New York Blues Hall of Fame member and long-time stalwart of the local music scene, Regina Bonelli, brought her top flight band to Red Bank for our Reckless Steamy Nights monthly scholarship fundraiser. If you couldn’t make it, you missed a high energy performance by a band of seasoned performers, led by Regina’s terrific vocals and keyboards. Her band consisted of guitarist Wayne Livingston, long time friend of the Foundation, bassist Moby Medina, drummer Jason Reddish and Regina’s very talented daughter, Janee Brice on vocals. Their two sets were nice a mix of Regina’s originals and some well-chosen covers.
Performing at the October 24th Reckless Steamy Nights Concert
The first set kicked off with her original “Mama Raised a Sweet Thing,” and the way this tune rocked, I know she “did not raise a fool,” wise words written to a great beat. Another original, “Truth Hurts,” from her most recent album of the same name, and “The Last Tear,” also from that collection, came from a “lousy period” in her life, which in her case, made for good music, especially in the hands of this band. They then did a cover of one of Regina’s biggest influences, the Allman Brothers, with gritty version of “It’s Not My Cross To Bear,” which included a down and dirty guitar solo from Wayne. A string of great covers followed, with a spirited version of Ray Charles “Unchain My Heart,” where mother and daughter provided some sweet harmony while the band was cooking behind them. Jason led out with the familiar drum pattern of Ann Peebles “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” which showcased Regina’s powerful vocals. “Shaky Ground,” was originally done by the Temptations, but I always preferred Phoebe Snow’s version, so I was happy to hear Regina’s take on it, along with some fine audience participation. “You Can Have My Husband (But Please Don’t Mess with My Man),” was a big hit for the “Queen of NOLA Soul”, Irma Thomas, and this band, behind Regina’s vocals did it proud.
She then stepped out in front of the keyboard to speak about, and introduce another original, “Mr. Big Man,” also from the most recent album. It was a nice mid-tempo number whose lyrics echoed what is still going on in the world today. The set closed with another song made famous by the Allman Brothers, but written by Blind Willie McTell in 1928, “Statesboro Blues.” It was the fist time, other than the original version, that I had heard it played without a slide guitar, but the effects that Wayne used more than made up for it.
Set two started with a beautiful version of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.” It was primarily Regina and her keyboard, and the room was rapt in their attention, showering her with applause at the finish. “Mystical Love,” a tune from her 2015 collection produced by Michael Hill, “Open Up the Door,” featured some nice interplay between her keyboard and Wayne’s guitar, along with some strong vocals. Another tune from that collection, “Daddy I’m A Big Girl Now, started with a quote from Regina, “there is a lid for every pot,” which was brought into focus during the course of this up-tempo blues.
Another great selection to cover, Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools,” began with a guitar introduction by Wayne, and included some more fine harmony, courtesy of Regina and Janee, interspersed with the audience belting out the “Chain, Chain, Chain” refrain. For the cover of Jimmy Reed’s “That’s Alright,” our own Gary Neuwirth joined them on harp, adding another dimension to a great blues chestnut.
A reworked version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor,” which was featured on the “Truth Hurts” collection was done as a slow blues, giving it a much different feel. It was much appreciated by the audience, who had probably heard the rote version many times. The closer was the Joe Cocker rendition of “The Letter,” always a crowd favorite, and the band poured their heart and soul into it. And to the ladies that I informed the original version was by the Box Tops, no, it wasn’t written by Leon Russel, but by Wayne Carson, who’s father suggested the opening line “Give me a ticket for an aeroplane!”
For more information on Regina, go to www.ReginaBonelli.com.