Winning a couple of blues challenges was not really a challenge for Frankie Boy & The Blues Express. This fairly young trio of blues players, fronted by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Frankie Maneiro, can likely achieve any goal they desire within the world of blues. Their debut album Young Man’s Blues showcases how much serious muscle have to offer their fans.
Opening cut “Guitar JR” pays homage to the band’s mentor Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson who passed away not long before this album was recorded. Frankie Boy drawls out his lyrics with a soulful conviction, heartfelt, emotive. He also pays out a brisk, rhythmic lead guitar line that hops, skips, and jumps over and through the groove with a lively bounce, supplied by bass guitar player Mickey Maguire and drummer Harrison Foti,
“Going Fishing” finds the boys picking and sticking a multitude of brief, quick notes that come together to augment their quirky boat vibe. While the groove sways like boat under the weight of its passengers and the whims of the waves, easy going vocals and brittle guitar notes complete the seaworthy scene and its metaphor for personal therapy.
“Young Man’s Blues” swaggers in with a bit of an attitude and a quick, snappy guitar line. Frankie Boy’s mild rasp keeps this tune in an immediate in your face vibe. His voice, guitar playing, and the cool vibe he puts out are all real. As Frankie Boy pays out his groove laden phrase, the listener can feel himself immersing into a world where pain, sorrow, regret, and loss are rolled into the blues and one feels a lot better after that spiritual catharsis.
A well placed fill over a backbeat pulls the listener right into “Anne,” one of many Frankie Boy originals, complete with a touching lead guitar phrase and the Boy’s natural rasp. His voice keeps this number sublime, something the listener feels on a deeper level as the groove pours forth smooth as Jack.
“Lose My Cool” places a motivational groove beneath the listener’s foot. One can dance to this piece while digging the drawling delivery and a pinching guitar one feisty note at time over a steady flow beneath. Next song, “Hey There Anayah, bops differently from the previous number, setting the scene more merry, upbeat, emotive. It’s the pivot from one vibe to the next that helps keep this album coherent while showcasing this band’s ability to move into different blues colors, tones, vibes, and beats.
Moving into Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson’s “Talkin’ About Soul,” Frankie Boy & The Blue Express turn their album into a dance party. Not only does the Foti-Maguire groove keep the feet moving, Frankie Boy sprinkles a peppy line over it in just the right spaces while also layering his self-restrained rasp over the meat and potatoes.
If that wasn’t enough for you all, Frankie Boy and the Blue Express next go into Wilson Picket’s “Engine Number Nine,” a show stopping number that finds the rhythm section working a machine strength groove. This one makes the listener’s feet move as the Boy shout-sings into a echo device for further cool. He also unleashes a more grinding sound in his guitar, an oomph in his phrase, something that makes us feel his power.
“Something About You” is a slow boiler blues by Frankie Boy. The Boy’s emphatic, emotive vocal packs a punch, a soulful power that jumps right out of the stereo speakers. The Boy slaps chords out of his guitar in between picking the most subtle of notes. This works up a fervor of feeling as the rhythm section’s spanking punctuation drives the feeling home. It’s hard to pick a favorite section in this number because each is filled with its own level of tension, keeping the listener glued.
Turning to another Johnson number, “Flippin’ And Floppi” finds the boys building a thick rocking chair groove. It seems simple until you realize how thickly build up that groove is. Foti subtly injects fills into the spaces around the beat, giving this tune an extra meaty feeling. Harmony vocals keep a unity with the groove that makes this a fun singalong for the group’s live shows. Frankie Boy peals off another tasty guitar line, one that doubles back slyly after an interval of notes, another fine move that adds to the motions of this piece.
Frankie Boy & The Blues Express have a fondness for deceptively simple beats. The trio turns oldie “Black Drawers On” into another fun groove, singalong number. Frankie Boy’s nimble, fine guitar line finds just right the spaces in the groove to express this song’s desires. “Mary Had A Little Lamb” gets a solid gold treatment Cadillac ride from this outfit, Frankie Boy’s Jack smooth rasp finessing the Buddy Guy lyrics like nobody’s business before releasing his angst lead guitar line, every note dripping with emotion.
“You Belong To Me” showcase individual band strengths, drum soloing fills the space with a rumbling patter that cannot be beat before Frankie Boy’s chord work and Mickey Maguire’s low end pleasantly double the thick nudge of this number. Frankie Boy’s whistle guitar line dances around a thumping groove with little attachment to gravity, floating through the song with greasy aplomb.
Close out track “What More Can I Do” feels more like an oldies rock and roll song than blues. Yet, Frankie Boy manages the tender vocal line well, sincere and soulful, as he moves through this mild jaunt. It is wedged thick with guitar, knobby bass and drums, with multiple guitar notes inexplicably coming from the same guitar. Pretty good considering the guitar began as a switchy romantic send up.
Frankie Boy & The Blue Express are onto something big. There is nothing new here, which is why it works so well. Instead of experimenting with other genres and styles, this outfit deep dives into blues idioms that have been around for generations. That is what keeps these tunes pulpy thick rich for blues fans who know what blues means. This trio’s Young Man Blues album testifies to the wisdom of their homage to this foundation. It certainly didn’t hurt to have the late, great Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson as their mentor.
www.frankieboy&thebluesexpress.com
