THE MANNISH BOYS "LIVE & IN DEMAND" Source: Blues Bytes Date: 06/2006 Writer: Kyle Deibler

Kid Ramos kicks off the show with a self-penned instrumental, “Kid’s Jump.” Supported by the rhythm section of Tom Leavey on bass and Richard Innes on drums, Kid warms up the crowd with a blistering west coast style jump that I’m sure had everyone on their feet and dancing. Randy Chortkoff takes the lead on “I’m Ready” with his harp intro and then displays his vocal talents on this Willie Dixon song. The band is very tight and I find myself having a hard time believing you can record a live album this clean. But the proof is in the disc and we can all listen to it for ourselves.

Piano takes the lead with Leon Blue assuming vocal control of “She Wants to Sell My Monkey.” Kid Ramos trades instrumental solos with Leon as we examine the reasons why his woman wants to sell his monkey. And lord knows, “that will never do.” Johnny Dyer steps up to the microphone on the classic, “Mannish Boy.” With Chortkoff blowing wonderful harp leads and Franck Goldwasser contributing slide guitar, Johnny gives a classic interpretation of this Muddy Waters song. Dyer himself takes over the harmonica chores on “You’re Sweet” and is supported by Blue on piano and Goldwasser on lead guitar.

“Howling Wolf,” another Muddy Waters song finds Goldwasser’s slide guitar leading the way while Dyer lets us know that, “he’s a howling wolf.” Slow, expressive, featuring intricate playing by Goldwasser and Kid Ramos, Johnny lets us know that when he gets to howling, “I will jump from limb to limb.” The leader of the Mannish Boys, Finis Tasby, steps to the microphone to tell us about how his woman is “Goin Crazy Over T.V.” He’s bought her a radio that “she hasn’t even listened to yet”….she’d much rather watch Gunsmoke on TV. and Finis is afraid that if she doesn’t get over her tube addiction, ‘it’s going to run you blind.”

“Mystery Train” has Finis hoping that his woman is coming back. He hasn’t had “any loving since his baby’s been gone” and is hopeful that the mystery train coming round the corner will bring her back. Randy Chortkoff’s harmonica lead on “Mystery Train” has you imagining the locomotive is right around the corner and you’re hoping for Finis’s sake that she comes back. Things slow way down on the Freddie King song, “It’s Too Bad.” Franck Goldwasser gives us an inspired guitar lead on this song that finds Finis down on his luck. It seems like now matter what he touches…things will go bad. Goldwasser’s intricate playing more than makes up for Finis’s depression as we explore the dark sides of his bad luck.

The up tempo “Strangest Blues” has a mambo feel to it. His woman has left him without saying a word and Finis is lost as to why. He approaches her for some loving and she just leaves him behind. The result is “the strangest blues that I’ve ever heard.” Next up is my favorite song on the album, a rendition of Albert King’s “As The Year’s Go Passing By.” It seems like everything just comes together on this song. Finis’s vocals are the strongest of the set, Kid Ramos plays a blistering guitar lead and the song just flows. You feel Finis’s pain as he realizes that there isn’t “nothing I can do to change your love for me.” This was a good woman he was in love with and it just didn’t work out for him.

The set closes with “Walkin’ and Walkin’,” We find Finis out on the road with no place to go…his solution is to get some religion and learn how to pray. Hopefully the light will help him find his way.

With all of the perils and pitfalls that surround live recordings, Live & In Demand stands out as a rare jewel. The Mannish Boys are a wonderful collection of individual artists that stand out in their own right but who come together to prove that the whole is still greater than the sum of its parts. Their performance at the Winthrop Blues Festival was tight, clean and exudes the professionalism that all of these artists are known for. Kudos go out to whoever was smart enough to hit the “record” button on the sound board. He or she saved for us a gem that will stand on its own merits for a long, long time.