Open Up And Say Wah!
Frank Cosentino
Onyx
2000
8 tracks
Frank Cosentino is a breath of fresh air on the Ontario blues scene. There are a lot of bands in Ontario putting out solid blues. It seems that about every town and city has its own talented local blues band. Most of these bands perform a style of blues that I think of more as just plain rock and roll. Their sound is borrowed from Chicago and other American electric blues by way of early-Sixties British rockers. After a while, they all start to sound the same. Not Frank Cosentino. Here's an Ontario bluesman who has not followed the well-worn path. The result is impressive.
Open Up And Say Wah! is a short recording, only eight songs that take up less than forty minutes. What this release lacks in duration it more than makes up for in content. This is forty minutes of solid blues and not a bad song in the bunch. More than just rock and roll, this one will rock your soul.
The variety of blues styles on this release is impressive, ranging from freewheeling wails that remind the listener of Albert King or Stevie Ray [and, less obviously, of Hendryx] through blues based rock ballads to sounds that are as much jazz as they are blues. Throw in a bit of funk and a bit of gospel for spice and Cosentino has quite a blues stew going on.
If I have a problem with any track in this set, it's the opener. "Round and Round/Electric Holy Man" is a wonderful, wild, flailing, FX'd guitar jam that lets loose every bit of Cosentino's talent like a musical tornado. Cosentino's vocal is solid and right on. There's a sense, though, that this is Cosentino showing off. There's a "Look ma no hands; see how clever I am" feel to the whole thing, especially the guitar work. There's no doubt that this is a great track by a talented artist, but the other seven somehow feel more honest.
The transition from the first track to "You're Goin' Down" is seamless and effective, drawing the listener into this solid rocker. The wild FX laden guitar is still there, but it's backed by the solid beat of a great rhythm section and rocking blues band. Here, as in all the tracks on this release, Cosentino's raw-edged vocals are expressive and soulful. The most obvious comparison that comes to mind is David Clayton-Thomas, only perhaps better. In some songs, the vocal style is also reminiscent of Joe South.
"Yesterdays" is the song that is most likely to transcend the ghetto of jazz and blues and reach a broader market. This is a slow, sweet rocker with a pretty melody and lyrics that express a universal sentiment of things past and longed for. Cosentino's vocal is gutsy and heartfelt. The guitar solo in the bridge eschews the excesses of the first track and seductively draws out the emotion established by the vocal. This is the sort of song that stays in your head long after you've last heard it and returns to you long after you've thought it gone.
The title song is a delightful little instrumental jazz number of the sort one might have expected to hear in the clubs three or four decades ago. Some of Cosentino's fingering in this one sounds awkward, as though he's not quite at home with this style. On the whole, however, this jazz combo sound is very cool.
"Won't Take It No More" continues the jazzy sound with some warm sax support by Pat Carey. Consistent with the Thirties jazz-blues feel of the song, Cosentino's guitar, while probably still electric, is pulled back to a very sexy acoustic sounding performance. Cosentino's vocal swings out soft and sweet and you can almost hear Billie Holliday singing the same song in some earlier time.
About the only song on this release that might fit in with the mainstream of Ontario blues bands, "Mistreated Blues" is a fairly standard blues sung over a slow-rocking groove. Cosentino's wailing guitar adds some variety to the piece and his vocal brings a raw gutsy feel to the song.
For even more variety, check out "Angel's Wing" for blues with a backing gospel chorus and "Thelonius Funk" for some, you guessed it, solid funk sounds.
Besides his obvious skills on the guitar, Frank Cosentino is a soulful vocalist and a talented songwriter. Open Up And Say Wah! is a showcase for all of Cosentino's talents and is, in my opinion, a must listen for anyone interested in discovering a brighter facet of Ontario's blues scene.
To learn more about this Canadian bluesman and his music, go to his web site.
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