Refreshing.  I find Albert Cummings refreshing; but then I’ve recently had the opportunity to see Albert in concert in a small intimate club and speak with him briefly as well.  Here’s a guy who started playing music at a young age. He first played guitar a bit, then switched to banjo at age 12. The early recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan and seeing him live in 1987 made Albert put down the banjo and pick the guitar back up.  To earn a buck however, Albert first picked up a hammer. He is a fourth generation homebuilder in Massachusetts who didn’t start his musical career until the relatively late age of 27. There is nothing flashy about Albert.  He looks to be in good shape, doesn’t wear flashy clothes and looks you in the eye when he talks to you.  He looks like Mark McGuire with a guitar and without the steroids, excuse me, metabolic enhancers…

After deciding to make a go of it as a musician, Albert shared a bill with Double Trouble, Stevie Ray’s rhythm section, who were impressed enough with Albert to volunteer to play on and produce his debut CD.  They also joined him on his Blind Pig debut CD True to Yourself. This new CD highlights the energy of Albert’s live shows.  The CD is a mix of originals and cover tunes, including a “Hoochie Coochie Man/Dixie Chicken Medley”; not sure I’ve ever heard that before!  You get the feel of one of his shows right off the bat with one of Albert’s originals, “Party Right Here”. Most of the tunes are “loud ‘n proud,” but I did enjoy the quietest tune in the set, the lengthy original “Sleep.” My favorite original tune on the disc is one that seems to sum up Albert quite well, “The Blues Makes Me Feel So Good.” The set ends up with a bang also, closing with Led Zep’s “Rock And Roll.”

Maybe it’s the name Albert.  It just seems to be a name that fits blues guitarists (King, Collins…).  Well, this Albert is another one you should check out as well.

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