From the opening riff to the closing shouts of “She'll Be Gone”, Maria Vincent & The Millionaires prove they have guts, talent and good taste. Taking on such diverse luminaries as Billie Holiday, Louis Jordan, Ruth Brown, Patsy Cline, and The Penguins is risky business, one which most bands wisely shy away from. Not Maria and her boys! Furiously jumping, honking, and shouting their way through a stellar set of 1940’s and 1950’swing and rhythm & blues, the band pays tribute and does justice to these legendary songs. Maria and the band is not content with merely imitating the original recordings, but rather they add their own energy and personality to each song.

Listening to Maria’s bossy and sassy vocals on Fluffy Hunter’s and the Jessie Powell Orchestra’s “Walkin’ Blues" you’ll swear you smell cigarette smoke and hear clinking glasses of a noisy juke joint on the Southside. This opening track sets the tone for the other gems which follow. From the bluesy “Easy Easy Baby” to the swinging “I Love You Honey”, Maria delivers each song with a hard-hitting sophistication. Maria and the boys even throw in a vocal group harmony side, the Penguin’s “Promises, Promises, Promises” originally recorded in1955. Given the instrumentation complete with soaring sax and sizzling guitar breaks, I never heard a doo wop group even attempt to re-make this one.

The Millionaires are a reincarnation of the Louis Jordan’s Tympany Five providing the driving beat behind, under, and around Maria’s vocals. These cats really know how to jump the blues, just listen to the breaks on “We Gonna Rock This Joint”. I feel sorry for whoever takes the stage after these guys. I can only imagine what they could do to a T-Bone Walker or a Big Jay McNeely instrumental. (hint, hint)

So push back the furniture, roll up the rug and give it a spin. And remember, Louis Jordan is proud of these kids..….he told me so.

David April
“The Roots of Rhythm & Blues”
RADIO IN THE DELAWARE VALLEY
WRDV-FM 89.3 Hatboro/Warminster 107.3 Philadelphia 97.1 Bensalem
WLBS-FM 91.7 Bristol/Levittown
Listen Live: www.wrdv.org
Tuesdays 7-10 PM, Eastern Standard Time