Carolyn Gaines - Beware Of My Dog (2018)

With the release of her debut album, Beware Of My Dog, Carolyn Gaines has revealed herself to be a blues singer of purpose. She is joined by guitarist Fred Clark, Glen Doll on harmonica, organist Rudy Copeland, bassist Del Atkins and drummer Chad Wright with her cousin, tenor-saxophonist Grady Gaines Jr., performing on two numbers. Special guest is the legendary Big Jay McNeely, who plays tenor on three other selections. The recording is engineered and mixed by Bill Dashiell, who worked the same magic on Carl Carlton's She's A Bad Mama Jama, produced by the late great Leon Haywood. The album is mastered by Robert Honablue, who was the studio recording engineer on projects by Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Janis Joplin, Barbra Streisand, Ike & Tina Turner, George Benson, Hubert Laws, Carlos Santana and many other major names.
It is obvious from the beginning of the opener 'Beware Of My Dog,' that Carolyn Gaines is both a student of the blues from earlier eras and a singer, who does not copy her predecessors. The tune has a connection to Big Mama Thornton's & Elvis Presley's 'Hound Dog' and a 1950s blues vibe. However, Ms. Gaines' voice sounds unlike anyone else. Big Jay McNeely's short solo, which features his distorted tone, fits the song well. The lowdown one-chord blues 'I'm Your Cat, Baby' has Carolyn Gaines displaying a menacing, yet alluring, voice similar to the 1961 'Back Door Man' by Howlin' Wolf, with its growls and rasps. 'Stone Out Your Raggly Mind,' akin to Jimmy Reed's 1960s hit 'What You Want Me To Do,' is an infectious Chicago blues featuring Grady Gaines Jr. on his tenor sax. Listen to how the singer's bent notes sound as natural as talking. 'Catch That Train,' inspired by John Lee Hooker's 1962 'Boom Boom,' has the vocalist having a call and response with the band during the first section, before it becomes a cooking blues number.
Carolyn Gaines transforms Muddy Waters' Chess Records 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man' into 'Hoochie Coochie Woman,' modernizing and revising the lyrics into a version that Muddy Waters would have enjoyed. David Junior Kimbrough's 'Done Got Old' is an intense country blues given a fresh new spin, intimate but quietly fiery with its own brand of restrained passion. On the lowdown blues 'I Want Your Money Honey,' Carolyn Gaines sounds quite dangerous (a little like Ma Rainey), a bit demanding and exciting, growling up a storm. One knows that she is going to get the money!
The singer's 'Mr. Dill Pickle' (inspired by Blind Boy Fuller's 'I Want A Piece Of Your Pie' from 1939) is good time blues where her lyrics sound topical and contemporary. The performance with Glen Doll's harmonica has the flavor of a 1930s Chicago blues jam session. 'Jerry Rice - Busy Man' is a country blues dedicated to the great football player: inspired by first-class father & son Carey & Lurrie Bell's style of harmonica & guitar. There are lots of appealing bent notes from Carolyn Gaines along with some fine harmonica playing from Doll. 'Charlie Mae & Chicago'' dedicated to her mom Charlie Mae & Buddy Guy has some highly expressive singing. The closer, a remake of the Big Jay McNeely's hit 'Something On Your Mind,' is an excellent revival that features a haunting, catchy bass line of Dale Atkins, along with strong contributions from Ms. Gaines' vocals - sexy, smooth, passionate in a deep slightly-alluring-updated way - and McNeely blows the roof off his 1959 hit song.
Formerly behind the scenes, Carolyn Gaines shows on Beware Of My Dog that she is ready to take the blues center-stage! ~Scott Yanow