Change is constant, and those best able to adapt to change
are most likely to survive. Two musician/producers both named Paul Brown are
rolling with the changes and proving baby boom-era types can create relevant
Americana music today.
“Dusty Road” is a 12-song debut by The Brothers Brown,
available March 28 on guitar great Larry Carlton’s 335 Records. The group is a
tight four piece of session and touring pros who share writing and production
credit on a fine collection of tunes that recall the spirit of Little Feat,
Steely Dan and others.
Los Angeles-based guitarist Paul Brown—let’s call him LA
Paul—won Grammies in 2003 for Best Pop Instrumental Album by producing and
engineering “Just Chillin’” by Norman Brown (no relation). He produced about 50
No. 1 radio hits for George Benson, Al Jarreau, Boney James and many smooth
jazz artists.
LA Paul also is an accomplished singer and songwriter who
released the first of his seven solo jazz albums in 2004. Around that time, a
keyboardist in Tennessee also named Paul Brown—let’s call him Brother Paul
here—started getting royalty checks meant for LA Paul.
Brother Paul is a lifelong music pro who played keyboards
with The Waterboys during their most recent world tour. At his Ocean Soul
Studios in Nashville, he produced the “Down in Louisiana” album for soul king
Bobby Rush, which was nominated for a Grammy. The two Paul Browns finally met
at the Grammy awards in 2014.
“It was like we’d known each other forever,” LA Paul says.
“We almost immediately started talking about writing songs together, and that
quickly turned into forming a band and making an album.”
The pair started writing songs together over the Internet. They
enlisted two Nashville-based musicians, bassist David Santos and drummer Peter
Young. Santos has toured with Billy Joel, John Fogerty and Elton John, among
others, and Young has performed with Loretta Lynn, The Burrito Brothers and
more.
The group met in Nashville and performed together but found
they liked recording parts on their own. “Dusty Road” tracks were recorded at
LA Paul’s The Funky Joint studio, Brother Paul’s Ocean Soul Studios, Santos’
White Rock Studios and Young’s Ultra Audio Productions.
The end result is a funky blend of rock, jazz and blues
sounds inspired by New Orleans and Nashville. It’s a fresh-sounding take on
classic forms, created by undisputed masters.
“There aren’t that many new artists coming along doing what
we’re doing,” LA Brown says.
The lead track “Cup of Tea” sounds like something from the
Lowell George songbook. Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere makes a guest
appearance later on the record, playing slide on “Hurricane.”
Radio-friendly rockers like “Sweet Cadillac” sound
comfortable next to ballads like “Love Sake.” LA Paul handles the bulk of the
vocals and liberally sprinkles the tunes with jazzy riffs from his 1963 Gibson
Johnny Smith L-5 with the floating pickup. You might pick up hints of Benson or
Jarreau, but on this record LA Paul sounds like he went searching for something
different and more along the lines of his early guitar influences like Jerry
Garcia and Wes Montgomery.
Brother Paul makes his presence felt throughout with
distinctive Hammond B3 fills and other sounds that feel perfectly chosen for
the mood of a particular song, be it the bluesy “California” or the more
uplifting groove of the title track. Lead vocals are shared, with Santos
singing “The River” and Young singing “Drink You Off My Mind.”
The Brothers Brown haven’t said yet whether they’re planning
to perform live together. But if they do, it would be fun if they joined the
lineup for the Cincinnati Music Festival July 22-23 in Ohio.
It’s taking place at Paul Brown Stadium (no relation).
