Albert Cummings – From The Heart (2003)

01.Your Own Way
02.Long Way
03.Regular Man
04.Tell It Like It Is				play
05.Together as One
06.Barrel House Blues
07.I've Got Feelings Too			play
08.Living on the Highway Now
09.Ready as I'll Ever Be
10.Rock Me Baby
11.Beautiful Bride

Personnel:
Albert Cummings - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Chris Layton - Drums
Tommy Shannon - Bass, Rhythm Guitar
Reese Wynans - Keyboards
Johnny Moeller - Rhythm Guitar
Riley Osbourn – Keyboards

New England's Albert Cummings is a fine blues-rock guitarist somewhat in the Stevie Ray Vaughan mold, displaying at times the same sort of tone, explosion and soul that made Vaughan so special. Although he had played the northeast blues circuit with his band Swamp Yankee, Cummings really didn't catch the attention of the blues world until he teamed with Vaughan's old backing band, Double Trouble, and recorded this album in Austin, Texas. Yes, he sometimes has Vaughan's tone and feel, but there the similarities tend to end, in spite of having Reese Wynans, Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon in his corner. Cummings, who makes his living as a carpenter, takes more of an everyman, working stiff approach to his material, and his songs tell the stories of men struggling to make ends meet, both economically and domestically. There is little of the mystical guitar seeker in his repertoire, and although he plays wonderfully, it always seems grounded in a kind of blue-collar utility. Which is fine. There was only one Stevie Ray. The opener here, "Your Own Way," pretty much sets the tone for a solid blues-rock outing, with lyrics that celebrate survival and persistence, and while "Tell It Like It Is" strays just a bit into country territory, nothing here breaks or messes with the mold. The Vaughan comparisons are going to follow Cummings as he moves through his career, and recording an album with Vaughan's backing band may or may not have been a good idea in that regard, but aside from that study Fender tone they share, Vaughan and Cummings are really quite different musicians. This is a guitarist to watch. ---Steve Leggett, allmusic.com

Albert Cummings has quickly become one of the hottest blues commodities in the Northeast United States with his blistering guitar and sound approach to the blues. Cummings has admitted to a number of influences in his musical development, from B.B. and Albert King to Brian Setzer. These varying influences reveal themselves to the listener on From The Heart. One bonus to this fine recording is the addition of the talented tandem of Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton (a.k.a., Double Trouble) providing a strong backbeat for Cummings guitar and vocals. When Shannon and Layton first heard the 33 year old carpenter from Williamstown, Massachusetts, they were so impressed by his work that they offered to produce From The Heart, also contributing a song, "Barrelhouse Blues," to the effort. In the process, they also convinced the talented "third" member of Double Trouble, Reese Wynans to join them on the recording. According to information found on Cummings web site, this marked the firs time the talented trio had joined together to back another guitarist since the tragic death of Stevie Ray.

Happily, what Albert Cummings offers the listener on From The Heart is not an attempt to "clone" the work of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Instead, Albert provides is a collection of eight original songs with just three covers interspersed through the recording. Along the way, Cummings demonstrates a nice degree of versatility in his work including blues rock, blues, pop and sweet ballads. On songs like the original opener, "Your Own Way," Cummings offers a driving rock song, complete with stinging guitar. On the following number, "The Long Way," Cummings successfully conjures up images of the Crosby, Stills & Nash classic, "Long Time Gone," sans the harmonies of CSN. On "Tell It Like It Is," Cummings and friends take a firm hold on some Texas honky tonk blues. The gradual crescendo opening and B-3 dominated backing on "Together As One," offers a pop laden influence that is reminiscent of the mid-80's sensation Mr. Mister, who dominated the radio waves with their biggest hit, "Broken Wings".

Cummings hits the blues hard with the burning original by Shannon, Layton and Doester entitled "Barrelhouse Blues." Cummings vocals on this song are heartfelt and emotional as is his powerful guitar. The Texas feeling returns on "I've Got Feelings Too," where rock n' roll meets Texas honky tonk. Cummings does an excellent job on his rendition of the Freddie King hit "Living On The Highway Now," written by Don Nix with excellent vocals and some tasty guitar. The band's funkified version of B. B. King's classic, "Rock Me Baby," take on a different feeling from the original, making more personal for Cummings. The CD ends with the most personal song of all, "Beautiful Bride," a song Cummings wrote for his wife. --- Dave "Doc" Piltz,

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