{"id":31639,"date":"2026-10-02T05:30:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=31639"},"modified":"2026-06-06T17:16:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T21:16:42","slug":"album-review-pops-fletcher-the-hucksters-almost-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/02\/album-review-pops-fletcher-the-hucksters-almost-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Pops Fletcher & the Hucksters \u2013 Almost Live"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Primarily a regional live act, Wisconsin-based Matthew \u201cPops\u201d Fletcher Goodwin and his band have nonetheless earned some high-profile exposure of late. Midwestern indie-focused podcast Making a Scene<\/em> profiled Pops Fletcher & the Hucksters in late 2025, shortly after the release of Almost Live<\/em>, and the album took the top spot in Roots Music Report<\/em>\u2019s Wisconsin chart in January.<\/p>\n

As its title suggests, Fletcher\u2019s album is not in fact a concert recording. Instead it\u2019s the product of a live-in-the-studio session with minimal overdubs and post-production. The intent, of course, was the capture the feel of a live gig and combine it with the fidelity and control that can come from working in the recording studio.<\/p>\n

Fletcher \u2013 who sings, plays guitar and Wurlitzer \u2013 serves up 11 tunes on Almost Live<\/em>, all originals. The set opens with the upbeat, chugging “Trickle Down.” Todd Phipps\u2019 Hammond introduces the tune, and Fletcher\u2019s vocals take center stage. A very familiar \u201cstandard blues changes\u201d format anchors the tune, but the band \u2013 most notably Phipps (and briefly guitarist JD \u201cMitch\u201d Mitchell) \u2013 makes the most of it, taking turns at delivering catchy solos.<\/p>\n

More interesting is “Johnny Gets Around.” Guest guitarist Glenn Davis introduces the track by peeling off some delicious slide guitar; the rest of the band offers solid support. Close harmony work from Phipps enhances Fletcher\u2019s lead vocal. Davis returns for an even livelier solo, then Phipps takes a spotlight on the organ.<\/p>\n

“Red Canoe” is firmly rooted in the blues but delivered in a modern, sophisticated and rock-leaning arrangement. The Wurlitzer (from either Fletcher or Phipps) adds even more appeal, and the backing vocals are a highlight. Mitchell opens up for a slightly lengthier solo here, and it\u2019s impressively executed. “Try” slows things way down; the band leans into the blues feel; once again, Davis\u2019 guitar solos are the high point, but Phipps\u2019 multiple keyboards and the band\u2019s harmony vocal work deserve praise as well.<\/p>\n

A country vibe informs “You Don\u2019t Write”; its inclusion underscores the variety of Fletcher\u2019s songcraft. Fletcher and the Hucksters get funky on “Rearview Mirror”; Nic Fugate\u2019s drums and some understated yet rock-solid bass work from Tim Walter hold things together. Mid-song, the tune turns into a lively lead guitar battle, easily making “Rearview Mirror” the most fiery track of the set. Rock and blues meet again for “Anybody Could Love You,” a riffy number with another ace guitar break. Intentionally or not, “The Pleaser” recalls the more yacht-rocking moments of artists like Hall and Oates, Boz Scaggs and the Doobie Brothers.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the uptown funk-flavored “Toxic” is Nic Fugate\u2019s assured percussion; here, Fletcher\u2019s vocals lean in a jazz-singer direction. Phipps turns in yet another pleasing Hammond break. “All About Love” conjures warm memories of the best of mainstream \u201870s Album Oriented Radio. The set closes with the uptempo “Trouble Comin\u2019,” a showcase for each and every player in the band. Almost Live<\/em> is a varied set indeed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Primarily a regional live act, Wisconsin-based Matthew \u201cPops\u201d Fletcher Goodwin and his band have nonetheless earned some high-profile exposure of late. Midwestern indie-focused podcast Making a Scene profiled Pops Fletcher […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,39,49,65],"tags":[5957],"class_list":["post-31639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blues","category-indie","category-new-release","category-review","tag-pops-fletcher","cat-9-id","cat-39-id","cat-49-id","cat-65-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31639"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31640,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31639\/revisions\/31640"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}