Coco Montoya

Most bluesmen are either smooth or rough. Yet Coco Montoya fuses the two in unexpected ways. Like B.B. King, his robust voice and silky shuffles are uptown affairs. But when the Californian grabs a hold of his ax, he starts spraying fire from his fingertips, especially on "How Do You Sleep at Night" and "It Takes Time," the old Otis Rush number. Incidentally, a number of Little Feat alumni appear on Dirty Deal, which explains the album's heavy dose of funky RnB.