Review Summary: Stanton Moore puts together one funky CD, but remembers his heart before it's too late.
Stanton Moore is the best drummer I know. That may be because I don’t listen to enough bands with good drummers or whatever, I don’t care. Stanton Moore’s groovy, he’s funky, he’s amazing, and he’s white. The funkiest drummer I know is white, I find that kind of weird, but whatever. I was introduced to Stanton Moore by this album, by that first track “Poison Pushy,” one of the funkiest, heaviest (more on that later) songs I had ever heard. And from listening to that track, I bought the CD. I listened to it a few times, and set it down. It wasn’t until I listened to Stanton Moore’s work with Garage a Trois and Galactic that I realized what a good drummer he was. And I took a look back at this CD to find out why I hadn’t been so amazed that first time round.
For a solo album, Stanton Moore keeps a pretty good balance with his supporting players. Never is there any question that this is his album, the drumming is too good for it to be otherwise. The amazing drum solos to finish out “Big ‘Uns Get the Ball Rolling” and “Maple Plank” were alone worth the ten bucks I paid for the CD. But Moore does well to jam with the other two in the band, keyboardist Robert Walter and guitarist Will Bernard. Well, at least Robert Walter does a good job of making his presence known on the CD. His keyboard playing is heavy. Robert can confirm that there’s no other way to describe his playing, one of his own solo albums is called Super Heavy Organ and it has a picture of an organ smothering him. The bass, supplied by Walter, is thick, and I was damn sure there was a bass player in the band. He plays with Moore pretty well and they create some great jamming music, “Poison Pushy” is a perfect example of that.
However, the heavy keyboards and Stanton’s drumming dominate most of the album. Most of the tracks are the two of them jamming, feeling each other out. Will Bernard fits into the mix, but he does little more than follow Robert Walter when he’s not doing a timid solo. He does a pretty cool intro for “Dunkin’ in the Deep” before he himself dunks into the deep and lets his two bandmates take over. While this CD made me want to look for more Stanton Moore and more Robert Walter, both of them play fantastically throughout, I was not very impressed by the guitarwork.
Stanton gets some help from his friends, saxophonist Skerik and trombonist Mark Mullins, on a few tracks. Skerik has a pretty cool solo himself on “Dunkin’ in the Deep.” The trio does a very good backing Skerik up, and while hearing this solo, I felt that this is how the whole album should have been. The jamming that goes on between Moore, Walter, and Bernard is cool, but they seem so in love with jamming that the song itself gets lost in the groove. This is awesome for “Poison Pushy” or really any song when heard on its own. But listening to more than two tracks in a row gives me a slight headache, they need someone to lead the song. But Skerik’s got his own thing.
By “Maple Plank” though, things change. Bernard’s doing his own thing, very refreshing. It’s still a huge jam session, but Stanton takes complete control and I love it. He has several extended fills in between the main theme, then some solos from the other two. And then it’s the two minute drum solo I had been waiting for. I remember when I was impressed that John Bonham could do a thirty minute solo. Then I heard it. I can’t stand “Moby Dick,” even the four minute recorded version gets on my nerves. When Stanton Moore solos, he keeps rhythm and funk in the forefront. Walter and Bernard throw in a chord every so often to keep Stanton focused on the music, but he just takes off. If drum solos in general aren’t your thing, that’s fine. The CD still works more or less. But I love this solo.
The last three songs are a very welcome change of pace, even from the awesome “Maple Plank,” three slow, bluesy songs about Stanton Moore’s home, New Orleans. Skerik puts in a nice solo for “Water from an Ancient Well.” The trio does a decent cover of “When the Levee Breaks,” but Walter’s keyboard is a sorry replacement for Robert Plant. For the last track, “I Shall Not Be Moved,” Stanton lets Bernard take control for his most emotional performance on the CD, his subdued, sorrowful playing is a perfect way to end the CD.
I like each song individually, they’re all funky and fun. But put together, it’s just too much. The highlights gravitate around Moore’s drumming and Skerik. But this is still a good CD. The three song tribute to New Orleans at the end was a necessary change of pace and ultimately, they saved the CD from being a pure jam session.
Recommended Tracks: Poison Pushy, Maple Plank, I Shall Not Be Moved
