Earl & The Agitators is Roger Earl, drummer and original member of the fabulous original Foghat; vocalist, lead guitarist, 10 year veteran with Buddy Guy Scott Holt; Foghat’s current slide and lead guitar player Bryan Bassett. On their new CD, Shaken & Stirred, these hard-hewn blues-rock players deliver a rockin’, swampin’ bompin’ 18 tracks.
This follow-up to this band’s 2016 self-titled EP is a great sounding record, produced as well as it is played. From the opening wry “Upside of Lonely,” to the slide and stomp of “Hi-Heel Sneakers” and the sing-a-long of “I’m Coming Home,” the band hits hard, never overstays its welcome, and delivers. As Earl claims, this particular band was born from the Agitators’ love of American music. In what the drummer calls a ‘Foghat Spinoff,’ the guys certainly sound like they are loving what they are playing.
The band manages some truly inspired covers here, tunes like “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and coming from a live set at Club Arcada, “Wild Horses,” even slower than the original, and a raucous read of the “Peter Gunn Theme.” Bassist Rodney O’Quinn, guitarist Tony Bullard, and percussionist Mark Petrocelli add their talents in rounding out the live material. Obvious musical chemistry, love for the music made at Sun and Chess Records, and an ability to translate some hard blues rock across nearly two dozen tracks, what one gets with Shaken & Stirred is pure gold. To get your copy, go to the Earl & The Agitators website.
~ Ralph Greco
