Barrence Whitfield And The Savages have been around for a long time, and they’re still kicking out their feisty marriage of rockabilly and punk. On their latest CD, Dig Thy Savage Soul, Whitfield and his crew finesses their rock and roll, R&B, and soul influences into their already dynamite mix of hard-charging music. Tight musicianship and simple arrangements add even more special ingredients here.
“The Corner Man” kicks things off with a driving garage rock energy. Whitfield sings it at a brisk pace as his band mates fire off compressed, edgy guitar phrases over tight, slamming rhythm section momentum. Next, Whitfield goes right into his familiar R&B territory on “My Baby Didn’t Come Home. He belts it with his grand, full-throated raspy style.
“Oscar Levant” is another fine example of R&B swagger and driving rock and roll energy. Whitfield doesn’t reinvent the wheel. He just isn’t afraid to mix styles in any way he feels he needs to to express the feelings and thoughts he has swirling around inside of him. He jumps headlong into what he feels like composing. Audacious garage rock guitar phrasing and saucy R&B horn shots jump all over a 1950’s oldies style rhythm section. Whitfield belts this one like it’s a personal anthem.
“Bread” finds Whitfield and his troops slamming out their grievances with money, especially as it relates to losing the girls to guys who have more of it than they do. A thick brew of horn, organ, and a bracing groove comprise the platform that Whitfield prances around on. You can easily picture him in an early 1960s television studio singing something raucous for the nation’s still black and white TV screens.
“Hangman’s Token” is Whitfield’s hippest moment on the album. He sings it in that jump into the open spaces at the right moment style of what this music eventually evolved into during the 1970s, funk. He just kicks it along with his earthy belt. Explosions of garage rock guitar erupt in between his verses, and his drummer’s compressed, tight, precise smacks drive the song home in the same way a man with a shotgun can make someone dance by shooting near his feet.
“Daddy’s Gone To Bed” is a great rock and roll dance shuffle groove while “Black Jack” is oldies style rock and roll at its finest. A freewheeling saxophone line and a surf drumming style make for one fun party vibe. Eventually, you can hear two saxophones compete for rock and roll supremacy, and the competition creates a lot of fine musical flourishes.
“Hey Little Girl” rocks out with more saxophone, rollicking piano lines, and Whitfield’s raw, raspy vocal power. Conversely, “I’m Sad About It” is a sprawling, unwieldy, bluesy gripe about the end of a love affair. Whitfield screams out his pain here in his high-pitched vocal reaches. The progression is pure blues and so is Whitfield’s sorrowful laments. Eventually, dynamics shift and he expresses his heart-broken misery. For this particular number, singer and band have a solid sound rooted even more than the other tunes in traditional blues.
Whitfield offers, with his gritty, heartfelt vocal take, a soul shouting number called “Show Me Baby.” Making it sound emotionally desperate, his full rich timbre is loaded with grit, soul, and earth, making you feel it with his every nuance. Whether thick and harsh or high-pitched and in pain, Whitfield takes us through the rangy gamut of his emotional range. A saxophone bleeds with feeling here too. It feels like the song is dying from anticipation, in a good way, so that the listener feels the longing.
“Sugar” is rock and roll played with a loosey, goosey jazz feeling. Whitfield’s handsome baritone goes toe to toe with an alto saxophone and the energy thrown back and forth between voice and instrument builds the musical arc here. Whitfield sings to his baby with unforced affection, which you can hear in that one in a million vocal timbre, richer than gold.
Whitfield and his people close things out with “Turn Your Damper Down,” a number that doesn’t feel like a closer, which makes you want to hear the next Savages disc real soon. Things get swinging her, Whitfield screaming and his saxophone player blaring a scorching hot melody line. Listen closely to the drummer’s cymbal work and you know you’re hearing music from people who know who to make a lot of fun noise.
Barrence Whitfield And The Savages have come up with a fun collection of feisty new music. Dig Thy Savage Soul will have you digging this band enough to want to send away for their back catalog. They aren’t the only ones on the block to marry punk to rockabilly, but they sure as heck do it better than most players on the planet. Play this disc at your next party.