"Sax" Gordon Beadle

You Knock Me Out (Bullseye Blues)

Boston's mad saxman cranks out a kickin' sophomore effort, in between appearing on everyone else's records the last few years, from Susan Tedeschi to the Love Dogs to Ron Levy. From jumping Booker T-type soul to Willis "Call of the Gators" Jackson bayou R&B to even T-Bone Walker-type down and dirty blues, You Knock Me Out features a variety of retro blues and jazz that showcases Beadle's versatility and boundless energy. The production's tight and the background band was designed to keep up with its bandleader, including crack New England session men Duke Robillard, Matt McCabe, and Marty Ballou. Original compositions such as "You Knock Me Out" and "Mishnock Rock" show Beadle's affinity for the swinging era of the late '40s and '50s, when R&B hit critical mass and metamorphosed into rock-n-roll. Of course, back then, the saxman was either just as or more important as the guitarist, and Beadle's playing drives this whole machine on through with passion and panache. --Don Fluckinger