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Popa Chubby

I'm Feelin' Lucky - The Blues According To Popa Chubby

Review by Gary Hill

I like this set a lot. I would say that not everything here really qualifies as blues, but there is blues in just about all of it. All of it is of a pretty high quality, too. There’s not a bad song here. There are a couple weaker numbers, though. Unfortunately, those are the last two songs of the set. I tend to think that a little rearranging would have made for a stronger CD.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Come To Me (with Dana Fuchs)

This has a great retro soulful blues sound. Dana Fuchs really adds a lot to this piece. She has a voice that calls to mind people like Janis Joplin and Melissa Etheridge. She just plain rocks.

One Leg at a Time
This one is much more of a traditional blues number. It’s energetic and a lot of fun.
Three Little Words
More of a modern electric blues piece, this is killer stuff. It channels things like Buddy Guy and Robert Cray, but it’s all Popa Chubby. The horn section is a great touch, but the singing and guitar steal the show.
Rollin’ N’ Tumblin’

I love the slide guitar on this killer hard rocking blues tune. This is closer to the Led Zeppelin end of the blues. Mind you, I’m not saying Zeppelin is blues, but rather hard rock. I’m saying this is pure blues, but has that crunch and power of Zeppelin styled blues rock. Either way, it’s great stuff.

Too Much Information
I wouldn’t consider this to be blues at all. Instead, it’s a great melodic rocker. It’s mid-tempo and very classy.
Rock on Bluesman (with Mike Zito)
A slower blues tune, this is great stuff. It’s got a classy retro blues sound, but with some smoking hot electric guitar. This is one of the best pieces here for certain.
I’m Feelin’ Lucky
There is some seriously cool funk on the title track. This is a lot of fun, plain and simple.
Save Your Own Life
A harder rocking tune, this seems to combine a bit of a Beatles-like element with the blues. It’s a smoking hot cut. There are some Zeppelinisms here, too.
I’m A Pitbull (Nothing But Love)
This bluesy rocker is good, but not a highlight, really. It’s just not all that special.
The Way It Is
More of a modern rocker with some classic blues sound in the mix. This is another that’s just not as strong as a lot of the rest. Personally, I think that if they’d put this song and the previous one in the middle of the disc instead of here, it would be a stronger album.
 
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