The Bel Airs: Dave Pruitt (electric guitar); Dick Pruitt (bass instrument); Michael Cherry (drums).
Personnel: David Pruitt (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Dick Pruitt (vocals); Joe Terry (piano, organ).
Additional personnel: Jim Martin, Jimmy Carpenter (saxophone); Joe Terry .
Audio Mixer: Lou Whitney.
Recording information: The Studio.
Got Love is another solid, soulful blues effort from Missouri's own Bel Airs, driven by bassist Dick Pruitt's weathered vocals and brother Dave Pruitt's no-frills, efficient guitar work. The trio (Michael Cherry, formerly of the Paladins, is the drummer) doesn't reach for the stars here, but works out of familiar territory, dropping a couple of originals into a mix of modern blues and early rock & roll covers. Among the highlights are a moving version of the Tams' "What Kind of Fool," the strong rhythmic playing of Michael Cherry on Willie Dixon's "Just You and I" (which also features a guest appearance by Joe Terry on piano), and a stripped-down, acoustic rendition of Isaiah "Doctor" Ross' adaptation of "Going to the River," which allows Dave Pruitt to dust off his fine slide guitar skills. Again, Got Love doesn't try to stretch any boundaries, but Dick Pruitt's soulful singing gives the Bel Airs a lot of presence, and the "just the facts, ma'am" approach to what the trio does is actually pretty comforting, a bit like hearing your favorite local blues band play at your favorite beer joint on a Friday night, and yes, you just got paid. ~ Steve Leggett
