Cyril Neville - Magic Honey (2013)

2014-08-22T16:48:52Z

Cyril Neville - Magic Honey (2013)


01. Magic Honey
02. Swamp Funk
03. Something's Got a Hold on Me
04. Another Man
05. Still Going Down Today
06. You Can Run but You Can't Hide
07. Invisible
08. Blues Is the Truth
09. Running Water
10. Working Man
11. Money and Oil
12. Slow Motion

Cyril Neville - Percussion, Vocals
Norman Caesar - Keyboards
Cranston Clements - Guitar
David Z. - Guitar, Mixing
Dr. John - Organ
Carl Dufrene - Bass
Willie Green - Drums
Gaynielle Neville - Vocals (Background)
Omari Neville - Vocals (Background)
Allen Toussaint 	- Piano
Walter Trout - Guitar
Mike Zito – Guitar

Cyril Neville’s Magic Honey is an album dripping with blues as sweet as the title suggests. Formerly a vocalist for The Neville Brothers, The Meters, and currently for Royal Southern Brotherhood, Cyril Neville croons sweet blues on Magic Honey alongside guitarist Cranston Clements, drummer “Mean” Willie Green, Bassist Carl Dufrene, and keyboardist Norman Caesar. Additionally, Magic Honey features guest appearances by pianist Allen Toussaint, organist Dr. John, guitarist Walter Trout, and Neville’s Royal Southern Brotherhood bandmate and guitarist, Mike Zito.

On the opening track, “Magic Honey,” Neville declares over a traditional blues riff: “My baby is a queen bee—she makes magic honey night and day.” The next track, “Swamp Funk,” is a dirty, bluesy, funky tune with lyrics referencing musical genres ranging from jazz to rock-and-roll, R&B to ragtime. “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” is a heavy guitar-driven track that showcases both the talent of the guitarists and Neville’s powerful vocals. In “Another Man,” Neville brings us blues tinged with a hint of salsa. “Still Going Down Today” is one of the album’s strongest track, with shredding guitar solos and Neville’s classic blues vocals. “You Can Run But You Can’t Hide” is a fast-paced track that gets things moving a little bit quicker, followed in turn by the super-funky “Invisible.” “Blues Is The Truth” is an ode to the genre itself and its versatility, power, and verity. Dufrene gets groovy with the bassline on “Working Man,” while “Money And Oil” is a busy track with an eclectic array of sound and simple, somewhat anti-capitalist lyrics. Slow Motion is a reggae-influenced closing track that wraps up the album in a laid-back and relaxed fashion, with an appropriate fade-away that seemingly sends the track and the album floating off down a slow and steady-moving river.

Cyril Neville’s Magic Honey is a good, honest blues album that attests to the fact that the genre is still alive and doing quite well. Taking a dynamic approach to his music, Cyril Neville creates a unique sound that is soulful, moving, and down-right funky. Accompanied by a group of highly talented musicians, Neville is able to deliver the sweet blues of Magic Honey in a way that only an experienced and highly proficient musician can. --- Eileen Quaranto, bluesrockreview.com

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Cyril Neville - Brand New Blues (2009)

2014-08-04T20:32:01Z

Cyril Neville - Brand New Blues (2009)


1.I Found Joy03:13
2.Brand New Blues (feat. Art Neville)05:11
3.Shake Your Gumbo (feat. Tabe Benoit)04:12
4.I'll Take Care Of You02:59
5.Cream Them Beans (feat. Art Neville)04:05
6.Cheatin and Lyin05:03
7.Mean Boss Blues05:14
8.Blue Blue Water02:42
9.Don't Move My Mountain03:49
10. Slave Drive (feat. Art Neville) 08:43

Cyril Neville - Vocals
Andy Cotton - Bass
Art Neville - Organ, Organ (Hammond)
Ian Neville - Guitar
Ivan Neville - Organ (Hammond)
Waylon Thibodeaux - Washboard

The youngest Neville Brother he may be, but Cyril Neville's accomplishments are as impressive as those of his older siblings. He played with his brother Aaron in various soul and funk outfits before joining the Meters full-time in the early '70s, and was one of the prime movers in getting his brothers together as the Neville Brothers. His discography is just as eclectic as the rest of the family's; he's played percussion and keyboards on records by Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Edie Brickell, Willie Nelson, Los Hombres Calientes, and dozens of others. On Brand New Blues, his fourth solo outing, he teams up with Brooklyn, NY based producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian J., leader of the Pimps of Joytime, a band that is as indebted to the groove as Cyriland his brothers are. With members of his extended family along, Cyril lays down ten tracks that prove his New Orleans soul is intact, even though he's lived in Austin since escaping the devastation of Katrina. In fact, the aftermath of the hurricane creeps into most of the original tunes here. On the title track, Neville lays down some Al Green-style Memphis fonk to implicitly address the "brand new blues" that the hurricane delivered. Brian J.'s nasty guitar complements Neville's growling vocal. "Cheatin' and Lyin'" is a spooky, swampy meditation on the indifference of the powers that be, from the "White House on down" as Neville sings. The song closes with a gospel-infused chant to the freedom the city still searches for. "Mean Boss Blues" features Tab Benoit's gritty guitar, an angry vocal from Neville, and darkly humorous lyrics that portray the aftermath of the storm through the eyes of a man trying his best to make ends meet in a town with no jobs, electricity, or decent housing. Benoit lays down an raw, aggressive solo befitting the situation. But all is not lost. "Shake Your Gumbo" pays tribute to the city's resilience with a percussion-heavy track that simmers like the thick, hearty dish of its title. Neville also tackles a few tasty covers: "I Found Joy," the album opener, is a N'awlins revamp of a Jimmy Reed tune delivered as a jubilant strut. "Blue, Blue Water," another Reed number, is given a stark reading, with just Neville's vocals, Johnny Sansone's harp, and Andy Cotton's bass. Brook Benton's "I'll Take Care of You" has an old-time '50s R&B flavor, with Art Neville on B-3, some shimmering fills from Brian J.'s guitar, and a melisma-drenched vocal from Cyril. The album closes with an extended version of Bob Marley's "Slave Driver" with brother Art on organ. It's cut as a slow blues, not a reggae tune, and explicitly addresses both the historical pains of slavery and the modern-day dilemma of post-Katrina New Orleans. Cyril writes new lyrics that indict the powers that be for their callous disregard of the city's African American population. ---allmusic.com

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