The cover of Popa Chubby's latest album--his first for
Blind Pig Records--features the guitarist sporting a cowboy hat and a
Flying V axe. It's an appropriate image for the blues-rock aficionado,
especially since this time around he sounds a bit less like New York and a
bit more like Texas.
Exhibit A: opening track "Daddy Played the Guitar and Mama
Was a Disco Queen," which has an extremely Texas feel but includes an
interlude that betrays Chubby's punk-rock past. Likewise "Carrying On the
Torch of the Blues," a high-stepping shuffle complete with
Vaughan-reminiscent guitar pyrotechnics that serves as the necessary
homage to the elders all up-and-coming blues musicians seem obliged to
include. Respect for one's elders is, of course, a good (and increasingly
rare) thing, but we can already tell that Chubby digs Hendrix without his
telling us. He also evokes other greats of classic rock who drew
inspiration from blues: the Rolling Stones and Clapton are audible
influences here, and the title track sounds downright Zeppelin-esque.
Still, Chubby has a rawer edge than most of his
contemporaries. He lacks the slickness of, for instance, Kenny Wayne
Shepherd, and How'd a White Boy Get the Blues? has some great cuts.
The sweet, ambling "Savin' My Love Up for My Lover" is one, and the
low-key "Since I Lost My Leg" suggests that Chubby's listening hasn't
consisted entirely of blues-based classic rock but has included a good
deal of straightforward blues as well. If How'd a White Boy Get the
Blues? doesn't exactly break new ground, it is a solid entry in
Chubby's catalog. One might suggest, however, that the elders could still
teach him a thing or two. (The disc has extra goodies if you stick it in
your CD-ROM drive, including a video that's a pleasant diversion if you're
pining for New York.)
-- Originally appeared in Blues Revue No. 72,
November 2001, p. 61