CD Review of Black And White

by Al Kaplan of Bluesrockers web site

Black and White, Danny Bryant’s sixth CD, comes almost exactly one year after his Live CD and is his second on the Rounder Europe label. I have reviewed all five of his previous CDs for Bluesrockers and, perhaps more so than any other artist, look forward with anticipation to a new release from him. Each of my reviews so far has been glowingly positive, so there is always that feeling that the newest CD may be a letdown. I am happy to report that this couldn’t be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, Black and White serves as a culmination of all the positives I have discussed in my other reviews. I will not rehash all of them again; suffice it to say that Danny Bryant continues to excel in his guitar playing, vocals, intensity, and songwriting. The Redeye Band, consisting of Danny’s Dad Ken Bryant on bass guitar and Trevor Barr on drums, again prove themselves to be a powerful, in-the-pocket rhythm section.

The CD starts off with Tell Me, a tough blues/rock track with a chugging, locomotive beat. Bryant makes superb use of the wah pedal, achieving a piercing, gritty effect with it that you won’t often hear. It serves to reach out, grab you by the collar, and shake you into the recognition that he is an artist to be reckoned with.

Between the Lines, a slower blues, again makes use of the wah pedal. The lyrics of this song show an ever increasing maturity in Bryant’s songwriting and, as is always the case with his solos, contains a series of jaw-dropping notes.

The next song, a ballad, is entitled Love Remains. Unlike typical ballads, this song maintains Bryant’s trademark for intensity for both his vocals and guitar playing.

The next track, Twenty One, picks up the pace and is perhaps the song on the CD that most typifies the blues/rock genre. Bryant plays stinging lead guitar while double-tracking his wah guitar. It is a tremendous performance and should be a staple of his concerts.

At over six minutes, Any Wonder is the longest track on the CD. More wah guitar, played at a slower pace, the song may also be the most heartfelt. Everything comes together on this track. A slow, lengthy song runs the risk of being boring. Instead, the listener does not want this one to end.

Low Down Blues is a wonderful shuffle that reminds me of the type of English blues that were played in the 60’s and 70’s, with traces of both Clapton and Peter Green.

Walk Away reminds me somewhat of an arena-rock power ballad. It begins with acoustic guitar but soon metamorphoses into an electric solo. If an early version of Whitesnake hired Bryant as their guitarist and vocalist, the result would sound like this.

Old Blues Song contains some of the CDs best single-note picking, flurries of notes with impressive dynamics in the shifting tone of the guitar playing.

The Last Goodbye is the “rocker” track of the CD and fits perfectly after the preceding two slower songs.

Black and White is the concluding track with Bryant playing unaccompanied acoustic guitar in a blues setting. It is an environment that he is not often in but it fits him well. Future CDs deserve one or two tracks like this one.

Well, there you have it. Another masterpiece from Danny Bryant’s Redeye Band. You rarely find a group that continually improves on their previous recordings, especially when the standards for these recordings are already extremely high. As I said last year, I can’t wait for the next release.

Al Kaplan

www.bluesrockers.ws/dbbw.html