Living In the Light by Ronnie Earl

Tracks: 1. Love Love Love 2. S.O.S. 3. Take A Little Walk With Me 4. River Charles Blues 5. What Can I Do For You 6. Recovery Blues 7. Blues For Fathead 8. Child Of A Survivor 9. Blues For The South Side 10. Ain't Nobody's Business 11. Donna Lee 12. Pastorale Personnel: Ronnie Earl – Guitar Dave Limina – Hammond B3 & Piano Jim Mouradian – Bass Lorne Entress – Drums & Kim Wilson - Harmonica & vocals on tracks 3, 8, 11 Dave Keller - Vocals on tracks 1, 5 Dave Maxwell - Piano on tracks 3, 8 Rod Carey - Bass on track 8 Jason James - Second guitar on track 4 LIVING IN THE LIGHT, Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters' followup to 2008's well-received HOPE RADIO, is a veritable treasure of blues guitar playing. Nearly every track--most over five minutes and recorded in spacious state-of-the-art sound--features rich, vibrant playing from the contemporary blues master. Not far behind is keyboardist Dave Liminia whose signature work on piano and especially the Hammond B-3 saturates the album. Highlights include a Holocaust-themed song, "Child Of a Survivor," penned by Earl and the Rev. Debbie Branford, and sung by guest Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, who also contributes a blistering harp solo. There are also some traditional acoustic guitar turns. as on "Donna Lee," an original dedicated to Earl's wife, and Robert Jr. Lockwood's "Take A Little Walk With Me," both sung by Wilson as well. Living in the Light is easily Earl’s most personal album, based on the song selection and the passion and sincerity he brings to each guitar solo. The seven instrumental tracks are diverse and spectacular, featuring Earl’s highly distinctive and original playing as well as his interplay with Limina’s B3 and piano. What has amazed me about Earl’s albums is the fact that the most recent ones have featured nearly eighty minutes of guitar work and there’s never a dull moment. You’re on the edge of your seat waiting for his next solo. Living in the Light will please not only fans of blues and jazz guitar, but music fans in general. This is real soul music of the finest kind. It's a simple question we ask of each other every day: "How are you?" And when Ronnie Earl answers "Fine, really fine," it's an indication that all is well with his world, and it means that our lives are greatly improved as well. In standard music industry terms, Ronnie Earl is a bright and shining anomaly. He doesn't tour, he doesn't show up on David Letterman, he doesn't play at rock festivals, he rarely gives interviews, and he isn't the slightest bit interested in what Joni Mitchell called "the star-making machinery." But he does make some remarkable, memorable and deeply touching recordings, and a wonderfully intimate DVD. Like his other albums, Living in the Light is a varied mix of blues, soul and gospel, all marked by his distinctive guitar style and the passionate conviction he brings to every track. It is also, perhaps in a contrary way, a record shot through with love, warmth and very real peace. In today's supercharged and often cynical world, Earl's attitude to his life, and the way he wants to reach his listeners, may strike some as unusual, but it's the nature of the man. "I see my music as a way to have a deeper relationship with God, and bring healing and love to the people who listen to it."Ronnie Earl's searing, deeply felt guitar playing permeates every one of the dozen tracks on Living in the Light, but there are many other surprises and deep pleasures to be found. Nine of the dozen songs are originals, written or co-written by Earl. Dave Keller, a singer and guitar player on the New England blues scene, sings two gospel-influenced songs - the powerful opener, "Love Love Love," and Bob Dylan's "What Can I Do for You," which also features a 10-voice choir from Earl's Baptist Church. Kim Wilson, a dear friend, contributes three moving vocals and superbly realized harp parts to the new record. One of them is Robert Jr. Lockwood's classic "Take a Little Walk with Me;" another is a deeply personal song about the Holocaust, "Child of a Survivor." "I'm Jewish, and my parents were survivors, and I never met my grandmother who was killed during the war. I wrote that song with Debbie Blanchard, my minister, and Kim Wilson put his stamp on it. Unusual for a blues record? "It's the deepest blues," he responds. "It's a story that needs to be told; future generations will all need to be reminded of what happened." The contribution of Ronnie Earl's Broadcasters is obvious from the first note. Dave Limina's sterling work on Hammond B3 and piano provides a bedrock for the guitar playing, while drummer Lorne Entress and Jim Mouradian on bass are as solid and uplifting a rhythm section as can be imagined. Ronnie Earl is a thoughtful, gentle man - not always the signature attitude of many blues artists - and it is simply not in him to want to sound either arrogant or glib. "My greatest love in music is the blues; this is my 'mother music.' And I dig deep - I have no choice; playing, for me, is a very emotional experience. I put every particle of my soul into it. He is not interested in guitar technicalities; he plays Stratocasters and Nash guitars, but always says that the person behind the guitars should always be of more interest than the instrument itself. As for defining his style, he can't. "I'm just trying to get into peoples' souls," he says. "I'm just trying to reach peoples' humanity." With his new record for Stony Plain, Living in the Light, he has done exactly that. ℗ 2009 Stony Plain Rights Management