2018 –Old Boy Network
By Phillip Smith;
Oct. 21, 2018
New York-based JJ Appleton, noted songwriter/guitarist/producer
and Jason Ricci, winner of Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist/Harmonica
in both 2010 and 2018, have joined forces again in the studio to record another
outstanding treasure trove of blues. Swampy
goodness pours out every crevice of their new album, Beautiful Slop, and it truly captures my heart. On acoustic bass is Derek Nievergelt
who co-produced the album with Appleton.
I love how they open the record by covering Lonnie
Brooks’ “Don’t Take Advantage of Me”. With Appleton spinning a cool groove on
resonator, and Ricci mastering the harp as he does, they bestow a new
life to this classic with a North Mississippi wardrobe. Ricci shines as he channels the
legendary Screamin’ Jay Hawkins on a stellar performance of “Hurt Myself”
which also happens to be jam-packed with a slew of amazing harmonica runs. There is obviously a musical chemistry between
the two, and that is so very obvious as they tear into the delta blues of “For
the Very Last Time”. It’s almost
magical. I could listen to this all day
long. Beautiful Slop concludes with a heart-felt cover of Rihanna’s
“Stay”. Their beautiful, bluesy reconstruction
of the song certainly demands attention and gave me a new layer of admiration
for Rihanna as a song-writer.
Appleton and Ricci score big with this album, and I hope they keep the
momentum going for another.
