Long Tall Deb & Colin John

Light It Up

Vizztone Label Group

Colin John is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter whose influences include r & b, soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, and traditional blues. His debut recording “Grooveyard Devils” was released  in 2003. John’s music was hailed as a genre-defying mix. In 2005 John appeared on Michael Hill’s recording “Black Gold & Goddesses Bold”. John is a surfer and that year he also released “Live Voodoo Surfing from the Beachland”. His last album was 2013’s “Two Sides of the Colin”,  I love that title. Guitar player Magazine said “this is what Jimi Hendrix might have sounded like  had he abandoned the rat-race, moved to Hawaii, taken up surfing and let the sun and waves bestow their laid-back highs”.

Long Tall Deb and The Drifter Kings recorded “Diamonds On The Desert Floor” in 2009; the  album was produced by Michael Hill. Deb followed up with 2012’s “Raise Your Hands” on the Vizztone Label with special guests Victor Wainwright, Damon Fowler, JP Soars, Jimmy Thackery, members of Roomful of Blues, and Colin John. Deb and John hit it off musically and in 2015 released a four song EP called the “Streets of Mumbai”.

“Light It Up” is their third recording. The core band includes Long Tall Deb Landolt, lead, backing vocals, and contra bass violin on one track; Colin John, guitars, baby sitar, lap steel, bass, and backing vocals; Chris Butler, bass, drums, and percussion; Jason Edwards, drums and percussion, Zac War, drums on one track, and Steve Marriner, harmonica on one track. The album is  co-produced by Chris Butler, Colin John and Long Tall Deb. It was mostly recorded, mixed and  mastered at the Sta-Level recording Studio in Akron, Ohio by Jeffrey Koval.

The album opens with the title track “Light It Up” as Deb sings “try a new kind of fire, a new kind of fire and we will light it up right now…what about people…no more hatred, no more hunger, no  more fear, we’re gonna light it up, right now”. On “My Love” Deb howls “well take your time, you got to give the love you want to receive…my love is the power from above, my love is more than enough, my love, my love, my love”, with Zac War on drums.

“Lessons In The Ground”, Deb chirps “Lessons in the ground to turn this world around, waiting  for a voice to turn this world around, shadows on the trees, lessons in the ground, we will march  til the end, who will speak their mind, waiting for a voice to turn this world around”. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) was written by Lennox and Stewart and recorded by the Eurythmics in 1983, as Deb chants “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), who am I to disgree, as you travel the world and the seven seas, some of us want to abuse you, some of us want to be abused by you, hold your head up, keep your head up,…everybody is looking for something…everybody’s looking for something”, Jennifer Milligan providing the backing vocal.

On “Hear Them Moan”, Deb chimes “I was a young child raised in the old school, many miles I’ve walked the road, I’ve got a feeling and I don’t know why, hear them moan”, with percussion from  Butler. “Spoonful ” written by Willie Dixon was first recorded in 1960 by Howlin’ Wolf, as Deb growls “make me a spoonful of sugar, maybe a spoonful of tea…some men lie about that, some men cry about that, everyone fighting for that spoonful”, with Steve Marriner on harmonica.

On the topical “Deflection Blues” Deb sings “not a goddam thing, you know it’s true, we got a problem, deflection blues, create diversion, because he says it, doesn’t make it true, what does he do, create distraction, we got a problem, deflection blues, that’s what fascists do”. “Black Light Wolf” “a whoohoo, everytime I look, a black light wolf all around the room, a whoohoo, sometimes I wonder  what would the wolf do, if he were here”, with Deb on the Contra Bass Violin.

“Out For A Rip” was written by Greenan and is a wicked instrumental featuring the fabulous guitars of Colin John, Pascal Fouquet, and Alastair Greene. On the closer “Crooks, Thieves, and Liars” Deb  croons “keep holdin’ on and pray it won’t last, when will it end, these crooks, thieves, and liars, they’ll  burn the house down, before it’s too late, they stand in the shadows, crooks, thieves, and liars”.

These songs pack a powerful punch especially my favorite the topical Deflection Blues, which just might be the Song of The Year. “Light It Up”, should in the title track’s words, “start a new kind of fire”.

Richard Ludmerer

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