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The Gamble Brothers Band's Bottom-Heavy Musical Gumbo. from the Memphis Flyer, October 17, 2003 by Chris Herrington The Gamble Brothers Band is on a roll. Earlier this year, the local four-piece took home over $35,000 in prizes by beating out 1,200 other bands in the Billboard-sponsored Independent Musicians World Series in Nashville. And now they've followed up their strong debut, last year's 10 Lbs of Hum, with the even more impressive Back to the Bottom (Archer Records; A-). As perhaps the most dynamic act in a compelling Archer Records stable (which boasts jazz singer Kelley Hurt, classical guitarist Lily Afshar, and folk stalwart Sid Selvidge), the Gamble Brothers Band emerges on Back to the Bottom as a band whose celebrated live reputation is equaled by its ability to fashion radio-friendly studio music. While the band's sound is generally compared locally to Memphis soul (Booker T. & the MGs) and New Orleans funk (The Meters), which are acknowledged foundations, Back to the Bottom, ably produced by Ross Rice, sounds more like classic '70s radio rock -- and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. The band's jazz chops signify Steely Dan while the soulful vocals are blue-eyed R&B in the Van Morrison tradition. A couple of instrumentals aside, the well-structured songwriting here is something few groove- or jam-oriented bands could match (the strong originals spiked by an ace cover of Randy Newman's "Little Criminals"). The record is given cohesion by a trio of standout cuts that examine and celebrate the band's own music. The relaxation-friendly "Tiki Bar" imagines an oasis where the Gambles are always the house band, and they "don't need no damn guitar." "Land of Soul" might be their anthem, a tribute to the musical gumbo of Memphis-Muscle Shoals-New Orleans, which lifts off with a series of rhyming exhortations: "From the shores of Alabama over to the Bluff City," "The downhome sound is the thing for me," "Ain't no place I'd rather be," "Otis, Rufus, and Booker T.," etc. But best of all is the lead single, "Record Store," which is both a joyful hymn to the band's own work ("I got a song to sing/It's got words and everything/For what it's worth and a little more/I'll put it in the record store") and the best testament yet to the band's ability to unite jazz chops, soul feel, and pop songwriting. You can hear all those elements come together when Art Edmaiston's sax leads the band out of the taut, jazz-heavy music on the verses into a welcoming, soulful sing-along chorus. Given those songs, you might assume that the title track is also self-referential. Well, "Back to the Bottom" isn't really about music, but the message still applies. The perpetually interesting interplay of this band's rhythm section may be its greatest strength. The syncopated rhythms and in-the-pocket groove of drummer Chad Gamble and bass player Will Lowrimore provide a deep, strong foundation for keyboard player Al Gamble and sax-man Edmaiston to play off of. You can see for yourself at the band's next local gig, Friday, October 24th, at Young Avenue Deli. |
