Connecticut’s Namedroppers continue to be one of the strongest amalgamations of oldies rock and roll, classic R&B and blues music. Their new “Let’s Live Together” album offers interesting original music while paying tribute to some of the great artists who recorded some of the most memorable songs in modern music history. Namedroppers also continue to pay tribute to their late great member Charlie Karp with two of his songs.
Opening with “Grey Haired Blues” Namedroppers give us a tasty Ron Rifkin piano line, a smooth Rafe Klein vocal line and a steady Rafe Klein guitar part. Amid the classy instrumentation is Simone Brown’s sultry background coos, a slice of spiritual vibe inside this ode to middle aged life. Crispin Cioe’s busty saxophone adds to the ebullience of this song, part spiritual, part party vibe.
“Let’s Live Together” give us more of that Rafe Klein vocal aplomb as well as the Namedroppers’ fun bouncy bump from drummer Bobby T Torello and bass guitarist Scott Spray. The listener can feel the two pushing this all forward with their pumping groove. Simone Browns’ backing vocals give it that gospel choir sense of spiritual awakening while opening the song wider.
“Heartbreak City” gives Namedroppers’ keyboardist Ron Rifkin plenty of space to let loose with his considerable vocal power as well as his tinkling on an electric piano. Guest musician Crispin Cioe’s thick sax line, Rafe Klein’s tap dancing precision on guitar line, and the rhythm section’s balance between slap happy joy and precise timing keep things humming.
New member Simone Brown takes the lead vocal microphone on Don Covey’s “Chain Of Fools,” popularized by Aretha Franklin, and she carries it with a confident gusto. Ron Rifkin’s rhythmic keyboard work fills in plenty of sparkle and panache while Klein punches it up with his crisp guitar chords. Just when one thinks this arrangement can’t get any better, it fills itself up with more snappy instrumental and vocal work. “Chain” is a live track recorded at The Fallout Shelter in Norwood, Massachusetts.
Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” gets a breezy, bluesy treatment here. Rafe Klein’s guttural vocal hits the listener in the gut with his sweet soulful delivery. The listener is treated to Ron Rifkin’s mellow organ grove and Klein’s guitar work, tastefully pressing out edgy lines that serve the song well. Kevin Monroe & Devotion serve up some spiritual vibes with their high, pretty voices, adeptly putting a choir action into this Dylan 70s humble soul surfer.
Bluesy weeper “Don’t Cry Over Me” makes the most of Rafe Klein’s ability to pull emotion out of a song with his sensitive delivery. Simone Brown and Ron Rifkin add a sweet choir to the backdrop while Rafe Klein’s feel for finessing lyrics makes them sway with romantic desperation. The band keeps this one in tender action by applying tasteful restraint, letting the vibe empower the song more than flashy expression.
Written by Namedroppers late great leader Charlie Karp, “Talk Dirty” gets a start stop pushy action groove from Torello and Spray. That lets Ron Rifkin howl out the lyrics with melodic thrust as Ron Rifkin’s electric piano and Klein’s busy guitar riffing keep a hustle feeling in action. This one is pure toe tapping, finger snapping, head bopping fun.
Another Charlie Karp number, “Love Lightnin’” moves to a groove compacted together from keyboards, drums, and bass playing a locked in groove. Above the tight rhythmic rumble, Rifkin sings it with a winsome quaintness that grabs the spotlight with its sensitive placement inside this song. This one feels like something that could have been found on an early 1960s jukebox, the song everyone wanted the jukebox to play no matter how many times the patrons played it.
“Watch Pocket” lets drummer Bobby T Torello take the microphone to apply his cool rasp as he sings over this slow guitar boil. Rafe Klein pays out something with an edgy timbre. Meanwhile, guest player Jay Willie plays a greasy slide guitar, something that moves around like a snake as the rest of the band injects barroom piano boogie and an infection rhythm section.
Staying true to form, Namedroppers close out with Muddy Waters’ blues classic “Mannish Boy.” Driven by Bobby T Torello’s drum fills and Scott Sprays bulbous low end, guest player Richard Hunter’s harmonica line get a firm ground to blow out salty, sultry notes that glide around like nobody’s business. Filling out the remaining space is Ron Rifkin’s expressive organ groove and Rafe Klein’s guitar notes, weepy notes that drip over with bluesy overtones that juice up the sound. Klein’s vocal here tops off this arrangement with a street tough persona.
The Namedroppers have once again done what they do best, put together an album thick with blues, early rock, and old school R&B. Produced by Connecticut’s Vic Steffens, Let’s Live Together connects with the listener on multiple levels at once. Its sound and lyrical vision come together with a mighty swing.
