 | NICK MOSS and THE FLIP TOPS “Sadie Mae” Blue Bella BBCD 1004 |
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Like the masters who inspired him, an underage Nick Moss used to sneak into the blues clubs. It was there Jimmy Dawkins gave him his first gig. Later, Jimmy Rogers employed Moss for three years. Near the end of the ’90s, Moss formed The Flip Tops. They perform vintage sounds previously documented, analyzed, and stored away by musicologists. Moss’ rough guitar style directly descends from the pre-British Blues boom. Unlike Count Your Blessings, there are no guests on Moss’ fourth CD. The attention is placed on his potent road band. Like Muddy Waters’ classic five-piece configuration, the band features Moss (guitar/vocals), Bob Welsh (keys), Gerry Hundt (harp/rhythm guitar), Dave Wood (bass), and Victor Spann (drums). Emergent vocals sound like a young Eddie Shaw and Rod Piazza. Hence, this is the weakest link to the glory of the past. Moss draws on inspiration from his beloved family members. The title track was named after his baby daughter. Other songs detail an ignoble ghetto personality and warn about those whose ambition is purely for self advancement. Moss’ mean guitar echoes John Primer during Grease Monkey, which contains stereotypical blues lyrics like (“Call me Mr. Goodwrench / I know how to use my tool”). To Moss’ songwriting credit, his 12 originals mesh nicely with the covers. Each song freely flows into each other. A heavy organ braces the wah wah on You Got To Lose, which distinctively sounds like Earl Hooker. Gone Hoggin’, an adventurous instrumental, contains Elmore James style slide guitar. Rogers’ Crazy Woman Blues includes harmonica that sounds like a freight train engine’s whistle blowing. Here, the piano rolls and solos are fantastic. Feel So Ashamed features Hundt’s single lead guitar notes that are plucked like a feather. Without being pounded, the drums shuffle along in the pocket – especially on Ridin’ At The Ranch. Sometimes, Moss can’t resist honorably emulating his heroes. The Bishop sounds like Magic Sam while One-Eyed Jack and The Money I Make replicates Muddy Waters. Surprisingly, Moss, a former athlete, plays burly harp on one of the disc’s highlights, Everybody Got To Go. Another high spot is Check My Pulse where the frenzied piano rattles on to a new dimension. Recorded in Moss’ basement studio, the raw sound of ’50s and ’60s Chicago Blues has been captured. Although its golden age is long over, these guys are stuck in a time warp. The whole project is so retro; the CD was designed to look like an LP record. However, it’s all done in the name of preservation. When the last bluesman passes, Moss will be there to step into his shoes. His ultimate goal is to find the fine line between the classic and contemporary sounds so that “I can get across …to the crowd that isn’t hard-core.” Ironically, that audience will enjoy this record the most. A similar version of this review of Tim’s appeared in Living Blues Magazine issue 180 Sep/Oct 2005 |