THE HITMAN
Russell ‘The Hitman’ Alexander + Groove Juice at the Warrington R&B Club, 10 June 2005

Russell Alexander is a singer/guitarist/composer from New York, who graced the main stage at the Great British R&B Festival in Colne last year. He was backed at Warrington by Carlisle-based Groove Juice, who comprise Alex Green on vocals and bass guitar, Martin McDonald on guitar and Dave Winthrop on drums.

The trio from Cumbria played the first set on their own, performing an entertaining mix of covers and original numbers, including “Caldonia”, “Lonely Avenue” and The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ “You Ain’t Nothing But Fine”. After a break, The Hitman entered the fray, his elegant attire rounded off with a black bandana and a hat – a sort of cranial belt and braces. He opened his account with “Green Thing”, which is highly reminiscent of the Onions of that hue, before giving a fine rendition of the slow blues, “Raining Up In Harlem”. His set also included a cracking version of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom, Boom”, on which he and Martin McDonald delivered magnificent guitar solos to complement his splendidly gritty vocals.

Several of the numbers performed feature on the excellent Angel In The Shadows album: the title track, a sensitive ballad; “Slither”, a fast moving shuffle; the rumba-rhythmed “Fine Piece Of Merchandise”; and “Mean Mistreater”, which Alexander confessed to have ‘stolen’ from Ike Turner, who ‘stole’ it from Charley Patton, who ‘stole’ it from . . . . Two encores completed a terrific evening: a brilliant delivery of Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Born On The Bayou” and a rousing version of “I Hear You Knocking”.

Russell Alexander proved to be a consummate artiste, combining superb vocals with amusing patter and captivating stage presence; and Groove Juice made a very significant contribution to the success of the show both in their own right and in backing The Hitman.

See and listen to www.hitmanbluesband.com

Lionel Ross