I have been waiting for Alvin & the band to put out a second CD, I really enjoyed their first one. The band name has changed, formally billed as Alvin Jett & The Hired Help, their first disc was more of a rockin' / jammin / jazzy / James Brown sound. Wet My Beak has a different and more bluesy sound, you can still hear some of the former style but this one is definitely different. There's a few reasons that this CD sounds different, first and best is Alvin does all the vocals. I don't know why he wasn't singing too much on their first disc, he has a super voice for blues & soul, it's big, deep and has a warm sound. If I had to describe his voice I would say it has an Albert King quality, it's not exactly the same but it's as close as I can get. The second reason for the new sound is it seems that Alvin let The Hired Help go. The good news is Frank Bauer the sax man stayed on. One of the comments I have heard many times about the first disc was "who's blowing that sax", Frank's sax adds a lot to this disc too. Reason three, their first CD had mostly covers and a couple originals, this one is all originals.

This one starts off on a good note, What Must A Player Do is a fine sounding tune, it's good blues with a touch of jazz, a song about the hard life of a bluesman. The second cut is my personal favorite, Bluesman is a super tune that I can't ever seem to get tired of, it's just too cool. This song has an irresistible beat and guitar riff that's great, it does take a short detour for a quick jam about ¾ of the way through then falls back into the same groove. I really can't compare this song to another, it's fresh but kind of familiar at the same time, I like it. When I hear Coming My Way I think Memphis, it just has that classic blues/soul sound that sounds so smooth and pleasant. I would say the same for I Got My Pride, it too has that southern soul sound.

Your Blues Ain't Like Mine is slow and classy yet powerful, it's sort of like Jimmy Whitherspoon meets BB King, pretty smooth stuff. The title track,
Wet My Beak goes back toward the direction of their first CD. This track has a modern funky, jazz fusion sort of sound. Alvin gets a little risqué on East Side Women a fun little song that is pleasant to listen to and will put a grin on your face too. How Long is a song with a message, the style is like blues put to a rock beat and the message is a good one. The final track takes a turn back to funk & jazz, Phat Noiz is basically an all out jam with few words, a nice ending to a fine album.

I would say this second CD from Alvin and the band is one of the best things I have heard since their last CD. I do believe they're just getting better with age. This CD has ten tracks, mostly blues with some other good sounds mixed in, I like it and I think you will too. I ain't real hip but I think Phat Noiz says it well.

Chris Puyear - moblues.org