FTV: Jim & Steve’s New Music
Our good friend Gary Tanin at Daystorm Music in Milwaukee recently sent along Jim Eannelli’s first solo album Just Deserts which was released in both digital and physical formats on September 27, 2024. Yours truly was visiting Eugene, Oregon in late August to catch John Fogerty’s 56th Anniversary Celebration concert when the Just Deserts file arrived via email. Unfortunately, I was in the process of testing positive for my first go around with COVID. I was a little dismayed that I managed to contract this accursed virus having traveled masked through four airports on the 17 hour trip to Eugene. Of course I managed to share it with my hosts Elizabeth and Todd at the WOAS West Coast Bureau. Luckily the strain we contracted had mild symptoms and the rest of my west coast adventure was uneventful (minus the 17 hour return trip (masked) via Denver and Chicago on the hottest, most humid day of the late summer).
Isolating at the WCB meant I had ample time to re-acquaint myself with Eannelli. I first encountered his work on four albums Daystorm Music sent to us by Peggy James where Jim served as producer and guitarist. With the release of his new album pending, I dug back into his musical biography to find out more about this outstanding guitarist. To say he has had a long and varied career would be an understatement. His first gig was as the bass player in a rhythm and blues band called The Soul Sensations back in 1966. Between then and his most recent work with Peggy James, he had been the bass player or guitarist in numerous bands playing everything from punk (The Blackholes) to rock (Blackjack) to new wave (The Shivvers), to techno pop (Colour Radio).
If those don’t provide Jim enough street cred to hang his guitar on, we should also mention his stints with drumming great Kenny Baldwin (Locate Your Lips), bass guitar duties with disco band Montreal, rocking blues band The Shuffleaires, lead guitar duties with The Peggy James Band, performing as the frontman in the power trio The Milktrain, and guitar with the rocking bluegrass band Salt Creek. Did we mention his session work with Victor DeLorenzo (former drummer with the Violent Femmes), Sam Llanas (former BoDean), Martin Jack Rosenblum, his longtime musical collaborator Lil Rev, and (as previously mentioned) Peggy James?
Jim Eannelli didn’t just fall off the turnip truck and his vast array of influences certainly show up in the songs on Just Deserts. Eannelli worked with Lil’ Rev on the latter’s 20th album (Unheard: Songs from the Street). Lil’ Rev credits the ‘sonic dimension’ Jim added to his new record where Eannelli played guitar, drums, bass and keyboards. Lil’ Rev says, “We recorded previous albums live with very little overdubbing. By contrast, Eannelli’s production for Unheard is multi tracked without losing the music’s organic sensibility.” In his impressive career, Eannelli has also shared bills with Leslie West, Rick Derringer, Nils Lofgren, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Iggy Pop, The Romantics, Cheap Trick, and The Guess Who to name just a few.
Just Deserts kicks off with the track 29 Women. It is a catchy tune with a nice driving rhythm. It is followed by Where I’ve Been, a song that features great acoustic guitar with slide (or pedal steel) work throughout. Having been around a lot of artists and different genres of music, Eannelli has a chameleon quality that makes him sound like his influences without losing his own voice. Where I’ve Been reminded me a bit of Chris Isaak’s best work.
The relaxed, slow shuffle of New for You is carried by a nice bass line. The vocals are a perfect match to the feel of this tune. Train from Chicago features another catchy opening riff augmented with fluid guitar lines laid out over a nice reverb bed. The build up for the next track, Waitin’ takes you into a full acoustic sound backing emotional, but not maudlin, vocals. One feels this song as much as one hears it. Christine is another song leaning toward wistful with a lot of emotion in the lyrics and delivery. I really liked the change of pace that takes place around the 3:50 mark and continues to the end of the song. It is a very cool effect.
Young Girl is where I got a hint of Roy Orbison. The middle tracks of Just Deserts sound like Jim was writing an extended love letter. Just when I wondered where he would go next, the bouncy Hill Country blues flavor (ala Cedric Burnside and the North Mississippi Allstars) kicked in with I Want to Be Your Man. A slight change in direction put a jangly guitar arrangement in my head reminiscent of Tom Petty (both his solo work and his reformed Mudcrutch era) on the track Down My Road. Old 97 came on with the kind of infectious beat that I love. I couldn’t help but desk drumming along with the track’s uptempo gait.
Simple Man is a track that I liked even without drums (yes, drummers always want to hear songs with drums or else they add their own as noted with Old 97). Here the organ arrangement and skilled playing (which is great all across the album) holds up the guitar and vocals without the need for a drum track. Just Deserts winds up with Should I Try. It is a great closer and the guitar and voice structure screamed ‘Roger McGuinn’ to me right off the bat.
The ‘Steve’ in this FTV title comes from a bit further south than Milwaukee. Steve Cropper has just released a new solo record and I had read the release announcement during my recovery from my brush with COVID. I must have mentioned it to my wife and bless her soul, she ordered one for my birthday (which just happened to coincide with the release of Just Deserts). Ironically, WOAS had recently received a couple of large boxes of CDs from a lower Michigan resident named John Wilson. He had heard about WOAS losing our frequency last year and had contacted me early in 2024 to see if he could donate some of his record collection as he was in the process of downsizing. Wilson even offered to deliver them in person but circumstances prevented him from journeying north this summer. When he emailed to apologize for not getting them to us sooner, he asked if it would be alright to ship them north. Interestingly enough, one of the first CDs I pulled out of the second shipment was Steve Cropper’s solo album of covers (2011 – Dedicated) featuring a host of guest vocalists. I have already sent Jon a ‘thank you WOAS hat’ and when I found out he has a third shipment on the way, a ‘thank you t-shirt’ soon followed. I kidded Jon we may even have to name a show after him to play all the cool stuff he has sent us.
First, I better clarify that Cropper’s new album is, technically, not a solo album. It is actually the sophomore release by Steve Cropper & Midnight Hour on the Mascot Label Group / Provogue imprint (August 23, 2024). This outing, called Friendlytown, is special because it includes Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Brian May (Queen), and Tim Montana. Though not as well known as May and Gibbons, Montana is a talented country-rock-singer-songwriter and guitarist who has collaborated on some high profile projects with artists like Gibbons and Kid Rock. As Cropper states, “If your booty is not shaking in the first two bars of this album, you’re already dead in a chair (laughs). I feel so good about this batch of songs. They’re packed with radio hooks, and we have Billy Gibbons, Brian May, and Tim Montana playing on the album – it’s like guitar heaven.”
At 83 years old (he was born on a farm in Willow Springs, Missouri on October 21, 1941), Cropper’s family moved to Memphis when he was nine years old. The black church music he heard there made a big impression on young Steve. He acquired his first guitar when he was fourteen. His earliest influences were guitarists like Lowman Pauling (of the Five Royales), Tal Farlow, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Chet Atkins, and Billy Butler (from the Bill Doggett band).
Along with guitarist Charlie Freeman, Cropper formed the Royal Spades. They would later change their name to the Mar-Keys in reference to the marquee outside of Satellite Records. They began doing session work and had their own hit single (Last Night) in 1961. Satellite Records would later become Stax Records and the label’s president, Jim Stewart, was impressed by the professionalism and maturity the young Cropper displayed.
Cropper became the Stax A&R (Artists & Repertory) man in 1964 when Chips Moman left Stax to form American Sound Studio, reportedly after a monetary dispute with label president Stewart. Steve served as the house guitarist at Stax; he would play on many legendary sessions with artists like Otis Redding ((Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay) and Sam and Dave (Soul Man). His name became more widely known as a founding member of the Stax house band, Booker T. & the M.G.s that featured Booker on Hammond organ, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn on bass and drummer Al Jackson Jr. Even The Beatles were big fans and they had planned to record with Cropper in Memphis until their manager, Brian Epstein, canceled the sessions due to security problems. Booker T. said the M.G.s, “were writing sounds, too, especially Steve, He’s very sound-conscious and he gets a lot of sounds out of a Telecaster without changing any settings – just by using his fingers, his picks, and his amps.”
Cropper’s songwriting credits are sometimes overlooked. Besides co-writing Dock of the Bay, he also got composer’s credit on other hits like Eddie Floyd’s Knock On Wood and Wilson Pickett’s Midnight Hour. He released his first solo album (With a Little Help From My Friends) in 1969. He left Stax in 1970 and set up his own TMI studio with Jerry Williams and Ronnie Stoots (whom he worked with in the Mar-Keys). It is no wonder he and Duck Dunn were go-to hires when John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd expanded their Saturday Night Live Blues Brother’s sketch into a live concert / movie franchise. Working for himself allowed Cropper to work with artists as varied as Tower of Power, Rod Stewart, John Prine, Jose Feliciano, The Jeff Beck Group, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon. By 1975, Steve had relocated to Los Angeles and was working on a revival of Booker T. & the M.G.s only to see it unravel when drummer Jackson was murdered in his Memphis home.
Throughout the last four decades, Cropper has gathered no more moss than a Rolling Stone. His list of credits would take too many pages to cover here but is easily available on many platforms. As for his Friendlytown album, we can only say that the octogenarian is still performing like a well tuned piano. Even before I had a chance to listen to the album, Grant Britt’s review in the Fall 2024 Blues Blast Magazine caught my eye. Grant said, “As good as it sounded in the studio, if he can somehow manager to get these guys on the road, between Queen, Top, and MGs worshipers as well as the new converts this stuff’ll bring in, he’ll get so many fans it’ll take a stadium to hold ‘em.” While the album features some interesting cameos (Felix Cavaliere (The Young Rascals) on organ and Simon Kirke (Bad Company) on drums), Gibbons appears on ten of the 13 tracks and Roger C. Reale provides all the vocals. With CD on hand and (finally) time to do a proper listen, here is a quick breakdown of the Friendly Town tracks.
The title track of Friendlytown has an easy groove and Cropper is right – there is no way to not tap your toes. It is also impossible to not hear Gibbons signature tone in the rhythm guitar parts with Cropper taking the vocal answering riffs. Too Much Stress (with Brian May doing the second verse and outro and lead guitar solo) offers up a nice shuffle beat that certainly doesn’t sound stressful. Could that be Gibbons slide guitar work? If the beat in Hurry Up Sundown doesn’t conjure up Bo Diddley’s famous beat, then you have never heard Diddley play. Cavaliere adds his deft organ playing to this track which he co-wrote with Cropper.
Let’s Get Started displays Coppers solid rhythm guitar skills with Billy F. adding the moving riffs. Talkin’ bout Politics has a serious tone with Steve and Billy F. trading guitar parts throughout. This could be a new millennium’s Politician that I dare say the late Cream vocalist/bass player Jack Bruce would have loved to sing. I’ll Take Tomorrow features Eddie Gore’s keyboard work with Cropper taking all the guitar parts. A slow blues burner with unhurried, tasty guitar filling in all the right places between the vocals. The Billy F. rhythm train drives Lay It On Down with Steve taking the solos and fills. We should note Cropper’s co-producer on the album, Jon Tiven, also adds fine bass work to all the tracks.
You Can’t Refuse (with Tim Montana) rumbles out of the gate with Kirke on drums and Montana providing lead guitar duties on one of the two Gibbons-less tracks. A dreamy sounding track, Rain On My Parade gives Billy F. the lead guitar slot with Steve holding down the rhythm. None of Friendlytown’s tracks extend much beyond three to four minutes proving a guitar player doesn’t have to blow notes past you for ten minutes to show you how much skill they have. Both Billy F. and Steve epitomize the ‘you can say more with less notes and more feel’ school of guitar.
There’s Always a Catch reminds us that Cropper has played on more than a few funky, soul tinged records. Funky rhythm guitar on this track is held down by Steve with Billy F. taking the solo. Steve riffs and Billy F. provides rhythm on In God We Trust. Drummer Nioshi Jackson is solid throughout the album and subscribes to the drummer’s version of ‘less speed, more feel’ school of playing. Reality Check features Cropper’s lead rhythm guitar with Gibbons taking the solo. I am not sure how I missed Reale’s previous work with Rue Morgue but he is a talented vocalist whom I am going to have to look into. I Leave You In Peace is not only the closing track’s title but also the vibe Cropper’s smooth guitar lines leaves you with.
All in both are well constructed albums and I am sure the more I listen, the more pleasant surprises I will find. Congrats to Jim on an ‘A+’ effort. Thank you. Gary, for sending along Just Deserts. Thanks also to Steve Cropper, Billy F. Gibbons and the rest of the Midnight Hour crew for providing a soulful guitar driven album that doesn’t make me want to skip to the next track half way (or less) through the songs.
Top Piece Video – Steve Cropper performs with Conan’s band in 2011 – a track from Dedicated.