Review: Kenny Neal & Billy Branch's "Double Take"

[Jp Pagan <jpl_pagan@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

   I will admit to a grievous sin -- i've been
sleeping on Billy Branch all these years. But i picked
up "Double Take," an apparent re-release of an earlier
album entitled "Easy Meeting," and i'll never forget
about Billy Branch again. 
   All the songs on this album are done in the long
tradition of the Singer-Guitarist & Singer-Harpist Duo
albums, following in the footsteps of Sonny Terry &
Brownie McGhee, Junior Wells & Buddy Guy, and more
recently, Cephas & Wiggins. There's 12 tunes, some
originals, some well-worn favorites ("My Babe,"
Mannish Boy," etc...). Branch sings on five tunes,
Neal sings on the rest, excluding the one
instrumental, "Billy and Kenny's Stomp," which has a
great Big Walter feel to it.  
   Though from the cover it'd look like an
all-acoustic effort, there's some amped numbers:
"Don't Start Me Talking," "Mannish Boy," "Billy and
Kenny's Stomp," and "Northern Man Blues," as well as
one of the takes of "The Son I Never Knew," which is a
powerful tune (even more so in the acoustic version,
surprisingly...) about a man wanting to see a son he
he hasn't been around to raise. 
   Speaking of the cover, one thing you might notice
right off the bat is that on the cover photo, Branch
is playing an unusually thick harmonica, with a
seemingly wedge shaped comb... that's right, to this
amateur's eye, it looks just like an XB-40! I listened
hard to the recordings on this one trying to figure
out if Branch actually used the thing (there's a long
tradition of using big harps for cover photos even
though the instruments are never actually played on
the album...) and i just didn't feel confident enough
to say one way or the other. However, as i mentioned
before, this album is apparently a re-release of an
earlier album on Isabel Records, and, unfortunately,
it seems all of the tracks were first layed down in
'98, making it unlikely (impossible, even?) that the
harp heard here is the new all-bending Hohner. 
   Regardless, what you WILL hear is nuanced,
powerful, inventive and deeply toneful playing. I
haven't been this amazed since the first time i heard
Sugar Blue. Branch's sound borrows from everyone -
from the swing of the Walters to the screams of James
Cotton to Sugar Blue's fast, high pyrotechnics. It
sounds to me as though Branch is equally comfortable
with the big TB 'chordal' sound and the clean, pearly
pucker style. And although clearly rooted in the
masters of the past, Branch takes his playing in
totally different directions, sometimes getting so
'out' in his solos that you have to wonder how he'll
ever come back, but he does. 
    Taking a step back, all the songs feel like
classics. The sound of the recordings is clear and
both musicians sing and play in an emotive way that
pulls you right in. I hate to gush (more) but this
album really is impressive. I can't think of any other
harp player quite like Billy Branch, and though I've
heard him on other recordings (and seen him live),
he's never stood out like this. If you like your blues
deep-rooted but restlessly branching out, check out
"Double Take." 

   --Jp


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