Aaron Moore - Hello World / Boot 'em Up!

Album: Hello World
Size: 161,2 MB
Time: 68:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1996
Styles: Piano Blues, Chicago Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Hello World (3:48)
02. What Did You Do To Me (3:23)
03. I Just Called (3:38)
04. You Got Good Business (5:44)
05. Keep Lovin' Me (4:37)
06. I Feel Alright Again (3:19)
07. Why You So Mean To Me (5:55)
08. So Long (4:50)
09. Security (5:54)
10. Searching For Love (3:53)
11. I Once Was Lost (5:34)
12. Castle Rock Boogie (3:07)
13. Lonely Blues (5:28)
14. True Love Is Like That (4:37)
15. It's All Over (4:57)

Rowdy barrelhouse pianist Aaron Moore is carrying on in the effervescent style of such pioneering piano pounders as Roosevelt Sykes and Memphis Slim. On his debut as a leader, Hello World, the longtime sideman to such Chicago blues heavyweights as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and Hound Dog Taylor offers up infectious shuffles, slow blues and boogie woogies in a straightforward, no-frills manner. Guitarist James Wheeler provides some crisp, tasty accompaniment throughout and is backed by the bare-bones rhythm section of drummer Robert 'Huckleberry Hound' Wright and bassist Willie Black. There's a sameness to the program here but blues fans who appreciate authentic Chicago-by-way-of-Mississippi piano playing would be well advised to pick up on this rootsy disc.

Thanks to Marc.
Hello World

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Album: Boot 'em Up!
Size: 156,1 MB
Time: 66:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Piano Blues
Art: Full

01. I Want My Baby Back (5:15)
02. You Look So Good To Me (2:42)
03. Boot 'em Up! (3:27)
04. I Thought Your Love Was True (4:24)
05. Bedroom Invitation (3:18)
06. Just Let Me Love You (3:54)
07. My Love Is Out Of Control (3:55)
08. I Can't Stand To Be Alone (2:39)
09. Hind Part Boogie (3:14)
10. Made A Change In Your Love (4:24)
11. Real Throw Down (3:18)
12. Wading In Deep Water (4:43)
13. You Came To Me In A Dream (4:13)
14. Lonely Mood (5:10)
15. Waiting On Your Love (4:14)
16. Confusing World (4:16)
17. Faithful Love (3:16)

At 71, blues pianist/singer Moore is only up to his second CD, but it's a very good one. He's definitely reminiscent of his main influence, Roosevelt Sykes, just not as bawdy. Traces of Jay McShann also creep in here and there. Moore wrote all 17 of these tracks, but you've heard them all under the guise of more familiar blues standards. The backup band is solid: guitarist James Wheeler is an expert at economical, sweet, tasty solos and fills, Bob Stroger knows the right basslines to lay down, and drummer Wilie "Big Eyes" Smith is a legend. When Moore gets on a roll, he stays there, as the majority of his tunes are easy shuffles with New Orleans flourishes. "I Want My Baby Back" is a lighter boogie with sexual overtones, "Hind Part Boogie" is much heavier and Sykes-like, "You Look so Good to Me" is in more of a Jimmy Reed style, while the title track is a jump-n-shout fire breather and "Faithful Love," with just Moore playing and singing, is similar to "Sunny Side of the Street." Not much soloing here, but there are traces of the influence of Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, and Earl Hines that come across in a compact approach that has no need for grandstanding. Slower ballads and shuffles such as the 12-bar "My Love Is Out of Control" and "Made a Change in Your Love" show Moore's tender side, but then he cranks it back up with "Real Throw Down," a down-home blues perfect for your next party. Moore's style is getting to be a lost art, and while a bit more diversity could make this fine pianist a true blues star, there's absolutely nothing wrong with what he's doing here. Recommended. ~Review by Michael G. Nastos

Boot 'em Up!

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