BIG JOE & THE DYNAFLOWS

YOU CAN'T KEEP A BIG MAN DOWN

2011-02-04

Big Joe Maher is a mainstay on the East Coast Blues scene having spent time in the Uptown Rhythm Kings and the Tom Principato Band before fronting the Dynaflows for the past couple of decades and releasing several discs. As both the drummer and singer of the band, Maher is a natural focal point and always stirs up a big batch of fun. On this release the Dynaflows are mostly borrowed from Delbert McClinton’s band and include Kevin McKendree on keys (who also produced this set), Rob McNelley on guitar and the late saxophonist Dennis Taylor. The twelve cuts included here cover a lot of blues ground with everything from the upbeat boogie groove of Delbert McClinton’s "What the Hell Were You Thinkin’?", to the piano driven Kansas City blues of Jay McShann’s "Confessin’ the Blues", to the lowdown dirty blues of the original "Nothin’ But Trouble", which features some tasty guitar licks, to the horn accented rework of B.B. King’s "Bad Case of Love", to the funky tale of neighborhood woe, "Property Line", the swinging "Whatcha Gonna Do?" and the party ready title cut. Throughout, Maher sings like a sly hipster who is having a load of fun. While his vocals are as much spoken as sung they serve the songs well and meld this diverse collection into a solid disc. Smitty