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The Smokin’
Beach Music 45 Review is in… Come
Get To This – This sophomore effort finds the Craig Woolard Band marking their third year anniversary in fine style – a CD release with outstanding vocals, instrumentation and production throughout. It’s like a ‘second child’ to the band, according to the liner notes. It is also the first release of an artist by SISBRO Records, Judy Collins’ new label. CWB has undergone quite a positive transformation in their three years, including the comings and goings of a few players, as most all bands tend to experience. The founding base of Craig on lead vocals and sax, JK Loftin on lead guitar and Terry Nash on keyboards is still intact, however, and one of the net results of all the changes is: a smokin’ new horn section! There are several songs on the new release that could become bonafide hits. Leading off is a rousing get-on-your-feet rendition a 1991 tune entitled River of Love. Craig really brings the mail on the smooth mid-tempo Hopelessly In Love and the rhythmic Every Time You Cry. The strains of Chicago soul are all over the horn laden Bet You’ll Never Be Sorry - it might be my favorite song on the CD and it should be an excellent tune for radio play. Another one that really jumps off is I Can’t Dance – Craig’s vocal stylings and the bands hard driven playing make the song their own in originality. Can you say ‘line dance’? Gotta love all the Motown influence on this album – the previously released Come Get To This, which has already made it well up the charts, the Ashford and Simpson written What You Gave Me and I Couldn’t Believe It, a marvelous tribute to what was one of the last combined efforts of two original members of the Temptations, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks. Both of these amazing artists tragically passed away in the early ‘90’s, neither was much over fifty. Jesse Stone wrote the incredible Money Honey in the early ‘50’s. Dozens of artists have covered it over the years, including The Drifters, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. Andy King’s version has to be one of the finest I’ve ever heard. I mean, he nails it, from start to finish! The melodic Color Away was provided by Florence, South Carolina’s songwriters Billy and Jack Jeffords. Budding young star and recent college graduate (and dad couldn’t be prouder!) Craig Michael aka CJ makes his recording debut with Save Room For My Love, a song he has been performing of late in the band’s live performances. Written
by Neal “Soul Dog” Furr
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