Albert Cummings – Live at the ’62 Center

Artist: Albert Cummings

Album: Live at the ’62 Center

Label: Ivy Music Company

Website: http://albertcummings.com/

Genre: Blues

Sounds Like: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton

Best Songs: Lonely Bed, Cry Me a River, Found You

Strengths: Rapid fire, tasty, whaling blues guitar with piercing lead vocals

Weaknesses: Low-end mix is somewhat lacking, rather notey, perhaps somewhat indulgent

REVIEW:

Albert Cummings is a blues singer and guitarist from Massachusetts who has the distinction of working with some of the most significant figures in the history of modern blues music. With six studio albums released to date, Cummings has played alongside the likes of B.B. King, Johnny Winter, and Buddy Guy. Cummings’ 2003 release, titled From the Heart, features the rhythm section from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band, Double Trouble. Cummings’ record was the first project Double Trouble elected to participate in after the death of their legendary front man. Having worked with famous producers such as Jim Gaines and David Z., Cummings’ albums have experienced myriad success, such as his 2012 release, No Regrets, debuting at #1 on the iTunes music charts both nationally and internationally. This album, titled Live at the ’62 Center, was recorded last October in Williamstown, Massachusetts and is to be released next week, December 5^th, in a variety of formats (CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.).

The heavy Stevie Ray Vaughan influence in Cummings’ playing is as immediate as it is striking. From a technical standpoint, Cummings appears to have reached a level of blues-based guitar virtuosity that leaves little in comparison, perhaps only to that of his obvious, late predecessor. The guitar sound on these twelve tracks is simply fantastic, especially when considering the general “hit-and-miss” nature that goes along with attempting to record and produce an album that is completely and genuinely live. This guy is good, no question about it. Serious chops. Dangerous. There are almost no mistakes whatsoever, and Cummings is capable of perpetrating licks so tasty that it leaves one to questioning whether or not the man somehow found a definitive, long lost sixth note in the blues scale. Make no mistake, this isn’t Stevie Ray Vaughan/Clapton-esq blues nirvana, the vibe simply isn’t the same; but that being said, it’s damn close. Probably as close as you can get. The tone on that strat is astounding to the point where it should border on civil legality. Cummings’ strat is thick, fat, and heavy, yet still full of its signature twang and sparkle. The sheer level of swat and crunch he can get on some of those hanging bends makes one believe for a second that it is actually Stevie Ray Vaughan playing. Cummings’ vibrato is equally as savage. Not only is his sound piercing and tasty, but it’s also quite diverse; listen for the many occasions throughout the album where Cummings’ flips through his pickups, some of the tonal combinations between the neck and bridge are so massively different that one could mistake them for a different guitar. It might be prudent to note that one of Cummings’ principle unique facets as a guitarist which separates him from a Vaughan or a Clapton is his rather custom pickup configuration. One of the greatest tracks on this record is the ninth, titled “Cry Me a River”. Although the tune ends up inevitably releasing into a flurry of blues shred like the majority of his songs, some of the greatest licks on the album come from the beginning half of this piece. So many people are amazed by the shred, and they should be, no argument there. Shedding is cool. However, one of the better sides of Cummings playing is the tastiness that he demonstrates on the first half of “Cry Me A River”. It’s the ability to play only a few notes, but wring them for everything they have, to create a theme, go with it, let the sound itself to the talking, hold the note, let it ring out, etc. It is during those moments in which Cummings’ playing is most enjoyable and insightful. Cummings is a very good blues singer, possessing all the necessary assets that confirm such a categorization. He has power, control, is dynamic, and doesn’t overdo the vibrato. No gimmicks. His voice is comparable midway to Clapton and Vaughan. Not quite as hot as Vaughan’s, but not quite as mellow as Clapton’s. Overall, Cummings’ performance couldn’t have been much better.

There’s a reason why no comparisons have been made between Cummings and earlier generation blues men like B.B King, Buddy Guy, or Albert King. While there certainly are moments in this performance where Cummings highlights a knack for tasty riffage, the reality is that most of the time, the guy is rapid-fire, smoke the board, add five-hundred notes to this fill before the next verse kind of guitar playing. His stuff is just too notey to be on par with Buddy Guy or B.B. King, and takes more influence from their rock n’ roll loving successors like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton. Make no mistake, it’s hard to blame the guy. It’s a live performance, the adrenaline is flowing like a river, everyone’s having fun, and it isn’t fair to rain on a parade like that. However, if a discussion of the greats, or at least a comparison to them, is really pertinent given Cummings’ proficiency and musicianship, it can probably be said that the performance certainly lacked a touch of restraint. Some of the fills are bordering on wild spray, and giving a few more of the songs some extra time to breath would have done the record good. Cummings only gave his piano player one solo on the track “Up Your Sleeve”, an uptempo blues tune that has a rhythm similar to “Pride and Joy”. Yes, it’s his band, it’s his show. No question. However, one of the most important things a musician can learn, even an amazing player, is to share the love and stage with everyone. This principle is massively important and separates the esteemed virtuoso from the wise, capable, and mature artist. As another example, the low-end to this record is somewhat disappointing. Of course, it is a live album, and by nature not everything is going to be perfect, but that being said, it was a challenge to hear the bass. The drums are basically just snare and crash cymbal. Cummings is a brilliant guitarist and a great singer, no question. He’s done it, congratulations. It would have been nice, however, if the other musicians had their chance to prove where they were at with their skills, too, even if for a very small fraction of the time.

Live at the ’62 Center, is a fantastic album, showcasing the talents of an accomplished and creative guitarist and singer who has honed his skills down to a razor sharp point. Listening to this album makes it understandable why Double Trouble would want to play with Albert Cummings. The proficiency is incredible, the singing is very convincing, the riffage is dynamic, the tone is absolutely ridiculous, and the songs are good. Way to go, congratulations, an excellent album, Cummings is the man. He definitively deserves to be working with the people he is working with because he is a blues master. Sometimes, however, part of being the king of something is knowing when to give your crown to someone else for a while. It was difficult to hear any of that really going on during this live performance. A great player, but perhaps not the greatest at sharing.

Mindy McCall