MEMPHIS, TN - Like so many Memphians, the members of Black Cream first encountered music in the church. Indeed, where would R&B, soul, and pop music be without that venerable Bluff City institution, whose players have famously gone on to the big leagues, from Stevie Wonder’s drummer Stanley Randolph to one of Prince’s last bassists, MonoNeon? Like those stellar musicians, the three friends in Black Cream grew up surrounded by the culture of excellence in Black churches, then matured and applied that experience to more worldly music that’s completely their own: deeply grooving, deeply soulful, yet with a power trio’s lean, mean, rocking edge.
Black Cream defies the usual labels of the music industry (another hallmark of groups from Memphis, where “everything is everything”). But there’s no denying they’re a “power trio” in the classic sense: this combo of bass, drums and guitar packs a wallop.
Walk in on their set at the right moment and you might think you’ve found the next Jimi Hendrix Experience — until the vocals kick in. The rich, soulful singing, sometimes blossoming into three-part harmonies, sounds like vintage Cream one minute, latter-day Isley Brothers the next. Then you’d realize this band has crafted originals every bit as good as the classics, even making cover versions uniquely their own. That’s when you’ve found the real Black Cream.
Those soulful vocals are no accident. Chris Barnes, the group’s drummer and principal singer, is one half of The Sensational Barnes Brothers, an old-school gospel project he pursues with his sibling Courtney. But that’s just one iteration of a very musical family. Duke and Deborah Barnes, Chris’ parents, were a sought-after Gospel duo around Memphis in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Their four children eventually formed their own performing group, Joy, and now they’ve become the go-to background vocalists on many local recording sessions — especially Chris, who also sings with the Bar-Kays.
Meanwhile, bassist and singer Derek Brassel says, “My family’s musical roots don't run as deep as the Barnes’, but my father is a great vocalist who sang with O'Landa Draper and other gospel groups. A lot of Memphis musicians start on drums, and I got my first drum set when I was three or four. In seventh grade, I bought my first guitar. And I grew up watching Thomas Brown, the guitar player at Mississippi Boulevard church. He's legendary.” Now a seasoned session musician, Derek was based in Los Angeles for years, touring as a bassist and guitarist with Everlast and other national acts. Back in Memphis, he’s in high demand and tours the world as a member of the B.B. King All Stars.
Guitarist and vocalist Thomas O. Crivens Jr., better known as T.O., comes to the band with his own bona fides. Also an in-demand session player, his latest work was adding guitar to a track on Anthony Hamilton’s Love is the New Black. As the executive director and producer of Beale Street Caravan, he certainly knows his music, but it’s more the way he throws himself into the guitar that’s distinctive. The group’s debut release, “All I Need is You,” revels in his crunchy electric tone from the opening notes, and his edgy riffing and soloing elevate the song beyond its more pop charms.
The follow-up single, “Gotta Make It,” evokes Funkadelic’s blend of guitar choogle, chiming chords and deep harmony singing, especially as it builds up to Crivens’ explosive solo and the wailing finale.
You’d never guess that T.O. was also first exposed to music on Sundays. “My dad was a pastor and my mom was a teacher, but she also played organ for dad in church.” But he really didn’t catch the music bug until later. “I started in college with a friend’s guitar and a Carlos Santana songbook. I wanted to play drums all my life but the guitar represented something musical that I could afford and do myself. Then my dad burned me some Wes Montgomery CDs. One of the first melodies I learned was Wes’ version of ‘Eleanor Rigby.’”
He’s pursued that eclectic approach ever since, and now can navigate anything from Hendrix to Beatles, from jazz to rock to R&B, with aplomb. Indeed, it’s the breadth of these players’ shared interests that sets Black Cream apart from most power trios. And it helps that they have the talent to execute all those musical detours, where songs turn corners into brilliant new landscapes. But to hear them describe it, they’re not using a road map.
As Barnes notes, “Organic: that's our guiding word. How we came together was organic. We didn't say, ‘Hey, let's try this one thing!’ It just happened.”
Brassel adds, “And our covers come together as organically as the originals do. This sets us apart as well. People always say our sound is a very full sound for it to be just the three of us.” Indeed, layering three meshed voices over the kind of high-octane, full-throttle guitar rock this band is capable of is akin to adding cream frosting to a heavy, rich Black Forest cake. Maybe that’s what Chris Barnes has in mind when he notes the band’s two guiding principles: “Keep it creamy,” he smiles. “And stay true to who we really are.”
~Written by Alex Greene
