Jose Ramirez - Here I Come
Jose Ramirez
Here I Come
Speaking about his debut album, Here I Come, guitarist Jose Ramirez explained, “I wanted to make a Blues album influence by both Soul and R&B, from musicians the likes of Ray Charles, Teddy Pendergrass and Al Green, with a Little Johnny guitar Watson in there as well.”
Capitalizing on the momentum he acquired after his second place finish at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where he was representing The D.C Blues Society and his home country of Costa Rica. Ramirez teamed up with Blues guitar legend Anson Funderburgh, who brought him to Wire studios in Austin Texas to be recorded by Grammy winning engineer Stuart Sullivan. They assembled the crack team of studio players for the sessions including Jim Pugh on piano and organ, drummer Wes Starr and bass man Nate Rowe, and the legendary Texas Horns, with Funderburgh lending his guitar skills to a couple tracks. The nine original tracks showcase Ramirez’ song writing ability and his personal style on to select covers. It is obvious that he is a dynamic performer having made the finals at the Orpheum theater in Memphis, this album will now solidify him as a recording artist on par with the legends he has been studying all his life.
Ramirez opens the set by going to the source on the title track, “Here I Come,” a hard driving Blues shuffle in which he name checks the heroes who showed him where his place in the world should be. The horn section steps in on the sweet swinging ballad, ”I Miss You Baby,” forming a melodic bed that allows him to stretch out with his voice and his guitar on the T-bone Walker classic from the early 50s. Funderburgh delivers some ice pick lead guitar on the saucy “Gasoline And Matches.” Ramirez plays the tough guy on the edgy “One Woman Man, “and delivers some fine guitar playing of his own on the radio ready track with Pugh sneaking in a tribute to Cuban piano legend Chucho Valdez on the outro. More great piano opens the slinky “Goodbye Letter, “that borrows a bit from the Nina Simone Sings the Blues album. The horn driven love song, “The Way You Make Me Feel,” is a sweet dish of Memphis soul stew, and the slow burning drag shuffle, “Three Years,” is a tasty helping of deep Blues. The fine articulate horn arrangement helps Ramirez ramp up the drama on the soul ballad, “As You Can See,” and Pugh layers in lush Hammond B3 on the Hi Records styled R&B groover “Waiting For Your Call.”
The genius of Robert Johnson songs is that they allow for limitless interpretations. Ramirez takes full advantage of this on his funky, slow, and soulful rendition of “Traveling Riverside Blues, “giving new emphasis to particular lyrical phrases, thus creating a new point of view for an 80 year old tune. He bookends the album by closing with another driving shuffle, “Stop Teasing Me, “showing us that this young man from Central America knows how to play the Blues.
Radio DJ’s and Blues fans should feel comfort upon hearing this fine debut, Here I Come, from Jose Ramirez, knowing that young guns like him are carrying the torch for a new generation.