I Love It...................

There's very few piano players who play the old school boogie and blues as well as Lane. Players of Lane's caliber are a dying breed with only a handful of guys like Pinetop Perkins, Henry Gray and Ike Turner in the same league. Lane has made the most of belated debut on this well produced album that features his rolling, melodic piano right up front along with his rich, expressive vocals which have rarely been featured. The dozen songs are mostly Lane originals with a mix of low down blues, boogies and funkier material. Lane hand picked a seasoned backing band including drummer James Gadsen a veteran of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, trumpeter Mack Johnson who played in the Goodtimers after leaving James Brown, accomplished guitarist Wali Ali, a couple of members of Ike's current band and special guest Big Jay McNeely who blows tenor on one cut. Lane sets the mood with Memphis Slim's slinky stop-time shuffle "Blue And Lonesome" before delving into originals like the late night groove of "The Blues Is Back", the storming jump of "What's Wrong, Baby" (originally cut by him in 1952) as Lane really rolls the ivories, taking it down to a simmer on the insinuating "What I Saw" and Percy Mayfield's "Baby Please" as he croons the blues in fine fashion. Lane's rocking barrelhouse technique is heard to good effect on the driving "Just Like A Woman" plus stellar instrumentals like the romping "Boogiein' At Leon's Place" and especially the bouncy "Lane Shuffle" as Lane really cuts loose throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. On "The Blues Is Back!" Ernest Lane finally gets his name on the marquee and makes the most of the opportunity with a rousing piano blues record that sounds timeless and contemporary at the same time. The only downside is that Acoustic Music is on a German label so it's unlikely it will raise Lane's profile as much as if it got a big push from a stateside label. Still, a fine debut and well worth searching for.