Janiva Magness: “Love Wins Again” (2016) CD Review

Janiva Magness is a singer and songwriter working primarily in the blues realm. And reading up her, that comes as no surprise. Her teen years alone would give her enough fuel for several blues albums. But of course it’s the healing power of the blues that draws us all to that music. Who couldn’t use a little healing now and again? And on her new album, Love Wins Again, she creates such a positive atmosphere with many of these tracks. I found myself smiling a lot while listening to this CD. This album, however, is anything but straight blues. There are soul, folk, country and rock influences here, as Janiva feels free enough to let the music take her in the direction it desires or needs to go. Most of the songs on this CD are originals, with producer Dave Darling writing or co-writing the majority. And there are some beautiful songs on this album.

The CD opens with the title track, “Love Wins Again,” a bright, positive-sounding tune written by Janiva Magness, Dave Darling and Carl Sealove. It has a great R&B vibe (and I mean real R&B, not what tries to pass for R&B these days), and gives us a promise of things improving. And listening to Janiva belt it out, I don’t doubt it. “This is where we begin/Now this is so much more than romance.” It’s followed by “Real Slow,” a song about taking one’s time and allowing one’s self to get lost in a moment. It was written by Dave Darling and Colin Devlin, and it has a cool groove. Janiva sings, “All those other people/Yeah, they’re acting insane/You know how much I want you/Got me feeling deranged/I want you so bad/I’ll do anything that you want,” and then she adds, “What you want?” (a nice touch).

“When You Hold Me” is a blues love song, which might sound like a contradiction of sorts. This song, another penned by Darling and Devlin, is one of the tracks that get me smiling each time I listen. It is kind of beautiful and sweet, yet also has a power in taking what’s intimate and celebrating it. “Nobody knows the places we go/When you hold me, when you hold me/Darlin’ when you hold me/Everything’s all right.” This is one of my personal favorites. Another favorite is “Doorway,” which boasts a beautiful and emotionally charged vocal delivery, and an interesting perspective. Check out these lines: “And I’ll stand in your doorway/’Til all your pain is gone/I swear that I forgive you/It’s been so long/It’s been too long.” I love this song. Another one I love is “Just Another Lesson,” which is more in the folk realm, driven by guitar and vocals. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “And I know I should know by now/Sometimes that thing that you fight for/Is gone when you turn around/You might say that it’s all meant to be/But it’s just another lesson to me.”

Probably the most fun track on this release is “Your House Is Burnin’.” You might not expect a song with that title to be so much fun, but really this is like one of those great Stax tracks, complete with horns right at the beginning, also reminding me of James Brown. “Get up, your house is burnin’ down/Somebody needs to fix some things round here/Before we burn down to the ground/Oh, get up, there ain’t no time to waste.” It also features some wonderful work on electric guitar. “Your House Is Burnin’” was written by Janiva Magness and Dave Darling.

The only cover on this CD is “Long As I Can See The Light,” one of my favorite Creedence Clearwater Revival songs (probably second only to “Someday Never Comes”). Janiva Magness does a pretty good job with it, and I like the work on keys. The CD then concludes with another highlight, “Who Will Come For Me,” a gorgeous and moving song with a powerful chorus. “Who will come for me? Who will come for me?/When all my youth is spent, I can’t see where it went/Who will come for me?/Who will come for me? Who will come for me?/When all my years are spent, the dance comes to an end/Who will come for me?”

CD Track List

1. Love Wins Again
2. Real Slow
3. When You Hold Me
4. Say You Will
5. Doorway
6. Moth To A Flame
7. Your House Is Burnin’
8. Just Another Lesson
9. Rain Down
10. Long As I Can See The Light
11. Who Will Come For Me 

Love Wins Again is scheduled to be released on April 8, 2016 on Blue Élan Records.

Lafayette Harris Jr.: “Hangin’ With The Big Boys” (2016) CD Review

Lafayette Harris Jr. is a talented jazz pianist, and this spring will see the release of a new CD, Hangin’ With The Big Boys. Like his previous release, Bend To The Light, this new CD features a lot of original material, some of it having been previously released in different versions. And also like that previous release, Jazzmeia Horn joins him on vocals.  And unlike that previous release, this CD features Antoine Drye on trumpet, Caleb Curtis on saxophone, and Houston Person on saxophone. Bend To The Light was a trio recording, with Lonnie Plaxico on bass and Willie Jones III on drums (and with a couple of special guests). Taking over on bass on this new CD is George DeLancey, and on drums is Will Terrill.

Lafayette Harris Jr. opens this CD with a lively, joyful rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” where he is joined on vocals by both Jazzmeia Horn and Noël Simoné Wippler. There is a lot of playful energy in the vocals, and there are good lead sections by both Houston Person on tenor saxophone and Lafayette Harris Jr. on piano. That’s followed by a beautiful and cool, smooth version of Duke Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood,” with Houston Person really creating the perfect mood with his tenor sax. I just want to drift away on that sax. Lafayatte Harris Jr. then delivers an absolutely wonderful moody lead on piano. I love this rendition, and it’s one of this CD’s highlights. (By the way, Houston Person used this tune as the title track to one of his own releases.)

We then get into the original material, beginning with the CD’s title track, “Hangin’ With The Big Boys,” a great tune that asserts itself immediately. Lafayette mentions in the CD’s liner notes that this is actually an older composition, written in the 1990s. I am particularly fond of Will Terrill’s drumming on this track. At times he creates this kind of wild, yet controlled intensity, and really drives the tune along. And both Antoine Drye and Caleb Curtis provide some wonderful stuff here.

“We In The House” is a tune that Lafayette Harris Jr. has recorded before. In fact, it was included on last year’s release, Bend To The Light, as well as on an earlier album. Clearly it’s a favorite of his. That works for me, as it’s a composition that I love too (though that hook still reminds me of The Association’s “Never My Love”). The version here is quite good, a few minutes shorter than the version on last year’s CD. This version begins with drums, as did the previous version, but quickly this new rendition sets itself apart, especially because of the presence of Antoine Drye and Caleb Curtis. (Harris’ first version was a solo recording and last year’s was by the trio.) There is some great play between the horns and piano, which I love.

Zombies sure are popular these days, even popping up in the titles of jazz tunes. “The Zombie Blues” is another original composition, and an interesting one. It begins with just piano and creates a certain, somewhat dark mood. Then the bass and drums come in, adding a somewhat chaotic element. I love what George DeLancey does on bass. (Incidentally, I just enjoyed his playing on the new CD from Svetlana And The Delancey Five, Night At The Speakeasy.) Then, nearly a minute in, the horns come in, and the song develops more of a swing, and then just builds from there, before returning to its opening at the end. This is another highlight.

“Little Kevin’s Embrace” is another original composition, and one that Harris has recorded before. It’s a cool tune, and this version features vocals by Noël Simoné Wippler (but no lyrics). It’s followed by another original composition featuring a vocalist – this time with lyrics – “Drinking Wine Blues.” The first time I popped this CD in, I had already been drinking wine for a couple of hours, and this tune hit the right spot. Jazzmeia Horn has a great loose vibe in her vocal approach. “I’m drinking my wine/I’m feeling real fine/I’m drinking my wine and feeling real fine/And doing this all of the time.” And there is some wonderful work on saxophone by both Houston Person and Caleb Curtis, as well as on trumpet by Antoine Drye. This is one of my favorite tracks. Then “The Wheelhouse” is one written by saxophone player Caleb Curtis, and it has a breezy, light feel. And check out Harris’ work on piano toward the end.

Then for the last two tracks, Lafayette Harris Jr. returns to covering some extremely well-known and beloved material. He does a delicate, sweet, pretty, wonderful rendition of “The Very Thought Of You,” led by Houston Person’s moving work on saxophone. This song always makes me think of that beautiful montage at the end of Home For The Holidays (one of my favorite movies), where it is done by Nat King Cole. And of course it makes me think of my beautiful girlfriend. When I first heard this version by Lafayette Harris Jr., I had to call her. This is such a good rendition, and is another of my favorite tracks on this CD. The CD concludes with “They All Laughed.” I’ve said it often, but it remains true: You can’t go wrong with Gershwin.

CD Track List

1. Blue Skies
2. In A Sentimental Mood
3. Hangin’ With The Big Boys
4. We In The House
5. Don’t Worry About It
6. The Zombie Blues
7. Little Kevin’s Embrace
8. Drinking Wine Blues
9. The Wheelhouse
10. The Very Thought Of You
11. They All Laughed 

Hanging With The Big Boys is scheduled to be released on May 6, 2016 on Airmen Records.

Svetlana And The Delancey Five: “Night At The Speakeasy” (2016) CD Review

Svetlana And The Delancey Five are an excellent jazz band based in New York City, playing regularly at a venue called The Back Room. That venue is located just off of Delancey Street, thus the band’s name. The band’s new CD, Night At The Speakeasy, also gets its name from this venue, as The Back Room has been operating since the days of Prohibition. And the music here has that sense of fun and excitement, and also that sense of community and camaraderie that I imagine the speakeasies generated among their clientele (yes, I realize I have a romantic vision of speakeasies). There are some standards, as you’d expect, but also some original material, which are among my favorite tracks. The musicians are all talented, but of course it is Svetlana Shmulyian’s voice at the center of it all, and what a voice it is. A voice that is strong, playful, friendly and also sexy – it’s a voice you want to wrap yourself up in for a night on the town.

Night At The Speakeasy opens with one of Svetlana’s original compositions, “All I Want,” which is delightful right from the start, with the horn working almost as a comedic companion to her, responding to her lines, adding its own observations, thoughts. “All I want is always and forever/But for now I’ll take your tender kiss.” There is then a wonderful instrumental section, with the bass and drums holding things together, keeping a great groove, as each of the other instruments gets a chance to be the voice. There is such joy in this music. This is one of my personal favorites on this album.

“All I Want” is followed by Duke Ellington’s “Just A-Sittin’ And A-Rockin’” (which Ellington wrote with Billy Strayhorn and Lee Gaines), an inherently fun tune. I love how Svetlana begins it with her voice accompanied by George Delancey on bass. There is also some nice work by Dalton Ridenhour on piano during the instrumental section. (By the way, on this CD this song is listed as “Just A Sittin And A Rockin.”) Svetlana also covers Ellington’s “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me,” for which Bob Russell wrote the lyrics. This is such a wonderful song, and this is a cool, playful rendition, with great stuff on piano. And when Svetlana sings “True, I’ve been seen with someone new/But does that mean that I’m untrue,” she makes that sound right and logical. “Some kiss may cloud my memory/And others’ arms may hold a thrill/But please do nothing till you hear from me/And, baby, you never will.” By removing the word “it” from the line “But please do nothing till you hear it from me,” she changes the meaning quite a bit. Sounds like he’ll be waiting forever for her to call him.

“You Won’t Be Satisfied” is done as a duet with Wycliffe Gordon, who gives off a strong Louis Armstrong vibe. He also plays trombone on this track. Each singer gets a chance to sing lead, first Svetlana. There’s a pause before Wycliffe then gets to reply with his side of things, and the music picks up in pace a bit for him, as if he’s the more fun of the two. And then to prove he’s the more playful, he tosses in some delightful scat. And then it has a strong finish with the two together. “You Won’t Be Satisfied” was written by Freddy James and Larry Stock, and this version has an additional verse written by Svetlana Shmulyian. Wycliffe Gordon also joins Svetlana on a sweet rendition of “Under A Blanket Of Blue.”

“It’s All Good (Big Noise)” is another of the original compositions by Svetlana, where she is accompanied at the beginning by Vinny Raniolo on guitar before the rest of the band joins in. (Vinny Raniolo has been showing up on some of my favorite recordings lately; last year he played on Myriam Phiro’s fantastic Voyages.) Toward the end of this track, Svetlana does some scat of her own. Svetlana Shmulyian also co-wrote “Temptations” with Brandi Disterheft. This is a bright-sounding song that has the feel of a standard (who knows, maybe someday it will be), providing lots of places for the musicians to go during the instrumental section.

“God Only Knows” is my favorite Beach Boys song. I’ve always loved how it seems equal parts positive and depressing, contemplating the death of a loved one and knowing somehow you’ll move forward. It’s such a beautiful song. Svetlana And The Delancey Five give it a bit of a swing. I love the trumpet. This band also does a wild rendition of “Because,” a rather unusual choice of Beatles songs to cover. I completely love what this band does with it, giving it an old, fun jazz feel. And Svetlana really goes for it, belting out some of the lines. It is really an extraordinary rendition, with Adrian Cunningham and Charlie Caranicas giving it even more character.

I’ve said it many times before, but you can never go wrong with Gershwin. On this CD, Svetlana covers “Oh, Lady Be Good” (here simply titled “Lady Be Good”), and does an excellent job with it. The whole band is clearly having a great time here, and this song moves along just right. I love Svetlana’s delivery, and at one point she is accompanied by just Rob Garcia on drums, an interesting and cool choice. Garcia’s playing is impressive, and he has a solo here (two, actually). This is one of my favorite tracks. Speaking of Rob Garcia, he contributes an original composition, “Dance Inbetween The Moments” (and yes, that’s how it’s written). This song encourages us all to go dancing down on Delancey Street, and could very well have you dancing wherever you are.

CD Track List

1. All I Want
2. Just A Sittin And A Rockin
3. You Won’t Be Satisfied
4. It’s All Good (Big Noise)
5. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
6. Under A Blanket Of Blue
7. Temptations
8. God Only Knows
9. Lady Be Good
10. Because
11. Dance Inbetween The Moments
12. You Are Like A Song
13. Sometimes I’m Happy (Sometimes I’m Blue)
14. Tea For Two

Night At The Speakeasy was released on January 15, 2016 on OA2 Records.

And I just have to include this photo of Svetlana in a fur from her website (adorable, right?):

 

Julian Shore: “Which Way Now?” (2016) CD Review

Pianist and composer Julian Shore’s new CD, Which Way Now?, features mostly original material exploring several realms and emotional landscapes. Joining him on this release are Gilad Hekselman on guitar, Dayna Stephens on tenor saxophone, Aidan Carroll on bass and Colin Stranahan on drums. He also has several special guests on certain tracks. One thing I love about this music is that these are ensemble pieces. It never feels like a musician is waiting for a turn to solo; everyone works toward the same end, supporting the main vision, while contributing some wonderful playing. That’s not to say there aren’t leads, but that the leads and solos feel integral to the pieces.

The CD opens with “Our Story Begins On A Mountain,” which has a soft, pretty and at times uplifting feel, with string arrangement by Edward Perez. I love music like this that’s able to transport us from our current space and time. That one is followed by the CD’s title track, “Which Way Now?” This is one of my personal favorites. As it begins, it creates for me the feeling of drifting into memory, the piano rising up and catching us. And then as the bass and drums come in, it’s like the memory has become the present, has taken over, and it becomes a wonderful place to be. We become invested in the world of this composition. It’s interesting that this track feels both relaxed and exciting at the same time. There is some wonderful work on bass by Aidan Carroll, and on guitar by Gilad Hekselman. Godwin Louis plays alto saxophone on this track (Louis had played on Shore’s earlier release, Filaments). “Which Way Now?” was written by Julian Shore and Jean Caze. Godwin Louis also plays alto saxophone on “Moss, Mansion, Sandstorm.”

“Back Home” has kind of a sweet groove, driven by the saxophone for the first half. And then Julian Shore takes over the lead on piano. Michael Thomas plays clarinet and alto flute on this track. There is something light and happy about this tune, helped in great part by Colin Stranahan’s drumming.

“Alpine” is the only track on this album to feature vocalists. Michael Mayo and Alexa Barchini both provide vocals, accompanied only by Julian Shore on piano. This track has an interesting, kind of unusual tone, with the two voices sometimes blending together, sometimes one supporting the other, as in conversation. “When all the world was two/Just me and you.” And the only cover on this CD is a good rendition of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma,” which begins as a piano solo by Julian Shore. Shore is then joined on this track by Jorge Roeder on bass and Samuel Torres on percussion.

My absolute favorite track on this CD is “Pine Needles,” a sweet, fun, beautiful tune that features Kurt Ozan on guitar, dobro and pedal steel, as well as Noah Preminger on tenor saxophone and clarinet. It’s such a delightful mix of jazz with country elements. It has me swaying and smiling each time I listen to it. I just love the world of this composition. The album then concludes with “Lullaby,” which is based on part of French composer Gabriel Fauré’s “Clair De Lune.” This track has something of a magical feel.

CD Track List

1. Our Story Begins On A Mountain
2. Which Way Now?
3. Back Home
4. Moss, Mansion, Sandstorm
5. Alpine
6. Across The Ice
7. Con Alma
8. All Heart
9. Pine Needles
10. Lullaby (From Clair De Lune)

Which Way Now? was released on February 12, 2016 on Tone Rogue Records.

Town Mountain: “Southern Crescent” (2016) CD Review

I got turned on to Town Mountain recently when the band released The Dead Session, an EP containing two songs associated with the Grateful Dead. Being a big Grateful Dead fan, I’m always excited to hear how new artists will interpret that band’s music, and I loved what Town Mountain did with “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” making it a sweet country tune. But I hadn’t heard any of Town Mountain’s original material, so I didn’t really know what the band was about. Now with the release of Southern Crescent, I have a pretty good idea, and I am definitely on board. This band does some great bluegrass music, with influences from other realms, like country and rock. When I was still in my teens I briefly dated a girl whose parents were in a bluegrass band. The music was so fun, so pure, so natural, so honest, so true, and I saw how it united people in a way that a lot of music seemed unable to. That group gave me a lasting appreciation for this music, and so I am excited to hear new bluegrass bands. Not that Town Mountain is all that new. Southern Crescent is actually the group’s fifth CD. It features original material, with four band members contributing songs. These songs have both a fresh and traditional sound. Nick DiSebastian plays bass on this album, and Dirk Powell plays drums on several tracks.

The CD opens with one of those delicious fast-paced bluegrass instrumentals. Titled “St. Augustine,” it was written by the group’s fiddle player, Bobby Britt, and yes, it features some wonderful work on fiddle. That’s followed by “Ain’t Gonna Worry Me,” a song turning what was once heartache and loneliness to happiness. Ah, bluegrass can do that so well. “So many miles between us now/I’m gonna do just what I please.” “Ain’t Gonna Worry Me” was written by mandolin player Phil Barker. From there, we go a song about desiring to close the distance between a traveling musician and his gal. “Comin’ Back To You” has a bright, peppy feel, and was written by guitarist Robert Greer and Mark Bumgarner. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Two shows in Alabama/Down to Louisiana/Saturday is Baton Rouge/Then I’ll be flying through that Buncombe County line/Comin’ back home to you.” (Town Mountain is based in Asheville, North Carolina.) This track features some rock and roll piano by guest musician Wilson Savoy (giving us a Jerry Lee Lewis energy). Joel Savoy plays fiddle on this track.

One of my favorite songs is “House With No Windows,” written by banjo player Jesse Langlais. It’s a beautiful, slower song, and yes, the simple but effective banjo reminds me of Kermit the Frog (that’s a good thing). I also love the vocals, the lyrics delivered with great, emotional country ache. “This dollar in my pocket is worth two on the table/And if you’ve got the notion, I’m willing and able/This dollar in my pocket is gonna burn away the blues/Gonna burn the fire between us long as you let it do.” This is such a beautiful song. Another of my favorites is actually another tune written by Jesse Langlais, “Long Time Comin’.” Right from the beginning, the fiddle makes me smile, and then the blending of vocals on the chorus is wonderful. And I like these lines: “If you see her, tell her I love her/There’s no one gonna rise above her/If there’s fire in her eyes and desires on her mind/Tell her that I want her to come home.”

The music takes on a more Irish feel for the sweet instrumental, “Leroy’s Reel.” I wonder if that’s why I so instantly took to bluegrass music. Perhaps I was predisposed to it because of the similarities to Irish folk music. Anyway, I love this track, which was written by Bobby Britt. Nick DiSebastian plays guitar on this one. I am also really fond of “Tick On A Dog,” written by Robert Greer. This song has energy and attitude. “You’re like a tick on a dog/Just bleeding me dry.” And there is some great playing here. But actually that’s true of every track. There isn’t a weak tune here.

CD Track List

1. St. Augustine
2. Ain’t Gonna Worry Me
3. Comin’ Back To You
4. Southern Crescent
5. House With No Windows
6. Wildbird
7. Long Time Comin’
8. I Miss The Night
9. Leroy’s Reel
10. Tick On A Dog
11. Arkansas Gambler
12. Whiskey With Tears

Southern Crescent is scheduled to be released on April 1, 2016 on LoHi Records.

Willie Nile: “World War Willie” (2016) CD Review

I’m always excited when a new Willie Nile CD arrives, because I know there will be some excellent songwriting, some delicious vocals and some surprises. If I Was A River, his 2014 release, had a more stripped down sound, focusing on his vocals even more than usual. His new album, World War Willie, is full of energetic rock and roll tunes, songs that demand some volume, some of them with plenty to say. Like, for example, “Let’s All Come Together,” in which he sings, “Now some may want to fight and some will go to war/But after all these centuries who even knows what for.” But don’t worry – Willie Nile doesn’t take himself all too seriously. Listen to “Grandpa Rocks.” The line “His hair what’s left grows down to his socks” made me burst out laughing the first time I listened to this disc. There is a whole lot of energy here, and a lot of fun. This CD is made of mostly original material, and some interesting characters populate these tunes. And it’s all delivered with that distinctive voice.

This disc kicks off with “Forever Wild,” which begins like a great classic rock burst, and tells a good rock and roll story of youth and holding onto it. “Now people may come and people may go/And things can fall apart/But this I swear and this I know/You’re still here in my heart…forever.” And hey, on the line “Sixteen and crazy,” he sounds like Meatloaf, right? “Forever Wild” was written by Willie Nile and Frankie Lee. That’s followed by another lively tune, “Let’s All Come Together,” about improving the state of the world together.

Willie Nile then displays a bit of good-natured humor, directed even at himself (as he’s a grandfather), in “Grandpa Rocks.” I think it was Grace Slick who said no one over the age of fifty should rock. Willie Nile is certainly taking up an opposing viewpoint here, and for my money, Willie wins the argument, no question. “Grandpa rocks, Grandpa rocks/He ain’t quite ready for the pine top box.” This song mentions the Rolling Stones, and at the very end there is a humorous reference to their song “Get Off Of My Cloud.” The album’s title track, “World War Willie,” also shows his sense of humor. It begins with a pointedly juvenile rhyme, “I got a girl and she comes from France/She looks so good in her underpants.” But then it builds from that, with funny lines like “I got a girl and she comes from Mars/She lives on cake and candy bars” and “I got a girl and her name is Jean/She puts my dog in her washing machine.” And I love these lines: “Well, I know a woman on the east coast/She fries my eggs and she burns my toast/She’s the one I like the best/That’s why I have to move out west.” This is fun rock and roll.

With “Bad Boy,” Willie Nile gets rough and bluesy. “I’m a bad boy, I ain’t no good/They’re gonna love me out in Hollywood.” It’s a good song, though it uses that “self”/“shelf” rhyme, which always bothers me. It’s followed by “Hell Yeah,” a really good rock and roll tune to get your body moving, and one that will likely have you shouting along as well. Then suddenly we get this kind of beautiful and sweet love song, “Beautiful You.” But it certainly is no standard love song, for it has Willie Nile’s particular style and spin, with some unusual, unexpected lines. Check out these lyrics: “Who laughs inside the raindrops and says just let it pour/Who navigates my crazy and parks it by the door/Beautiful you, beautiful you.” Play this song for that special person in your life. It’s one of my favorite tracks.

It’s followed by another of my favorites, a fun song titled “When Levon Sings,” which was written by Willie Nile and Jefferson Grizzard. It’s about Levon Helm, who died in 2012. “Once upon a time was a drummer in a band” is a funny line, as the name of the band in question of course is The Band. Helm sang lead on most of my favorite Band songs. This CD concludes with its sole cover, “Sweet Jane.” This version is closer to Lou Reed’s solo version than to the original Velvet Underground version, but Willie Nile also adds his own spin to it, particularly that section with the groovy bass line during the lines “Some people like to go out dancing/You and me, we gotta work.” This is a really good, energetic rendition.

CD Track List

1. Forever Wild
2. Let’s All Come Together
3. Grandpa Rocks
4. Runaway Girl
5. World War Willie
6. Bad Boy
7. Hell Yeah
8. Beautiful You
9. When Levon Sings
10. Trouble Down In Diamond Town
11. Citibank Nile
12. Sweet Jane

World War Willie is scheduled to be released on April 1, 2016 on River House Records.

Popa Chubby: “Big, Bad And Beautiful Live” (2016) CD Review

Popa Chubby (Ted Horowitz) has been playing blues rock for more than two decades. In October of 2014 he released I’m Feelin’ Lucky, and then did an extensive tour supporting that CD. Three shows he performed in France in March of 2015 were recorded, and those recordings resulted in his new two-disc live album, Big, Bad And Beautiful. The band is Popa Chubby on vocals and guitar, Dave Keyes on keyboards and vocals, Francesco Beccaro on bass and Andrea Beccaro on drums. Popa Chubby tells us in the CD’s liner notes that these tracks contain no overdubs and nothing added in post. Most of these songs are originals, but there are a few cool covers as well, including a couple of Rolling Stones songs. (I do wish his version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” were included here; he was doing that one at a lot of shows at that time, though I don't know for sure that he did it at these shows in France.) There is a lot of music here (more than two and a half hours), and plenty of good blues jams.

The first disc opens with “Working Class Blues,” a tune included on The Hungry Years. The band is off to a good start with a song that most of us can relate to (or at least have related to at some point), with lines like “Twenty dollars in my pocket ‘til the next pay day” and “I got no bank account, got no pension plan.” This song features some nice work on keys as well as guitar during the jam. Popa Chubby follows that with another tune that was included on The Hungry Years (and also on Booty And The Beast), “Stoop Down Baby.” This is a fun song, with a catchy guitar hook and a great jam, making it one of my favorite tracks. And it’s followed by another favorite, “One Leg At A Time,” which Popa introduces as “Put Your Pants On One Leg At A Time.” This one is from I’m Feelin’ Lucky. It has a great rhythm to get folks dancing, and some wonderful work on keys. Tracks like this one make me think Popa Chubby must put on a fantastic live show.

There is some good songwriting on this release, though of course we also get that tired old blues comparison of rain and tears in “Same Old Blues”: “Morning rain keeps on falling/Like the tears falling from my eyes.” Then again, the title is “Same Old Blues,” so perhaps using that familiar simile is part of the point. In “I Don’t Want Nobody,” Popa Chubby gives a little nod to “Next Time You See Me”: “Next time you see me, little baby, things won’t be the same.” That track also features a great jam with some really nice, energetic stuff on guitar.

“Life Is A Beatdown” is one of the first disc’s highlights, and it features some lyrics delivered as a kind of rap: “Running like a locomotive out of steam/Got a piece of the American dream/Then I got a guitar, fell into my hand/Playing for myself, I’m not a company man.” This song is from Peace, Love And Respect, and it contains more wonderful work on keys. It also contains a reference to Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy.” “Sweat” is another good track, with a very cool vibe. Check out these lines: “It made you sweat/Lost all means of self-control/Sweat/Like a twenty-dollar whore” and “She said, lay back and enjoy it/It’s gonna hurt/A blow job’s better than no job/A girl’s just gotta work.” This track contains a little James Bond tease. The first disc ends with “Chubbfatha Medley,” which includes an instrumental rendition of “Speak Softly, Love” (the love theme from The Godfather) and “Miserlou” (a song now associated with the film Pulp Fiction).

The second disc opens with a nice long version of “Rock On Bluesman,” a song from I’m Feelin’ Lucky, followed by the fun “Take Me Back To Amsterdam.” The second disc also features a section of Rolling Stones songs. Actually, the first, “Love In Vain,” was originally done by Robert Johnson and then covered by the Stones on their fantastic Let It Bleed record. Popa Chubby does a really good job with it, letting loose on the guitar. The other two are both from Sticky Fingers, another of the Stones’ best albums: “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses.” (Both of those were also on Made In The Shade, one of the first Rolling Stones cassettes I ever bought.) Popa Chubby’s version of “Brown Sugar” is fairly straightforward, but “Wild Horses” has a raw power and beauty.

“Caffeine And Nicotine” is a whole lot of fun. It’s a short track, but still somehow manages to pack in a great little jam. “Finger Bangin’ Boogie” is another fun track, with lots of great stuff on both keys and guitar. With a title like that, it would have shocked me if it weren’t fun. The second CD concludes with a ten-minute instrumental rendition of  “Over The Rainbow.”

CD Track List

Disc One

1. Working Class Blues
2. Stoop Down Baby
3. One Leg At A Time
4. 69 Dollars
5. Same Old Blues
6. Angel On My Shoulder
7. I Don’t Want Nobody
8. Life Is A Beatdown
9. Palace Of The King
10. Sweat
11. Signed With Heartache
12. Rock Me Baby
13. Blues Bearin’ Down
14. Chubbfatha Medley

Disc Two

1. Rock On Bluesman
2. Take Me Back To Amsterdam
3. I Was Lookin’ Back
4. Love In Vain
5. Brown Sugar
6. Wild Horses
7. Another Ten Years Gone
8. Caffeine And Nicotine
9. Daddy Played The Guitar
10. Finger Bangin’ Boogie
11. The People’s Blues
12. Noise Making Love Machine
13. Over The Rainbow 

Big, Bad And Beautiful Live was released on January 22, 2016 on Cleopatra Blues Records.