Larry Thurston - School For Fools: Songs Of Jeff Alexander (2002)

School For Fools is a unique collaboration between a handful of talents, including songwriter Jeff Alexander and vocalist Larry Thurston. The sessions, recorded in St. Louis, feature a veritable blues who's-who of the Show-Me State. Legendary pianist Johnnie Johnson sits in on a couple of songs (the cautionary blues Warning Shot and the rockin' Happy Hour), while Tom Maloney and Rich McDonough handle the guitar duties on the majority of these 12 tracks. Arkansas Barnburner ­ and former Band drummer ­ Levon Helm provides the steady back beat, along with bassist Gus Thornton (alumnus of Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan's bands), while such special guests as guitarist Arthur Nielson and pianist Dona Oxford (both of Shemekia Copeland's band) add some spice to this musical recipe.

Thurston ­ the onetime frontman for Matt "Guitar" Murphy, and, more prominently, the Blues Brothers ­ has his act down pat. Handpicked by songwriter, arranger, and producer Jeff Alexander for his versatility, the singer ably swings and struts through gruff Chicago blues and West Coast R&B with energy to spare. From the hard-hitting soul of the title track on through the energetic closer Blues To Go, Thurston proves his flexibility again and again, vamping on tunes like the R&B bounce Blues For Brooklyn then turning on the faucets for such straight blues weepers as the Delta-tinged 12-bar Lost Dog Blues and the axe-grinding Gravediggin' Man.

But the real visionary on School For Fools is Jeff Alexander. Employing more than a dozen musicians for these sessions, Alexander has managed to make a nifty album that more than adequately showcases his talents as a songwriter and arranger. With tunes that harken back to the glory days of Stax and Malaco ­ and a crackerjack band to perform them ­ Alexander manages to bring that classic soul-blues sound into the 21st Century. ~Andria Lisle

Don't Stop Reading Now!

"It is time for America to hear Larry Thurston sing again." ~Levon Helm. (A man who knows a thing or two about singing.)

Former Blues Brother frontman Larry Thurston returns!

Joined by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legends Levon Helm (drums), and Johnnie Johnson (piano), and an array of world class blues veterans from St. Louis and New York, Larry sings 12 original songs by songwriter/producer Jeff Alexander.

Honest music!
A wide range of blues, from old school deep south, Chicago, West Coast, to rhythm & blues, a Louis Jordan style rap, up to one that boogies some and one that may be a little jazz inflected. Solid from beginning to end.

Larry Thurston does not just sing these songs. Larry lives the songs. Believable and genuine, Larry performs with a combination of intensity, playfulness, and dignity that is uncommon.