NOVEMBER 2008 ONLINE EDITORIALS

Burning Abigail - All about the Groove

By Nathan Harper

Soulful music for the Michael McDonald set, Burning Abigail play it smooth. A self-dubbed funky rock band, they’re decidedly more Doobie Brothers than Red Hot Chili Peppers, proffering a sound that would play well at weddings and high-school reunions. The titular groove they speak of certainly is present, though sometimes it’s hard to find under the record’s thick, homogenizing production.

George Clinton described his sound as “Doin’ it to your ear hole in 3D” and few would doubt his want to follow-through on this overt proposition. Burning Abigail perhaps have the same intentions, but first they’re going to buy your ears a nice steak dinner and have them home by 10 p.m. Which is to say that you’re more likely to discover the Hammond organ that very nicely backs up the saxophone on your second or third listen through, and that the occasional bursts of congas have to be dug out to be appreciated.

The longest song on the album is fortunately the best, an extended version of the track “Time to Time” that features the band sitting comfortably in the pocket. On that song vocalist/songwriter Scotty McWalter sings with a sense of urgency, the sax and the rhythm section engage in some enjoyable interplay, and the group shows the good sense to just sit back and enjoy the song as it moves along. Live they could turn it into a 12 minute jam and it could work, but the rest of the tracks are a little to TRI 102 to really thump.