Philadelphia-based blues band, The Porkroll Project is back with their latest album, 'Papa Didn't Raise Me Right'. Fronted by Neil 'Porkroll' Taylor on vocals and guitar, the band is a collective comprising of seasoned session musicians, and the resulting record is a delightful trip into the blues.
‘Papa Didn’t Raise me Right’ is the third release by The Porkroll Project. Recorded at Noisy Little Critter Studio outside of Philadelphia, the musicians have excelled themselves in the recording sessions, unleashing tales of dark humor, drinking, and redemption as only the blues can do.
Tales of family disputes often run deep within the genre and here on the bombastic opening title track, Taylor delivers an introspective tale of failed parenthood resulting in the protagonist’s reflective look back on their wayward life with regret. Similarly, a rich vein of black humor runs through the funky ‘Mama Put The Gun Down’ – another tale featuring a failed patriarch and means of their disposal.
Murder and treachery underpin the blues-noir tale unfolding in ‘Nothin’ Yet’, while the gospel -fuelled ‘Dancing With The Angels’ changes the course of the record from the dark to the light. Stories of tricksters have always had a place in the blues and ‘Better You Than Me’ is a hilarious anthropomorphic romp featuring some quick-witted subjects that would light up any wildlife documentary given the chance.
Going back to basics, ‘Crescent Moon’ and ‘Sentenced To The Blues’ are two standard blues arrangements that allow the full band to shine. The horns on both tracks are simply wonderful.
Given that the various members of The Porkroll Project are successful musicians in their own right and the fact that ‘Papa Didn’t Raise Me Right’ is only their third album release in twenty years, the listener might be forgiven for thinking that they might not be fully committed to the job in hand. Yet, if anything, the album shows that with Taylor at the helm, the band has given one hundred percent on this album and it shows in every song. In fact, there isn’t a bad track on the album.
A hugely enjoyable release by a band that delves deep into the genre and delivers some amazing playing and great songs, while maintaining the fun.