by Al Campbell
Boogie-woogie pianist and Muddy Waters Band alumni Pinetop Perkins is in fine form on his second Telarc disc, Back on Top. These ten tunes cover familiar territory that most blues fans will know by heart, including &Hi-Heel Sneakers,& &Kansas City,& and &Down in Mississippi.& Perkins' band, consisting of Denny Breau on guitar, Michael &Mudcat& Ward on bass, and Per Hanson on drums, helps breathe new life into the classic urban blues sound, and is joined sporadically by special guests Corey Harris and Sugar Ray Norcia.