From the Vault...

09/29/2019
#1692

info
Duke Robillard
"Dangerous Place"


© PointBlank/Virgin Records
Year of Release: 1997
Rating:

track listing
  • Had To Be Your Man
  • Going Straight
  • Dangerous Place
  • Don't Get Me Shook Up
  • Take My Word For It
  • Can't Remember To Forget
  • Duke's Advice
  • Nothing Like You
    (Where I Come From)
  • I May Be Ugly
    (But I Sure Know
    How To Cook)
  • All Over But The Paying
  • No Time
  • Black Negligee

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    Duke Robillard related sites:
    Duke Robillard Website
    Wikipedia
    Previous Review: #1691
    Diana Krall--Quiet Nights
    Next Review: #1693
    Los Lobos--Kiko
    Duke Robillard
    "Dangerous Place"



    From the Goodwill Collection -- An album I purchased from the Goodwill store... $1.49 each, half-off every other Saturday!


    Duke Robillard is definitely an artist you want to hear. He is a blues and jazz artist. His 1997 release, Dangerous Place has the great sounds of R&B Blues. More on the Rhythm and Blues side, this is a great album to have. Every song is great -- it captures that great Blues sparked with the Rhythm and Blues. Soulful R&B. Soulful Blues. Soulful and Jazzy Blues.


    Duke Robillard has been recording solo albums since 1985. He replaced Jimmy Vaughn in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Dangerous Place is his tenth solo album. He was also a founding member of Roomful Of Blues (1978-1999). He recorded three albums with the Fabulous Thunderbirds (1989-1993). He has particpated as a guest performer on other artists' albums. His latest solo album was released in 2017.


    From start to finish, Dangerous Place is a fantastic album. The opener, "Had To Be Your Man" leads off as a great R&B Blues track. I can hear the Blues Brothers Band performing this song. Swinging-styled Blues (Jazz-like) has "Going Straight." The title track has a good, slow blues feel. ZZ Top comes to mind, and their version of the blues classic "Dust My Broom" on "Don't Get Me Shook Up."


    "Take My Word For It" is another great R&B Blues track, likewise "Can't Remember To Forget" has the feel of a Fats Domino song, with his New Orleans R&B style. If you're familiar in watching the old detective TV show of Mickey Spillane, "Duke's Advice" could easily be a soundtrack tune for this show.


    Another comparison band to Duke's music is the great blues band, Big Twist & The Mellow Mellows. "Nothing Like You (Where I Come From)" is a song that could be recorded by them. Going back to the early Big Band years, "I May Be Ugly (But I Sure Know How To Cook)" has a Cab Calloway'ish style, as this song could have been recorded by him, as humorous as the title states.


    "All Over But The Paying" is soulful, R&B. Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker comes to mind on the next track, "No Time." And a very impressive instrumental closes out the album, "Black Negligee," have a nostalgic 1940s big band sound.


    As one of the song titles -- "Take My Word For It" -- Take my word for it, this album is a must for the ultimate Blues fan. I'm curious to hear his other albums, and his band, Roomful of Blues. One thing about purchasing CDs from the Goodwill store -- you never know what you're gonna get, when it comes to bands and artists you really never heard of before. Researching them is one thing, to see what kind of music they play, and their history (most likely from Wikipedia, if they have a page there). In learning that Duke Robillard was a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, you probably can't go wrong in hearing his music. Dangerous Place is a great Blues album. You will enjoy this album. It is pure R&B, Soul, Blues. Superb.


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    Previous Review: #1691
    Diana Krall--Quiet Nights
    Next Review: #1693
    Los Lobos--Kiko