JJ Appleton & Jason Ricci - Beautiful Slop (2018)

From a Dirty Memory to a Beautiful Slop.

It was an unlikely phone call made in 2014 that brought Jason Ricci and JJ Appleton together. “You don’t have an acoustic album yet, let’s make one” said JJ. A few song writing sessions, a live to video and pro tools recording in NYC with Tedeschi Trucks bassist Tim Lefebvre, and the album Dirty Memory was birthed.
Cut to a multi-week long stay in the top 10 iTunes Blues charts and the Roots Music Report, headlining Festivals and venues from the tip of icy Maine, to steamy New Orleans - it was quite a run. It became obvious to Appleton, Ricci and their fans, that a new album was in order.
The duo took over bassist/producer Derek Nievergelt’s Brooklyn basement studio for two days. 90-degree heat and no AC. The swampy heat set the stage for what can only be described as 10 recordings dripping with raw grit, groove, acoustic soul and sweat: Their new album “Beautiful Slop”.
Ricci, a harmonica legend and winner of the 2018 Blues Award for Best instrumentalist/Harmonica, has broken another barrier melding perfectly his Sonny Terry on speed style with beautiful melodic, flowing riffs that consistently bring a smile or tear throughout the record. Appleton’s original songs and unique takes on some very unusual covers shows the duo’s penchant for keeping people guessing as to what they’ll do next.
The much anticipated October 2018 release of “Beautiful Slop” will be in conjunction with a 10- day tour throughout the Northeast, New England and Mid Atlantic.