Bruce
Conte
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Blues On Stage (www.mnblues.com)
CD Review
Bruce Conte Bullet Proof (2002 Severn Records - CD-0015) by Craig Ruskey
Review date: April
2002
Bruce Conte's name
should be recognized well outside the blues idiom, coming from a tenure
of seven years and eight recordings with Tower Of Power, but there's
little question that his efforts work seamlessly with a blues-roux as
the main ingredient. Originally worked up in 2000, this previously
unreleased, self-produced offering has everything necessary to garner a
wide audience.
"Too Much
Cool" leads off with a funky groove and the rasping vocals of Gavin
Christopher (formerly of Rufus) while Conte steps up with some solid
blues chops on guitar, and Ellis Hall exercises his gripping voice for
"Nowhere To Go," with a back-and-forth feel that settles into
an R&B workout. "I Met A Girl" features Ed Reddick
at the microphone on a stop-time blues with fine horn charts and more
excellent guitar from Conte's battered Les Paul, and Bobby Kimball
(Toto) puts out some hefty singing on "Chasin' The Blues,"
which also features Andre Roberson's simmering sax work. Christopher has
the spotlight on the New Orleans-flavored "Mojo Mambo" and
"Just Won't Act Right," a sizzling shuffle, shows Tim Scott to
be a potent singer, while Windy Barnes opens the furnace door for "Too
Sad To Sing The Blues," her vocals a standout. Conte takes his
first of two spots singing on the slow and gripping original, "It's
Always Darkest Before The Dawn," and there's little doubt his voice
has the ability to be as spellbinding as his guitar, while Lenny
Williams, former Tower Of Power bandmate, takes the point for the title
track offering striking, soulful vocals. The Chuck Willis gem, "Feel
So Bad," finds Conte behind the microphone once again, and makes
one wonder why his voice only shows up twice, he's simply that good.
There's a definite Tower Of Power feel on "There's Room At The
Top" with Gavin Christopher handling the lead spot for his third
track, and closing out with Junior Wells' classic, "Snatch It Back
And Hold It," nearly vocal-less, gives Conte more room to stretch
out.
Tower Of Power was one
of the more impressive bands from a number of years ago to make the
charts while using blues for its foundation, and Bruce Conte's work then
was no more stellar than here, on "Bullet Proof." His guitar
abilities seem endless, yet there's no grandstanding, and as a producer,
he has managed to bring the absolute best out of the wide and varied
cast on this CD. Carrying a band of at least a dozen people, to handle
the excellent variety on this offering, probably won't happen on the
festival or spotlight club circuit, but with Conte's soul-drenched pipes,
he could strip back the fat and still be a showstopper with half that
number.
Contact www.severnrecords.com
or http://bruceconte.com for
necessary details.
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