Darrell Nulisch - The Whole Truth (1998)

This disc blurs the boundaries between soul music and the blues even further for this hot Texas singer, who was raised in the Dallas area listening to all that Texas has to offer. Now based in Boston, this singer runs the whole gamut of emotions with his experienced and well-traveled tenor voice. He has also put together a crack band that stays with the song wherever it goes. Be it deep-down Chicago-style blues as on "At-Cha-Mama-Nims," a harmonica-driven instrumental, which he penned with his long time bassist, Steve Gomes; or the fantastic cover of R.C. Hammond's "There Goes That Train," a slow Southern soul/blues cut that leads off this disc. Nulisch has served his time and his resume is impressive, being the singer both for Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and for Anson Funderburg and the Rockets, as well as his own band Texas Heat. He is well-traveled, and his voice is expressive, capable of wringing out all the emotional angst that there is to be had in a song. His harp work is better than average and truly shines on "Like Reed." The album stays together very well until you come to the last cut, "Lyla Tov (Good Night)," a jazzy noodling that seems out of place. Also this disc gives notice that Jon Moeller, who handles the guitar work, is going to a force to be reckoned with in the future. Just give a listen to George "Harmonica" Smith's "Telephone Blues" and try to convince someone that this sizzling work won't be shining somewhere in the future. The band is good and does justice to the fine material picked out for your aural pleasure.