Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Houston-based eight-piece the Keeshea Pratt Band have created something of a storm in the blues world with their independently-released debut album and, from the soulful opener "Make It Good" onwards, it's immediately clear why. Chock full of quality playing as well as the characteristic Etta James-like powerhouse vocals of the eponymous Ms Pratt, all involved take the listener on a journey through multiple blues landscapes to offer up a varied and thrilling set. For instance, the gumbo-flavoured "Shake Off These Blues" - featuring a star turn from the band's fine horn section - drops in on New Orleans whilst "Home To Mississippi" doffs its cap to the country blues of Robert Johnson before the self-explanatory "Have A Good Time Y'all" heads over to Chicago for some great west coast action. It's evident that Pratt and crew are out to have fun and they swing from good time tunes to songs that diss no-good men - most notably in the defiant "Monkey See, Monkey Do" which advocates an eye for an eye approach towards cheating. Occasionally, things run a little deeper with the likes of "Believe" with its suggestion that you don't need to believe in anything else but yourself and the heartfelt "Can't Stop Now" - both of which are delivered with utter conviction by Pratt. The funk expose "Out Of My Mind" acts as a shop window for the sheer musical talent contained within the group with various members each taking a brief solo whilst a bonus live track - "So Bad Blues" - proves that the Keeshea Pratt Band are just as electrifying on stage as they are in the studio.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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