Wet Willie have resurfaced in the 21st century in a slightly amended form, yet still sporting their special finger-lickin' fusion of blues with Southern rock. Previous leader Jimmy Hall isn't with the aggregate as presented on Playing Live Tonight: The Wet Willie Band, recorded appropriately enough at the legendary Tipitina's in New Orleans. However, John Anthony (keyboards/vocals), Jack Hall, Jr. (bass/vocals), and Donna Hall (vocals) circa the "classic" mid-'70s incarnation are present and accounted for. T.K. Lively ...
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Wet Willie have resurfaced in the 21st century in a slightly amended form, yet still sporting their special finger-lickin' fusion of blues with Southern rock. Previous leader Jimmy Hall isn't with the aggregate as presented on Playing Live Tonight: The Wet Willie Band, recorded appropriately enough at the legendary Tipitina's in New Orleans. However, John Anthony (keyboards/vocals), Jack Hall, Jr. (bass/vocals), and Donna Hall (vocals) circa the "classic" mid-'70s incarnation are present and accounted for. T.K. Lively (drums/percussion/vocals) represents the late '70s Epic Records era lineup and recent recruit Ric Seymour pulls double duty as guitarist and primary singer. Further thickening the mix is the four-piece Hurricane Horns, and while many brass sections tend to bloat a band's sound, this combo adds its textures tastefully. A glance at the set list reveals a wide variety of Wet Willie's musical personas, including the funky visage placed on the typically hard-hitting cover of Taj Mahal's "She Caught the Katy." It's easy to hear the influence of the equally inspired take located on Drippin' Wet (1973), rumored to have been the impetus behind its use in The Blues Brothers. The obligatory singalong "Street Corner Serenade" is a Wet Willie signature and the gang assembled here offers it up in a spirited reading that is strikingly close to the original and a perfect vehicle for showing off Seymour's malleable vocals. Another early favorite is the open-throttled "Baby Fat," which hasn't lost any of its propensity as a girth-shakin' down-home boogie and provides the Hurricane Horns a chance to blow. Seymour's strengths as a piledriving heavyweight frontman are proven on Wet Willie's sole Top Ten hit, the opening "Keep on Smiling," as well as the concluding compelling remakes of vintage R&B platters "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "Shout Bamalama" -- both of which became permanent entries in their concert repertoire during the '70s. ~ Lindsay Planer, Rovi
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Add this copy of Playing Live Tonight: The Wet Willie Band to cart. $9.50, new condition, Sold by THE MUSIC CONNECTION Wholesale rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Muldraugh, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by St. Clair.
