Johnny Hoy And The Bluefish bat it out of the ballpark on their latest CD, The Dance. Appropriately named, the music on this masterwork will inspire you to move your feet. The songs will also compel you to listen closely to every little nugget of notes. Seriously. This has to be the best local CD of the year.
Hoy opens his CD with a mighty holler before launching into “Don’t Start Crying Now,” a Jerry Lee Lewis inspired blues rocker with a driving beat and a feisty, snappy harmonica line. Keyboardist Jeremy Berlin puts a nice slice of honky tonk fun into this while Hoy belts in his best barroom band persona.
“Daddy Right” is a golden piece of slick, cool style. Hoy sings in a more character voice and his vocal phrasing is precise and rich. Working with female backing vocalists Joanne Cassidy and Sabrina Leuning was a stroke of inspiration, giving an advanced gospel feeling to the song. Drummer Chris Anzalone keeps this one chugging along with a highly motivational backbeat. Berlin pours the gravy over it all with his smoky, late night organ swirls, and there’s a killer guitar line in there too.
“Dancing Danny O” is another slick, danceable masterwork. The backbeat inspires. The organ grooves. Guitarist Buck Shank dashes off tuneful, grinding chords. Hoy blows a full sounding harmonica phrase that sounds like heaven next to an electric guitar phrase. The vocal harmonies on the chorus are gospel-like, heavenly, making one feel uplifted, floating up into the sky with the band and the singers.
Title track “The Dance” is a mid-tempo, German waltz flavored piece, complete with an authentic old world accordion line. It’s uncanny how Hoy and his men reach deep into this Americana inspired tune and pull out some foreign influences and inspirations. Hoy’s vocal approach is loaded with emotion, ever climbing, reaching for musical and emotive heights as he hits each verse. His song is celebratory, spiritual, and touching all at once. His ever so rich timbre is one that many singers would kill or die for.
A more ominous sounding number, “Rolled And Tumbled,” has a large, thick sound as it moves snappily, sparking down the rails, like a runaway train. Hoy sings out all of the despair in this song story while Shank gives it sparking edge, with Berlin keeping it tense with his dark piano sound. This song could be the soundtrack to a fight atop a train scene, as the tension mounts and mounts, continually drawing the listener into this dynamic number.
“Bring It Back” is a bouncy, rollicking blues number. The rhythm section coolly punctuates the song with timely pounds on the skin and piano. With an infectious groove beneath him, Hoy’s timbre and range is naturally suited to this jiving roll of blues boogie. His harmonica line rides the groove like a rodeo performer riding a stallion.
Taking it down tempo, Hoy pours his voice like honey over “I’ve Got A Secret,” his rendition becoming warmer and richer and more sentimental as he goes along. His lonesome, forlorn harmonica makes one feel his sense of distance and detachment here. Moody organ and tender piano lines, too, keep the listener entranced with this emotive ballad.
Another standard, “She Belongs To Me,” gets a smooth, slick makeover here. Hoy finesses the lyrics respectfully and warmly, letting them flow out with considerately measured amounts of vocal assertions. His harmonica line zig zags with hip confidence while a Berlin piano line travels the groove with thoughtful amounts of tone and vigor. When Shank’s guitar phrase cruises in, forget about it. Forget about turning down your volume or turning off your stereo. Resistance is futile. This arrangement is just loaded, loaded with all of the elements that make Hoy and his Bluefish so cool.
“Everything You Said” moves along a determined path, one in which the band cuts through the bush like a slow but unstoppable force. Bluesy excursions are taken by a smoky organ and an understated guitar phrase. Over that, Hoy lets his dark, rich timbre do most of the heavy talking, giving his song a mood, an emotion, and an enduring regret the listener cannot deny.
“Greasy Rooster” is an edgy instrumental featuring the best elements from this four piece. Hoy blows a swaggering, grooving harmonica line. Keyboardist Berlin smacks out a rocking piano line with honky tonk overtones. Guitarist Swank keeps everything on edge with his fierce tone and drummer Anzalone injects another of his irresistible backbeats.
“What’s The Story This Time” is a slow, tasteful blues original. With shades of oldies rock and roll ballads, this blues exists on a plain where a lonesome harmonica line meets a soulful piano tinkling on a train from Mississippi to Kansas City. A tender dance between these two instruments is the stuffing inside this song and each offers ringing, tuneful tones and notes that the listener can feel. Hoy simultaneously reaches a sensitive place with his whiskey soaked timbre and thoughtful delivery.
Hoy and his Bluefish close out their album with “Cold.” A slow burner infused with feeling from roots percussion patterns and lilting, lonesome harmonica, Hoy’s considerate description of his song’s barren landscape bring his message home. Boy, do those instrument speak of heartache, loss, and redemption.
Hoy and his Bluefish have put together a damn good CD. This album, The Dance, is chockfull of fantastic material, and it should, if all is just and righteous in this world, receive numerous awards for album of the year. In numerous categories.
www.johnnyhoyandthebluefish.com
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