Like any of
Bobby Rush's
'90s recordings for Urgent! and Ichiban,
Handy Man
is a pretty good album that draws from Chicago blues and Southern soul equally.
Rush
gives some good performances which carry the album through some lame original songs and flat, synth-laden production, complete with robotic drum machines. Of course, this holds true for almost any of
Rush's
albums, which means you've got to take what you can get, and here you get a couple of good songs balanced by a lot of filler. And
fans should be used to that by now. ~ Thom Owens