. As such, he and his band, Soul Patch, with the twelve original cuts that comprise their debut, “Get Ready For Me,” has a little bit of something for every taste.
Tom, on guitar and vocals, and John O’Connell on drums, have been playing together for the last decade. Add in the horn section on these cuts, and you have a full, “big band” sound throughout these grooves. The party starts with the story of “Louita” and her ability to “satisfy my hunger with your lovin’ stuff!” The horns set up a sweet groove as Tom begs the question to a lover who’s grown cold, “How Did I Break The Rules.” The title cut is just the opposite, as, with the “New York skyline in my rear view mirror,” he’s “on my way back to you, so Get Ready For Me!” The swingin’ retro vibe of of “I Can’t Help Myself,” with the call-and-response chorus may remind some listeners of James Hunter, while Tom gets his slow-blues groove on, with the pleading, plaintive, “Please Forgive Me Baby, all I do is disappoint you.”
We had two favorites, too. The breezy ode to a one-night stand with a “Ballroom Dancer” sways over a cha-cha beat and begs you to dance along. A story to which many of us guys can relate is a slab of sage advice to be wary to whom you give your heart. If she turns out to be a cheat, then you can tell the next man that “She Did It To Me, she’ll do it to you!”
Tom Craig And Soul Patch will represent the Central Delaware Blues Society in the upcoming IBC’s. When you get on that stage, you’ve gotta have something that sets you apart from the other 250 or so acts that will be vying for the same prize. With a set as varied and enjoyable as “Get Ready For Me,” these guys are set to make a big racket down on Beale! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.
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