This set finds the vintage but still forceful outfit hitting very New Orleans and Deep South blues and R&B vibe in the company of some great guests and a fruity horn section, underpinned by some notably groove-laden basslines and steady crisp drumwork – Bryan Bethell the original NBZ bassist and touring four-stringer Ben Willis are to credit along with drummer Mickey Burkey. This group that torched The Marquee in Wardour Street on many occasions back in the day have lost none of their fire but these days tackle sophisticated chordal workouts like Crawling up A Hill with aplomb.

Dennis Greaves’ voice gets better and better and is arguably at his best so far throughout this collection. I have played harp for many decades and often have a favourite artist in mind when I take a solo eg Taj Mahal, Norton Buffalo or my unwitting mentor Paul Butterfield. I would swear that harmonica ace Mark Feltham must do the same thing, as he seems to be able to conjure up the fine players from history AND add his own thing. The harp elements are integrated very well in this clutch of songs and with the horns the ghost of expensively-suited Junior Wells is often evoked especially on the thundering My Woman Is Good To Me.

Opening cut Don’t Lay Your Funky Trip On Me was written by B B Dickerson, harpist Lee Oskar ( wrongly spelt on the sleeve) and others in the days when they were in Senor Soul, the band that evolved into the mighty War. Watch What You Do To Me is a chugging groove with Butterfieldish harp ; That’s What Love Will Make You Do includes a neat electric sitar solo by Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze as well as Albert King style licks from Dennis and cruising horns. Don’t Play That Song has a great vocal duet by Greaves and female vocalist Charlie Austen and she does not imitate Aretha, full points for that ! Wonderful piano, too.

It’s Your Voodoo Working could be Dr John on the intro and here Greaves’ phrasing somehow reminds me of Lee Brilleaux. These guys were all friends, of course.   You’re Still My Woman visits that wronged man territory often explored by the late Little Milton, in fact a lot of the sounds on this record remind me of the Malaco label.

The Toddle is a pacey instrumental featuring blazing harp lines from Feltham on this Little Walter piece. I think I heard George Smith do this once, with Bacon Fat ; I’m Gonna Keep What I’ve Got brings us a Slim Harpo insistent blues gem with a terrific vocal from Dennis. I Want To Know is a hipster groove soul croon, well-delivered.

My Woman Is Good To Me uses sharp harp on a pumping tune that sounds like a set opener to me ; The Meters used to perform the scathing Toussaint song Hercules and Greaves sings it well here over a lively steady bass run and a sprinkle of piano. The vocal almost sounds like Paul Weller at times. Finally Paper In My Show takes the listener straight to a bayou Saturday night fish-fry with its lilting accordian and easy-rolling bass.

Less Chicago Blues sounding than most of the other Nine Below Zero releases, this record has a lot of colour and warmth but never at the expense of musical muscle. Plus this surely has to be a fine basis for some live promotional shows….

Pete Sargeant

(Thanks Sue and Asher)