Archive Review: Cyril Neville's Magic Honey (2013)

New Orleans music legend Cyril Neville (he of the Meters and the amazing Neville Brothers) has been touring the world as of late as part of the Royal Southern Brotherhood with Devon Allman and Mike Zito. That band's Louisiana hot sauce-laced musical gumbo surely struck a chord with blues fans almost everywhere, perhaps delaying Neville's return to what has been an acclaimed and moderately successful solo career. Following his RSB bandmates over to the esteemed Ruf Records label, Neville recorded Magic Honey, his first solo effort since 2009's critically-lauded Brand New Blues album. One thing that's apparent from the first note of the album-opening title track is that Neville hasn't lost a step in these ensuing years, but rather sounds positively inspired after his stint playing with talented younger artists like Allman and Zito.

Magic Honey follows a musical blueprint familiar to any Cyril Neville fan, or to Royal Southern Brotherhood fans for that matter, the album providing a satisfying blend of New Orleans funk, old-school soul, Delta blues, and Southern rock styles that go together like Boudin sausage and crawfish Etouffee. Neville's take on "Something's Got A Hold On Me" is downright back alley scary, the song's swamp-blues vibe assisted by producer David Z's stinging fretwork, while the Walter Trout co-write "Running Water" benefits from the big man's scorched-earth guest-star guitar, which manages to rock the studio to the rafters even while it achieves an undeniably funky groove. 

A cover of Michael Bloomfield's "Working Man" is pumped up on steroids by Zito's six-string switchblade, a hard rocking soundtrack, and Neville's powerful vocals, the song neatly bookended by a blustery version of Paul Butterfield's "You Can Run But You Can't Hide" that features some nice razor-blade guitar. Neville's original "Blues Is the Truth" is the pitch-perfect heartbeat of the album, a "ready for primetime" romp where studio ace Cranston Clements' stellar guitarplay really has a chance to shine and Neville's expressive vocals speak multitudes between the lines. Overall, Magic Honey is a transcendent collection by a wily, multi-talented veteran still capable of pulling a few new tricks out of his bag. Grade: A (Ruf Records, released September 10th, 2013)