The Adventures of Bobbie Ragoon, the latest release from Allentown’s Dana Gaynor Band, is a reminder that down-home, raw and rugged blues is alive and well in the Lehigh Valley.
Yet, Bobbie Ragoon is not your typical blues album.
Gaynor’s songwriting approach leaves plenty of room for the veteran guitarist to flex and stretch, with dynamic results.
On “Show Me the Way,” Gaynor and her band lock on to a tight, head-bopping Caribbean-reggae groove — accentuated by a well-executed organ solo, which transitions seamlessly into a sprawling lead guitar run by Gaynor.
One of the album’s many strengths is Gaynor’s interplay with pianist-organists Pozz, John Ginty, and Dan DeChellis. This is further evidenced in the Dire Straits-meet-Tom-Petty vibe of “Stop That Train,” the up-tempo rocker “Streamliner,” and the opening jam, “Creatures in the Night.”
Gaynor’s various influences seep to the surface throughout the album; the rollicking, country-bluegrass mashup “Lonesome Dogs” is a highlight.
Naturally, a Dana Gaynor album would not be complete without some killer guitar licks and the New York native delivers in full. “Hitchcock County,” “Streamliner” and the album’s closer “‘Til the End of Time” — on which Gaynor gets vocal assistance from local singer-songwriter outfit The Bastard Sons — demonstrate why she is one of the most talented and gifted six-string slingers in the greater Lehigh Valley.
The Adventures of Bobbie Ragoon is available digitally, including Spotify, SoundCloud, and ReverbNation.