CD Review 'Step by Step'.
News item posted 25th May 2010
Bob is a veteran on the British blues scene who, since his conversion, has stopped singing about drunken nights and mojos and instead offers songs of faith and hope. His years of experience shine through the 12 tracks on offer, from the R&B shuffle of the opener "It Was You" to the blues romp of "Gotta Tell Somebody". Bob is ably supported by a tight band of musicians and singers. There are some great slide solos and occasional bursts of gutsy harmonica. The recording is suitably raw and live, transporting you back to how records were made "in the day" as your dad would tell you. Particular favourites for me are when the band strip back and highlight the instruments. "You Got To Move" is a great acoustic blues stomp with some superb slide guitar, and then "Don't Trouble Trouble" showcases Carl Sonny Leyland on boogie-woogie piano. For fans of blues, and general good time music, this latest set from the veteran works well.
Paul Kerslake via www.crossrhythms.co.uk
CD Review 'Step by Step'.
News item posted 17th May 2010
Southampton singer and guitarist Bob Pearce recorded for the revivied Blue Horizon label back in the eighties: he turned away from the blues to Christianity some years back, but his excellent new album 'Step by Step' contains Christian music that is frequently in a blues or soul format. Helping out is Chris Collins' band and special guests such as Big Joe Louis and Carl Sonny Leyland. Unusually for Bob, a coule of
acoustic numbers are also included.
Blues News, Finland
CD Review 'Step by Step'
News item posted 17th May 2010
Bob Pearce, longtime stalwart of the Southampton blues scene, continues his return to the music scene following his period of 'time off'. He has returned refreshed and reiinvigorated and with a message too. This is his third visit to the studio and follows the direction of his last ('Making My Way Back Home') however, interestingly, the distributors of the CD list it under blues and not gospel. Well, IMHO that is the right designation. To be sure there is some super 'inspirational' music here but all of it has a strong tinge of 'the blues' and some of that is nothing short of inspirational in another sense of the word; an aspiration to anyone who loves and/or wants to play keyboards in Nawlins style. I speak here of the track in which Bob's vocal line is supported by the work of Sonny Carl Leyland, once a Bob Pearce Blues Band member now resident in the USA. The track 'Don't Trouble Trouble' is just wonderful. An original by Dave Taylor, a guitarist/vocalist friend who has kindly supplied Bob with songs dating back to the album he made in the US ('Homecooked Blues' - Havic Records from 1996). The song is one that ought to become a staple and the keyboard work is almost unbelievably skilled.
Bob and the band, featuring Chris Collins (guitar/vocals) and Ray Drury (various keyboards), Steve Stares (bass) and Brian Wright (drums) do full justice to songs like 'Won't Go Back Again', 'You Can Run, You Can Run', 'Now And Evermore' and 'It Was You'. Worth mentioning that 'You Can Run, You Can Run' is a re-working of Cross Road Blues. Check out 'Denomination Blues' too actually a gospelly song by old time zither playing Washington Philips. Super stuff Bob, keep on keeping on!
Ian M
Blues In The South.
CD Review 'Step by Step'
News item posted 17th May 2010
These days Southampton’s Bob Pearce has been born again and his music reflects this; the themes of his songs are Christian and the country/south Louisiana-tinged ''Won't Go Back Again' is a statement of intent to those who would like him to turn back to the blues. Having written that, this track is followed by the broom-dusting 'You Can Run, You Can Run', which is as close to Elmore James as just about anything I have heard over the last couple of years, and then 'Narrow Road' is a slow blues (-like) number with Bob on harmonica. Bob has long been recognised as one of England's best singers for soul and blues, and this album shows he has still got it; interesting that he covers Fred McDowell’s 'You Go To Move' and Gary Davis's 'When I Die' - both
sacred songs that interest blues lovers. The same comment can safely be applied to this CD.
Norman Darwen
Blues and Rhythm Magazine.
New album complete and available!
News item posted 11th March 2010
The new album "Step By Step" is now complete and has been sent out to several sources for review and already the feedback is very positive! We'll be posting the reviews here soon.
If you'd like to purchase the CD online it is available from the Cross Rhythms website (www.crossrhythms.co.uk/direct). Alternatively, the album is available from the band at gigs or by post from: Cross Rhythms Direct, P.O. Box 1110, Stoke-On-Trent ST1 1XR.
...reviews will follow!
Testwood Church gig review
News item posted 11th March 2010
BOB PEARCE and HIS BAND / Testwood Baptist Church / 21st February 2010
Bob Pearce and his band made a welcome return to Testwood Baptist Church on Saturday evening
for another concert of Gospel and Blues, continuing Bob's Christian music ministry and, at the same
time, raising funds in aid of Totton Family Fun Day.
Testswood's team pooled their experience at this veratile venue, to provide intellegent lighting and projection
which ensured the dedicated followers had a perfect view of the band's polished performance that gave the
200 strong audience a night to remember.
Bob and the band, featuring Chris Collins (guitar/vocals) and Ray Drury (various keyboards) delighted the
audience with songs from his eagerly awaited new album - "Step By Step". New material included "Won't Go
Back Again", "You Can Run You Can Run", "Now And Evermore" and "It Was You" - these songs from the new
album proved to everyone how the band, which includes Steve Stares (bass) and Brian Wright (drums) are going
from strength to strength.
During the two and a half hour concert, songs from Bob's previous cd - "Making My Way Back Home" - were
also performed, the combination of material from these two albums reinforced Bob's ability as a song writer.
Classics such as "Little Sister" and the evergreen "Johnny B. Goode" saw dancing in the aisles yet again.
To quote the late Larry Norman, "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music?" (song lyrics by Geoff Moore)
Carol Bunday.
Work started on third album
News item posted 4th June 2009
    
Bob and the band are currently in the studio recording their next cd (it's nearly two years since "Making My Way Back Home" (FPCD 009) was released) this one will apparently have more of a blues feel than the previous two releases. With new songs from Bob, Dave Taylor and Paul Fronda, plus two or three 'oldies' - sounds promising!
...watch this space!
Blues news report from Finland
News item posted 16th November 2008
Southampton's own blues star Bob Pearce is back! Having worked exclusively in the Gospel field for the last few years, he and his band presented an evening of Gospel AND Blues at St. Denys' Church in Southampton on 20th September. As Bob is the most soulful vocalist the South Coast has produced, this is indeed good news.
...extract from Blues News, Finland.
Testwood Baptist Church beckons...
News item posted 13th November 2008
Following the success of the St. Denys Church concert in September, Bob and his band have been asked to play a similar concert at Testwood Baptist Church. The date for this has been set for Saturday 17th January.
Visit www.testwoodbaptist.org for details about the venue
Gig Review: “Blues in the Pews”
Bob Pearce at St Denys’ Church Saturday 20th Sept 2008
After 30 years in the blues industry, Bob Pearce continues to entertain music lovers in the South
St Denys’ Church, Dundee Rd, Southampton, invited the legendary Bob Pearce to perform in the 2nd of their 3 September concerts celebrating their 140th Anniversary. His performance, at this new up and coming venue, was spectacular, as he performed a selection of old and new gospel and blues songs, which had the 200 strong eclectic audience dancing in the aisles.
This Grade II listed building, considered by some, to acoustically be the best new live venue in the area, welcomed all ages to hear Bob test out the next stage of his music ministry. The audience heard songs from his new album ‘Making My Way Back Home’, playing the opening track ‘That Was Then This is Now’ together with old favourites such as ‘Johnny B Good’, which closed the hugely successful show.
Carol Bunday
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce is well back in harness now. This is his second CD since his return to the fray and it’s a corker. Inspirational music with swing and fire and a nice touch of Bob’s impossible to quench, feel for the blues. Seven of the eleven songs on the CD were written by Bob and one (‘Standing At The Door To Your Heart’) by Bob’s co-axeman Dave Taylor. The other tracks include a borrowing from the Irish Duo, The Strats (‘I Won’t Survive’) and a nice version of Lenny LeBlanc’s ‘None Like You’. Bob is supported here by some of Soton’s best, including Ray Drury (who does an outstand-ing job on various keyboards); Chris Collins on guitar and backing vocals; Steve Stares (bass) Brian Wright (dms), Paul Fronda (g), and Jane Young and Sharon Cambridge (bk v). A special accolade also goes to Martin White for some magical and excellent trombone licks on the opener ‘That Was Then This Is Now’. Real shades of New Orlins here.
This is top quality inspirational music and surely, before too long some of Bob’s super compositions will be picked up and covered. Fingers crossed.
In short an excellent and strongly recommended outing. Bob and his band deserve all the support they get.
IM - Blues In The South (September 2007)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce, the south coast based singer and guitarist who recorded for the revitalised Blues Horizon label a couple of decades back, has given up the blues for the church, but he has just released 'Making MyWay Back Home' (Fuzzy Pig), his second album of devotional music and it certainly contains enough blues-related sounds to interest most readers. Bob sounds happy and contented and has no desire to return to his former life.
Blues Matters
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
British bluesman Bob Pearce has been recording music now for 35 years, but it quickly becomes obvious that he's travelled a million miles from his 1974 debut 'Let's Get Drunk Again'! Seven of the 11 songs on offer here are penned by the man himself, who accompanies his vocals on guitar and harmonica, backed by a tight, rootsy band. It's gentle lazy blues with an occasional foray into the boogie sound of "Too Long Could Be Too Late". The songs are full of references to a life 'turned upside down" changed through faith and a call to his listeners to do the same as in "Standing at the door of your heart". Vocally there are hints of Dylan and Morrison in Bob's gruff delivery while both his evangelistic songs and his worship reworking of Lenny LeBlanc's "None Like You" work well. An artist well worth a listen.
Reviewed by Anthony Longville - Cross Rhythms (www.crossrhythms.co.uk)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Making My Way Back Home
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce is not about take up the Blues again - this set should put paid to that notion for good, even though the CD itself will appeal to many readers. Bob was for many years one of the prime movers in the Blues scene on England's south coast, considered by many to be on of Britain's finest Blues and soul singers, in addition to playing tasty harp and guitar - particularly slide. A few years ago he found the Lord and gave up the Blues. This is his second album of sacred music, and on the opening track, he states, to a New Orleans second line rhythm with a taligate trombone break, 'that was then, this is now'. Musically, blues and southern soul techniques permeate, but remember they came from the church in the first place. The sound is frequently sparse and Bob's instrumental breaks are short and to the point - fittingly, there is no ego-tripping here, just the sound of a man with no need of the blues now he has found peace with himself, praising the Lord and showing a lot of humanity in the process.
Norman Darwen - Finaland Blues News
Album review: Bob Pearce - Unchained
Added: 31st October 2008
Well, what a delight this is. Bob Pearce, former Soton blues man and erstwhile Ed of BITS, has produced his first album in seven years. Let’s make no bones about it, this is ‘inspirational’ music of the first order. With some beautiful - gentle - arrangements, Bob and his friends (too many to list, but including Ray Drury, Chris Collins, Arnie Cotrell, Colm Murphy and Steve Stares) provide some wonderful music in the Gospel genre. The songs - all beautifully sung by Bob - range from the traditional (‘Call Him Up’ and ‘Let Your Light Shine On Me’) , through songs by contemporary musicians (Clapton’s ‘Presence Of The Lord’, Spencer Bohren’s, ‘Wings Of An Angel’) to two songs penned by Bob ‘Come On In’ and ‘Just To Think’; the latter of which, given enough exposure could be come a gospel standard. Don’t think, by the way, that this is turgid, holier- than-thou music. Just listen to the swing of ‘Don’t Turn Round’, which features Bob’s super harp playing. This is really, really good stuff. More please!
IM - Blues In The South (August 2006)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Unchained
Added: 28th October 2009
Bob Pearce retired from the British blues scene a couple of years ago and is now making Christian albums. He brings with him a lot of experience in blues, country music and southern soul to make Christian music with a retro R&B sound. His aim is to make a statement about his faith.
The album is well produced and grows on you with each listen. The folksy treatment of Spencer Bohren's "Wings Of An Angel" and cover of the Clapton/Cream oldie "Presence Of The Lord" work well in this context. I even thought his version of "What Am I Living For" wasn't bad. But the one likely to make listeners cringe is the Christian rewriting of the Roy Hamilton/Righteous Brothers classic "Unchained Melody". It is a pity that Bob draws so much attention to this aberration with the title of the album. But apart from that one duffer track this is a pretty solid album by a road-tested musical journeyman.
Reviewed by Dancin' Dave Derbyshire - Cross Rhythms (www.crossrhythms.co.uk)
Album review: Bob Pearce - Unchained
Added: 31st October 2008
Bob Pearce 'retired until further notice' just over a couple of years ago. Some of you might recall the article on him in 'Blues Life', for conniosseurs of the British blues scene was for a long time a well-kept secret, one of the most soulful singers in the country with a wealth of blues knowledge and taste, and with the musical ability to carry it through.
This is not a 'comeback' album as such, rather a musical statement Bob wanted to make - it is a 'Christian' album - it could be filed under gospel, though it is not a gospel album per se. Helped along by many of the friends he has made over the years, Bob brings his forty plus years of musical experience to bear on this set, drawing on blues, gospel, country music, southern soul ( a particular forte of Bobs) a little swampy southern rock and Rhythm & Blues sounds of the fifties and sixties. There are a couple of neat inversions of the 'gospel to secular' formula - try the version of Chuck Willis's 'What Am I Living For', which is sacred more by context and implication, or the title track, based on 'Unchained Melody' of course. Spencer Bohren's 'Wings Of An Angel' has a folkly treatment, and there is a cover of Eric Clapton's 'Presence Of The Lord'; and the famous Bob Pearce harmonica even gets a quick blast!
Norman Darwen - Austrian Blues Journal
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