Search - Joe McBride :: Texas Rhythm Club

Appearing on two concept projects that had him playing with well-known labelmates (Heads Up Super Band) and a slew of great South African musicians (Smooth Africa) must have taught keyboardist Joe McBride that he could accomplish magical things with his own band. Texas Rhythm Club proves him right. Its title track features a typically overjoyed McBride. He enhances the playful, bouncy rhythm and loose, jumpy piano melody with a bluesy organ flavor and splashes of live horns (trumpeter Rodney Booth and trombonist Greg Waits) and the occasional crackling guitar lick (Todd Parsnow) and sax line (Wayne DeLano). Other tunes, such as "White Rock," perfectly combine McBride's sense of graceful balladry with a simmering groove that eventually explodes into harder-edged funk. The Lone Star-oriented titles are as much fun as the tunes they belong to. "Texas Twister" promises--and delivers--a piano line that swings and sways and bounces along over a darker-toned synth line, as if a growing storm were dancing above ominous clouds. "Lone Star Boogie" is a feisty swing-along featuring McBride sporting a Hammond B-3 sound. "Texas Blues Cruise" takes this vibe to the extreme and features McBride's gritty vocal narrative, broken up by DeLano's punchy sax accents. "Everything Remains the Same" is more typical of McBride's romantic vocal style, very much in line with the smooth harmonies of Take 6. McBride's always been a pleasure, but playing with his home crew loosens him up to create his best overall recording to date. --Jonathan Widran