John Wesley Myers — who goes by James Leg on stage — straddles the dangerous space between salvation and damnation, and it’s that danger that fuels his unique brand of raucous, rock and blues. Below The Belt (due September 4, 2015 from Alive Natural Sound Records) follows close behind in the footsteps of his feisty, triumphant debut from 2011, Solitary Pleasures. Once again, the keyboardist, vocalist and leader of the punk blues band the Black Diamond Heavies paints a portrait of a man with a gruff exterior and beneath it, a complex interior.
Leg certainly knows how to get a congregation going; we got a taste of that with a stand-up-and-clap-your-hands encounter with Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Up Above My Head.” His gospel piano continues to preach on the mid-tempo shuffles “Drink It Away” and “October 3rd” even as James Leg sings about decidedly secular things.
That heavy blues-rock where he’s made most of his reputation appears on the swaggering “Dirty South”, “Glass Jaw” and the bottom-heavy boogie “Can’t Stop Thinking About It.” He puts so much demon into his electric piano that the amp sounds ready to cry uncle and the metal guitar is barely needed. It’s a perfect match for his whiskey-soaked growl, sounding somewhere between Tom Waits and the Cookie Monster.
James Leg has more than two gears, however, and his mastery of diverse styles only hinted at on Solitary are all the more obvious on Belt. He melds Southern rock and mariachi on “Casa De Fuego,” his thick slab of organ dominating alongside Mexican brass. He covers a song from The Cure, “Forest,” and the throbbing bass over a New Wave beat seems a world away from Leg’s musical playground until his fuzz tones and that nasty snarl show up.
Even those diversions probably couldn’t prepare listeners for a suddenly melodic turn at the end of the album. Smooth out the vocal and “Disappearing” could almost pass for a Ben Folds song. “What More” is honest to goodness soul rock grounded by his tasteful piano and a little B3; it’s even a bit sentimental, complete with horns, female backing vocals and a jazzy blues lead guitar.
There’s a lot more to James Leg than meets the eye. On Below The Belt, the music is satisfying to the soul — whether he’s in his usual element or not.
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