Boot 'Em Up!

At 71, blues pianist/singer Moore is only up to his second CD, but it's a very good one. He's definitely reminiscent of his main influence, Roosevelt Sykes, just not as bawdy. Traces of Jay McShann also creep in here and there. Moore wrote all 17 of these tracks, but you've heard them all under the guise of more familiar blues standards. The backup band is solid: guitarist James Wheeler is an expert at economical, sweet, tasty solos and fills, Bob Stroger knows the right basslines to lay down, and drummer Wilie "Big Eyes" Smith is a legend. When Moore gets on a roll, he stays there, as the majority of his tunes are easy shuffles with New Orleans flourishes. "I Want My Baby Back" is a lighter boogie with sexual overtones, "Hind Part Boogie" is much heavier and Sykes-like, "You Look so Good to Me" is in more of a Jimmy Reed style, while the title track is a jump-n-shout fire breather and "Faithful Love," with just Moore playing and singing, is similar to "Sunny Side of the Street." Not much soloing here, but there are traces of the influence of Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, and Earl Hines that come across in a compact approach that has no need for grandstanding. Slower ballads and shuffles such as the 12-bar "My Love Is Out of Control" and "Made a Change in Your Love" show Moore's tender side, but then he cranks it back up with "Real Throw Down," a down-home blues perfect for your next party. Moore's style is getting to be a lost art, and while a bit more diversity could make this fine pianist a true blues star, there's absolutely nothing wrong with what he's doing here. Recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi