© Bluestronomical Publishing Inc. 2009

Nick Moss & The Flip Tops
Live At Chans – Vol. 2
Blue Bella

If blues pioneer Michael Bloomfield was still alive, he might be envious of a band like Nick Moss and The Flip Tops. Bloomfield was a fanatic about capturing the spirit of true Chicago Blues. The Flip Tops do just that on their release Live At Chans - Vol. 2.

Moss' playing traces a linkage to Otis Rush and Muddy Waters. Chans is a blues bar located in Rhode Island. The Flip Tops create a live recording that could have been taken from a blues joint located on Chicago's South Side and not in the Northeast.

What exists is 79 minutes of Chicago Blues with no pretense. Moss has top rate musicians backing him up. Bassist Gerry Hundt locks tightly with drummer Bob Carter on the instrumental "Spare Ribs & Chopsticks”. Keyboardist Willie Oshawny is heavy in the mix with keyboard flourishes that roll with the punches. Even Moss' wife Kate picks up the bass to help out when Hundt switches to harmonica that drives tunes like "Try To Treat You Right" and "I Got All Kinds of Love" like runaway southbound trains.

The players are given a lot of room to stretch out. The only song clocking in under four minutes is "Whiskey Makes Me Mean”. The rest of the tunes are improvised into heavy blues jamming, but it's never boring. Moss' single note attacks are perfect for leading the brigade of sound.

The remaining four tracks feature Chicago blues-man Lurrie Bell. Lurrie's guitar and vocals are just perfect for a jam heavy "Five Long Years" which clocks in at 13 minutes. Him and Nick spar each other on with solos that can cut through a heavy snowstorm. Willie Dixon's "I'm Ready" is as foreboding as an alley cat chewing on a dead rat.

Players of Nick's character are very hard to come by these days. In an era where blues rock reigns supreme, The Flip Tops remain true to blues when it comes to presenting it in the form it should be. They are one of the very few that can pull it off. Live At Chans is a recording showcasing a band that can give Paul Butterfield a run for his money and scare Mike Bloomfield into giving the guitar up for good.

- Gary Weeks -


Southwest Blues CD Review - August 2009

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