Best Local Blues Act

Roomful of Blues

HeAR 'em holler! It wasn't until last year that one of New England's favorite acts, Roomful of Blues, finally won a category -- Best Local R&B/Soul. This year they're back in the blues category. The categories never do tell the whole story, though. In their nearly 30 years of hard concertizing, Roomful have covered Kansas City swing, T-Bone Walker blues, Louis Jordan jump, and R&B. They've recorded with Earl King, Big Joe Turner, and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. At a recent Memphis show, venerable blues harp man James Cotton jumped up to do a number with the band. Former members include the likes of Duke Robillard and Ronnie Earl. Whatever the mix in their music, the rootsy horn-and-guitar-driven sound is all of a piece. After a late-'80s recording drought, Roomful of Blues have rebounded with some of their best work ever -- their three most recent CDs with the Bullseye Blues/Rounder imprint. Their latest, Under One Roof, recently scored them a Blues Foundation W.C. Handy Award in the blues instrumental category. Now the band are in the studio again with yet another revamped lineup -- most notably with the Providence-based McKinley "Mac" Odom replacing the veteran vocalist Sugar Ray Norcia. No telling where the new front man will take the band (his credits include playing bass with James Brown and Joe Tex). But expect Roomful to keep the joints jumping wherever they play in the coming year.

-- Jon Garelick