Al Basile - Shaking the Soul Tree

Al Basile's second solo album again uses Duke Robillard and his band to back Al up on 16 songs, which range from Texas blues to Stax flavored soul workouts, with a few surprises from '60s rock thrown in. Basile's horn playing is prominent in a section featuring Sax Beadle and Doug James, and former Susan Tedeschi sideman Tom West is stellar on piano and B3. The songwriting often shows the influence of Arthur Alexander, and contains "gems that will appeal to soul fans of all persuasions... Basile's naturally soulful vocals are underpinned by a great band performance replete with funky sax and tough, uncompromising guitar." - Mick Rainsford, Blues in Britain.