After a five year break, Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, Boston’s finest purveyors of stomp and shout, honk and holler, rockin’ soul with a garage punk edge are back with a new record, and it’s a ripsnorter. Recorded in May of 2023 in Valencia, Spain at the end of a lengthy European tour, time was not wasted in pressing and releasing the results. Glory is out now on vinyl and digipak CD through FOLC Records of Madrid, Spain.
Hitting record for the first time in 1984, Barrence Whitfield and the Savages was something of a throwback even then as they specialized in energetic no frills ’60s-style R&R with enough edge to appeal to Boston’s garage set; no surprise as there were connections to the Beantown band The Lyres, with that outfit’s guitarist Peter Greenberg a founding and current member of the Savages.
Two things helped the Savages to stand out. Foremost was the soulful belting of Whitfield (born Barry White) which added a legit roots component to a blend of originals and covers. The other aspect was saxophone playing (on their debut by Steve LaGrega) that tapped into the essence of pre-Beatle weekend dance party mania.
The Savages carried on into the mid-’90s with changes of personnel and a less aggressive sound, but after a long hiatus they came roaring back in 2011 with Savage Kings on the Munster label featuring Greenberg and original bassist Phil Lenker. For that album, Andy Jody joined on drums and Tom Quartulli on sax, and the lineup hasn’t changed since, though Glory does get a sustained injection of baritone sax from Spencer Evoy.
Added horn thickness only strengthens a sound that’s been more garage punk raucous since the Savages’ returned (three LPs followed Savage Kings between 2013-’18, all for Bloodshot Records: Dig Thy Savage Soul, Under the Savage Sky and Soul Flowers of Titan). The dual sax attack is immediately on display in Glory’s opener “Bad Situation” as Whitfield leans into his abilities as a conversational soul communicator.
“Cape May Diamond” shifts gears into a bluesy zone, but it’s lean, guitar grouchy horn-driven stuff in sharp contrast to the sluggish nature of most blues-rock. And then the guy-pining-for-a-gal nature of “Hey Miss Glynis” turns Glory’s tide toward a frequent point of comparison in the Savages’ recent output, namely The Sonics, though there are clear distinctions to be made.
Firstly, there’s Whitfield’s vocal range to consider. He can belt it out with the best of them, but he also has depth of emotion at his command, which is a big reason why the Savages’ return has avoided getting stale. Case in point; where The Sonics’ did a great job covering “Walkin’ the Dog,” in Glory’s cover of Bobby Comstock’s rocker “Right Hand Man,” Whitfield effectively embodies the swagger of the great Rufus Thomas.
Secondly, in contrast to The Sonics’ proto-punk hammering, there’s more swing in Jody’s drumming, which only helps to elevate the spring action mauler that is album highlight “I’m Ready I’m Ready,” a menacing take of an already potent cut from James Brown associate Beau Dollar. And Glory just rolls from there, with “I Do My Best to Survive” dishing more of Whitfield as soul storyteller, and then “Rumble Strip” nodding back to the heyday of R&R instrumentals like the band are marionettes controlled by the wiry digits of Travis Wammick.
A walloping version of Freddie Scott’s “I’ll Be Gone” does increase the drum thunder in a full-band showcase that culminates in sweet falsetto bursts from Whitfield. “Killing Time” adds some organ to the mix (courtesy of Jody), “I’m Young” amplifies the bluesy core of a ’50s Hank Ballard groover, and “Play Pen” continues in that spirit, hitting like a blend of one-off singles cut by Sam Phillips in ’55 and Art Rupe in ’57 (but much, much rawer, natch).
“Flyin’” wraps up Glory with one final dose of that swinging early R&R mojo. Closing my eyes, I can even imagine Lenker rigorously slapping an upright bass. It’s always a question when bands playing this sort of stripped-down, no-nonsense stuff will run out of inspirational gas. Barrence Whitfield and the Savages are nowhere close.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
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