Music Everywhere
Thursday 14 June @ 13:54:20 |
 
Sam Kuusisto resides in Soulville
by DWIGHT HOBBES
I love it when an artist like Sam Kuusisto crosses my path. It’s like the good Lord decided, “I’m gonna give you a break, today, and let the sun shine just little bit brighter.” See, God knows I’m a soul-music junkie. And, soul singer Sam Kuusisto is a one-man wrecking crew who cooks like grits on the griddle and, in quintessential fashion, puts his own indelible stamp on everything he does. For good measure, this cat don’t believe in playing a thing safe: He’s been known to cover such don’t-even-try-it sacred cows as The Isley Brothers, Van Morrison, Jr. Walker and the All-Stars, hell, even James Brown. Talk about a tall order. Well, hold on to your seats, ladies and gentlemen, because no matter whose material he does, Sam Kuusisto breaks you off somethin’ that ain’t nothin’ nice.
Kuusisto’s constantly at work, wearing out crowds all over the Midwest and it’s small wonder that he stays in demand. For one, his scalding vocal is backed by a full-force band, including horns and some nasty-ass, chicken-scratch guitar.
Consider what he does with The Isleys’ “It’s Your Thing.” The obvious stumbling block, here, is how to come behind Ronald Isley’s trademark coloring—one of the strongest signatures in the annals of such strident criers as, oh, Isley, Al Green and Marvin Gaye. Kuusisto cops a funky-to-the-bone sidestep that works like a charm. With a sparse, stripped-down arrangement, he applies the less-is-more concept. Nobody in the band plays a single note—they don’t need to. Against this, Sam the Man just lays it down, straight-ahead matter of fact, bringing it all to his own residence in Soulville. And drags the song out in a do-it-to-death jam that just won’t quit.
And there’s Van Morrison’s “Domino.” It holds closer to the original and, ironically, still shows off Kuusisto’s chops to fine effect. He goes, if you will, toe-to-toe on Morrison’s ground and inarguably holds his own, simply going for broke, trusting instinct and a world of natural born, emotive phrasing—which acquit Kuusisto and then some.
Countless soloists and bands try their hand at Jr. Walker and the All-Stars’ “Shotgun.” In out-of-the-way venues nobody ever heard of. This intrepid spirit, however, does his rendition at spotlight showcases like Bunker’s, Fine Line and The Times. And kills with it, along the same lines as he did with “Domino.”
What Sam Kuusisto puts on James “The Godfather of Soul” Brown’s “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” amazes. For one—let’s face it—it takes brass cojones to think of singing any song James Brown ever recorded, much less one of his biggest hits. For Kuusisto, though, it’s all in a day’s work as he helps himself to what nine and a-half singers out of ten would choke on. He, again, walks it down Broadway, letting what he innately has just hang all out. It hangs long and strong, explaining with incredible chops exactly what it means to interpret a number. You can’t help but marvel at how he holds the original groove while taking it to his own place.
Kuusisto also throws down mean-as-a-snake on some Stevie Wonder (“Superstition”) and Bill Withers (“Use Me”). Scared me half outta my skin to imagine how tight his original songs must be. Since he’s working on an album for a fall release, guess I’ll just have to face that fear. Gladly. How about you?
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