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He’s been making great music for thirty years and Bryan Duncan has returned to his roots in great style with his latest CD / DVD creation, “Music City Live”. Released in March Duncan combines with the NeoSoul Band to produce a spectacular R & B album that at times creates a subtle jazz lounge feel to it. The album is Duncan’s first release under his own newly formed record label, Red Road Records.  
 
The NeoSoul Band is comprised of several freelance musicians who often played gigs together.  It was not until the DVD was produced that they actually formed into a band, with the members picked by Ricky B. Rodgers and Duncan. As Duncan says, “it was a reckoning of sorts after a three hour conversation I had with Ricky B that we decided this was a band for the future and they should have a name.” Rodgers was the musical director for the production and is also featured on bass guitar.
 
“It was like I came back to life”, Duncan says in describing playing with the now dubbed NehoSoul Band. The album was created when the musicians got together to perform in concert at Nashville during Gospel Music Week, 2004. The concert was video taped and recorded.

The first track on the CD “Clap Your Hands” leaves you with the impression you are in the midst of a good old southern revival. Duncan can be heard doing what he does best entertaining. “Clap Your Hands” first appeared on Duncan’s CD “Joyride” in 2001and was recorded with Ashley Cleveland, whose music is also featured on Duncan’s website in the “Road to Redemption” sessions.
 
On “Step By Step” we are introduced to the talents of Fletch Wiley on trumpet and flugelhorn. He also plays the flute on “Music City Live”. The song 
 
“Blue Skies”, is a track that was co-written by Duncan and Reed Vertelney and highlights bassist Tim Gaines. Duncan's soulful vocals are at their best on this song. It is a song that any mainstream smooth jazz station would be proud to add have on its play list.  The song first appeared on his 1997 CD by the same name.  
 
I remember when I interviewed Bryan Duncan in March he said hearing “good musicians” play “Wheels of a Good Thing” brought tears to his eyes while he was on stage. This is the type of music Duncan enjoys and allows him to be as he often likes to say, “comfortable in his own skin.” The song takes us all the way back to his 1994 release of the album Slow Revival. “Wheels of A Good Thing” allows you to fully appreciate this talented group of musicians as Duncan introduces the various members and they each do their own mini jam sessions.
 
My personal favorite from “Music City Live” is the cover of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” also from the Joyride album.  McCartney penned the song during his days with Wings.  This is one of the few times when one can say that Sir Paul has truly been outdone by another musician as Duncan brings depth and soul to a song that was originally recorded as a pop tune.
 
The other members of the NehoSoul Band who contribute to the album’s success are Matthew Burgess on percussion, Samuel A Matthews on drums, Walter Finch on lead guitar and Phil Curry compliments Bryan Duncan on keyboards.
 
As you can tell like most concerts Music City Live is really a revisiting of some classic Bryan Duncan tunes performed with a new group of musicians and creating a new sound. This album is timeless and will go down as one of the classics of all time.
 
By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved

This material may not be redistributed without prior written permission from Joe Montague.

Joe Montague is a  freelance Christian journalist / photographer who has been published in a variety of community, daily and Christian newspapers coast to coast in Canada and the United States.  Joe Montague's ministry of journalism is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven far too early at the age of 18.