Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Ain’t No Man A Good Man; however, when the mood catches the wind in the right direction, when the pathos of our times is able to set the sky alight with flames and fury, then in these times, a great man comes to the crease and finds a way to offer a piece of their soul which will calm and soothe the nerves, that will enlighten and take the pressure off to such an extent that the sky, like the mind, itself clears.

In this case, one man may not be enough, but two performing the ground down Blues and embracing the sensuality of horn classic rhythms more than submit that it is not the way we look at the person to whom we seek deliverance and hope, but the measure, the size and generosity of their soul in which we should see the change they are capable of making in the world.

Wily Bo Walker and Danny Flam have come together to produce a piece of art that just doesn’t get underneath the skin, but which openly declares that the soul will break, that the organ and muscle that keeps us alive will feel the gentle persuasion of heartache, and that the listener will not only be thankful, but plead for more.

Ain’t No Man… but a double album of extraordinary vision, one of original tracks, the other original takes of Wily Bo Walker classics and described by the horns, that give the listener the sense of having walked into the smoky jazz bars that once dotted and crisscrossed the avenues and downstairs down at heel bars and in which the sounds of the upbeat rose higher than any building the city of New York could muster.

Two different moments, one genuine passion, and across tracks such as Fool For You (2020 Hindsight), Walking With The Devil (Blood On My Hands), Ain’t Hungry No More, the excellent St. James Infirmary Blues, Who Do You Love, Walk In Chinese Footsteps, Moon Over Indigo and When The Angels Call Your Time, the combination of Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam, along with substantial intrigue and drama from musicians such as Mike Boss, Pete Farrugia, Troy Redfern, Keith Mack, Karena K and The Cenovia Cummings String Quartet, Ain’t No Man A Good Man is arguably not just one of the albums of the year, but of the decade to come.

An outpouring of sensational dominance, of beguiling beauty and heart-breaking brilliance; Ain’t No Man A Good Man, however, some are emotionally virtuous and give the audience the respect they fully deserve.

Ian D. Hall