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At age
77, Napoleon Brown is singing better than ever. In fact, he’s singing
better than just about any other bluesman currently recording. The
myriad of vocal tones, inflections, and pitches the North Carolinian
employs on his first album in over a decade is simply astonishing, and
he expresses a variety of emotions and moods, from tortured to ecstatic,
serious to jovial. Brown delivers hard-riffing shuffles such as Keep On
Pleasin’ You and Aw Shucks, Baby in a booming, barrel-chested baritone,
with all the rhythmic assurance of such other master shouters as Joe
Turner and Wynonie Harris. On certain lines, however, he’ll add menacing
groans that bring to mind his late friend Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. For
(Night Time Is) The Right Time (a Brown tune that Ray Charles
popularized) and the gospel song Take Care Of Me, Brown bears down hard
in a gruff Baptist preacher’s manner. He raises his pitch to a low tenor
for the slow blues Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleepin’, sounding not unlike
Frankie Lee, a soul-blues singer who is Brown’s junior by more than a
decade. On another slow blues, Joe Turner and Pete Johnson’s Cherry Red,
performed in a very laidback arrangement with Bob Margolin on acoustic
guitar, his tone recalls middle-period B.B. King.
Brown
moves back and forth between two voices – a deeper baritone and gospel
low tenor – on That Man, a humor-laced stop-time number akin to Willie
Mabon’s I Don’t Know. He is a trickster, especially on a remake of his
1955 smash, injecting his trademark “li-li-li-li-li” in front of the
title phrase, which still seems odd more than a half century later. The
blues ballad Give Me Your Love is chock full of tricks. He switches
between registers at will, injects extraneous syllables here and there,
and executes descending melismas with breathtaking ease, cutting to the
emotional core of the song while simultaneously showing off his vocal
virtuosity. Brown wrote all the selections, with the exception of Cherry
Red and Willie Dixon’s Who.
The
variety in Brown’s voice is matched by the assortment of instruments and
styles producer Scott Cable surrounds him with. Harmonica blowers Mookie
Brill, John Németh, and Bob Corritore help give a Chicago feel to You
Were A Long Time Coming, Who, and Aw Shucks, Baby (the disc’s one
Corritore-produced track). On other tunes, such as Keep On Pleasin’ You,
Don’t Be Angry, and (Night Time Is) The Right Time, the Mighty Lester
Horns add a distinctive 1950s R&B flavor. Except for the one track on
which Margolin plays, Sean Costello and Jr. Watson take turns
contributing incisive guitar solos and fills. Bassist Brill, drummer Big
Joe Mayer, and pianist Clark Stern supply empathetic support throughout
most of his thoroughly satisfying CD.
-By Lee
Hildebrand
Supporting The
Blues on MySpace.com (September 14, 2007) |
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Napoleon "Nappy" Brown Culp is a living legend, both as a gospel style
blues singer and a wild R&B Shouter. He began his recording career in
1954, and had many hits on the Savoy label in the 50's and early 60's.
Between 1955 and 1959, Brown repeatedly appeared on Billboard's R&B
charts, with songs like "Don't Be Angry", "Pitter Patter", "It Don't
Hurt No More", and "I Cried Like A Baby". But the song that had the
biggest impact for Nappy was a tune he wrote and recorded, but is best
remembered as a hit for Ray Charles, "Night Time Is The Right Time”.
Long Time Coming is his first album in a decade and it's one of his
best. Most of the album was recorded live in the studio to capture
Brown's spontaneous vocal style. From thick, rich R&B barnstormers with
horns and backing vocalists to a stripped down acoustic number, this
superb album spotlights his incredibly powerful voice as Brown revisits
classics and unleashes invigorating new material that finds the veteran
blues shouter back and hotter than ever before.
A cache
of great songs by Brown, plus ace guitarist Sean Costello, with Clark
Stern on piano, and the mighty rhythm section of Mookie Brill on bass,
and Big Joe Maher on drums, pack a punch throughout this 12 song set,
providing the backbone for performances by guests Junior Watson, Bob
Margolin, Jim Pugh, John Nemeth and The Mighty Lester Horns. Brown
sounds better here than he has in ages. He remains a powerful,
Gospel-inflected singer who intentionally rolls his 'l's and 'r's for
effect, testifying as he does on barn burners like "Who", "That Man",
Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleepin'", and on the brilliant remakes of "Keep on
Pleasin' You", "Right Time", "Don't Be Angry", and "Bye Bye Baby". This
is classic Brown, rich and robust, firing on all-cylinders, and clearly
having a ball. Check out the laid back country blues of "You Were a Long
Time Coming", with fine harp from Brill, or listen to Brown simply soar
on his impassioned performance of "Give Me Your Love", that's as fine a
song as anything he cut back in the '50s. The acoustic take of "Cherry
Red" is particularly noteworthy, as it's just Margolin's fine picking,
Brill's upright bass, and some smart drumming from Maher backing Brown
on the Pete Johnson/Joe Turner classic.
The
scorching cover of "Aw Shucks, Baby" finds Brown swingin' n' shufflin'
with fine support from the likes of Kid Ramos, Johnny Rapp, Henry Gray,
Mario Moreno, Chico Chism, and Bob Corritore. Even with such all-star
support, it's Brown who's the star of the show, displaying renewed vigor
and raw emotion on each and every cut. After eleven impassioned vocal
performances, he saves the very best for last with "Take Care of Me”, a
scorching gospel number, augmented by the superb backing vocals of The
Broke and Hungry Quartet. It's the "sleeper" cut here, a stunning closer
to a thoroughly satisfying return to form. At the end of "Aw Shucks”,
Brown asks Corritore (who produced this cut) to "try that take back...
see how I do". Nappy, you did great, man. Nobody does it like you do.
One listen to Long Time Coming and you'll know why.
-Rob
Lehrian
Blueswax
(October 25, 2007) |
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Big Joe
Turner, Roy Brown, and Wynonie Harris were the archetypal Blues shouters
from an era long past. For years, these big-voiced men roared their
lyrics over huge ensembles. Today, the Blues shouter tradition is mostly
either imitated in every horn band or parodied a la the Blues Brothers.
Except for Nappy Brown.
Born in
1929, Brown may well be the last of that breed of singer who can front
any size band and can easily move his voice from Blues to R&B to Gospel
within a syllable. Brown grew up in the church and didn't crossover to
secular singing until the mid-1950s. From there, with hits like "Don't
Be Angry" on the Savoy label, Brown and his sanctified Soul vocals
became one of the major voices of early R&B. Since 1984, Brown has
recorded sporadically for Alligator, Black Top, Ichiban, and New Moon
Records, so this well-crafted Blind Pig effort is aptly titled.
The
first thing every Blues shouter needs is the right band and Blind Pig
has assembled a band that knows Brown's strengths. Sean Costello plays
all manner of guitar styles on all but two tunes, while Mookie Brill and
Big Joe Mahar handle the bass and drums respectively. The guest list is
a who's who of the Blues. Junior Watson and Bob Margolin guest on
guitar, Jim Pugh joins on the B-3, John Nemeth adds harmonica on one
track, and North Carolina's Mighty Lester Horns (the horn section of The
Blues Foundation's 2007 International Blues Challenge winners) provide
the massive brass every shouter needs.
The
disc jumps off the launching pad with a nod back to Brown's Savoy
classic "Keep On Pleasin' You," the record's big band tour de force.
Costello's guitar, Pugh's B-3, and the Mighty Lester Horns center Brown
in the tradition of every Kansas City shouter. From there, Brown offers
his own vocal history lesson of his life in American music. "You Were A
Long Time Coming" has Brown on the Blues side of the street as he
vocally spars with Nemeth's acoustic harmonica and Clark Stern's trebly
piano rolls. "Don't Be Angry" is Brown's all out revival of his major
R&B hit complete with his signature "L-L-L-L-L-L-L" stutters and Junior
Watson's tasteful guitar work.
Brown
also reprises other hits from his past. "That Man," a humorous duet with
himself that he sang as his Savoy debut in 1954, features Costello
leading the guitar charge. His remake of "Bye Bye Baby" cooks retro R&B
style. In 1957, Brown wrote "Night Time" and lost the hit to Ray
Charles. Here, Brown uses the horns as his own Raylettes in the call and
response chorus. He and Bob Margolin turn in an acoustic gem on Big
Joe's "Cherry Red". Because Nappy and Bob have toured and played
together often, they are locked into the song's urgency. When Brown pens
his own tune, "Give Me Your Love", it's a tender ballad so common of
that era that it's not hard to picture Brown on his knee pleading his
lover's case.
In
2002, Brown recorded "Ah Shucks Baby" in Bob Corritore's Arizona Blues
studio with guitarist Kid Ramos, pianist Henry Gray, drummer Chico
Chism, and Corritore's harp showcasing Brown's Chicago Blues expertise.
On "Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleepin’", Watson fingers a Jimmie
Vaughan-styled guitar and Pugh twists massive B-3 chords in smart answer
to Brown. The disc closes with Brown paying respects to his Gospel roots
on the churchy "Take Care Of Me".
At 78
years young Nappy Brown has survived whatever the music business has
dealt him and this sophisticated album will forever stand as his
crowning moment.
-By Art
Tipaldi
Music City Blues
(October 5, 2007) |
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In the
Fifties, Napoleon Brown Culp, better known as Nappy Brown, melded the
gospel traditions of his upbringing in North Carolina with the secular R
& B stylings popular in that era. Boasting a beautifully powerful
vocal delivery that is still every bit as vibrant today, he waxed some
blistering sides for the Savoy label during this time. After living in
retirement for several years, Nappy was coaxed back into the limelight
by guitarist Bob Margolin. The result is the aptly-titled "Long Time
Coming" on the Blind Pig label.
Surrounding
Nappy's distinctive delivery is a stellar crew of session men who had no
trouble understanding the vintage sound that Nappy wanted to capture on
this CD. Guitarists include Margolin, Sean Costello, and Jr. Watson,
while Mookie Brill and labelmate John Nemeth share harp duties.
On "Long
Time Coming," Nappy revisits some of his early Savoy hits, as well as
taking off in a few new directions. His trademark "trilling L-L-L's" are
the hook in the doo-wop style of "Don't Be Angry", while "Every Shut Eye
Ain't Sleepin’" and "Aw Shucks, Baby" lean more toward traditional
blues. The latter features Kid Ramos on guitar, Henry Gray on piano, Bob
Corritore on harp, and the late Chico Chism on drums. Bob Margolin's
acoustic guitar backs Nappy on the stripped-down "Cherry Red", while the
set closes with a return to Nappy's gospel roots in "Take Care Of Me".
Two cuts
stood out, though. Originally written by Nappy, but largely forgotten
until it was resurrected (and restructured) by Ray Charles, "The Night
Time is the Right Time" is given an impassioned reading here, with
stabbing licks from Sean Costello sprinkled throughout. "Give Me Your
Love", a sweeping, soulful ballad, has Nappy sounding almost operatic as
he uses this tune to showcase his tremendous vocal range.
It's little
wonder that Nappy himself said this was his best work since the 50's.
He's never sounded better, the band knows exactly what to go after, and
everyone is having a great time! You will, too, while listening to "Long
Time Coming"!!
-Keepin'
the faith, Sheryl and Don Crow
Phoenix New Times
(December 13, 2007) |
|
In the 1950s, along
with Ray Charles, singer Napoleon "Nappy" Brown was one of the
transitional performers between blues and rhythm & blues (the latter in
the '60s transmuted to "soul music"). Proceeding from a blues
foundation, Brown worked gospel, pop, and jump-blues (i.e., Louis
Jordan) into the mix. That, and his distinctive vocal style — often
rolling his "L's" — Brown laid groundwork for Hank Ballard, Jackie
Wilson, Wilson Pickett, and eventually, Van Morrison (post-Them).
Long Time Coming continues along Brown's comeback trail (begun in
the '80s). Wisely, he doesn't try to replicate his '50s zenith. Time
alternates between straight-up urban blues (the shuffle "Who", the
chugging Little Walter-like "Aw Shucks Baby") and emotive, urbane R&B à
la Brother Ray ("Give Me Your Love", Ray's "Right Time"). What separates
Sir Nappy from most contemporary blues singers is the euphoric swagger
he brings to his vocals, instilling the proceedings with savoir-faire.
Mostly recorded in Kernersville, South Carolina, his backing band plays
just right — not too raw, not too slick, never overplaying. While no
classic, Long Time Coming is a winner.
-Mark Keresman
Blues Bytes Pic
Hit (December 2007) |
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What a
sweet record. That was my first thought when Nappy Brown's latest
release on Blind Pig Records, the appropriately named Long Time Coming,
finished its spin in my CD player. I’d had the opportunity to talk with
the producer of the record, Scott Cable, when I was in North Carolina
for the National Women in Blues Festival and he was extremely gratified
to have been part of this project. And rightly so I might add.
Surrounded by an all-star band that includes Sean Costello on guitar,
Mookie Brill on bass, Big Joe Maher on drums, Chris Stern on piano and
guest appearances from Junior Watson, Bob Margolin, Jim Pugh, John
Nemeth and others, Nappy’s in perfect form as he leads the band through
the first cut, “Keep On Pleasin’ You”. His whole focus is on keeping the
woman he loves happy, “Baby, baby, I’m in love with you…when you are
happy…that makes me so happy too!” Sean Costello provides a blistering
guitar lead that supports Nappy’s strong, clear vocals in every way.
It’s clear from the get go that this is going to be a special record. I
wasn’t aware that Mookie played harmonica as well as the bass, but it’s
his harp that makes an appearance on the second cut, “You Were A Long
Time Coming”. Next up is Nappy’s classic tune, “Don’t Be Angry”. “Don’t
be angry….I know I was wrong”. Nappy’s clear that he’s the one who
caused his woman pain and he won’t do it again, “I promise you my
darling….I won’t hurt you again!” Junior Watson’s guitar accentuates
Nappy’s apology as Junior makes his first appearance on the record.
The
music slows down as Nappy breaks into a ballad, “Give Me Your Love”. I
continue to appreciate Sean Costello’s intricate guitar work on the
record as he provides the intro for this tune. “I need your love…for
now…and all times…this is a moment…I’ll given you mine!” Nappy truly
loves this woman and nothing else will satisfy him. I hear a master at
work and I’m sure the effect in the studio was electric. Big Joe Maher
hits the cymbals as Nappy sings about a stranger in his house on “That
Man.” “That man….he’s sitting at my table…he was drinking all of my
whiskey….and eating all he was able!” With a .44 in hand, it’s clear
that the man at the table has seen his better days and Nappy’s advice to
his woman is “go to the river…and jump for it all and drown!” We move on
with Clark Stern’s hard at work on the piano as Nappy breaks into “Right
Time”. I continue to be amazed by his vocal work on this record. “Oh the
night time…it’s the right time…come on baby…walk by my side…I want
you…to be my gal!”
Next up
is Nappy’s version of the classic Willie Dixon tune, “Who”. “Who…told
you…I was stepping out on you…whoever told you baby…really told you the
truth!” It’s Junior Watson’s turn again to hold court on his guitar and
his distinctive style adds the finishing touches to this classic version
of Willie Dixon’s tune. Bob Margolin adds his acoustic guitar touch to
the intro of “Cherry Red” as Nappy begins to sing “Cherry Red.” “Take me
pretty mama…lay me down in your big fat bed…I want you to rock me pretty
mama…till my lips turn cherry red!” Margolin’s fretwork adds just the
right touch of intimacy to Nappy’s vocals as he works to convince his
woman to take him to bed.
Since I
live in Arizona, the next cut, “Aw Shucks, Baby”, is of special interest
to me. Recorded here in Phoenix, it features some of the last recorded
drum work of Chico Chism, wonderful upright bass by Mario Moreno and the
harmonica talents of Bob Corritore with an all-star band that also
featured Kid Ramos, Henry Gray and Johnny Rapp. The B3 of Jim Pugh leads
us into Nappy’s next song, “Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleeping”. “Every shut
eye ain’t sleepin baby….every goodbye ain’t gone…so don’t try and fool
me baby…cause I’ve been here…a little too long.” Nappy loved this woman
and tried to do right by her, but she just didn’t treat him right at
night and had to go. More of Clark Stern’s keyboard work accentuates the
next tune, “Bye Bye Baby”. “I feel so doggone blue…I can’t believe we’re
through…because…I’m so in love with you…but if…you should change your
mind…please…please drop me a line…cause I’m yours…till the end of time!”
Nappy loved this woman so and you can hear the pain in his vocals, it
was just her time to go.
Nappy
Brown’s roots are both in gospel and blues so it’s fitting that the
final song on the record is the gospel tune, “Take Care of Me.” “I know
my robe’s going to fit me well….cause I tried it on at the gates of
hell…take care….take care of me, Jesus!” A beautiful gospel number; I
understand why Scott wanted Nappy to include it on the record.
Long
Time Coming has been by far, one of the best records I’ve heard this
year. We’ve lost so many of our legends --- Henry Townsend, Robert
Lockwood, Jr., Big Joe Duskin, Carey Bell and others this year --- that
I am heartened by the fact that Blind Pig Records and Scott Cable were
able to produce a record that still has Nappy at the top of his game.
Fans of
Nappy Brown will be delighted to hear this record. Sean Costello’s
guitar work on the album is outstanding and the rest of the players give
stellar performances as well. It’s a record worthy of Blues Music Award
nominations and I’m curious to see how it fares. It’s my understanding
that Nappy will be touring in support of the record on the festival
circuit next year and I sincerely hope I have the opportunity to catch
him live somewhere along the Blues Highway.
-Kyle
Deibler
Long Island Blues Society
(December 5, 2007) |
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A legendary
R&B pioneer, Nappy Brown is a blues shouter with the sheen of satin.
He’s joined by a crème de la crème collection of axemen consisting of
Sean Costello, Jr. Watson, Kid Ramos and Bob Margolin.
Harpmeisters Mookie Brill, Bob Corritore and John Nemeth add their
voices into the production of legendary knobtwister Scott Cable. This
stunning release has been a Long Time Coming. Together, the chemistry is
superb. From Nappy’s Savoy singles to new material, gospel, swing and
jump, groove abounds. Nappy started his career in Gospel but loved the
Blues, especially as made by Eddie Cleanhead Vinson. His earliest
recordings on Savoy had a Doo-Wop feel. Out of circulation until
rediscovered in the 80s, this recording is his many years. Napoleon Culp
has pulled out the stops from covers of Willie Dixon’s “Who” and Pete
Johnson’s “Cherry Red” to reiterations of several of his own Savoy
chestnuts to a full Gospel shout-out Live in “Take Care of Me.” This is
not just a historically important recording but an amazing listen. 9.5
snaves
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