Blind Pig
2006
Stealing The Devil's Guitar
About This Album
Nothing if not prolific (this is Popa Chubby's sixth set of original material in six years), the New York City-based guitarist nonetheless scores with fresh, often inspired material on this outing, Stealing the Devil's Guitar. He has already shown he can push past the rather strict boundaries of blues-rock by gradually infusing hip-hop, Latin, Southern swamp, and even reggae influences, and continues to do so throughout 12 new songs, along with a cover of Jessie Mae Hemphill's "In This World." Chubby loves to ride a chunky riff and he serves up a tasty selection of them here. The instrumental "Kinda Dicey" is a perfect example; it's a tough, sticky, funky groove, ideal for Chubby's licks. Same with the strutting "Smuggler's Blues," a story of the titular character who is both desperate and determined, with a smoking guitar solo that mirrors its narrator's intensity to get his job done. Chubby's gutsy, talk-singing vocals go a long way to differentiate him from the pack as his ominous voice conveys the rather demonic aspects of these songs. Lucifer sandwiches the disc as he shows up on the opening "Slide Devil Man Slide" that, not surprisingly, displays the guitarist's ability to sizzle on slide guitar.
Track List (try tracks 1,5,6,9 and 12)

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