I love getting a cd in the mail by an artist I’ve never heard of and getting a pleasant surprise when I listen to it. Such was the case with the new cd Blood and Treasure by Paul Mark and his band The Van Dorens. Well, as I’ve been accused of many times, I must’ve been under a rock as this is the 7th cd for the NYC native, who has toured extensively with his band for over 15 years. Paul is also the principle woner of Radiation Records which has released the disc.
Although Mark hails from New York the disc was recorded in Memphis and definitely has a Memphis sound to it. When asked about the CD Mark says “our plan for Blood & Treasure was to grow a high-octane roots rock sound that draws on a variety of complementary southern styles …all of which would be lyrically unified by my lunatic ruminations on the state of the body public.” A very apt description; “lunatic ruminations” and humor abound, backed by some great music. My favorite track on the disc is the opener; “Everything is Nothing,” a rambling ode to someone that must be pretty damn special:
“The Redwood Forest, that’s just a patch of sticks.
The Taj Mahal, that’s nothing but a stack of bricks
And today’s headlines, sure sound like old news.
Everything is nothing after you…”
Both “Don’t Get Me Started” and “Raise the Roof” add a nice touch of Stax soul sound highlighted by the background harmony vocals of Susan Marshall and Jackie Johnson. So as to not be thought of as an insensitive bluesman, Mark adds an excellent solo piano/vocal tune called “Extraordinary Measures,” which is reminiscent of some of Randy Newman’s great soundtrack tunes. Of course, to end things he wants us to know that first and foremost, he’s a bluesman, and ends with a great electric blues instrumental “Ruff House.” This disc was truly a great find for me; I hope you will check it out as well.
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blood and treasure. that sounds pretty great. i also love hearing new music and liking it. i'll have to go and check this one out for sure.