People Are Talkin' by John Earl Walker Band

His guitar work is just outstanding, particularly on selections like “It’s All Up To You,” and “Introductory Plan”, and his gruff vocals are what the doctor ordered on tracks like the title cut, “Introductory Plan,” “Lyin’ and Cheatin’,” and “Too Sad To Weep.”

The band, including Peter Harris on bass, Bobby Infante on drums, Joey Tremelo on guitar, Johnny Byrne on harmonica, and Gene Cordew on keyboards provide steady and dependable backing for Walker. Although all the tracks have their merits, Walker saved the best for last with “Welcome Back Mr. Blues,” a nearly seven minute blues tour de force with plenty of powerful blues guitar that you hate to hear come to an end. Fans of blues/rock will really love this one.

--- Graham Clarke --- Blues Bytes Dec 05

People Are Talkin' sees the John Earl Walker band coming home to the blues while still keeping the faith to the rock and roll influences that lay at the bands heart. It also mixes in a much wider blend of musical genres than their previous effort Little Miss Perfect.

This is an astonishingly well written, produced and performed album, a winner from the raspy intro of People Are Talkin' to the last note of Welcome Back Mr. Blues.

The title track opens pretty much in the same fashion Little Miss Perfect left off, blues rock, hard and direct driven home by a relentless riff and guitar/harp crossfire. This is classic John Earl Walker. The straight ahead blues of It's All Up To You follows. A gritty heavy roller that again features the guitar work of Walker and harp mastery of Johnny Byrne dominating the song and exposing the bands more rootsy underbelly. No doubt about it this band does some good rock n roll but they do great blues.

John Earl Walker in particular really leans into his playing on this disc and turns out his best recorded work to date. He is simply all over this record. The decision to record this effort with the same full band as on Little Miss Perfect proves to be the right decision. Walker has the security blanket of a rock steady rhythm section behind him here allowing the guitar wizard to completely run amok. Rocker Introductory Plan and the shuffle Lyin' And Cheatin' are both good examples. Using a mellower approach on I Got A Feeling' adds a key element to this record. The power of a potential single that could reach beyond just the devoted blues consumer. It could also provide some valuable insight to any "big" label that is looking for some well rounded talent. The best was yet to come with the second half of the record, starting off with the slow lumbering Too Sad Too Weep, which could have easily belonged in the Rolling Stones catalog during their "Some Girls" period. It's catchy lyrics and sing along melody make it another song that cry's single. Just a great song. Switching gears again, Pretty Baby is 100% country, John Earl Walker style. The best vocals on the CD are on this track with the singer falling easily into a mode where he seems most comfortable.

"I've got my guitar, I'm gonna play it,

right down by the railroad tracks,

cos my baby, she's on that train,

and this time, she ain't coming back"

With ease of effort, switching from blues to rock to country and being able to do it convincingly makes this record unique and inspired. It's all about chemistry and there is a truck load of it on this disc. For those of you that like groove oriented blues, I Still Got It Bad is just for you. This one burns. Down home & dirty, sunglasses at midnight music.

While People Are Talkin' has surpassed all other John Earl Walker releases there is one element missing. Solo wise, keyboard ace Gene Cordew is relatively absent on this disc and is relegated more toward a supporting role. His explosive playing on Little Miss Perfect (check out Follow My Heart) added so much to the intensity of that album, and I feel would have done the same thing here. There's more fire in the belly on Little Girl an up tempo boogie woogie again with impressive harmonica and lead taking center stage. Riveting as "People" was to this point, the final track qualifies as a masterpiece in comparison. Welcome Back Mr. Blues stamps in granite the undeniable fact that the John Earl Walker Band is a blues band at it's core. They may use rock and roll as a vehicle but the blues is it's transport authority. The opening thirty seconds on this track will leave you nothing less than awe struck at the sheer ferocity at which Walker can unleash when he so desires. The song, over seven minutes in length never wilts for a moment, a blues blitzkrieg and shows the whole band at their very best. It pushes the whole album to a 10.

This is required listening to any follower out there that likes their blues with a harder edge. I know one thing, with this review over, People Are Talkin' goes from my review file to my personal CD stand.

Steve Landy Fat Blues Cat Dec.2005

Review of People are Talkin' I tunes music store

John Earl Walker The next generation of blues legends.

You wonder, so many of the blues legends are getting up in years. One of my favorite and probably the most underrated blues genius is Buddy Guy, 70 in March. Lang and some other great young artists are developing. John Earl Walker has the gift and the special talent to do the blues right. I think Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters would thumbs the fellows. All songs are great, well produced and well crafted! John Earl Walker may become one of the top tier bluesmen in years to come.

Gilbert Maui -- Itunes customer.

Big Jack Johnson;

"I dig your sound, and the way you guys rock them blues.

I hope we meet up on the road sum day,

thanks for keepin' them blues alive."

BJJ

You have before you another trilogy.....a three-volume story about a fascinating band drawing its roots from New York and LA. The band are former members of the „Plum Nelly“ band which fell apart in 1976, and then, at the end of the 70-ies and in the beginning of the 80-ies, The John Earl Walker Band was formed. They are the subject of this promotion trilogy.

I came into contact with John Earl Walker by accident and I have to say I haven't regreted it. Today I will present three of his albums or the music opus of “The John Earl Walker Band”, but first I want to give you the bands’ discography:

I'm Leaving You/ Orchard/2003

Little Miss Perfect /Orchard/2005

People Are Talkin/Orchard/2005

OK, here we go…the first album is “I’m leaving you”/Orchard/2003

Allthough John Earl Walker isn’t an anonymous name, especially in the USA, I have to say the situation here is totally the opposite-I have a feeling that John Earl Walker and his band are unknown to our audience.

John Earl Walker has been in the professional music bussines since the mid 60-ies and the “I’m leaving you” album is practically the bands’ first album. The whole album is characterized by pure and unpretentious guitar passages and riffs which, together with an excellently synchronized rhythm section, produce a genuine and balanced texture that can be recognized in all the songs featured on this album. And these songs are:

Gonna Miss Me/ Walker/5:26

I'm Leavin' You/ Walker/4:51

I Put You First/ Hayslett, Walker/2:55

My First Guitar /Walker/5:25

I Turn to You/ Walker /4:52

Second Hand Man / Walker/4 :15

Sad Sad Day/ Walker /5:01

Treat Me Right / Walker /4:46

The Last Time/ Walker/6:36

My Baby's Got Plans/Walker /4:11

I would like to single out four of these songs that are especially dear to me and they are: The Last Time, Sad Sad Day, My First Guitar i Gonna Miss Me.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for an album with hard and uncompromised rock/blues sound and if you want to have fun listening to it, then the “I’m leaving you” album by an excellent “The John Earl Walker Band” is the wright choice for you.

Their second album, “Little Miss Perfect”, released by Orchard on February 1st 2005 brings a big quality improvement in every way possible. John Earl Walker: vocal, guitarist and composer-in one word- a complete musician. He managed to put together his music influences and his music skills into a truly great album.

“Little Miss Perfect” is a perfect example of what I’m trying to say: from Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, through B.B.King and Buddy Guy to strong reflections of Stevie Ray Vaughan and his “Double Trouble”.

Is there a better way to enjoy yourself then by listening to a kind of music that puts it all together in a very interesting way.

The “Little Miss Perfect” album features:

Last Time Out/ Walker/4:39

Hurricane / Walker /5:39

It's Me/ Pace, Walker/3:25

What You Gonna Do / Walker /4:08

It's a Shame/ Tremelo, Walker/4:57

Follow My Heart/ Walker /6:33

Comin' Home /Walker /3:37

She Looks at Me / Walker/ 3:30

You Let Me Down / Walker / 4:59

Gave You My Heart / Walker /5:03

Little Miss Perfect / Walker /4:40

Can't Let You Be / Walker /6:25

Please pay attention on following tracks:Last Time Out, Hurricane, Comin' Home, You Let Me Down i Can't Let You Be.

Conclusion:

An excellent album with a great mixture of soul and blues and a carefully dosed rhythm&blues and rock. This album shows that even after more then 4 decades the strength and influence of blues guitar isn’t in stagnation but on the contrary, it dominates and progresses even more.

The third album, “People are Talkin’”, released on December 13th 2005 had its real success in 2006. “The John Earl Walker Band” finally got what they earned-their renome and deserved status in the music industry. This album is but an upgrade of their former work and they proved they should not be pushed aside in the upcoming years.

This album is an excellent sequel to “Little Miss Perfect”, but it sounds even better, more compact, stronger and it has more energy. From the first song “People are Talkin’” to the last one (“Welcome back Mr. Blues”), you’ve just gotta love “The John Earl Walker Band “. The band’s performance is so simple, yet so unique and touching through the whole album. John Earl Walker mixes rock’n’roll influences with elements of rhythm&blues in a very specific way. And then there’s their sophisticated blues feeling which simply rocks!

This excellent album was made by

John Earl Walker – solo guitar, vocal

Peter Harris – bass guitar, tambourine, ''back'' vocals

Bobby Infante – drums

Joey Tremelo – electric and acoustic guitars

Johnny Byrne – harmonica

Gene Cordew – keyboards

And it features the following songs:

People Are Talkin'/ Walker/4:31

It's All Up to You / Walker /7:59

Introductory Plan / Walker / 3:34

I Got a Feelin' / Walker /4:45

Lyin' and Cheatin' / Walker / 3:21

Too Sad to Weep / Walker /5:59

Pretty Baby / Walker /4:12

I Still Got It Bad / Walker /5:18

Little Girl / Walker /3:26

Welcome Back Mr. Blues/ Pace, Walker/6:47

The following songs deserve extra credits:

'' It’s All Up To You”, “Introductory Plan”,“Lyin’ and Cheatin” , “Too Sad To Weep” and the beautiful Welcome Back Mr. Blues.

Recommendation:

In order to realy get to know “The John Earl Walker Band” I suggest all three of these albums, but because I know it’s easier said then done, I suggest the latest album-“People are talking”-it will give you a pretty good idea of what the band is all about. And here are some of the quotations of the most famous blues artists regardind the band

What part of the South are you from?" B.B. King

"Just keep on playin' the way you do." Buddy Guy

"Thanks for keepin them blues alive!" Big Jack Johnson

as well as a quotation from the guitarist wizard himself, Jimi Hendrix:

"Man, that kid can really play!"

Can it get better than this????!!!!!!

Check it out!

Find out more about the band on:

www.johnearlwalkerband.com

www.blackcatblues.com

Yours bluesy,

Mladen Loncar - Mike

For John Earl Walker song lyrics; see the myspace page blog, where lyrics will continue to be posted @

www.myspace.com/johnearlwalkerband

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