Superharps

1	I Put My Baby Out / Sugar Ray Norcia 4:34
2	The Hucklebuck 5:30
3	Blues, Why Do You Worry Me? / Sugar Ray Norcia 8:29
4	Life Will Be Better / Sugar Ray Norcia 5:03
5	Mean Little Mama / Sugar Ray Norcia 3:18
6	T.D.'s Boogie Woogie / Billy Branch 4:35
7	If I Should Have Bad Luck / Charlie Musselwhite 5:26
8	I'm Gonna Steal Your Baby / Sugar Ray Norcia 4:23
9	Route 66 / Sugar Ray Norcia 5:14
10	You're So Fine / Billy Branch 5:08
11	Harp to Harp / Sugar Ray Norcia 11:37

Barnes & Noble

The humble harmonica takes center stage on SUPERHARPS with veterans James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite, and, from a younger generation, Sugar Ray Norcia, blowing the blues away. Centered on the industrial-strength playing developed and nurtured in the Windy City, this vibrant set finds each player in top form. Cotton, who just seems to play better with age, makes the instrumental "The Hucklebuck" chug along with the power and control of an express train rolling into Chicago from Memphis. Musselwhite moved to the West Coast after his stint in the Windy City, and his playing on "Blues, Why Do You Worry Me" and "If I Should Have Bad Luck" has taken on a laid-back Southern California feel. Branch's playing is the most diverse. He uses jazzy licks to sass up "Route 66," makes the harmonica as greasy as fatback on "Mean Little Mama," and goes for the roadhouse roar on "You're So Fine." A gifted singer as well as a fine harp player, Norcia, who was with Roomful of Blues for five years, uses his sweet vocals to put a '50s country spin on "I'm Gonna Steal Your Baby" and "Life Will Be Better." The grand finale, "Harp to Harp," is an extended jam featuring all four stylists. But mutual admiration reigns over competition. A love fest rather than a cutting session, SUPERHARPS showcases four of the finest blues harpists on the planet. Roberta Penn

All Music Guide

Four great blues harmonica players (James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite, and Sugar Ray Norcia) are featured in various combinations on this spirited disc, backed by a four-piece rhythm section (with guitarist Kid Bangham and pianist Anthony Geraci). Cotton and Norcia have solo pieces, seven numbers feature two harmonicas, and the lengthy low-down blues "Harp to Harp" has all four of the harmonica players taking turns soloing. Much of the material is jazz-oriented, including "The Hucklebuck," "TD's Boogie Woogie," and "Route 66," and the majority of the selections are instrumentals. Each of the harmonica players sounds inspired and the results are consistently exciting and swinging. Scott Yanow