Music Review: Stew Cutler and Friends – ‘Undercover (Mostly)’

Stew Cutler and Friends

Guitarist Stew Cutler merges blues-rock, soul, and jazz with the best of them. In the past he has applied his talents mostly to his own material; in fact he says that playing covers isn’t something he had historically thought much about.

I’m sure he realizes how lucky he is to have fashioned a successful career in music playing only original tunes! But that’s not to take anything away from his body of work. Cutler is an exceptional talent, both blistering and deeply musical. And now we do have the chance to hear his skills applied to songs written by others, on the new album Undercover (Mostly) from Stew Cutler and Friends.

Interestingly, Cutler muscles up some pretty mellow numbers here. His electric guitar is front and center on solid versions of “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts and on the Stylistics’ “Betcha by Golly, Wow.” The album opens with a ballad, too, and I’m embarrassed to admit I had to look it up to remind myself who did the hit version of “Close to You.” (It was the Carpenters, back in 1970.)

“Summer Breeze” is a highlight of the album. It takes on a dark, whispery, and slightly psychedelic character, with bassist Chulo Gatewood helping to punch it up. The contrasts between sections (minor, major, minor) feel even more gripping than in the classic original. It hits like a hammer when the song falls back into the chords of the main theme after Tom Wilson’s keyboard solo, and Cutler takes it the rest of the way with a blistering guitar solo.

The mood really pulls back for Cutler’s expertly jazzy solo rendition of “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” simultaneously heartfelt and cool, and another album highlight.

Long Time Joe, and Long Time Friends

Perhaps the most prominent “friend” in the set is soul singer and frequent Cutler collaborator Bobby Harden, who sounds every bit as good (if not better) as he did when I used to see him in the downtown New York City clubs who-knows-how-many years ago. He seems to channel a little of Al Green’s phrasing on “At the End of the Day,” a Cutler-Harden original (not the song from Les Miz – now that would have been an interesting cover!) – that’s mostly groove.

The instrumental “Long Time Joe,” the other original in the set, is a funky, riff-driven smoker. Cutler’s solo goes out on a couple of rhythmic limbs that always land him safely back on the ground. Etienne Lytle contributes a rocking organ solo.

Harden pops up again on “Buried Alive in the Blues,” the Nick Gravenites tune that Janis Joplin died before she could lay down the vocals for. While it’s only nominally a blues song, Harden’s full-on vocals and Cutler’s scratchy guitar gumbo make it one of the most convincing tracks on a powerful (mostly) album. The Michael Jackson hit “The Way You Make Me Feel” is another surprising slow-burner. Cutler’s take starts with a jazzified “Roadhouse Blues” groove and develops into a stark guitar feature with strong support from Wilson on the organ.

A few tracks don’t quite hit home. The band swings tastefully on the Wayne Shorter trip “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum,” but, short on momentum, the track leaves me a bit cold. And to close the album Cutler delivers a pleasantly laid-back but rather pedestrian take on the Neil Young ballad “Country Girl.” CSNY’s psychedelic arrangement, especially the supergroup’s massively piled-on harmonies, made the song work on the classic Déjà Vu album. Without vocals and the original’s quivery weirdness, it falls a bit flat.

But overall, Undercover (Mostly) is a rich listen even with its unevenness. Though recorded in the studio, it has a loose, live feel that lends it the kind of authenticity that’s missing from so much recorded “product” today. And the players are, as always with Stew Cutler, top-notch.

Undercover (Mostly) from Stew Cutler and Friends is out Feb. 26.