The first time
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops cut a live set at
Chan's blues club in Rhode Island, the resulting album was nominated for two Blues Music Awards -- Album of the Year and Traditional Blues Album of the Year, not to mention nominations for Band of the Year and Best Instrumentalist: Guitar for
Moss. The band returned to
Chan's in the summer of 2008 to wax another live gig, this time joined by legendary Chicago bluesman
Lurrie Bell and
Kate Moss on bass. The live recordings that add to a band's rep are few and far between, but
Moss and his gang have never played a note that doesn't brim over with passion, making
Live at Chan's, Combo Platter No. 2 a worthy companion to the fireworks of the original
Live at Chan's. The opener,
"Spare Ribs and Chopsticks" lets the basic
Flip Top quartet loosen up with extended solos from
Moss and
Piano Willie O'Shawny on piano.
Moss is pure Chicago in his tone and style, but there's a hint of country blues (and C&W twang) in his solos, while
O'Shawny simply burns up the keys with his right hand throwing off plenty of honky tonk sparks.
"Try to Treat You Right," a
Moss original from
First Offense, is a launching pad for another extended
Moss solo full of bent and slurred notes and
Gerry Hundt's soulful harmonica, with
Kate Moss adding a slinky bassline to the slow smoky tune.
Hundt's
"Whiskey Makes Me Mean," a boogie-woogie tune from his debut
Since Way Back, gives
Hundt a chance to show off his expertise on the blues mandolin. He drops a bit of
"Choo Choo Ca-Boogie" into his extended solo while
Moss blows harp and
O'Shawny delivers his usual expert keyboard work.
"Lonesome Bedroom Blues," by pianist
Curtis Jones gets a down and dirty treatment with
Moss singing vocal lines that twist and turn like his guitar solos before standing aside to let
O'Shawny deliver a solo full of ripping high notes that send chills down your spine.
Lurrie Bell joins the band for the last four tunes on the album.
Bell sings lead on
"Don't You Lie to Me," the
Hudson Whittaker tune made famous by
Tampa Red, then trades solos with
Moss with able support from
O'Shawny's piano.
Eddie Boyd's
"Five Long Years" is a showcase for the dueling solos of
Moss and
Bell.
Bell gives
Willie Dixon's
"I'm Ready" a playful feel with a winking vocal and stinging guitar work that makes a nice contrast to
Moss' more fluid lead lines. The ensemble takes it home with
"I Wanna Know," a rockin'
Moss original that features
O'Shawny's dynamic right hand, barrelhouse backing vocals from the band, and
Moss and
Bell setting off more fretboard fireworks. ~ j. poet
