Most artists signed to the premier blues label, Alligator, have established careers; however, occasionally, youthful talent emerges, such as Louisiana-born D.K. Harrell, a skillful guitarist, accomplished songwriter, and powerful vocalist. The 27-year-old Harrell is already playing blues festivals globally and was a headliner at the Chicago Blues Festival this past week. This is Harrell’s second album, having debuted on Little Village with The Right Man in 2023, working with Kid Andersen and Jim Pugh’s session players. Pugh, who rose to prominence first as Robert Cray’s keyboardist and later as Executive Director of the Little Village Foundation, deserves credit for giving Harrell his first break, leading to Harrell winning the BMA for Best Emerging Artist. It’s one thing to be able to play the blues guitar and sing soulfully, but what separates Harrell from most is his songwriting. His first album had all original songs, and Talkin’ Heavy follows suit with Harrell writing or co-writing eleven of the dozen.
Harrell retains much of what made The Right Man successful by co-writing with Andersen and Pugh and employing both as band members. Andersen plays rhythm guitar, and Pugh plays organ and piano. Andrew Moss is the bassist, and June Core and Derrick “D’Mar” Martin share the drummer role. Again, the album is recorded at Andersen’s Greaseland USA, with contributions from multiple horn players and background vocalists.
Harrell is the first to admit that although his guitar playing is a gumbo of styles, it is primarily centered on B.B. King’s warm tone and vibrato. Harrell, like B.B., plays the hollow-bodied red Gibson 355. My take on his guitar style described him as slightly too emulative on the previous record, suggesting it would evolve, and surely enough, we find that here. He is mature enough to know that it’s not how fast one plays, it’s about hitting the right notes. Opener “A Little Taste” brings a funky, stomping, soulful Joe Tex-like vibe, replete with punchy horns, Harrell’s scorching, staccato guitar, and Pugh’s swirling B3. He testifies with authority on “Grown Now,” letting his searing guitar do as much talking as the confidence expressed in the lyrics. The title track is a mid-tempo blues that showcases Harrell’s blues shouter side, a church-born voice that is every bit as commanding as vocalists twice his age.
“PTLD” (post-traumatic love disorder) sways with a bevy of horns and Lisa Leuschner Andersen’s call-and-response background vocals. The soul-stirring connection to B.B. is mirror-like in Harrell’s guitar work and vocals in “Life’s Lessons.” “Good Man,” by Jim Pugh, a piano-driven tune, stands apart from Harrell’s tunes, but contains a sharply phrased vocal and stinging guitar, making it sound both vintage and contemporary at the same time. “Vibe with Me” is another tune echoing B.B.” The horn-slathered “Into the Room” could easily fit in with blues royalty icons like the three Kings and Little Milton as Harrell picks his notes judiciously. “No Thanks to You” is a defiant slow blues replete with strings and background vocalists, pitting Harrell more as a crooner than a blues shouter.
The shuffle “Liquor Stores and Legs” features lyrics set in a conventional blues lexicon. At the same time, the vocal exposes Harrell’s grittier side, with the guitar faintly channeling Freddie King, at least to these ears. “What Real Men Do” has a full complement of horns and three background vocalists as Harrell, in bragadoccio style, states his case on what a real man is supposed to do. He closes by showing us how, in his words, “ the blues and gospel are just the same” in the roof-raising, hand-clapping “Praise These Blues,” his guitar soaring along with choirs, taking us home as few can.
Today’s blues badly needs this healthy, potent injection of power, soul, and energy that D.K. Harrell brings. He’s evolved considerably in just two years. His future already seems limitless.
