Search - David Vest :: Way Down Here

Rock and Roll for Grown Ups

Jeffrey St Clair | Oregon City, Oregon United States | 06/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Way Down Here is the debut CD of David Vest and The Willing Victims. But this is not a band of neophytes. Far from it. Take notice: this may be the best collection of white bluesmen on the West Coast.When you hear the band, you may wonder why they got second billing. After all, Paul De Lay is probably the best living harmonic player, a savage fusion of Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson. De Lay trades licks with guitarist Alan Hager. That Hager isn't as well-known as Stevie Ray Vaughn or Jimmy Thackery is testament to the limp nature of current rock criticism. Hager may be the only white guitarist to ever catch the spirit as well as the sound of John Lee Hooker at his best and that's praise of the highest level in my book.But Vest, who has played with both Tammy Wynette and Big Joe Turner, rises to the challenge of his all-star bandmates. His fingers blister the keyboards as if possessed by the spirit of the great Pete Johnson and he howls his vocals as viciously as Jerry Lee Lewis.Vest is also a brilliant songwriter, with the metaphorical skills of Dylan, the grit of Willie Dixon and the bawdy humor of Lightnin' Hopkins, all infused with a political spirit as informed as Ralph Nader's. You get the whole palette on Way Down Here: from Chicago blues, to boogie woogie, to New Orleans R&B, to gospel. This is hard-driving rock 'n' roll infused with a deep respect for the past--by the past, I don't mean Mozart, but Howlin' Wolf, Katie Webster and Fats Domino. This is rock and roll for grown ups. Dangerous, fast, addictive.Jeffrey St. Clair
Oregon City, Oregon"

Not only the blues

Peter Stone Brown | Philadelphia, PA United States | 07/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes the best music happens by accident and such is the case with "Way Down Here" by songwriter/pianist David Vest. This album was recorded live at a club in Oregon with Vest backed by "The Willing Victims" a group that had never played before as a band together.I had no idea this was the case until I went to the website of Vest's label, Trillium, and this group is so tight, you'd think they'd been playing together for years, along with that Vest wasn't even aware the show was being recorded.That Vest is an amazing piano player is evident from the first note of the first track, "Get On Down With Me." Hard-hitting boogie-woogie and barrelhouse leaps out at you and the great blues piano masters from Chicago to New Orleans come rolling off the keys and it never stops swinging, with great harp from Paul delay, excellent guitar from Alan Hager and a terrific solo piano break from Vest. "Meet Me With Your Black Dress On" swings even harder and is one of those transcendent moments where you know the musicians are totally lost in the music creating true spontaneous magic.Things slow down for the tough blues, "Too Old And Crazy" and this is where Vest as a songwriter comes into play. There's no doubt that Vest knows the blues, but in a way reminiscent of a certain songwriter from Minnesota, he knows how to turn what initially sounds like standard blues lines around to deliver what he wants to say instead of repeating what came out of Chicago in the '50s and '60s. This continues as they get back to swing with "What's That About," which ends with a sly reference to last presidential election. Vest and Hager toss solos to each other like basketball players with Vest's playing at the end reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis at his wildest.Things slow into a soulful groove for the gospel-flavored title track, a great song that deserves to be widely known. Again Vest's vast musical knowledge is apparent as this is the kind of song you think you've heard before, but you can't pin down exactly where."Heavy Weather" has a menacing feel with an ominous piano riff at the heart and some downright evil lines: "No one would ever hurt you baby/Not unless they could," and again Vest has a way of letting you know he's singing about a bit more than an approaching storm."Kaliyuga Highway" crosses country with Memphis Soul, while the piano echoes gospel, while Vest shows what he can do as a singer on something other than blues. And throughout this album his vocals are powerful, confident but always soulful. Vest and friends return to rocking on "Little Effie" and "Devil Got A Hold" which Vest screams out recalling both Little Richard and Jerry Lee. As with just about all the songs on this album you know they're having a lot of fun playing them.New Orleans, especially Professor Longhair comes into play on "Watching You The Whole Time." Hager plays a terrific guitar solo getting into a close to staccato picking thing that's magically laced with a country steel sound. The album closes with "Worried About The World" where Vest seems to wrap his primary influences, swing, gospel and blues into a Mississippi swamp romp and once again combines fairly intense lyrics with a sense of fun in a way that makes its point but hits home on all levels."Way Down Here" is an album that you can put on and just get into the cool blues grooves that are happening constantly. If you listen to what Vest is singing about, it goes a lot deeper. It's as real as it gets, and if Vest and The Willing Victims had spent weeks rehearsing and doing pre-production it's doubtful it would sound as good as this."

Way Down Here

Teresa A. Mcmahill | 01/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an energized collection of songs and performances from an artist with deep roots in the blues and rock and roll. He's shared the stage with the likes of Grady Gaines, Big Joe Turner, Floyd Dixon and Jimmy T99 Nelson, but forget comparisons to other artists - while he works in a traditional vein, Vest is a songwriter with his own voice and style. And he's starting to get the notice he deserves: the Cascade Blue Association named him Keyboard Player of the Year for 2003, and Way Down Here was a finalist for best NW Blues Recording. Songs like "Worried About the World" and "Too Old and Crazy" are the album's strength, but electrifying performances from Paul deLay and Alan Hager make it a must-have."