“Something Gotta Hold On Me”
Danny Brooks
From the His House CD Texassippi Soul Man (2012)
By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.
When someone asked Willie Sutton why he robbed banks, he is alleged to have answered, “Because that’s where the money is.”
Similarly, should someone ask Ontario-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Danny Brooks why he moved to Texas, he’s likely to answer, “Because that’s where the roots music is.”
Deep inside Danny Brooks beats the heart of a Delta bluesman.  He has relocated to Texas to pursue his craft in the company of like-minded souls.  His latest album, Texassippi Soul Man, chronicles the physical and psychological journey in its lyrics and music.  To harmonica, slide guitar, pounding drums, bass, and an occasional tambourine, Brooks sings with so much grit, you’d think he drank a bottle of rattlesnake juice.  He looks and plays like the late Stevie Ray Vaughan.  The result is an amalgam of country, blues, and gospel that the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals made a living out of recording, and is now sometimes referred to as Americana.
On “Caught the Fire,” Brooks name checks his musical heroes, from B.B. King and Hank Williams to Sam Cooke and Little Richard, and thanks the Lord that “the whole soul clan did a number on me.”  Right there is an indication of the swirl of styles that inform Brooks’ music.
While the majority of the tracks are love songs or pay tribute to roots music heroes, and are therefore somewhat outside the scope of this blog, “Something Gotta Hold On Me” is decidedly inspirational.  The tempo moves from loping to Baptist shout to Pentecostal tempo.  In the liner notes, Brooks—who has in the past recorded many a rootsy gospel number—announced he wants “to send this song to the Blind Boys of Alabama.”  I hope he has.
Another gospel number is “Mama Prayed,” a Southern country-fried and Opry-ready song where Mama’s fervent prayers rescue her son from “needle, spoon and shame.”
Texassippi Soul Man intimates that Danny Brooks’ life journey has earned him the right to sing the blues, but the optimistic beat shows he’s found his sweet spot.
Four of Five Stars

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Written by : Bob Marovich

Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. Founder of Journal of Gospel Music blog (formally The Black Gospel Blog) and producer of the Gospel Memories Radio Show.