The spiritual journey of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters-JUST FOR TODAY..CD REVIEW

It could be said that if John Lee Hooker was The Healer, then Ronnie Earl and his great band The Broadcasters are spiritual messengers.

And the message they deliver on Just For Today the group’s latest album is a throwback to the days when B.B. King’s Live At The Regal or John Coltrane’s Live At Birdland ruled your record collection.

What those albums did was showcase the players, the intimate venue and mood.

The ambience Earl and the Broadcasters dish out recorded live at three venues on this album has that same kind of vibe. In one word Special.

The audience is really listening and the band delivers.

Blues for Celia has Earl’s reverb spiked Fender Stratocaster gently pulling and pushing the song so that the audience is almost eavesdropping as the Broadcasters move in, while Miracle’s almost Neil Young’s Like A Hurricane’s progression has drummer Lorne Entress  pushing the groove to Earl and the band.

If the band has a secret weapon then keyboard player Dave Limina qualifies throughout the album. His distorted organ solo on John Coltrane’s Equinox just smokes, while his piano work on his own Vernice’s Boogie grabs the groove and does not let go.

Entress and bassist Jim Mouradian play with class and their support on the gentle Pastorale and the track Blues for Hubert Sumlin run the gamut of cool dynamics.

Throughout this album Ronnie Earl’s exquisite guitar tone and chops gives testament to the fact what you play comes from your heart and flows out through your fingers and above all your soul.

Every once in a while they make recordings like this. And this is one of those times.

JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist, radio host and songwriter/musician with
Canadian Blues Rockers THE SHAFTMEN who’s third all original blues/soul recording is almost ready to go. www.theshaftmen.com