Review: Altered Five Blues Band ‘Testifyin’

Review: Altered Five Blues Band ‘Testifyin’

By Hal Horowitz

You may not be able to tell a book from its cover (or a CD from its art), but in the case of the Altered Five Blues Band, just one look at burly front man vocalist Jeff Taylor, listeners will get the feeling they are in for some serious roots business.

That has been the case since 2002 when the Milwaukee quintet, led by Taylor and his booming vocals, along with guitarist/songwriter Jeff Schroedl. It took a while for the outfit to gain traction, but once they started writing original material in 2010, the key that unlocks the door transforming a talented regional band to a national presence, clicked open.

That’s about the time renowned producer/musician Tom Hambridge got involved, helming four of Altered Five Blues Band’s recent releases, and notably this rollicking EP Testifyin’ out March 22nd. Add a recently revived Blind Pig label to the mix, along with harmonica master Jason Ricci, who brings his Butterfield-influenced blowing to three of these five gems, and you have the formula for blues rocking that’ll shake your insides.

Everything connects on the opening “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t,” a prize chunk of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes’ funked-up soul, energized with a punching and punctuating horn section as Taylor asserts that with “two cups of coffee and a whole lot of drive” he can accomplish anything. It’s an impeccable introduction to four more keepers that continue the crackling groove.

“Brand New Bone” Feat. Jason Ricci

 
Much of the group’s appeal derives from snappy lyrics, telescoped in songs sharply titled “Whiskey Got Me Married,” “You Can’t Win if It Ain’t Within” and the true to life “I’ve Got the Scars to Prove It.” Each boasts a turn of phrase that’ll make you chuckle, grin, and maybe even ponder. On “Brand New Bone” the singer equates himself with a dog, asking his girlfriend to make him sit, stay, come and play and “roll over baby” as the swampy beat boils. Ricci kills it on harp, the band chugs out the rhythm and Taylor sings with a sly smirk you can visualize through the speakers.

On slow blues “…Scars,” Taylor lists the aspects of life that have caused the titular wounds “If it hurts I’ve been through it” he moans leading into Schroedl’s Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired solo, one that soars then lands as soft as a swan on a lake. Hambridge keeps the sound spacious and uncluttered, leaving room for washes of organ as Taylor howls the song’s title letting us know he likely holds those psychological scars brought on by challenges and trials through the years.

While the songs adhere to standard soul blues blueprints, it’s the playing, arrangements and concepts, emphasized by Taylor’s husky vocals, that push this terrific EP Testifyin’ into “why isn’t there more?” territory.

But it’s better to have five killer tracks from a band that has more than paid their dues on hundreds of bar gigs through the years, than a dozen mediocre ones. This 20 minute, gap-filling, digital only release is essential listening and whets our appetite until a new Altered Five album appears.

Pre-order Testifyin’ Here