The Dirty Tricks make the perfect blues party CD with Mr. Nick & The Dirty Tricks.

The product isn’t perfect. The song list is ordered differently on the jacket than they are on the disc. There are also some odd, indistinguishable background noises in the mix Yet, it won’t matter to anyone who likes this kind of music. The CD opens with the adorable blues “Good Morning Judge” and Mr. Nick has enough finesse in his voice to massage his smooth tenor into the fun quality of this number, making the song his own and lending, along with Carlson’s rockabilly guitar phrases, a solid authenticity to the songs. Authenticity is one of the more obvious ingredients for Mr. Nick’s success in the greater-Boston blues market. His handsome voice is replete with a vintage feeling that cannot be learned in music school. You have to be born with it, and you have to be schooled on how to use it.

“Georgia Slop” is the perfect vehicle for Mr. Nick’s wailing harmonica. His edgy mush of notes has that train sound you hear so often in blues. Mr. Nick knows how to serve up the flavorful slop of sound with the right dash of seasoning in the colors and timbres. I could listen to this song all day and not get sick of it. Drummer Rick Rousseau keeps the tight tension of the song in motion, and bass player Teddy Bukowski can be heard giving it that extra dollop of throbbing thick low end notes. Check out Teddy B’s opening bass notes on “Love Me Baby” to get an idea of how he can build a foundation with his own personal touch

“Buzz, Buzz, Buzz” has the catchy call and response chorus thing between Mr. Nick’s thoughtful croon and the band’s simple sense of fun. The song can pull you back into an earlier time, when musicians didn’t use a lot of effects pedals or reverb and had to use real talent to come up with their sound. “Tramp” follows this same successful recipe. The sound is so clean, pure, vintage, and the way Mr. Nick belts out the word ‘Tramp’ pulls you right in with the force of nature that is his voice. He lets loose those verses like he really feels them. “Mellow Down Easy”(Little Walter) has one of the mightiest grooves ever and Mr. Nick, again, makes the song his own. He brings his voice down and back up the scale a few times here with a mastery of dynamics.

Mr. Nick shows off his vocal techniques a bit on parts of “Don’t Be Angry” with some rapid fire la-la-la-la-la-la rolls. It may not seem like a big deal when you’re reading about it here in print, but you’ll know you’re in the hands of a man with supreme talent when you hear him. The other three musicians do a lot behind him, but Mr. Nick makes the distinct sound of this song all by his own self.

“300 Pounds Of Fun”(Howlin’ Wolf) makes for a toe-tapping good time, and the interjections of Mr. Nick’s blues harp and Carlson’s oldies style guitar phrases and riffs are icing on the cake. Mr. Nick’s smooth tenor makes this a pleasant listen as he adds character to the song with the strength of his voice. Carlson’s guitar on “I Feel Alright” has the perfect combo of lead phrases and rhythmic groove within the juicy context of a vintage sound.

There are all sorts of accolades that can be thrown at this collection of ten classic covers. The rhythm section goes into the bumpin’ thumpin’ groove of “Love Me Baby” with a solid muscle of throbbing, stand-up bass. The upright is just another perfect touch in this band’s approach to playing blues. Anyone who likes the music that hip cats were playing in 1950s America will most assuredly enjoy this ten song disc from The Dirty Tricks.

www.thedirtytricks.com