Every blues fan knows you have listen to the “old” to find something “new.” It is a precious rarity when the opposite is true and such is the case with Toots Lorraine & The Traffic. The band delivers a focused blend of classic vibe that will drench your soul with the vintage sounds of West Coast Jump Blues and Swing as you board the train for destination “way back” where everything is, well… easy.
Make It Easy was recorded in the blues hub of California at the infamous Greaseland Studios, this record is a phenomenal follow-up to their debut release, Wrapped In Blues, and pays tribute to the ancestry of American Roots music. From Chicago style blues to that west coast jump, you’ll hear a combination of classic blues covers and gripping new originals.
The husband and wife team or Tyra (Toots) and guitarist/producer Chad Dant share the purest of love for the preservation of the blues. Toots Lorraine expertly layers her powerful yet velvety voice amongst the band’s vintage instrumentation and gut bucket grooves. Along with classic blues covers of Big Mama Thornton, Howlin’ Wolf and Big Joe Turner, you’ll also find new originals with a huge story to tell. Along with Toots Lorraine on vocals, musicians on Make It Easy include Chad Dant (guitar, vocals), Kid Andersen (guitar, vocals, bass, piano), Aki Kumar (harmonica), Lorenzo Farrell (piano, organ), June Core (drums) and Mike Phillips (bass).
Toots will take your ticket, let you on board and, as you roll down the tracks, the band will keep your glass filled with just the right measures of hollow body guitars, reverb tanks, upright basses, harmonicas, pianos and organs. And, you will swear to yourself, “I ain’t getting off this train.”
