I just received the newest release (1/13/15), the real thing, from D.A. Foster and it's a lot of fun. Opening with Good Man Bad Thing, D.A. Foster gets up a funky groove with Mike Finnigan on B3 and Lenny Castro on percussion. Darrell Leonard (trumpet)and Joe Sublett (sax) put down some warm horn work and Johnny Lee Schell blows through with fome hot fret work backed by Julie Delgado, Nita Whitaker and Mike Finnigan on backing vocals.
On title track, The Real Thing, Foster gets a real strong sway going with Finnigan on piano and bluesy guitar riffs from Schell. Tony Braunagel on drums and Larry Fulcher on bass set the pace. We All Fall Down has a real nice R&B feel with lead guitar work from Josh Sklair and piano work from David Garfield. With Steely Dan brilliance and smooth vocals, this is the top radio track on the release.
Funky Ain't Doing Too Bad gets Foster into a whole new territory with a swampy groove punched up by the horn section. Very nice! Soul track, This Time I'm Gone For Good, shows Foster's vocal prowess with a nice easy pace and light piano and B3 work backing. Schell lays in a really bluesy guitar solo adding a cool edge to the track. Eddie Hinton's Super Lover is a funky swampy R&B smash. Cool!
I Need A Good Woman Bad is one of those tracks that just gets into you.. super groove with Finnigan and Foster just getting down. Backing vocals from Finnigan, Whitaker and Delgado, nice guitar work from Schell a hot B# lead from Finnigan and super bass work from Fulcher top this track. Classic blues/jazz track,Smack Dab In The Middle, gets a real tasty swing and light vocal backing chased by Finnigan. A different take on a classic track with a hot horn solo from Sublett really dresses it up.
On Bill Wither ballad, You Just Can't Smile It Away, Foster really does a super job and a beautiful melody composed by Withers. Garfield takes the piano on this track and Sklair lead guitar but the star soloist is Leonard on trumpet. Very nice! On Brooke Benton's Lie To Me, Foster does a really nice job of bringing the best to the track. His deep resonate vocals accompanied by the backing vocals of Delgado, Whitaker and Finnigan and a really supple sax solo by Sublett make this one of the best on the release.
On jazz classic, Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You, Foster again really shine vocally with the track hitting hiim square in his sweet spot. Finnigan and Sklair both craft nice solos adding to the warmth of the track. Wrapping the release is Down Home Blues, a basic 12 bar with a Jimmy Reed feel. Finnigan takes a cool B3 solo and along with Foster's vocal leadership and strong vocal backing sits on a solid base by Braunagel and Fulcher.
