The Blues, Reinvented: Empty Pockets by Cherri and the Violators

March 23, 2005

Blues, as rendered by Midwestern white people, tends to be a rote exercise of following down the same footpaths of chord structures hollowed out by generations of performers. And lyrically, present-day blues tends to be leaden with its lack of authenticity, which has been replaced with a fake cheer. It’s impossible for today’s performers to have the authentic experiences which gave birth to the blues: They weren’t raised in sharecroppers’ cabins, for instance; nor are they likely to be living on the South Side of Chicago as in Muddy Waters’ hey-day, snapping pistols in a rival’s face or knife-fighting over a woman. The cultural soil that made the blues great has all been plowed down to sterile ground and eroded away down the long Mississippi.
So the challenge for a band like Cherri and the Violators is to reinvent the blues and bring something fresh to the table. Happily, even triumphantly, the band has done just that on an album that manages to be both experimental in its reach while saying something new. The Benzie/Manistee County-based band labels their music “contemporary blues,” and you have to hand it to them: they have succeeded in slapping the paddles on the old zombie blues and reviving it as their own personal creation with songwriting that is exceptionally strong.
Vocalist Cheryl Bendig is nothing less than superb; her voice has an addictive flower child quality that recalls the great pop singers of the ‘60s: Linda Rondstat, Judy Collins, Petula Clark. She has a knack for vocal phrasing that takes a song on a gliding, twisting thrust to a wafting, higher level, transforming the music in a way that is inspiring -- even magical. This is especially true on “Time (Wait For Me),” which again, has the feel of something by the ‘60s Mamas & Papas or Spanky and Our Gang that transcends the blues in a way that might make the music popularly viable again. “Mirror Mirror” is another song where Bendig weaves some of that black magic woman spell. Then there’s the surprisingly fresh “Bartender,” which takes an old blues clichè and gives it a gentle kick to new heights.
Not every song is a success: “Musta Been Fun” is your standard yadda-yadda blues guitar riff dressed with some Jonny Lang attitude.
But no one can deny that Cherri and the Violators aren’t violating the envelope here, creating their own vision of the blues that is pleasantly pop-oriented and unexpectedly romantic. Bandmates Tony Burke on lead/rhythm guitars, Paul Bendig on vocals/bass, and Pat Eickenroth on drums/percussion serve up a powerful backdrop for Bendig’s vocals, never overplaying their hand. With “Empty Pockets,” they’ve managed to take the blues to higher ground. If nothing else, this CD will certainly make you want to catch the band live.