Tito Jackson, Makes Blues Debut With Array of Guests On ‘Under Your Spell’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Let’s get one thing straight from the outset.  As you might expect there’s as much R&B on former Jackson 5 singer Tito Jackson’s debut, Under Your Spell, for Gulf Coast Records/Hillside Global as there are blues. There are not many singers/guitarists that can attract the guest lineup that Jackson presents here – George Benson, Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Rush, Eddie Levert, Kenny Neal, and Marlon Jackson.  Jackson is a multi-talented artist who can sing, play guitar, write, arrange songs, and produce records. He delivers a diverse repertoire. 

He bursts out with the horn and keyboard-driven up-tempo R&B “Wheels Keep Turning” replete with background vocalists as at the intersection of Stax and Motown.  The stomping single, “Love One Another,” is a blues and R&B mashup as Tito’s vocal lead gets support from Marlon Jackson, Bobby Rush, and Kenny Neal as Stevie Wonder blows his trademark harmonica. Most of these tunes are penned by Tito or co-written with Michael K. Jackson, with each sharing production and arranging across the eleven tracks. Joe Bonamassa adds the ringing guitar to the title track as it’s rendered by Tito’s core band of guitar, keys, bass, and drums. Horns (Jason Parfait and Ian Smith) augment “Dyin Over Here” where Tito takes the guitar lead, obviously in a whole different manner than Bonamassa.  Throughout this segment, the use of background vocals speaks to Tito’s Motown upbringing.

The blues segment begins in earnest with the horn-backed, Kenny Neal (rhythm guitar and bass) assisted “Big Leg Woman.”  It’s Tito’s own tune, not the one you might associate with Muddy Waters. This one also has a strong horn chart with Jason Parfait stepping forward on a sax solo while Tito displays clean blues chops in his own guitar solo.  “You’re Gonna Push Me Too Far” is a pure blues funk with another big sound of horns and background vocals. Grady Champion’s harmonica drives “That Kind of Love” before Tito pays tribute to his late friend, B.B. King in the standout “Rock Me,” featuring a marvelous cast led by B.B. King’s bandleader, trumpeter James “Boogaloo” Bolden and featuring such King mainstays as bassist/vocalist Russell B. Jackson and Michael Lee. George Benson, Lee, and Tito all take lead guitar breaks while Tito, Lee, and B.B.’s daughter Claudette King trade vocal leads. 

Hall of Fame songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who penned huge hits for The Jacksons and the O’Jays came out of retirement to write “All in the Family Blues” for Tito.  Another Hall of Famer, Eddie Levert of the O’Jays, shares the vocal lead with Tito. Finally, Tito teams with Black music pioneer Steven “Ice Buck” Powell who co-wrote “I Got Caught (Loving in a Dream),” capping the album with a contemporary R&B flair.

Sure, it’s a little uneven because there’s so much going on but Tito Jackson seems poised for a “new blues career” wherein his R&B legacy will breathe some new life into the enduring genre.

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