Wildcat

Well, no one has reviewed this, which is a big surprise - so I am gonna jot a few notes.You have either looked up Mr. Wildcat cuz you are from Bham and have caught him live and want to get a disc, or you stumbled upon this through a fortunate stroke of serendipity.For the folks from Bham - this cd gives ya what ya got at the show. The all-too-cool subtle-hype persona is captured. The raspy-smooth voice, raspy-smooth trumpet, and raspy-smooth harmonica are all here. Get it. Ya can probably find it used somewhere around town. The only thing you don't get is the showmanship as he smoothly goes from vocals to trumpet, to harmonica, and back - you just can't see this on cd.For everyone else: you are missing out. This guy has his own personal flair for performing some swingin' soulful mischievous jazz standards and songs, including his own, that otta be jazz standards. Plus, a great band behind him that must be able to read his mind cuz they are right on top of it all.The album is strong from top to bottom, but myself I am not that excited abt his version of 'Lonesome' cuz it is a bit noisy for me. Otherwise, this is totally listenable all the way thru. People will perk up their ears and ask you who it is if you play it when friends are over. It is solid jazz, but fortunately is not one of these rehashed, warmed-over albums of jazz standards by yet another person with a decent voice and a fan base. Yawn. Robert is original and fresh. And effortless.Listen to the samples. A highlight for me is his version of Lover Man - usually performed by a woman pining away for the man whom she fantasizes will come one day, Robert puts a little twist to tell us about her - the perspective of observation, versus confession, adds a bit of melancholy soul that gives you new perspective on this classic. It totally works.On the flip side of the spectrum, I think many of us know exactly what Robert is talkin about when he changes gears and sings about how he admires a lady's 'molecular structure.' Clever and captivating.And how many times have we heard 'All of Me?' Robert turns this classic on its ear. His manic scat rant rap is too funny - 'you don't want a crazy man on your hands' squeezed in amongst a dozen other hilarious improv phrases, squeezed into the space of what usually is just a languid lazy phrase of few words. It toally works.Nowadays, you can buy the songs one by one. If ya are only gonna try one, browse the sound samples, but maybe try 'Wildcat.' If ya love a great version of a jazz standard, try 'Loverman.'