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Review published 2005
Rating 9 out of 10
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Papa Salty have become a fixture on the Portland blues scene, over the last two years, playing their hot, swinging brand of blues and R&B that is inspired by the likes T-Bone, Louis Jordan, Pee Wee Crayton et al. The band comprises Papa AKA Tim McAllister (guitar and vocals), Kevin LaBaron (saxophone), Julian Brogi (drums) and Jim Solberg (upright bass), augmented by Brad Ulrich and Pete Moss (baritone sax), a line-up that lives up to the title of the bands first CD.
The set opens with Papa's self-penned title track, a stomping slab of Treniers' styled retro rock'n'roll/R&B with swinging sax, a hard riffing horn section, twangy blues guitar and Papa's booming vocals, that are reminiscent of those of Big Joe Maher; "Don't Bite The Hand" and "I Quit" being further numbers that are also rooted in this style.
LaBaron's sax is a crucial part of the Papa Salty sound, his funky sax work firing a swinging R&B rendition of Wolf's "Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy", whilst his "yackety sax" allied to Papa's pure r'n'r guitar is a slab of strident, fun filled rock'n'roll that I could just imagine Freddy Cannon singing. "Give Me A Whirl" is a hot slab of 50's New Orleans R&B replete with lascivious vocals, mellow swinging sax and a lowdown, funky horn riff; the Crescent City connection evident again on "Take Your Trouble" which comes replete with Presley style vocals; whilst Earl King styled guitar and horns underpin Papa's deep blues vocals on "Somebody Tell Me".
There are shades of Louis Jordan to the wildly rocking "Yackity Yack"; the loping horn fired "Mermaid Mama" features some funky baritone sax and Sam Cooke inspired vocals; Jr Watson's "Take Your Hands Out Of My Pockets' is a tour de force of explosively strident guitar, powerhouse vocals and wild, jazz inflected sax; whilst on "Lonely Lonely Nights", Papa's rich baritone effectively captures the poignancy of the original. (www.papasalty.com)
If 50's R&B is your scene then Papa Salty are guaranteed to delight.