Nick Moss decided to steer his band back to his first love, the greasy boogie of Chicago blues, around the time he hired harpist
Dennis Gruenling as a featured musician toward the beginning of 2017. Not long afterward he signed to Alligator, that stalwart of Chicago blues, and cut
The High Cost of Low Living, a jumping little record that keeps the postwar dreams alive.
Moss seems revitalized by this pairing, and it's not just how he trades licks with
Gruenling that gives the album a kick. The guitarist wrote eight new songs, all solid senders in the classic Chicago tradition, all pairing well with the two originals from
Gruenling and smartly selected covers, highlighted by the
Santo & Johnny obscurity "All Night Diner." While
The High Cost of Low Living might not expand the form, it certainly makes a case for the vitality of old-fashioned Chicago electric blues in the 21st century. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine