Many in the area blues community know guitarist-vocalist Alan Arena from his work with Hugs For Lizbeth, an offshoot of his role as caregiver for a friend and veteran struck by Huntington’s Disease. Yet, those who follow Arena closely know that he’s also a solid blues musician. Arena’s new album Deceived may be his classiest work yet. Arena had a chance to work with his friend, Grammy winning producer Paul Nelson worked on eight tunes before passed away in March of last year.
Opening track “Raised On Radio” combines a homey vocal and lyrical message with a thumpy honky tonk musical style. Arena’s voice is as handsomely raw and emotive as ever as he recalls his youth growing up listening to his favorite songs on his two speaker stereo. Nelson’s guitar work here is greasy good, his phrase loose and stinging at once, boogie hoe down on his fret board as a Brooks Milgate swirl of soulful organ fills out the emotive wallop of this piece.
A gospel, soul flavored number, “Believe In Yourself” lifts up the spirit as much as the song feels uplifted by the steam of Arena’s inspired vocal, Nelson’s gritty lead guitar, and Brooks Milgate’s revival feel piano line. When Arena takes his guitar break, the song carries the listener off to a promised land of hope and glory. The Allyssa Jones backing vocal brings home a lot of the spiritual ebullience.
Title track “Deceived” finds Nelson playing a Flemenco style guitar, a lean, brittle line that dances around the groove and in and around a string arrangement with a subtle beauty. Meanwhile, Arena sings with muscular authority about one of life’s biggest disappointments, a breach in trust. Soulful backing singers Alyssa Jones and Joe Russo keep it all in church with their heavenly choir.
“Big Black Cat” takes this old time image and injects it with extra bounce and intrigue. Arena’s cat seems to be following him around. Arena’s common man vocal approach allows him to express surprise and shock at the sight of the big black cat as Paul Nelson’s guitar work crackles around him. The rhythm section, bassist Brad Hallen and drummer Marty Richards, plays up a storm of groove and this whole thing becomes one large tongue in cheek take on a feared American archetype.
Bulbous low end notes and jumpy organ riffs give “Devil In The Bottle” a motion filled sensation, a rocking song with numerous moving parts, creating a whirlwind of sound. Aside from highlighting what the devil in the bottle can lead people to do, it makes for a fun party vibe as Arena and his band serve up a lot of funk.
Memphis Slim’s “Mother Earth” gives Arena and his friends plenty of grist to work with. Jerry Portnoy’s harmonica line glides along the groove before shimmying over it, a crust of blues glory hovering in the right places in the right time. Arena’s soulful voice, a Brooks Milgate honky tonk piano, and a bunch of other cool things give a lesson in how blues should be played.
Rockin’ blues “Speed Of Life” grabs the listener’s attention with its racing, uptempo groove, hip lead guitar spikes, and Arena’s smooth, flowing vocal. Constantly flowing, this one lets Arena pack it with his words of wisdom about everything that hits us in our relatively short time on earth. Tufts of organ swirls, honky tonk piano, and bulbous bass notes keep this one action packed, keeping the listener’s foot tapping and head bobbing.
“Hypnotized” continues the rocking pace, concerned with a man struck by a woman’s beauty. Arena’s smooth croon rides the speedy concern as well as the swift instrumentation that makes this one break the speed laws with its celebratory horn blasts, rocking keys, and high pitched gospel notes. The lead guitar that wraps around this is playing faster than anyone’s business and every player makes us wonder if they’re going to keep making the twists and turns on time.
A radio edit of “Believe In Yourself” should fit nicely into a blues radio program and an instrumental version of “Deceived” feels even darker with “Sax” Gordon Beadle blowing a line of alto over the eerie landscape of this piece.
Alan Arena probably has this year’s best local blues album with Deceived. It’s going to garner him a lot of attention between its release and the time of all of the upcoming awards shows. It’s only too bad his producer and friend Paul Nelson won’t be there to share in the well deserved recognition. Nelson produced the album to a high gloss soulful shine at Music Room Studio A on the Cape. CD Release party June 26 at the Music Room in Yarmouth:
