Al began his own solo recording career in 1998 with the well received Down On Providence Plantation and followed that up with 2001's Shaking the Soul Tree. Both discs were roots projects produced by Robillard and with him and his band backing Basile up on his own blues and soul based roots songs, the second emphasizing Memphis soul grooves and adding former Susan Tedeschi keyboardist Tom West to a horn section with Doug James and Sax Gordon Beadle alongside Al's cornet. 2003's Red Breath was Basile's first jazz CD, though he had fronted jazz combos for twenty-five years and had been featured as a swing-based cornetist on Duke's jazz projects such as After Hours Swing Session. Several underknown songs by Rodgers and Hart and Vernon Duke were unearthed and given perhaps their first jazz treatment, and Al showed the influences of Armstrong, Sinatra, and Strayhorn in his playing, singing, and writing styles. 2005's solo effort Blue Ink was a collection of Al's blues songs with Duke and his band again backing him up and featuring Jerry Portnoy on harp, fresh from recording Me&Mr.Johnson with Eric Clapton. This was a dream backup band for this material, which covered a range of blues styles from fifties Muddy Waters to Freddy King to swamp/funk blues to New Orleans/Longhair type blues. Duke produced and played guitars throughout. Blue Ink reached #18 on the Living Blues radio chart.
2006's Groovin' in the Mood Room stripped the rhythm section down to feature Duke's guitar solos. and emphasized strong grooves to complement Al's trademark lyrics and soulful snging, and again enjoyed lots of airplay both nnationally and internationally, reaching #14 on the Living Blues chart.
Great songwriting, singing, and playing -The Tinge puts it all together, as Al adds generous helpings of his cornet playing to a batch of songs which span Kansas City swing to soul-jazz to the classic blues material he first did with Roomful of Blues. With Roomful's Rich Lataille in the horn section along with Doug James and Duke, half of the original Roomful lineup is at work here, and Al has written blues songs like "Not the Wrong Woman" and "Too Slow" which celebrate their shared past (the latter is sung and played in the manner of Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, with whom Roomful first played in 1973). Bruce Katz is brilliant on piano, organ, and Wurlitzer, and along with mainstays Marty Ballou on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums, the rhythm section nails every stylistic challenge thrown at them, from older style jazz like "While We're Dancing" and "Give Me the Rainbow" to brooding plunger muted blues to bubbly workouts reminiscent of sixties soul. With the addition of his rich open tone and relaxed, lyrical solo work to his highly crafted songs, unique storytelling, and strong, personal vocals, The Tinge is Al Basile's statement record. The books and literary magazines which publish his poetry identify him as a poet, but that's only half the story. His recordings prove that he's a bard of the blues.
Al guested as a featured cornet player on Dave Gross' Take the Gamble in 2006, and he continues to work with Duke on his own projects - he played on Blue Mood, Duke's T-Bone Walker tribute record nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2004, A Specal Evening with Duke Robillard and Friends DVD released in 2005, played on and wrote for Guitar Groove-a-Rama, and co-wrote the title tune on Duke's 2007 release World Full of Blues.
All Right
Al Basile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stayed around to love you, for a little while
You let her go without a fight
But you all right
Well now nobody can take her place
She said she was leavin' just to see your face
And now she's gone every day and night
Now you had friends said they'd stand by you
But your luck ran out, now they quit you too
You'd shoot em all, aw just for spite
But you still all right
Everybody's leavin' and you keep on
They can't quit you twice, aw once they're gone
Now every wound is sewed up tight
You gonna be all right
These lyrics tell the story of a person who had a woman in their life who was perfect for them. However, they let her go without putting up a fight or trying to keep her around. Despite this, the person reassures themselves that they are "all right."
The second paragraph reveals that this woman was important to the person, as she claimed she was leaving just to see their face. Now that she is gone, the person feels her absence every day and night. Despite this loss, they still maintain that they are "all right."
In the third paragraph, the lyrics shift focus to the person's friends. It is mentioned that they had friends who promised to stand by them, but their luck has run out and these friends have abandoned them as well. The person expresses anger and a desire to harm these friends, but they ultimately state that they are still "all right."
The final paragraph acknowledges that everyone is leaving the person, but they continue to persevere. The phrase "they can't quit you twice" suggests that once people leave, they cannot come back into the person's life again. Despite their wounds, physical or emotional, being sewn up tight, the person believes they will ultimately be "all right." It implies that they have the strength or resilience to carry on even through the hardships and losses they have experienced.
Line by Line Meaning
You had a woman, she was just your style
You were in a romantic relationship with a woman who perfectly matched your preferences and desired characteristics.
Stayed around to love you, for a little while
She remained with you, showing affection and care, but only for a short period of time.
You let her go without a fight
You allowed her to leave without putting up any resistance or objections.
But you all right
Despite the breakup, you are still emotionally stable and doing well.
Well now nobody can take her place
No one else can replace her in your life.
She said she was leavin' just to see your face
She claimed that she was leaving to test your reaction or to gauge your true feelings.
And now she's gone every day and night
She is absent from your life both during the day and at night.
But you all right
Despite her absence, you remain emotionally stable and doing well.
Now you had friends said they'd stand by you
You had friends who promised to support you and remain loyal.
But your luck ran out, now they quit you too
Unfortunately, your luck turned against you, and your friends abandoned or betrayed you as well.
You'd shoot em all, aw just for spite
Out of spite and frustration, you would harm or hurt all your friends.
But you still all right
Despite the loss of friends and negative emotions, you remain emotionally stable and doing well.
Everybody's leavin' and you keep on
Everyone continues to depart from your life, yet you persist.
They can't quit you twice, aw once they're gone
Once someone leaves you, they cannot leave you again.
Now every wound is sewed up tight
All your emotional wounds have been healed and closed.
You gonna be all right
You will eventually thrive and be emotionally well.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Al Basile
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind