Speaking of tributes (as we were in our previous post regarding Misty Blues’ upcoming tribute album to Odetta), here’s one from a recently released Blues Brothers tribute album from another band with which we weren’t familiar until now: the B. Christopher Band.
You’ll hear a number of your Blues Brothers favorites on the band’s 106 Miles to Chicago (a title inspired by a famous line from the movie where Elwood says “It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses”), from the stop-starting, attention-getting “Hey Bartender” that opens the album to the lively instrumental “I Can’t Turn You Loose” and the trudging “She Caught the Katy,” filled here with Sonny Landreth-like slide guitar licks from Christopher and thick harp from guest Studebaker John. As big Spencer Davis Band fans, it wasn’t easy for us to choose to highlight anything over the full-throttle “Gimme Some Lovin'” (a testament to just how good the track we chose is), but the addition of a smoking slide guitar solo on top of the swinging horns and rich background vocals you expect on the song helped seal the deal on our spotlighting this one, the band’s take on the Blues Brothers’ own high energy version of Solomon Burke’s “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”…
“Hit it!”*
If you’re looking for more reason to check this album out, we can give you several, in the form of some well-known guests: in addition to the aforementioned Studebaker John, Bruce Katz plays piano and Anton Fig, drums, on all of the tracks, with original Blues Brothers Band member Tom “Bones” Malone joining the horn section on “Gimme Some Lovin'”.
Though certainly entertaining, we recognize that Blues Brothers music isn’t always the most respected of material. But the band’s performance here, which they pretty much nail, makes them plenty deserving of a closer listen. So we checked out a couple of their other recordings as well, and were equally, if not even more, impressed with albums such as their Snapshots from the Second Floor and Two Rivers Back, which at times offered shades of sounds like those from the likes of Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, and Albert Castiglia.
All of which is to say, with just seven tracks on 106 Miles to Chicago, we really wouldn’t mind them getting the band back together for a sequel!
*(Jake’s response to Elwood’s 106 miles line, for those who may not be familiar with the movie)