Name Droppers II is an appropriate title for this Connecticut band’s sophomore album. It isn’t just their second album. It’s a junior to the senior, a continuation of the DNA in their first album. The Name Droppers combine old school rock and roll, blues, and R&B idioms to create fresh new songs within their range of genres. The Name Droppers make one feel that a Motown band or a Stax band never grew old and retired but still continues writing and recording those tunes that had has dancing to them when they were new and dancing to them at our grandchildren’s weddings decades later.
Opening cut “Diddy Wah Diddy,” a Willie Dixon cover, aside from having an old fashioned title, consists of fun, quirky story lyrics as well as snappy guitars and keyboards. One can almost picture the guitarist and the keyboardist nodding to each other as they player their interactive dance of chords. The listener is already glued to the tune even before it’s hooky chorus roots it in a memorable catch phrase. Harmony vocals thicken that chorus, helping to make this song a trip down memory lane as well as fetching new rendition.
“Fake It Til You Make It” finds lead vocalist Rafe Klein engaging his band mates with an alluring call and response chorus. Swirling organ and a jittery lead guitar phrase add to the pop-R&B flavorings. Soulful vocals imbibes this piece with a personality, a presence that makes us picture the lead singer at the microphone smiling and winking at us as he unfurls his length of affable street corner charm
Rafe Klein’s fret work on “My Blue Guitar” flavors an oldies rock and roll groove with a sweet, colorful six string phrase. While his band mates harmonize quaintly behind him, Klein whips out a razor sharp rockabilly line. That guitar parts colors the song with its tone while adding an emotive edge to the undertone of loss pervading all. As if the song couldn’t get any better, Ron Rifkin puts riffy, barrel house influenced keys beside that guitar.
A slight surf guitar tone permeates “Love Expressway.” A self-restrained vocal cruises the melody line, infusing emotion without seeming to try. With this platform to work on, The Name Droppers merely need to adorn this one with warm, shiny organ swirls and an unobtrusive groove. It’s a song that knows where it’s going and how to get there without a chugging metabolic engine of volume, dynamics, or tension. It’s a beautifully breezy number and it stands out by taking its sweet time, respecting the listener’s ability to take it all in as it takes its merry time unfurling its mellow message.
Equally beautiful and expressive is “Nights In November,” a lilting, easygoing song. A handsome lead vocal cruises over the instrumentation with as much flow as the instruments. We feel this song’s engine, a pulse that can take us somewhere, even though it drives slowly through the back roads. It’s a down tempo blue eyed soul song and it works as it remains low key, a gentle touch to a tender soul.
The Name Droppers redo their late member Charlie Karp’s “Too Bad On Your Birthday,” a song covered by Ram Jam and Joan Jett years ago. Here, bluesy piano chords, barrel house notes, soulful organ, and a jumpy lead guitar flavor things with expanding colors and tones. Snappy instrumentation support soulful raspy vocals while the adept rhythm section keeps the busy upper registers moving along like a lively party train.
The more assertive “Cry For You,” benefited by a bulbous groove from drummer Bobby “T” Torrello‘ s well placed fills and bass player Scott Spray‘s elastic, flexible low end line. Both played in Johnny Winter’s bands over the years and they know how to anchor into a locked in groove. Over their magic is a tightness with the guitar line, also cool. Meanwhile, a lead vocal, backing vocal call and response keeps this number feeling coolly old-fashioned.
“I haven’t Heard From You” is another breezy, mid tempo tune. And again, the boys carry it all along with their beautiful take on blue eyed soul. A large vocal presence matches a wide sweep of instrumentation. A simmering organ stretches wide, encompasses everything warmly. Tasteful guitar phrasing dots the landscape with sweet bits of notes, shining brightly within the context of this after-the-breakup song. One can picture a man suffering the mixed emotions of remembering what he once had while lamenting that that sweet time is now passed.
Close out track “You Must Be From Heaven” concludes the fine, soulful craftiness of this album. A pretty, docile lead guitar line whistles through a landscape of tender picking, gentle grooving, and emotive piano tinkling. Next to that guitar is a honey smooth vocal, a singer who can finesse the lyrics, pulling a lot of emotive grist from each word.
The Name Droppers make it seem easy to come up with these fine albums. Listening to Name Droppers II makes one feel as if someone had dug a classic album out of their collection and played it for us, as if it’s something we already know because the old school styles are played so authentically. Not only would this album, produced by Vic Steffens at his Horizons Music group in Connecticut, go over well with long time fans of this band, anyone who likes old school R&B, soul, blues, and oldies rock and roll would dig it too.
https://www.thenamedroppers.net
