Kenny Neal Albums (11)
What The Critics Say
Son of Louisiana bluesman Raful Neal, young Kenny had some big shoes to fill, but he's been more than up to the task. He plays bass, guitar, trumpet, piano and guitar, and worked in Toronto with the Downchild Blues Band as well as with his siblings in the Neal Brothers Band before returning to Louisiana in 1987 to cut his debut, Bio on the Bayou. Since then Neal has continued to blend his swampy roots with soul and R&B to put his own contemporary spin on the blues. Let Life Flow finds the 50-year-old bluesman in fine voice delivering four originals and seven covers. Neal accents "Louisiana Stew" with a long, jaunty, country flavored harp solo, while on "Fly Away" he drops a bit of sage spiritual advice into the mix. His Memphis-style guitar fills accent the tune, but it's his gospel drenched vocals that standout. The title track has a soulful '70s feel, with Neal's Al Green influenced vocal, and subtle horn accents from Joe Campbell's trumpet and LeRoy Harper's sax. "Since I Met You Baby," the Ivory Joe Hunter chestnut gets taken back to its blues roots by Neal's gritty delivery. His mellow guitar solo, full of slow bent notes and full round tones complement Lucky Peterson's rolling piano work. "It Don't Make Sense, You Can't Make Peace," a Willie Dixon tune, has a swampy groove with a slight Latin tinge, mournful backing vocals, and Neal's sanctified lead vocal. "Another Man's Cologne" tells a familiar story of infidelity. Neal's sneering, slightly bemused vocal and stinging guitar tell the sad story to a funky backbeat. "You've Got to Hurt Before You Heal," another simmering slow blues, lets Neal show off his soulful vocal style with Peterson supplying sanctified organ work. Neal is in fine voice throughout and his understated bluesy guitar works fine, but nothing here really catches fire. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide
'A Tribute to Slim Harpo and Raful Neal'
Release Date 8/23/2005
Tracks 10
Label True Life
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Kenny Neal began the project that led to this record in 2002, and it was originally intended to be a tribute to the music of Slim Harpo, whose own languid, atmospheric recordings are the very definition of swamp blues. With Slim's good friend (and Kenny Neal's father) Raful Neal handling most of the vocals, and, of course, the harmonica work, and with some of the members of Harpo's band also on-board, ten tracks were recorded before the elder Neal was diagnosed with bone cancer. Raful Neal died on September 1, 2004, and when Kenny Neal eventually returned to the project tapes, the album had turned into a tribute to Raful. as well. The famous muffled and swampy sound of Harpo's original Excello recordings was as much due to lack of proper equipment (cardboard boxes were supposedly used as drums on some tracks) as it was creative vision, and Neal makes no attempt to re-create the same sort of atmosphere here, but Raful's rough, world-weary voice gives songs like "Rainin' in My Heart," "King Bee," and "Got Love If You Want it" a kind of aged resignation that serves them well. The feel on this album is really more reverent than it is swampy, but that's fine. As both a remembrance of Slim Harpo and a farewell to Raful Neal, it makes a respectful and compelling testament. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This no-frills Alligator reissue of 2003's Easy Meeting (recorded in France, 1998), allows a wider audience to hear this exceptional recording, which might have been all but impossible to find on its previous indie label. Louisiana swamp guitarist/vocalist Neal is well known through his nine discs on Alligator and Telarc, but harp player Branch is a more obscure, yet tremendously talented bluesman who blues fans may recognize from his inclusion on Alligator's 1991 Harp Attack. Branch ended up a little lost on that project since he had to share the spotlight with James Cotton, Carey Bell, and Junior Wells, but here, even working with Neal, he shines. This is a low-key but charming, predominantly acoustic project, split fairly evenly between classics, new tunes, and obscurities. Neal has the better voice, and sings seven of the 12 tracks, but Branch does a fine job on his five tunes, even between verses where he's playing harp. There aren't many -- if any -- overdubs, and the session is as loose and down-home as you'd expect from two seasoned musicians. Branch blows strong, electrified harmonica only slightly less cutting and explosive than Little Walter (two of whose hits "My Babe" and "I Just Keep Loving Her" are here), and is particularly impressive on the slow blues of his original "Northern Man Blues," where he switches from amplified to unplugged settings. Neal revisits "The Son I Never Knew," from his 1989 Devil Child release -- twice actually -- and the song in both of its versions (the second features Branch on amplified harp) is an album highlight. Other than a cover of "Mannish Boy" that, at nearly eight minutes, should have been pruned to four, the duo keeps the songs and performances concise, but still lazy and swampy. In fact, it sounds like the musicians were lounging on their porch on a sweltering summer's night. This is a relaxed, casual but moving album that goes down easy and doesn't try to be more than what it is, which is what ultimately makes it so successful. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On Kenny Neal's third Telarc release, One Step Closer, he combines the Louisiana musical traditions he grew up listening to with a wide range of contemporary material. Among the 12 tracks are soul-blues renditions of Bob Dylan's "Walk Out in the Rain," Nick Lowe's "High on a Hilltop," and John Hiatt's "Lover's Will." Neal's developing skills as a songwriting have been convincingly affected by roots rock and Americana, as showcased on "Backdoor Tipper," "No More One More Chance," "Whiskey Tears," and "She Ain't Happy Unless She's Sad." ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is Neal's third album for Telarc and it's definitely one of his best releases to date. He's long been known for his Louisiana blues groove, but this CD will force critics and fans to reassess their take on Neal's sound. Tracks like "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right," "Little Brother (Make a Way)," "I'm The Man Your Mama Told You About," "Loving on Borrowed Time," and "Deja Vu" are robust numbers that variously evince Chicago and Memphis influences, while the title track is a gorgeous bit of soul music that showcases Neal's mature voice. In fact, one of the major highlights of this collection is Neal's vocal work. He has become an exceptional blues singer, with a powerful and wonderfully nuanced voice. Add his excellent lead guitar work and make note of the fact that he wrote, or co-authored, nine of the 12 songs on this disc. The guy has become a multiple-threat bluesman and this album, in demonstrating that, has to be seen as a pivotal point in Neal's discography. ~ Philip Van Vleck, All Music Guide
'Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain'
Release Date 6/16/1998
Tracks 11
Label Telarc
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
After building an impressive catalog at Alligator, Kenny Neal switched to Telarc Blues with Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain. Some blues enthusiasts wondered if the Baton Rouge singer/guitarist would fare as well creatively at Telarc as he had at Alligator, but they needn't have worried, for this excellent CD is every bit as strong as his Alligator dates. Neal's foundation continued to be Louisiana swamp blues, with the occasional detour into Louisiana R&B. It doesn't get much swampier than "Strike While the Iron Is Hot" and the haunting "Shadow On the Moon." Neal turns his attention to Chicago blues on Jimmy Reed's hit "Big Boss Man" and the often recorded Willie Dixon classics "My Babe" and "I'm Ready," all of which he gives a Louisiana-style makeover. Never have these blues standards sounded more swampy than they do in Neal's hands. Meanwhile, he gets into a Louisiana R&B groove on "Someday" and brings a touch of funk to "Just a Matter of Time." Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain is an album that Neal should be proud of. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Neal is one of the most impressive young blues artists on the scene today -- a fact borne out by the contents of this collection. Ably backed by a band that includes his brother Noel on bass and keyboardist Lucky Peterson, Neal indulges in a couple of covers this time, but the majority of the disc is original and incendiary. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
You really can't go wrong with any of the guitarist's fine Alligator albums, but this one sparkles as brightly as any, with memorable outings like "Right Train, Wrong Track," "That Knife Don't Cut No More," and the steamy title track. Kenny Neal's albums are invariably dominated by well-chosen originals -- no small feat these days. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Backed by a punchy horn section and sizzling rhythms, Neal didn't suffer from any sophomore jinx. Between Neal, his bass-playing co-producer Bob Greenlee, and drummer Jim Payne, there's some very crafty songwriting going on here -- "Any Fool Will Do," "Bad Check," and "Can't Have Your Cake (And Eat It Too)" are among the standouts. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
