The 44's - Boogie Disease (2010)

Produced by ace guitarist Kid Ramos, who also played on four tracks. Then there's the topnotch material: two blues from the band, a Ramos instrumental called Johnny Cochino, and lively, surprising interpretations of classics credited to the late, lamented west coast harmonica wizards Lester Butler and William Clarke and to past Chicago titans Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf. Johnny Main grounds his outstanding singing and guitar playing in real experience - his talent's as honest as the day is long. Tex Nakamura has forged his own stirring voice from studying Little Walter and other legendary harmonica mentors. Bassist Mike Turturro and drummer J. R. Lozano are as solid a team as any you'll hear, calibrating rhythmic flow with alertness and intelligence, never calling undue attention to themselves. For their one-of-a-kind blues, The 44's successfully mine the tension between the turbocharged passion of modern musicians and the thrilling allure of the rich blues history they love so much.

There are several really good blues bands out there that have taken the tough post-war Chicago sound and pumped new life into it. Updating the music; but keeping the raw core of it. Well, add to this list the 44s 2010 debut on Rip Cat Records featuring Kid Ramos. Boogie Disease is a monster with nine tracks that clocks in at 39 minutes of unpretentious full on blues. The LA-based band features Johnny Main on guitar, vocals; Tex Nakamura on harp; Mike Turturro on upright bass; and J.R. Lozano on drums, with producer Kid Ramos guitar on four cuts. I like every song from the first note to the last; but, a few stand out like the propulsive, raw to the bone, methodical band original title cut Boogie Disease with Kid Ramos and Lester Butler's harp driven So Low Down which just plain smokes. Tex's cracker jack reed bending harp playing is barely contained on William Clarke's incendiary instrumental Blowin' Like Hell. They breathe fresh life into Wolf's Commit A Crime: performing it at a slow and deliberate pace which allows the song to maintain much of the menace without attempting to out-wolf the Wolf, which some have tried; only to come not even close. If it sounds like I'm raving about Boogie Disease, well that's because I am. It is 100% solid blue and I recommend it extremely highly. --Malcolm Kennedy