Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Guitar SHORTY - Roll Over Baby 1998


Guitar SHORTY - Roll Over Baby 1998

Blues

Shorty is one of those artists who has never received his due. The fact that he influenced both the great Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix is almost beside the point. He is an uncommonly good blues guitarist in his own right and a powerful vocalist to boot. Roll Over, Baby is full of memorable sides like the slightly risqué title cut, a nostalgic lover's plea. Shorty also does a fine "Hey Joe" a la Hendrix, yet firmly imprints it with his own stamp. And when Shorty says "Don't Mess with My Woman," you'd better listen. His biting guitar is reminiscent of the late Albert King with a little Clapton thrown in. Pick up this disc and you too will wonder why this master has been overlooked.
By Lars Gandil.
**
Guitar Shorty doesn't need to do somersaults with his guitar at every gig. His powerful guitar playing and downhome singing should stand on their own. Plus, he's got a sense of humor in his music that is part of his on-stage wildman charm. But somersaults? I worry about Shorty. He might hurt his back or something. But he'll never stop doing those damn somersaults. Not as long as he hears the delirious screams every time he takes another dive. While somersaults don't translate to the recording process, his stinging, hot licks, and soulful, witty ways certainly come across on Roll Over, Baby (Black Top 1147; 55:37). The title track finds Shorty in a frisky mood while he digs into the horn-powered shuffle "Sugar Wugar" with a vengeance. There's humor in his covers of Swamp Dogg's "I Want to Report a Crime" and "The Porkchop Song," done here with a New Orleans second line flavor. His warm, overdriven tone on "You're a Troublemaker" is a departure from his normally bright, stinging tone and he reserves his most passionate playing for his own minor key lament, "I Wonder Who's Sleeping in My Bed." After another rousing shuffle on "I'm Going Back to Houston," an ode to his hometown, Shorty closes out the set with a volatile tribute to Jimi Hendrix on "Hey Joe." Cue the somersault on that one.
By Bill Milkowski.
**
Guitar Shorty- (Vocals, Guitar);
Terry Du Rouen- (Guitar);
Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff- (Tenor & Baritone Sax);
Ernest Youngblood, Jr.- (Tenor Sax);
Jamil Sharif, Gary Slechta- (Trumpet);
Rick Trolsen- (Trombone);
David Torkanowsky- (Piano, Wurlitzer, Organ);
Dwayne Smith- (Piano, Organ);
Lee Allen Zeno- (Bass, Rubboard);
Howard Deere- (Bass);
Danny Pucillo, Kenny Blevins, Shannon Powell- (Drums).
**
01. I Want To Report A Crime 4:07
02. Roll Over, Baby 4:48
03. Sugar Wugar 4:46
04. You're A Troublemaker 5:21
05. Don't Mess With My Woman 4:36
06. Me And You Last Night 3:20
07. Let's Get Close 3:09
08. I Wonder Who's Sleeping In My Bed 7:05
09. The Porkchop Song 2:47
10. I'm Going Back To Houston 4:16
11. Hard Time Woman 4:14
12. Hey Joe 7:03
**
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