JP Soars feat. Anne Harris - Gypsy Blue Revue

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:55:19 
Size:127,5 MB 
Label:Forty Below Records
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Jessie Mae -  4:13
 2. Go With The Flow -  5:19
 3. Viper -  4:55
 4. Paradise -  2:51
 5. Goin' To South Carolina -  4:32
 6. May Mountain Waltz -  2:23
 7. Old Silver Bridge -  6:13
 8. Minor Blues -  6:22
 9. Cigar Box Jam - 18:27

It’s the perfect time to release an album that invokes the happy, lazy days of summer. And Gypsy Blue Revue plans on doing just that on May 29. JP Soars and the Red Hots is one of the tightest, most talented trios on the music scene today. As a follow-up to last year’s Brick By Brick, the group set their sights on a new project this spring.Soars is a guitar virtuoso, excelling in a number of instruments. On this album he contributes electric guitars, Merlin Stick Dulcimer, two-string Cigar Box guitar, acoustic guitars, Cavaquinho, dobro, lap steel, slide guitar, cowbell, shekere, whistle and vocals. ‘Underrated’ is not descriptive enough of his seemingly unlimited artistry.Drummer Chris Peet and bassist Cleveland Frederick both possess timing and talent that rival any rhythm section in the business today.Although they have been teaming up in live performances for a number of years, this is their first recording with Anne Harris, an accomplished violin and mandolin player. All four are critically acclaimed for their ability to blend gypsy jazz, blues, and southern rock.Harris is a much-in-demand performer who appears solo and with groups Cracker and Halo Rider. Harris also just finished a tour accompanying legends Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal (TajMo). A second tour has just been announced. She also spent some time touring with Otis Taylor, among others.The collaboration, known as the Gypsy Blue Revue, creates a sizzling, jaw-dropping live show and this self-titled recording was inevitable.The album, Gypsy Blue Revue, includes five exceptional instrumental pieces laying bare the raw talent of these five remarkable musicians. (Mixed and mastered by Jeremy Staska, he also contributes shakers and tambourine.) Seven of the pieces were written by Soars. For “Jessie Mae,” he provided music for lyrics by Rev. Billy C Wirtz.Soars told Blues Rock Review (BRR), “We approached it (the album) exactly like a show. We wanted it to sound like we do live. We recorded all together in the same room with very minimal overdubs and no click track.”Harris added, “We’re excited about this new album; to finally record together. JP is one of my favorite people on the planet and an amazing artist.”
The opener “Jessie Mae” is a swampy, southern example of Soars’s ability to combine storytelling with highlighted solos as his slide guitar yields to Harris’s fiddle, and back again. An accompanying release explains, “’Jessie Mae’ transforms a real-life encounter with Hill Country blues legend Jessie Mae Hemphill into a tale of strength, humor, and authenticity.” Soars added, “I was lucky enough to meet her, and this song is for her.”
“Go With The Flow,” the first instrumental, begins with the attention-getting, driving tom-toms of Peet. Soars delivers a clean virtuoso guitar passage before Harris seamlessly joins in on fiddle with a brief rendition of “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” deftly inserted. It is a brilliant and bright piece, aided considerably by Frederick’s solid bouncy rhythms driving it forward.
“Viper” is a live-show favorite that effectively conjures up the image of a couple engaged in a tango in a smoke-filled night club in some exotic land. It is filled with attitude and drama. The release notes offer; “Viper is a cautionary narrative inspired by a friend’s romantic misadventure, warning against getting involved with someone who’s nothing but trouble.”
“Paradise” is another instrumental showcase as Soars demonstrates his versatility with some sensational work on the Cavaquinho (a four-stringed Portuguese instrument) and, once again, Harris matches his contribution on fiddle in this Latin-influenced piece.
“Goin’ to South Carolina” is tinted with the hue of bluegrass and is a perfect lazy, summertime piece. With a nostalgic nod to Arkansas, where Soars grew up, it mentions apple pie, Saturday night dances and porch swings, conjuring the carefree image of man who knows what’s important.
Harris has a background in dance and during live performances it’s obvious her body is a conduit, transforming fluid cosmic energy into her distinctive music. Classically trained as a youngster, Harris told BRR, “I knew that wasn’t going to work because they wanted me to stand still and I just can’t do that.”
Her own composition “May Mountain,” offering a Celtic feel, is a beautiful, stunning piece of violin work, providing a transcendently uplifting showcase for Harris and she contributes with mandolin on this one as well.
“Old Silver Bridge” features Soars playing Merlin Stick Dulcimer, married perfectly to Harris’s sweet fiddle. This song shifts to autumn recollections. Soars, an avid fisherman, is able to impart to the listener — with remarkable acuity — the joy he experiences lazing by a tranquil river. During these unsettled times, the lyrics and music here impart warmth and hope. There’s a line that says, ‘Everything’s going to be just fine,’ and, at least for the 58-minute duration of the 9-track album, you believe they just might be.
“Minor Blues,” a Django Reinhardt original, best showcases Soars’s remarkable guitar abilities as he presents a bold and innovative arrangement. Starting with a sweet, slow duet between Soars and Harris, the piece shifts gears and launches into brilliant guitar and fiddle virtuosity. Frederick displays his mastery of jazz and he and Peet provide a sharp and memorable bridge to the final few bars.
“Cigar Box Jam” features an opening that builds suspense like a well-crafted movie. It is a rousing, high-energy instrumental that often closes their live performances. And, as in any live closer, it includes a featured section for each artist, including a superb performance from Peet.
Overall, this is a great recording, best served by a listener who provides a quiet respite to give it the attention it deserves and to welcome the restorative elements it returns.

Gypsy Blue Revue