This is a straight-ahead, no frills club blues set from a Washington DC area band led by veteran singer and guitarist Johnny Ticktin. Here Johnny is backed by a variety of bass players and drummers, Tam Sullivan on piano and organ and guitarist Dru Lore, who presumably supplies the lovely slide playing on the excellent cover of Elmore James' 'Shake Your Moneymaker'. In fact, the club atmosphere comes not only from the band's direct blues approach but also from the repertoire, which is all borrowed from the likes of blues legends such as Magic Sam (two tracks), Bobby Bland, Lowell Fulson, Johnny Adams, Albert Collins, rock instrumentalist Link Wray, rockabilly Dave Rich and Donovan's 'Watch And Chain (Hey Gyp)'. This may not be the most original set you'll hear this year, but it could well be one of the most entertaining.
Norman Darwen