Blues News -
24 HOURS

This past summer I had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful Christine Santelli perform at the first SBS Talent Competition. The vocal power, range, and emotion this woman so effortlessly delivered during her set, left this writer in awe.  These qualities are the focal point and driving force of "24 HOURS". Produced by Christine Santelli and Matthew Mousseau, this CD features Mike Lattrell on piano, organ, and mandolin; Hugh Pool, electric guitar, dobro, and harmonica; Paul Daiter, bass; and Matt Mousseau on drums.Of the nine songs featured, seven are originals, four of which were written by Christine, with Matt Mousseau authoring the other three.  The Dickens open with their arrangement of the traditional tune, "Been Down." It features slide guitar work that not only meshes quite nicely with the vocals, but also enhances the overall feel and texture of the tune. This is just one example of the band's ability to tastefully support Christine's vocal performance, as they do throughout the album. Easily sliding from the Blues to country/Zydeco tinged rhythms and back to the Blues again, the band shows versatility. My favorites include: "My My," "Wang Dang Doodle," and Christine's slow, sultry, seductive vocal performance of "You Wonder Why." It's hard to believe that the material found here was both recorded and mixed within a 24 hour period (hence the title).  While it is unfortunate that this CD (good as it is) is currently out of print, the good news is that their latest effort, "LIVE! from Paris", is soon to be released, and this will be followed by a third album of all new material.  by Jim St. Angelo

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