When Moss steps to the mic to contribute vocals as he does on three of the next five tracks, it's clear his guitar and voice are central to the sound. It's equally obvious that this is, in every sense, a band effort. Moss' confidence in his own abilities fuses with his well-placed faith in those of his band and then magic happens. On the album's third cut, "The Whiskey Makes Me Mean," Hundt takes a break from his bass and passes the harmonica over to Moss, stepping out front on vocals with his mandolin.
When Hundt sets down the bass, it's often Oshawny who picks it up. Tonight he stays focused on keys as Moss' wife, Kate, ably handles bass on several cuts. That doesn't mean Oshawny doesn't get a chance to change things up, though. On "I Got All Kinds Of Love," he does a little Sunnyland Slim and switches from piano to organ. All the while, Carter stylishly keeps the beat without calling too much attention to himself.
Even though the risk of a stale sequel was low, Moss & The Flip Tops came armed with a secret weapon in the form of Chicago blues royalty Lurrie Bell. Bell takes lead vocals for the next three songs, beginning with a rollicking cover of "Don't You Lie To Me." Moss and Bell don't sound like they're warming up as they trade solos but clearly take things to another level on a scorching 13-minute cover of Eddie Boyd's classic "Five Long Years." The braggadaccio of Willie Dixon's "I'm Ready," popularized by Muddy Waters, is roughed up a little bit and given some grit. Moss takes vocals one last time before the night is over on "I Wanna Know" with Moss and Bell again trading solos.
It is an exhilarating and important example of traditional Chicago blues played in a contemporary environment without sounding like, well, a sequel or a bad cover version. They blaze an exciting trail on their own and can turnaround follow a legendary leader like Bell without missing a beat. Nick Moss & The Flip Tops are both original and authentic, and Live at Chan's: Combo Platter No. 2 might be the finest example of that to date.
Article comments
1 - Ed
What a great cd