JP Soars – More Bees With Honey 7.22.11
Chip Eagle | Jul 21, 2011 | Comments 5
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JP Soars
More Bees With Honey
Soars High Productions
BluesWax Rating: 8
Get Stung
JP Soars’ More Bees with Honey opens with the title track, a vocal duet with the late Robin Rogers. This original, Memphis-styled track, complete with the horn section of Florida’s Terry Hanck and New England’s Sax Gordon, set the pace for this surprisingly mature effort. What is more surprising is that this is only Soars’ second album. Formerly a heavy metal guitarist, Soars is not a beginner.
In 2009 JP Soars and The Red Hots finished first in The International Blues Challenge band competition in Memphis. In the future his blues will be embraced by many.
“K.Y.N.O.M.B.” (Keep Your Nose Out of My Business) features Jason Ricci on harp. Especially nice is “Hot Little Woman” with its multiple time changes. “Back of My Mind” is a new autobiographical song but also the name of Soars’ first album. “Lost It All,” a gypsy-type instrumental, and “Chasing Whiskey with Whiskey” also feature Ricci. My personal favorites include “So Many Times” and “They’ll Do It Every Time.”
Covers include “The Hustle Is On,” written by Eddy Owens and first performed by T-Bone Walker. I first heard this by Roomful of Blues. Here it is reprised with the tenor saxes of Hanck and Gordon, along with upright bass by Todd Edmundson, formerly of Jason Ricci’s New Blood and keyboardist Travis Colby, currently with Roomful of Blues.
Soars’ core band consists of mates Donald “The Cougar” Gottlieb on electric bass and Chris Peet on drums. On it, Soars’ takes a nice T-Bone Walker-styled guitar solo. The song is still viable as it ends with “taxes are high and all the good jobs are gone.” Also covered is “Sweet Blood Call,” written by Louisiana Red. The lyric “I have a hard time missing you baby with my pistol in your mouth” is a classic. Colby’s piano and Soars’ guitar go ballistic.
Soars is more than just another blues guitarist. This album produced by Soars’ and Jeremy Staska proves that his talents run deep. Get this album and begin to follow JP. His career is on the rise.
Richard Ludmerer is contributing editor to BluesWax. He looks forward to your comments below.
Filed Under: BluesWax Weekly • This Week's BluesWax • Weekly CD Reviews
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I was there when he won in Memphis and have seen him since on the road …the guy can play and has a exellent band. check him out.
the Louisiana Red lyric is actually,, I have a hard time “missing” you with my pistol in your mouth.. Not not ‘kissing’ you… and its not to be takin litterally… its a metaphore…….when he says pistol,, he ain’t talking about an actual gun…. he’s talking about his,,, well you get the idea now….
He is talking about his what?
So lucky to live in SoFla where I get to see JP as often as I can. He is amazing!
I had the pleasure of seeing/hearing Mr. Soars w/trio last week at a SWFla blues club (the Buckingham Blues Bar) and what a treat it was. Not to be missed–his guitarism had me in tears most times. Do check his schedule and go to see’m.