Click Here To Purchase Boom!

Musician: Tom Hambridge

Label: Superstar Records

ASIN: B005KJCNQA

 

The other night, a trio of drummers gathered at my brother-in-law’s house to check out each other’s chops by playing along with our favorite CDs. I took along Boom! by Tom Hambridge.     “Oh not the blues again,” my brother-in-law complained. “The same old boring drum parts.”

What my relative didn’t know was that Hambridge is not only a blues singer and songwriter, he’s the drummer for his band. As a result, Hambridge is not out to bore himself nor his audience. From start to finish on this rather short set, Boom! is driving rock, blues, blues-rock, and a touch of country. There’s nary a ballad or pensive love song on it. It’s the sort of album you want when you’re needing some tasty, jumping energetic music with serious players showing us all how it’s done.

Over the years, Hambridge has built a heck of a track record. A multiple Grammy nominee, he’s produced discs for the likes of Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, and George Thorogood. On Boom!, he produced, wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks, sang lead and, not surprisingly, put his drums center-stage. Of course, the band he’s working with is far from hidden in the shadows. Players include Delbert McClinton band members Rob McNelley (guitar) and Kevin McKendree (keyboards). Mark Jordan also spends time on piano, Kenny Greenburg on guitar, and both Michael Rhodes and Tommy McDonald on bass. Writing collaborators included Gary Nicholson, Delbert McClinton, Jeffrey Steele and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Johnny Van Zant. This year, Hambridge has been touring with both Skynyrd and Thorogood which should say something about the contemporary flavor of the blues he plays.

The good times roll on Boom! Beginning with the first track, “I Keep Things,” and continue with “Two Thumbs Up,” “Nine Pound Hammer,” and “The Pistol.” Hambridge gets autobiographical with “Never Gonna Change” and the country-fried confession, “The Best In Me.” As all of the songs are less than five minutes, the instrumental jumper “Bangin' Around” is the only track where the band has fun doing just what the title implies. Then, Hambridge and Co. go Nashville to the end with “I Got Your Country Right Here,” “Things I Miss the Most,” and “I Had a Real Good Time.”


The last song title sums it all up—Hambridge is here to entertain you and hopefully get your body moving. You don’t have to be a drummer to join in! It’s the sort of album you can play for any gathering as Hambridge knows how to make the blues come alive for everyone—even my grumpy brother-in-law.


Click Here To Purchase Boom!