• About.com, July 2010
• Living Blues, June 2010
• BluesBlast, June 3, 2010
• BluesWax, April 15, 2010
About.com, July 2010
by Reverend Keith A. Gordon
The Reverend's bottom line: 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you love Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, and all that great blues-influenced soul music of decades past, you owe it to yourself to check out Nemeth's "Name The Day!"
Read the full review online.
Living Blues, June 2010
by Lee Hildebrand
John Németh claims to have perfect pitch, something that's quite evident throughout Name The Day!, his third Blind Pig CD, particularly in the way he moves between a ringing tenor and resonant baritone when executing ascending and descending octave jumps. It's a device that's been used effectively over the years by countless singers—Junior Parker and Aretha Franklin come immediately to mind—yet too few do it these days. The Boise-born, Oakland-based bluesman does it to especially chilling result in the middle of the churchy, slow-dragging Why Not Me, one of ten original compositions on the 11-track disc, when he leaps an octave, and then soars even higher for two more notes without stopping to take a breath. At age 34, Németh is with little doubt the most accomplished male vocalist of his generation traveling the blues highway today.
Only two of the tunes—the hard-shuffling Heartbreak With A Hammer and the eighth-note-driven Funky Feelin'—are 12-bar blues. Like Parker, his most obvious stylistic model, Németh is both a bluesman and a soul man. The boogaloo grooves that mark such medium- and up-tempo selections as the title track, Breakin' Free, Do You Really Want That Woman, Tuff Girl, Save A Little Love, and the Otis Blackwell/Winfield Scott-penned Solomon Burke classic Home In Your Heart suggest the influence of some of Parker's recordings for Duke and Mercury in the 1960s, a part of his discography that blues purists have often dismissed. Drummer Nick Fishman and bassist Smokey Davis's busily syncopated soul patterns on those numbers, along Bobby Welsh's brittle-toned, Memphis-style guitar work, are refreshingly retro. Tempos ease up only for the ballads I Said Too Much and Why Not Me.
The rhythm section of Welsh (who also plays some piano), Davis, and Fishman is nicely augmented by keyboardists Austin deLone and Jake Smolowe and a three-man horn section playing trombonist Mike Rinta's meaty charts. Németh blows harmonica only on occasion and never ostentatiously. His solos are models of economy and musical taste—and, like his singing, deeply soulful.
BluesBlast, June 3, 2010
by James "Skyy Dobro" Walker, Contributer
"John Németh (pronounced like the Jets quarterback, Joe Namath) is a rising blues star; an incredible singer steeped in tradition and with dynamic range. A harmonica player of riveting intensity and virtuosity, he also puts on a stage show with antics like kicking his foot as high as his head." Skyy Dobro April 29, 2007
"There is no sense denying it; one might as well say it out loud: when it comes to the best young, white, contemporary blues singers, John Németh and Andrew Duncanson of The Kilborn Alley Blues Band are in the top five with Németh holding my personal list's number one spot." Skyy Dobro Sept. 23, 2008
"2009's "Love Me Tonight" confirms that the Blues Blast Music Award John Németh received last November (2008), The Sean Costello Rising Star Award, was rightly awarded!" Skyy Dobro February 2, 2009
As the reader can see, keeping up with the dynamic John Németh has become an annual event since 2007. "Magic Touch," released January 30, 2007, was an album which broke John Németh to a world wide audience and Big-Industry-Buzz status. "Magic Touch," is regarded as an essential piece to appreciating music of the 2001 - 2010 decade. It received my highest (and very rare) rating of "Reference Quality."
2010 finds Németh, assistant producer Kid Andersen, and guitarist and pianist extraordinaire Bobby Welsh creating popular music that will be as popular across ages when retrieved from one's library of recorded music. "Name the Day" again draws on America's classic Blues, Soul, and R&B influences, especially those of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. Németh's song writing is his best ever, and all are original songs save Otis Blackwell's "Home in Your Heart" recorded by Solomon Burke.
Németh's top ranked, funky and soulful vocals are strong, tough, and tender as ever, and they are on full display. Personally, I did not find the addition of even more horns beneficial or pleasing, and there is, sadly, less of John's virtuosic harmonica playing. The fantastic Bobby Welsh is solid as always, but I would have been enjoyed even more of his solos and standout moments.
The track that killed me on first listen is "I Said Too Much." With its Gospel influence, the lyrics are more soul baring than a confessional. It is a moving and emotional tear-jerker of a song with a Welsh guitar solo perfectly fitting the mood. The chorus is ear-worm catchy especially with Steve Willis and Ed Earley providing nicely arranged background vocals.
"Heartbreak with a Hammer" has some fine harmonica work. Bobby takes one of his better guitar breaks while either Austin deLeone and Jake Smolove add organ.
The funniest song based on every road warrior's nightmare is "Do You Really Want That Woman." Convinced he can resist anything except temptation, the narrator "damn straight" does want a try out with the sweet young thing who has just paid him an "ounce of attention." By the end of the song, he does resist as he has a "good girl at home." The background vocalists conscientiously and heroically sing the chorus, "Don't you know you got a good girl at home."
John Németh is so widely recognized for his vocal gift that basically any Németh CD is cause for celebration. His five CDs show the development of a career, and there's no reason to not add this album for both fun and posterity.
BluesWax, April 15, 2010
by Richard Ludmerer, Contributing Editor
John Németh has an adventurous soul. With two CDs for Blind Pig Records, Németh has just received his second BMA nomination as Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year. Not satisfied with treading water, he just released this new R'n'B album. Németh's voice is perfect for this "wicked" session and his writing is the best of his career.
Németh has self produced this album, and it is a remarkable feat. The engineer and assistant producer is Kid Anderson. Anderson's production credits include Charlie Musselwhite and The Night Cats (where he has joined Rick Estrin to replace Charlie Baty), but he doesn't play guitar here. Guitar chores belong to Németh's right hand man guitarist Bobby Welsh who plays the role of Steve Cropper in this modern Stax-like production. The formidable horn arrangements are by trombonist Mike Rinta who has worked with everybody. Musicians include bassist Smokey Davis, drummer Nick Fishman, keyboardists Austin deLeone and Jake Smolove. The horn section consists of Rinta and Jeff Teczon on sax and Frank Bailey on trumpet. Steve Willis and Ed Earley provide background vocals.
Németh is a vocal acrobat. His voice climbs and then falls again with just the right amount of tremolo to accentuate the lyrics' emotions. On the opener "Breakin' Free," Fishman's drums and the horn section create an excitement that is completed by Németh's harp solo. Welsh's guitar opens the title track "Name The Day!" in the appropriate fashion, and his rhythm playing dominates this song. The background vocalists make "Do You Really Want That Woman" click when they sing the chorus, "Don't you know you got a good girl at home." "I Said Too Much" is just great. The only cover is the little known "Home In Your Heart" written by Otis Blackwell and recorded by Solomon Burke. Inevitably, Németh will be compared to the very best as the more you listen the better it gets. Maybe not yet a Percy Sledge but give him time. Listen to "Why Not Me." How about that harp solo on "Funky Feelin'?" The fact that Németh can pull this off is testament to his broad range of talent. Németh will prove to be a perennial BMA nominee. He is a scrapper. Name the day and bring it on.