PRESS
Blues Blast Magazine
Jimmie Bratcher – Far Enough
Issue 17-28, July 13, 2023
The close if sometimes complex relationship between the blues and the Church is well-documented, from the likes of Rev Gary Davis (ordained as a Baptist minister in Washington, North Carolina in 1933), Blind Willie Johnson, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, to modern masters such as The Blind Boys of Alabama and Mavis Staples. J. B. Lenoir and Elmore James were itinerant preachers when they were not singing or playing the blues and T-Bone Walker first heard boogie-woogie piano in the Holy Ghost Church of Dallas.
Kansas City blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, Jimmie Bratcher, put his guitar to one side when he was first called to the ministry, only picking it up again 20 years later in the late 1990s. Since then, he has released a dozen albums and two live DVDs. Far Enough is his 13th album, and it’s highly enjoyable collection of 11 self-written compositions, many sitting in the same blues-rock vein that early Eric Clapton (one of Bratcher’s primary influences) occupied in the late 1960s. Bratcher isn’t afraid to stretch the envelope however, employing a variety of unusual (for blues music) instruments to add color and texture to the songs, as well as turning his hand to swinging uptown blues on “Don’t Count Me Out.”
The core band on Far Enough features Bratcher on guitars and vocals; Eric Stark on keyboards, lap steel, and Irish penny whistle; Craig Kew on bass; Brandon Draper on drums and percussion and Aaron Mayfield on organ. Charity Von Mozafari and Charmelle Cofield added backing vocals, Micah Burdick contributed acoustic guitar to two songs, Judah Earl added strings to “When He Dreams” and Rod Lincoln guested on drums on five songs. A horn section of Bob Harvey, Steve Molloy, Mark Cohick and Brett Jackson also pop up, shining particularly on “Memphis Slim”, an upbeat, loving tribute to the much-missed singer/pianist.
The well-written songs (all composed either by Stark or by Stark/Bratcher) hark back to the heyday of early blues-rock, with “My Name Is Sinner” even recalling early Deep Purple. Clapton’s influence can be detected in a number of places, such as the Cream-like pop bridge of “Living Here In Babylon”. The piano-driven “Chains” builds into a classic power ballad, while the humorous “Why Is It Don’t We Dance Anymore” is a toe-tapping rock’n’roll track that is powered by some punchy horn licks. The primarily acoustic “When He Dreams (The Cowboy Song)” even has hints of “The Streets Of London”. “Don’t Bring That Evil Around Here” features haunting slide guitar.
Lyrically, Bratcher wears his faith on his sleeve, through a series of parables and narratives, never force-feeding the listener, but inviting them to draw their own conclusions.
Bratcher is a fine singer and guitarist (particularly on the album closer, “Save Me, From Myself”) and Stark’s keyboard contributions suit the songs perfectly.
The album was produced by Bratcher and Stark, engineered by Matt Russo and recorded at Covenant Studios in Kansas City, with mastering by Larry Gann at Awestruck Studios in Kansas City.
Far Enough is an impressive release from Jimmie Bratcher. Definitely worth investigating if you like some classic blues-rock.
Reviewer Rhys “Lightnin'” Williams plays guitar in a blues band based in Cambridge, England. He also has a day gig as a lawyer.
blues blues
i’m hungry
“I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, I'm Hungry, from Jimmie Bratcher and it's a cool mix of swampy rock and blues.
Opening with I Love Her Name, a cool boogie rocker, Bratcher is joined by Craig Kew on bass, Joe Selle on drums, and John Selle on keys. Bratcher has an aggressive guitar style and attacks his solo with real grunt. Cool opener.
With a laid back easy pace, Mama Won't Fry No Chicken, has a real comfortable gait with Aaron Mayfield on B3 and Terry Hancock on drums turning up the heat for a cool relaxed guitar solo by Bratcher.
Rocker, Where You Gonna Stop, is low-slung and with solid vocals and stinging guitar work by Bratcher, this track is one of my favorites on the release. Eric Stark's keys under Bratcher's lead guitar and tight stick work by Hancock may this a hot instrumental.
With a New Orleans rhythm, Green Bananas is loose with super horn work over the fun vocals on Bratcher.
Soul classic, Grit's Ain't Groceries gets a total rework with a low-slung Texas shuffle feel and with some heavy guitar work by Bratcher, my favorite vocals on the release.
Very cool. Wrapping the release is instrumental rocker, Happy, with some jazz/rock style jam lead from Bratcher.
A cool B3 solo by Mayfield and a heavy bass line by Kew and great intensity by Hancock take it home. Solid closer.” -BMan
sound garden
i’m hungry
One should not hesitate much about reaching for this album, it is a story that will be of great interest to any blues connoisseur.
“I’m Hungry” also tells you that if you’re hungry for good, striking and innervating blues, look for this album and Jimmie Bratcher will surely take you on another attractive and interesting musical journey.
There's no doubt, "Red-Hot Smokin 'Blues To Inspire Your Appetite!" In delight! Mladen Loncar - Mike @ Soundgarden
Making a scene
i’m hungry
Kansas City’s Jimmie Bratcher was first influenced by 1960 guitarist Eric Clapton. Other guitar influences included Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, and B.B. King. He played in several bands but his substance abuse caused them to fail. He divorced but later reunited with his wife, abandoned music, and put his faith in Jesus. Often referred to as The Reverend Jimmie Bratcher he began a comeback in 1997.
Bratcher recorded his debut album “Honey In The Rock” in 2001. He adds “I write in parables, I tell stories, but behind the stories, there are messages that I want people to connect with, and the sound of the blues is so true and comfortable for people that it helps make that connection”. Bratcher has since recorded another ten albums and two DVDs. He spreads his spirit by touring venues that include both churches and prisons.
Bratcher’s latest recording “I’m Hungry”, sub-titled “Red-Hot Smokin’ Blues to Inspire Your Appetite” accompanies an “I’m Hungry” Cookbook. The self-produced album was recorded at studios in both Missouri and Tennessee. Ten songs are written or co-written by Bratcher who also includes two specially selected covers.
Many of the songs reference food that is good for the soul. Highlights include the shuffle “Mama Won’t Fry No Chicken”; the bluesy “Bacon Is On My Mind”; the jazzy double entendre “Baby, I Like What Your Cooking”; the instrumental “Greasy”; and the rhumba “Chicken Tastes The Same”. “Green Bananas” is reprised from his 2008 album “The Electric Rev”; while “Bologna Sandwich Man” is from his album “Secretly Famous”.
The covers are the Keb Mo’ song “Government Cheese”; and Titus Turner’s classic “Grits Ain’t Groceries”, a hit for Little Milton in 1969. Bratcher closes with another instrumental, the belly-full song, “Happy”.
If your looking for something to infuse your soul, “I’m Hungry” is the food for you.
Richard Ludmerer
roots time
i’m hungry
If you want to get to know this interesting eccentric and hone your appetite, now there is "I'm Hungry" - Eric Schuurmans
99.7 2ssr fm
i’m hungry
It’s a great album, yes reeking of heavy blues licks and wonderful guitar playing from Jimmie that captures a rock-solid blues groove that has to be seriously listened to. David Roman - 2SSRFM 99.7 - The Mystery Train - Sydney, Australia - streaming live www.streema.com
blues rock review
i’m hungry
Cooking isn’t truly recognized as one of the seven great arts like music is, which isn’t quite fair considering that cooking is something that can hold aroma, beauty, memories, and, mainly, taste. No doubt, it’s an excitement for the senses, as the music also is. So, what do you think of listening to music while cooking? That’s always was an automatic act for me, almost like flossing before tooth brushing or check my pockets when going out from home. It’s that kind of moment when I turn up the volume and dig into the details of a song, paying attention in a back vocal part or just thinking “Man, how can he do this with the guitar!”. Jimmie Bratcher, the “Electric Rev.”, seems to take moments like this much more seriously than me and on a pretty different and tasty level.
I’m Hungry is the 11th album from Jimmie Bratcher and will be out on April 23. As its name proposes, the album is a celebration of cooking, or better, home cooking, turning food into the main subject in a blues record. “I Love Her Name” is a blues rock piano boogie that praises food, because “…three times a day she gives all I need…”. Aside from the unusual lyrics, it’s a very nice song, highlighting the piano and guitar solos. In “Mama Won’t Fry No Chicken” the bass notes seem to walk throughout the song. The back vocals and the Hammond give a special “taste” in this song, mixing with the finger-picking guitar lines in the solo. Its lyrics reflect the situation of cutting off fried food following medical orders. “Bacon Is On My Mind” is an electric blues that counts with vivid piano insertions.
Not only bearing a lot of meaningful social sense exposed in Covid times but also keeping the subject “in the kitchen”, “Government Cheese” brings a funky groove to the album. Certainly, Bratcher gives a new meaning to this Keb Mo tune. “Where You Gonna Stop” treats the ruthless question of choosing a place to eat when somebody visits barbecue’s capital, Kansas City, Missouri.
“Greasy” is an instrumental tune, with a bluesy guitar melody. The band does an excellent job supporting the guitar, whose tones are perfect. Bratcher also brings some complaints with “Chicken Tastes The Same”. But even so, the banjo slides and horn lines neutralize that, giving a country air to the song. “Green Bananas”, aside from being a nice tune remixed from the album The Electric Rev. (2007), is used by Bratcher to tell an anecdote experienced by his old friend’s dad in a grocery shop in Southern Louisiana. “Grits Ain’t Groceries” and “Bologna Sandwich Man” are different kinds of blues that complete the album’s menu. After all that sort of musical food, it’s not bad digesting with another instrumental tune “Happy”, uh?
The blues genre bears a lot of feelings either on lyrics or interpretation. There’s a lot of history written and unwritten on it, but almost ever associated with suffering or love. But Bratcher decided to explore an unusual side of music… and cooking. Musically, I’m Hungry is a huge recording. Lyrically, it’s fun, but it’s also colloquial and strictly related to home and people issues. Literally, I’m Hungry can also be acquired in a bundle, with a cookbook. For the Rev. Bratcher, just cooking listening to the blues isn’t sufficient. You have to taste it. It’s necessary to sing it, to put the food inside of the blues.
red hot’n blues
i’m hungry
Based out of Kansas City, where he’s both a singer-songwriter and ordained minister, guitarist Jimmie Bratcher serves up a pleasant plate of “soul food” on his 12th album, a smorgasbord that includes barrelhouse blues, funk, and intimate ballads that are spiritual but secular and uplifting throughout.
A product of the ‘60s known as “The Electric Rev,” Bratcher possesses his own style on the six-string. He’s backed here by guest appearances from four top-notch keyboard players, including the recently departed Larry Van Loon, a longtime fixture in the Andy T-Nick Nixon Band, and hometown musicians.
Take a seat at the table and dig into “I Love Her Name,” “Mama Won’t Fry No Chicken,” “Baby, I Like What You’re Cooking,” “Bacon Is on My Mind,” a tasty cover of Little Milton’s “Grits Ain’t Groceries,” “Bologna Sandwich Man” and “Happy.”
zic a zic
i’m hungry
Beautiful playing and songs that deserve more than a simple detour, there is nothing more appropriate to manage to whet the appetite of the most demanding blues lovers! Fred Delforge @ ZicAZic
mary 4 music
i’m hungry
With its ten originals and two covers mixing in many different styles of blues, it'd be safe to refer to it as a gumbo of songs. By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro
91.9 kcsb
i’m hungry
Bratcher deals out nice vocals and a lot of stinging and saucy guitar leads. The set comprises a meal of juicy blues.— Steve Daniels @ KCSB - Views of the Blues
praise for,
man! it’s christmas
This is an album deserving of international recognition. It is truly that good…. Bill Wilson @ Reflections in Blue
Bratcher isn’t bashful about pulling out the (double) stops and pouring on the heat. Bman’s Blues Report
praise for,
new old stuff
“Jimmie Bratcher has once again shown his skill at adapting established and revered classics and making them his own on this collection of bluesified hymns and gospel songs.” – Lins Honeyman, @ CrossRhythms
praise for,
secretly famous
“Well worth listening to, and there’s not a single subpar track on the record. It’s progressive and hard-hitting, but also pays plenty of homage to the blues, country, and rock ‘n’ roll of days gone by. The Review: 9/10” Blues Rock Review
“This trio is unbelievably tight and the music is so in the pocket, not unlike early SRV. This, kids, is the good stuff.” – TOP TRACKS: Jupiter & Mars, Bologna Sandwich Man Gonzo Online
“So what took me so long to “discover” him? He is a gifted musician with equal parts bravado, humor and gritty blues authenticity. I’m going to have to catch up by purchasing a few of his previous releases. Shouldn’t he be much more than “secretly” famous by now?” Parcbench
“Like a drunk’s face hitting the pavement, Jimmie Bratcher is the definition of solid down of earth blues rock – with traditional nausea and hangovers excluded this time. Despite its fairly conventional nature “Secretly Famous” indeed sounds like an album drowning in its own earnestness – and this pays off in high dividends.” The Rocktologist
“How in hell (and heaven!) he manages to get so rockin', rollin', boogyin', stump-jumpin', down home cool-ass cool is beyond me, but I guess when you're right with the infinite, you're right with everything. Preach on, Brother Jim, preach on…but don't never lay that gee-tar down neither.” Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
“Overall this is a really cool release and one I think anyone liking their blues funky style served up with some cool guitar isn't gonna wanna miss!” Bman’s Blues Report
“The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher says that there are only two kinds of music–good and bad. We believe you’ll find “Secretly Famous” to be the good kind, and this set is guaranteed to make you feel good when you hear it! Until next time….” Sheryl and Don Crow. Don & Sheryl Blues Blog
“I’ll be completely candid and tell you that a couple of my personal biases surfaced when I heard about Secretly Famous. I am suspicious when I see the honorific “Reverend” in use, unless the Reverend in question is a civil rights leader or at work in church (I make an exception for Billy Gibbons’s clearly lighthearted use of the term, largely because I’m not certain he has ever self-applied the title). And the blues rockers who typically engage Jim Gaines to produce are not, in general, my cup of tea. So, despite a personal recommendation from Bratcher’s publicist telling me I would likely enjoy the new CD, I almost took a pass. I would have missed hearing a good one.” --Tom Hyslop rockmrtom
“SECRETLY FAMOUS, indeed. If the Rev. Jimmie Bratcher keeps up the quality of this music, he might not be that way for long.” --Peanuts Jazz & Blues Report
praise for,
THIS IS BLUES COUNTRY
“Ok, so we have a country album done as blues by a rocking sort of guy. It comes together and sounds really cool and makes for a very enjoyable listen. I liked this one a lot and think it’s well worth a few spins!” – Steve Jones – Blues Blast Magazine
“The songs are all familiar, it is just that they are in a completely different genre. The guitarist and singer Jimmie Bratcher has assembled a crack team of blues and soul musicians to cover ten famous songs from the country songbook.” – Blues Matters
“With the calibre of material and Bratcher’s sheer talent, this is a sure fire winner.” – Lins Honeyman, @ CrossRhythms
“Bratcher blues rockin’ traditional country songs” – Jim Clark, @ The Lee County Courier Tupelo, MS
“On the delightful This is Blues Country, Kansas City-based electric guitarist Jimmie Bratcher revisits 10 can’t-miss classics reimagined in varying degrees of re-creation in rock, blues or r&b formats.” – Jerome Clark, @ Rambles.net
Most music fans are aware that there’s little difference between country music and blues as far as lyrical content goes……most of the difference is in delivery and instrumentation. The great thing about Bratcher’s efforts on This is Blues Country is that he didn’t merely cover these classic tunes. He transforms them into something fresh and unique that should please fans of both genres. – Graham Clarke @ Friday Blues Fix Blog & Blues Bytes
10 classic country tunes done with a twist of blues and rock. From Hank Williams to Jimmie Davis, Marty Robbins , Hank Snow, Merle Haggard, Don Gibson and more were given the Jimmie Bratcher, blues/rock and soul treatment. The result is a delightful album of tunes we all grew up listening to. but in a totally different light. Each tune was handled with the utmost respect and care, giving as much work as it took to see that the originals did not get lost on the make-over. – Bill Wilson @ ChickenWilson
The great thing about Bratcher’s efforts on This is Blues Country is that he didn’t merely cover these classic tunes. He transforms them into something fresh and unique that should please fans of both genres. – Graham Clarke @ Blues Bytes