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The Mannish Boys: Live & In Demand (Delta Groove)

 One of the best surprises of 2004 was the formation of West Coast super group The Mannish Boys and their killer debut, "That Represent Man." Lucky festival goers got a chance to see the group tour this summer. Those of us who missed it will have to settle for "Live In Demand", a fine document capturing the boys at the 19th Annual Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival this past July.

  This aggregation of The Mannish Boys is a bit different than the studio group including a different rhythm section and the notable absence of guitarist Kirk Fletcher. Fletcher added plenty of fire to the studio album but is ably replaced by the great Kid Ramos. One artist I would have liked to have heard again was vocalist Mickey Champion, who granted only appeared on one track, but who can really belt the blues. All in all this is a hot set although not on the same level as the terrific studio album. Maybe that's because of the new members or that they weren't quite used to playing live together yet. Whatever it is a bit of the magic is missing on this one.

 Things kick off with the solid swing of "Kid's Jump" a showcase for Ramos' always hot fret work backed by just drums and bass and move into a not totally inspiring take on "I'm Ready" sung by Randy Chortkoff. Chortkoff is not only a member of the group but owner of Delta Groove and blows strong harmonica throughout with a distinctive high pitched Jimmy Reed tone. I got a brief glimpse of Chortkoff blowing at a club jam during this year's Chicago Blues Festival and he more than held his own among some heavy company. Veteran pianist Leon Blues takes the vocals for a rousing revival of Tampa Red's enduring "She Wants To Sell My Monkey" before handing the vocals chores over to Johnny Dyer who's burnished voice sounds uncannily like Muddy's particularly on "Mannish Boy" and a tough version of "Howling Wolf" featuring some stinging slide from Ramos. The highlight comes when Finis Tasby takes the stage. Tasby is a terrific singer and really knows how to put across a song as evidenced on the loping swamp groove of Jimmy Anderson's "Goin' Crazy Over T.V.", the steamy slow blues of "As The Years Go Passing By" and a knockout version of Freddie King's "It's Too Bad" punctuated once again by some smoldering guitar from Ramos.

 A second studio album or perhaps a live recording with all the original members might have worked best for the second Mannish Boys project. Still "Live In Demand" generates plenty of excitement and hopefully will get some overdue exposure to unheralded veterans like Finis Tasby, Johnny Dyer and Leon Blue

-Check out these related links:
That Represent Man Review
The Mannish Boys Website

(Jeff Harris)

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Hubert Sumlin: Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party (Shout Factory)
Hubert Sumlin: Healing Feeling (Shout Factory)

The Black Top label had a special place in the heart of blues fans issuing some tremendous records during the 80's and 90's. Black Top was launched by Brothers Hammond and Nauman Scott in 1981 who signed some top drawer rhythm & blues, zydeco, jazz and contemporary blues artists while at the same time digging up long lost recordings. Before going under in the late 90's they released fine albums from such artists as Buckwheat Zydeco, Solomon Burke, Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets, Grady Gaines, Robert Ward, Ronnie Earl and many others Shout! Factory has now picked up the Black Top catalog and has begun reissuing a number of the label's more popular albums. Shout! Factory's latest are two late 80's recordings by Hubert Sumlin.

 Sumlin, of course, was Howlin' Wolf's guitarist for over twenty years coming into his own at the dawn of the '60s on classic recordings like "Wang Dang Doodle," "Shake for Me," "Hidden Charms", "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy" and "Killing Floor." "Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party" was Sumlin's debut solo album in the U.S. The sessions were put together by guitarist Ronnie Earl, who arranged an all-star band, plays guitar and helped produce the album. Backing Sumlin are a number of heavy hitters including Jerry Portnoy, Dave Maxwell, Greg Piccolo, Ron Levy and most notably Might Sam McClain. In a way this session was also a coming out party for McClain who was several years away from waxing his full length domestic debut. With such an illustrious cast and Sumlin's reticence about occupying center stage, the result was really more of a jam session, although certainly a fun one. Sumlin asserts himself best on "Hidden Charms" with a blistering solo as Mighty Sam delivers a soulful rendition, the smoking instrumental "West Side Soul" and sings himself on the autobiographical "Living The Blues."

 "Healing Feeling", was Sumlin's second album for Black Top, and much like it's predecessor is really more of an all-star blues jam. Recorded May 5 and 6, 1989, at studios in Louisiana, with two additional tracks coming from a live show at Tipitina's in New Orleans earlier in the day on May 5, the sessions were once again organized by guitarist Ronnie Earl, whose band the Broadcasters is used on most of the cuts. The vocal duties were shared by James "Thunderbird" Davis and Darrell Nulisch, with Sumlin taking the vocals on a pair. Overall the temperature is hotter on this one as Sumlin cooks on the steamy instrumentals "Healing Feeling" and the moody minor key "Blues For Henry." Davis is in great form vocally on his too brief comeback delivering the goods on a playful duet with Nulisch on "I Don't Want To Hear About Yours" and the rollicking "I Don't Want No Woman" with waling sax from Kaz Kazanoff and some ferocious guitar licks from Sumlin. Other highlights include the smoldering "Come Back Little Girl" featuring Sumlin on vocals and Nulisch delivering a great reading of Freddy King's "Play It Cool." Let's hope Shout! Factory reissues James "Thunderbird" Davis' great Black Top album "Check Out Time", one of the great comeback records of recent times.

(Jeff Harris)