Page 47 - BiTS_09_SEPTEMBER_2025

The album opens with ‘Dirty Girl’ a typical Jimmie Vaughan blues shuffle with his
signature guitar licks. ‘Out Of The Shadows’ is a nice rocking blues whilst ‘The Deep
End’ features some slide guitar from Jimmie and neat harp work from James

Cotton. ‘The Power Of Love’ hits familiar slow blues territory enhanced by Lou Ann
Barton on vocals. ‘Without You’ is a nice laid back blues with some gentle Hendrix
style wah wah guitar going on.

‘Let Me In’ is an upbeat foot tapping blues rocker whilst ‘Don’t Let The Sun Set’ has
a nice cool jazzy feel thanks to Herman Green on flute, really liked this one. ‘Robbin’
Me Blind’ is a straightforward blues shuffle whilst ‘Slow Dance Blues’ is an instru-

mental featuring Greg Piccolo on tenor sax. Jimmie is joined once again by Lou Ann
Barton on vocals and the Double Trouble rhythm section no less on the Johnny
Guitar Watson cover, ‘In The Middle Of The Night’. The album closes with a swing

instrumental ‘Planet Bongo’ which as you would expect features bongos and some
flute which was reminiscent of early Blodwyn Pig/Jethro Tull.

This is a fine blues album with top quality musicians on show and I really like the

way the B-3 organ work from Bill Willis holds it all together. Needless to say
Jimmie’s guitar work is exemplary throughout with his distinctive understated
style. In a world of pushing boundaries and experimentation sometimes it’s nice

just to have something familiar and comforting to warm your soul. So blues fans if
you missed this album first time around now is a good time to revisit and check it
out.

Ged Wilson

The Name Droppers—Cool Blue Shoes—
Horizon Music Group

The Connecticut based band consists of: Bobby
T. Torello; drums, Scott Spray; bass, Ron Rifkin;

keyboards and Rafe Klein; lead vocals and guitar.
They are now on this, their fifth album release.
The ten numbers here are a mixture of original
compositions and covers.

The opener is Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Killing Floor’; this
version is a thoughtful, gently paced roller, with
a definite toe-tapping laid back approach. This
cool, rolling groove is continued with ‘Cool Blue
Shoes’, the slowly enticing saxophone of Joe Meo and added vocals from Carole

Sylvan underpins the gently rolling piano.

‘Be Alright’, is a comforting soul infused, shuffler with guest vocalist Simone Brown
supplying a very fine vocal and a sweet saxophone feel from Bill Holloman.

The acoustic guitar and bubbling keyboard intro on ‘Keep Pushin’’, leads into an
energetic rocker with Simone Brown adding her voice for good measure.