I LOVE FREDDIE KING Popa Chubby (Gulf Coast Records) ******
I’ve been a Popa Chubby fan for 25 years and a Freddie King fan even longer, so I can say with confidence that this will give fans of blues guitar giant titanium boners. I Love Freddie King is a celebration of the late Texas great’s music by Popa Chubby and a cadre of guitar players very well suited to do it justice, and it’s fantastic.
“To say I was dreaming about doing this record for 30 years would be an understatement” Popa says in the liner notes. “I remember being 18, playing guitar for a year of two, and an older cat in the neighborhood telling me I had to check out Freddie King.” That’s pretty solid advice with songs like Hideaway and Have You Ever Loved A Woman drawing the Chubster into a lifelong love of the blues. “I wanted more than anything to do this music justice” he says, “and I set about putting together a core band with some of the greatest players in the business; Michael Merritt on bass, Andrei Koribanics III on drums and Mike DiMeo on keyboards.”
Had Popa Chubby tackled I Love Freddie King on his own it would’ve been killer but the guest list of fellow six stringers is a impressive. Here we have contributions from Joe Bonamassa, Albert Castiglia, Eric Gales, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Mike Zito and Arthur Neilson. The disc was produced by Popa Chubby with label prez Mike Zito as executive producer, and this thing is front to back fireworks… a great rhythm section plus the guest list just mentioned, guys who clearly love Freddie King’s music and want to do it right. If you know Freddie’s music, one listen here you’ll agree too.
Last year Popa went to Zito and told him “I want to do a Freddie tribute record- can you help me round up some guests? ‘Gimme a wish list’ said Zito and we got to work. The result is a spectacular offering which revisits every phase of Freddie’s vast repertoire.” I Love Freddie King is a heaping helping of unbeatable, incredible blues- essential listening. Yeah I’ve picked 3 favorites (see below), but this is one of those albums where that will change a lot over time.
HOT TRACKS: Hideaway (w/ Arthur Nelson), Big Legged Woman (with Christone Kingfish Ingram), Love Her With A Feeling (with Albert Castiglia)
BACK FOR ME Janiva Magness (Blue Elan) ****+
Janiva’s 17th (I think) album is a scorching blues testament to resilience of spirit and the joy of life. Back For Me is an emotionally rich batch of lesser known songs by well-known artists, well produced and powered by her rich, forceful voice. You’re gonna feel this one.
“I have always been into the B-sides” Janiva says of her choice of songs on Back For Me. “There’s a freshness to doing a B-side rather than a well-known hit. I absolutely love the idea of shining a light on material that people are not familiar with.” So if you didn’t know these songs previously by artists like Bill Withers, Ray LaMontagne and Irma Thomas (and I didn’t) then to folks like us this is a record of pure discovery. And no doubt her troubled upbringing (the suicide of both parents, nightmarish experiences in foster care) and hard earned triumphs as an artist gives her an emotional connection to these tunes that perhaps she wouldn’t have otherwise.
Back For Me was produced by Magness’ longtime friend and collaborator Dave Darling, who also anchors her band. Special guests include Sue Foley (Holes) with appearances by Joe Bonamassa and Jesse Dayton as well. Of Holes, she says “It’s that shock of finding out the hole we find ourselves in is one we dug ourselves!” Her vocals are soulful and rich, and the songs she has chosen for her new album really invite us to examine ourselves and our relationships in a way that other music- even the blues- rarely hints at.
I’m no stranger to Janiva, Back For Me is the 8th album of hers to join my collection and, I daresay, her most fully realized effort since 2010’s The Devil Is An Angel Too. She mixes her blues with soul, gospel and funk and the blend is intoxicating. It seems proper to call this a blues record if we must use labels but it feels broader than that. Well-picked songs, an ace band and some severely talented guest stars make BFM unforgettable.
HOT TRACKS: Back for Me, Holes (with Sue Foley), Masterpiece (with Joe Bonamassa)
BREAKING NEWS McKenna Moonah Blues Duo (independent) *** ¾
This new EP from the McKenna Moonah Blues Duo is electrifying. Even at just 4 songs, Breaking News packs a satisfying and urgent punch that any blues fan can get into.
Produced by Jay Moonah and Jeff Jones- recorded by Moonah, produced by Jones- Breaking News is energetic and well written. Mike KcKenna plays lead, rhythm, and acoustic slide guitar, and Jay Moonah provides vocals, harmonica, bass, rhythm guitar, percussion and keyboards. Not a one man band to be sure, but not that far off either. Jay has a great blues voice and there’s a likeable primitive ‘home made’ vibe to the EP I’m digging. The guitar playing, particularly lead breaks and acoustic slide work, is seductive… not too rushed, the notes chosen carefully.
I realize it’s tough to make the appropriate racket with just 2 guys but my problem with Breaking News, and it’s quite minor, is the apparent use of a drum machine on some of the tracks. Perhaps using a program is a budget saving move, and performing as a duo might’ve been a consideration too… but you’re from Toronto, yes? Surely you could’ve found a real drummer- that would’ve provided the lift and spirit the EP could use, that communion and energy exchange between live musicians going for broke. All that said this really is quite good and the songs are very strong, but it could’ve been even better… just sayin’.
https://www.brokefuse.com/bluesduo.htmlbeen
HOT TRACKS: Scarborough Blues, Breaking News
FRIENDS & FAMILY 2 Firefall (Sunset Blvd. Records) ****
Here is a covers album, the 2nd in a series, for Colorado soft rock flag wavers Firefall. Friends & Family 2 pays tribute to relationships the band forged with contemporaries in the 70’s like Fleetwood Mac and Kenny Loggins. Firefall aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel here, just paying heartfelt tribute to some great songs.
“When our first album came out in 1976 and hit so big, we suddenly got to tour with just about everybody” says guitarist Jock Bartley, the band’s sole remaining founding member. The original Friends & Family (2023) was the brainchild of manager Len Fico, and after it was so well received he encouraged Bartley and the guys to record a follow-up. Many of these songs are well known smash hits, so any missteps could have been fatal for these soft rock maestros, particularly when it comes to the vocals. “(This) is the best vocal band we’ve had in over twenty years- and maybe ever” Jock notes, and his faith in Firefall for the task at hand is justified.
Friends & Family 2 was produced by Bartley, and it’s as sharp as you’d expect a Firefall album to be. From 1975 through 1989 I was an AM radio deejay and remember playing almost all of these songs on the air along with Firefall’s hits of the day like Just Remember I Love You, Strange Way and You Are The Woman. They were smart in choosing tunes that are close to their own sound, and playing it straight in terms of arrangements was the right move. F&F2 includes large hits by America, Dan Fogelberg and Little River Band, to name a few.
I tend to be iffy on covers records because they’re short on creativity, but Firefall’s affection for these songs and the artists that originally sang them shines through, making this engaging and entertaining. “We’re really tipping our hat, acknowledging and respectfully playing songs from the late 60’s and entire decade of the 1970’s which, frankly, will never happen again” concludes Bartley. “There are so many people in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s who don’t even know this music.” If that includes you, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. Available May 23rd!
HOT TRACKS: Love The One You’re With (Stephen Stills), I Need You (America), Sail On Sailor (The Beach Boys)
LEOPARD SKIN LA Guns (Cleopatra Records) ****
This is the 15th album for these skanky Sunset Strip rockers and their 5th since founder Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis got back together in 2017. Leopard Skin is one catchy riff after another with a broader approach than previous records, yet still with that sleazy attitude. The tits ‘n’ leather cover photo says it all, don’t you think?
“This one had a different approach musically” says Tracii. “Musically it was more about James Brown and soul music, with some 70’s sensibilities… things like Joe Walsh and The Rolling Stones and The New York Dolls, and the process was more organic.” From 4-on-the-floor rockers to swampy, glam-based numbers, Leopard Skin is a crowd pleaser. The song that best sums up the state of LA Guns in 2025 is Lucky Motherfucker, released digitally as the 2nd single in early March- not worried about airplay on traditional radio apparently, but it would sure sound good on my internet radio show. “(That song) kind of says it all” Guns notes, “because I don’t know how many other bands that have been around almost 40 years are still out there not just touring consistently, but putting out records consistently too.”
They used to say that rock & roll was a young man’s game, but that was back when bands rarely lasted more than a couple of years. LA Guns have been at it since 1983 and I daresay the tunes on Leopard Skin stand up to their classic stuff from back in the day. Phil Lewis is still in fine voice and Tracii Guns is still cranking out sweet riffs for the band to sink their teeth into. The current lineup is very tight; Lewis and Guns plus bassist Johnny Martin, guitarist Ace Von Johnson and studio drummer Adam Hamilton. From the thundering rocker Taste It to the countrified Runaway Train, they’ve caught some sweet grooves on this disc.
To be honest I wasn’t particularly an LA Guns fan back in the day, but something about Leopard Skin is really working for me.
HOT TRACKS: Lucky Motherfucker, Following The Money, Hit And Run
UPSIDE DOWN BLUES Shyfrin Alliance (independent) *****
This is the debut album for Shyfrin Alliance. Before you push play on Upside Down Blues I can only say be ready for anything. This fusion of blues, rock, jazz and soul elements combines several types of music into something new. A taste for adventure is advised upon entry.
Eduard Shyfrin is not a great singer… the PR sheet says “he doesn’t so much sing as he engages in verbal acrobatics with his own lyrics”- he sounds like Leonard Cohen with a Ukrainian accent. His band The Alliance is a 6 piece ensemble that provides dramatic and evocative musical soundscapes at every turn. Eduard’s deep and dramatic bass voice appears on 9 of these songs, and the sweet vocals of Lizzy Parks are a welcome contrast.
Born in Ukraine and raised in a jazz-centric household, Shyfrin was classically trained on piano as a child. He put music aside for most of his adult life in exchange for a successful career in science and industry as well as becoming one of the world’s foremost authors on Kabbalah. Along comes the pandemic, and with the attendant downtime a renewed interest in music. “”Lockdown gave me time” Eduard says. “My life as a businessman was very hectic, so when I found myself with time I resumed lessons on vocals and piano. Then all of a sudden I started composing. I consumed almost all the blues Spotify had to offer during lockdown, and I started writing songs… blues songs.” As for his lyrics Shyfrin says “I have a very strong belief that songs have to have a message. My lyrics are deeply affected by my Kabbalah studies, as well as the world today. (I’m) sending a message to the world, of love and of anti-war.”
Upside Down Blues has a strong orchestral element which helps elevate the drama, and all of the musicians on the album are world class. From rockers like Lock Down on down to the ballads, Eduard Shyfrin and his musical compatriots leave no stone unturned, lyrically or otherwise. It’s an unusual record but well worth tracking down. Brownie McGee once said “blues is truth”, and Eduard says “Kabbalah is (in some ways) a quest for truth (and) Upside Down Blues is where they meet in harmony.” This one is essential listening for me.
HOT TRACKS: Bridges Of Paris, Unconditional, Lock Down, Cheval Blanc Blues
Want to see more reviews? Check them all out here!
