Moss never seems lost during the improvised set opener, "Eggroll Stroll," confidently putting one foot in front of the other, one solo at a time and even stepping aside to make room for some special work from Oshawny. "Stroll" is an apt description for this grand but not overblown instrumental as Moss' guitar chops are tasty without becoming exhibitions of mindless shredding. Allowing the soloists to improvise is the rock-solid rhythm section of Hundt and Spann. They never hog the spotlight or divert attention from the soloists, but there is something musical about the way Spann's drumsticks dance across the cymbals throughout this song and throughout the night.
Moss is a terrific lead player but like many, he got his start playing bass and second guitar. "Check My Pulse" finds Moss stepping back to those rhythm roots, supporting Oshawny's fancy piano leads with solid fills. With his cover of Freddie King's "I Love The Woman," Moss' guitar lead and tone echoes Otis Rush (think "You're Breaking My Heart" from the BMA-nominated Wise Fools Pub album). He shared the spotlight with Oshawny on the first two numbers of the evening, but on "I Love The Woman," it is all Moss. The strings cry and wail for nine glorious minutes.
After a shuffling instrumental, a barroom juke, and a plaintive slow jam, Moss loosens things up and plays something slightly less traditional with "I Never Forget," an original from his most recent studio album, Sadie Mae. The intro echoes the work of Jimmie Vaughan and the song itself has more of a blues-rock vibe. It is a nice change of pace, because largely through the harp work of Gerry Hundt, "One-Eyed Jack" returns this show to a Chicago-style blues exhibition. Hundt won't make anyone forget Little Walter or James Cotton, but his playing is strong enough to create the desired Chicago effect. Welch makes his first on-stage appearance, offering a little more guitar muscle to the mix.
"The End," which oddly comes with two songs remaining on the set list, plays like a surf-blues/skiffle. Oshawny shifts from piano to organ, and Welch and Moss trade solos. If it were a duel, well, let's just say there is a reason the band is Nick Moss & The Flip Tops, not Mike Welch & The Flip Tops. Welch's solo is good, but Moss melts the tubes in his amp during his. In the liner notes, Moss says this solo features a tip of the cap to one of his heroes, Earl Hooker. Oshawny gets another chance to shine as he provides the lead vocal and flashes his piano skills on the jump-blues penultimate track, "Wine-O-Baby Boogie."
Article comments
1 - A.L. Harper
Excellent review Josh. But I agree with your friend. I just don't like live albums.
Like the new pic by the way! What a hotty!