Therapy

Jeff Grand must have been itching for Therapy. Though it drips with genuine feeling from one end to the other, there’s a restless variety to the Detroit-area player’s solo debut that suggests how long he’s been waiting to record it. Opener “24 Hours” is a tremendous urban blues grind with Grand’s weary vocal out front and a guitar that flickers angrily, like a neon light tired of working overtime. But the resulting “We Get Down” and “Don’t Get Lost in the Wind” access completely different styles with equal prowess — the former fuses jaunty percussion to a banjo’s ramble, while “Wind” suggests the rangy pop of Joe South classic “Games People Play.” Albert Collins’ “Travelin’ Down South” features the Hammond B-3 of Eddie Harsch, and Grand’s guitar work stings on Therapy’s two Muddy Waters readings. “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” is particularly satisfying, its Delta-derived stutter hanging faithfully on the competing wails of Grand’s voice and guitar. On the atmospheric side is a bright and brash full-band take
on the Allmans’ “Little Martha” and a moody original called “Losin’ Blues” — both evidence of the sonic variety that makes Therapy a one-stop Jeff Grand jukebox, and a solid solo bow for the local blues vet.

Johnny Loftus writes about music for Metro Times. E-mail [email protected].