The Compulsive Gamblers - Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago

The liner notes to Live & Deadly describe The Compulsive Gamblers as "the 1990s' most unusual Memphis bar band" (their clumsy grammar, not mine) and compared to the crude and gritty sounds of their earliest work, this set (recorded during two May 2002 gigs that briefly preceded the band's demise) captures The Gamblers sounding like a bar band in all the best senses of the phrase. These performances find Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber (fronting a loose but emphatic band, complete with organ, pedal steel, and trumpet) in strong and soulful form, wearing their love for classic R&B and C&W sounds on their sleeves, and in a better world every corner bar would have a band this powerful offering up suitable background music for dancing and drinking. Read More