Dirty Pool
| Dirty Pool | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Studio | Dockside | |||
| Genre | Blues, Chicago blues[1] | |||
| Label | Evidence | |||
| Producer | John Snyder | |||
| Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band chronology | ||||
| ||||
Dirty Pool is an album by the American musician Melvin Taylor, released in 1997.[2][3] He is credited with his Slack Band.[4] Dirty Pool was Taylor's second album for Evidence Music.[5]
Production[edit]
The album was produced by John Snyder. James Knowles played drums on the album; Ethan Farmer played bass.[6] The title track, "Too Sorry", and "Telephone Song" were written by Stevie Ray Vaughan.[7][8] "Right Place, Wrong Time" is a cover of the Otis Rush song.[9]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [11] |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | [12] |
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Taylor "incorporates slash-and-burn guitar work into his blues, soaring out of traditional choruses with scorching solos."[12] The Toronto Star noted that "burners like 'Too Sorry' and 'I Ain't Superstitious' work particularly well in the great thrashing Chicago electric blues tradition, while Taylor's chatty voice works to contrast with all slurring, high- speed runs and pyrotechnic proficiency."[6] The Detroit Free Press determined that "it's almost too easy to describe Chicago sensation Melvin Taylor as what Jimi Hendrix might have been had Hendrix never ventured outside R&B and roadhouse blues."[13]
The Houston Chronicle stated: "Like Hendrix, Taylor is a master of the wah-wah pedal, a device that has been largely abandoned by younger guitarists... This daredevil technique recalls psychedelic rock or avant-garde jazz, except that Taylor never strays far from the basic blues groove."[9] The Dallas Observer listed Dirty Pool among the best blues albums of 1997, concluding that "the music is scathing, three-piece power blues, roiling with wah and Echoplex."[14] The Encyclopedia of the Blues considered Dirty Pool to be Taylor's best album.[15]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Too Sorry" | |
| 2. | "Dirty Pool" | |
| 3. | "I Ain't Superstitious" | |
| 4. | "Kansas City" | |
| 5. | "Floodin' in California" | |
| 6. | "Born Under a Bad Sign" | |
| 7. | "Right Place, Wrong Time" | |
| 8. | "Telephone Song" | |
| 9. | "Merry Christmas Baby" |
References[edit]
- ^ Hanson, Karen (2007). Today's Chicago Blues. Lake Claremont Press. p. 205.
- ^ Hunter Jr., Al (May 19, 2000). "No Slack in Taylor's Guitar Virtuosity". Features Yo!. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 68.
- ^ Vitello, Barbara (19 June 1998). "Downbeat, Living Blues, Blues Access and Pulse have all praised Melvin Taylor...". Time Out. Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 14.
- ^ "Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band". Big City Blues. Vol. 3, no. 4. October 1997. p. 40.
- ^ "Melvin Taylor Biography by Richard Skelly". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ a b Chapman, Geoff (11 Oct 1997). "Taylor's casual pyrotechnics". Toronto Star. p. J6.
- ^ Jones, Ryan (6 Mar 1998). "The blues are best experienced live...". Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 29.
- ^ Dicaire, David (2001). More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century. McFarland. p. 84.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Rick (August 24, 1997). "Recordings". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 6.
- ^ "Dirty Pool Review by Tom Schulte". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 633.
- ^ a b White, Jim (31 Aug 1997). "A Batch of Blues". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. F5.
- ^ Lawson, Terry (26 Sep 1997). "Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band, 'Dirty Pool'". Previews. The Record. Detroit Free Press. p. 10.
- ^ Schuller, Tim (January 8, 1998). "Blues in '97 – What's tops in Texas (and elsewhere)". Music. Dallas Observer.
- ^ Komara, Edward M. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Routledge. p. 961.