Root Doctor has Rx for the blues

BlueNotes visited the Root Doctor  at the Thunderbird Cafe Saturday night. It was only my first visit, but I left feeling much better. It was completely painless. And you could dance to it (although no one did).

Root Doctor is a fine little blues and soul band from Lansing, Mich., and I think this might have been their first Burgh blues experience. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.

The band is full of talented players -- Greg Nagy on lead guitar, James Williams on bass, Bobby Gardner on drums, Jim Alfredson on keyboards (organ Saturday night) and Mississippi-born vocalist Freddie Cunningham, whose soulful blues shouting gives the band a unique flavor that most bands don't have. (That's Freddie above, belting away at the T'Bird.)

Nagy is a fine guitarist who knows when (and how) to scorch, and when to lay back and support the mood. Here's a very good recent interview with him on Allaboutjazz.com, about his music and the band.

Another interesting touch is the full-throated organ by Alfredson. Some bands use it sparingly, if at all, but it adds a nice funky sound that fits right in with these guys. 

For me, It was Cunningham who kept things interesting. He's got those traditional and potent blues chops that can soar right over the music, or flesh out a soulful ballad like "Rainy Night in Georgia."

Praise for Freddie doesn't mean that the rest of the band was napping. They're very solid, and I especially like Alfredson's organ as a kind of a throwback to a more interesting musical style. It's too bad this band is so far away. It would make a nice addition to the regular Burgh blues scene.