When it comes to musical instruments in blues, it’s the guitar that rules. It’s more prevalent than the piano, it’s portable, and has greater potential for varying sounds, tones, and tunings. True, blues is guitar-dominated, but just hours of solid, nonstop guitars can lead to saturation burnout, at least to some ears, making the blues pianist a welcome treat.
Like the blues piano, Eden Brent also has a unique, distinguishing presence. She’s one of the few ladies pounding black-and-whites. What’s even more remarkable is she still lives in her hometown of Greenville, Mississippi, although the talented pianist could have easily relocated to a bigger, more glamorous market. She was mentored by the legendary Abie “Boogaloo” Ames, who also taught jazz pianist Mulgrew Miller. Brent and Ames formed a musical partnership that spanned 16 years, touring and performing together. She was so ingrained in Ames’ style that he christened her “Little Boogaloo.” Towards the end of his life, “Little Boogaloo” helped care for “Big Boogaloo.”
Brent’s first album of all original material in a decade and the fifth on the Memphis imprint Yellow Dog Records is her bluesiest yet, one specifically written with blues melodies and lyrics in mind. Of these nine tunes, Brent and husband, Bob Dowell, co-wrote a half-dozen. For the remaining three, she penned “What You Want,” while Dowell did the same with “You on My Mind” and “Mississippi River Got Me Crying.”
Oddly enough, the proceedings weren’t recorded stateside like Brent’s other platters but live, in Dowell’s native London, England, with his former, highly skilled bandmates. The overdubs were minimal, resulting in a natural, organic sound. To offer various textures, Brent alternated between the studio’s Steinway grand piano and a Rhodes electric piano, and then re-recorded some parts on a Wurlitzer at a Memphis studio where the album was mixed.
While there are comical entendres (“Gas Pumping Man”) and romping, New Orleans-inspired tunes (“Just Because I Love You,” “Getaway Blues”) that you’d expect from a Brent outing, the album really hits its stride with its slower-paced material. She never rushes her delivery or tempos but takes her time to develop an unhurried yet gripping groove, the best example being the sauntering six minutes “Watch the World Go By.” Her singing is marvelously clear; every word is audible, and man, she can belt out emotion as she inches toward the apex of the song. Similarly, “Mississippi River Got Me Crying” seemingly travels slower than the Big Muddy itself. Brent plops you in an Adirondack chair high on a bluff overlooking the lazy river on a relaxed summer evening with the sweet singing cicadas, “crazy red sunset,” and beat-up gin mills visible in the distance. Session guitarist Rob Updegraff nails a tasty solo, which brings up another observation: Brent has never had this much electric lead guitar on previous recordings. “You on My Mind” and “Rust” express beautiful sentiments of love.
Just as “Boogaloo” Ames had a little jazz in his playing, Brent does as well. “He Talks About You” has a little of that jazzy lilt. It’s marvelously written, telling the other woman’s story in the affair. Despite continuing the tryst, she’s envious of the wife’s position, knowing she can never be supplanted.
With the Brent-Dowell songwriting team, the future is exciting, with endless possibilities for what could come next. The bar has been set pretty high and if it was any higher, it might take a ladder to get over it next time.
Eden Brent
