"Une belle rondelle tirant sa richesse de la conjugaison de l’explosivité de la guitare, de la richesse vocale et de l’ambiance jazzy swing distillé par un sax omniprésent. Rien à jeter et pour un premier coup, c’est un coup de maître…" Blues and Co, France
"Ik zou er mij gemakkelijk vanaf kunnen maken met te zeggen dat de cd-titel perfect de sfeer en de muziek op deze cd weergeeft. Voilà, bespreking afgewerkt." MazzMusikas, Belgium
"Impressively confident and personality-laden vocals and guitar" and "Watch this outfit" Blues Revue, USA
"a beautiful disc which owes it's success to the blend of explosive guitar, rich vocals, a jazzy swinging vibe and the ever present saxophone. There is nothing to find fault with, and for a first effort, it's a master stroke..." Blues and Co, France/Belgium
"a master guitarist but never showing off" Glosem Bluesa, Poland
"9 out of 10" and "a tour de force of explosively strident guitar, powerhouse vocals and wild, jazz inflected sax" Blues in Britain, UK
"...the cd title reflects perfectly the environment and the music on this cd. Voilà, discussion finished". MazzMusikas, Belgium
"This is a very polished release, music that will get people up and dancing" Blues Matters, UK
"Brilliant rockin', rollin' bluesy cd. Sounds very cool to me." Fishermans Blues, Germany
"What a great voice! My throat gets sore just listening to you growl!" Kevin Cronin, lead vocalist REO Speedwagon
###### NEWS FLASH - OCT 2005 #################
Papa Salty, band and members, received a total of SEVEN Muddy Award nominations. Categories are all the way across the board including Best Album (Swing it Big!), Best Contemporary Blues Act, Best Male Vocals, Best Electric Guitar, Best Horns, Best Drums and Best Bass.
###### CD REVIEW #################
Over the past couple years there has been a question going around the Portland Metro area: "Just what is a Papa Salty?" Hmmm? Images begin to abound. Is it a time-worn sea-dog of a sailor with language so crude it could make a gangster rapper blush? Or maybe the animated spokesperson for a biscuit retailer? Maybe even a voodoo spirit traveling the dark of night alongside Legba while loup-garoux howls amid the Spanish moss-covered magnolias? If you listen to the Hudson Rocket Band, they'll tell you it's an adult beverage in a salt-rimmed glass with a shot of Viagra. But if you guessed any of the above, you'd be dead wrong! Papa Salty is, in fact, one of the most promising up-and-coming young Blues acts in Portland today. Don't take my word for it. Grab a copy of their incredible debut CD, "Swing it Big!" and you'll know for sure.
It's really hard to believe that band leader Tim McAllister (Papa Salty himself) has only been playing Blues for two-and-a-half years. Tim cites listening to recordings by such legendary players like T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Louis Jordan and Big Joe Turner, among others, as his inspiration to study the genre in depth. He's absorbed it so well that the sound just bleeds back through his fingers across the strings of the guitar. And, not only does he offer outstanding reads of other musicians' compositions, such as Junior Watson's, "Take Your Hands Out Of My Pockets," or the B.B. King standard "How Blue Can You Get" he is a very skilled songwriter himself. The title track, "Don't Bite The Hand" and "Burnside Boogie" all being examples of a swinging blend guaranteed to get you off of your seat. Personally, my favorites on the CD have to be the cover of Willie Dixon's timeless classic, "Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy" and Tim's lament of a woman drowning in alcohol, "Mermaid Mama," where the twist on words is priceless.
Of course, Tim can't provide all this great music without the support of a first-rate band. On the album, he is complimented by a stellar groove handled by rhythm section, Jim Solberg on upright bass and Julian Brogi on drums; rock solid rhythm to say the least. Perfectly matching Tim's guitar is Kevin LaBaron, pulling out masterful honking saxophone licks that make the music swing naturally. Take one component away from this band and it just wouldn't be right. It's the overall blend that makes Papa Salty work.
"Swing it Big!" does. It swings! A perfect combination of Chicago meets West Coast Swing. The album has set the standards for Papa Salty to strive to surpass in future releases. It'll be tough, as they have created a sensational album here that will be hard to beat. But, I believe in Papa Salty. I believe they have the potential to bring us even greater surprises. Listen to "Swing it Big!" and you'll no longer have to ask the question, "What is a Papa Salty?" You're definitely going to know.
Greg Johnson
President
Cascade Blues Association
###### CD REVIEW #################
Blues in Britain Magazine, UK (Mick Rainsford)
"9 out of 10"
"...a tour de force of explosively strident guitar, powerhouse vocals and wild, jazz inflected sax"
"...lives up to the title of the bands first CD".
###### CD REVIEW #################
Fishermans Blues, Germany (Markus Fischer)
"Brilliant rockin', rollin' bluesy cd. Sounds very cool to me."
Osnabruecker Radio 104.8, Germany
###### CD REVIEW #################
"Glosem Bluesa", Poland (Przemek Draheim)
"What a great party music! The whole thing swings and jumps. Papa's guitar playing impressed me the most - he is a master guitarist but never showing off like many guys do. Great stuff! It will be my pleasure to play Papa Salty's music in my shows and tell my listeners band's story." "Thank you again for the beautiful music."
###### BAND REVIEW #################
"A four piece Swing, Blues and Vintage Rock band, Papa Salty combines elements from the original Blues fathers along with swing and early rockers to create an uptempo and completely danceable sound. At their shows the dance floor quickly fills with couples Swing dancing across the floor."
Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson
CBA BluesNotes, Nov 2004
Unsolicited comments and emails from fans --------
"...you guys were great last night. We absolutely love your music!"
"Verrrry much fun!!"
"Gorgeous voice! Incredible playing! Thanks again!"
"What a bunch of fun. You guys are great!"
"Papa is a great guy. He's a remarkable front man with an extraordinary band. Check these guys out! I love their stuff. It has all the elements to take you wherever you want to go."
"Nice version of "How Blue Can You Get" (from Swing it Big!) Great vocals and arrangement! "
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