New Thang by Gerome D.
Milwaukee’s own self-proclaimed Mississippi Blues Boy, Gerome Durham, drops most of his last name in order to make a hard turn into Southern soul. The newly rechristened Gerome D. has fun with the electronically enhanced recasting of 1960s-‘70s R&B that has become so closely associated with blues by many middle-aged African-American listeners.
On the two songs comprising New Thang (neither of which shares the project’s title), Mr. D. adds telephone rings, stereo effects and vocal editing to portray himself as a randy, but not predatory, lover man. Both tracks provide solid enough fodder for dance floors, perhaps situated between a current Wendell B. or Bigg Robb track and an oldie from Johnnie Taylor’s or Joe Simon’s catalog.
The production’s starring element, however, can’t help but be Durham’s voice. His reedy, friendly tenor radiates the kind of casual warmth too long absent from a full-length album exploring his stylistic breadth, as had his last couple of releases. Until he is up to that task, it’s good to have one of the city’s most distinctive singers recording again.
