Harry Orlove – Mildly Popular
Riverlark Music – 2023
12 tracks; 59 minutes
On Mildly Popular (2024), veteran California guitarist Harry Orlove steps into the spotlight with fresh, soulful interpretations of an eclectic mix of songs. Rooted in the blues but unafraid to explore country, rock, and beyond, the album reflects a lifetime of musical depth and versatility. Though Orlove has spent decades as a sought-after sideman and studio player, Mildly Popular marks only his third solo album—following Back from the Dead (2004) and So It’s Come to This… (2013)—making it a welcome and long-awaited entry in his solo catalog.
“Down South in New Orleans” opens the album with characteristic funky NOLA flavor. A tasty instrumental gumbo forms, with Skip Edwards playing hypnotic, groovy keyboard, Orlove delivering impressive electric guitar solos, and Steve Bloom and Lynn Coulter providing percussion and drums. In a rich, saucy voice, Orlove sings “My suitcase packed, I got a one-way ticket, ain’t coming back. Life’s a pleasure, life’s a dream, down South in New Orleans.”
On another of the strongest tracks, “Hellhound On My Trail”, spicy, raw electric guitar precedes Orlove singing in a rich timbered voice, full of the blues, “I gotta keep movin’. The blues falling down like rain. There’s a hellhound on my trail.” Muscle-clad electric guitar powers the tune, accompanied by funky, hypnotic, impressive keys by Edwards. The ensemble creates a strong, full-bodied sound, and the interplay between Jay Dee Maness on pedal steel guitar and Orlove on guitar is fantastic, on this rocker, featuring a jam for parts of the track.
Pounding drums and percussion, with lively guitar and sprinkles of keyboard, kick off “Deep Ellum Blues”, the traditional song famously covered by The Georgia Crackers and the Grateful Dead. Here, Orlove presents a slower, bluesier version than the Dead, with funky, simmering instrumentals as he sings about the debauchery and low-down ways of Deep Elum; “Once I knew a preacher, preached the bible through and through. Went down to Deep Ellum, now his preaching days are through.” The guitars drone and moan, and at times venture into extended jams.
Orlove employs a deep troubadour voice on “Looking for Trouble, a slow, lingering, haunting tune about alcoholism. Eerie, ghostly keyboards back up Orlove’s straining voice, in the dark, minor key song, with the pithy musing “If you’re looking for trouble, trouble will find you.”
Smooth, polished electric guitar opens “Come On Up to the House”, the best track on the LP and a Tom Waits cover. Orlove croons rich and sweet, “The world is not my home, I’m just passing through”, as the guitars work in harmony with each other and the percussion section. Edwards offers killer keyboard solos traversing scales. This is low-key blues to put the soul at ease.
“In My Room” is another pop/ rock tune re-imagined as a blues number. Orlove employs patient, mournful guitar, both sophisticated and delicate, in an atmospheric, abstract, and emotional tune. Solid percussion threads throughout, and the song is reminiscent of the instrumental blues of Peter Green.
Steve Bloom and Lynn Coulter’s work on percussion and drums provides excellent rhythm for “Cakewalk into Town”, the Taj Mahal deep cut. The track, a testament to the ups and downs of life, is hypnotic and danceable, and endowed with a gnarly guitar solo.
“Hello Trouble” is driven by syncopated beats and energized by Edwards’ dynamic accordion. Multiple instrumental layers blend seamlessly to create a soulful, rocking sound. Over this rich backdrop, Orlove sings, “Here comes trouble, ever since you went away,” mourning a lost love.
While tracks like “Evangelina,” “Hello Walls,” “Lonesome Town,” and “World Without Love” don’t quite reach the same emotional or musical heights as the rest of the album, Mildly Popular remains a compelling collection—brimming with soul, musicianship, and blues-rooted reinterpretations that highlight Orlove’s depth as both a player and interpreter.
