THE MANNISH BOYS "SHAKE FOR ME" Source: Living Blues Magazine Date: 06/2010 Writer: Mark Uricheck

Randy Chortkoff’s vision for a superstar blues revue, otherwise known as the Mannish Boys, has been evolving for five albums now, in almost as many years. Now, the band that inspired the creation of the Delta Groove Music label celebrates its musical genealogy with the release of Shake For Me. With seasoned masters like Bobby Jones and Finis Tasby trading vocals and a revolving lineup of world-class players supplying the instrumental muscle, this effort bellows with vintage-themed class.

Shake For Me continues Delta Groove boss Chortkoff’s idea of drawing attention to classic blues cuts, while aiming for the music’s wider exposure to a new generation. The band has accomplished just this, in a fashion that is both smooth and crackling with bravado. The album’s artwork says it all, through long-forgotten photos of Saturday nights at easygoing roadside hangouts—it’s a comfortable, relaxed vibe here. The band sits back, loads up, and stuns with their breezy take on 1940s/1950s–sounding blues.

Aided by spacious production courtesy of Jeff Fleenor, the guys seem to settle into their positions with casual assurance, as evidenced by Finis Tasby’s serpentine drawl and guest guitarist Nick Curran’s caustic solo on Too Tired. A shuffling take on the standard Reconsider Baby is luminous, while Number 9 Train (a 1959 Tarheel Slim cut) has a rootsy bounce. The band shows it can grab a hold of a reverberating, deep blues groove on Little Walter’s Last Night, where Rod Piazza steps in for a guest shot and lets his harp caterwaul all over the track.

The Mannish Boys’ dedication to preserving the past is matched only by their musical aptitude. This record shows how it should be done.