Little Al Thomas and The Crazy House Band
In The House
(Crosscut CCD 11068)
Little Al Thomas was born in Chicago in 1930. He grew up on the
southside, in the Maxwell Street area. In the 60s and 70s, he regularly played the Windy
City's clubs. Until the mid-80s, he worked with guitarist Lacy Gibson before starting a
long-lasting relationship with The Crazy House Band. Thomas remained relatively unknown
until his 1999 release, South Side Story , on the now defunct Cannonball label.
In The House was recorded live at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Luzern,
Switzerland. The songs are mostly covers from the likes of BB King, Magic Sam, Big Bill
Broonzy and Chuck Willis, however, the crowd just loves it. The Crazy House Band is lead
by Thomas ‘Mot' Dutko whose drumming is impressive, and contains more than basic
blues beats.
Raw, southside Chicago blues roars out of Thomas, a former steelworker
turned vocalist. Little Al's scintillating 10-song set includes all of his trademark tunes
including Louis Jordan's "Somebody Changed The Lock On My Door". Here, Thomas
belts out the lyrics with enthusiasm and inflection. It is a danceable version where the
swinging and pumping saxes of Myron Harvey and Bill Voltz, sound ready to groove all
night. When John Edelmann solos on guitar, there is no brass accompaniment, so you focus
on his dynamic strings.
On “You're Breaking My Heart,” Edelmann solos into a frenzy.
His guitar is kept from leaving the atmosphere, thanks to Thomas' screams and the horns'
blasts. Edelmann doesn't make his guitar screech like a banshee. No, Edelmann is a pure
blues guitarist, and a mature songwriter who contributes two originals here. “Memphis
Girl” has a soul-funk to it along with a Creedence Clearwater Revival groove.
“Feel So Bad” is an all time classic tune with great blues lyrics and a clever
arrangement. Here, Edelmann's thrilled guitar expresses the blues like not many others
can.
The straight production is simple and clean. Thomas loves to croon,
holler and hold notes for a long time while warbling. However, you can't always make out
the words he sings. Just about every cut also appears on Thomas' debut disc, so you won't
need both. This live record is one of the best “real blues” CDs I have heard in
a long time. I know, you read that a lot from us reviewers. Well, this time, believe it!
- Tim Holek -
Southwest Blues CD Review - February 2005
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