feature photo: Kendall Rock
Delvon Lamarr looks like Marshawn Lynch but plays like John Patton, and Lamarr and his crew go into Beast Mode every time out. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio has hit the field again with another hard-hitting outing.
Lamarr and his potent organ trio now have their third studio long player out in the last four years and it’s a burner, just like the other two. Cold as Weiss (Colemine Records) doesn’t dick around with the soul-funk-jazz formula of maximal instrumental party music straight out of the Mad Men era; it’s just adding more of that same sweetness.
With the drummer being called out right in the album title, I’m naturally going to put an extra ear on what Dan Weiss is laying down here. In particular, there are some really good groovin’ on “Get Da Steppin’,” “Slip ‘N’ Slide” and “Keep On Keepin’ On” but there’s so much more to like about Cold as Weiss.
DLO3 can draw in people who might usually stay away from instrumental music with hooks and hummable lead lines that makes the need for a singer entirely dispensable. On “Pull Your Pants Up,” Delvon Lamarr’s organ lines mimic the cadence of sassy singing and “I Wanna Be Where You Are” has a Burt Bacharach type of melody that Dionne Warwick could have sung.
Not only can this trio groove and make good melodies, these guys can flat out play. On “Don’t Worry ‘Bout What I Do” Jimmy James ripped open some nasty licks in his solo. “Big TT’s Blues” is a straight up blues and Lamarr and guitarist Jimmy James display way more than a passing knowledge of the great music form.
“Uncertainty” has that gospel-tinged early-’70s Southern soul vibe with James providing the lyrical lines this time. “Slip ‘N’ Slide” is a happy hallelujah tune with a bit of that Big Easy RnB flavor. James’ chicken scratching on “This Is Who I Is” is next level and then he launches into psychedelic-era wailing that’s about as good as acid jazz guitar gets.
The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio’s Cold as Weiss is now out from all the regular outlets, including Bandcamp.
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