Those outside who've lost track of the rowdy rock and R&B outfit
Barrence Whitfield & the Savages
can be easily forgiven for not knowing they re-formed in 2010 and cut the greasy, grooving
Savage Kings
for Spain's
Munster Records
. Now that the band has signed to Chicago's scrappy roots music label
Bloodshot
,
Dig Thy Savage Soul
is solid proof that not all musicians mellow with age. If anything, this is the wildest, rawest, most frenetic record in their catalog. Original guitarist
Peter Greenberg
and bassist
Phil Lenker
obviously went back and listened to early
Link Wray
Johnny Burnett & the Rock 'n' Roll Trio
Big Joe Turner
Bo Diddley
Howlin' Wolf
, and vintage punk rock.
Whitfield
's iconic voice is in excellent shape, preferring the more unhinged character in his instrument to fine effect. New
Savages
-- drummer
Andy Jody
and saxophonist
Tom Quartulli
-- add brazen energy and rugged, wily chops. Recorded in one day in October of 2012, these 12 cuts -- a fine balance of extremely well-chosen covers and originals -- cruise somewhere between 85 and 120 mph. Go no further than opener "The Corner Man," an in-the-red rocker, with unruly tenor sax and guest B-3 from
James Cole
with
Greenberg
's blasting guitar on top.
rasps and howls like a man possessed by
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
. "Oscar Levant," with its two-piece horn section (thanks to the addition of guest trumpeter
Hitomi Taguchi
), is careening R&B with killer double-time drums and
alternating between growl, scream, and soulful shouts. Their reading of
Bobby Hebb
's street-smart "Bread," had it appeared on an earlier
album, would have been less incendiary for the sake of "authenticity." The band doesn't stand on ceremony anymore -- and that's a great thing. Here, with the horns blaring and
Beth Harris
' wailing backing vocals,
and the band swagger, lurch, and strut chaotically, but never lose the groove. Their reading of "Hey Little Girl" is more
Frankie Lee Sims
than
Professor Longhair
(but there are hints in guest pianist
Ricky Nye
's rumbling left hand) channeled through punk and late rockabilly; it's one of
's finest performances on the date. The set closes with a completely off-the-rails reading of
Jerry McCain
's "Turn Your Damper Down," with the singer,
Quartulli
, and
all vying for control --
Barrence
's crazy R&B howling wins.
is everything a
fan could hope for and more; it may even reel in followers of
the Dirtbombs
Andre Williams
the Detroit Cobras
. ~ Thom Jurek