The Name Droppers – Cool Blue Shoes
Independent Release
10 tracks; 32 minutes
In a more blues-centric universe, people would be dropping The Name Droppers name instead of the reverse. Until that day, these guys are going to keep jamming and putting out good records. Originally instituted as Charlie Karp and The Name Droppers in the 1980s, the band decided to soldier on following Karp’s passing in 2019. The core band is now Rafe Klein (guitar/vocals), Ron Rifkin (piano/organ/vocals), Bobby T. Torello (drums/vocals), and Scott Spray (bass), while other guests make contributions and Vic Steffens sits in the production chair. These guys are no rookies. They’ve played with the likes of Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Grace Slick, The Rascals, Michael Bolton, and more. You can hear soul, gospel, rock, doo wop, R & B, and more in their bluesy mix.
The band wisely gets the party started with a funky, organ-driven “Killing Floor”, one of the stronger tracks on the record. Hard to go wrong with the Wolf. They also dust off Willie Dixon’s “I Cry For You”. It’s a completely different take. The original is a slow, back-alley slink. This version is quicker and slicker. The poppy 1989 Mick Jones cover “That’s The Way My Love Is” was an interesting deep-cut choice. Seven of the ten songs are originals. The title track has a memorable riff and is a testament to their stick-to-it-tive-ness, “I refuse to hang up these Cool Blue Shoes.” “Keep Pushin’” recounts all of life’s flat tires and is one of those note-to-self tunes. “Most of my friends died from the war/They never found what they were searching for/Sobriety ain’t always what it seems to be/Keep on pushin’ like my friends told me.” It also has one of the better guitar solos on the album. Most blues bands don’t have four members that can sing capably and provide harmony and sheen to their songs like they do on “Hard Way”. The novelty song “Think Yiddish” is cute and probably goes over big live. A cheeky “Hava Nagila” bridge leads into tasty bluesy soloing by both guitar and piano. “Yes I Will” has Chicago blues instrumentation and gospel-like background vocals. A lot of these songs are throwbacks to eras gone by. The spoken verses, B3 organ, sax solo, falsetto yelps, and girl-group background vocals on the final track “Out Of This Blue” give off a 50s vibe.
This band would go over big in your local blues joint. They’ll be out there touring as Bobby T. and The Name Droppers in 2026. Several Northeast dates are in the books. Mohegan Sun on January 1 seems like as good a way as any to ring in the New Year.
