Blue Largo’s Got to Believe is an album of sheer soulful joy. While Alicia Aragon’s vocals steal the spotlight, this tight San Diego ensemble rocks, rolls, rumbles and tumbles through the 11 tunes.
Guitarist (and songwriter!) Eric Lieberman cuts knife-edged solos; (oh my!) Taryn “T Bird” Donath’s piano is a fluid and happy matrix that rides with a ’50s jukebox jive. And the tenor and baritone saxes (thank you, Eddie Croft and David Castel De Oro!) inflate the songs with classic greasy roller-coaster drama – all of which is fueled by the engine room of Mike “Sandalwood” Jones’ Fender bass and Marcus P. Bashore’s percussion.
The songs all have a positive vibe – which, given our times, is a welcome bit of fun. And that’s the gist of this record: It’s a celebration that waters its neighborhood roots with sheer soulful joy. And, to state the obvious, as singer-songwriter Nick Lowe once asked, “What’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding?”
That said, Blue Largo’s first song, “A World Without Soul” sets the template for the entire record. Aragon’s vocals plant a flag into the intent, and the band follows suite with a rollicking piano, those horns that dance, Lieberman’s tightrope guitar, and the welcome addition of happy handclaps galore. This is infectious stuff. Then, “Got to Believe” is more urgent with a sort of rumba rhythm that’s just a lot of fun, and it certainly glances back to a 1930s clubland jive. And there’s a great sax solo to boot.
Three more songs continue the soulful climate. “Soul Meeting” slows the pace and tells the tale of passionate love and death. Of course, the horns stretch the sadness, while the guitar quiets the mood, and the lyric evokes the timeless hope of a “soul meeting” in that really great and much ballyhooed “great gig in the sky.” That also said, “What We Gotta Do” counters that “mortal coiled” wait and, quite simply, unleashes a nice soulful belief in rocking and rolling during the existential here and now.
“Disciple of Soul” speaks for itself, except Blue Largo delves into a reggae beat that is, again, a glance to the ’30s clubland big band (and big-entertainment) era. Ditto for the clarion call of “Soldier in the Army of Love,” which is a smooth sing-along song that is – like the rest of this album – quite irresistible, with even more guitar and sax solos that conjure greasy rock ‘n’ roll. Nice. “Ronnie” also echoes that early vibe, and it certainly (with story line and mood) could be an outtake from Rocky Horror. The tune straddles the tightrope between passion and parody — which is the beloved essence of Meat Loaf’s taste in great Eddie rock ‘n’ roll.
Then (and it’s a wonderful then!), Blue Largo digs a deep groove through “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” which slows and stretches its humanity, and while it doesn’t punch like Eric Burden’s rendition, it’s just as cool. Donath’s piano melodically dances, while Lieberman’s guitar tingles in sharp blue colors, and the horns pump blood into a big passionate vein. Indeed, Blue Largo is in good company with Elvis Costello and (the great!) Nina Simone!
The final three songs on Got to Believe continue the joyous vibe. “Gospel Music” is a melodic sermon, with horns and piano aplenty that could be the soundtrack to biblical Lazarus, just as he comes dancing out of the tomb. In contrast, “Rear View Mirror” is much more contemplative and has a similar vibe to the sounds to great soul-rock bands like Cold Blood and Denmark’s Savage Rose. Finally, “Santa Fe Bound” is a quick two-step of a tune that, with pedal steel galore, ends the record with a punctuation mark of more sheer soulful joy.
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