Ces trois dernières années, des problèmes de santé, la perte de son père Raful, son frère Ronnie, sa soeur Jackie et de son batteur Kennard Johnson le tout en 2005 l'ont anéanti moralement... L'esprit blues le ramène avec Let Life Flow avec un grand sourire swamp blues, funk et rythmes louisianais. Il dit avoir l'impression de revoir la lumière.
Kenny Neal est un musicien de blues né le 14 octobre 1957 à La Nouvelle-Orléans. Guitariste et chanteur, il joue surtout du swamp blues.
Biographie
Fils de Raful Neal (musicien louisiannais né en juin 1936, qui a une émission hebdomadaire à la radio et reçoit chez lui ses amis : Slim Harpo, James Johnson…), Kenny Neal débuta en 1976 comme bassiste de Buddy Guy.
Son nom est indissociable de celui de Billy Branch avec lequel il sortira ses meilleurs albums. Cette collaboration donnera lieu à Toronto au groupe nommé Kenny Neal Blues Band, comportant plusieurs des meilleurs musiciens blues de l'époque ainsi que ses frères Noël, Larry, Raful Jr et Riley.
De retour à Bâton-Rouge, il enregistre pour Alligator Records, puis pour Telarc.
Multi-instrumentiste de génie (guitare, harmonica, basse) Kenny Neal incarne la relève du swamp blues du sud de la Louisiane. Fils du célèbre harmoniciste
Raful Neal, un des piliers de la scène de Baton Rouge au côté de Slim Harpo et Buddy Guy, il a grandi dans cette ambiance avant de tenir la basse pour le grand Buddy en personne.
Accompagné par la fratrie Neal depuis les années 80, il enregistrera par la suite de superbes albums mêlant le swamp et le Chicago blues pour le prestigieux label Alligator. Guitare puissante et
précise, harmonica râpeux, Kenny est à l'aise dans tous les registres, du blues le plus lancinant au funk le plus débridé.
Dernier exploit en date, son dernier album se retrouve nommé cinq fois pour les Grammy's 2009 : disque de l'année, chanson de l'année, artiste de l'année, chanteur de l'année. Rien que ça
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Dixiefrog DFGCD 8647 - distribution Harmonia Mundi (disque paru également sur le label Blind Pig Records aux USA)
Kenny Neal : guitare, basse, harmonica, voix / Kenny Neal Jr : claviers, programmations percussions etc. / Darnell Neal : basse / Frederick Neal : claviers / Bryan Morris : batterie / Lucky Peterson : piano, orgue sur 3 titres / + cuivres et vocalistes...
Il aurait bien des raisons "d’avoir le blues" Kenny Neal. Sortant de trois années noircies par le décès de proches et la maladie, le chanteur / guitariste / harmoniciste (et autres) a su rebondir en offrant un album lumineux qui résonne comme un hymne universel à la musique.
En " laissant couler la vie", il va puiser dans ses racines du côté de la Nouvelle-Orléans et propose une musique charnue et sensible, nourrie de soul, de blues, de funk comme savent en concocter les musiciens de Louisiane. On pense parfois à Dr John, à la sensibilité sans mollesse des frères Neville ("Let life flow" est aussi une affaire de famille !)... Pour prendre la mesure de cette musique très attachante, on pourra écouter plus particulièrement "Fly away", une ballade dans laquelle la guitare de Kenny Neal fournit un contrepoint limpide à sa voix.
On soulignera, enfin, la qualité constante des arrangements, en particulier les sections de cuivres bien balancées et la finesse du travail effectué par une rythmique qui sait tirer profit des sonorités actuelles sans perdre son âme.
Un disque qui mérite l’attention et permet de prendre la dimension du talent de ce musicien complet qu’est Kenny Neal avec, en complément, un "bonus vidéo" présentant le guitariste chanteur "en live" sur deux morceaux supplémentaires.
Liens :
Take two critically acclaimed bluesmen, team them up in a recording studio, hit the 'Record' button, and listen as the magic begins to flow. Case in point: Kenny Neal and Billy Branch's Alligator album, DOUBLE TAKE. Kenny Neal is a critically acclaimed triple-threat bluesman, whose guitar and harmonica prowess are matched note for note by his soulful singing and passionate performances. Billy Branch is among the best blues harmonica players in the world. He is a gruff and potent vocalist, a groundbreaking solo artist, a valued session player and leader of the venerable Sons Of Blues. Neal and Branch got together in a studio in France in 1998 and recorded a magnificent acoustic album (released only in Europe), paying tribute to past musicians and laying the path for a bright and uncompromising future for the blues. Now that album--DOUBLE TAKE--is finally seeing the light of day in the United States. From St. Louis Jimmy's Goin' Down Slow to the Little Walter gems My Babe (written by Willie Dixon) and I Just Keep Loving Her to Sonny Boy Williamson's Don't Start Me Talking to the originals Billy and Kenny's Stomp and Northern Man Blues, the two trade vocals in a relaxed and warm meeting of styles, riffs, whoops and hollers. Blending deep blues tradition with a contemporary, pulsating edge, Neal and Branch deliver a foot-stomping and spirited look into the blues through the eyes of two remarkable musicians who will continue to be at the forefront of the blues world for many years to come.
Kenny Neal stands tall among the younger generation of blues players. His trademark brand of blues, featuring a combination of Louisiana swamp blues, funky rhythms
and soul-deep vocals, powered by his slashing guitar playing and--on his solo albums--loping harmonica, puts him at the forefront of contemporary blues players.
Born October 14, 1957 into a deeply rooted multi-generational blues family from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Kenny's been playing the blues since he was a small child. He first learned the blues from his father, harpist Raful Neal, and family friends like Buddy Guy, Lazy Lester and Slim Harpo. It was Slim who gave Kenny his first harp, trying to pacify the crying three-year-old boy. It worked. Kenny mastered harmonica, and quickly moved on to bass, trumpet, piano and guitar. He first performed at age six, playing piano at one of his father's gigs. By the time he was 13, he officially joined his father's band as a bass player, before being recruited as Buddy Guy's bassist at 17. Following Buddy's advice to concentrate on his guitar playing, Kenny relocated to Toronto, and--along with his brothers Raful Jr., Noel, Larry and Ronnie--formed the Neal Brothers Band, regularly backing visiting blues stars. Later he fronted Canada's Downchild Blues band before returning to Baton Rouge to begin his solo career.
Teaming with producer/bassist/horn arranger Bob Greenlee in 1987, Kenny cut a series of albums featuring not only his laid-back, Baton Rouge blues, but also funky contemporary gems with a taste of rock and R&B. Kenny joined Alligator in 1988, and his albums became blues hits, with the critics hailing him as one of the best of the younger blues generation. Down Beat declared, "Neal has a contemporary style unto himself, his phrases flare with pointed feeling and fervid imagination, his singing is randy and exuberant."
With his popularity growing, Neal expanded his horizons beyond the blues world. In 1991, he starred in a Broadway musical, "Mule Bone," with music by Taj Mahal, and won a Theatre World Award for his performance. In 1993, he toured Africa for the U.S. government, performing in seven countries. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Neal recorded and released three albums for Telarc. He continues to tour the country and bring new fans not only to his music but also to the blues in all shades and hues.
He's played with major blues stars from B.B. King to Buddy Guy, and has emerged as one of the few names on the short list of current blues greats. His music is deeply rooted in the Louisiana swamp blues tradition, but burns with a contemporary fire. "One of a mere handful of truly inventive young contemporary guitarists," announced the Chicago Tribune, "Neal has something fresh to say and the chops with which to say it."
1987 Bio On The Bayou (King Snake)
1988 Big News from Baton Rouge!! (Alligator)
(reissue of Bio On The Bayou)
1989 Devil Child (Alligator)
1991 Walking On Fire (Alligator)
1992 Bayou Blood (Alligator)
1994 Hoodoo Moon (Alligator)
1997 Deluxe Edition (Alligator)
1998 Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain (Telarc)
2000 What You Got (Telarc)
2001 One Step Closer (Telarc)