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There is an introspective piano-led ballad in ‘No Place Like Home’, but more typical are tracks like

the loosely swinging blues of ‘You Can’t Say No’ (a very slight touch of Junior Wells on this one) and

the rocking blues of ‘Walk With You’ or the soulfully sung, 50s flavoured ‘Everybody But Me’. Then
this rather fine set closes with the powerful shuffle blues of ‘Go Down Fighting’.

Norman Darwen

Electrobluessociety Featuring Boo Boo Davis– You Better
Watch Yourself – Black & Tan B&T 978 (Single)

(www.blackandtanrecords.nl)

Boo Boo Davis, born and raised in Drew, Mississippi, and the

ElectroBluesSociety (Jan Mittendorp on guitar and “buttons”,
Jasper Mortier on bass and drums). create some fine if rather
different modern blues and here’s another – it’s not the Little

Walter song, by the way. Recorded in Holland and Saint Louis,
Missouri, as part of the “Transatlantic Quarantine Sessions”, it

features Boo Boo’s strong down-home vocals and wailing blues
harp over an electronic-styled backing and some sampled effects. It works too. Many blues lovers
might shy away from the electronic backing, but this is really just another example of the music

modernising itself. Give it a try…

Norman Darwen

Steve Cropper—Fire It Up—Mascot Label Group/Provogue

Steve Cropper is a guitar hero’s hero. Famed for his work with
Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Johnny Taylor, Albert

King, and practically any great musician who booked a room in
Memphis. His abiding theme tune must be the revered ‘Green
Onions’ with Booker T and the MGs.

It is 10 years since his last recording and this one, which he
produced with John Tiven, is a serious disappointment. Not with
out funk and some interesting bass-heavy arrangements,

unfortunately it sounds to me like Memphis soul by numbers.
Cropper reportedly said, “It’s made from old grooves, because during a lockdown, you work on stuff

that’s been in your head for years”†. Well, yes, and IMHO, he should not have bothered. Shame
though!

Ian K. McKenzie