CD - Jackie Payne: Overnight Sensation

This release was nominated for the Soul/Blues Album of the Year in the Annual Blues Music Awards (2009) so we were expecting an R&B treat. Payne and partner, guitarist Steve Edmondson, have been playing together for years, with countless appearances at festivals around the world to their name.

"Overnight Sensation" reflects that track history and shows off a terrifically tight band and their particular brand of timeless R&B that recalls the sounds of Pickett, Redding and particularly Bobby Bland. Gospel, blues, soul and straight ahead R&B are all featured on the set, with most of the tracks written by the two lead protagonists.

And therein lies one of the weaknesses of the release - the songs aren't really anything to get that excited about, and you occasionally get the feeling that you've heard it all before. There's a fine line between being true to the form and straight forward repetition and there are one or two songs that veer towards the latter. Which makes a couple of covers the more successful tracks on the album, especially a very fine, understated version of Charlie Rich's 'Feel Like Going Home'; and that is praise indeed because I doubt Rich's version could ever actually be surpassed.

Vocally, Payne has been compared directly to Bobby Bland and you can certainly hear the influence. Unfortunately, he isn't the same league (but who is) and he isn't as good an interpreter either (Feel Like Going Home Aside), even on his own material.

This isn't a bad album at all, and lovers of the soul/blues hybrid popularised by the likes of Bobby, Little Milton and Z.Z. Hill will find a great deal to enjoy if they take a punt and buy the CD. It's just not bringing much in the way of innovation to the table. And so in the end I think I'd just rather listen to the real deal and all those wonderful Bland Duke/ABC recordings!  

See You Next Review