| Bang That Bell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Studio | Ardent | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Evidence Music [1] | |||
| Producer | John Snyder | |||
| Melvin Taylor chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bang That Bell is an album by the American musician Melvin Taylor, released in 2000. [2] [3] He is credited with the Slack Band. [4] Taylor supported the album with a North American tour. [5]
Produced by John Snyder, the album was recorded at Ardent Studios, in Memphis. [6] [7] Though mostly blues, it is marked by more prominent jazz, funk, and rock influences. [8] [9] Eric Gales played guitar on the album; Sugar Blue played harmonica. [7] [10] "Trick Bag" is a cover of the Earl King song. [11] "If You're Goin' to the City" was written by Mose Allison. [12] "Even Trolls Love Rock & Roll" is a cover of the Tony Joe White tune; "A Quitter Never Wins" is by Tinsley Ellis. [13] [14]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| DownBeat | [16] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [17] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [6] |
JazzTimes noted that "for sheer guitar heroics and fretboard flash, it’s hard to beat Melvin Taylor." [11] The Daily Herald opined: "With its cartoonish cover artwork and more party-oriented songs, it sounds specifically tailored to a rock audience impressed by more bland guitar technicians like Kenny Wayne Shepherd." [18] The Star Tribune determined that Taylor's "funk is fiery and fertile, his rock is about punch and substance rather than idle flash, and his jazz detours are potent and legit." [19]
The Toronto Star wrote that "a galloping four-piece group primes Taylor continuously, Norris Johnston making keyboards wail hard, and the boss ... is quick, uses the axe's full range and specializes in hard-bent notes." [20] The Detroit Free Press determined that "Bang That Bell sees him inching closer to Robert Cray territory, where blues meets soul for some serious storytelling." [13] The Dispatch–Argus opined that the Slack Band "are as tight as any band around." [21]
AllMusic wrote that "Taylor is undoubtedly blues-oriented, but his music is also fueled by bursts of jazz, R&B, funk, and distorted wah-wah-inflected rock." [15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bang That Bell" | |
| 2. | "Love Is a Gamble" | |
| 3. | "Another Bad Day" | |
| 4. | "It's Later Than You Think" | |
| 5. | "My Life" | |
| 6. | "Trick Bag" | |
| 7. | "If You're Goin' to the City" | |
| 8. | "Don't Cloud Up on Me" | |
| 9. | "A Quitter Never Wins" | |
| 10. | "Even Trolls Love Rock & Roll" |
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