My Day Is Just Beginning

Although harmonica player/guitarist Lee Sankey is the leader and producer of this blues-oriented CD and wrote every one of the songs, all of the vocals are handled by David Migden -- an expressive, soulful, big-voiced belter whose vocal style is heavily influenced by Gil Scott-Heron. But My Day Is Just Beginning (which combines blues with elements of soul, jazz, and rock) won't be mistaken for a Scott-Heron album. For one thing, Sankey doesn't specialize in sociopolitical commentary. "Where We Going To" tackles social issues, but most of the time Sankey is more likely to write about women, bad luck, and whiskey -- in other words, the sort of things that blues artists usually write about. Further, this album is more rock influenced than anything you would hear on a Scott-Heron release. So the comparison comes into play because of Migden's vocal style rather than Sankey's lyrics. Nonetheless, one thing that Sankey does have in common with the artist is a strong appreciation of jazz -- like Scott-Heron, Sankey isn't a jazz artist, but does allow jazz to influence his work. One thing Sankey won't be accused of is being a blues purist; although this CD has a blues foundation, there is no denying that jazz, soul, and rock have all influenced his writing and playing. Like guitarist Robben Ford, Sankey knows how to be blues-oriented without being a blues snob. Obviously, he has absorbed a wide variety of music -- Sankey and Ford are both the sort of guys who could easily listen to Coleman Hawkins one minute and Jimi Hendrix or John Lee Hooker the next. My Day Is Just Beginning is as interesting as it is unpredictable.