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 LIVE CD REVIEW | |
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Live Notes from Athens  | |
 The most difficult hat trick that a musician can pull off is to create three significant live recordings; two masterful live records are almost unheard of, and a trilogy is nothing short of amazing. Tommy Talton experienced his first major live recording in 1974 when his band, Cowboy, fronted the first Gregg Allman solo tour, and Allman's subsequent live album for Capricorn Records. Two years ago came the landmark Capricorn Rhythm Section Alive release from Johnny Sandlin's Rockin' Camel Music, and now almost 34 years after The Gregg Allman Tour, Talton has rolled tape on another epic live recording, The Tommy Talton Band...Live Notes from Athens.Live Notes from Athens will delight new music fans hungry for an extraordinary, original artist whose sound is like dynamite burning with a short fuse. Talton's songs are cliche-free and burn with an undeniable sexual tension. The dreamy laid-back grooves, punchy guitar-driven jams and hook-laden melodies hint of 1970s-era Van Morrison, Allman Brothers and Little Feat, but are not throwbacks as much as they are powerful, intelligent, thought-provoking contemporary compositions. Talton's band plays with a subtlety that gets deep under your skin, but the music can still bring an audience to its feet. This white-hot band consists of Tony Giordano on keyboards and backing vocals, Brandon Peeples on bass and backing vocals and Chad Jackson on percussion. Talton steers the ship, handling lead vocals and alternating between acoustic, lead, and passionate, energetic slide guitar. On the night of June 7, 2008 at the Melting Point in Athens, GA, Talton slipped the audience into his pocket, and it is all captured on Live Notes. The opener, "Deal with the Deal," creates an edgy, black cat ambiance, as Talton launches into the song - a dangerous guitar-and-organ driven track, dripping with heartache and pain. "My Baby Don't Shave," Talton's lone instrumental, rides an incredible wave of energy, cresting again and again, allowing Giordano, Peeples, and Jackson to showcase their seemingly inexhaustible talents. With a flurry of drums, Talton and the band slow-burn flawlessly into "Getaway Cars," a song steeped in road-weary love, and wrought with human anguish. Like a superb bottle of 50-year-old Bordeaux, "Getaway Cars" is silky smooth, rich in emotional slide-driven passion. The next two cuts shift from the up-tempo texture of the first tracks to a mellow, cinematic style. "Baby I'm On Your Side" is the story of life on the road, sleeping by yourself in a lonely motel room and dealing with multiple-time zone relationships. Every musician composes at least one truly beautiful ballad, delivered with honesty and sensitivity, and "Time Will Never Change" is Talton's. Lyrically, musically and emotionally, this song covers all the bases, and Talton makes certain that the audience understands that this one is special. Talton's version of Allen Toussant's "On Your Way Down" tempts the listener into back-alley darkness while eulogizing old friend Lowell George. Steeped in Creole moonlight, this track showcases Giordano's electrifying keyboard work in support of Talton's masterful slide guitar. Talton and Giordano take turns here slashing and stabbing musically at ghosts in the darkness. "Things" and "We Were Flyin'" beckons one to a time when R&B was driven by solid fatback drums, hard-hitting bass lines, generous organ fills, funk driven piano and wonderful heartfelt lyrics. The transitions and choruses here hook the listener, compelling repeated pressings of the "replay" button. "River to the Sea" and "Color My Sleep" stand out as great compositions on Live Notes from Athens. "Color My Sleep" soft-shoe shuffles through Talton's blissful, imaginative dream world, while "River to the Sea" contains a melody and lyrics that are like a vaguely-familiar movie unfolding - the longer you listen, the more you identify with the music. The 11th track, "For What it's Worth," kicks in with an upbeat, funky drum and rhythm section jump-and-jive. Brandon Peeples demonstrates here why musicians all over the South agree that he is one of the strongest bass players in the business. Jackson and Peeples lock into the groove, Giordano turns up the funk, Talton cracks the whip and the whole damn band spins on the head of a pin, with everyone delivering in spades. Special guest Caroline Aiken adds backing vocals, and pours her heart out on the last verse. The band, sensing Aiken's energy, sprints aggressively to the finish line. Things close on a high note with "Time Will Take Us," one of Tommy's best compositions and a long-time fan favorite. Buy Live Notes from Athens, invite your friends over, turn the big knob to the right, and prepare to be impressed. - Bill Thames 
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