Month: September 2012

Popa Chubby is usually described as a blues guitarist, but he’s actually a damn good rock and roll guitarist. This set starts with a couple of songs that are autobiographical in nature and describe how Popa (nee Ted Horowitz) became a musician. “Daddy Played the Guitar and Mama Was a Disco Queen” and “How’d a White Boy Get the Blues” are acoustic blues that tell his tale and feature some nasty slide guitar.

His 9-11 tale “Somebody Let the Devil Out” is a swampy blues rocker. “If the Diesel Don’t Get You Then the Jet Fuel Will” is straight-ahead boogie with tasty slide. We get a live version of his hit “Sweet Goddess of Love & Beer” with an arrangement that makes it much funkier. His melodic playing continues on “Back in My Baby’s Arms,” a shuffle with a gospel feel, while a couple of covers show his versatility; “Hey Joe” gets plenty of guitar-hero attitude, and his reading of “Hallelujah” is gorgeous and soulful, both vocally and musically. All told, there are 16 cuts, and they cover a lot of ground.

He wraps things wonderfully with a rock-and-roll version of “Keep On the Sunnyside of Life” that includes a solo with considerable Chuck Berry influence.

While one could quibble about the choices taken to make up an “essential” record, this set gives all sides to a fine artist.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Megan Slankard is difficult to pigeonhole. Equal parts country soul, folk, pop, and alt rock, though still in her early 20s, Token of the Wreckage is her third disc, and amply demonstrates why she’s so popular.

Some of Slankard’s original songs are bouncy and fun (“The Happy Birthday”) while others are dark and sad (“The Tragic Life of Caleb”). But regardless of the mood, Slankard connects with the essence of that emotion, and injects her music with it. Even on the pop confection “Soundtrack,” she finds the right combination of perkiness and vacuity for that ideal girl-group vibe.

Slankard’s voice is a powerful musical tool. An exemplary folk-singer’s voice, it’s direct and disarming in its lack of artifice. With the help of co-producer Jerry Becker and David Bryson for Token of the Wreckage she’s double and triple-tracked her voice into multiple musical personalities. Like different costumes for different roles, sometimes the lead vocal is clear, natural and unadorned, while on other tunes Slankard equalizes her timbre into a Borgish human-synth.

The rich and full-bodied arrangements behind Slankard’s vocals are equally ambitious and impressive. The players contribute multiple instrument parts: Danny Blau plays electric guitars, Wurlitzer, and synths; James Departo plays electric guitars, lap steel, pedal steel, slide guitar, mandolin, and acoustic guitars; Dave Bryson plays acoustic guitar, bass, mandolin; and Jerry Becker plays acoustic guitar, keyboards, and percussion.

There’s an almost cinematic feel to some of the arrangements that’s more like a tightly-orchestrated pop than introspective folk, yet Slankard maintains her grounding in roots music while taking advantage of the expressive possibilities of denser arrangements.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Tennessee’s Bill Mize is a solo acoustic guitarist who, though he possesses great chops, never lets his fingers get in the way of a great song.

Mize wrote eight of the 10 tracks on his latest album, The Angel’s Share, and all are loaded with memorable melodies and feel – not just great guitar playing. He often uses harmonics, but always in the service of the song, as on “Dogs In the Hole,” a bluesy boogie with a high melody and harmonics that play beautifully off the mood. “Puppy Love” has a nice ’50s feel with help from Beth Bramhall on accordion. “Don’t Wake the Dogs” is a moody, serious piece with an intro that sets the stage with harmonics and chiming chords, and guitar as a percussive instrument. The song is filled with interesting sounds.

There are a couple of notable covers, beginning with a stomping version of Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say.” Not typically associated with a solo acoustic player, the song’s recognizable bass line and melody roll together perfectly – just Mize and his guitar, funky and soulful. Mize also covers Charlie Rich’s gospel tune, “Feel Like Going Home.” With help from Pete Wasner on a Hammond B-3, Mize delivers the deep religious feel.

The Angel’s Share proves it takes more than just chops to be great – and Mize proves a great song can deliver as well as an overt display of chops.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.