Rhythm Krewe - Unfinished Business (2023) Hi Res

Southern California band Rhythm Krewe began as Floyd & the Flyboys in 1990, when guitarist/singer/songwriter Steve Zelman assembled a nine-piece horn band made up of first-class players on every instrument. Reading Credits is like a Who's Who of the music industry, including artists who have performed/recorded with Ray Charles, Santana, Tower of Power, The Temptations, Lyle Lovett, the Eagles, Brian Setzer and more. The release of their debut album, Unfinished Business, features nine original songs written by Zelman, as well as covers of songs (recorded) by Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Professor Longhair, and James Cotton, all with elaborate horn arrangements and great instrumental performances on a stretch of traditional blues, swing, jump blues and soul tracks.

The 1950s jump blues classic, "She Moves Me," from the Johnny "Guitar" Watson catalog, opens the album with punchy horn punches that emphasize Steve Z's adoration and soak up the beat, as we enjoy a round of punchy solos by him and Jim Blazer on piano and tenor saxman Chris Mostert. Gary Coppola steps to the mic for the spicy rhumba “One Hell For Another,” a sordid tale of a hard-working man's struggle to get ahead; in classic style he takes one step forward and then two steps back. Steve Z's swampy guitar riff sets the palette for southern flavor with a song about love and devotion "Little Bit Of Heaven." "Better Late Than Never" is a lovely blues about a man who is head over heels in love and cheers everyone on to do the same. Coppola digs deep into the piano-driven 12-bar blues “Time Of Day,” testifying to unrequited love given freely by his tortured soul.

The band frames James Cotton's "She's Murder" as a hot Chicago shuffle that depicts a dangerously beautiful woman, prowling through Steve Z's heart before pleading his case with an ice pick-esque guitar solo. Appropriately, piano and guitar introduce us to Professor Longhair's blues rhumba 'Her Mind Is Gone', then borrow a bit from Albert King's 'Don't You Lie To Me', mixing them with the playful lyrics that joke about the fairer sex. The greasy shuffle, “Prescription For Disaster,” finds guest vocalist David Morgan playing the role of the man who has been assaulted by a lecherous woman. The salsa-infused "Wild Love" features some nice drumming from Danny Pucillo, Jr. and slick organ sounds by Jim Blazer. The title track, “Unfinished Business,” mixes all the elements of big band blues together: expansive vocals, big guitar work and heavy horns for a simmering showstopper. Steve Z softens the mood on the blues confessional "Sweet Surrender" before he and Coppola share the mic for the upbeat "Monkey Toes" which starts off gently swinging and builds to a Bo Diddley beat finale.

Writing and arranging for a nine-piece band is a difficult task in any genre. Staying true to the traditional forms of classic blues and soul is a labor of love and that's what the Rhythm Krewe have taken on with panache.