Morgan And Mikhail's Clinical Anesthesiology

The sturdiness of the blues tradition will support any band with decent chops and good instincts and make it sound good, but only the rarest bands overcome the weight of that same tradition to make music original enough for greatness. The Dallas quartet Mike Morgan & the Crawl is the perfect example of a bar band that serves the blues legacy honorably without ever adding much to it. Ain't Worried No More includes 9 songs by guitarist Morgan among its 13 tracks, but these represent a reshuffling of old materials rather than anything personal enough to be forever associated with its composer. Morgan, who wears a pirate patch over his right eye, is not a singer; he leaves that to his longtime partner and harmonica soloist Lee McBee, whose gruff and soulful baritone never distracts from the band's groove…

Morgan's seventh album for the Black Top imprint brings some new and welcome twists to the mix. First is the production chores being handled by label head Hammond Scott. Second is the return of harmonica ace/vocalist Lee McBee after a three-year hiatus from the lineup to pursue a solo career. The third notable feature is the abundance of fine original material. Rather than a set of bandstand ready-mades, you can tell some time and work went into the production of this album. McBee's harp work is as strident as ever, and Morgan's guitar still maintains its blazing Texas fury, but framing it with a horn section here and there, Riley Osborne on piano and Hammond B-3 organ and Rhandy Simmons subbing on bass for six of the 11 tracks keeps this album from ever getting samey or predictable. Particularly noteworthy are "Bad Luck and Trouble," "You're Gonna Miss Me" and the title track.

Texas Guitarist Mike Morgan reunites with his former Black Top label-mate Lee McBee and longtime friend Randy McAllister on Stronger Every Day. This album features all original material except a reading of Gatemouth Brown's classic Okie Dokie Stomp. Lee McBee's pleading vocal on "Sweet Angel" leads to a fiery solo by Mike and soul is visited by Randy McAllister on "Where's the Love", "When I Get Back Home" and the title track "Stronger Every Day."