By: Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Tuesday, March 27 PITTSFIELD - Albert Cummings is at a crossroad. Not a career crossroad. After 16 years on the road with the likes of B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughn, Cummings is well on his way to blues stardom as the top newcomer in that musical genre.

No, Cummings' problem is that he's now such a superior guitar talent that it's hard not to just sit, transfixed, as he unleashes a multitude of scorching blues licks whenever his furious fingers touch a guitar.

Such was the case Saturday night at the First United Methodist Church on Fenn Street. An oblivious onlooker that night might have observed that the crowd, which filled about three-fourths of the pews in the old church, was a bit somnambulant, subdued as they seemed to be.

In fact, at one point, the Williamstown-born Cummings had just launched into a blistering solo on Jimmy Smith's "Hootchie-Cootchie Man," timing his licks to the rhythmic clapping of the audience.

But as Cummings began playing harder and harder, the clapping receded. Not because people were losing interest. But because everybody wanted to hear the solo.

"Great," joked Cummings from the stage. "I'm playing with the clappers and you guys stop."

Get used to it, Albert. On Saturday night, Cummings presented a near-seamless 21-song, 140-minute set that showcased songs from his three albums, "True To Yourself" (2003), "From the Heart" (2004) and his latest effort, "Working Man" (2006), drawing a standing ovation at its completion.

In addition, as always, Cummings worked in a few blues nuggets such as the aforementioned "Hootchie Cootchie Man," "Lights On But Nobody's Home" by Albert Collins and "Who's Loving You Tonight?" by Jimmie Rodgers. The title track of "Working Man's Blues" is also a cover by Merle Haggard.

The Cummings formula is standard, but explosive, if that makes any sense. A vast majority of his songs are two verses, an instrumental bridge, and the final verse. But that bridge is inevitably a cornucopia of finger-picked lead notes that nearly flicker the length of the musical scale.

His version of "Light's On, But Nobody's Home" early in the show was a proper example. Cummings took the song from a bouncy blues rave that Collins surely intended to a sort of funky party tune that had heads bobbing and feet tapping. Later on, during "I'm Free," his soloing was so furious that he snapped a guitar string.

Proper recognition should also be extended to Cummings' band: Aaron Scapin on drums and Dan Broad on bass. Both men realize who's paying the rent, here, and for the most part, Cummings gets all the room he needs to stretch out.

The exception on Saturday night was "Separately," from "True To Yourself." Cummings allowed both Broad and Scapin individual solo stints and both came through with some audience-pleasing riffs.

Cummings also possesses a strong voice that can call out or croon when the situation demands. In fact, it might be argued that his vocal turns on his slower, dreamier songs, such as "Sleep" and "Last Dance" showcase his voice better than the uptempo numbers.
Still, it must be conceded, the folks who say they come to hear Albert Cummings sing are probably the same genre of people who declare they buy Penthouse magazine only for the articles.

Other highlights included a three-song acoustic set that featured an unreleased song, "Where You Belong," as well as "Who's Loving You Tonight" and "Sleep." Cummings wrapped things up with an extended version of "The Blues Make Me Feel So Good" and an encore of "Follow Your Soul," which has become the unofficial Albert Cummings anthem.

But maybe the best thing about Cummings is that, after the show, instead of huddling backstage with an entourage, he stayed on the side of the stage for almost an hour, chatting and laughing with his fans. That's the kind of star we grow here in the Berkshires.

(c) 2007 The Berkshire Eagle. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.

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