Got Love is another solid, soulful blues effort from Missouri's own
Bel Airs, driven by bassist
Dick Pruitt's weathered vocals and brother
Dave Pruitt's no-frills, efficient guitar work. The trio (Michael Cherry, formerly of
the Paladins, is the drummer) doesn't reach for the stars here, but works out of familiar territory, dropping a couple of originals into a mix of modern blues and early rock & roll covers. Among the highlights are a moving version of
the Tams' "What Kind of Fool," the strong rhythmic playing of Michael Cherry on
Willie Dixon's "Just You and I" (which also features a guest appearance by
Joe Terry on piano), and a stripped-down, acoustic rendition of
Isaiah "Doctor" Ross' adaptation of "Going to the River," which allows
Dave Pruitt to dust off his fine slide guitar skills. Again,
Got Love doesn't try to stretch any boundaries, but
Dick Pruitt's soulful singing gives
the Bel Airs a lot of presence, and the "just the facts, ma'am" approach to what the trio does is actually pretty comforting, a bit like hearing your favorite local blues band play at your favorite beer joint on a Friday night, and yes, you just got paid. ~ Steve Leggett