The Mercy Brothers - Strange Adventure (2006) [CD Rip]

Personnel:
Barrence Whitfield - vocals
Michael Dinallo - acoustic, electric, baritone guitars
Vidar Busk - electric guitar
Paul Kochanski - acoustic bass
Andy Plaisted - drums and percussion
Tim Taylor - harmonica
Tim Kelly - dobro

Live In Oslo:
Barrence Whitfield - vocals
Michael Dinallo - acoustic & electric guitar
Vidar Busk - electric guitar
Bill Troiani - bass
Martin Windstad - drums

Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. The Mercy Brothers are vocalist extraordinaire Barrence Whitfield and guitarist/producer/songwriter Michael Dinallo.

Strange Adventure is a rather strange mix, that at times shows some great promise and at other times leaves one shaking their head saying, "Why? It's been done so many time before, and with some real passion." That is going to be a key word, you can call it passion, feeling, conviction, or whatever fits your language schema, but there are great lapses of it on this disc. It's funny; Barrence Whitfield's reputation as a soulful singer preceded him, so there was some anticipation when the disc arrived. He can scream and holler with the best of them, however his voice doesn't carry the conviction of any of the top notch, or even the middle level soul or blues singers. It lacks sincerity when he attempts it; his voice carries more sincerity and truth when he is singing and not attempting to be a soul belter, as was Sam Cooke or even Taj Mahal. When he tries for that soulful stretch he loses the solidity and conviction of his voice. Songs such as I Believe I'll Make A Change, or, The New Year Blues, which don't require that stretching of the voice work and are very good. In fact the latter is one of the highlights of the disc with some very nicely balanced guitar playing form Michael Dinallo. On Broke Down Engine, Mr. Whitfield lets his voice slip into what might be called a rough sandpapery blues voice of the tired old singer and doesn't attempt any screams or moans and the sincerity holds up fine, it is a delicate balance and one that is difficult.

The rest of the band is quite good and solid, being led by Michael Dinallo on guitars on all of the sets. The first ten songs were a self released done in the studio, the next six were recorded live in Norway, and the last song is a studio demo. The music is a blending of country blues with the soul side of the R&B spectrum. There is promise however the highlights on this disc a too far apart. ~Bob Gottlieb