THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9410200083
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: MUSIC REVIEW
SOURCE: BY SUE SMALLWOOD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
AFTER 15 YEARS with platinum-selling rockabillies the Stray Cats, upright bassist Lee Rocker has emerged from the shadow of Cats' showboat vocalist Brian Setzer as a surprisingly fine frontman with his new blues trio Big Blue.
Rocker stunned a full house at the Jewish Mother on Tuesday night, proffering a steaming set of what he's dubbed ``rockin' blues'' - a refreshing rockabilly/blues hybrid - captured on Big Blue's recent eponymous debut LP.
Backed by the crack duo of guitarist Mike Eldred and drummer Henree DeBaun, Rocker turned out sinuous, sensual vocals - apparently woefully buried on his backing work with the Stray Cats - on raucous blues and rockabilly retreads and classy originals.
Battling sound that had his slap-bass tricks popping rather than thumping, Rocker worked his outsized instrument as if it were a guitar, leaning into lugubrious legato passages and snapping crisp rhythmic riffs with easy aplomb.
Guitarist Eldred's performance was equally stunning; he's a flame-fingered virtuoso obviously influenced by the late Danny Gatton, to whom he dedicated the reeling ``Hucklebuck.'' A master of climactic phrasing, Eldred handily tossed off hellfire rock 'n' roll riffs, scorching blues vamps, headspinning hammer-on runs and singing single-note bends.
Standout selections were Elvis Presley chestnuts ``That's All Right, Mama'' and ``Good Rockin' Tonight'' (no surprise, because original Presley guitarist Scotty Moore appears on Big Blue's album), longtime Cats covers ``Beautiful Delilah'' and ``Rock Therapy,'' slow jam original ``Big Blue Train'' and Big Blue's ``Darlin' Darlene,'' a Dave Edmunds-esque number.
Melding rockabilly's hyper-kinetic approach - inherently rooted in the percussive firepower of stand-up bass - with the soulful grit of the blues, Rocker and company are putting a fresh, user-friendly face on the blues genre. ILLUSTRATION: MUSIC REVIEW
Lee Rocker's Big Blue
Tuesday at the Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach
by CNB