KAL DAVID
''CROSSROADS OF MY LIFE''
OCTOBER 30 2010
50:39
1. Say Yeah/4:40
2. The Visit/5:47
3. Free/6:10
4. Heart of Stone/4:30
5. Nothing New/4:57
6. Free Ride/4:52
7. I Idolize You/5:15
8. Heartache/6:16
9. Live It Out to the End/4:35
10. Crossroads of My Life/3:37
REVIEW
By Ms. Marci (The Boston Blues Society)
June 2011
I could say that I love this CD...which I do. I could tell you that after hearing it, I made a copy to carry in my car...which I did. I could tell you that it is STILL in my car's CD player...which it is. But "Crossroads of My Life" is all that and more! There are ten tracks on this disc, six of which were written by Kal David alone and two of those were collaborations with his wife/musical partner, Lauri Bono, who wrote one cut. Their songwriting skills are evident throughout the entire CD. It is produced and arranged by David and Bono, who also contributed the cover and booklet concept. Tons of talent!
This is no garage band variety blues CD. It has polish and style. This recording starts out on a moderate tempo, positive note (pardon the pun) with "Say Yeah." As we continue, the mood drops into a plaintive blues ballad and Kal really grips your ears in "The Visit." On the next cut, "Free" it gets funky with a syncopated rhythm and unexpected stops and a mini bass/drums solo. Kal gets into this loft voice that adds spice and Lauri's supporting vocals round it out. The vocals are superb. By themselves, Kal and Lauri have warm rich tone, strength and great range but when paired together, as in "Heartache," their voices soar! The tune that Lauri Bono wrote solo, "Heart of Stone," features Kal singing another bluesy ballad.
When I read the song titles, I was pleased to see the cover tune written, "I Idolize You" being sung by Lauri. I know that they wanted to make the song their own by doing it a bit slower than the original. I must say that when I first heard it I thought it was a just too slow. I still think it could have been done a little faster, but, that doesn't mean that I don't love it in spite of that. She does a terrific job of putting herself into it. She doesn't try to be Tina Turner. She is clearly Lauri Bono and that's just fine with my ears!
The final cut, "Crossroads of My Life," takes you to church with a strong gospel groove. I was raised Baptist, so, I wanted to shout, "Amen!" For those of you who don't know the translation of amen, it means "so be it" which I though was fitting.
I would advise buying this disc, but a word of warning. If you put this "Crossroads of My Life" in your CD player, it may take up permanent residence!
BIOGRAPHY
By Wikipedia
Kal David (born 1943) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, whose 50-year musical career in Illinois, New York and California extended through various phases, including a highly-regarded stint with Columbia Records in early 1970s.
Early years (1960s and 1970s)[edit]Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, David Raskin began using the performing name "Kal David" in his late teens as the frontman of his neighborhood band, Kal David and the Exceptions, formed in 1962. Its other members were Peter Cetera (bass, vocals), Denny Ebert (drums, vocals), and Marty Grebb (saxophone, keyboards, guitar, vocals). Cetera later joined The Big Thing, which became Chicago, and Grebb joined The Buckinghams. Around this time Kal David and the Exceptions were regular performers at the Interlude Club on Pulaski in Chicago.
Kal David left the group to sign a recording contract with King Records and, later, with Vee-Jay Records. In 1965, during his stint at Vee-Jay, he formed a new duo, The Rovin' Kind, with guitarist Paul Cotton, and the two transferred to Dunwich Records. Following a name change to Illinois Speed Press and a move to Los Angeles in 1968, the duo recorded two albums for Columbia, the self-titled Illinois Speed Press and Duet.
In late 1970, as Cotton joined the band Poco as its lead guitarist, David decided to leave the West Coast for the East and moved to Woodstock, the small-town/rural New York area, in the vicinity of previous year's iconic Festival. His new group, The Fabulous Rhinestones featuring ex-Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks and ex-Buckinghams' keyboard player Marty Grebb, recorded three albums: Fabulous Rhinestones, Freewheelin' (on Paramount Records) and Rhinestones (on 20th Century Records). Friends advised him to visit a club in Woodstock and it was there that he met his future wife, vocalist Lauri Bono, who subsequently accompanied him back to Los Angeles for the next phase of their career, doing sidework for Etta James and Johnny Rivers.
Later phase (1980s through 2000s)[edit]In the early 1980s, David played lead guitar for John Mayall on an album which would be released a decade later. Two albums for SoulCoast Records, Never a Dull Moment and Double Tuff each met with critical acclaim and worldwide record sales coupled with numerous television appearances, including a one-hour special featuring David in Germany.
At Hollywood's China Club, the Kal David Band headed up the weekly Pro-Jam which drew celebrity performers such as Stevie Wonder, Bobby Brown, John Entwistle, Larry Carlton, Brian Wilson, Stephen Stills, Joe Walsh and Paul Young, as well as blues musicians Sam Taylor and Floyd Dixon.
The early 1990s saw David and Bono move to Palm Springs, California and form yet another band, Kal David and the Real Deal. This group featured both David and Bono on vocals, along with former Chaka Khan musical director Tony Patler on Hammond B-3 organ and drummer Alan Diaz, formerly with Sérgio Mendes. David tried local radio, hosting the late night "Blue Monday" blues show on Palm Springs soft rock station KEZN.
On July 14, 1998, the couple opened the Blue Guitar blues club above the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, which lasted six years, closing in 2004.
David and Bono continued to tour and frequently played at B.B. King's Blues Club in Los Angeles and the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Connecticut.
David is the voice of Sonny Eclipse, a singing alien audio-animatronic, who resides at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. He did another performance for Disney World at Epcot, where he performed the "Unhealthy Living Blues" for the Goofy About Health exhibit at the Wonders of Life pavilion.
On September 4, 2011, David appeared on the WDW Radio to discuss about his role as Sonny Eclipse in Walt Disney World Resort.
''CROSSROADS OF MY LIFE''
OCTOBER 30 2010
50:39
1. Say Yeah/4:40
2. The Visit/5:47
3. Free/6:10
4. Heart of Stone/4:30
5. Nothing New/4:57
6. Free Ride/4:52
7. I Idolize You/5:15
8. Heartache/6:16
9. Live It Out to the End/4:35
10. Crossroads of My Life/3:37
REVIEW
By Ms. Marci (The Boston Blues Society)
June 2011
I could say that I love this CD...which I do. I could tell you that after hearing it, I made a copy to carry in my car...which I did. I could tell you that it is STILL in my car's CD player...which it is. But "Crossroads of My Life" is all that and more! There are ten tracks on this disc, six of which were written by Kal David alone and two of those were collaborations with his wife/musical partner, Lauri Bono, who wrote one cut. Their songwriting skills are evident throughout the entire CD. It is produced and arranged by David and Bono, who also contributed the cover and booklet concept. Tons of talent!
This is no garage band variety blues CD. It has polish and style. This recording starts out on a moderate tempo, positive note (pardon the pun) with "Say Yeah." As we continue, the mood drops into a plaintive blues ballad and Kal really grips your ears in "The Visit." On the next cut, "Free" it gets funky with a syncopated rhythm and unexpected stops and a mini bass/drums solo. Kal gets into this loft voice that adds spice and Lauri's supporting vocals round it out. The vocals are superb. By themselves, Kal and Lauri have warm rich tone, strength and great range but when paired together, as in "Heartache," their voices soar! The tune that Lauri Bono wrote solo, "Heart of Stone," features Kal singing another bluesy ballad.
When I read the song titles, I was pleased to see the cover tune written, "I Idolize You" being sung by Lauri. I know that they wanted to make the song their own by doing it a bit slower than the original. I must say that when I first heard it I thought it was a just too slow. I still think it could have been done a little faster, but, that doesn't mean that I don't love it in spite of that. She does a terrific job of putting herself into it. She doesn't try to be Tina Turner. She is clearly Lauri Bono and that's just fine with my ears!
The final cut, "Crossroads of My Life," takes you to church with a strong gospel groove. I was raised Baptist, so, I wanted to shout, "Amen!" For those of you who don't know the translation of amen, it means "so be it" which I though was fitting.
I would advise buying this disc, but a word of warning. If you put this "Crossroads of My Life" in your CD player, it may take up permanent residence!
BIOGRAPHY
By Wikipedia
Kal David (born 1943) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, whose 50-year musical career in Illinois, New York and California extended through various phases, including a highly-regarded stint with Columbia Records in early 1970s.
Early years (1960s and 1970s)[edit]Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, David Raskin began using the performing name "Kal David" in his late teens as the frontman of his neighborhood band, Kal David and the Exceptions, formed in 1962. Its other members were Peter Cetera (bass, vocals), Denny Ebert (drums, vocals), and Marty Grebb (saxophone, keyboards, guitar, vocals). Cetera later joined The Big Thing, which became Chicago, and Grebb joined The Buckinghams. Around this time Kal David and the Exceptions were regular performers at the Interlude Club on Pulaski in Chicago.
Kal David left the group to sign a recording contract with King Records and, later, with Vee-Jay Records. In 1965, during his stint at Vee-Jay, he formed a new duo, The Rovin' Kind, with guitarist Paul Cotton, and the two transferred to Dunwich Records. Following a name change to Illinois Speed Press and a move to Los Angeles in 1968, the duo recorded two albums for Columbia, the self-titled Illinois Speed Press and Duet.
In late 1970, as Cotton joined the band Poco as its lead guitarist, David decided to leave the West Coast for the East and moved to Woodstock, the small-town/rural New York area, in the vicinity of previous year's iconic Festival. His new group, The Fabulous Rhinestones featuring ex-Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks and ex-Buckinghams' keyboard player Marty Grebb, recorded three albums: Fabulous Rhinestones, Freewheelin' (on Paramount Records) and Rhinestones (on 20th Century Records). Friends advised him to visit a club in Woodstock and it was there that he met his future wife, vocalist Lauri Bono, who subsequently accompanied him back to Los Angeles for the next phase of their career, doing sidework for Etta James and Johnny Rivers.
Later phase (1980s through 2000s)[edit]In the early 1980s, David played lead guitar for John Mayall on an album which would be released a decade later. Two albums for SoulCoast Records, Never a Dull Moment and Double Tuff each met with critical acclaim and worldwide record sales coupled with numerous television appearances, including a one-hour special featuring David in Germany.
At Hollywood's China Club, the Kal David Band headed up the weekly Pro-Jam which drew celebrity performers such as Stevie Wonder, Bobby Brown, John Entwistle, Larry Carlton, Brian Wilson, Stephen Stills, Joe Walsh and Paul Young, as well as blues musicians Sam Taylor and Floyd Dixon.
The early 1990s saw David and Bono move to Palm Springs, California and form yet another band, Kal David and the Real Deal. This group featured both David and Bono on vocals, along with former Chaka Khan musical director Tony Patler on Hammond B-3 organ and drummer Alan Diaz, formerly with Sérgio Mendes. David tried local radio, hosting the late night "Blue Monday" blues show on Palm Springs soft rock station KEZN.
On July 14, 1998, the couple opened the Blue Guitar blues club above the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, which lasted six years, closing in 2004.
David and Bono continued to tour and frequently played at B.B. King's Blues Club in Los Angeles and the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Connecticut.
David is the voice of Sonny Eclipse, a singing alien audio-animatronic, who resides at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. He did another performance for Disney World at Epcot, where he performed the "Unhealthy Living Blues" for the Goofy About Health exhibit at the Wonders of Life pavilion.
On September 4, 2011, David appeared on the WDW Radio to discuss about his role as Sonny Eclipse in Walt Disney World Resort.
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