Ottawa blues trio MonkeyJunk branch out a little on their Juno nominated CD “All Frequencies.” The bassless trio play a variety of different forms of blues which is all good, but they add a little more this time.
While there is still a lot of catchy blues, powered by Steve Marriner’s fabulous harp and baritone guitar, plus many smoking solos from guitarist Tony D, they have a lot more soul and even some quirky pop/ reggae sounds along the lines of Sublime on tracks like “Je Nah Say Kwah.”
The CD begins on a high note with “ You Make A Mess,” and they keep the energy up from beginning to end.
That baritone guitar just sticks in your gut and it is always a pleasure to hear Marriner’s mind blowing harp. He also has an appealing voice which sounds like a mix of Kenny Loggins and Richard Marx.
“Once Had Wings is a slower, more tender, but dark Delta blues style number.
They shine when they turn things up on the ultimately catchy “ Say What,” with the huge sing along chorus “ All Night Long” and a sizzling guitar solo.
I also love the groove of “Sirens in the Night.”
The last track “Swank,” is a beautiful organ powered jam that borrows a few bars of the Sanford and Sons TV theme, then allows everyone to play tasteful solos.
Band: MonkeyJunk
Genre: Blues
