Alligator Records [Release date 08.03.24]

It’s five years since Rick Estrin & the Nightcats cut an album signifantly called ‘Contemporary’. And as if too illustate his almost unique standing as a conduit between old school blues and his current groundbreaking band’s contemporary approach, ‘The Hits Keep Coming’ provides the perfect balance between hipshaking rhythms, gospel flourishes and Estrin’s sense of a groove.

Indeed ‘The Hits Keep Coming’ finds the blues harp veteran at the top of his game with arguably the best Nighcats line-up he’s ever had.

He revels in the art of blues songcraft – from the humorous to the sombre and back again – and expressive blues harp playing on a groove laden album.

And when he does indulge himself on 2 covers, his reading of Leonard Cohen’s darkly filtered ‘Everybody Knows’, serves to highlight his own lyrical abilties, as its sound as if it could have come from his own pen.

Estrin’s raspy baritone and cartoon character style phrasing has long been an acquired taste, but it has always facililated humour which remains an integral part of his oeuvre.

And such is his standing in the blues world that that he can sing the blues the way he feels them, with total conviction, integrity and real feel.

He frequently glides effortlessly from an emotive vocal phrase to a deep expressive harmonica break, which sounds like an extension of the same conversation.

The fact that his band matches him everystep of the way, complete with frequent gospel bv’s from Sons Of The Soul Revivers and an intuitive production by the celebrated Kid Anderson, makes this easily his best release.

The album opens with hip shaking ‘Somewhere Else’, which is powered by the relentless drive of drummer Derrick D’Mar Martin.

It’s topped by Estrin’s ironic vocal phrasing and killer harp and is framed by an intuitive production. The latter achieves that rare thing of capturing spark within a polished whole.

The title track packs a lyrical surprise, being about the vacillations of life rather than commerical success. Estrin is at his emotive best here, supported by emotive gospel bv’s , while his tension breaking harp both supports the song and gives it extra depth.

He adopts a tone of almost ironic bewlderment on the autobiogrphical “The Circus Is Still In Town (The Monkey Song)”, a tune about addiction with a sting in the tail. Though you’d hope having come this far, blues would be his only consuming vice:

“The monkey’s off of my back, But the circus ain’t gone, Clowns and the side show freaks live on, The monkey is laying low as far as I can tell, But I know he’s out there waiting and he’s still alive and well.”

On ‘I Finally Hit The Bottom’, his titular lyrics work their way from the bottom up towards some sort of salvation, though given his ambivalent style of phrasing, you are never quite sure.

In fact it’s left to his own blast of earthy harp, Farrell’s sweeping organ break and Andersen’s stringing guitar to provide the musical confirmation.

The key to the album as a whole is the exilerating way Estrin attacks an array of blues styles, as he heads down different musical avenues while exploring his own versatile vocal and harp styles.

There’s dark humour to be found on the jump blues reading of a Muddy Waters outing called ‘Diamonds At Her Feet’.

He’s more upbeat on the harp led Lazy Lester style ‘I Ain’t Worried About Nothin’, while the Latino influecned ‘Learn To Lose’, sounds almost perfunctory, until being offset by a clarity of diction and dirt toned harp that drips with feel. Lorenzo Farrell adds a telling organ sweep while Andersen provides the perfect sinewy guitar counterweight, to underpin Estrin’s observations.

“You gonna be in for a shock, When that other shoe drops, Everybody got to learn to lose.”

He’s at his most sombre on the beautifully crafted ‘It’s Time For Me To Go’, a co-write with Lorenzo Farrell. It’s a deep blues on which the band’s sparkling playing illuminates a dark place with heartfelt lyrics:

“And most of the folks I used to know, They split the scene a while ago, I guess I better pack my stuff, ‘Cause it’s time to wrap this show
But man, I sure don’t wanna go.”

And just when it feels as if he’s turning the pages of a blues diary, he steps out of character for a soulful intrumental ‘Sack O’ Kools’, on which his harp playing is closer to the country feel of Van McCoy on a Memphis Soul track.

Everything flows mellifuously right through to ‘Whatever Happened to Dobie Strange’, which provides a memorably surreal bookend.

The song references Dobie Strange an early 90’s Nightcats drummer, on another cartoon character outing with comic backing vocals, on which the narrator recalls a frequent case of mistaken identity between himself and the late band leader Charlie Baty.

It’s like Estrin is voicing some the kind of inane post gig questions, and working them Zappa style, into a completely unique song which finishes with a funny funky rap bathed in period vocoder.

Just like the album as a whole, it’s marvellous! ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)