To understand Blues from the Bayou featuring Jonathon “Boogie” Long and its predecessor recording, Run to Daylight featuring Nick Daniels III, is to understand the Groove Krewe. The Groove Krewe is not the typical performing group with the same perennial frontman, but a triumvirate of music industry veterans: Rex Pearce, Nelson Blanchard and Dale Murray. Their legacies snake throughout South Louisiana music lore and have landed songs on network TV and movies. On Run to Daylight, the Groove Krewe wrote the songs Daniels sang and built a studio band around him, of which they also were a part.
The seeds of this project were sown when the Groove Krewe was cutting Run to Daylight and invited Jonathon “Boogie” Long to record his guitar parts for the title track. The interaction went well, and the Groove Krewe was so intrigued by Long that it decided to build its next recording of original material around him. Due to Grammy consideration deadlines, the Groove Krewe opted for a five-song EP rather than a full-length recording. The Groove Krewe worked with Long beforehand to determine which keys fit his vocal prowess best and recorded this EP one track at a time, rather than rushing everything in a single session. Unlike Run to Daylight, where Daniels only thumped his funky bass on three tunes, Long played his fiery guitar on all five.
The opening “Ain’t No If About It” sets the stage perfectly, a rollicking affair showcasing Long’s slashing guitar work as horns dart in and out. “Lightnin’ Done Struck Again,” “Dangerous Curves,” and “Empty Pocket Blues” are deep, gritty blues slowed down to a breath-catching pace. The horn-spiced arrangements and Long’s sheer, raw power pipes put it in the ballpark of classic ’60s Memphis soul blues. “Eclipsed by Love” originally appeared on LeRoux’s 2010 release The Session Years, but this version flexes its muscle better in the arrangement and vocals.
Although Daniels’ performance on Run to Daylight was commendable and the production high quality, these songs feel like a more natural fit for Long.
