Doug
Duffey and BADD’s sophomore album, Play The Blues, is deeply rooted in
regional blues and flavored with a pinch of Memphis Rock-N-Soul. Duffey’s vivid
lyrics tell stories from his real-life experiences of lost love, spirituality
and Voodoo, and even nosey neighbors. The grooves are infectious, the solos
soar, and the singing cuts deep into the soul of the listener. Multi
award-winning Doug Duffey and BADD are a North Louisiana-based quartet
specializing in 100% original bayou funk, swampadelic, bluesiana and Delta soul
music. Duffey is joined by Ben Ford, Adam Ryland and Dan Sumner, who also
co-wrote some of the songs. Together they form the rhythm section of the
award-winning, Louisiana Soul Revival featuring Doug Duffey and they are the
house band at Fort Sumner Studios in Monroe, LA.
This
fine collection of rockin’ blues, soul and classic R&B adds to that legacy
and proves he and his BADD cohorts were indeed born to Play The Blues. Influenced
by old school 70’s funk and soul classics, as well as their native regional New
Orleans funk, Memphis Soul, Louisiana R&B, and Louisiana Delta blues,
they’ve recycled, refried, re-funked, redefined and repackaged it all into
their own personal post-modern slammin’ jams.
The
nine original tunes on Play The Blues open with a classic blues shuffle,
“The Things We Used To Do,” borrowing from the1950’s Guitar Slim standard.
Duffey puts his own spin on living through hard times and looking back on the
good old days setting the tone and delivering the message that these veteran
players are indeed here to “play the blues.”
The
radio ready track “Evil” finds Duffey professing his love for a Black Magic
Woman over a smooth Louisiana R&B groove that flows into the mournful
twelve-bar “Big Easy Street Blues,” delivering pure barrelhouse piano, soulful
vocals, and sweet guitar leads from Sumner. Duffey then demonstrates his
lifelong study of Professor Longhair and Dr. John on the rolling “Have You
Ever.”
As
the title suggests, “Drink It On Down” is a swampy barroom rock party anchored
by Sumner’s gritty guitar. The shifting groove and jazz overtones flavor the
tense view of a troublesome world in “My Driving Wheel.” Duffey then takes time
to rant about the nosey neighbors, who are jealous about his clandestine love
affair that is the “Talk Of The Town.” He lists all the virtues of his lady
“that make an old man feel young” on the uplifting ramble “You Got That
Something.” The closing track, “A Memory Left To Lose,” begins as a sparse
piano and guitar duet that builds into a soaring fully orchestrated ballad full
of emotional intensity and harmonic artistry.
Born
in Monroe, Louisiana, in the Mississippi Delta, Doug Duffey has been singing,
playing piano, and composing professionally since childhood and has recorded
over a dozen albums since his first single in1970. Doug Duffey’s first single,
recorded in Nashville in 1970, was chosen by Billboard, Cashbox and Record
World as “Pick Hit” and broke into the top 100 charts. He moved to
Hollywood In his early 20s where Backstage Management managed him. Duffey has
written songs for and/or recorded with George Clinton, Funkadelic, Rare Earth,
Bootsy Collins, Keith Richards, Herbie Hancock, David Byrne, Maceo Parker,
Anders Osborne, Little Queenie, Marcia Ball, Zakiya Hooker, and other Louisiana
and international artists.
He
has been called “one of the most prolific songwriters living in
Louisiana” and has recorded 11albums of original material to date. His
vast multi-genre catalog of material contains not only songs, but also instrumental
and improvisational works. A poetic lyricist, his songs are intelligent,
intellectual, sophisticated and soulful, whether solo or with full production;
on record or performed live.