WAY BACK in 1970, Steve Ferguson, Terry Adams and Joey Spampinato were members of NRBQ as the band joined rockabilly legend Carl Perkins on an album called "Boppin' the Blues." So it's fitting that the three old bandmates should reunite on Ferguson's new solo album, "Mama U-Seapa," for a rollicking version of Perkins's "Right String Baby, Wrong Yo Yo." The three musicians (supplemented by current NRBQ drummer Tom Ardolino) fall back into the slap-happy, rootsy groove that made them cult heroes from the get-go, and they follow the Perkins song up with an equally infectious Adams original.
Louisville singer-guitarist Ferguson recorded the other nine tracks with his current band, the Midwest Creole Ensemble. These numbers reflect NRBQ's eclectic tastes (everything from the Time's "Jungle Love" to a slow blues featuring Chuck Berry's original pianist Johnny Johnson) and whimsical humor (Ferguson's "Pig Latin Love Song"), but they also put a much greater emphasis on dance rhythms, especially the second-line syncopation of New Orleans.
"Hoo Doo Lovin'," for example, sounds like a Dr. John song as Ferguson's raspy growl celebrates voodoo romance over Rod Wurtele's rattling piano. "Shake & Bake" resembles John Mooney's guitar-driven blend of Delta blues and New Orleans funk, while Ferguson's "You Hung the Moon" recalls Fats Domino with its piano triplets and savvy horn charts. Better written and better sung than "Jack Salmon and Derby Sauce," Ferguson's surprising 1992 comeback album, "Mama U-Seapa" suggests what NRBQ might have evolved into if it had become the house band at Tipitina's in New Orleans. STEVE FERGUSON & THE MIDWEST CREOLE ENSEMBLE -- "Mama U-Seapa" (Schoolkids). Appearing Friday at Fleetwood's. To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call Post-Haste at 202/334-9000 and press 8106.
