Syracuse, New York's Roosevelt Dean is an unfamiliar name even to the staunchest of blues fans, but I Don't Wanna Leave You should go down as one of the year's best debuts.

    Although Dean plays guitar, it's a safe bet that bandsman Bill Kerner takes most of the leads. But this group is not guitar driven anyway, falling more in the tradition of the horn-led show bands--Percy Strother and the late Big Twist come to mind, as does Jr. Medlow's recent CD. Instead of guitar pyrotechnics, the emphasis is on crisp rhythm playing and punchy horn charts for two saxes and trombone. Dean's singing voice is deep and heavy, occasionally ponderous on some of the more melodic soul-oriented tracks but quite effective on such lowdown blues as Deep Down Inside, I Smell Trouble, and Big Legged Woman. The latter two are not the familiar songs of similar title but rather solid Dean originals, the second of which includes the memorable line " If you don't quit drinkin' whiskey, I'm gonna lay your burden down." Fever, the sole cover, gets a revved-up tempo, while I'm Gonna Leave Here offers variety in the form of a stripped-down backing that lends a swamp-blues sound that suits Dean well. Apropos of a show band, the set begins and ends with snippets of a snappy theme song.

    Syracuse is no hotbed of blues talent, but this release proves that high quality blues can be found outside the major recording centers.

    The blues just doesn't get any better than this. Roosevelt Dean's soulful singing-- that declarative drawl that can emanate from a native southerner--is alone worth the price of this CD, I Don't Wana Leave You (Z-K Records). But there's more. There's trombonist Dave DeWitt's absolutely magnificent horn arrangements. There's bassist Bill Brownlee's meticulous production work, carefully underscoring Dean's vocal presence, so reminiscent of the legendary John Lee Hooker. And there's the stinging lead guitar of Big Bill Kerner, a prodigious talent in his own right.

    All but one of the disc's 16 tracks are written by Dean, each song a story told in his own inimitable style: "I Smell Trouble," "Bad Motor Scooter" and "Big Legged Woman" among the true-life tales. The songs are nicely framed by short opening and closing instrumental cuts called "Marty's Jam," which give the disc a "live" feel. If it weren't for Dean's molasses-laced voice, his Voodoo Horns would've stolen the disc's whole show with its heartfelt homage to the Stax and Muscle Shoals sounds. The brilliant brass attack complementing Dean's booming vocals makes I Don't Wanna Leave You Syracuse's top blues album of the year.

....Dean's recently released CD, I Don't Wanna Leave You demonstrates his chops, presence, grove, and easy crooning style. A basic blues guitar-picker himself, Dean reminds me of Flower City's own Joe Beard as he supplies earthy instrumental work to round out his more polished band--a seven piece blues machine. The music is solid, rooted in that of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, but it's played in more modern terms. It is great stuff to hear live in a small bar...

    The Roosevelt Dean Band's up-coming release I Don't Wanna Leave You lifts the Syracuse blues balladeer's sound to a whole new dimension. For sure, Dean still croaks out the hard-luck tunes with the best of them. But on this 15-song collection-- which well be released in the near future either on a major blues label or Dean's independent Z-K Records--he mixes in a lively handful of upbeat tunes. "Anything to make people get up and move," Dean says. The song Love combines a Calypso beat with Dean's low growl, and Somebody Told Me mixes Hymie Whithoft's crisp percussion with Big Bill Kerner's lightning lead guitar work. There's still a healthy helping of blues messages, too. Dean says his favorite cut on the work is Big Leg Woman, where he tells the tale of a threatening wife who yells "If you don't quit drinkin' whiskey, I'm gonna lay your burden down." "In black talk, 'lay your burden down' means she's gonna kill the guy. That's heavy!" Dean says. On the only cover tune, Dean takes Willie John's 1955 classic Fever and turns it into a quick race to the finish line instead of sultry slow-dance. But the most striking cut on the collection is the title tune. I Don't Wanna Leave You is downright radio-friendly, an accessible song that could fit into any number of today's formats, from blues to rock to adult alternative album.