Triumvirate

Product Description:

These guys may or may not have gotten together in a cynical attempt to create a roots music supergroup, but their sole album is in fact a lot better than its lack of commercial success might suggest. Each member has a signature specialty--Hammond's in country blues, Bloomfield's at the more modern Chicago variety, with Dr. John the epitome of New Orleans second-line R&B piano--and the material is split accordingly.

Hammond, however, is the designated frontman and he's up to the task, although Dr. John's evocatively gruff vocals are missed. Among the highpoints are a sensitive reading of the blues classic "It Hurts Me Too," with terrific horn charts and strong soloing by Bloomfield, and a spooky version of John Lee Hooker's "Groundhog Blues," which has the distinction of being the one song here where all three styles are convincingly meshed.