Bob Malone

BOB Malone knows exactly where his journey into the heart of blues, soul and New Orleans music began.

‘‘I grew up in the ’80s which wasn’t a great time for music,’’ the American singer and songwriter explains. Then he discovered The Blues Brothers.

‘‘I fell in love with that stuff,’’ Malone says of John Landis’ R&B fuelled cult action/comedy starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. ‘

‘I knew the Blues Brothers didn’t write those songs and I went exploring to find out who did, which is how I discovered Sam and Dave, Steve Cropper, the Stax records sound and all this other great music.’’

And all explorations in soul music usually lead down the Mississippi to
New Orleans. He threw himself so deeply into the music of that city that
most of the locals figure he is from there anyway.

‘‘I moved there for a while, I was just there a week ago playing the piano
night at the jazz festival. That whole New Orleans piano style attracted me from the moment I heard it.

‘‘When people say ‘You must have grown up in New Orleans’ and I tell
them New Jersey they just think I’m joking.’’ He’s not, but his latest album, Ain’t What You Know, shows that the music of the Crescent City flows through his veins.

Malone is getting to know Australia well. He’s been around the country
once this year in his other gig as John Fogerty’s keyboard player, and is back for a run of his own shows with Australian piano man Pugsley Buzzard.

Malone has also had a long career as a session player, which is why he can get A-list players such as bass legend Leland Sklar to help him out in the studio.

As the title of the album says, it ain’t what you know. Although it must be
said, Malone knows plenty about making great recordings. He’s not
fussed with the digital age of recording, since most of the records he loves were cut live to tape without a computer in sight.

‘‘I love perfection as much as the next guy but the most important thing
is it has to move people.

‘‘Does it have that vibe that makes people want to listen to it over and over again? Is what you are feeling emotionally as you perform the song getting across so some stranger will feel it?’’

Mission accomplished with Ain’t What You Know, an excellent singer-songwriter record that also shows the influence of great piano-playing
songwriters such as Elton John and Jimmy Webb. Not to mention The Faces, Rod Stewart’s early group, and The Band, with covers of The Faces’ "Stay With Me" and a version of American legends The Band’s "Up On Cripple Creek."
‘
‘The original versions are so great, if you are wanting to do a cover you need to do something else with the song.

‘‘I love The Faces and that song and there is no way you can top it. But even before he knew how much I loved that record, my producer said, ‘You should do "Stay With Me" and do your own thing with it’.’’

Which Malone does, complete with brass section and thumping New Orleans piano groove.

SEE Bob Malone, Blues on
Broadbeach, today, tomorrow and Saturday - Brisbane Courier Mail

BOB Malone knows exactly where his journey into the heart of blues, soul and New Orleans music began.

‘‘I grew up in the ’80s which wasn’t a great time for music,’’ the American singer and songwriter explains. Then he discovered The Blues Brothers.

‘‘I fell in love with that stuff,’’ Malone says of John Landis’ R&B fuelled cult action/comedy starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. ‘

‘I knew the Blues Brothers didn’t write those songs and I went exploring to find out who did, which is how I discovered Sam and Dave, Steve Cropper, the Stax records sound and all this other great music.’’

And all explorations in soul music usually lead down the Mississippi to
New Orleans. He threw himself so deeply into the music of that city that
most of the locals figure he is from there anyway.

‘‘I moved there for a while, I was just there a week ago playing the piano
night at the jazz festival. That whole New Orleans piano style attracted me from the moment I heard it.

‘‘When people say ‘You must have grown up in New Orleans’ and I tell
them New Jersey they just think I’m joking.’’ He’s not, but his latest album, Ain’t What You Know, shows that the music of the Crescent City flows through his veins.

Malone is getting to know Australia well. He’s been around the country
once this year in his other gig as John Fogerty’s keyboard player, and is back for a run of his own shows with Australian piano man Pugsley Buzzard.

Malone has also had a long career as a session player, which is why he can get A-list players such as bass legend Leland Sklar to help him out in the studio.

As the title of the album says, it ain’t what you know. Although it must be
said, Malone knows plenty about making great recordings. He’s not
fussed with the digital age of recording, since most of the records he loves were cut live to tape without a computer in sight.

‘‘I love perfection as much as the next guy but the most important thing
is it has to move people.

‘‘Does it have that vibe that makes people want to listen to it over and over again? Is what you are feeling emotionally as you perform the song getting across so some stranger will feel it?’’

Mission accomplished with Ain’t What You Know, an excellent singer-songwriter record that also shows the influence of great piano-playing
songwriters such as Elton John and Jimmy Webb. Not to mention The Faces, Rod Stewart’s early group, and The Band, with covers of The Faces’ "Stay With Me" and a version of American legends The Band’s "Up On Cripple Creek."
‘
‘The original versions are so great, if you are wanting to do a cover you need to do something else with the song.

‘‘I love The Faces and that song and there is no way you can top it. But even before he knew how much I loved that record, my producer said, ‘You should do "Stay With Me" and do your own thing with it’.’’

Which Malone does, complete with brass section and thumping New Orleans piano groove.

SEE Bob Malone, Blues on
Broadbeach, today, tomorrow and Saturday - Brisbane Courier Mail

Bob Malone is a busy man. He is a popular pianist and accordion player and has worked with many greats, both in the studio and on tour. Currently he is in the band of former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty. Bob Malone was born and raised in New Jersey, but is now living in West Hollywood and is married to Karen Nash (also a musician and also his muse). He still has time to write his own songs and tour with his own band. Since 1996, Bob has released seven albums. This latest album is the best he has made so far. Malone wrote eight of the10 songs. The music of Bob Malone is not easily defined. It's not traditional blues, but it leans in that direction. The nice thing is that Bob Malone can effortlessly switch from blues to boogie-woogie, soul, classic rock or pop song. They all sound excellent and complement each other well. Bob has a beautiful voice and always gives one-hundred per-cent. He’s a party animal on stage. He says his music comes from the swamps of New Jersey but it swings with the soul of New Orleans. A famous American reviewer wrote about Bob Malone: “Take the blues credibility of Dr. John, the songwriting of Jimmy Webb and the skills of Elton John in his initial period and you have Bob Malone.” A better compliment would be hard to come by.

The CD opens with “Why Not Me,” a soulful blues tune with a strong vocal from Bob and a great chorus with backing vocals from a pair of sexy female voices. A very catchy song with a wonderful horn arrangement. The sugar-sweet “Butterfly” and “Small Girl” are both beautiful love songs and also a tribute to his wife and muse Karen. The fragile “No One Can Hurt You” features keyboards and rhythmic percussion from Bob’s very strong rhythm section. The title song “Ain't What You Know’ is a boogie rocker with killer horns and guitar.

With “Stay With Me,” Bob has dusted off an old song by The Faces. He gave this rock classic a fuller version. To me it sounds better than the original. Greasy guitar and, of course, strong work from Bob on the keys. The combination of the piano and the lead guitar sound perfect. Magnificent arrangements can be found in “Saint Christopher.” Tight drums and bass on “Cold Cold Ground.” A fitting conclusion to this CD is the handsome Robbie Robertson cover “Up On Cripple Creek.”

This CD is definitely a must. Also good news is that Bob Malone has plans this year to tour clubs in Europe. He told me that he would love to come back to Brussels and Amsterdam to play. We look forward to hearing his powerful voice and all these delicious songs from “Ain't What You Know” live on stage.
- Bluesmagazine Netherlands

Bob Malone is a busy man. He is a popular pianist and accordion player and has worked with many greats, both in the studio and on tour. Currently he is in the band of former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty. Bob Malone was born and raised in New Jersey, but is now living in West Hollywood and is married to Karen Nash (also a musician and also his muse). He still has time to write his own songs and tour with his own band. Since 1996, Bob has released seven albums. This latest album is the best he has made so far. Malone wrote eight of the10 songs. The music of Bob Malone is not easily defined. It's not traditional blues, but it leans in that direction. The nice thing is that Bob Malone can effortlessly switch from blues to boogie-woogie, soul, classic rock or pop song. They all sound excellent and complement each other well. Bob has a beautiful voice and always gives one-hundred per-cent. He’s a party animal on stage. He says his music comes from the swamps of New Jersey but it swings with the soul of New Orleans. A famous American reviewer wrote about Bob Malone: “Take the blues credibility of Dr. John, the songwriting of Jimmy Webb and the skills of Elton John in his initial period and you have Bob Malone.” A better compliment would be hard to come by.

The CD opens with “Why Not Me,” a soulful blues tune with a strong vocal from Bob and a great chorus with backing vocals from a pair of sexy female voices. A very catchy song with a wonderful horn arrangement. The sugar-sweet “Butterfly” and “Small Girl” are both beautiful love songs and also a tribute to his wife and muse Karen. The fragile “No One Can Hurt You” features keyboards and rhythmic percussion from Bob’s very strong rhythm section. The title song “Ain't What You Know’ is a boogie rocker with killer horns and guitar.

With “Stay With Me,” Bob has dusted off an old song by The Faces. He gave this rock classic a fuller version. To me it sounds better than the original. Greasy guitar and, of course, strong work from Bob on the keys. The combination of the piano and the lead guitar sound perfect. Magnificent arrangements can be found in “Saint Christopher.” Tight drums and bass on “Cold Cold Ground.” A fitting conclusion to this CD is the handsome Robbie Robertson cover “Up On Cripple Creek.”

This CD is definitely a must. Also good news is that Bob Malone has plans this year to tour clubs in Europe. He told me that he would love to come back to Brussels and Amsterdam to play. We look forward to hearing his powerful voice and all these delicious songs from “Ain't What You Know” live on stage.
- Bluesmagazine Netherlands

For an indie artist, the path to lasting success is often long, built on perseverance and a commitment to the music. Exhibit A is Bob Malone ’87.

Throughout his time at Berklee, Malone was constantly gigging, doing solo appearances, piano bars, original bands, and essentially paying for his college education. His career path since then has had a blue-collar organic flavor that is still defined by working hard.

He grew up as a rocker and, during his time at Berklee, added significant jazz chops. In 1990, he moved to Los Angeles and began to develop his distinctive piano and vocal style, which has a New Orleans flavor with a clear nod to artists like Dr. John and Leon Russell. After settling in Los Angeles, Malone put a band together and focused on the music he loved. He developed a following in Los Angeles and in San Diego, where he had a residency at Croce’s, a well-known blues club. The residency enabled him to develop his voice and appreciate the value of being a complete entertainer.

By 1996, Malone wanted to reach a wider audience and he took to the road. In the beginning, he toured solo because he couldn’t afford a band. “I didn’t know what I was doing,” he says. “I simply tried to sell enough CDs to keep going.”

In 2006, he reached out to blues festivals in Australia. Never having played the country before, he just sent e-mail messages to everyone connected to the festivals. One recipient offered to fly him down for a show in Queensland. In typical grassroots fashion, Malone has built an audience Down Under and now performs there three weeks a year.

In 2010, a fan who remembered him from his days at Croce’s connected him with Grammy Award–winning artist John Fogerty. Malone has been touring and recording with the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman ever since. A career highlight came during a recent concert at Hyde Park in London, England, when Bruce Springsteen sat in with the band. Fogerty has a new CD that is scheduled for release in February, and Malone plays a prominent role on the recording.

Malone’s own CD will be released in the spring, and then he will likely hit the road again for a tour of festivals and major blues rooms. For more on Malone’s journey, visit www.bobmalone.com.

—Peter Gordon ’78
Director of Berklee Center in LA
- Berklee Today

For an indie artist, the path to lasting success is often long, built on perseverance and a commitment to the music. Exhibit A is Bob Malone ’87.

Throughout his time at Berklee, Malone was constantly gigging, doing solo appearances, piano bars, original bands, and essentially paying for his college education. His career path since then has had a blue-collar organic flavor that is still defined by working hard.

He grew up as a rocker and, during his time at Berklee, added significant jazz chops. In 1990, he moved to Los Angeles and began to develop his distinctive piano and vocal style, which has a New Orleans flavor with a clear nod to artists like Dr. John and Leon Russell. After settling in Los Angeles, Malone put a band together and focused on the music he loved. He developed a following in Los Angeles and in San Diego, where he had a residency at Croce’s, a well-known blues club. The residency enabled him to develop his voice and appreciate the value of being a complete entertainer.

By 1996, Malone wanted to reach a wider audience and he took to the road. In the beginning, he toured solo because he couldn’t afford a band. “I didn’t know what I was doing,” he says. “I simply tried to sell enough CDs to keep going.”

In 2006, he reached out to blues festivals in Australia. Never having played the country before, he just sent e-mail messages to everyone connected to the festivals. One recipient offered to fly him down for a show in Queensland. In typical grassroots fashion, Malone has built an audience Down Under and now performs there three weeks a year.

In 2010, a fan who remembered him from his days at Croce’s connected him with Grammy Award–winning artist John Fogerty. Malone has been touring and recording with the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman ever since. A career highlight came during a recent concert at Hyde Park in London, England, when Bruce Springsteen sat in with the band. Fogerty has a new CD that is scheduled for release in February, and Malone plays a prominent role on the recording.

Malone’s own CD will be released in the spring, and then he will likely hit the road again for a tour of festivals and major blues rooms. For more on Malone’s journey, visit www.bobmalone.com.

—Peter Gordon ’78
Director of Berklee Center in LA
- Berklee Today

A new peak in what’s been a rather mountainous career, Malone’s latest shows off everything that makes him dear to his loyal fans. A tireless piano man who seems be on an endless tour, the new record is a great step forward; it possesses the virtuosic piano playing and smoky vocals of previous works but moves into previously uncharted territory as well. Anchored by a solid rhythm section comprised of the combustible combination of Lee Sklar on bass and Mike Baird on drums, Malone’s musical load seems lightened, freeing him up to bring some of his most dazzling playing. Combining the heat of his live performances with tracks of deep rhythm and soul, this record covers a lot of musical ground, from the folk-rock exultation of The Band’s “Up on Cripple Creek” through the tenderness of “Butterfly” and the darkly cynical “No One Can Hurt You.” The opening track, “Why Not Me,” is an audio feast, peppered by Malone’s able horn arrangement and guitarist Bob DeMarco’s gumbo of guitar colors. Incandescent passages like the procession of a DeMarco guitar solo into a Marty Rifkin pedal-steel flourish into a Malone piano outing on the title song make this the kind of record you can listen to over and over. - Filter

When your friends and co-workers are among the finest studio musicians from one of the world's most competitive music centers, you have an advantage if played properly. Born in Maine, reared in New Jersey, a graduate of Berklee School of Music and apprenticed in New Orleans, Los Angeles-based Bob Malone has released his sixth CD. Ain't What You Know is a finely honed, exceptionally well-crafted album. Much like the ultimate genre hopper Eric Clapton, Malone is able to move effortlessly between overt Blues-based tracks to the John Hiatt-like, "Small Girl" or pop radio's "Butterfly."

Malone's choices for the album's only two covers, The Band's "Up on Cripple Creek" and The Faces' "Stay With Me," indicate the artist's larger vision for the album; Blues-based textures relying on solid songwriting and smooth studio production with an eye on commercial appeal to a mature audience with a classic rock background. Producer Bob DeMarco effectively uses depth and space, including a smokin' horn section and female backup vocals to actively engage the listener's ears while paying homage to the song.

While only reminiscent of a traditional Blues sound, Malone appeals to the roots and Blues audience with heartfelt ballads, nuanced arrangements and a never-ending tour schedule. If one were to take the Blues credibility of Dr. John, the songwriting of Jimmy Webb and the arrangement skills of early period Elton John, we see Malone in vesture that suits him perfectly. More traditional blues fans may find this particular outing to lack sufficient rough edges. However, blues and roots radio programmers that seek to introduce lesser known artists will be able to widen their audience. Over its ten tracks this album is a well rounded and well above average.
- Blues Wax

When your friends and co-workers are among the finest studio musicians from one of the world's most competitive music centers, you have an advantage if played properly. Born in Maine, reared in New Jersey, a graduate of Berklee School of Music and apprenticed in New Orleans, Los Angeles-based Bob Malone has released his sixth CD. Ain't What You Know is a finely honed, exceptionally well-crafted album. Much like the ultimate genre hopper Eric Clapton, Malone is able to move effortlessly between overt Blues-based tracks to the John Hiatt-like, "Small Girl" or pop radio's "Butterfly."

Malone's choices for the album's only two covers, The Band's "Up on Cripple Creek" and The Faces' "Stay With Me," indicate the artist's larger vision for the album; Blues-based textures relying on solid songwriting and smooth studio production with an eye on commercial appeal to a mature audience with a classic rock background. Producer Bob DeMarco effectively uses depth and space, including a smokin' horn section and female backup vocals to actively engage the listener's ears while paying homage to the song.

While only reminiscent of a traditional Blues sound, Malone appeals to the roots and Blues audience with heartfelt ballads, nuanced arrangements and a never-ending tour schedule. If one were to take the Blues credibility of Dr. John, the songwriting of Jimmy Webb and the arrangement skills of early period Elton John, we see Malone in vesture that suits him perfectly. More traditional blues fans may find this particular outing to lack sufficient rough edges. However, blues and roots radio programmers that seek to introduce lesser known artists will be able to widen their audience. Over its ten tracks this album is a well rounded and well above average.
- Blues Wax

Blazing and beautiful. Burning and elegant. Subtle and expansive. Unique and timeless. Malone contains multitudes of rhythm, soul, jazz, blues, smoke and magic. He is the train that never stops, the one that won’t be derailed. He was astounding when he first emerged, but there was a sense that he was too young to bear the timeworn, world-weary baggage of the rhythm & ragtime & blues. Now his voice has ripened, and his talent has deepened. He’s a pianist’s pianist; it sounds as if he’s slept inside a baby grand for years, so intimate is he with the alphabet of the ivories. “The whole wide world is moving way too fast/And Lord knows I ain’t no exception,” he sings in “The Age Of Steam,” yet his songs deconstruct the tumult of time. In many he laughs in his smoky, hipster hat like a seasoned jazz cat from another era. “The Stripper” and “Steam” are both sublime, as is Jake Jacobs’ eloquent and restrained production job. This is one for the ages. – PAUL ZOLLO

- American Songwriter

2009
Bob Malone
Born Too Late
Ain’t What You Know
Delta Moon

The two CDs are by New Jersey singer, pianist and songwriter Bob Malone. “Born Too Late” was released in 2006 and consists of twelve tracks, all self-penned. His vocal is low, raw and gravelly, with good intonation, and he is a master of the A-Z of ivories, with a real sensitive touch. His lyrics are well structured and often of complex nature. This CD is a mix of jazz, blues, pop, rock, country and folk. “Nasty Little Town” is a funky Blues/jazz number and, in typical New Jersey tradition of songwriting as a social commentary, it’s a put down of Hollywood and its society. A good CD, if a little heavy on the jazz side.

“Ain’t What You Know” is Malone’s latest offering and features guest appearances by Lee Sklar (Jackson Browne, James Taylor), Marty Rifkin (Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty) and Mike Baird (Journey, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker). It is a very different CD to “Born Too Late,” leaning more to the commercial market, which is not a criticism, because the music and lyrical quality remain constant. It kicks off with an impressive rock/soul number, “Why Not Me.” The bouncy pop ballad “Small Girl” has a strong Dylanesque feel. The title track is boogie-woogie and shows what an eclectic and quality musician he is. The call and response between lap steel and piano, with rhythm supplied by brass and tight drumming, make this a class track. The cover of The Faces’ “Stay With Me” is a precision innovation into a blues-rocker, with a boogie woogie piano solo. Malone has raised this song to new musical heights – it’s a cracker!

- Carol Borrington
- Blues Matters (UK)

A lot of singer-songwriters accompany themselves on piano. Bob Malone accompanies himself on pulsating, roaring piano that grabs you with both arms and shakes you until you cry for mercy.

Somehow Bob morphed from an unhappy little boy suffering in the small town isolation of Milton, New Jersey – into a two-fisted, gravel-voiced child of New Orleans who tours the country with the likes of the Neville Brothers, Boz Scaggs and the Reverend Al Green. His stage persona is an appealing blend of smart-aleck East Coast suburbanite and Dr. John. And therein lies an inspiring tale of personal re-invention.

“I love to entertain” says Bob. “There’s a spirit of showmanship in New Orleans music that I have in my act. I always remember that I’m not playing for the .01% of people who know about music technically. I’m playing for the people.” This ethic really shines in Bob’s work. A lot of players can fake a New Orleans style for a song or two. But Mr. Malone makes a deep commitment to our pleasure when he plays. His arrangements are dazzling showpieces of boogie, stride and Lousiana blues.

It’s his fans’ good fortune that Bob escaped his painful youth first in classical piano, and then jazz, polishing his skills with a Jazz Piano degree from Berklee College in Boston. His childhood heroes were the 70’s rock artists who pumped out the mega-watts in their stage shows: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John. Musically, though, he was hit hardest by the scions of Crescent City: Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Henry Butler. Says Bob: “I don’t play rock or blues exactly, but I try to capture the rock energy in what I do.”

Bob is the first to admit that he’s intentionally crafted his niche. He explains that his normal singing voice was not that interesting: “Back when I first started singing, people would say, “I love your band, but you need a lead singer.” I knew I didn’t have a pretty voice – so I went all the way to unpretty and people loved it! It was just a better voice.” It’s easy to imagine show-biz entrepreneur Malone casting the same shrewd eye on all aspects of his show. His songs, for instance, are always surprising and always smart. You can pick up the sensibility from some of his lyric hooks: “He Thinks The Stripper Likes Him”; “I Know He’s Your Husband…But Does He Know I’m Your Man?”; “I’m In Love With The Woman The Other Women Love To Hate”. You can hear more at www.bobmalone.com.

When he’s at his West Hollywood domicile, Bob complements his touring-heavy lifestyle with stay-at-home gigs. His Berklee tenure provided the chops for some heavy-duty arranging/composing/producing projects. He’s currently doing all the music prep and orchestration for a new musical and the occasional television cue. But no more piano bars. “I got tired of drunks coming up and requesting the tune that I was playing.”

Bob’s not a big gear guy. He loves his new Yamaha P-250 but favors older stuff: vintage Wurlitzers and Clavinets. He says if it’s not cumbersome and prohibitively expensive he probably won’t like it.

There’s a quality of show-biz world-weariness that informs Bob’s work and conversation. He’s paid his Hollywood dues with near-miss record deals, millions of road miles, and the eye-opening challenges of being one’s own publicist, manager and record company. But he keeps a clear-eyed vision of success: “It’s doing something that appeals to the masses and the musicians.”

And his advice to anyone embarking on the dangerous voyage of independent recording/touring artist? “Don’t be afraid to ask for stuff. You never know when people will say yes.”

- Keyboard Magazine

2009
Bob Malone
Ain't What You Know
Delta Moon Records

THE STORY: Even though he’s been recording for the last decade, Bob Malone is starting to gain a tremendous amount of momentum. In 2006, he scored Artist of the Year and Singer/Songwriter Album of the Year at the Just Plain Folks Music Awards, followed by a Songwriter of the Year trophy at 2007’s South Bay Music Awards, alongside the ASCAP Plus Award.

THE SOUND: Combining bits of blues, folk, jazz and blue-eyed soul, Bob Malone is truly an anomaly in generally disposable pop circles. The piano man’s tunes are sure to conjure up references to Harry Connick Jr. or Dr. John, but there are also gut wrenching touches of Bob Dylan and Tom Waits in the lyrical department.

- Andy Argyrakis
- Hear/Say

Think of Bob Malone as the lone Jerry Lee Lewis in a sea of James Taylors.
The singer-songwriter-pianist, a Jefferson Township native who now lives in Los Angeles, plays venues that are typically headlined by modern folkies -- the kind who strum acoustic guitars as they croon sensitive love songs and earnest protest anthems. But for much of his solo show, Saturday night at the Watchung Arts Center in Watchung, he backed himself with fast, boisterous piano riffs, and seemed more concerned with laughs than poetry.

Sometimes his playing was reminiscent of Lewis' hyperactive boogie-woogie. More frequently, it was in the tradition of New Orleans keyboard masters like Professor Longhair and Dr. John.

"I was born a Yankee, but God was only fooling around/'Cause when I finally found my feet on Rampart Street, I knew I'd found my real hometown," he sang in "Born a Yankee."

Malone, who also performs in New York on Wednesday and in Jersey City on Friday, has released four albums on his own Delta Moon label since 1996. His most recent effort, 2003's "Malone Alone," is a live CD, capturing the irrepressible energy of his concert act.

He's not just a performer, but a showman. He wore a three-piece suit Saturday -- pretty spiffy by folk-circuit standards. His voice was a bit hoarse, but he still belted out each song at maximum volume. As he was playing, he stomped on the floor so hard that pieces of the ceiling in the room below him came loose. He found out about this during the show's intermission, and bragged about it in the second set.

He is not incapable of sensitivity and sincerity. "Meet Me In Manhattan" was a sweet little love song, and "Gold Rush Inn" was the kind of world-weary look at life on the road that all modern folkies write. (He introduced it semi-apologetically). He closed the show with a dazzling cover of Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue"; building a new piano arrangement around the familiar melody and singing in a tender, soulful way, he made this classic song seem new.
Still, most of his material was rowdier, and peppered with sly jokes.
"Just 'Cause I Sing the Blues (Don't Mean I Want To)," for instance, had the trappings of a traditional blues song. But, as the title implied, it came with a twist. "I don't think pain is so romantic ... It ain't like I stood up and volunteered to have all these evil women chasing me," Malone sang.
He introduced another song by saying "As far as I know, this is the only blues song with the word 'ennui' in it."

"Like It Or Not" was about love between two unsympathetic characters ("We can't go on hurting people forever/We'd do all our future exes a favor if we got together"). He gleefully played a rogue in "I Know He's Your Husband (But He Don't Know That I'm Your Man)," and impersonated The Grinch in a cover of Dave MacKenzie's "I Don't Like Little Kids."

"I don't like little kids/Don't like 'em now and I never did/Let 'em go play in the street and have fun/You know I didn't even like 'em when I used to be one," he sang. But his jaunty piano riffs and cartoonishly growling vocals suggested not only that he was kidding, but that he's still something of a big kid himself.

BY JAY LUSTIG
Star-Ledger Staff

Copyright 2005 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.

- Newark Star-Ledger

2009
Bob Malone
Ain’t What You Know
Delta Moon Records

Producer: Bob DeMarco
Top Cuts: “Butterfly,” “Ain’t What You Know,” “Saint Christopher”

Summary: The presence of first-call players like Leland Sklar, Chris Trujillo and Marty Rifkin, plus stellar guitar work from producer DeMarco alongside the artist’s New Orleans drenched piano, raises the bar for this troubadour. It is contrasting elements – the staccato toughness of horn-driven tracks against an open veined lyrical clarity – that ignite a fearsome chemistry. From the protagonist-as-rogue treatise “No One Can Hurt You” to the self-effacing confessional gem “Saint Christopher,” on his seventh CD, Bob Malone is clearly in the big leagues.

- Dan Kimpel
- Music Connection

You’re a Baby Boomer wondering why nobody writes songs like your old ‘70s favorites, those gently rocking melodies and first-person narratives that fueled the soundtrack of your youth.

Bob Malone is the kind of guy that could make you weep.

His music is old-fashioned, and that’s a compliment: He’s got a raspy voice that recalls John Hiatt and a piano-based songwriting style that has echoes of early Billy Joel, Little Feat, Tom Waits and Dr. John.

Mixing traces of pop, R&B, blues and lite New Orleans funk, Malone weds his music to lyrics that don’t insult an intelligent listener. On his 2001 release, Like It Or Not (Delta Moon), the songs are mostly in the moodily romantic vein. One of the best examples, “Meet Me In Manhattan,” manages to push away 9/11 memories and remind us of the Woody Allen vision of New York, a shining, brassy city that can seem vast and extremely intimate at the same time. Not every bar singer can pull that off.

He’s also got a wryly humorous side ala Jimmy Buffett. On “Just ‘Cause I Sing The Blues (Don’t Mean I Want To),” Malone joshes: “I want to sit in the hot tub in my big back yard/Smokin’ an illegal Havana cigar/A glass of scotch and a girl to hold/Both about twenty-one years old.”

Malone has recorded three albums, opened for big names, appeared on National Public Radio and has an essay in an upcoming book, Working Musicians. But it’s easy to see why you’ve probably never heard of him: There’s no place for Malone’s music in today’s fragmented market.

The Top 40’s loss is your gain.

- Palm Beach Post

2009
CONCERT
Bob Malone Ellington Jazz Club Review

It was just like I’d imagined New Orleans honky tonk piano; US blues pianist Bob Malone cakewalked all over the keys with rip-roaring pyrotechnics that were part skill and part showmanship, often eschewing the piano stool and jumping around like a rock star.

Malone was accompanied by his wife Karen Nash on backing vocals and a snappy Sydney rhythm section Mick Malouf (bass) and Andy Burns (drums). The band were tight and hard driving through fast-tempo, New Orleans blues tunes, with Malone belting out scratchy vocals over the top.

With six albums under his belt and a career built from touring the globe, Malone is well seasoned at connecting with a crowd. But it took a few songs for him to hit his stride. It wasn’t until a solo piano number where his voice deepened and a darker tonality emerged from the piano that his performance became really arresting. In such soul-baring numbers as Ingenue and Butterfly, head-tossing antics were put aside for a far more engrossing melancholic sweetness. Billy Joel eat your heart out.

Not that the swinging tunes like Ain’t What You Know and Why Not Me were bad — far from it. Malouf and Burns provided a swinging, rhythmic groove that burned and bounced off the waves of energy Malone projected.

His solos were a feast of blues piano tricks mixed with dense repeated textures and the odd Bach and Beethoven quotation, a reference to his classical background. Most numbers came from the most recent album Ain’t What You Know, some with slightly jazzier chord voicings to suit the venue.

Beneath the banter and the wizardry Bob Malone revealed a raw and splendidly large heart.

– Rosalind Appleby

- The West Australian

Though he came from Jersey and has made L.A. his home for 15 years, the growly voiced, witty singer/songwriter crisply embodies the soul of New Orleans. If he was born too late for anything, it’s engaging in this fun kind of socially conscious, glib Louisiana drenched gumbo long after Randy Newman and Dr. John have done it just as well. Still, while he’s not breaking new ground, Malone is truly a blast to listen to. He’s an exciting piano pounder, a heartfelt vocalist, and an insightful lyricist who deserves a wider audience.

—Jonathan Widran

- Music Connection Magazine