Cd In The Spotlight - Ponder,charles

Descripción

Memphis singer Charles Ponder draws from an extensive musical pallet. From dramatic opera to Memphis funk, he has performed in bar rooms and theatres throughout the Mid-South. He has been featured on numerous high-profile recordings including the 2005 release Art of the Motorcycle: Songs of the Open Road (Travellin Band) and Fried Glass Onions: Memphis Meets The Beatles Vol. 2 & Vol. 4. With a background in musical theatre and a teenage obsession with sixties doo-wop, Charles is arguably one of Memphis most versatile performers.

With extensive credits as a studio background singer, his debut CD release is apropiadamente entitled In the Spotlight y abraza los muchos géneros de la música raíz americana que definen su experiencia musical.

The album opens with a sizzling R&B take on The Beatles classic Day Tripper followed by the blues-inspired Best in Town, featuring Beale Street harmonica wiz Eric Hughes. Iconic Memphis songwriter Bob Simon (Randy & the Radiants) contributes the uplifting gospel-inflected ballad We re Gonna Make it Through the Storm featuring Memphis studio aces Malcolm Cullen, Dave Smith, and Steve Potts.

With a nod to seventies funk, Lovin It Up is downright contagious and, with a snappy horn arrangement, a likely radio favorite. The mood shifts with the Latin feel of Will You Stand By Me? and picks up again with the North Mississippi hill country blues groove of the mid-sixties, Paul McCartney gem She s a Woman.

For fans of minor key blues, Ponder offers a satisfying interpretation of Santana s classic Black Magic Woman. The emotional depth of his smooth voice is even more evident on the intimate All Tore Up and Cryin, an earthy, jazz-steeped track supported by string-bassist Lance Williams (Memphis Jazz Orchestra), Joe Restivo (Bo-Keys) and Ghost Town Blues Band s Preston McEwen on drums.

For old-school rockers Bingo is fun and exhilarating and delivered in a way that only a Memphis singer can. Ponder s intimate vocal treatment of Let s Get Together.