We don’t get to Chicago as much as we’d like, so we’re always glad when we can get Chicago to come to us, be it in the form of a touring Chicago act coming to our area, a weekend livestream from Rosa’s Lounge (check out the club’s YouTube site; they’ve got plenty of shows available to enjoy on-demand, even though they’ve taken a break from streaming these past few weekends), or a live recording of a Chicago band captured at a Chicago-area club, such as this one from Dave Specter, which will have you feeling like you just caught a dynamite set from the guitarist/singer and his band at one of the Windy City’s premier music halls.
The baker’s dozen of tracks on Live at SPACE (Delmark Records) kicks off with two instrumentals: a breezy, swinging-and-swaying “Rumba & Tonic” that starts with some Otis Rush-style licks before giving way to the Spanish sounds to which its title refers, followed by the tough, strolling “Alley Walk”, providing an excellent chance to hear Specter and his top-notch band (Brother John Kattke on keys, Rodrigo Mantovani on bass, and Marty Binder on drums) musically before they launch into covers such as Otis Rush’s “Homework” and Allen Touissaint’s creeping “On Your Way Down” (where you meet the same people you did on your way up) in addition to Specter’s own “Blues from the Inside Out”, all sung by Specter in a crisp, biting manner similar to that of New England counterpart Duke Robillard.
Kattke takes a turn on vocals for a few tracks, starting with an uplifting–both lyrically and musically–“March Through the Darkness”, the shuffling “Chicago Style” about which we told you in our review of Specter’s earlier album, and a superb, soulful take on “Same Old Blues”.
After another terrific instrumental in the catchy, Carlos Santana-sounding “The Stinger”, Specter returns to the mic for covers of “Deep Elem Blues” and Sonny Boy Williamson’s crawling “Bluebird Blues”, with the band finishing up on a swampy “Ponchatoula Way” and grooving instrumental “Ridin’ High” (Magic Sam).
Live at SPACE is another great album from Specter and his accomplished band and, fortunately, you don’t need to travel to Chicago, or even leave your living room, to be able to enjoy this SPACE odyssey!