Robert's Review of Rainy Day Blues by Big Bill & the Cool Tones

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Big Bill & the Cool Tones album Rainy Day Blues is smooth blend of hot blues guitar, cool styled vocals, and big band horns playing rocking blues, funky and sweet R&B songs. This is a cool cat singing about romance and life in pool halls and blues clubs.

Bill Ganaye plays a hot biting guitar with some great solos on "Rainy Day Blues" and "The Money" and is definitely an above average soloist. His voice style is cool and casual even when singing the blues. Sometimes his vocals reminded of Charles Brown but there's also something else going on here. It's a definite contrast to some of his guitar playing but it mostly works. The backing band is solid with some nice piano (Mark Naftalin of the Paul Butterfield Band, Michael Bloomfield , & John Lee Hooker fame) and a tight rhythm section. A big treat is the horn section that blares out throughout the album with a full set of arrangements. Reminiscent of a big band sound this sets the album apart from the normal blues album that may only have simpler horn arrangements that seem to be only add on.

I ordered his CD from MP3.com the new way to order music. For about a third of the price of a regular CD I received both audio and mp3 files. The CD plays on a normal CD player or through a computer using an mp3 player. A version of the standard player WINAMP is contained on the CD. Definitely a way to check out new bands and new music. I listened to some songs on-line and liked it enough to order the CD so I could play it away from the computer - good driving music. Also check out his web site http://www.vom.com/bigbill/andthecooltones.htm.

The album starts hotly with the baritone sax hitting the beat of the up-tempo "A Real Good Women." "Rainy Day Blues" is a highlight of the album with a great guitar solo. The Boulevard " and "The Money" rock out hard while "I know you're waiting" and "Don't shed a tear" are soulful ballads. Fred Lipsius (Blood Sweat & Tears) plays the sax solo on "I Know You're Waiting." "Pool Fool" brings in some humor and blues to the proverbial pool player while "The Mood for Love" is a nice and sexy guitar tune. Big Bill ends the album with an impromptu instrumental where he bites and scratches with a borrowed Wah wah pedal over a steady grove a tune appropriately called "Wah Groove". 

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