Blues Matters (UK)

Billy Price
East End Avenue

by Merv Osborne
Issue No. 36, February-March 2007

Pittsburgh's R&B singer, Billy Price, has recently released "East End Avenue," and what a belter it is. Oozing quality in every department, the album is an excellent and very varied outing, amply showcasing the voice of this singer whose first break was with Roy Buchanan way back in the '70s. Co-produced by Price and Jeff Ingersoll, owner of the Mojo Boneyard and Boneyard Records, the 14 songs here add up to an extremely hard-hitting soul, blues, funk, and R&B release.

Price co-wrote five songs with Jon and Sally Tiven (Wilson Pickett) as well as showcasing six songs from another of Pittsburgh's songwriting talents, Mike Sweeney. Opening with "Keep It To Yourself," Price hits the listener from the outset, horns wailing and Lenny Smith providing a dirty slide solo. By contrast, Sweeney's "Soul Sailing" is an easy laidback freewheeling R&B song, lulling the listener before the tempo is driven up market by the funky "She Left Me With These Blues." Another change of tempo and sublime harmonies usher in the title track, "East End Avenue"--a relaxed shuffle with good sax solo and possibly the best track on the album. "Only Two Lovers" reminds me of Steely Dan in both vocals and melody construction with interesting chord sequences. "The Price I Paid for Loving You" is a slow blues in the Ray Charles mold and has Jimmy Britton playing some extremely tasteful piano accompaniment. "The Other Side of You" is a mournful blues about trying to repair broken relationships and is very much in the Robert Cray style, whilst "Funky Like Dyke Part 2" and "Sweet Mistreating Love" ratchet up the funk element of the album.

Price is in excellent voice throughout, and the horn section provides a wall of sound as well as soloing wildly.

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