Cascade Blues Music Reviews

Don't Loose Your Kool

Bill Rhoades & the Party Kings

Music Review Reprint from the
February, 2002 BluesNotes
By Rick Hall

Don't Loose Your Kool - Bill Rhoades & the party Kings

Look On Yonders Wall
High Cost Of Living
So Mean To Me
You Can't Live Long
I wish You Would
Mama, Talk To Your Daughter
Top Of The Harp
Boogie Woogie Blues
Howlin' Wolf
Don't Loose Your Cool

Bill Rhoades is the region's "unoffical" Blues authority. He knows the Blues better than most anyone around the area. Bill is a remarkable veteran Blues harmonica blower who lives and breathes the genre. Bill has been playing this "American art form" with his band, The Party Kings, for over three decades now. He has a long standing relationship with Terry Robb and Alan Hager, both highly regarded Blues guitarists, playing in duo formats with each of them. Also, his long running Blues radio program, "Blue Mondays", on KBOO, is the premier Blues Radio Show in town. Who better than Bill Rhoades to take 10 true "classic Blues tunes" and cover them on his latest recording?

Bill Rhoades & The Party Kings are up to the task, doing a wonderful job of letting these great of songs stand up and breathe. His band, The Party Kings, consisting of Alan Hager and Jim Cochran on guitars and a "killer" rhythm section of Albert Reda (bass) and Johnny Moore (drums), compliment Bill so well throughout this recording. Bill's harmonica work is powerful and authoritative, and most of all, very pleasing to the ear. Just take a listen to his cover of the Billy Boy Arnold Blues harp anthem, "I Wish You Would", and you'll know what I'm talking about. And, his harp blowin' on Louis Myers', "Top Of The Harp" is truly something special indeed. Bill's vocals are strong on the whole outing. He does a wonderful job of singing on Albert King's, "High Cost Of Living". The whole band just smokes on Clarence Samuels, "Boogie Woogie Blues" (love the call and response), and on the album's finale, Albert Collins', "Don't Loose Your Cool".

There's no guess work here. This is all Blues and nothin' but the Blues. And, like the best of the really good Blues recordings, it sounds better every time you play it. If you love the "real deal" Blues, you surely will enjoy this fine, first-class effort from Bill Rhoades & The Party Kings. Highly Recommended!

Note: Bill will have the CD available at the 7th Annual Harmonica Summit on February 2nd at the Melody Ballroom.