Legendary trio of roots-rock musicians get together for a rollicking, fine debut.
Considering their musical backgrounds, you could label Lester Winchester McKendree as a latent supergroup. Jimmy Lester is a first-class drummer who played in Los Straitjackets and also with Webb Wilder’s and Billy Joe Shaver’s bands. Not known for being a flashy drummer, he was certainly high-energy with retro and surf-era rockers Los Straitjackets.
Mark Winchester, who wrote and sang the songs on They Got It All, the group’s new album, has more of a profile than Lester as an upright slap bass player, and also a very inventive one. For their new project, he plays an electric bass converted to only 2 strings, which creates a rather different sonic landscape, one he discovered while watching Mark Sandman of Morphine. He played with Emmylou Harris’s Nash Ramblers for a while, then was invited to join The Brian Setzer Orchestra. As the songwriter and lead singer, Winchester is the creative driving force behind the new group.
Kevin McKendree has perhaps the highest profile of the trio, as a famed keyboardist who worked with Lee Roy Parnell, Brian Setzer (with Winchester during the Rockabilly Riot phase), and as a member of Delbert McClinton’s band for a prolonged period. He and Winchester also played with the late lamented blues guitarist Mike Henderson at the Bluebird Café in Nashville. He is also a producer and owner of the studio where They Got It All was recorded (in two days) in Nashville.
So the overlapping experiences and performing together with Garry Tallent persuaded them to join forces on a retro roots rock album with firm nods to surf rock, boogie-woogie, roadhouse rock and rockabilly. The chemistry between the three is probably to be expected, and the fusion of keyboards and a 2-string bass, which sounds like a hybrid rhythm guitar/bass, makes for an interesting dynamic. The two-day recording session inevitably has meant that the album has the feel of a live recording, and there are no embellishments to sugarcoat the music. This is very well-played roots rock from expert musicians, and although Winchester’s voice is nothing to write home about, it suits the music and lyrics that are both serious and humorous. The album doesn’t push any boundaries; the overall feel being of an unostentatious outing of guys who enjoy the collective vibe that their music produces.
So, a drum/bass/piano trio in the americana genre. Surprisingly, it works. While Lester drives the music along at pace, McKendree uses his keyboard skills to punctuate the inventive and melodic bass playing of Winchester. The album kicks off with a slightly swinging, Latin-ish I’m No Amateur, with organ swells behind the rhythm guitar/bass and then a short, pretty electric piano solo, and keys in the background. The song perhaps takes a sly look at the desire of seasoned professionals to sell their music and get paid for it. Delaney & the Ditch is a humorous look at blue-collar work, in a rollicking rockabilly homage to the Brian Setzer days. Later, there is another short, high-energy retro rocker: My Baby’s Carburettor has amusing innuendo, with lyrics wrapped either side of a scintillating piano solo and Jerry Lee Lewis-style backing. The title track has a nice clip-clop sound with an interesting bass riff and solo, and the track about breaking free from negativity, Bad Mantras, has a great rhythmic groove. A couple of instrumentals punctuate the narratives; Surf the Allman Ballroom is a fine example of the 2-string bass effect, with some neat riffs. The closing track, Along with the Sunshine, is an even better example of a melodic, slower tune with rain-type effects to complement the title. This is a nice laid-back ‘coastal’ piece, with bass to the fore and some sparkling piano and keyboard inserts behind.
If the retro sound is your thing, you’ll find plenty to enjoy on this, rather short but beautifully played, energetic, no-nonsense album.
