No Provision
Artist: Spirit and Blues
Label: Gracetone 
Time: 15 tracks / 60:01
 
No Provision is a Christian-themed blues project created by people who love the blues – and it shows. Eddie Matthews and Larry (Mazalan) Maz have pulled together several friends to round out the project by adding vocals, drums, keyboards, guitar, trumpet and violin (!) to the pairs’ already impressive array of instrumental contributions. Aside from the two sharing lead vocals, Matthews adds harmonica, bass, piano & strings, while Mazalan plays a variety of guitars, piano and organ, and harmonica. A creative triumvirate of sorts is rounded out by Ken Bronowski, who not only co-engineered (along with Matthews) but did arrangements, vocals and played an impressive collection of instruments as well. Add to this, no less than twelve other ‘guest’ singers and/or instrumentalists and you have a small army of performers – a situation that could have meant disaster, but works out quite nicely on this generous fifteen track project.
 
Despite the unusual number of players and singers on this album, No Provision maintains the kind of intimacy and energy that a blues recording really needs to succeed. While this isn’t a low-down and dirty Mississippi style blues project, there’s still a small-room feeling to many of the tracks. The drums, organ, bass, guitar and harmonica that form the base of many of these songs create a good attack and display tasteful, if not extravagant, blues chops. Bronowski has a pleasant, heartfelt vocal delivery that isn’t unlike the easy-going blues vocal style of Eric Clapton. There are many impressive instrumental passages throughout the project - especially on harmonica – but No Provision is not a jam album or an instrumental showcase. There are no superstars stealing the spotlight here – this is more like hearing a really good blues band in a local club. 
 
The songs on No Provision are an interesting mix of original Christian-themed blues songs, two instrumentals, a few contemporary covers, and a few standards. The band does a fine job covering Bob Dylan’s  “Gotta Serve Somebody,” which starts off the album, and “Let’s Stick Together,” which is essentially Canned Heat’s “Let’s Work Together,” but with a bit of a twist. The instrumental tracks, “Spirit & Blues Shuffle,” and “No Provision Blues,” come at just the right time in the track listing and provide some space for these fine musicians to strut their stuff and create a groove. The original songs are insightful, fun forays into the busier side of the Christian walk, with references to such semi-obscure (to the average guy) subjects as Paul’s physical problem and King David’s romantic issues. The writers manage to have fun looking at these things with reverence but also with a modern, more urban, more ironic eye.
 
If there’s a weakness on this album it’s that they ended up going in too many directions. Less successful than the blues tracks are the songs that begin to veer into more of a country music mode and the gospel ‘standards’ that come off as variety-show staples. The band sounds like it’s going through the motions on songs like the inevitable “Jesus on the Mainline,” and “Turn Your Radio On,” which sound tepid after the hot blues on the rest of the album. Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” the penultimate track, is competently performed but sounds strangely out of place. “When the Saints Go Marching In,” is the final song – another well performed but uncomfortably by-the-numbers track.
 
Over-all, this is an enjoyable blues album without the superstar factor – which is actually kind-of nice. If a song called “King David’s Blues” sounds intriguing to you, give it a shot – this is good stuff. Even though the project veers off by biting off more than it can chew by the end, you still have about a dozen good tracks. Not bad, by any standard.
 
Bert Saraco
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