Mannish Boys
Double Dynamite
Delta Groove Music
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What could be better than a new Mannish Boys
CD? How about TWO new Mannish Boys CDs? Delta Groove
Music has completely outdone itself this time around
with a double dose of this stellar group of West
Coast blues all-stars. Double Dynamite
continues the group’s tradition of updating
traditional classics by legendary players of the
past while mixing in solid selections of their own
that hold true with blues traditions, but still have
an eye (and ear) on the present and future blues.
Missing from the roster this time around are
vocalists Bobby Jones and Johnny Dyer, but in their
place is a marvelous gospel-influenced vocalist from
Texas named Sugaray Rayford, who more than ably
fills their shoes from the opening cut (Son House’s
“Death Letter”). Rayford shares vocal duties with
returning Mannish Boys Finis Tasby,
vocalist/harmonica player/producer Randy Chortkoff,
and guitarists Kirk “Eli” Fletcher and Frank
Goldwasser, along with a few guest stars of note.
Like most Mannish Boy albums, this one is loaded to
the brim with guest stars.
For Disc One (subtitled “Atomic Blues”), the focus
is squarely on ’50s era traditional blues, and it
features guest vocalists James Harman (who doubles
on harmonica for his own “Bad Detective” ), Mud
Morganfield (who handles two of his Dad’s old tunes,
“Elevate Me Mama” and the appropriate “Mannish
Boy”), and Jackie Payne (who rips through a Waters
medley of his own, “She’s 19 Years Old/Streamline
Woman”).
Other guests on the first disc include
harmonica masters Bob Corritore (who appears on the
two Morganfield tracks), Rod Piazza (“Mean Old
World” and the Waters medley), and Jason Ricci (on
the Little Walter track, “Everybody Needs
Somebody”). Elvin Bishop adds slide guitar on “Mean
Old World”), and boogie woogie piano master Rob Rio
plays on most of the tracks.
Most of the tunes will be familiar to blues fans,
but there are a few rarely done gems in the mix,
such as a lively reworking of Robert Nighthawk’s
“Bricks In My Pillow,” Frank Frost’s “Never Leave Me
At Home,” Otis Spann’s “The Hard Way,” and Willie
Dixon’s “Bloody Tears.” Chortkoff adds a couple of
originals (“Please Forgive Me” and the Jimmy
Reed-styled “You Dogged Me”) that blend easily with
the standards.
Disc Two (subtitled “Rhythm & Blues Explosion”)
leans more toward the R&B/Soul tunes of the same
era. Most of the same guests on Disc One show up on
Disc Two as well, plus keyboardist Mike Finnigan,
who also sings on Ray Charles’ “Mr. Charles’ Blues,”
singer Cynthia Manley (who does a gorgeous duet with
Rayford on James Brown’s “You’ve Got the Power,” one
of four JB-associated songs present), guitarists
Junior Watson, Nathan James, and Kid Ramos. The
band, pushed by a powerful horn section, really gets
into the groove on tracks like “Drowning on Dry
Land,” “Cold Sweat,” T-Bone Walker’s “You Don’t Love
Me,” and “I Woke Up Screaming.”
As for the Mannish Boys themselves, Tasby, Chortkoff,
and Rayford do an excellent job on vocals.
Guitarists Goldwasser and Fletcher are top notch,
and the rhythm section of Willie J. Campbell on bass
and Jimi Bott on drums provide rock solid support.
You can’t go wrong with a Mannish Boys release. They
can play it all and play it as well as anybody out
there.
--- Graham Clarke