RONNIE EARL AND THE BROADCASTERS
''GOOD NEWS''
JUNE 17 2014
64:50
1 /I Met Her on That Train
Ronnie Earl / Lorne Entress / Dave Limina / Jimmy Mouradian 4:44
2 /Change Is Gonna Come
Sam Cooke 6:02
3 /Time to Remember
Neal Creque 6:10
4 /In the Wee Hours
Amos Blakemore / Buddy Guy 10:53
5 /Good News
Ronnie Earl / Dave Limina 3:33
6 /Six String Blessing
Deborah Blanchard / Diane Blue / Ronnie Earl 9:23
7 /Marje's Melody
Ronnie Earl / Lorne Entress / Dave Limina 6:45
8 /Blues for Henry
Ronnie Earl / Hubert Sumlin 7:15
9 /Puddin' Pie
Ronnie Earl / Lorne Entress / Dave Limina 4:07
10 /Runnin' in Peace
Ronnie Earl / Ilana Katz 5:58
Diane Blue /Vocals
Ronnie Earl /Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm)
Lorne Entress /Drums
Dave Limina /Hammond B3, Piano
Jimmy Mouradian /Bass
Nicholas Tabarias /Guitar, Soloist
Zach Zunis /Guitar, Soloist
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
Good News, Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters' sixth album for Stony Plain, follows the widely celebrated Just for Today. That set featured guest contributions from vocalist Diane Blue and Detroit guitarist Nicholas Tabarias. Both return here, along with special guest guitarist Zach Zunis, on loan from Janiva Magness' band. Six of these ten tunes were written or co-written by Earl. The guitarist has a thing for trains lately: Just for Today opened with the burner "The Big Train," while here, the kickoff is a total revisioning of "Mystery Train," entitled "I Met Her on That Train," an instrumental where Zunis, Tabarias, and Earl (in that order) improvise in a cutting contest on the choogling vamp. The first of Blue's four vocal appearances is on Sam Cooke's classic "Change Is Gonna Come." Though it's a standard, it's difficult to pull off convincingly. She does, and Earl's guitar fills tag the ends of her lines with empathy, underscoring the hope and faith in her delivery, reminding listeners that Cooke's melody is rooted in the blues. The bandmembers dig deep into their trick bag and come out with a shimmering reading of Neal Creque's "Time to Remember," with Dave Limina offering stellar performances on acoustic piano and B-3. This is the jazzier side of the Broadcasters, slowly unwinding the melody, finding its Spanish tinge and grooving on its harmonic line. The hinge piece is a nearly 11-minute reading of Buddy Guy's "In the Wee Hours." Blue's vocal is excellent, but given the tune's length it's clearly a dialogue for Earl and Zunis, with Limina piano's beautifully coloring the proceedings with gorgeous fills and accents. It will more than likely make guitar fans roar with approval. The deep, undulating, minor-key "Marje's Melody" hosts lyrical interplay between Tabarias and Earl. "Blues for Henry" and "Puddin' Pie" are pure Chicago workouts that reveal the depth of the dialogue between Earl and Limina, who both deliver scintillating solos, while bassist Jim Mouradian and drummer Lorne Entress are unshakable. "Runnin' in Peace" features Blue delivering a prayerful gospel moan as Earl stings and slashes through the pain intimated in the grain of her voice. Good News is yet another excellent entry in the catalog of a band that, as time goes on, becomes a legend unto itself.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
One of the finest blues guitarists to emerge during the '80s, Ronnie Earl often straddled the line between blues and jazz, throwing in touches of soul and rock as well. His versatility made him one of the few blues guitarists capable of leading an almost entirely instrumental outfit, and his backing band the Broadcasters became one of the more respected working units in contemporary blues over the course of the '90s, following Earl's departure from Roomful of Blues.
Ronnie Earl was born Ronald Horvath in Queens, NY, on March 10, 1953. He didn't start playing guitar until after he entered college at Boston University in the early '70s and became fascinated with the local blues scene. Developing his craft quickly, he landed a job in the house band of the Speakeasy Club in Cambridge, MA, and changed his last name to the bluesier-sounding Earl in tribute to Earl Hooker, one of his favorite influences. Prior to the name switch, he'd made some recordings for the small Baron label under his original moniker beginning in 1977, first backing Guitar Johnny & the Rhythm Rockers, then as a founding member of Sugar Ray & the Bluetones with harmonica player/singer Sugar Ray Norcia. In 1979, Earl was invited to replace Duke Robillard in the prominent Rhode Island band Roomful of Blues, whose swinging jump blues revivalist sound demanded a jazz sensibility as well as ample blues feeling. Earl spent the next eight years with Roomful of Blues and watched their national profile grow steadily larger.
Meanwhile, Earl also made a few recordings on his own for Black Top Records, forming the first versions of the Broadcasters in the early '80s. He released his first solo album, Smokin', in 1983 and followed it with They Call Me Mr. Earl in 1984 (both of those albums were later compiled on the CD Deep Blues). Still, they were a sidelight to his main gig with Roomful of Blues -- that is, until he left the band in 1987 to make a go of it as a solo artist and bandleader in his own right. A new version of the Broadcasters debuted in 1988 on Soul Searchin', which featured vocalist Darrell Nulisch, harmonica player Jerry Portnoy (ex-Muddy Waters), bassist Steve Gomes, and drummer Per Hanson. Peace of Mind followed in 1990, as did I Like It When It Rains, a live album on Antone's that actually dated from 1986. Released in 1991, Surrounded by Love reunited Earl with Sugar Ray Norcia and also proved the last in his long string of Black Top releases.
By the early '90s, Earl had addressed and overcome his problems with alcohol and cocaine and began to rethink his approach. He formed a new version of the Broadcasters, featuring organist Bruce Katz, bassist Rod Carey, and longtime drummer Per Hanson, and boldly elected to go without a vocalist. Earl debuted his new instrumental direction -- which was more informed by jazz than ever before -- on 1993's Still River (released by AudioQuest) and embarked on a tour of Europe. He signed with the Bullseye Blues label and issued a string of acclaimed albums, including 1994's Language of the Soul, 1995's Blues Guitar Virtuoso Live in Europe (a live album from his 1993 tour originally titled Blues and Forgiveness), and 1996's Grateful Heart: Blues and Ballads (which featured David "Fathead" Newman). The latter two were particular critical favorites, with Live in Europe winning Pulse magazine's year-end poll as Best Blues Album and Grateful Heart doing likewise in Down Beat.
Thanks to all the positive attention, Earl signed a major-label deal with Verve. His label debut, The Colour of Love, was issued in 1997 and sold more than 65,000 copies, making it one of the biggest hits of Earl's career; that year, he also won a W.C. Handy Award as Best Blues Instrumentalist. However, feeling that he was under too much pressure to move more units, Earl soured on the deal and around the same time suffered a bout with manic depression. He wound up not only leaving Verve, but taking a break from bandleading and live performance; he disbanded the Broadcasters and signed with the smaller Telarc label as a solo act.
His Telarc debut, 2000's Healing Time, teamed him with legendary soul-jazz organist Jimmy McGriff. The follow-up, 2001's Ronnie Earl and Friends, was a loose, jam session-type of affair featuring a number of special guests, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds' Kim Wilson, Irma Thomas, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, and the Band's Levon Helm. In 2003, Earl returned with an album of mainly instrumental material, I Feel Like Goin' On, on the Canadian-based label Stony Plain. A second album from Stony Plain, Now My Soul, appeared in 2004, while a third, The Duke Meets the Earl, which paired Earl with fellow ex-Roomful of Blues guitarist Duke Robillard, was released in 2005. Earl's third album for Stony Plain, 2009's Living in the Light, found him reunited with the Broadcasters. Earl and his longtime backing band returned for 2010's Spread the Love, an instrumental tribute to mentors, friends and family.
After a long period of global touring, Earl and band took well deserved some time off. Just For Today was issued in 2013, and featured guest spots from vocalist Diane Blue and Detroit guitarist Nicholas Tabarias. Earl and the Broadcasters returned to the studio late in the year. They emerged with Good News, a collection of orignals and covers that included Blue and Tabrias in the lineup on select cuts, along with guitarist Zach Zunis. It was issued for release in June of 2014.
''GOOD NEWS''
JUNE 17 2014
64:50
1 /I Met Her on That Train
Ronnie Earl / Lorne Entress / Dave Limina / Jimmy Mouradian 4:44
2 /Change Is Gonna Come
Sam Cooke 6:02
3 /Time to Remember
Neal Creque 6:10
4 /In the Wee Hours
Amos Blakemore / Buddy Guy 10:53
5 /Good News
Ronnie Earl / Dave Limina 3:33
6 /Six String Blessing
Deborah Blanchard / Diane Blue / Ronnie Earl 9:23
7 /Marje's Melody
Ronnie Earl / Lorne Entress / Dave Limina 6:45
8 /Blues for Henry
Ronnie Earl / Hubert Sumlin 7:15
9 /Puddin' Pie
Ronnie Earl / Lorne Entress / Dave Limina 4:07
10 /Runnin' in Peace
Ronnie Earl / Ilana Katz 5:58
Diane Blue /Vocals
Ronnie Earl /Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm)
Lorne Entress /Drums
Dave Limina /Hammond B3, Piano
Jimmy Mouradian /Bass
Nicholas Tabarias /Guitar, Soloist
Zach Zunis /Guitar, Soloist
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
Good News, Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters' sixth album for Stony Plain, follows the widely celebrated Just for Today. That set featured guest contributions from vocalist Diane Blue and Detroit guitarist Nicholas Tabarias. Both return here, along with special guest guitarist Zach Zunis, on loan from Janiva Magness' band. Six of these ten tunes were written or co-written by Earl. The guitarist has a thing for trains lately: Just for Today opened with the burner "The Big Train," while here, the kickoff is a total revisioning of "Mystery Train," entitled "I Met Her on That Train," an instrumental where Zunis, Tabarias, and Earl (in that order) improvise in a cutting contest on the choogling vamp. The first of Blue's four vocal appearances is on Sam Cooke's classic "Change Is Gonna Come." Though it's a standard, it's difficult to pull off convincingly. She does, and Earl's guitar fills tag the ends of her lines with empathy, underscoring the hope and faith in her delivery, reminding listeners that Cooke's melody is rooted in the blues. The bandmembers dig deep into their trick bag and come out with a shimmering reading of Neal Creque's "Time to Remember," with Dave Limina offering stellar performances on acoustic piano and B-3. This is the jazzier side of the Broadcasters, slowly unwinding the melody, finding its Spanish tinge and grooving on its harmonic line. The hinge piece is a nearly 11-minute reading of Buddy Guy's "In the Wee Hours." Blue's vocal is excellent, but given the tune's length it's clearly a dialogue for Earl and Zunis, with Limina piano's beautifully coloring the proceedings with gorgeous fills and accents. It will more than likely make guitar fans roar with approval. The deep, undulating, minor-key "Marje's Melody" hosts lyrical interplay between Tabarias and Earl. "Blues for Henry" and "Puddin' Pie" are pure Chicago workouts that reveal the depth of the dialogue between Earl and Limina, who both deliver scintillating solos, while bassist Jim Mouradian and drummer Lorne Entress are unshakable. "Runnin' in Peace" features Blue delivering a prayerful gospel moan as Earl stings and slashes through the pain intimated in the grain of her voice. Good News is yet another excellent entry in the catalog of a band that, as time goes on, becomes a legend unto itself.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Huey
One of the finest blues guitarists to emerge during the '80s, Ronnie Earl often straddled the line between blues and jazz, throwing in touches of soul and rock as well. His versatility made him one of the few blues guitarists capable of leading an almost entirely instrumental outfit, and his backing band the Broadcasters became one of the more respected working units in contemporary blues over the course of the '90s, following Earl's departure from Roomful of Blues.
Ronnie Earl was born Ronald Horvath in Queens, NY, on March 10, 1953. He didn't start playing guitar until after he entered college at Boston University in the early '70s and became fascinated with the local blues scene. Developing his craft quickly, he landed a job in the house band of the Speakeasy Club in Cambridge, MA, and changed his last name to the bluesier-sounding Earl in tribute to Earl Hooker, one of his favorite influences. Prior to the name switch, he'd made some recordings for the small Baron label under his original moniker beginning in 1977, first backing Guitar Johnny & the Rhythm Rockers, then as a founding member of Sugar Ray & the Bluetones with harmonica player/singer Sugar Ray Norcia. In 1979, Earl was invited to replace Duke Robillard in the prominent Rhode Island band Roomful of Blues, whose swinging jump blues revivalist sound demanded a jazz sensibility as well as ample blues feeling. Earl spent the next eight years with Roomful of Blues and watched their national profile grow steadily larger.
Meanwhile, Earl also made a few recordings on his own for Black Top Records, forming the first versions of the Broadcasters in the early '80s. He released his first solo album, Smokin', in 1983 and followed it with They Call Me Mr. Earl in 1984 (both of those albums were later compiled on the CD Deep Blues). Still, they were a sidelight to his main gig with Roomful of Blues -- that is, until he left the band in 1987 to make a go of it as a solo artist and bandleader in his own right. A new version of the Broadcasters debuted in 1988 on Soul Searchin', which featured vocalist Darrell Nulisch, harmonica player Jerry Portnoy (ex-Muddy Waters), bassist Steve Gomes, and drummer Per Hanson. Peace of Mind followed in 1990, as did I Like It When It Rains, a live album on Antone's that actually dated from 1986. Released in 1991, Surrounded by Love reunited Earl with Sugar Ray Norcia and also proved the last in his long string of Black Top releases.
By the early '90s, Earl had addressed and overcome his problems with alcohol and cocaine and began to rethink his approach. He formed a new version of the Broadcasters, featuring organist Bruce Katz, bassist Rod Carey, and longtime drummer Per Hanson, and boldly elected to go without a vocalist. Earl debuted his new instrumental direction -- which was more informed by jazz than ever before -- on 1993's Still River (released by AudioQuest) and embarked on a tour of Europe. He signed with the Bullseye Blues label and issued a string of acclaimed albums, including 1994's Language of the Soul, 1995's Blues Guitar Virtuoso Live in Europe (a live album from his 1993 tour originally titled Blues and Forgiveness), and 1996's Grateful Heart: Blues and Ballads (which featured David "Fathead" Newman). The latter two were particular critical favorites, with Live in Europe winning Pulse magazine's year-end poll as Best Blues Album and Grateful Heart doing likewise in Down Beat.
Thanks to all the positive attention, Earl signed a major-label deal with Verve. His label debut, The Colour of Love, was issued in 1997 and sold more than 65,000 copies, making it one of the biggest hits of Earl's career; that year, he also won a W.C. Handy Award as Best Blues Instrumentalist. However, feeling that he was under too much pressure to move more units, Earl soured on the deal and around the same time suffered a bout with manic depression. He wound up not only leaving Verve, but taking a break from bandleading and live performance; he disbanded the Broadcasters and signed with the smaller Telarc label as a solo act.
His Telarc debut, 2000's Healing Time, teamed him with legendary soul-jazz organist Jimmy McGriff. The follow-up, 2001's Ronnie Earl and Friends, was a loose, jam session-type of affair featuring a number of special guests, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds' Kim Wilson, Irma Thomas, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, and the Band's Levon Helm. In 2003, Earl returned with an album of mainly instrumental material, I Feel Like Goin' On, on the Canadian-based label Stony Plain. A second album from Stony Plain, Now My Soul, appeared in 2004, while a third, The Duke Meets the Earl, which paired Earl with fellow ex-Roomful of Blues guitarist Duke Robillard, was released in 2005. Earl's third album for Stony Plain, 2009's Living in the Light, found him reunited with the Broadcasters. Earl and his longtime backing band returned for 2010's Spread the Love, an instrumental tribute to mentors, friends and family.
After a long period of global touring, Earl and band took well deserved some time off. Just For Today was issued in 2013, and featured guest spots from vocalist Diane Blue and Detroit guitarist Nicholas Tabarias. Earl and the Broadcasters returned to the studio late in the year. They emerged with Good News, a collection of orignals and covers that included Blue and Tabrias in the lineup on select cuts, along with guitarist Zach Zunis. It was issued for release in June of 2014.
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