→ Thanks to L.C.
Forest's hot harmonica and powerful imaginary vocals are running energetically over excellent guitar and keyboard work, and tight job of always perfectly chosen bass-drums sections.
The songs cover a large range of styles ― rock'n'roll, blues and R'n'B, Zydeco and even a few jazz-rock infused numbers ―, and it's not surprising that for over 40 years Forest has been a New Orleans resident, a city where one doesn't joke with groove and letting the good times roll.
The studio one has the darker mood of a mature man going through the torments of an ending love.
Like Josephine Baker used to sing, Forest had two loves : his adopted country and first wife's motherland, Italy, and his adopted city, New Orleans (read further down). And a secret garden : writing. Not songwriting (though he does that too, and with much talent), but writing novels. One, “Letter from Hell”, was published in simultaneous English and Italian editions in early 1999, and translated in French a few years later.
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| "Koko Franklin", painting by Andy J. Forest |
In the early 2000s his secret garden extended to drawing and painting, mostly personal portraits of blues and jazz musicians. His works have been exposed in New Orleans, Italy and France, and many acquired by private organizations like the Sonny Boy Williamson Museum in Helena, Arkansas, or the House of Blues art department. Some were bought and are adorning the walls of the legendary New Orleans restaurant "Jaquimo's"...
In late 2010 he also began to make professional videos and short films for New Orleans bands and for the new online publishing company, booksBnimble.
During all that time, this quite busy artist kept on recording albums, and touring intensively. in New Orleans' clubs, in the US and in Europe.
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| Roby Zonca |
Forest is accompanied by his Italian band for this humorously titled nine-and-a-half-track opus (the half is for the incomplete song, “My Baby's Crazy”, included at the end !). Actually it was issued as from the Andy J. Forest Band. This band gathers excellent musicians, in particular the outstanding Roby Zonca who besides co-writing three songs with Forest, takes real pleasure in making his bass roar like a V8 engine.
Forest wrote or co-wrote seven titles, offering an insight of his musical Louisianese gumbo blending rock'n'roll, blues, R'n'B, Zydeco, funk, country, sometimes spiced with jazz-rock sounds from the keyboards and bass…
The band opens the show with an exciting funky rocking version of Zachary Richard's funny “Who Stole My Monkey ?”. From the first note, Zonca delivers a powerful roaring bass riff carrying Forest's intense vocals and his harmonica which even imitates a monkey's squeal, while Joe Guarnera's keyboard sounds like horns. A humorous song and a deadly efficient groove, both foreshadowing a thrilling performance.
Forest's mixed-styles gumbo indeed features exhilarating tracks : the jazz-rock influenced “Rollin' Up” evolving into R'n'B and swing with Forest's impressive harmonica work; the nostalgic country-tinged ballad “Baby I'm Alone”, backed by Zonca's acoustic guitar, and sung with passion by Forest; “I'm Not Free” starting with a Willy Deville feel with its strong drumbeat before turning into a jazzy swamp rock (“This is my only political song”, Forest laughs).
The fun (and the beat) goes on with the catchy barrel-house jump style of “Long Ago”, enhanced by Guarnera's excellent piano and Forest's breathless harmonica; the mischievous Forest-Zonca co-written “Lazy” (the audience hums the chorus); a jazzy cover of Ray Charles' “Hallelujah I Love Her So”, shortened here to “Halleluja”, featuring Guarnera's sampled Upright bass; the jazz and funk mix of “Gotta Get Out”; or the 7-minute swing medley cover “PG's Thing”/”Rock with Me” with jazz drums and bass solos.
This repertoire might seem a bit too eclectic, in fact it gets its unity from the band's tight sound and groove and Forest convincing vocals and harmonica. A sound that would fit perfectly the New Orleans JazzFest.
After his Italian adventures, Forest returned to his adopted home city of New Orleans in 1991. But he continued touring regularly in Europe, and particularly in Italy. Fifteen years after the 1989 live, he recorded a new one in Italy. But this one is somehow different.
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| Heggy Vezzano |
Secondly, the band is different, featuring new but always excellent musicians with the addition of a fine guitarist, Heggy Vezzano (see the complete line-up below).
Thirdly, Forest himself is still singing and blowing his harmonica, but he has now added a new instrument to his attire : the “frattoir” (rubboard), the other essential instrument in Zydeco after the accordion. He also plays lead guitar on one tracks (“Never Been To Chicago”).
He signed three on ten featured titles and co-wrote four other. The remaining two are superb covers of Willie Dixon (“Mellow Down Easy”), and, more unexpected challenge, of Miles Davis (“All Blues”).
Actually this album, again labeled “Andy J. Forest Band”, is more blues and jazz-oriented than the 1989 one despite the opening track, “Je Joue” (French for I Play), a stirring Zydeco in which both Sergio Cocchi's organ and Forest's harmonica replace the accordion.
After a melancholic country-flavored ballad, “Take A Look”, where echoes of Van Morrison can be heard in Forest's voice, we enter in blues territory : “Fat Chance”, co-written with another “emigrant” to New Orleans, Anders Osborne; “Never Been To Chicago”, an energetic Chicago blues despite the title; “We Win” which I can't figure out if it is a muscular soul blues or a New Orleans style R'n'B, but an exciting track anyway; and most of all the highly swinging version of “Mellow Down Easy”.
The monumental nearly 9-minute instrumental cover of Miles Davis' “All Blues” has everything to stand-out as “the” top track of the album : blazing guitar, gripping Hamond B-3-like organ, funky bass, an almost two-minute long drums solo (the kind that was a must in the 1970s), and Forest… totally absent, leaving the ship in the hands of his talented accomplices !
The show finishes with another Forest-Osborne co-writing, the excellent Latin jazz-flavored “Sunday Rhumba”, which offers the audience a good supply of rejoicing tropical atmosphere for the days following the show...
Forest was then a seasoned middle-aged performer, a bit less exuberant but with such a talent that he didn't have anything to prove anymore and could afford to leave more liberty to his musicians whom he appreciate and respect, as can be felt all along the album. The five musicians deserve a special mention, and particularly Heggy Vezzano for his impressive work on guitar .
It's mainly a blues-based work, a collection of personal variations of the genre with a New Orleans style, and the “turmoil” refers to Forest’s divorce from his Italian wife. Useless to say the songs are not specially joyful. Which doesn't mean they lack rhythm and groove either. It's blues in the somber sense of the word even when it's country flavored. And always with Forest's appealing harmonica job.
→ The opening title “True To You” has a catchy swamp groove with the usual attire of the style : reverb guitar, inspiring harmonica...
→ “Who Are You Tryn'a Fool?” : a sixties atmosphere for this sad country-tinged “rhythmical”.
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| David Hyde |
→ “You Gotta Pay” : this rocking country song with a Texas feel featuring Forest on slide guitar is one of the highlights of the album.
→ “The Blues Blues Too” : a blues as the enigmatic title says, a classic one led by Forest's harmonica.
→ The jewel of the album : “Dogs Chase Cats”, a gripping swamp blues shuffle with a kind of rockabilly chorus, the whole carried by the dark pounding beat of a bass drum, by fine a rhythm guitar, the solid rhythm of the bass, and Forest's appealing harmonica.
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“The Moon Of June” : an undefinable mix of different styles with a throw-back feel.→ “Poor You” : another variation of blues according to Forest, with a key switch on the way.
→ “Morning Glory Vine” : reggae beat again for this pleasing track with a little retro feel and a fine bass and drums job by David Hyde and Allyn Robinson.
→ “The Blues Blues”, a blues of course, a pounding one with somber lyrics, and Forest's skillful harmonica and no other extra adornment.→ “Harpbinger” : the last track leaves the listener in a better mood with this instrumental harp affair, a fast shuffle rolling down the line like an express train running wilder and wilder where one feels the underlying aggressive anger of Forest.Disappointed ? To be honest : yes a little. Forest is the kind of musician who's never better than caught live. ■
→ Andy J. Forest Web site : http://andyjforest.com/index.htm
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| Joe Guarnera |
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| Pablo Leoni |
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| Allyn Robinson |
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| Washboard Chaz |
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| Meeting B.B. King |
► "Whiskey Headed Woman", Blues River Festival, Trezzo sull'Adda, Italy, 2011 : https://youtu.be/8Tb2NfkqSV0► "That Was Our Good Bye", a song in homage to Kenny Holladay and Coco Robicheaux, with Anders Osborne on National guitar, studio session, New Orleans, 2011 : https://youtu.be/c12yRweV6Ko
► With the Lovesick Duo (Paolo Roberto Pianezza & Francesca Alinovi), Bologna, Italy, 2017 : https://youtu.be/OZ1Rok9VGgw?t=295
► Facebook live, 2021 : https://youtu.be/bZx_uJiZQQY (with the dog singing by the end !)
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