Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Righteous Souls , from Albert Castiglia and it's chocked full of great music and heavy talent. Opening with Centerline , a rocker with a cool backbeat, Albert Castiglia is upfront on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys, D'man Martin on drums, Kid Andersen on guitars, Lisa Andersen on backing vocals, and features a great twin guitar duel with Popa Chubby. Great opener. Kevin Burt has the mic on R&B track, Mama, I Love You featuring a strong bass line by Jemmott, tight rhythm by D'Mar and really nice guitar work by Castiglia. Rick Estrin is upfront with Castiglia on Jr Wells' Come On In This House . Estrin's contribution is terrific and Castiglia milks all of the juice from his guitar, complimented by Pugh on piano making this one of my favorites on the release. Buddy Guy's funky, The Dollar Done Fell , features Josh Smith and Castiglia working the guitars and...

 I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Live at G. Bluey's Juke Joint NYC , from Popa Chubby and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Neil Young's driving Motorcycle Mama, Chubby on lead vocal and guitar lays down a real cool rhythm reinforced by Michael Merritt on bass, Mike Dimeo on keys and Stefano Giudici on drums. With it's rock N' roll feel and rhythmatic approach on lead. this is a solid opener. On Hey Joe (you all know the track), PC keeps the original arrangement but of course puts his own signature on the guitar work. Using Hendrix like phrase reinforcement and with a tight rhythm by Giudici on drums, this is a strong concert track. After building to a frenzy, the track quiets under the improvised melody by Dimeo on keys, and closing under the firepower of PC. With a Latin feel and surf phrasing, 69 Dollars this track really got the  crowd moving. Another original, Grown Man Crying Blues is a lumbering track with a drone bass line...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rhythm Blues & Boogie by Dave Keyes and it's name says it all. Opening with Memphis flavored R&B on Shake Shake Shake on piano and lead vocal backed by Bernard Purdie on drums, Jeff Anderson on bass, and the power of Chris Eminizer on sax and Tim Quimette on trumpet. Solid opener. Another big swinger, Blues and Boogie has a little New Orleans spice and Keyes piano work shines again with power horns by Eminizer and Quimette and a real nice guitar solo by Early Times. Takin it to the street New Orleans style, Ain't Doing That No More has a great drum beat by Purdie and Eminizer and Quimette punch up the back. John Putnam on slide guitar really nails it and of course Keyes vocal and piano lead is terrific. Not Fighting Anymore is spiced up even more with a Latin beat by Pagano on drums and percussion adds backing vocals, with firm horn backing by Quimette and Eminizer and strong lead vocal by Keyes. David ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Emotional Gangster , from Popa Chubby and it's a cool, aggressive blues rocker. Opening with driving, Tonight I'm Gonna Be The Man , Popa Chubby rips on slide over a rumbling beat. With tandem vocals he sets the pace and charging drums keep the tension. A cool, bluesy melody and blues rooted slide riffs saturate the track. Solid opener.  On Morganfield's Hoochie Coochie Man , Chubby gives the blues classic his own twist, retaining the bluesy roots but interjecting just a taste or rock. With a droning bass line he never gets to fast but he does take the time to show his chops on Water's original phrasing. Very nice. Harmonica wizard Jason Ricci sits in on Save The Best For Last , a low slung shuffle with a Jimmy Reed feel. Chubby really lays on the beat giving it a pronounced lope and his vocals are prime. Ricci and Chubby trade phrases making this one of my favorites on the release. Elmore James' Dust M...

 I just has the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Corner , from Early Times & the High Rollers and it's a cool rocker. Opening with easy shuffle, Come On, Let's Ride , Early Times on vocal and guitar is upfront with Joshua Keith on drums, Dan Schnapp on keys and Hardan Long on bass. On The Corner maintains a lighter radio feel but with bluesy guitar riffs by Times and a solid drum bottom by Keith. Sixties style rocker, Do What She Do keeps it simple with a solid melody and simple beat. A strong radio track and a cool track. Bluesy, She's About To Lose Her Mind , grinds into a lumbering groove with nice piano and organ work by Schnapp under some of Times' best vocal work and some real tasty guitar riffs by Popa Chubby making this one of my favorites on the release. Instrumental, Rosie's Herbs 'n Ting is a light, jazzy rocker with a hint of Latin spice giving Times a nice chance to step out on guitar over the tight percussive rhythms of J...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Brothers by Junior Wells and featuring many contemporary blues players. Opening with low slung, Blues Hit Big Town , Colin James weighs in on lead guitar with Wells on Harp. Good Morning Little School Girl lines up Pat Travers on guitar and James Montgomery on harp. I really like Montgomery's work and his interweaving with Travers on this track is tight. One of Well's most loved classics, Messin' With the Kid gets a rework with Tyler Bryant on guitar and his open tone with just the right amount of reverb works really nicely. Baby, Scratch My Back features Albert Castiglia and I always like his style. He doesn't overplay but his notes all count. Very nice. Eric Gales is featured on Lovey Dovey, Lovey One and his confident attack on this shuffle really works nicely. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Snatch It Back And Hold It, featuring Joe Louis Walker. His guitar work is fluid and fleet...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, It's A Mighty Hard Road , from Popa Chubby and I hear a real maturing off styles with Chubby that I haven't heard before. Opening with, The Flavor Is In The Fat , a meaty shuffle with certain radio and crowd appeal. Backed by Dave Keyes on piano and organ, Steve Holley on drums, Brett Bass on bass and w ith a memorable melody and a singable chorus, Chubby is off to a great start. Two stepper title track, It's a Mighty Hard Road , is a blend of rock and blues and could also be a strong radio track. With it's simple melodic format and solid melody and a gritty guitar solo, this song hits home. R&B track, The Best Is Yet To Come is one of my favorites on the release with warm vocals and harmonies. Reinforcing the melody with a clean guitar solo gives this track even more radio traction. I'm The Beast From The East is a great blues rocker with plenty of swagger and featuring Don Castagno on drums. ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sweet or Mean , from Eliza Neals and joined by guitar player/band leader Popa Chubby, it's a screamer. Opening with Pawn Shop Blues , a solid shuffle Neals picks up where she left off with her gritty vocals and Chubby with romping slide guitar, backed by Dave Keys on keys, Chris Gambari-Vega on bass, John Medeiros Jr. on drums and including Ian Hendrickson on sax and Michael Leonhart on trumpet. Rocker, Bitten By The Blues has solid radio feel with it's lightly Latin flavored rhythm and smooth melody with Chubby playing a rocking, Santana influenced guitar lead style. Livin With Yo Mama is a cool, slinky, boogie track with sassy vocals and some of my favorite guitar riffs on the release. Knock Knock Knockin is a pared down blues rocker with Chubby on acoustic guitar bringing Neals' farther forward in the mix vocally. Very nice. Wrapping the release is a slightly different mix on Pawn Shop Blues , a sweet cl...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Prime Cuts: The Very Best of the Beast From The East , by Popa Chubby and it's a broad representation of Chuby's work. Opening with Life Is A Beatdown , a contemporary hip hop style track from from Peace, Love & Respect, seemingly directed at airplay featuring solid guitar work and backed by Steve Holley on drums and Nicholas Damato on bass. Jimi's Hey Joe , Flashed Back, is always a great track and Chubby is all over the guitar with fiery riffs backed by Larry Crockett on super drums and Kris Jefferson on bass. Very cool.  Hi stepping, Stoop Down Baby from It's Chubby Time, has a great funky beat by Don Castagno and Seth Farber on Hammond. One of my favorites on the release is instrumental track, San Catri , from the Gas Money release. Chubby's melody is solid and his solo melody lines are smooth and moving. Jazz based Caffeine and Nicotine , from Hit The High Hard One, is another of my favorites wi...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Two Dogs , from Popa Chubby and it's a straight up rocker. Opening with arena style track, It's Alright , Chubby shows powerful vocals backed by Sam "Freightrain" Bryant on drums, Andy Paladino on bass, and Dave Keyes on keys. With a taste of funk and a rocking backbeat, Tipitina Horowitz on trumpet and Andrew Garrison on tenor sax, punch up the track with Chubby hitting a real nice groove on vocals hot solo guitar riffs. Title track, Two Dogs , has a real cool feel with a slinky dance rhythm and screaming guitar lead under the melody. Very cool. Shakedown is a strong rocker built over a base riff like Heartbreaker/Livin' Lovin' Maid by Led Zep. This is a strong rocker with hot riffs. Latin flavored instrumental, Cayophus Dupree is my absolute favorite track on the release with solid guitar lead throughout over warm organ by Keyes. Excellent! Me Won't Back Down has a jazzy but voodoo sou...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Healing , from Dave Keyes , and its a breath of fresh air. Opening with boogie shuffle, Change , David J. Keyes on bass lays down a nice groove, with Dave Keyes on lead vocal and piano, Stephen Rushton on drums and Rob Paparozzi on harp backed by Alexis P. Suter, Vicki Bell and Ray Grappone on vocals. Very cool opener. On Bo Diddley flavored, Not So Nice Anymore has a great tom tom beat and nice piano work by Keyes, topped by fiery slide work by Popa Chubby. R&B track, Ain't Looking For Love has a real nice feel with warm vocals by Keyes and a nice duet with Vanese Thomas. I particularly like Paparozzi's harp work on this track. Very nice. Robert Johnsons's Traveling Riverside Blues is one of my favorites on the release with Chubby smoking the strings and Keyes digging in deep on vocals, laying down some real nice piano riffs and with Frank Pagano on drums. Keyes solos out on Boogie for Stefan, an ...

Blues Legend Popa Chubby Releases New Album “The Catfish” Popa Chubby Is The Catfish.  Popa Chubby sits alone at the river's edge, guitar in hand he serenades the waters knowing if the song is sweet and the wind is right The Catfish will bite. Music is the bait, music is the water of life and Popa Chubby swims deeply in the swelling tides. Popa Chubby Is The Catfish. But Who Is The Catfish?  The road is long and goes on forever, the minnows and guppies must bow to the big fish. His guitar strings are the line that reaches to the deepest part of the soul. Many rivers to cross, the Catfish knows he is the boss. The king! Le Roi! The Mac Daddy! Fat, elusive, badass, too smart for the nets of those who would try to label him. The songs, stronger then ever, paint pictures , tell stories, of love, of life, of women and of the world. The music soaring to new heights. Fearless, brave, loud.  Says Popa Chubby, “This recording is dedicated to you. You inspir...

Talk about keepin’ it fresh?  Oh yeah. This album does it.  Popa Chubby (Theodore Horowitz) is a bad man with an axe in his hand! I’ve met the man and I believe this is the album he was always meant to do. At first you will be impressed with solid blues and blues rock songs with a touch of nasty funk.  Tracks 1 & 2, Goin’ Downtown and Good Thing fall into this category.  Next comes an instrumental version of the Buddy Holly classic Bye Bye Love , the first of many tracks where Chubby pays homage to his influential heroes. There are rockers Dirty Diesel (a touch of Stevie Ray?) and Motorhead Saved My Life and the slow gut-bucket Blues For Charlie . Then there’s Slow Down Sugar which throughout includes a muted trumpet paying homage to Miles Davis. Later this track breaks into a primitive rap reminiscent of Miles’ Doo-Bop album that received terrible reviews but which fused jazz and hiphop perfectly way back in the early 90s.   A couple t...

I just received the newest release, Big, Bad and Beautiful from Popa Chubby and it's a great blues rocker. This double live CD is packed with power, opening with Working Class Blues and a genuine Detroit style rocker. With Chubby on guitar and vocals, the band, featuring Dave Keyes on keys, Francesco Beccaro on bass and Andrea Beccaro on drums sets a nice pace. Throwing the funk down on Stoop Down Baby , Beccaro lays down a super bass groove and Chubby's rhythm is tight. Keys and Chubby both stretch it out on this track giving it real body. Very nice! On boogie track, One Leg At A Time , it's hard to sit still as the guys really crank it up. Keyes really rolls his solo on this track winding it up for Chubby who hits it solid down the middle himself with fluid jazzy blues riffs. Excellent! 69 Dollars has a Spanish rhythm with strong foundation by Francesco and Andrea. A smooth, adventurous organ solo by Keyes really hits the spot and Chubby flexes his muscle showing h...

Blues Giant Popa Chubby Releases A Bold Double Live Album & Hits The Road For A New World Tour! Los Angeles, CA - 2015 was one of the busiest years for modern blues ace Popa Chubby. After the release of a stellar studio album in late 2014 I’m Feelin’ Lucky , The Chubbfatha hit the road for a relentless run of shows across both the US and all over Europe. Audiences expecting a subdued, restrained performance from this veteran star of the stage were surely disappointed as Popa came out swinging, with all guns a-blazing, firing off multiple highlights from his 26+ year career including “Sweat,” the hit single from his blockbuster major label debut Booty & The Beast , as well as fan favorites “69 Dollars,” “Life Is A Beatdown” and more! The tour was immensely successful, the energy beyond palapable, and the vibe so undeniable that it quickly became apparent these blistering performances needed to be recorded for posterity. And that’s exactly what happened at 3 v...

I just received the newest release, Jammin' On The High C's from Mitch Woods' Club 88 recorded live on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise and the talent was really flowing. Opening with Big Mamou , Woods, along with members of Roomful of Blues lays down a full tilt boogie. An excellent trumpet, sax and piano solos on this track make it an excellent opener. Next up is Tain't Nobody's Bizness with a stripped down swing. Victor Wainwright and Julia Magness join in giving a different feel vocally... and great piano work contribute to an excellent track. Classic rocker, Rip It Up features Tommy Castro and he really adds some great rockin' guitar riffs to Woods' piano and vocal talents. Backed by the Roomful of Blues horns this track rocks. Lucky Peterson is featured on vocals on Bright Lights Big City , maintaining much of Jimmy Reeds original feel. Breakin down with a little Zydeco, Dwayne Dopsie brings Jambalaya on accordion and vocal. Woods tickles...