Tough Enough
Buddy Reed & Th' Rip It Ups
Buddy Reed & Th' Rip It Ups’ Tough Enough is a fired‑up West Coast blues record that captures former Canned Heat guitarist Buddy Reed stepping fully into the spotlight as a bandleader in his own right. Originally recorded in the spring of 1985 and reissued in 2025, it pairs gritty, early‑rock‑and‑roll energy with loose, juke‑joint spontaneity: raw guitar tone, live‑sounding performances, and Reed’s feverish, half‑shouted vocals give the album the feel of a sweaty club set rather than a polished studio project. The core trio—Reed on guitar and vocals, Jerry Smith on bass, and Bob Newham on drums—plays like a road‑tested party band, hitting a sweet spot between jump blues, swampy shuffles, and early rock ‘n’ roll rave‑ups.
Across tracks like “(Buddy’s) Big Legged Woman,” “Rock Me,” “Blues for Mud,” “You’re So Fine,” “Rialto Rock,” “Sugar Bee,” and “I’m a Hog for You (Baby),” Reed leans on classic blues tropes—lust, heartbreak, bravado, and barroom catharsis—and delivers them with what one set of liner notes calls a “bluesy rock jester” energy, more about feel and attitude than prettiness. His guitar work nods to early Johnny “Guitar” Watson and T‑Bone Walker: sharp, reverb‑drenched leads that sound slightly dangerous rather than slick, with solos that cut through the mix like a live wire. Closer “Kiss My Ass,” a kiss‑off to unsupportive clubs, “so‑called friends,” and industry hangers‑on, underlines the album’s defiant streak and reinforces what Tough Enough ultimately documents: a traditionalist blues lifer playing with commitment, humour, and the kind of raw conviction that made this music exciting in the first place.
Tough Enough
Buddy Reed & Th' Rip It Ups
Buddy Reed & Th' Rip It Ups’ Tough Enough is a fired‑up West Coast blues record that captures former Canned Heat guitarist Buddy Reed stepping fully into the spotlight as a bandleader in his own right. Originally recorded in the spring of 1985 and reissued in 2025, it pairs gritty, early‑rock‑and‑roll energy with loose, juke‑joint spontaneity: raw guitar tone, live‑sounding performances, and Reed’s feverish, half‑shouted vocals give the album the feel of a sweaty club set rather than a polished studio project. The core trio—Reed on guitar and vocals, Jerry Smith on bass, and Bob Newham on drums—plays like a road‑tested party band, hitting a sweet spot between jump blues, swampy shuffles, and early rock ‘n’ roll rave‑ups.
Across tracks like “(Buddy’s) Big Legged Woman,” “Rock Me,” “Blues for Mud,” “You’re So Fine,” “Rialto Rock,” “Sugar Bee,” and “I’m a Hog for You (Baby),” Reed leans on classic blues tropes—lust, heartbreak, bravado, and barroom catharsis—and delivers them with what one set of liner notes calls a “bluesy rock jester” energy, more about feel and attitude than prettiness. His guitar work nods to early Johnny “Guitar” Watson and T‑Bone Walker: sharp, reverb‑drenched leads that sound slightly dangerous rather than slick, with solos that cut through the mix like a live wire. Closer “Kiss My Ass,” a kiss‑off to unsupportive clubs, “so‑called friends,” and industry hangers‑on, underlines the album’s defiant streak and reinforces what Tough Enough ultimately documents: a traditionalist blues lifer playing with commitment, humour, and the kind of raw conviction that made this music exciting in the first place.