The Music Spectrum Notebook Series digs into my handwritten notes and reviews on older releases still getting my attention.
James Redding is Union Pulse. As the local act opening for Blue Mountain at Milwaukee’s Shank Hall, Redding employed Mike Hoffman and Brain Barney to bring that pulse up for a driving, pleasing set. While Martin Jack Rosenblum’s additions on harmonica didn’t add much overall spark, Redding showed himself to be a strong songwriter and excellent showman.
The first song, “Lonely Birthday,” was like John Lennon doing Lou Reed over pop-flecked country with some jam thrown in. Living up to his Big Head Todd T-shirt, “Do You Want to Be Right, Or Do You Want to Be Happy?” took on a muscly blues groove on a 50’s rock hint ultimately pointing to Led Zeppelin and the Kinks classic jams. In that same vein, the fourth song was a slamming blues river dragger like the epic feel of Five Eight.
The third song—supposedly about a girl named Jennifer from La Crosse, Wisconsin—was the first song to sound like the Union Pacific pulse, a country, train trail with reference to the garage rock crossovers of Paul Westerberg and Kevin Kinney/Drivin’ ‘n’ Cryin’. This morphed on “Sera Says” (Angel on a Wire) into a Son Volt/Peter Mulvey progeny.
Overall, probably especially because Redding was working with one-night-only guests, the sound is best when he lets loose on the guitar, letting the rhythm guide the song but sliding to the background.
