East Coast Kitchen Racket
January, 2004
Wanda Earhart
Minglewood Band Live at Last
Norton Records
SOMEBODY HELP ME……IT'S MINGLEWOOD LIVE AT LAST
The very latest recording from Matt Minglewood serves several purposes,
besides providing a rockin good session of trademark tunes from 'the man'
himself. First, for those who were present during the taping of this LIVE album
on the Sydney Waterfront, at Minglefest, it will surely take you back to one of
"the" happenin parties of the summer. If you were not present, you can at least
pretend, as this collection definitely captures the atmosphere, complete with
crowd reaction, and a stellar list of guest appearances, not the least of which
was Jeff Healey. LIVE AT LAST also represents the musical life of an obvious
legend of Canadian blues, as Minglewood delivers the songs that he has been
traveling across the country with for decades, as well as some of his fresh
material from the past couple of years.
It's not often one receives a CD, that from first cut to last, each and every
one is perfection. Strap yourself in cause this is one for the listening, for
the long haul. From the intro from long time pal Sam Moon, we hear the wail of
the oh so familiar guitar of Jeff Healey, and Matt is well into 'Tell Me', and
between the wicked vocals and accompanying musicianship, as well as crowd
response, its not long into this collection that you are having almost as great
a time as those on site for the festivities.
From the old, as in Whiz Kids, to
the new of How High is High Enough, it's a non stop great sound, guaranteed to
please the toughest of critics. My very favourite cut is 'Somebody Help Me'.
It's the all time classic Minglewood, with a drivin beat and powerful force of
vocals mixed with keyboard and in this case some of the baddest blues guitar,
and screams of an appreciative crowd, a winning combination from beginning to
end. Next is 'Me & the Boys, which continues the trend of listening memories,
along with 'Travellin Man', 'Caped Crusader', and then another standout for me,
'Rockin The Blues', somewhat of the anthem for Minglewoods' life on the road.
You can't have a LIVE collection without 'East Coast Blues', and the finale of
'Can't Ya See' as with all of the choice cuts throughout, delivers the essence
of the blues according to Minglewood, making this a must have addition to your
musical library, no matter your particular preference.
From ballads, to
anthems, to can't sit still numbers, this is definitely an album to stand out
for years to come. It represents the blues, it captures the party spirit that
is Cape Breton, and Minglewood LIVE AT LAST honours the trail blazed by one of
the most dedicated artists to ever leave and always return to the island.
Reviewer Wanda Earhart