Lost Highway: A Rockabilly Music Blog

Nico Duportal and His Rhythm Dudes - Guitar Player

Rhythm Bomb Records

When looking through the very long list of bands that would be playing the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend, one band name stuck out; Nico Duportal and His Rhythm Dudes. I don’t know, but I had to check them out before catching these guys live. All I can say was I was hooked from the start after a listen to their song “Real Rockin’ Papa” (which you can watch the music video here). These Paris-based rock ’n’ rollers play... well... Rockin’ early Rhythm ’n’ Blues; the way it was meant to be played.

When I heard Rhythm Bomb Records were releasing their new record, I was excited but realized I don’t own a record player (again, I know, what the hell?). Then later learned the same songs would be on CD plus more songs? So in a way it was a blessing in disguise! I had the chance to catch Nico Duportal (not with his Rhythm Dudes, but instead the Memphis Kings as his backing band) play two sets at Viva Las Vegas, both amazing! I immediately picked up the latest album titled “Guitar Player”, which is a fitting title since Nico himself does play guitar, and a mean one at that!

Okay, let’s get to the album shall we? The opening track “When I’m Gone” blasts into a drum roll and we’re hit with Nico’s guitar playing. It’s a scorcher of a song and a great way to open the album. 

The album doesn’t slow down there, we move on to “Lost In The Game”, a real jive number! Bluesy riffs and a uptempo that should make an old geezer throw away his walker and start dancing. The next song “Polish Woman” is a groovy one (did I just say “groovy”?), well it will get you snapping your fingers. Again, the band shines in this one. Nico slows it down with a cover of John ‘Guitar’ Watson’s “Oh Baby”, and I would say Nico and the band do it justice. We keep the blues going with “Can’t Afford to Lose Her”, incorporating the harmonica, which gets as much attention as the guitar, I love it. 

We tone down on the blues, but still keeping the R ’n’ B flavor, with “She Knows How”, a real catchy number. The song ends in another great guitar solo from Nico and slowly fades into the next song, “Real Good Lovin’ Tonight”. This one is swinging, almost has a Louie Prima vibe to it, but never strays away from the Rhythm ’n’ Blues. We get a cover of “Big Mary’s”, again another one that does it justice and should be in a detective or spy movie soundtrack. The next song, the title track “Guitar Player” is the most Blues song on the album, and the guitar really packs a punch in this one. 

We get yet another cover song “Oh Oh” by Paul Gayten, I actually can’t find the original version to compare, but I dig this version a lot. The instrumental song “Josh & Slim”, where Nico can take a breather and showcase the whole band at their finest,  from Nico's guitar (obviously), to Alex Bertein and Arnaud Desprez's saxophone playing. Thibaut Chopin on the upright bass gets a nice solo in there, and the rhythm of Pascal Mucci's drums and Oliver "Red" Cantrelle on the piano keeps the rhythm going. This is almost like a farewell before we get to the last two songs. 

“Much Later” is the last cover of the album and the cover the Ike Turner/Jackie Brenston song. I’m telling you, these guys pick the best songs to cover and know how to make it their own! The album closes with an unreleased version of “Polish Woman” It doesn’t sound much different, but I think I hear some bongos in there, a nice added bonus and a great way to end the album. 

This could very well be in my top favorites of 2015 and I’m glad I picked this one up when I had the chance. All I can say is that Rhythm Bomb Records has released another hit! For those looking for some real Rhythm ’n’ Blues for the 21st Century, pick up “Guitar Player” at the Rhythm Bomb Records online store right now!

Here's a photo from Nico Duportal's show at Viva Las Vegas.