Album:
Fire It Up
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 43:58
Size: 100.7 MB
Styles: Rockin blues
Year: 2001
Art: Front
[3:04] 1. Itchin' For It
[5:06] 2. Clean Thing
[3:59] 3. Fire It Up
[4:18] 4. Pressure
[4:03] 5. I Can't See The Light Of Day
[4:05] 6. Born In New York
[5:48] 7. Thinkin' Of You
[2:40] 8. G & L Jump
[3:35] 9. I Ain't Lyin'
[2:54] 10. Heaven In A Pontiac
[4:20] 11. Cheatin' Blues
Like Blind Pig labelmate Jimmy Thackery, New Yorker Bill Perry churns out a rugged blend of electric blues-rock and the occasional ballad, infused with authority, class, and dogged dedication to his craft. While he's not breaking any stylistic barriers, Perry and his band -- led by the Conan O'Brien Show's music director Jimmy Vivino (who also co-produced) -- grind out a satisfying set of rough originals with a few obscure covers. As an adequate representation of his style, neither the songs nor Perry's gruffly serviceable vocals on his third studio album will shoot him into the blues-rock stratosphere. But Fire It Up is the souvenir you'll take home after experiencing his notoriously electrifying live act. This band, featuring legendary Johnny Winter/Son Seals/Albert Collins bassist Johnny B. Gayden, is a no-frills outfit that leaves plenty of room for Perry's muscular yet remarkably compact leads. The album's John Lee Hooker-styled opening boogie, "Itchin' for It," and the swampy following tune, "Clean Thing," are indicative of Perry's workmanlike approach. The album's closing solo acoustic slide on "Cheatin' Blues" shows he's been inspired by Johnny Winter's "Dallas," and is a vital indication of his talents. Perry displays his Freddie King side on the hyperactive double-time instrumental "G & L Jump." While Fire It Up likely won't end up as a blues-rock fan's most treasured possession, it's a sturdy, tough, unfussy work that offers proof of Bill Perry's guitar abilities without resorting to extraneous flourishes or frivolous grandstanding. ~Hal Horowitz
Fire It Up mc
Fire It Up zippy
Album:
Crazy Kind Of Life
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 42:24
Size: 97.1 MB
Styles: Rockin blues
Year: 2002
Art: Front
[2:51] 1. Trouble In The Shotgun
[4:58] 2. Crazy Kind Of Life
[3:09] 3. Too Hot
[3:20] 4. Honey Pie
[3:32] 5. Take You Down
[3:40] 6. Five Hundred Miles
[2:58] 7. Junkie
[4:34] 8. Can’t Buy My Love
[3:47] 9. Morning Spiritual
[3:38] 10. Girl’s Gone Crazy
[5:51] 11. No Expectations
Joined again by shotgun-riding guitarist/vocalist/songwriter/producer Jimmy Vivino (who wrote or co-penned six tunes), New Yorker Bill Perry's second Blind Pig album wallows in his gruff, no-frills blues/rock. Neither Perry's throaty voice, workingman lyrics, nor guitar sound are particularly recognizable, yet he gets by on enthusiasm and fiery playing, raising the temperature on such trite concepts as "Too Hot" with his rugged, straightforward attack. Explorations into light funk ("Take You Down") and gospel ("Morning Spiritual" is the album's only instrumental) effectively break up the tough roots rocking that remains the album's core attraction. As clichéd as the sounds and sentiments of the Stevie Ray Vaughan-ish "Can't Buy My Love" or the good-natured misogyny of "Girl's Gone Crazy" are, Perry delivers them with such exuberant finesse that they click, regardless of how religiously both stay within standard guidelines of the genre. Slide excursions on the opening "Trouble in the Shotgun" and the Elmore James riffage of "500 Miles" also tread familiar territory. Only a well-intentioned but entirely out-of-place near-acoustic version of the Rolling Stones' "No Expectations" (with Perry's old employer, Richie Havens, on vocals and acoustic guitar) derails the mood on this perfectly adequate, energetic, enjoyable, but hardly essential release. ~Hal Horowitz
Crazy Kind Of Life mc
Crazy Kind Of Life zippy