| Blues, Funk, Jazz |
If you’re into blues, you probably know the showman and trumpeter Boney Fields, who, along with Malted Milk, is one of the most impressive groups based in France. The first thing you notice when listening to this album is a kind of “jazzification” of the arrangements, not surprising when you consider that Sébastien Danchin was in charge of production, and the musical direction was in the hands of the extraordinary guitarist and composer Herve Samb, equally at ease in high-level jazz, world music, or blues. Whenever he works his magic on a project, you can expect the best.
However, you won’t be short of surprises. You’ll hear it in the lyrics and also in Boney Fields’ voice. This is the most authentic album he has ever produced. His voice now fully reflects life experience, doesn’t cheat, develops its emotion, and seems to be carried and magnified by more clever and sumptuous arrangements than ever before. Personally, I’ve always loved this group, feeling that something was missing that I couldn’t quite define. Perhaps Boney Fields needed to age a bit, but the same can be said for the musicians. Nadège Dumas’ saxophone parts are simply sublime, perfectly suited to the arrangements. Indeed, all the musicians in Boney Fields are at the top of their game.
As you know, on Bayou Blue Radio, we play very little blues because we only seek authenticity. The track “Cross My Heart,” a tribute to harmonica player and singer James Cotton, one of Boney Fields’ heroes and companions on the road, is certainly the most representative of that exhilarating groove mood that authentic blues musicians know how to infuse. Boney Fields has that almost-funk tone within him, mature enough to tickle our ears and make us tap our feet.
So, there’s no escaping the charm of “Give Me Some Mo’,” and once again, congratulations to the entire team for this excellent album, which will be released in October and certainly deserves a great review from our friends at DownBeat. Who knows? If Boney Fields’ team sends them the album… I also sincerely believe that with such a project, the biggest blues or jazz festivals will find a strong, groovy, and genuine opening or closing act.
Is this album a must-have? Absolutely, according to the editors of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, September 10th 2023
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