Long known for his excellent vocal and harmonica work as sideman for some of the foremost rock, blues and pop music acts (B.B. King, Cindy Lauper, Randy Newman, the Original Blues Brothers Band and currently as front man for Blood, Sweat & Tears) as well as recordings for movies and commercials, Rob Paparozzi has now released his solo debut, Etruscan Soul. The title is a reference to his paternal Italian roots but in no way pigeonholes the wide range of music on this CD. The generous number of cuts, fifteen, reflect his eclectic career and tastes with selections ranging from the Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride” to Quncy Jones’ “In the Heat of the Night” to Sting’s “She’s Too Good for Me” and the jazz standard “Body and Soul.” Paparozzi’s association with numerous top caliber musicians is evidenced by the range of very special guest artists that he includes on the CD: Phoebe Snow, Will Lee, Chuck Rainey, Hugh McCracken and others.
Fittingly, since Paparozzi credits John Lennon with inspiring him to perform, the first track is a funky and swinging version of the Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride.” Although in recent years Paparozzi has been called upon more often for his voice than for his harmonica, this track is purely instrumental. But he quickly warms up his forceful, bluesy voice for the next two tracks, Allen Toussaint’s “I’m Gone,” and “In the Heat of the Night.” After a short rendition of “Peg O’ My Heart” morphing into Steely Dan’s “Peg,” he is joined by friend and singer extraordinaire, Phoebe Snow, on “Monkey Around” (Delbert McClinton) a fun, honky-tonk blues number with comical lyrics like: “…when you see me out rocking in my little red hat, going ape all over town…” He gives another nod to the influence of the Beatles by working in a bit of “If I Fell” at the beginning and end of “Body and Soul.” There’s a bluesy version of “Strange Brew” with some good guitar work by George Naha, who is consistently impressive throughout. Paparozzi closes up the CD with a beautifully arranged version of “Love and Peace” by Arthur Adams (another Quincy Jones connection), giving several band members a chance to shine: Naha on guitar, Chuck Rainey on bass, drummer Bernard Perdie and, of course, Paparozzi on harmonica.
Paparozzi has a way of paying tribute to a performer or composer while still imprinting the music with his own unique personality. Sometimes this is accomplished through instrumentation such the Hammond organ on “In the Heat of the Night,” or the horn arrangement on “Love and Peace,” or the use of musicians specifically selected for their ability to achieve a certain sound or style such as Will Lee and Chris Parker for giving “I’m Gone” its New Orleans funky Meters sound. And, again, even though he seems to consider himself a singer foremost, Paparozzi’s harmonica work is significant because he carries on a tradition of great players from Little Walter to Larry Adler and Toots Theilman. His knowledge and assimilation of their styles is evident in the variety of material presented here.
Though this is Rob Paparozzi’s first solo release it plays like a “best of” collection, drawing from his experience and knowledge base of many styles of popular music, all authoritatively and very enjoyably presented.
Mike Reynolds-MuzikReveiws.com Staff
October 5, 2009
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