The music business is full of people who are "musician's
musicians"--most of the people who know about them are fellow performers
with whom they've worked, and though you've certainly heard them on a
variety of projects, chances are you've never heard their names unless
you're a die-hard fan.
Rico McFarland is one such. Beginning his professional
career at 11 as a member of Kansas City Red's Band, he went on to play
with everyone from Albert King to Al Green; more recently, he's played
with Carl Weathersby, Lucky Peterson, and James Cotton. With Tired of
Being Alone, McFarland at last takes center stage as both a singer and
a guitarist. As one might expect, given McFarland's lengthy and varied
resume, his work here is stylistically varied. That's not unusual in the
contemporary blues world, but McFarland weaves his threads of blues, R&B,
rock, funk, and soul better than most, and occasionally slips in a
surprise. The first of these is a cover of the Joan Osborne hit "What If
God Were One of Us." It doesn't exactly break the mold Osborne set, but
it's a solid rendition with nice touches that add depth and distinction.
Other covers include "Blues Falling Down Like Rain," a recent inclusion on
Kenny Neal's album of the same title, and Green's "It Ain't No Fun to Me."
McFarland's own material fits nicely with this company;
his uptempo, funk-inflected "Giving Me the Blues" is particularly fine.
There are plenty of guest stars, and their presences are strong without
becoming intrusive. Most notably, Otis Clay duets with McFarland on "What
If God Were One of Us," and Syl Johnson contributes vocals to "It Ain't No
Fun to Me" and "Giving Me the Blues." Tired of Being Alone goes a
long way toward explaining why someone might want to mix genres in the
first place; too many albums of this type wind up sounding saccharine, ot
worse yet, bland. McFarland, however, has enough experience to combine his
ingredients in their proper portions, so that what you get is a solid
meal. Sort of the difference between a good homemade stew and the stuff
that comes in a can.
-- Originally appeared in Blues Revue No. 72,
November 2001, pp. 51-2