CD Reviews

Soul Shot

Curtis Salgado

Alligator Records

I don’t know how he does it, but Curtis Salgado has done what I thought would be impossible. He has created a new album that just very well may have outshined his last release, the Blues Music Award nominated Clean Getaway. The Alligator debut of the soulful blues singer, Soul Shot, is without doubt a masterpiece. There is no lull to be found anywhere on the disc. It all flows so smoothly, much like Curtis’ voice, and touches so many bases that encompass a history of blues and soul music.

Curtis pays heed to his forebears who without question played a huge impact on his own musical approach. Song selections include material from people like Otis Redding, Bobby Womack, Johnny “Guitar” Watson and even George Clinton, all presented with such power that Curtis does not just do the originals justice, but turns them inside out so that they’re his very own from here on out. It takes a mighty voice and artistic strength to complete such a feat, but Curtis has done so brilliantly here. And the extraordinary takes on the cover numbers do not deter from the four original songs Curtis also wrote for Soul Shot. There is a steady blend between the old and the new that meshes to perfection. No matter what approach he takes on any number, it always comes out drenched with soulful goodness, be it the bounciness behind Bobby Womack’s “What You Gonna Do?” or the harmonica solo he inserts into Parliament’s “Getting To Know You.” And speaking of harmonica, there is a lot to be enjoyed from “She Didn’t Cut Me Loose” and the funky “He Played His Harmonica,” both originals by Curtis that use simple harp lines that speak enormously.

Soul Shot was co-produced by Curtis along with guitarist Marlon McClain and drummer Tony Braunagel (who also was the master behind the production of the Clean Getaway album). The core outfit throughout the recording is supplied by Braunagel, guitarist Johnny Lee Schell, bass player Larry Fulcher and organ legend Mike Finnegan, all members of The Phantom Blues Band, with Jim Pugh handling piano.