Cascade Blues Music Reviews

It's Not Easy

Richard Day-Reynolds Band

Music Review Reprint from the
July, 2002 BluesNotes
By Greg Johnson

Still In Search Of A Groove by Jack Cook & The Phantoms Of Soul Self-Released
Total Time 48:49

This is the second self-release from the Richard Day-Reynolds Band and their first studio output. The songs here display a very balanced musical approach from all members of the group and especially highlighted should be the deft and exceptional songwriting of Richard Day-Reynolds himself. These are clever numbers, with lyrics that are often witty and carry the story of the song completely. His original tunes such as the title number, "It's Not Easy", and "Doctor Of Love", have a definite staying power behind them that should make them staples for regular rotation on local radio and may have the right appeal to garner attention elsewhere, too.

Only two songs are covers of other artists, but Richard and the guys have created new approaches to both that allow them to flow nicely beside their own selections. Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With" has a whole different sound altogether that may not even be recognizable until you listen closely enough to the lyrics. And that's an astonishing accomplishment for something that has played over and over on radio for the past 30 years and deserves a nice tip of the hat to the band, because it works very nicely. The second cover is "I Want To Be Your Spy," a Maurice John Vaughn number that has a funky beat, complemented by the occasional quirky organ riff of popular movie and TV shows like "Goldfinger" and "Dragnet."

The band on this recording is slightly different from his current performing group, but they're still putting out strong and exceptional performances. Regular members, keyboardist Frankie Redding and Gary Carpenter on drums have long held a sound within the group that makes them easily identifiable. But the true strength behind the band is Richard himself. He is a valid guitarist and a vocalist who is hard to mistake for anybody else, with a growling voice that may best be compared with the deep throatiness of Howlin' Wolf. But, like Wolf, it's his voice that makes the music and the band unique.

"It's Not Easy" is a commendable second release from a band that is growing in popularity in the Northwest. It should help to build their reputation even more. This is a recording that sounds better with each consecutive listen. Well worth checking out.