Roy Gaines - New Frontier Lover (2000)

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Roy Gaines - New Frontier Lover (2000)

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Known as a protégé of T-Bone Walker and former guitarist for Bobby Blue Bland, Roy Gaines continues to stake out his solo career with the combination spark of Texas blues and soul. New Frontier Lover features not only a tight rhythm section but a top-notch horn section, allowing Gaines to cover the blues and soul ground with equal ease.

Review by Al Campbell, Allmusic.com

While some guitarists may choose to sing because they want to, others sing because they need to. Roy Gaines, a prolific songwriter and hotshot Texas guitar slinger, is in the latter category. On New Frontier Lover, he wails with gospel abandon on impassioned tracks like “The World’s Biggest Fool” and “You Can’t Make Nobody Love You.” He shows an earthy sense of humor on tunes like “Hind Ends & Elbows” and “Roll Your Own Biscuit” and struts his fretboard flash on the instrumental “Roy’s Theme.” Already in his 60s, Roy is overdue to receive the kind of accolades older, tenor-sax-honking brother Grady Gaines receives. This percolating set, his fifth album as a leader, should help to bring him some acclaim in blues circles.

Review by Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes.com

Roy Gaines has a new release on Severn, New Frontier Lover, that may be his best ever. Gaines has ben part of the blues scene since joining his idol T-Bone walker on stage in his native Houston. He was bandleader for the legendary Chuck Willis and later recorded with jimmy Rushing and others. He also spent some time with the Crusdaers.

Severn leabel head David Earl has put together a terrific band behind him including Steve Gomes on bass and Benji Porecki on keyboards and their are some nice horn parts on most tracks. Its a collection of new material, although one can hear echoes of some of the greats, Gaines was a contemporary with and played with. Many of the songs have memorable hooks and some of the catchphrases from the tunes will be lingering in your mind after you listen to this The title track is funky number where Gaines gets to boast about his prowess. It is followed up by my favorite track, "The World's Biggest Fool," a terrific slow blues suggestive of Guitar Slim's "Something to Remember You By," with the band sounding like Slim's band on his Atlantic sessions. "What's the Reason" is a nice shuffle with a Latin tinge to it while Roy is in a T-Bone Walker vein on "You Can't Make Nobody Love You," although Gaines plays with a somewhat dirtier tone here than Walker. "Roy's Theme" is an instrumental evoking classic instrumental shuffles like Gatemouth Brown's "Okie Dokie Stomp." "Hinds Ends & Elbows" is another hook-laden song, with Gaines' hot vocal and guitar evoking the memory of the late Johnny Copeland. Gaines also handles a medium tempo Chicago blues shuffle," My Woman, My Blacksnake and Me," with Steve Guyger adding his harp to the blues stew. Guyger is also present on the rollicking closing number, "Roll Your Own Biscuits."

This release has been one I have been listening to constantly since I got the advance copy of it, and is equal to the other terrific cds Gaines has issued in teh past few years. New Frontier Lover is one that is sure to be on my best of 2000 list.

Review by R. Weinstock, Amazon.com

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Roy Gaines - New Frontier Lover (2000)

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Roy Gaines - New Frontier Lover (2000)

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Roy Gaines - New Frontier Lover (2000)

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