|
There is something special about Can You Feel It? - the Campbell Brothers’ new release on Ropeadope Records. It is not often when a CD can captivate you both musically and emotionally, but Can You Feel It? does just that. It reels you in with the amazing musicianship of Chuck on pedal steel, Darick on lap steel, and Philip on guitar but keeps your attention with its powerful message of spirituality, joy, and happiness. I’m not an overly religious man, but listening to this disc, even I couldn’t help but feel the spirit deep within me and the need to jump out of my seat and praise the Lord…or something like that. Yes indeed, I can feel it.
Plainly stated, the playing on this album is stunning. While the drums and bass certainly provide a competent, steady backbeat throughout, clearly the stars of the show here are the brothers Campbell. They all seem to be masters of their respective instruments. Beginning with track number one - “Framming,” the Campbells get right down to it with Chuck and Darick leading the way solo after solo. It must be hard to compete with those two, but Philip does just that as he takes his share of the spotlight with some impressive, jazzy playing of his own. On “Good All the Time,” an upbeat, funky instrumental, there is some amazing interplay between Chuck and Darick as well as some beautiful harmonization between the two. Their twin solos soar and complement each other perfectly. These guys have probably been playing together since they were kids, and it shows. It was destiny for this family to play music together.
Darick provides some emotional playing on the Sam Cooke cover, “A Change is Gonna Come,” using his lap steel to emulate Cooke’s poignant vocals, taking the tune into a realm never before tackled. Much of this album is dedicated to breaking new ground, such as their version of “Amazing Grace.” It has been re-worked and re-configured almost to the point of becoming a new song, with jazzy chords and licks from Philip and with Darick once again emulating the human voice with his lap steel. In fact, the lyrics don’t come until almost the end of the song, and those too have been re-worked with a successful result. “Native Praise” is another blazing instrumental with fast and furious twin solos from Chuck and Darick, at times almost reminiscent of vintage Allman Brothers.
With tunes like “The Sign of the Judgment,” “Power Lord,” “Rallytime,” and “Devil Ride,” the religious overtone of the album is obvious. What is impressive is that the Campbells have managed to make a religious album without religion becoming the main focus. Yes, religion is consistently there, but first and foremost is the music, to which everything else takes a backseat. The Campbells can play the blues, they can play jazz, there’s definitely some gospel in there, there’s even some country music, and all three can certainly shred. But their music cannot be defined by genre alone. The Campbells simply play quality music. Every tune is different, every tune has its own unique sound and voice. I’ve never heard music played with such emotion before. It seeps out of the pores of every song, and that’s what makes Can You Feel It? a remarkable musical journey.
Sam Katz
JamBase | Newton
Go See Live Music
|
