ALBUMS THAT DESERVE ANOTHER LISTEN
Albert Storo & The Soul Hustlers - Gettin' Down & Nasty (2007)
Tracklist:
01. That's Alright (04:47)
02. Hipshakin' Woman (04:06)
03. All My Life (04:43)
04. Sugar Sweet (05:45)
05. Chicken Heads (14:34)
06. Lovin' You (04:49)
07. My Favorite Things (07:34)
Guitar, Vocals – Albert Storo
Keyboards – Chaz Nadege (tracks 1 to 4, 6, 7), Steve Cecil (track 5)
Bass – Alfred Kennedy (track 7), Jessica Bucheit (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
Drums – Charlie San Miguel (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7), Mark McSwain (track 5)
Bass, Drums – Albert Storo (track 3)
Congas, Shaker – Albert Storo (track 4)
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8 recorded at Bungalow Studios, Houston, TX
Tracks 3 & 7 recorded at R.B.I. Studios, Houston, TX
Track 5 recorded live at Sunset Bar & Grill, Houston, TX
Review 1:
Described as "Texas Fried, Chicago Funked Blues", with this killer debut CD, Houston-based bluesman Albert Storo certainly does justice to the album's title: "gettin' down & nasty" on six covers and a self penned number that show him to be a bruising player and tough vocalist. Storo delivers a stinging guitar attack on a well chosen cover of Carl Weathersby's 'Hipshaking Woman'. This track is nicely juxtaposed with a cool soulful blues 'All My Life', on which Albert plays all the instruments except for keyboards and leans into the groove with a rough-edged tone. The undoubted edginess to his playing on this track is also reminiscent of Washington DC guitarist Bobby Radcliff who funnily enough also covers Bobby Rush's "Chicken Heads". Albert settles into a funky live rendition of the afore mentioned 'Chicken Heads' playing simmering licks over a crunching rhythm section. The guitar and organ interplay here is startlingly good, setting up a deep groove that is both rigorously underpinned and periodically punctuated by drummer Mark McSwain. And as if to prove that he is no one dimensional rock blues journeyman, on the closing track Albert turns his funky attention to an unlikely Coltrane style take of "My Favorite Things" showing that he has the acute eye of an arranger, producing a new and refreshing take on this classic jazz standard without making it a jazz tune per se, yet still keeping 100% respectful. File under funky rock blues with attitude.
Review 2:
Houston-based Albert Storo has put out seven solid tracks of outstanding electric blues – well, make that six tracks. The last song, his rearrangement of “My Favorite Things” (yes, from The Sound of Music) isn't exactly blues, but it's not Rogers and Hammerstein, either. The disc, his first, is phenomenal. From the opening “That's Alright,” a much faster version than the Jimmy Rogers classic, to the 14-minute funky “Chicken Heads” by Bobby Rush, my favorite song on the record, there really isn't one song you might opt to skip over. It rocks – nearly all the songs are danceable – but is not what you'd call “blues rock.” The album is raw, fresh and interesting, and minus those tired special effects like distortion and wah-wah pedals. Storo describes his style as “rocked- up blues.” Storo, who does all the vocals and guitar playing, along with bass and drums on one track, is obviously influenced by fellow Texan, Stevie Ray Vaughn. But he also draws heavily from Otis Rush and Freddie King. Willy Kent's “All My Life,” a slow, smoky blues, showcases his guitar prowess. The one original on the disc, Storo's “Lovin' You,” sticks to the pure blues sound and reminds me of Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson, another of Storo's influences. For us stubborn purists, besides “That's Alright,” Storo offers the snazzy “Hipshakin' Woman,” a fast-paced number. He puts a funky spin on “Sugar Sweet,” a favorite of Muddy Waters, but the guitar solo is stupendous. That brings us to “Chicken Heads,” a very long song with a Hendrix-like guitar thing in the middle. The track was recorded live at the Sunset Bar and Grill in Houston, and you sure can picture the bumpin' and grinding that must have been going on. Storo played drums earlier in his career, and worked with Bobby Parker, W.C. Clark, and Trudy Lynn, among others, including Boston's Brian Templeton and the Radio Kings. He's jammed with Albert Collins and Carey Bell, and has opened for B.B. King. The other band members on the disc are Chaz Nadege and Steve Cecil on keyboards, Jessica Bucheit and Alfred Kennedy on bass, and Charlie San Miguel and Mark McSwain on drums.
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