Chickenbone Slim Sleeper

Chickenbone Slim
Sleeper
Lo-Fi Mob Records

A few years back, I reviewed Chickenbone Slim's Album, "The Big Beat." I characterized it as "a most entertaining album of gritty performances that evoke the golden period of the fifties and sixties blues." Slim, real name, Larry Teves, returns with this collection of blues and blues-roots songs. His vocals and guitar are backed by Scott Smart on guitar, Troy Sandow on harmonica, Andrew Crane on bass, and Marty Dodson on drums. This was recorded by Kid Andersen at his Greaseland Studios. Andersen also is a guest here, along with Laura Chavez and Joey Harris.

There are a number of musical sources to be heard here from West Coast jump blues to raunchy rockabilly. The ambiance of these performances goes back decades. There is the Johnny 'Guitar' Watson slashing guitar that opens "Vampire Baby." On this song, Slim sings about being a vampire who roams at night to find someone to satisfy his appetite. "Tougher Than That" is a rockabilly-flavored flavored number in the manner of some of Jay Miller's swamp-pop recordings. "The Ballad of Dick" has a Johnny Cash styled groove. Another rockabilly flavored number "Ride" comes off like an unrecorded Carl Perkins song. On these tracks, Sandow displays his harmonica talent.

The title, "Strolling With Chickenbone," suggests it as a homage to T-Bone Walker. However, Slim's buoyant fretwork owes much to Pete 'Guitar' Lewis as well. A different mood is present for "Helpless," an acoustic folk plea, with a twangy electric guitar break. "Dignity' is a nicely rendered straight blues before the album closes from the ominous swamp grooves of "These Things Happen." While this recording is more rockabilly-country, and less blues than "The Big Beat," the music on "Sleeper" has many of the same qualities that made that recording such a rewarding listen. Chickenbone Slim has produced another album that blues and roots enthusiasts will find much to dig into.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is "Dignity" from the album.

Chickenbone Slim Sleeper

Chickenbone Slim
Sleeper
Lo-Fi Mob Records

A few years back, I reviewed Chickenbone Slim's Album, "The Big Beat." I characterized it as "a most entertaining album of gritty performances that evoke the golden period of fifties and sixties blues."  Slim, real name, Larry Teves, returns with this collection of blues and blues-roots songs. His vocals and guitar are backed by Scott Smart on guitar, Troy Sandow on harmonica, Andrew Crane on bass, and Marty Dodson on drums. This was recorded by Kid Andersen at his Greaseland Studios. Andersen also is a guest here, along with Laura Chavez and Joey Harris.

There are a number of musical sources to be heard here from West Coast jump blues to raunchy rockabilly. The ambiance of these performances goes back decades. There is the Johnny 'Guitar' Watson slashing guitar that opens "Vampire Baby." On this song, Slim sings about being a vampire who roams at night to find someone to satisfy his appetite. "Tougher Than That" is a rockabilly-flavored flavored number in the manner of some of Jay Miller's swamp-pop recordings. "The Ballad of Dick" has a Johnny Cash styled groove. Another rockabilly flavored number "Ride" comes off like an unrecorded Carl Perkins song. On these tracks, Sandow displays his harmonica talent.

The title, "Strolling With Chickenbone," suggests it as a homage to T-Bone Walker. However, his buoyant fretwork owes much to Pete 'Guitar' Lewis as well. A different mood is present for "Helpless," an acoustic folk plea, with a twangy electric guitar break. "Dignity' is a nicely rendered straight blues before the album closes from the ominous swamp grooves of "These Things Happen." While this recording is more rockabilly-country and less blues than "The Big Beat," the music on "Sleeper' has many of the same qualities that made that recording such a rewarding listen. Chickenbone Slim has produced another album that blues and roots enthusiasts will find much to dig into.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a recent video of Chickenbone Slim in performance. His website is www.chickenboneslim.com.

Chickenbone Slim Chickenbone Slim

Chickenbone Slim
The Big Beat
Lo-Fi Mob Records

Chickenbone Slim is the alter ego of Larry Teves, a San Diego based musician who started playing guitar in 2011 after playing bass in many bands for many years. Years of playing in a variety of blues and rockabilly bands is reflected in the performances here where he is backed by Big Jon Atkinson on harmonica, guitar and bass; Marty Dodson on drums and Scot Smart on bass. Recorded at Greaseland Studios, Kid Andersen engineered and mastered this and played guitar on one of the nine songs here.

With austere, relaxed backing and Slim's relaxed, unforced and grainy vocals, some of the songs has an ambience similar to the Baton Rouge based 'swamp blues" of Lazy Lester, Lonesome Sundown and others. The opening title track features superb harmonica as well as Slim's own smartly, played solo while "Me and Johnny Lee" is an even better performance in this vein as he sings about being as lonely as he can be as after she broke his heart is just him and Johnny Lee. "Long Way Down" has a bit more grit in the manner of a Tony Joe White, and a biting guitar solo from Scot Smart, as he sings about meeting his lover on the long way down.

The country-flavored "Hemi Dodge," has Kid Andersen on guitar and mournful harmonica from Atkinson, while there is a folk performance with just his acoustic guitar accompanying his vocal on "Vodka and Vicodin," his best friends as he is out of luck. There is an insistent groove to "Long Legged Sweet Thing" as Slim hammers out his vocal against skeletal backing and strong harp, while "Man Down" has a West Side Chicago feel with a boogaloo rhythm.

The closing "Break Me Of a Piece" returns us to the swamp blues vein and ends a most entertaining album of gritty performances that evoke the golden period of fifties and sixties blues.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 375). Here is a promo video for this recording.