# New CD – 2024: Randy Lee Riviere – Concrete Blues – Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2024/12/25/new-cd-2024-randy-lee-riviere-concrete-blues-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2024-12-25T00:04:26+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Randy Lee Riviere is anything but an acquired taste – he just deserves a much 
wider exposure. Quietly releasing a slew of recordings – under his own name and 
as Mad Buffalo, his is relatively simple fare. Which is largely its appeal. Great
guitar.**

A tough-sounding lead vocalist. Easily digested lyrics. And a rhythm section who
pulls much more than their expected weight. Concrete Blues follows last year’s Blues
Sky with a bit of a band shuffle. Tom Hambridge replaces usual bandmate Kevin McKendree
as producer, co-writing the title track with Riviere as Kenny Greenberg and Bob 
Britt join on guitars, as Stephen Mackey and Robert Kearns share bass duties while
Mike Rojas tackles keyboards.

Gone, too, are the McCrarys, who distinguished Blues Sky with their distinctive 
backup vocals. This is a different band and whether that’s Hambridge’s doing or 
simply an intentional move to alter his sound, it’s a step backwards in places when
compared with the previous release and, Wyoming, before it.

The Hambridge effect (Susan Tedeschi, Buddy Guy, etc.) appears to be adding a little
flash to the Riviere catalogue, whereas Riviere’s stock-in-trade has traditionally
been the simplicity of his overall sound. Still, Concrete Blues feeds the need for
gutbucket blues-rock guitar coupled with the offbeat accompaniment of a rough-throated
singer together while still managing to come up with a healthy contingent of stand-
out tracks.

“Mania” is an oddity. The expression ‘putting lipstick on a pig’ comes to mind, 
which is also an overly harsh assessment of the lead-off track. What sounds like“
my video” is actually an ode to erratic behaviour and a study in why lyrics should
do more than to provide a rhythmic assist to any song. Added layers of recording
technique come at a cost and the pummelled percussion and ringing, reverbed guitar
is jarringly unexpected.

The next track, “The Wayside,” focuses heavily on Riviere’s vocal, which has never
been the strongest component of the mix. He tends to talk over his music with a 
gruff, whiskey-fired growl which works perfectly – because it fits the music. There’s
some great guitar throughout but this song feels hook-less and somewhat forced.

Electric keyboard is paired with dense layers of guitar on “Change Is Strange” and
the repetitive lyrics seem to go on for too long, despite the plus of backup vocals
and the addition of a Rojas’ piano break midway through. The combined guitar attack
of Riviere, Britt and Greenberg is riveting here – yet there’s nothing close to 
a melody to grab hold of.

“Just Trying To Get Back Home” seems to channel ZZ Top into a danger zone, despite
registering the band’s ability to deliver on a good, basic boogie. Again, largely
melody-free, its haunting guitar excursion barely compensates for what seems like
a lack of imagination.

“Magic Bullet” marks a return to the tried-and-true Riviere recipe which works best.
Washes of B3 are joined by Stones-ish, chiming guitars and the song finds a groove
which builds upon some great band instrumentation, adding heft while making the 
most of Riviere’s straightforward style of vocal.

For those hoping for a little bit of a brighter light, “Stranger In My Head” serves
up a C&W-flavoured twist as Riviere’s vocal takes on an effective and more intimate
feel against an underbelly of fingerpicked guitars with more than a Bakersfield 
hue about them. This feels good and a flash of Exile on Main Street is to be welcomed.
Even Riviere sounds comfortable in this skin with his post-song, in-studio, “Thank
you very much”.

The delightfully aggressive “Thanksgiving” is a page out of the AC/DC songbook, 
with its repetitive phrasing against a wall of angry guitar. The cry of “Liar” seems
to have little to do with Thanksgiving, yet it’s a scrawling rocker of a track and
the sturdy backup vocalists add much to Riviere’s sound. The bass playing is stand-
out and a solid melody sinks its hook as it should.

Tony Joe White can move over with this slinky offering. “Moccasin Lake” is positively
creepy, with its vision of hanging moss, dark water and implied murder and mystery.
Riviere’s vocal works perfectly given the foreboding nature of what seems a cautionary
tale. The combination of Riviere’s deep-down vocal, sheets of B3 and greasy guitar
make this a stand-out.

You’ll find plenty of wicked slide guitar on “Concrete Blues” (co-written with Riviere&
Hambridge) combined with meaty drums and the odd-fitting addition of piano dueling
with what is a guitar-driven rocker. A strange fit, yet this song symbolizes Riviere’s(
a long-time wildlife biologist and warrior for the environment) ongoing battle about
the damage done by man-made dams (concrete) and the resulting cost to natural watersheds.

Another noteworthy track, “Sail On Big John”, pits a wall of low-down guitar against
piano, tom-toms and fat strips of B3. Lord knows what it’s actually about but it
digs deep to create a moody tribute to whoever this Big John might be.

The slow, seductive pace of “It’ll Be Alright” proves alluring – revealing a tender
side to Riviere’s usually gruff vocal. Here, the use of piano fits perfectly while
the bassist prances – artfully – in the background, doing great service to the song.

In addition to my life in music, I’m a wildlife biologist and have worked in various
capacities in this field over time. I’m retired from that now and am focusing on
my little farm and music. I love the American natural landscape, and it’s extremely
important to me. But it has been impacted really hard in countless areas by economical
priorities, thoughtless habitat loss, machines, developers, and etc., etc. Arguably
the biggest impact on native habitat in western America involves the construction
of dams. Just about every river out here has been dammed at least once. Dams just
kill rivers, and most of the habitat values associated with them. Fish, waterbirds,
mammals … everything. Riparian areas are among the most diverse and important habitats
that exist … until they’re dammed. There are so many examples of what I’m talking
about here … the Colorado, Columbia, Sacramento, Kings, and San Joaquin river systems
are among the most important. A really good book to read about all this is “Cadillac
Desert” by Marc Reisner. It is the ‘go to’ narrative of the ridiculous history of
water management in the American West. Nearly all the water has gone to the development
of Los Angelos, Phoenix/Tucson, Las Vegas, monocultural agriculture and hydropower
use. Our wonderful government entity The Bureau of Reclamation was responsible for
building all these structures … Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, Sacramento Dam and 
on and on,- an interview with us said **Randy Lee Riviere.**

Whoever is handling the bass groove on the final track, “Drive,” is working overtime
as B3 and guitar carry on a conversation under Riviere’s delicate vocal. The guitar
tone packs a fresh personality as the B3 burbles along, throughout. And then something
happens at the halfway mark – piano, guitar and B3 change tact and generate an intensity
to the band’s sound which resembles southern rock, as Riviere and the elegant basslines
build to a controlled frenzy. Everything works. This is something different and 
reveals a true progression of what Riviere could be. At 5:46, you can’t help but
wish this song might keep going, maximizing a truly powerful composition which will–
with luck – set the stage for the next release.

Nobody can deny that change is a good thing. All the familiar elements of Riviere’s
strengths are found here – but layers of technique are getting in the way of what
this artist does best: delivering on solid songs with an earthiness and single-minded
sincerity. Here’s hoping fellow musician and past band member Kevin McKendree might
regain the reins to help carry this significant talent towards his rightful position.

**We recommend that you definitely buy this CD and enjoy it…**

[**Buy from here – New CD 2024**](https://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Blues-Randy-Lee-Riviere/dp/B0DD1TFGNH)

![Randy Lee Riviere](https://i0.wp.com/americanahighways.org/wp-content/uploads/
2024/09/Concrete-Blues-Hi-Res-Cover.jpg?resize=640%2C559&ssl=1)

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