Music Review: Back Alley Players - Beyond The Blues - B.O.N.E. Entertainment 2010 by The Blues Report via FullTimeBlues.com

The New York City based Back Alley Players operate as a core quartet, but feature a much larger ensemble on their 2010 album, Beyond The Blues. Guitarist/mandolin player Johnny Turco, or "Johnny T.," is the driving force of the outfit, writing eight of the disc's nine songs, as well as executive producing the disc. He's joined by the wonderful and unique vocal talents of L. Umar Conry, as well as the rhythm section of drummer "Stix Bones" and bass player Al Brisbane (although there are several bassists rotated in on the record.)

Things kick off with the quasi-rocker "Nuttin' but the Blues," a tune that should probably be a them song for most fans of the genre. There are some terrific sonic layers on this opener, as Conry's breathy vocals snarl over rock guitar, terrific horn fills, and organ from Steve Lee - a featured keys player throughout the album; that's not even mentioning the great job done by Stix and Brisbane!

The horn arrangements are thanks to Melvin Smith, who plays horns on the record along with Reggie Pittman. The pair play on the opening track, the follower, "You Make Me Crazy," and the song, "The Jealous Kind" (more on that in a minute.) You Make Me Crazy starts with a blast from those horns, setting up a deliciously groovy tune. Lee stays on for percussion; Czar Abiog joins for some light percussion; and Tony Tino picks up the bass for this number. In addition to a wonderfully picked guitar solo, Johnny T. also lays down some percussion of his own for "You make Me Crazy," providing Tubano drum - a truly versatile talent.

"Been Lyin" is a Soulful number with a more R&B feel, and features some synth-y keys - labeled in the liner notes as "strings" - and chimes that create an almost dreamlike element. It's actually a pretty cool arrangement on the song. The real star of the song, though, is Melvin Smith's saxophone solo in the tune's middle.

I mentioned "The Jealous Kind" a moment ago, and the tune is the only cover found on the Back Alley Players' release. The track was written by the prolific and wildly talented Roots songwriter Robert Charles Guidry, better known as Bobby Charles: a man who gave us tunes like "See You Later Alligator" (a big pop hit for Bill Haley and the Comets,) "Walking To New Orleans" (Famously performed by Fats Domino,) and "Why Are People Like That?" The Back Alley Players provide a wonderful tip of the hat to Charles with their take on the song, recording an incredibly Soulful number that has a phenomenal build ahead of it's climax.

"I Can't Git You Outta My Head" is the first track done simply as a four-piece, although it features Larry Keasley on bass, as opposed to Brisbane. Keasley does good work, though, providing a bouncy bass line for the band as they cruise along at a subdued pace for the track. Al Brisbane returns on bass for the follower, "Lazy Road Blues," which is the first of three instrumentals on the album, all of which appear in the disc's final four songs. The track is infectiously joyful, featuring Abiog whistling over the bass and some layered percussion from Stix Bones. This one's got a cool, worldly element to it.

The band gets into a really interesting and incredibly cool stretch of tunes as they round out the album. "G-String Blues" follows "Lazy Road," and is arranged around a more acoustic setup, with Johnny T. performing a knockout acoustic guitar and mandolin playing. Lino Gomez features on bass for the number, and also appears on the album playing bass for "The Jealous Kind" and "I Got the Blues." Speaking of which, that track follows, and provides a nice vocal bookend to the opening number. It's a real slice of rural American music, with another acoustic arrangement centered around an absolutely killer mandolin solo.

The title cut closes the session, and also provides the last of the instrumental tri-fecta on this record. It features simply Turco on dobro, picking out a wonderful closer to a wonderfully eclectic and richly talented album. This record certainly caught me off guard, I won't lie. I had no idea of the various and wonderfully arranged sounds I would be exposed to listening to the Back Alley Players. Definitely worth checking out.

Standout Tracks: "The Jealous Kind," "Nuttin' but the Blues," "I Got the Blues," and "You Make Me Crazy"