The big man is back with his kerosene guitar licks and powerful voice and for those who love his urban, edgy style it’s great news.  For me, he’s like Eric Gales in that he is consistently punchy as a player and deliverer of songs but really hits home on the higher-quality material. Every record Popa has put out previously has had its highlights.This one reeks of New York City and Chubby’s road experience.

The band here includes keys ace Dave Keyes and drummer Dave Moore however the first thing you notice when you play the album is the superbly-recorded electric bass tone – Conrad, I believe?

Going Downtown See My Old Gal Sue is as funky a start as you could wish for, with the throaty organ sound putting me in mind of my favourite Bo Diddley album The Black Gladiator. Chubby provides a knowing vocal and spiky wah guitar runs. Next up, unison guitar-and-bass figures, a fast electric piano break all over Blaxploitation soundtrack bass and drums..cooking or what ?? this is Good Thing with its brilliant jazzy interplay on a street-funk opus.

Bye Bye Love takes the Everlys radio fave on a Caribbean trip, beautifully executed fuzz guitar runs…I half expected it to run into Cathy’s Clown! Maybe it will when played live. The hammer-ons run is killer; Cry Till It’s A Dull Ache is a whacking rock-blues number with deep singing ..it’s almost like a lost Bad Company song with Albert King guesting. (This is a compliment, Ted!)

Wes Is More takes us into brush-drumming nightclub Montgomery-fueled guitar paddling over walking bass, played with great affection though I spotted a Charlie Byrd lick somewhere in there. I hope this makes the setlist for any performances!

Motorhead Saved My Life is a good title. Mine would be Motorhead Endangered My Hearing as they opened for Blue Oyster Cult at Hammersmith and I have never seen the bar fill so quickly. I did meet Lemmy a while later, but that’s another story…on this song, Popa hits a heavy rock groove over a Ladbroke Grove tempo. Terrific vocal, here ; Blues For Charlie reflects on the terrorist acts in Paris in instrumental mode and sure does conjure up the capital at midnight, strings pad behind the reverbed guitar and unhurried rhythm section. Fluid and aching axe runs mix relaxation and tension.  Dirty Diesel has a vibrant ZZ groove with excellent drumwork and unrestrained guitar, in Freddie King vein, I venture.

Slow Down Sugar features the man’s daughter Tipitina on trumpet and steady Milesian funk groove, altogether a lovely track that might fool many in identifying the artist. Grainy and heartfelt vocal, making this one of the best cuts in a superior collection. Davis’ own You’re Under Arrest would be the best radio play coupling.

Put A Grown Man To Shame has a lighter but no less insistent beat and the sort of lyric this man can put over, much in the way Joe Tex could. Good, balancing song. The CatFish has fast voodoo ambience, crisp guitar with slight delay and electric piano rolling a tale of a boss figure. I had to grab a harp and play along! The album goes out on C’Mon In My Kitchen as a brisk acoustic slide feature but it’s a Robert Johnson song I have heard far too often.

In my humble opinion the best album ever made by this artist and satisfyingly varied. He’s going right up in my estimation and this release is guaranteed to impress any connoisseur of electric roots music.

Pete Sargeant

(Thanks Chris H for all help on this piece)