Keepin' It Real

Keepin' It Real is an aptly titled disc by Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers. Among the 13 tracks are edgy performances of such blues standards as "Good Morning Little School Girl," "Baby Please Don't Go," and "Pretty Thing," but it's the six originals that really ignite this set. Since the band had been working out these songs during live shows, the tracks were usually captured in one take when they finally played them in the studio. The potent combination of Piazza's rough modernized blues harp, the boogie-woogie keyboard runs by Honey Piazza, and the blistering guitar attack of new Mighty Flyer Henry Carvajal effortlessly clicks, as proved on the shuffle "Moving in a West Coast Way" and the burning instrumental "West Coast Midnight Blues," two tracks that taken together make the CD worth its price of admission. Longtime bassist Bill Stuve and new drummer Paul Fasulo hold down a rock-solid bottom throughout. With growing numbers of blues artists encouraged to tone down emotional fervor for a piece of an extremely small radio-friendly pie, it's uplifting when a band like Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers play this music simply because it feels good.