Review: Brothers Brown ‘Nowhere Left To Go’
By Jim Hynes
The bluesy roots and jam band, Brothers Brown, deliver their sophomore effort with Nowhere Left To Go. The two “brothers” who front the unit, met at the Grammys so it’s a bit of serendipity that brought them together. L.A. based singer-songwriter guitarist Paul Brown who has won two Grammys and produced more than 60 number one singles for the likes of George Benson, Al Jarreau, and Norman Brown, teams with Memphis-born, Nashville-based Grammy nominee and keyboardist, Brother Paul Brown (Waterboys).
Brother Paul also has over a two-decade history as a close associate of Bobby Rush, having produced four albums, garnering three BMAs, and a Grammy nomination for Down in Louisiana. The rest of the band share glowing credentials as well. They are Nashville-based bassist and primary vocalist David Santos (Billy Joel, John Fogerty, Elton John) and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Peter Young (Loretta Lynn, The Burrito Brothers). Nowhere Left To Go follows the band’s 2016 debut, Dusty Road.
The eye-catching retro, psychedelic cover signals jam band, although there is only one long extended cut. The other dozen tracks weave a bluesy edge through elements of roots, country, and edgy rock through a combination of vocal and instrumental tunes, highlighted by the title track which features Bobby Rush on vocals. Given the wide-ranging pedigrees of this quartet, they move freely through these tunes.
Opener “Wrong Side of Town” is a dark, country hued tale about a man who finds himself alone in a strange place missing his love and wallowing in the guilt of having ruined the relationship. Paul’s stinging blues guitar is prominent in “Junior’s Back,” one of those sing-alongs, let-the-wind-blow-back-your-hair driving songs replete with Brother Paul’s searing Moog solo, nodding to his early love of prog-rock giants Foreigner and Pink Floyd. Young’s background vocals mesh perfectly with Santos in this anthemic track that would fit perfectly on late ‘70s/early ‘80s FM radio. The vocal harmonies of the group are on display in the standout gospel hymn “High on the Mountain” (“Let’s all get high on the mountain, let the world just slip away”) as guitarist Paul and organist Paul shine both in solos and in the instrumental fills.
“Nowhere Left To Go”
The heart of the album is the dark blues songs. “Runnin’ Blues” is a slow confessional haunting tune wherein the narrator is desperately trying to escape his past, featuring tasty guitar from Paul. In a similar vein the piercing, funky title track is about one who has lost everything and is very near the end. Having the 90-year-old Rush, singing “the people I used to know, they just disappeared” is an especially effective touch. Yet, listen closely and there’s faint glimmers of hope in these lyrics too as Rush sings together with Santos. “Brand New Day,” with its tight bass and drum groove, is a tantalizing slow earthy blues again with the protagonist ruminating about a dissolved relationship, struggling to find the resilience to begin anew, featuring stellar guitar and keys from the Browns and vocals from all four. The swampy, dark “Snakehole Road” is a cautionary tale about staying away from those tempting dens of iniquity. The driving “Black and Blue” is a blues rocker about a man scorned by a woman who cheats on him, robs him, leaving him abandoned and alone at night.
Three more distinct blues tunes grace the album beginning with the upbeat “My Baby,” (an original, not a Willie Dixon cover. The up-tempo “Watcha Gonna Do,” like so many of the others, is about picking oneself up after a breakup, but with a much brighter sheen. “Give Me One Reason” is more of a flat-out rocker with bluesy guitar licks as it essays two partners no longer in love as the narrator just can’t let go, having a conversation with himself.
The instrumentals include the vibrant, up-tempo “Chitlin’ Pickin’,” one of the first songs the band ever wrote together that has searing turns from the brothers Paul and the lengthy Allman-esque, slow gradually building “Fifteen Minutes” that gives each band member the chance to stretch out.
The glowing resumes of the four members would alone likely produce a musically rich, genre-crossing album, but the songwriting craft and the many strong vocal performances make for an especially powerful statement. Nowhere Left to Go is a keeper!
Order link for Nowhere Left To Go HERE
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