Chicago guitar-slinger Michael Coleman is more concerned with partying than politics on Do Your Thing! A rousing groove-oriented showcase with a full complement of horns and a ton of nasty licks, it represents the longtime sideman’s stateside debut as a leader. And while Coleman does venture into rocky territory on a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Message of Love/Dolly Dagger,” the blues is at the heart of everything he does. Harmonica killer Matthew Skoller helps punctuate Coleman’s faithful renditions of “Messin’ With the Kid,” Willie Dixon’s “Help Me” and Jimmy Reed’s “You Don’t Have to Go.” The guitarist stretches out on Jessie Mae Robinson’s “Cold, Cold Feeling,” the slow blues “Tin Pan Alley” and an instrumental version of Peter Green’s “Black Magic Woman.” He also displays some soulful pipes on a mellow cover of Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay” and on a funky James Brown-inspired original “Breakfast in Bed.” A long overdue debut from a talented cat.
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