Search - Cate Brothers :: Radioland

Scorching Blues & R&B: The South's Talented Cate Brothers

Casey Stewart | San Joaquin Delta | 08/25/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Cate Brothers Band, with Ernie on smooth, muscular vocals and keyboards, and brother Earl on lead guitar and backing vocals fooled me. Blue-eyed soul, R&B, hot Blues and a veneer of pop with funky backbeats was much more than I expected, having first heard the Brothers backing up one of the greatest modern electric Blues guitarists, Coco Montoya. Radioland has a little something for everyone. One of the catchiest tunes would be the title track, mid tempo longing for a mysterious woman who got tired of a one horse town and said she came from Radioland. The Cate Brothers speculate this would be somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line. Coco Montoya joins Earl for a shared lead of scorching Blues ax on the aptly named Damn Guilty Blues. More down and dirty Blues appear on Please No More, After This Time, and the outstanding and haunting Am I Losing You. The singer hears his woman talking in her sleep, and mentioning someone else's name...The Brothers take it home with the help of their letter perfect back-up band. Uptempo tracks create an infectious groove with Solid Ground, Sometimes It Jumps and the funky work-out of Strip Search (For Love). A solid effort and worthy contender for spot on your CD changer. It brings to mind both Muscle Shoals and that old, beloved Stax Volt Memphis sound. When they call it Delta soul, you'll soon know what it's all about!"