EG Kight
" Lip Service "
VizzTone/www.EGKight.com

"Bob Putignano says that EG Kight and producer Paul Hornsby have put together a masterpiece in the vein of the Southern Rock sounds of Capricorn Records with Kight's latest, "Lip Service." As Bob says, "What's not to like here?" Chip Eagle for Blueswax & Blues Revue Magazine,

BluesWax Rating: 9

Vocally Potent, a Stellar Band, and Excellent Studio Production

What do you get when someone assembles musicians like Randall Bramblett (Sea Level, Bonnie Raitt, and many others,) Tommy Talton (Cowboy) veteran session drummer Bill Stewart, and top-shelf female vocalist EG Kight? A very strong recording! Producer Paul Hornsby (no slouch himself on various keyboards) worked with the Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, The Hour Glass with Duane and Gregg Allman, Bonnie Bramlett, Bobby Whitlock, Wet Willie, Eddie's Hinton and Kirkland, Irma Thomas, and previous Kight albums, has structured one heck of an recording. As you would expect there's that southern rock groove, yet Kight stamps her own signature vocals and contributes songwriting (and co-authored) credits on eleven of the twelve songs, except for Hornsby's "It's Gonna Rain All Night." The southern groove is clearly apparent on the humorous "Sugar Daddies," who sound like they are cutting back on their expenditures for their southern belles. A punching horn section funks up "I'm In It To Win It," where Marcus Henderson fires mightily on alto, plus there's a very clever horn ending. The title track is a rocker with impressive B3 from producer Hornsby and tasty piano by the very talented Bramblett. "Savannah" is a simmering ballad that has a bit of a jazzy feel as co-author Gil Gillis triples on guitar, piano, and percussion. The horn section returns on "Koko's Song," an obvious tribute to the great Koko Taylor; I'm certain Koko would have approved, both musically and with the appropriate lyrics that include "Wang Dang Doodle," "Let the Good Times Roll," and statements saying that Taylor will always be the Queen of the Blues and so forth. Note: Kight dedicates this fine recording to Koko. John Nemeth guests on "Somewhere Down Deep" and nails it alongside Kight; it's incredibly soulful as these two really meld extremely well together. Checkout the Allman Brothers/Dickey Betts riffs on "I Can't Turn Him Off," courtesy of Tommy Talton's guitar. Hornsby's "It's Gonna Rain All Night" is gorgeous, Kight feels right at home on this late-night, smokey barroom feeling tune; Hornsby doubles on B3 and piano and really sets the backdrop for this (no guitar) beauty. Kight's "Goodbye" sounds a bit like the Allman's with horns, it's funky and gritty too, with (this time) Bramblett percolating on the B3. "Married Man" continues in the Capricorn Records zone on this haunting ballad that also features some slick wah-wah from Tommy Talton's guitar.

Closing this disc is Kight, Joanna Cotton and Johnny Neel's (Neel also worked with the Allman's) "I'm Happy Wih the One I Got Now," a tune that I'm sure Bonnie Raitt would easily slip into, but there's no taking away from Kight's vocal prowess here on this, the most bluesy tune included. The lyrics are pretty sultry and humorous. Lip Service is Kight's seventh album. At just forty-five the future continues to look bright for this classy southern lassie. Kight vocally impresses from end to end, and (with the help of Paul Hornsby) both know how to assemble a stellar band, plus there's above-par songwriting that is potent. What's not to like here? Nothing! Bob Putignano is a contributing editor at BluesWax and the purveyor of jazz and blues at www.SoundsofBlue.com

Bob Putignano a senior contributing editor at BluesWax. He is also the heart of Sounds of Blues at www.SoundsofBlue.com. Bob maybe contacted at: bob8003@yahoo.com

Bob Putignano: www.SoundsofBlue.com