Suitcase in the Hall

Bram spent years as the drummer and musical director in the touring band of Jason Mraz, but he's also a solo artist. On this outing he sings, plays guitar and mandolin, and leads a muscular group of studio heavies in a session that cuts a wide swath with a sound that's equal parts Chicago blues, hardcore country, and Americana. The album is split between well-selected covers played with fire and brimstone, and Bram's originals. The solid covers include "Howlin' for My Darlin'," with a processed vocal that recalls the singing of the Big Wolf himself, Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It" taken at a slow, ominous tempo with some fine harmonica work, and a take on Kristofferson's "Nobody Wins," with Bram turning in a wrenchingly emotional vocal. Bram's originals all sound like potential hits. "Watch Out!" is a dark grimy blues with a processed vocal and honkin' harmonica adding to the track's murky feel, the straight shuffle of "Suitcase in the Hall" features Jeremy Baum's Hammond B-3 and a tight guitar solo from Chris Vitarello, and "Chinese Hot Mustard" brings to mind the stomping blues-rock hits of Bob Seger. "The Way You've Changed" is a sentimental country weeper that sounds like a co-write by Hank Williams and Fats Domino, while the raucous, swampy "It Don't Matter Where You Get Your Appetite" is a sly, seductive romp with a great tag line, "It don't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you eat at home." The tunes all sound familiar, but in the best possible way. Bram wears his influences in his sleeve and the results are always sharp and in the pocket. ~ j. poet, Rovi