Nappy’s back, baby, and this is very much a mixed bag. Brown started his career in the 1950s as a big city blues shout in the tradition of Roy Brown and Joe Turner. Unlike Roy Brown and Turner though, this Brown was very heavily influenced by gospel music. His biggest claim to fame was writing and recording the original “Night Time Is the Right Time,” recycled here. Brown’s classic recordings featured great New York horn sections and the phenomenal guitar of Mickey Baker. For this reason, it takes some time getting used to Brown singing with a more Chicago blues accompaniment and occasional heavy handed guitar.

Half the material here was previously recorded by Brown decades ago, so nobody’s really taking many chances. Of the newer material “Aw Shucks Baby” and “Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleepin’” stand out. One dud here though is the acoustic treatment of “Cherry Red,” which really drags. That aside, it’s good to hear Brown shout and plead the blues again.