Gracie Curran has a silky smooth voice with a thick timbre that reminds of women singers from a bygone era of great music. She sounds as vintage as the 1950s style microphone she sang into all evening. She is backed by her High Falutin‘ band, guitar, bass, and drums, and these boys help her to do everything she sets out to do. Last night’s show at Dante’s Firefly’s in Quincy, Massachusetts gave her a chance to strut her stuff
Curran and her boys know how to have fun, and they know how to bring the audience into the party. She made “Shake Your Money Maker” a lot of fun. Lead guitarist Tommy Carroll has a nice feel for this kind of driving R&B song. He’s edgy and precise, but more importantly, he brings feeling into it. Curran impressed shortly into her first set, putting her vintage style voice to good use on Etta James‘ “You Got Me Running, Hiding.”
On “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” Curran let her smooth vocal, like any melody instrument, glide over the bass line. Carroll was another winner here. He nailed the bluesy emotive feel, mirroring what Curran accomplished vocally. It was on “Me And Bobby MaGee” that Curran used her sense of dynamics to build this song into something special. Her voice, so soft and sweet in the beginning, got more aggressive and poignant, but at the pace she wanted it to.
The house sound man at Firefly’s, possibly because he deals with so many different bands, had a hard time getting it right. At some points, the low end of the band needed to be a bit lower in volume and the higher notes needed to be a bit higher. At other times, the guitar and bass were in perfect sync, a lovely melody would dovetail with a quaint full-bodies bass line. This band is a four-piece that can keep their sound thick and zesty. Carol’s guitar got really down and dirty on “All Your Love.”
“Kansas City” was Carroll’s best showing all night. This number wouldn’t have worked if he didn’t jump on it at the start and let it rip with the lean and mean melody. The rhythm section gave this just the right lift, another spot on job from the boys who were doing the heavy lifting last night, and doing it with aplomb, control, and energy.
There were only two disappointments. Curran and her band played the John Prine tune “Angel From Montgomery,” a song that has been covered to death by bar bands everywhere. Musicians have some affinity for it. The poor listener who goes to 100 shows a year can probably get by without it. The song never seemed that exciting or interesting to me. Bands, please, stop playing this song. The other disappointment last night was a guest spot from blues singer Elle Gallo. Gallo took over the vocal duties for one tune. Her voice has the aggressive belt and assertive rasp of a really good singer, and she has plenty of experience using it. But her performance was unremarkable in that she didn’t seem to know where to focus her energies in a given the direction, and the song got lost, like a small ship tossed around in a hurricane.
Curran and her boys tackled “Got My Mojo Working” by getting their mojo working The song was as tasteful as the aroma from the barbequed food Firefly’s was serving up. Drummer Joe Bellomo delivered up an appropriate solo based on the train shuffle beat that makes blues songs blues songs.
“100 Days 100 Nights” had more of that edgy R&B that Curran channels so well from another time. She often conjures the spirit of old time singers from a bygone era, and boy can she hold a note. She also knows when to step aside and let her crack band take the spotlight. The Johnny Cash classic “Folsom Prison Blues” clearly succeeded because of the sharp guitar line and the thumping rhythmic notes.
Classic rock was another staple of last night’s show. “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix came to life as the rhythm section moved gracefully around the beat. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd featured a great melodic guitar phrase, and Curran captured the contented vocal melody. “Born On The Bayou” had great guitar and driving, assertive rhythms, just the way it should be. Bass player Jeff Murfitt held his own all night even though the six-foot four low end man injured his pinky finger earlier in the day.
“Teeny Weeny Bit” found Carol pressing lovely notes out of his six-string, and “I Just Want To Make Love To You” gave the rhythm section a chance to show how well they can lock into a groove to create that suggestive, heaving rhythm.
Gracie Curran and High Falutin’ are off to a solid start. The turn out wasn’t great, but Curran is only 25, and she will make better marketing efforts in the years to come. Meanwhile, the few who are familiar will never be disappointed.
www.myspace.com/graciebmusic
