Album Review #10: Popa Chubby

So it’s been four months since I’ve done an album review. I’ve gone on hiatus with these for no particular reason, other than they’re hard and I’m not what you would call musically gifted. My understanding of music, while heartfelt and sincere, just isn’t that deep when it comes to the technical stuff.

But, back by...er...unpopular demand...

Big Man, Big Guitar [Live] (2005), by Popa Chubby

We won’t talk about the subtle undertone of his stage name (which I didn’t even realize until reading it on Wikipedia). Let’s just leave it at: he’s a big guy. But one hell of a blues guitarist. This live cut from a show in France (you know how those French love the blues) ostentates (Hoorah, I just made up a word!) his technical guitar prowess as well as any of his -– count ‘em –- 19 albums. OK, so I’ve only listened to 2 of them, but hey, I’m a busy guy.

The album gets off to a raucous start with a cover of Hendrix’s “Hey Joe”. After a thunderous entrance, underscored by a persistent keyboardist and rolling percussion, he calls off the dogs and does a quiet little jam before finally bellowing the opening lyrics nearly 1:30 in. Five minutes later, you’ve heard a rendition of a classic that would surely make Jimi proud.

The showing off continues with his next track –- this time a Chubby original –- called “Dirty Lie”. More of the same: some first-class Stratting coupled with theatrically angry lyrics (“Your touch, like napalm / burning up my soul, like an atom bomb”), garnished with an infectious chorus, and topped off with one of the top 3 guitar solos I’ve ever heard in my life.

He keeps the party going with a much more playful “Back Door Man”, where he again quotes Hendrix, along with an array of classic rock hits from decades ago. Much slower and heartfelt “I Can’t See The Light Of Day” rounds out the front four.

It’s not all highlights, though. A dry spell in the middle breaks the momentum generated at the beginning of the album. I think more than anything, it’s a consequence of my musical taste, however, because truthfully I can only listen to blues for so long. The album gets a little redundant, as each song seems to follow similar patterns, especially noticeable once you hit the meat of the album.

You do get a curious surprise towards the end, with covers of “Hallelujah” and “Keep On The Sunny Side”. He finishes the show solo with the brief and emotional “How’d A White Boy Get The Blues”, with minimal (but equally excellent) guitar pickin’ and wailing that you can only get from an extremely chubby man.

I’ve saved a particular (and the best) track for last. Hearing this song is what sparked my interest in this under-the-radar performer to begin with. Track number 8 is an oddly upbeat ballad recalling September 11 called “Somebody Let The Devil Out”. Which, by the way, is the most poetic and simple account of that day that I’ve ever heard.

A Bronx resident himself, he recalls his experience: waking up late one morning to find his wife saying, “You wouldn’t believe what those bastards just did / took the whole thing down." The first two verses describe what many New Yorkers were feeling that morning as the towers “all came down like a house of cards.” In addition to the disaster, he does emphasize the solidarity of the city (“Saw a Hindu and a Brother and a Muslim and a Jew / Holdin’ hands cryin’, nothing they could do / nothin’ could be done.”) and ends on an encouraging note.

Big Man, Big Guitar is a very, very good listen. Especially if you're a big enough fan of blues that you can listen to it for almost 75 minutes straight.

Grade: B+

And, just so you can see that (1) “Somebody Let the Devil Out” is a great song, (2) Popa Chubby can play some guitar, and (3) he really is a big guy, check out this footage from a live show in, you guessed it, France: