TOP 40s 2022
Top 40 Blues+ Albums
- Kris Barras Band - Death Valley Paradise
- Eric Gales - Crown
- Tinsley Ellis - Devil May Care
- Eric Krasno - Always
- Bob Corritore & Friends - Down Home Blues Revue
- Bubba And The Big Bad Blues - Drifting
- Beth Hart - A Tribute To Led Zeppelin
- Stone Foundation - Outside Looking In
- Andy Lindquist - My Name Is Mud
- Jose Ramirez - Major League Blues
- The 251's - 'Bout Time
- Prakash Slim - Country Blues From Nepal
- Various Artists - Blind Raccoon And Nola Blue Collection Volume 4
- Robin Trower - No More Worlds To Conquer
- Dan Patlansky - Shelter Of Bones
- Sugaray Rayford - In Too Deep
- Greenslade & Thomas - G&T
- Supersonic Blues Machine - Voodoo Nation
- Kathy Murray & The Kilowatts - Fully Charged
- John Mayall - The Sun Is Shining Down
- Louisiana Red & Bob Corritore - Tell Me 'Bout It
- Delbert McClinton - Outdated Emotion
- Katie Henry - On My Way
- Walter Trout - Ride
- Mighty Mike Schermer - Just Gettin' Good
- Diunna Greenleaf - I Ain't Playin'
- Joanne Shaw Taylor - Blues From The Heart Live
- King Of The World - Royal 10
- Rory Gallagher - Deuce 50th Anniversary
- Various Artists - This Is Bone Union Records Vol 1
- Shemekia Copeland - Done Come Too Far
- Charlie Musselwhite - Mississippi Son
- Eliza Neals - Badder To The Bone
- Derrick Procell - Hello Mojo!
- Peter Veteska & Blues Train - So Far So Good
- Kenny Neal - Straight From The Heart
- The Dig 3 - The Dig 3
- Dave Arcari - Devil May Care
- Durham County Poets - Out Of The Woods
- Larry McCray - Blues Without You
Special mention to Bernard Allison - Highs & Lows and Professor Louie & The Crowmatix - Strike Up The Band
Top 40 Americana+
- Harley Kimbro Lewis - Harley Kimbro Lewis
- Jack Francis - Jack Francis
- Bobby Allison & Gerry Spehar - Delta Man
- Dean Owens - Sinner's Shrine
- Kevin Buckley - Big Spring
- The Jason Lee McKinney Band - One Last Thing
- Rupert Wates - For The People
- Steve Dawson - Gone, Long Gone
- Kristian Montgomery & The Winterkill Band - Heaven For Heretics
- Fran McGillivary Band - Rain
- Jadea Kelly - Roses
- Don Michael Sampson - The Fall Of The Western Sun
- The Wise Monkeys - This Is Our Record
- James Combs - Falling Under Spells
- Alice DiMicele - Every Seed We Plant
- The Pawn Shop Saints - Ride My Galaxy
- Track Dogs - Where To Now
- KB Bayley - Flatlands
- Mike Stevens - Breathe In The World, Breathe Out Music
- Old Crow Medicine Show - Paint This Town
- Kate Ellis - Spirals
- Michelle Malone - 1977
- The White Buffalo - Year Of The Dark Horse
- The Slocan Ramblers - Up The Hill And Through The Fog
- Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra - The Party's Over
- Sarah Jane Nelson - Shelby Park
- Michael Gutierrez-May - Drifting To The Right
- Just A Season - Leave To Come Home
- Susan Cattaneo - All Is Quiet
- Rod Picott - Paper Hearts & Broken Arrows
- Anna Howie - The Friday Night Club
- The Remittance Men - Scoundrels, Dreamers & Second Sons
- Oumou Sangare - Timbuktu
- The Actual Goners - Lost Highway
- Vieux Farka Toure - Les Racines
- Mickelson - Known To Be Unknown
- John Borra - Cassettes In Common
- Hannah Read & Michael Starkey - Cross The Rolling Water
- Mavis Staples & Levon Helm - Carry Me Home
- Mean Mary - Portrait Of A Woman Part 1
Special mention to Heidi Talbot - Sing It For A Lifetime
Top 40 Rock+
- Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark
- Hollis Brown - In The Aftermath
- Wille & The Bandits - When The World Stood Still
- Robert Jon & The Wreck - Wreckage Vol 2
- Steve Vai - Inviolate
- Martin Barre Band - Live At The Wildey
- Lannie Flowers - Flavor Of The Month
- Chris Pastore - Turn The Music Up Loud
- Chris Church - Darling Please
- Various Artists - Legacy: A Tribute To Leslie West
- Speedfossil - No Anesthesia
- Jo Dog & Paul Black's Sonic Boom - Everybody Rains On My Parade
- Status Quo - Heavy Traffic
- Michael Tinholme - Singled Out
- Chris Pope & The Chords UK - Big City Dreams
- John Illsley - VIII
- Status Quo - Riffs
- Various Artists - We All Shine On: Celebrating The Music Of 1970
- Pure Assassins - Questions
- Dave Edwards - Many Rivers
- Iain Matthews & The Salmon Smokers - Fake Tan
- Vernons Future - Aquaplaning
- Ali Sperry - In Front Of Us
- Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri - The Long Ride Home
- Status Quo - Quo'ing In
- Austin Meade - Abstract Art Of An Unstable Mind
- Bananafish - Boston Bananafish
- Held By Trees - Solace
- Popular Creeps - All Of This Will End In Tears
- Some Velvet Morning - Rough Seas
- Holt & Jones - Shadowman
- The Space Age Travellers - Satellite Shuffle
- Sara Niemietz - Superman
- Ernest Moon - Skipping To Maloo
- My Glass World - Tree Shadow Piano
- Beauty In Chaos - Behind The Veil
- Sammy Volkov - Be Alright!
- Wilderado - Wilderado
- Ava Vox - Immortalised
- Joe Satriani - The Elephants Of Mars
Special mention to Copperhead County - Homebound
Top 40 Blues+ Singles
- Eric Gales - Stand Up
- Eric Gales - I Want My Crown
- Sugaray Rayford - Miss Information
- Bernard Allison - So Excited
- Eric Krasno - Lost Myself EP
- Joanne Shaw Taylor - Stop Messin' Round
- Bob Corritore & T-Model Ford - Mean Old Frisco
- Robin Trower - Ball Of Fire
- Sone Foundation - Now That You Want Me Back
- Mike Zito - I'll Make Love To You
- Beth Hart - Black Dog
- Beth Hart - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
- Stone Foundation - Heaven Knows Why
- Joe Bonamassa - Mind's Eye
- Walter Trout - Waiting For The Dawn
- Supersonic Blues Machine - 8 Ball Lucy
- Eric Gales - You Don't Know The Blues
- Tinsley Ellis - One Less Reason
- Angela Easley - Rise EP
- Supersonic Blue Machine - Is It All
- Robin Trower - No More Worlds To Conquer
- Walter Trout - Ghosts
- Kris Barras Band - Who Needs Enemies
- The Bad Day - When The Cage Comes Down
- Delbert McClinton - Ain't That Lovin' You
- Walter Trout - Ride
- Supersonic Blues Machine - Do It Again
- Charlie Musselwhite - Blues Gave Me A Ride
- Troy Redfern - Sweet Carolina
- Delbert McClinton - Stagger Lee
- Supersonic Blues Machine - All Our Love
- Supersonic Blues Machine - Too Late
- Larry McCray - Arkansas
- Peter Veteska & Blues Train - I Miss You So
- Prakash Slim - Corona Blues
- Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado - Watch The Sun Go Down
- When Rivers Meet - He'll Drive You Crazy
- Anne Burnell & Mark Burnell - Peppermint Tea
- Kirk Fletcher - Heartache By The Pound
- Larry McCray - Breaking News
Special mention to Bob Margolin & Bob Corritore - Blessings And Blues
Top 40 Americana+ Singles
- Harley Kimbro Lewis - Cowboys In Hawaii
- Old Salt - Live In Room 13 EP
- Dean Owens - Arizona
- Harley Kimbro Lewis - Man Get Ahold Of Yourself
- Jack Francis - The Wheel
- Steve Dawson - Gone, Long Gone
- Just A Season - Leave To Come Home
- Benjamin Adair Murphy - Old Chords EP
- The Jason Lee McKinney Band - Sing On
- The Slocan Ramblers - A Heart With A Mind Of Its Own
- Steve Dawson - Kulaniapia Waltz
- Steve Dawson - Dimes
- Jadea Kelly - Happy EP
- Steve Dawson - Bad Omen
- Rob Heron & The Teapad Orchestra - She Hypnotised Me
- Michelle Malone - Not Who I Used To Be
- The Ragged Roses - Do Me Right
- Oumou Sangare - Sarama
- Sarah Jane Nelson - I Wish I Missed You
- Eliades Ochoa - Ay Mama Que Bueno
- Old Crow Medicine Show - Bombs Away
- The Wise Monkeys - Vie Le Rock
- Jadea Kelly - When I Fly
- Jim Keaveny - Sunrise/Golden Carmen
- Oumou Sangare - Sira
- Vieux Farka Toure - Gabou Ni Tie
- Dean Owens - After The Rain
- Senja Sargeant - EP
- Chris Murphy - Two Rivers Crossing EP
- Jadea Kelly - Stupid Goddam Face
- Mean Mary & The Contrarys - Hell & Heroes Vol 1 EP
- Fatoumara Diawara - Maliba EP
- Old Crow Medicine Show - Gloryland
- Amy Correia - As We Are EP
- Jadea Kelly - Temporary Farewell
- Mickelson - A Murder Of Crows
- Friendmaker - Weird
- Susan Cattaneo - All Is Quiet
- Jessie Kilguss - Great White Shark
- Kate Ellis - Scars
Special mention to The Bacon Brothers - Dark Chocolate Eyes
Top 40 Rock+ Singles
- Robert Jon & The Wreck - Waiting For Your Man
- Hollis Brown - Don'tcha Bother Me
- Hollis Brown - Paint It Black
- Naked Gypsy Queens - Georgiana EP
- Wille & The Bandits - Good Stuff
- Speedfossil - Luckiest Man In The World
- John Illsley - It's A Long Way Back
- LA Edwards - Trouble
- Marillion - Murder Machines
- Jo Dog & Paul Black's Sonic Boom - Tree For Shade
- Zakk Wylde - Blood Of The Sun
- The Claudettes - Time Won't Take Our Times Away
- Charlie Starr - Silver Paper
- Some Velvet Morning - Ghosts
- Wilderado - Head Right
- Davie Furey - History
- The Bablers - You Are The One For Me
- Steve Vai - Zeus In Chains
- Dan Krikorian - Brighter Side
- Freedy Johnston - There Goes A Brooklyn Girl
- Gov't Mule - Play With Fire EP
- Caulbearers - Twisted Cord
- Weimar - I Smashed Through The Looking Glass
- The Amber Quills - Chords And Candies
- Joe Satriani - Pumpin
- Dee Snider & Mike Portnoy - Theme From An Imaginary Western
- Robert Jon & The Wreck - Dark Roses
- The Damn Truth - Only Love
- Drive-By Truckers - Welcome 2 Club XIII
- Chemia - A New Romance
- Andrew Leahey & The Homestead - Hot House
- Robert Jon & The Wreck - She's A Fighter
- Dave Goddess Group - You Can't Get There From Here
- Held By Trees - The New Earth
- Ava Vox - Alone Again
- JJ Barrie - Who Told The Band To Pack?
- Alphaville - Forever Young
- Marbles - World Inside Me
- Simon McBride - High Stakes
- White Spirit - Runaway
Special mention to Silent Running - Darkest Hour and Spray - The Big Idea
The Academy Of Sun – It Is Finished When It’s Destroyed/Ghost Foxes (Heaven’s Lathe)
The Academy Of Sun refer to themselves as “queer, gnostic, orchestral Post-Punk” as that’s a moniker if I’ve ever heard one. Their fan base includes such luminaries as Julian Cope and Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and they are catching the ear of many others at the moment. Singer and songwriter Nick Hudson is the driving force of the band on piano, synth, Hammond, harmonium and percussion, ably backed by Kianna Blue (no relation, I don’t think so anyway) on bass and synths, Guy Brice on guitars and Ash Babb on drums. The A Side of this limited to 100 7” single is It Is Finished When It’s Destroyed, a two movement orchestral soundscape meeting Post Punk Rock. This won’t be to everyone’s taste as they often push the boundaries of structure with warped bass lines and screeches of feedback in the first part and, at times, melody is pushed to the side with battering drums, hissing synths and Hudson going all Scott Walker on us. The B side, Ghost Foxes, has a rapid vocal and machine gun delivery from the band, particularly Brice on guitar who hits you like a band saw and Babb producing a shuffling drum beat to compliment it. More of a straightforward post punk rocker as they bring a primal sound to what is already a favourite in their live set.
The Allman Betts Band – Bless Your Heart (BMG)
Bless Your Heart is the second album from the Allman Betts Band. For those who don’t know them, they are the sons of Allman Brothers Band members Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts. However, they are most certainly artists in their own rite and have brought together a band that can hold their heads up in the family business. They set out their stall early with twin guitars in the Duane Allman and Dickey Betts style on Pale Horse Rider. This mid-paced Southern Rock builds throughout but the powerful guitars are the stars of the show. From the off we can tell that they are a consummate band and although it’s from the South there are echoes of Neil Young’s ragged style in there too. Started with a favourite! Carolina Song is another grungy mid-paced rocker and Allman’s voice has grown since his early Honeytribe days and has become rich and enveloping. Both guitars work well, although I do have to say that there are 3 guitarists in the band, and there’s a big, languid solo with strings bending everywhere. Slide guitar comes in well and this will be a big song in their live set. Another favourite. King Crawler is upbeat Blues Rock with added saxophone and Allman handing over the lead vocals to Betts. He’s not got Allman’s baritone but the song is well suited to his voice. There’s touches of Primal Scream’s Rocks here, especially on John Lum’s drumming. It’s Betts on lead vocal again on the slinky Americana of Ashes Of My Lovers. With the addition of a haunting harmonica this becomes strangely alluring. I can imagine the video for this being filmed in the desert or the song being used for the end of an episode of Fargo or Breaking Bad. The 12 minute instrumental, Savannah’s Dream, follows with everyone getting their chance to show their virtuosity. This could be Betts’ homage to his father who was well known for his instrumentals with The Allman Brothers. It’s got a Jazz feel to it, especially in the dual guitars section, and with more than a nod to Steely Dan and others Airboats And Cocaine appears to have been recorded live in the studio and it’s a gritty pounding rocker that the Stones would be proud of. The soaring slide guitar here is fast becoming a trademark of the album and overall it gives an insight as to what we can expect from their live shows, whenever we get any!
Southern Rain has Allman back on form vocally over a sedate, yet electric, Southern Rock throwback to the classic bands of 70s Rock whereas Rivers Run, although still having that classic 70s Rock feel, is acoustic led but with electric guitar fills with a tone that just reminds me of the classic Allman Brothers tone on Jessica. The first single from the album was Magnolia Road, released in June, and it’s another that’s steeped in classic Southern Rock but which also tips the nod to The Band and The Grateful Dead. With slide guitar and drawled vocals it’s got the lot, hits the spot and just gets better and better. It’s another favourite and written entirely by Stoll Vaughan even though it has an autobiographical feel, often referencing Allman and Betts’ lives. Should We Ever Part has a big, ballsy, bluesy introduction and the Blues Rock themes continue throughout. There are echoes of You Put A Spell On Me surfacing every now and then as they let it rip with both guitars going full out. Bassist Berry Duane Oakley (another surname well known by Allman Brothers fans) wrote and makes his vocal debut on the piano-led ballad, The Doctor’s Daughter. It’s another long one at over 8 minutes but time goes by very easily with an acoustic guitar solo bringing a Latin feel and I don’t know if it’s just me but I’m getting some Pink Floyd in there too. The album is rounded off with Much Obliged and Congratulations. The former being Country right down to the deep, Johnny Cash vocal and the latter a piano-led uplifting Rock ballad, despite a message of jealousy in there. Both contribute to a big finish to a big album.
To the list of great Southern Rock bands, add the name of Allman Betts.
The Reverend Shawn Amos – The Cause Of It All (Put Together Music)
The Cause Of It All is Shawn Amos’ eighth album and his fourth as The Reverend. On this he goes back to what inspired him to set out on his musical journey in 2014 and that was the uncluttered, passionate Blues of duos such as Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and Junior Wells & Buddy Guy. Along with guitarist, Chris ‘Doctor’ Roberts, The Reverend has selected 10 classic Blues songs, some of which will be more familiar than others, and turned them into new classics for Blues duos. They open with Willie Dixon’s Spoonful, made famous by Howlin’ Wolf. Shawn’s harp wails like a fog siren to begin with and then Chris joins with deliberate note picking guitar before fuzzing it up and the vocal arrives. It’s creeping, eerie and haunting with an expressive vocal. Shawn really sings it out and the harp and guitar are jagged edged. Lester Butler’s Goin’ To The Church is stripped back as Shawn rocks the Blues. His harp comes into it a third of the way through and he’s turned into a Blues shouter on this album! Hypnotic and powerful. Still A Fool is a grinding Chicago Blues which has its origins in the Delta. Shawn turns in such a powerful, emotion laden vocal performance which is a true nod to the writer, Muddy Waters. Color And Kind is a Howlin’ Wolf song and Shawn and Chris keep it fuzzed and grungy. It’s emotive with a powerful message: “Address my color or address my kind”. Sensational harmonica from Shawn in parts. John Lee Hooker’s Serves Me Right To Suffer is a big song to take on but the stark delivery makes it well suited to the stripped-down method of delivery from Shawn and Chris. You believe every word he sings and he comes across so menacing at times.
We get a second Willie Dixon song with I’m Ready as the second half of the album goes acoustic and the parlour music version of the song lifts the dark, grungy mood for the first time. Big Joe Williams was first to make Baby Please Don’t Go famous and there has been many, many versions since. This one is not as frenetic as some of the others but it’s one to add to the list of the best covers. Shawn is on form, adding stuttering harmonica towards the end and a call and response with his harmonica and Chris’ guitar too. Little Walter is Shawn’s favourite harmonica player and this strong cover of Can’t Hold Out Much Longer is a great tribute to him with a deep, plaintive vocal. There’s not a lot to be said about Muddy Waters’ Hoochie Coochie Man but the acoustic playing of it is something different. Shawn has the voice for this big song but it feels like he’s speaking in your ear rather than the power of Muddy’s original. However, he can and does turn on the power where required though. Smoking hot harmonica and a superb version of a superb song. To finish with, the duo goes for a third Muddy Waters song. This time it’s Little Anna Mae and it’s a low-key finish but the playing and singing just confirms that Shawn and Chris are true bluesmen and they can set themselves firmly in the shoes of Blues duos that have gone before.
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood – I Need To Get Loving (Put Together Music)
The Rev has spent the lockdown writing with The Brotherhood for the first time and I’m sure that I Need To Get Loving will only be the first of many to surface this year as I expect a couple of other singles and an album at least. The song itself is a laid back, yet forceful, soulful harmonica Blues with the Reverend in fine vocal form. Matt Hubbard’s Hammond B3 provides great backing as the song builds well through to the chorus and on to the end with a fuzzed guitar solo in keeping with the overall feel.
2021 is looking like it’s going to be a good one for Shawn Amos.
The Reverend Shawn Amos And The Brotherhood – Blue Sky (Put Together Music)
The Reverend Shawn Amos is back, this time with The Brotherhood, and they are in for the long haul. Shawn says that he “couldn’t imagine making this music with people who are not friends” and you get the feeling from the album that there is a collective in place here. There is a change in Shawn right from the start on Stranger Than Today. It’s acoustic, almost Country Folk in style with harmonica, snappy drums and harmonics from guitar all giving a peaceful vibe and Shawn’s vocal fitting the theme. Troubled Man is more like what we would expect as he takes his howling harmonica back into Soul Blues with power vocals from Shawn and guest, Ruthie Foster. He stays with Soul Blues, albeit acoustic, for Her Letter and he provides a feathery vocal to reflect the sadness of the letter’s recipient. Top marks to the double bass for slapping out the notes. Counting Down The Days is a compelling slow electric with commanding vocals from Shawn. His harmonica shimmers as the track pounds on. Things are speeded up considerably for Hold Back as the Rev turns in some vocal gymnastics. I’m sad to say that this is shockingly extremely short. I really wanted more!
Shawn is quite unique and on The Job Is Never Done he creates a thumping joyful sound with an old time feel to this and backing vocalists creating a wall of sound. Kenya Hathaway provides a strong vocal on The Pity And The Pain and the band finds a groove on this with almost a Gospel feel in parts and a laid back electric guitar solo. Hathaway also features on Albion Blues, a smoky, atmospheric Soul Blues with deep toned keyboards leading the way. Shawn provides a haunting harmonica adding depth and flavour to proceedings. 27 Dollars is an energetic Jump Blues with harmonica wailing, rolling piano, shuffling guitar and Shawn throwing in an expressive vocal for good measure. He finishes with Keep The Faith, a song for our times. It’s so uplifting with its call and response. Featuring The Mudbug Brass Band with Shawn throwing some harp at them, its New Orleans fuelled and a marvellous finish. As Shawn says - Keep the faith, have some fun spread a little joy everyone!
The Reverend Shawn Amos – Diggin’ My Potatoes (Put Together Music)
The good Reverend releases his version of the classic and often covered song, first released in 1939 by Little Son Joe. It’s just him, electric guitar and harmonica with the fuzzed vocal and harp adding to the feeling of starkness. I’ll let the man tell you about it himself.
“I rediscovered this recording from “The Reverend Shawn Amos Breaks It Down” sessions. Doctor Roberts and I made a stop at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals where we tracked ‘Moved’ and a few other duo songs. ‘Diggin’ My Potatoes’ like ‘Moved’ was inspired by the great 1960s Junior Wells and Buddy Guy Delmark recordings. Their debut album, “Hoodoo Man Blues,” was released 55 years ago. Junior is the reason I play harmonica and his collaboration with Buddy is one of my favorite in all of blues history. I always feel them in the room when The Doctor and I play.”
The Reverend Shawn Amos
Dave Arcari & The Faultlines – Cherry Wine (Buzz Records)
Cherry Wine is the first single from Scotland’s alt-Blues troubadour Dave Arcari’s lockdown collective, The Faultlines. This latest offering from Dave finds him in reflective mode and not the wild man that we have come to expect. Cherry Wine is Roots music played in a way that somehow sums up how we all feel at the moment. Dave’s signature slide guitar is there but he’s gone kind of Country with this. His usual vocal snarl is missing and the overall feel is one of a man who just wants the current situation to end. Usually a solo performer on tour, Dave has said that The Faultlines may join him on stage sometime when we get back to gigging. Look out for other Faultlines songs and another solo album for Dave in the coming months.
Dave has most recently joined Reunion Blues Gig Bags as an official artist, a partnership which sees the premium instrument case manufacturer join Arcari’s list of endorsers alongside National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Newtone Strings, G7th Capos and Diamond Bottlenecks.
“Dave plays like he got his skin turned inside out and pretty soon my skin was inside out too listening and it was all good. That boy bleeds for you – he a real down deep player and a soul man…” SEASICK STEVE
The Bad Day Blues Band – Table By The Wall (Lunaria Records)
Table By The Wall is The Bad Day Blues Band’s debut for Lunaria Records and although some of the tracks have previously seen the light of day on a live album and as singles, they’ve been given a good going over for this new release. The band has been building steadily towards this point over the past four years and it’s all coming together well. They open up with the two singles, both of which have been reviewed earlier and the first being Sam & Dave’s Hold On (I’m Comin’). This’ll be a shock to your senses if all you’ve ever heard is the original Sam & Dave classic. They’ve speeded it up as a dirty Blues Rock and given it a wall of sound. Harmonica, played by Sam Spranger, replaces the horns and backed up by guitar from Nick Peck which fills it out to give that expansive sound. They throw everything at it musically and throw in a gnarly vocal from bassist Adam Rigg for good measure. The second of the singles is the title track, a funky Blues rocker with a harmonica refrain that lingers in the area just on the edge of your consciousness but also has the guts to take on the guitar and trade licks with it. It is 3 minutes of pandemonium, I kid you not. The high octane start continues with the Blues Rock of Burn It Down and they are definitely well down the road of not so gently easing their way into your consciousness. Spranger is player blowing away like a tornado on harmonica and Rigg is starting to confirm his classic Rock voice. Peck switches to slide guitar and trades licks with Spranger at the start of Fatman before Rigg growls his arrival and takes off on a snarling, evocative performance. It’s a bit of a cross between The Black Crowes and Govt Mule at times and that’s no bad thing. A prominent heavy bass line from Rigg and Spranger blowing his lungs out help to confirm that this band don’t leave anything in the tank. The drum laden (courtesy of Andrea Tremolada) Be Careful What You Wish For is slightly gentler than those previous but it does have an understory. Harmonies stand out and there are Bo Diddley beats to give a bit of a difference. Spranger confirms his class on harmonica and as part of a potent band. Hurricane does what it says on the tin as they relentlessly come at you. There is no doubting that Spanger is the main man but Tremolada is prominent here too as he pounds out the beat. Guitar and bass are content to be in the wings for a little while before Peck comes out with some great slide guitar towards the end. This is a rocking band and Hurricane is a standout.
Stop harks back to the AOR bands of the 70s and 80s and that’s fair enough. Spranger is playing his harp like an extra lead guitar in parts. Back to breakneck speed for The Hustler, which is another favourite, and it’s with songs like this that they confirm their credentials as serious players and contenders. They are a straight up rocking band with a bit of a New Wave ethos surrounding them, something like an Eddie & The Hot Rods for the 21st Century. Peck lets rip on guitar at last but it’s not gratuitous in any way. The favourites keep on coming with the CCR Swamp Rock of Wandering Man. Peck switches his guitar into overdrive and off we go. There’s a Billy Gibbons La Grange style introduction to Jump as Tremolada makes a bit of an impact with reverberating drums. Spranger is back on point and the Boogie segments are a cause for celebration. This will go down a storm in a live setting, as will many of the others. Peck is coming more and more into his own on guitar as the album progresses. The penultimate track, Forget, is a slow, chugging Blues Rocker and whilst there’s a drop in pace, there’s no real drop in quality. It’s edgy, as you would expect from the bad boys of the Blues with harp and guitar swapping solos with gusto. They are a force to be reckoned with and with a great frontman in the form of Adam Rigg who lets it all go at the end of this. Don’t be fooled like me into thinking that they are finishing proceedings on a slow note with Luna Rooms. That only lasts 90 seconds before carnage ensues and punk influences come in, making for an interesting end to the album. They do go back to a slow procession for the last few seconds but on the whole it’s what I would have expected of them by way of a big finish.
I don’t know about you but I’ve had a rocking good time.
The Bad Day Blues Band – Table By The Wall (Lunaria Records)
The second single from the upcoming album of the same name confirms that these guys don’t leave anything on the field. This time they deliver a funky Blues Rock which has a harmonica refrain that lingers in the area just on the edge of your consciousness but also has the guts to take on the guitar and trade licks with it. It is 3 minutes of pandemonium and another big step towards the album, due out on February 5th, the review of which will be with you soon.
The Bad Day Blues Band – Hold On (I’m Comin’)
Winners of the Best New Blues Band at the 2019 Digital Blues Awards, The Bad Day Blues Band are coming at you in 2021. The campaign starts with the release of the first single from their upcoming album, Table By The Wall, which is due out on 5th February. As for this first single, it will be a shock to your senses if all you’ve ever heard is the original Sam & Dave classic. They’ve speeded it up as a dirty Blues Rock and given it a wall of sound. Harmonica replaces the horns and backed up by guitar which fills it out to give that expansive sound. They throw everything at it musically and throw in a gnarly vocal for good measure. A great taster for the album.
Hold On (I’m Comin’) is out today and I expect a further single before the album release.
Rachel Baiman – Cycles (Signature Sounds Recordings)
Chicago born and Nashville resident, Rachel Baiman is an Americana songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose 2017 album, Shame, established her as one of a new generation of the genre’s political songwriters. Cycles is a grittier album but it still retains that Americana feel and it explores the cycle of life through different lenses and female members of her family. The title track is first up and it’s a builder, becoming excellent after a sedate beginning. It’s folded in Rock but it does uncover at times to reveal her Americana heritage. A song about the loss of a child during pregnancy and then the fight to save another brings sadness and joy wrapped up in three minutes. Joke’s On Me is comfortable but there’s no need to push any boundaries. This is all about the lyric and whilst it’s genial musically, the lyric is hard hitting taking on the subject of someone trying to do everything but feeling that to be a success at one thing means you might fail at another. It’s all about balance and that only comes with age and experience. Rust Belt Fields is the only track not written or co-written by Baiman. This is one from Slaid Cleaves and Rod Picott who are also well known for their opinions, this one being about outsourcing and globalisation. Dan Watkins adds his vocal and acoustic guitar to this wonderful slice of Americana. Rachel has a sharpness to her voice which gets into your mind and she adds some weeping fiddle too. Co-writer and bassist Olivia Hally adds vocals to Wyoming Wildflowers, an indictment on the Western world’s view on ‘colour’. The gentle When You Bloom (Colorado) has lovely harmonies in the chorus. It’s light and airy and uplifting. Rachel says that the song is for her little sister, who she has become very close too but who has now moved to Boulder giving that feeling of helplessness that we all have when we have family far away.
The acerbic Hope It Hurts was written after Rachel was dropped unceremoniously by her booking agent and whilst there is some anger in there the song is more about fighting back both on a personal level and that of country, continent and planet. She drifts between Americana and acoustic Rock with prominent drums from Bree Hartley and freeform wailing vocals at times towards the end. Young Love just washes over you and is very easy to listen to. A straightforward relationship song delivered in a less than straightforward way. Rachel adds banjo to Ships In The Night, a calming Americana. Great harmonies with Dan Parsons as they explore independence and need and wanting both. No Good Time For Dying is a sad reflection on growing old. This will hit a lot of people on a personal level, including me. The sombre feel is in fitting with the subject matter. Rachel closes with the only electric track as such on the album, The Distance. It’s just Rachel and guitar taking on a song that is all about knowing when to quit the track that you are on and have the wherewithal to reset and start again. That’s something we all need to learn, don’t just keep doing the same thing in the same way. Step back and have a think about it as there may be a better way. This is a series of short, impactful tracks that will make you think and then think again.
KB Bayley – Little Thunderstorms
KB Bayley is described as a guitar player, songwriter, composer. Lover of wood, steel, valves and song. That’s a great summary and one that I wouldn’t disagree with having listened to his latest album, Little Thunderstorms. The thing that you get from this album is a feeling of gentleness and even serenity as you work your way through the songs. Bayley is a multi-instrumentalist and has also called in a number of guests for cameo performances to enhance his own sound. Cold Rain opens proceedings and although the sounds are those of Americana I should have got the hint in the title as this isn’t a guy from the mid-west of America, he was born a Geordie and brought up in the South of England. The acoustic slide guitar and soothing voice ease you gently into the album and there are excellent harmonies from Claudia Stark. The title track confirms Bayley’s skill in storytelling and puts him in the same bracket as Guy Clark and Chip Taylor, although not vocally. He has an easy vocal and that’s not to be confused with lazy, it’s just that he makes it sound so easy and he almost speaks his way through this track. This conversational tone is enhanced by Stark’s lovely backing vocal again. He is a very good songwriter as shown on Throw It In The River and his great observation of life shows influences from John Prine and maybe even John Hiatt. Jim Cozens takes on the backing vocals for this, another lovely song. Blood Red Lullaby just washes over you and is so relaxing despite the subject matter. Electric guitar from Dean Parker is deployed to good effect and Ben Glover makes a guest appearance on vocals for the chorus. Bayley mixes it up a little with piano and trumpet (Brin Heywood-Snell) on Night Dogs, a Jazz flecked throwback and a song for a film soundtrack if you have ever heard one. Maybe even Dire Straits, On Every Street era too!
He does get more English and Folk orientated as the album goes on and Time To Leave Town is a fine example. However, there’s still that Americana influence lurking in the background. The harmonica comes out for North Coast Girl, one for his Geordie homeland and there’s no chance from his gentle approach. That continues on Crazy About Me and I am craving an injection of pace by now. He has put in a lot to his songwriting and his songs seem so personal and introspective at times, this being an example. There’s an interesting inclusion of Adiescar Chase’s soaring violin in the background. Banjo and guitar mark North Shore Road out as Folk and although he gets classed as this and Contemporary Roots it doesn’t matter. You can attach any name to it but it’s just a good musician writing and singing about subjects close to his heart and that can’t be too bad. He finishes with two covers and this makes for a strong ending. First up is Wayfaring Stranger (Redux) and this traditional song is given a makeover, infusing it with rousing Gospel themes and bringing in percussion from Simon Small, something that is not heard too often on the album. Jim Cozens does a sterling job on the dual vocal approach to this and both of them really come out of their shells. Although there’s still no pace, this is certainly a big change in direction with the addition of bluesy guitar bringing a big solo with it. The final track is Jeffrey Foucault’s Cheap Suit and you can actually see his influence elsewhere in the album now. It’s gentle to the end and I’m not decrying it. There is a place in my collection and in my musical life for this kind of music.
Charlie Bedford - Good To Go (Blue Heart Records)
19 year old Melbourne, Australia native Bedford is a product of the growing Blues scene in the Antipodes and has impressed many on his short journey so far. Included in those is Blue Heart Records who have given Charlie the chance to distribute his music to a wider audience. This, his second album, contains 11 originals, 1 cover and a lot of fun and energy. Opening with the funky beats of Money Junkie, he explores Funk, Soul, R&B and Blues with technically excellent guitar and a voice that I feel he is still growing in to (he is 19 after all). His guitar prowess is shown on the quirky Honey which has a deep Rock riff that allows him to spread his wings. He shows his soulful side on the optimistic soft rocker No Rain No Flowers and highlights the fact that he is hard to pigeonhole. The title track is driven on by the drums of Tim Anderson as Charlie moves into a more edgy sound whilst keeping that funky vibe. The mournful, wistful vocal on Windy Wednesday shows a maturity beyond his years and then he hits you with the pulsating Enemy, a short burst of bright light.
He’s in his element, funky soft Rock, on Get Rude and lets his youth show by rapping on the verse of this second song of a trilogy of short tracks in the middle of the album. The third, and shortest, is Upgrades, which is a story we are all familiar with nowadays. This high tempo R&B is infused with Rock motifs and surging, soaring guitar breaks. He mixes Funk, Soul and R&B to great effect on Just A Little Longer and there’s no doubting his credentials as his effects pedals get a full work out. His guitar gets another workout on the Psychedelic jam of Telephone before he moves back onto familiar ground for the only cover on the album, Steady Driver Man. This Mink DeVille song has rhythmic guitar over a Blues beat and has Bo Diddley written all over it, making it a favourite for me. Charlie finishes off with the most obvious Blues on offer, Blues For John. This is a slow, mournful duet between guitar and harp, played by Chris ‘Stibbo’ Hanger of The Jump Cats, which is a fitting tribute to John Jerman who was a pillar of the Aussie Blues community.
Started playing music at the age of 12, producing quality music at the age of 19, there is no limit to what Charlie Bedford can achieve, either solo or with the bands that he plays with, The Great Unknown and The New Savages.
www.facebook.com/charliebedfordmusic
George Benson – Weekend In London (Provogue Records)
45 years after first performing at Ronnie Scott’s, Grammy award winning R&/Jazz/Soul superstar George Benson made a return to record Weekend In London. The intimate surroundings are immediately set alight with Give Me The Night, one of his big hits and it still sounds so fresh. Benson is the consummate professional and his voice is still as smooth as ever although it takes a little grit to reach the top notes nowadays. He also gives us some little glimpses of why he’s still a top performer on guitar too. Written by Rod Temperton and originally produced by Qunicy Jones, this reached number 4 in the US and number 7 in the UK national charts in 1980. This is followed by another of his hits, Turn Your Love Around, and his voice hasn’t taken long to settle down in all areas of his vocal range. He’s certainly still got it and with piano taking the lead and the great horn section joining in, this is a fans favourite. I’ve got this, and others in my vinyl collection and I really need to get the turntable back out again soon. It was often sampled in the 90s and the award winning writers maybe not come from where you would think when you think about R&B/Disco music. Bill Champlin of Chicago, Steve Lukather of Toto and producer Jay Graydon were those responsible for the US number 5 and UK number 29 in 1981. The hits keep on coming, this time in the form of 1980’s Love X Love, and we get the first real sign of his guitar prowess with a wonderful solo. He’s such a silky performer and can cross Jazz/Soul borders with such ease. He’s a big star in a small club but he carries it so well. He shows his rapport with the audience by recounting Ronnie Scott’s famous phrase at the end of the night, “You don’t have to go home but you have to get out of here”. Also written by Rod Temperton, Love X Love was a UK Top 10 hit in 1980. George slows it down a bit for his famous ballad, In Your Eyes. Another UK hit, this time reaching number 7, this features Michael O’Neill on guitar and written by Michael Masser and Dan Hill (who had singles success himself with Sometimes When We Touch). Beautifully sung and holding the audience in awe at times. Up next is a slow, Swing Blues version of the Dave Bartholomew written, originally recorded by Smiley Lewis and probably best known for the Dave Edmunds UK number 1, I Hear You Knocking before going on to another song that was a number one for someone else. This time, Benson released the Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin written Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You first in 1985 where is generally flopped and then Glenn Medeiros came out 2 years later and scores a worldwide number 1. It goes to show you that sometimes it doesn’t matter if you are a big star or not. I prefer the George Benson version anyhow. It’s back to the hits for Feel Like Makin’ Love and although it’s difficult to comment on such an icon, Benson still remains the star even after all these years. The songs are not being reimagined in any serious way but then again, why would they have to be? It was a Top 30 song in its day and you don’t really need to tinker with songs like that.
George gets on guitar again for the smooth piano led Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight and his experience shines through as he again holds the audience in the palm of his hand. Donny Hathaway’s The Ghetto was only released along with El Barrio as a promo with Joe Sample for his Absolute Benson album in 2000. Electric piano and backing singers are prominent on this repetitive and hypnotic percussive gem. George adds his guitar and a bit of scatting and there are little parts of Santana’s Oye Como Va coming in. George goes into full Jazz mode for Moody’s Mood and he turns in a great vocal performance as he sweetly hits the top notes and one of his backing singers steps forward to match him. Love Ballad is from 1979, the start of his Jazz/R&B/Disco crossovers and was a minor hit, reaching 18 in the US and 29 in the UK. This contains some of his famous guitar and voice riffing and was part of his most successful singles period from 1977 to 1986. Benson breathes new life into it and it has a freshness that will appeal to a new audience. The last of his big hits on show is Never Give Up On A Good Thing from 1981 and another Top 20 hit in the UK. It’s good a good pace to it and he’s got such a good band and singers with him. All I can say here is, oh those horns and sweet vocals! When you listen to the penultimate track, Affirmation, you know that you are listening to George Benson even though it’s an instrumental. His guitar style is instantly recognisable and this showcase of his and his bands talent is certainly an affirmation. He closes with Cruise Control, another that was only originally released as a promo single, this time for the 1998 Standing Together album. It’s another instrumental, if you take the vocal riffing away, and is a real crowd pleaser, doing what every artist hopes to do, leaving the audience wanting more.
He’s resisted the temptation for this to be a ‘Greatest Hits’ night by not including hits such as Lady Love Me (One More Time) and On Broadway but most of the biggies are here and performed with such a freshness that you’d think they were all brand new. I’ve heard a few live albums this year and this is one of the best and certainly the most polished.
“We don’t plan the show out in advance,” explains Benson. “But we know there’s things we gotta play, and if you leave too many out, you’re in for a troubled night. We know what people have come to hear. So I’ve got half the battle won.”
Frank Bey – All My Dues Are Paid (Nola Blue Records)
Known as Philadelphia’s number 1 Soul man, Frank Bey released All My Dues Are Paid, his second album for Nola Blue Records in January 2020. Sadly, it was to be his last as he passed away in June, aged 74. This is one of a few albums that slipped through our nets this year but one that still deserves our attention as part of the ‘here’s one you may have missed’ series. He said himself of the album that it was one of his best ever and it’s a fitting epitaph. The sophisticated Funk-fest of the opener, Idle Hands, showcases his dulcet baritone voice and it’s as if the horns are playing just to that voice. The prophetic One Of These Days comes in as mid-paced Soul and with an organ solo from Jim Pugh that is the first real sign of individuality within the tight band. There is a big band feel to the Jazz Blues of Calling All Fools which is punctuated with a slinky saxophone solo. It’s back to familiar ground of Soul for It’s My Pleasure. This is so laid back and he certainly had a special something to make you feel at ease. The title track sees the band in a groove and they use it well with a warbling sax through this slow Funk. He Stopped Loving Her Today is guitar led, which is rare. It’s classic George Jones Country, albeit with added Soul and strings and he even does the speaking part as per the original but in his own inimitable fashion.
The languid Blues of I Bet I Never Cross Your Mind sounds like a message of, if it doesn’t happen then so be it. The highlight is the Nancy Wright’s sax wailing in the background. Percy Mayfield’s Never No More is a fast-paced Jazz/Jump Blues with a host of guests ably assisting. What it does confirm is that he is comfortable in a number of genres. Things are slowed down for the piano led Soul Blues of Ha Ha In The Daytime, again written by Percy Mayfield. There is maybe a touch of a Professor Longhair warble in his voice on this one and we even get a guitar solo, picked out a la Bert Weedon. The mid-paced Soul/R&B of If It’s Really Gotta Be This Way would have been ideal for The Temptations or The Four Tops; I can really imagine them singing this. It’s just a lovely song and with another short guitar solo too. There’s a cover of Lou Reed’s classic, Perfect Day and although comparisons will always be made to the famous version, it does suit Frank’s voice very well. It’s a good cover; not straying too far from the original although Soul takes over from Reed’s fractured vocal. We keep the Soul but raise the tempo a little for One Thing Every Day and that’s a good motto to have. It has great sentiments and if we all did one thing every day then we could fix a lot of the world’s problems. It’s got Lean On Me tones in parts and a nice fuzzed guitar solo. It’s another cover to finish with and you can’t get much bigger than John Lennon’s Imagine. Frank keeps it slow but soulfully delivered with Franks deep baritone vocal. It becomes very emotional as he adds a Gospel tinge to it and the song lends itself very well to that. The band also gets a chance to shine individually, at least sax, guitar and piano do as they bring the album to a fitting climax.
Big Pacific – Welcome To The Party
Canadian Blues Rock band Big Pacific have only been together for five years but they have built up quite a reputation for themselves and their latest release, Welcome To The Party can only add to that. Starting with the title track they introduce us to their smooth, fluid style and some Blues on the Southern Rock side. The electric piano of John Hannah aka Johnny Blitz stands out and a little bit of slide guitar from Roly Sandoval adds to the overall feel as he also adds a classic Country Rock vocal. Bad Girl opens up like a Stones song and this rocker could easily be from their catalogue, although not vocally. The organ solo from Hannah is unexpected but very welcome. As far as contemporaries go, Rack ‘Em Up is in the Robert Jon & The Wreck vicinity. They are not at their best vocally on this apart from the chorus. The song itself is fine and saved by the slide guitar of Sandoval. I’d put them in the Southern Rock/Soft Rock/Country Rock area rather than the Blues side of Rock. The piano led Slip Away is again slightly let down by the vocal and again the slide guitar is the one saving grace. I think they believe themselves to be an 80s style Soft Rock Band at times but they don’t reach the heights of say REO Speedwagon and others. Musically they are very good but it’s just that the vocal isn’t up to it at times. There’s a great riff to open Livin’ Arms and it is much better vocally. Styled on a Bob Seger mid-paced rocker and there’s definitely lead vocals swapping around. Not sure whether this is Sandoval, drummer Nick Dokter or bassist Wayne Veillet on vocals here. Hannah is on form with telling tones and Sandoval produces some great guitar runs although he does tend to over-elaborate towards the end. The earthy Here On East Side almost gets there but just loses its way in a couple of places. However, we are treated to some fine Boogie piano from Hannah.
Hard Road is another that starts off like a Stones song. It’s soulful and they keep it simple but that’s sometimes the best way to do it. Good vocals and the best track of the album so far. California Girl is fast paced Blues Rock with Roger Daltrey style stutters. However, it’s perhaps those stutters that take away some of the promise on the vocal. That said it’s a rocking tune with big guitar and organ input. It’s better on vocal for another Bob Seger style song, Run To The Night. They keep the pace up and Hannah is the star of the show on organ. Blue Moon Blues is a bit Rory Gallagher in its execution. Fast paced like its predecessors, Hannah is the star again but with a telling guitar interlude from Sandoval. This is a top song to end the album with as they rock it out. However, there are also two bonus acoustic tracks As We Go and Here’s To Yesterday. The former has a heartfelt vocal which works well in the acoustic setting. Sounds like it’s a one take recording or a demo for working up. The latter is a soft rocker and I here Seger again (sorry) in parts. I feel that the vocalist is better when not having to hit the notes under strain. Kudos for the late appearance of the harmonica.
Big Smile Revival – The Universal Veil EP
Bristolian Psychedelic trio, Big Smile Revival, bring us their debut EP packed with myth, legend and folklore. The 4 track EP opens with Sacred Mushroom with ethereal, floating church organ leading into a quick Twilight Zone vocal cameo before unleashing industrial level Rock guitar and drums of an Indie Rock vibe courtesy of Steve Hymas and Matt Rowcliffe respectively. We get rise and fall in tempo as they go for it in parts of this striding, surging instrumental, effectively giving us some straight up head banging psychedelic Rock. Divided Kind is a full-on bass heavy rocker with Edvard G Till providing the bass. There’s an almost spoken vocal in the verse, part Southern preacher, part David Byrne. It has a great riff, a great Rock vocal from Hymas and a flurry of guitar notes as you would expect in the genre. They are a tight knit power trio. We get elements of early Pink Floyd in Amhran Siog (Fairy Song) and when this is mixed with heavier Rock, a soaring chorus and power chords aplenty we get a magnificent Ying Yang contradictory effect. The closing track, which was a single, is The Helm. This has airy guitar from Hymas and is gentle on the whole. Backing vocals add to the airy feeling along with Rowcliffe’s light percussion and Till’s bass. It gets a little heavier from the mid-section onwards as they let loose with little explosions of sound all over.
I didn’t really know what to expect with this EP but they’ve hooked me and they may well reel me in.
Bilbosa -Ayla EP (Seahorse Recordings)
Hailing from Genoa in Northern Italy, Bilbosa are David Carroll (guitar), Stefano Pulcini (guitar and synth), Daniele Ferrari (bass and synth) and Gabriele Gennaro (drums). They team up with Scottish based and Donegal raised singer songwriter Lori Sky, otherwise known as Lorriane McCauley, for the single Neon, an airy, contemporary Pop song featuring Sky’s strong and approachable voice. As McCauley with her band The Borderlands, she was once tipped for Scottish Contemporary Folk stardom, and met David Carroll during an artist residency in Genoa, which is where the single started to take shape. The rest of the EP, which is instrumental, is a bit of a surprise as I don’t think the moniker Indie Pop Rock describes the band particularly well. We get African vibes on Tsuru with unexpected dual guitar work in the mid-section. Added in are some great beats from the drums and the bass hits some runs too. There is an acoustic guitar lead in on 3+4 and over the near 7 minutes of the song the band comes in with intricate bass lines and lovely touches on guitar. They show light and shade with tempo changes and is a complete change from what is on the first track. Things get a little bit more Rock in the middle section as guitar and keys battle over some pounding drums as it builds. This could easily fit into a prog rock concept album and is thoroughly enjoyable. It all finishes with the drummer flaying away as the guitar takes us on the journey to the end. The final track is the original version of Neon and throughout the 6 minutes we are treated to African style guitar picking with the use of echo giving a light and airy feel. The rhythm section are on form as again they lean towards prog at times on this instrumental version of the lead track. They change tempo and style at the flick of a switch highlighting them asked very skilled instrumentalists.
Selwyn Birchwood – Living In A Burning House (Alligator Records)
Selwyn Birchwood hits 2021 with his latest album, Living In A Burning House, which has 13 original tracks and so much more. Selwyn says of his music “I tell my stories in my own way, with my own voice. You won’t ever hear me on stage singing someone else’s songs. Muddy Waters, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker all told their own stories. That’s what I’m doing.” He’s not wrong there and from the beginning of I’d Climb Mountains you get the message. This is a funky, gritty Blues to open with and Selwyn’s guitar bursts into life. The horn section (I say horn section but it’s actually Regi Oliver on all saxophones and even a piccolo in there somewhere in the album) provides the Funk along with Walter ‘Bunt’ May’s Hammond B3. You get the feeling that Selwyn will do anything for you and when he sings “I’m as serious as a heart attack”, you better believe it, he is a serious player! I Got Drunk, Laid And Stoned sounds like a good night out for some! This urban Blues has some wild slide guitar (played on lap steel by Selwyn) and confirms that Selwyn is probably not like many artists you’ve heard before. He’s unconventional, uncompromising and unable to stop himself growing on you. Regi Oliver is there again on saxophone, keeping things going. I reviewed the title track as a single last year and it’s as I remembered it, a festival of bluesy Funk. The up-tempo You Can’t Steal My Shine highlights Selwyn’s lived in voice and he can use it in so many ways. There’s a funky outlook to this, with the horns and rhythm section providing a great backbone and it’s not hard to see why he’s so highly regarded with such a masterful performance. He cites Jimi Hendrix as being the music that showed him his path; correct path chosen! Oh, and that guitar solo! Oliver’s sax matches Selwyn’s guitar on Revelation, a tale of the end of days. It’s a funky Soul Blues with yet another burn up on guitar from Selwyn and short but not so sweet. The Albert King style funky Blues of Searching For My Tribe hits the nail on the head about being pigeonholed but still looking for your place in the world. It contains another strong solo as he takes us through all of the emotions.
Oliver gets a fair share of limelight on the album and on She’s A Dime he grabs it. Musically, the song is a bit of old time Soul but it’s lyrically contemporary and darker than the upbeat music would suggest. Having said that, it’s about his girlfriend who is a 10 and the reasons why. The fluid solo fits well and Oliver’s sax gets a first solo. One More Time just sparkles, listen to the percussion and you’ll get it. It’s a Soul Blues to match the best and he keeps it simple with a straight in and out solo with no fireworks. Oliver gets another solo and matches up to the guitar once again. Mama Knows Best is an acoustic strolling Blues with sax to the fore. It’s a story of taking a girl to meet his Mother and she gives him some opinions on how good she’ll be for him. We’ve all been there! Diunna Greenleaf provides the wonderful vocals for the Mother. “Sometimes pretty things is poison” is a great line. There’s a few changes of tempo as the conversation goes along but at the end of the day, Mama does know best! The rhythmic and hypnotic Freaks Come Out At Night has more excellent lap steel guitar with Howlin’ Wolf influences and Swamp Boogie too, giving a primeval sound. As I said, he’s unconventional and difficult to pin him down as you don’t know what’s coming at you. The tempo change in the chorus is clever as is the striding solo. He can be conventional too as the straight up funky electric Blues of Through A Microphone shows. Superb guitar and so intricate. Nothing else needs to be said. Bass and lap steel introduce Rock Bottom and it remains bass laden even when sax and keyboards join in. This is a slow groover and one to get the air guitar out for as the lap steel is the star. He finishes with My Happy Place; acoustic, I didn’t expect that. The guitar sounds like the pitter patter of raindrops at the start and then it’s just Selwyn and guitar before it starts to build with bass, sax and percussion joining in. It’s so different from the rest and does provide a soothing end to what has been a rollercoaster of an album. I’ve been waiting for this album since reviewing the single and it doesn’t disappoint. A superb album to take us into 2021 and I’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t feature in our Top 10 at the end of the year.
Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite – 100 Years Of Blues (Alligator Records)
The thing about reviewing a duo that has had a joint 100 years in the Blues is that most of what you’d like to say has probably already been said. Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite are masters of their instruments, Bishop first honing his skills in The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Musselwhite continually setting the standards for Blues harmonica ever since sitting in on sessions with Muddy Waters. Their new album, 100 Years Of Blues, their first together despite recording more than 60 between them, brings us 9 original songs and 3 carefully selected covers. They open with Birds Of A Feather and the two legends get to work straight away. Elvin speaks his way through it and adds some customary screeching guitar as Charlie wails on his harp. It’s not as if we needed any evidence that they are masters of their trade but they nail it anyway. The first of the covers is Roosevelt Sykes’ West Helena Blues with Elvin’s world weary vocal and Charlie’s harp playing over a barrelhouse piano from Bob Welsh and Elvin’s guitar fills. It’s good to hear that Charlie is still on top of his game even after all these years. They follow this up with What The Hell?, a Blues stomper and a fitting song for modern day USA. They go from the Delta to Chicago for Good Times and Charlie takes on vocal duties as well as adding slide guitar to his harmonica work. It’s all about reminiscing about the good old days, just what us old guys do! They keep that vibe for Old School, another one to tap your feet to and one where they are proud to say that they are old fashioned guys from their clothes to their Blues. Elvin is back on vocals and he rails against some of the modern ways, especially when he’s saying don’t use any form of contact for him other than picking up the phone. Meantime, Charlie is blowing up a rhythmic storm.
The Chicago Blues of If I Should Have Bad Luck highlights that there is no percussion on this album (ok I know that piano is a percussion instrument) and very little input from other instruments. Bob Welsh takes on second guitar parts on most of the tracks and plays piano on five, and there is some subtle upright bass from Kit Anderson on four tracks but that’s about it. What this does enable is for us to hear how well Elvin and Charlie fit together as musicians. The second cover is Leroy Carr’s Midnight Hour Blues and Elvin gives it a suitably languid vocal. As the title suggests, this may be how you feel after a night out or at the end of a hard day. Blues Why Do You Worry Me is a mid-paced Boogie with harmonica and piano taking the lead. Not to be left behind, Elvin adds in some jagged guitar and shows he’s not lost his edge either. The Bishop written South Side Slide has some fancy riffs and both Elvin and Bob Welsh cope with the admirably. This time it’s Charlie adding in some dextrous harmonica to let you know he’s still there. Blues For Yesterday has it all; rolling barrelhouse piano, deep harmonica riffs and Elvin’s weary vocal. It’s another for those who like a little reminisce. Elvin sings at one part, “it’s been a long, long road” and he’s not kidding – 100 years of it between them. The final cover is Help Me, written by Willie Dixon, Ralph Bass and Sonny Boy Williamson. It’s got piano to the fore again as they set off on a shuffling Blues. Elvin pierces the rhythm with his guitar and brings his best vocal, while Charlie does what Charlie does best. The final track is a tour through their Blues lives. Elvin is back to the spoken vocal and the tale takes us to their education in Chicago with numerous name checks like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson along with their haunts of the time. Elvin jokes that they’ve been around since the Dead Sea was sick and it’s that kind of humour that you get from the album, two old pals having a good old time to themselves. To go out of the album under the ethos of that trio (and a little Elmore James) is all that needs to be said.
These guys are the real deal and have lived the lives to show it.
Blackthorne – Afterlife/Don’t Kill The Thrill (SFM)
Short lived Heavy Rock supergroup Blackthorne contained some seriously heavy-duty individuals and this re-release of their only official studio release from 1993, coupled with a similarly revamped 2016 compilation gives us 35 tracks of Heavy Rock prowess, showing the force of nature that they were. The 10 tracks of the original Afterlife album are augmented by demos and live unplugged versions of some of the tracks. The title track has genre defining guitar from Bob Kulick and Graham Bonnet showing that he could still deliver those distinctive power vocals. You’ll think that you recognise We Won’t Be Forgotten as it starts off like AC/DC have just landed but Blackthorne soon put their own stamp on it to deliver some raw and rampant Rock. The quirky Breaking The Chains is played at played at breakneck speed with the rhythm section of Frankie Banali (drums) and Chuck Wright (bass) driving the beat. Add in Jimmy Waldo on keyboards and you know that you have a serious band on your hands. There are lots of Deep Purple and Rainbow influences as you would expect, especially on Hard Feelings and of course, on the cover of Rainbow’s All Night Long. That continues in the group of demos where Since You Been Gone appears. Other highlights in the extra tracks are a version of Afterlife with Tony Palacios on guitar and live unplugged versions of Afterlife and We Won’t Be Forgotten. The compilation Don’t Kill The Thrill has a few tracks not on Afterlife, including the rapid Twist The Blade, the storming Insanity and the guitar wizardry of Save Me plus interesting demos such as the aforementioned Twist The Blade, Afterlife and We Won’t Be Forgotten. A must for Heavy Rock fans.
Rodd Bland And The Members Only Band – Live On Beale Street: A Tribute To Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland (Nola Blue Records)
Short album, long EP? No matter, Rodd Bland has delved into his father’s less commercial recordings and come up with six songs that are a fitting tribute to him. Recorded at BB King’s Blues Club and now an annual tradition since the first tribute concert in 2016, Rodd and the band wow the audience with the slick, swinging Soul groove of opener, Up And Down World. We have deep, dulcet vocal tones from Chris Stephenson, a horn section of Mark Franklin and Scott Thompson on trumpet with Kirk Smothers on saxophone, a powerful drummer in Bland himself and reverb guitar courtesy of Harold Smith. This was originally recorded on Bobby’s “California Album”, which just happens to be sitting on my desk at this very minute, and every bit as enjoyable. The often-covered St James Infirmary, first recorded by Bobby in 1961, has the horn section in their element and a smooth, soul filled vocal from Ashton Riker. There’s a little two step thrown in for the trumpet solo which is a welcome surprise. Stephenson returns on vocals for the lead single, Sittin’ On A Poor Man’s Throne, another Soul groove this time with added 70s sounds from Smith’s guitar. This is a superb performance and is every bit the highlight track. Jerome Chism takes on vocals for the last three songs and, whilst keeping up the vocal standard, also injects additional audience rapport. His first involvement is on I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me) and he gets the crowd going straight away. There are some deep bass lines from Jackie Clark who forms such an impressive rhythm section with Bland and those horns are on form again. Soon As The Weather Breaks, written by Bobby, is a slow, dynamic soulful Blues with the horn section giving the impact and depth required for such a song. Smith chips in with some stinging guitar and Stephenson shows his prowess on Hammond B3. Chism tops it all off with an emotional vocal which befits the occasion. The last track of the all too short performance is (Get Your Money) Where You Spend Your Time and the band funks it up with Clark’s slap bass prominent. Bland is superb on drums, the horn fills are top class, Stephenson’s Hammond is there, Smith’s guitar too, all showing what a live band is all about.
Malaya Blue – Still (Blue Heart Records)
Still is the third album from UK Contemporary Blues singer songwriter, Malaya Blue. Collaborating with three-time Grammy winner Dennis Walker to co-write and produce, Malaya has brought us 12 original tracks, split into a Still Side and a Blue Side.
Opening with the title track, originally destined for a Robert Cray album and written by Cray’s bassist Robert Cousins, Malaya gives us a slow, sultry start. She makes you feel the emotion through her imploring vocal and Cousins’ bass line is a perfect foil for Nat Martin’s soothing guitar. Down To The Bone was reviewed earlier in the year as a single and it’s as I remember; funky and filled with attitude. The Still Side continues with the mid-paced R&B of It’s A Shame. Malaya takes the opportunity to display her soulful voice and Nat Martin contributes some excellent guitar work. The funky Love Call Tell is slightly disappointing as it doesn’t reach Malaya’s high standard. I think it could have done with the addition of horns to augment the Hammond B-3 and backing singers. I do love the sound of a Hammond though, almost as much as a guitar. Malaya is quickly back on form with the Soul filled Gospel ballad, Why Is Peace So Hard? This is such a powerful song and there’s that Hammond sound again. The Still Side closes with Love Of Your Life and the use of just piano and voice allows Malaya to show vocal control showing both power and vulnerability as she encourages the subject of her attention that they are meant to be together.
Things turn a little heavier as Malaya kicks off the Blue Side with Kiss My Troubles Away. She’s got her attitude back and Martin’s guitar gets a little grungy. This is a highlight and Malaya shows that she has the voice to go soulful, to rock it out and to blow you off your feet. Settle Down Easy and Down To The Bottom are both in the late night music category, just settle back and relax to Malaya’s slow, sultry Soul. We are brought back from our relaxation by Mike Horne’s drums announcing the arrival of the deep Funk tinged Blues of These For Walls, the highlight of which is a stinging guitar solo from Nat Martin. The penultimate song is another piano ballad, I Can’t Be Loved. This is beautiful and heartfelt and shows great emotion from Malaya before she goes out rocking on Hot Love and showing yet another dimension to her range.
With Still, Malaya Blue continues her progression through the echelons of British and World Blues.
The Blues Society Of Central PA – Backyard Blues (Blue Heart Records)
Backyard Blues is an album with 16 tracks from Central Pennsylvania artists who have been performing at weekly sessions organised by the BSCP over the past 20 years or so. In addition, there are three tracks from guest artists, all of which are Nola Blue and Blue Heart recording artists and took part in some of the Zoom sessions that replaced the weekly jams for the last year. Compilation albums don’t really give us much of an insight to the contributing artists as it’s like an album of singles, but as an introduction to the music of Central Pennsylvania it’s a good medium. Blues On The Loose are first up and give us A Bad Influence, a striding Blues with a call and response chorus. Most of these artists I’m not previously aware of but this is a good, tight Blues band with a Hammond B3 player of decent quality. We have an excellent driving rhythm section, great interaction between guitar and harp and a singer who has an easy to listen to voice. Solid start. Buzzard Luck gives us Keyhole and True Force Of Nature. Keyhole has some stinging slide guitar and a harsh vocal which match each other perfectly. It gives us a little something different for the Blues and is quite raucous. On the other hand, True Force Of Nature is still edgy but there’s almost a Country element to it. It’s certainly away from the Blues and into Rock and Country with the drummer going at it and bass and harp matching each other’s notes. It’s more melodic and builds to a wonderful climax. Two completely different tracks and both engaging in their own ways. Rose Hudson with Barrelhouse also have two tracks. Outside Cat has a bassline with a groove to it and takes us to the funk side of Blues. It takes a while for her to get going vocally and maybe not the best. Trying to keep in in check maybe to give a feline feel. It has a deep, rich guitar solo and a top harmonica player though. The Blues Will Burn Ya stays on the funky side but this time with a rockier edge. I just feel that she could take her voice up a level, she’s too restrained. A pair of good songs but maybe a missed opportunity. The star here is the quick noted, wailing harp. Rocky & The House Band are another to get two tracks, the sultry Since We’ve Been Apart and the slinky Ball And Chain. The former is a standard slow electric Blues Rock with excellent piano work and fluid guitar with clean notes. Rocky gives us a plaintive vocal that could have a little more edge. His voice is still clean on Ball And Chain, which is very slick but not a Blues. Filled with Latin vibes, it’s well played but a little too clinical for me and comes over as a bit processed. Nate Myers Trio have Catfish Blues/It’s My Music and Is That What You Want. The first one is a pounding Blues with Myers’ vocal casting its line to see what he can catch. You can hear the effort being put into the harmonica work and how he does some of the notes I don’t know. Not a classic version of Catfish Blues but good in its own rite. The segway into the second part of the song takes us into a funkier place with a lyric filled melodic Rap. It still has the gulping harmonica to back it and this style of Blues may have been done before but I’m not aware of it and I’m surprised about that. Is That What You Want is a stuttering Blues and the trio sounds like drums, guitar and vocals/harmonica. They are all good musicians and a tight outfit. Everything fits here and one to look out for more from.
The Mighty Klucks bring us C Jam and More Whiskey. The former is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a jam in the key of C. This is a Blues band with guitar and organ the stars but not forgetting the rhythm section of course as they are the bricks on which this strolling Blues sound is built. More Whiskey steps up and hits you between the eyes. Throbbing rhythmic Blues Rock with a strong vocal. Not much else to say here. The House Band returns, this time with Bob Wineland, for Trouble All Over The World and What Have You Done For Me Lately. The first is a funky mid paced rocker and the latter is an up-tempo jazzy Blues. Whilst both are well played, they just don’t get there for me. Ben Brandt Trio only gets one song, Nameless, but perhaps they should’ve been given two. It’s a lurching Blues Rock from a true power trio with a fuzzed vocal, but one that reaches the areas that some of the others don’t. It’s like a cat skulking about in the darkness. I’m not picking out songs as highlights but I’m going to be searching out some of the artists for further research. This is one of those. Roger Hammer is another who only gets one song and probably deserves more. Love Or Money is that one song. Starts off like Sweet’s Blockbuster but quickly goes into a rocking Blues with fierce guitar. It could be slightly better vocally but that all adds to the homemade feel of the track and another one to look out for. The guest artists bonus tracks are from a trio of artists that I am familiar with. Crooked Eye Tommy is the first and Hot Coffee & Pain was number 4 in our Blues singles of the year for 2020. Enough said. A soulful Blues that just washes all over you. Miss Bix featuring Keeshea Pratt give us Red Walls and this, along with Clarence Spady’s Surrender were also 2020 reviewed singles and although they didn’t feature as highly in our charts as Hot Coffee & Pain, they are two superb songs. Miss Bix gives the Blues a truly velvet tone on Red Walls and both she and Keeshea are special singers and I can’t speak highly enough of Clarence Spady. He’s a true artist and his guitar just sings. He has it all and Surrender is a smooth, soothing Blues with explosive guitar interludes. It is to the standard of these final three that the others should be reaching for and I’m sure we are going to hear a lot more from some of them.
The BluesBones – Demon Blues (Naked)
Following the outstanding success of their ‘Live On Stage’ album in 2020, Belgian Blues masters The BluesBones have wasted no time in bringing their first music of 2021 to the table. Demon Blues, which is backed with Cruisin’, is taken from the aforesaid Live On Stage album and takes us off for voodoo in New Orleans and Edwin Risbourg’s sultry Hammond organ tones. I love the sound of a Hammond organ and Risbourg is a master of the instrument. The band play in such a way that you can imagine yourself creeping around the back streets of some dark city somewhere. Also from the same album, the high octane Cruisin’, has singer Nico De Cock in his element. The band is like a runaway locomotive with the rhythm section and Hammond keeping things on track. It’s another one of those “Oh, that Hammond” moments again. Top notch stuff! Great cover and I'm sure there's a few of us that have hair like that at the moment!
The BluesBones – Live On Stage (Naked)
Belgian Blues rockers The BluesBones bring us their Live On Stage album as a reminder of what it was like to be a member of an audience at a music venue. The tight knit 5 piece were recorded just before the pandemic and I’m glad they managed to get the electric feel of their live gigs down for us all to hear. The powerful opener, Find My Way Out becomes a Hammond organ and guitar duet as they slug it out. Nice changes in tempo for the chorus, sweeping Hammond, deep vocal and reverberating guitar. What’s not to like? Geert Boeckx’s deep and throbbing bass sets the tone for The End. The band continues the grind as they join in with a slow and rhythmic groove. The bass goes straight to your core and slinky guitar from Stef Paglia comes out as the band rein it back a little, holding the audience (remember them?) in their hands. The build-up is exquisite, with a cacophony of Hammond and guitar. An epic with rapturous applause to match. We’re off for voodoo in New Orleans for Demon Blues and Edwin Risbourg’s sultry Hammond organ tones. I love the sound of a Hammond organ and Risbourg is a master of the instrument. The band play in such a way that you can imagine yourself creeping around the back streets of some dark city somewhere. Going Down has some slide guitar from Paglia and the grinding Blues Rock confirms that this is a band’s band. You know, one of those bands that you can imagine yourself being a part of. The up-tempo Blues rocker, Better Life, has fluid rolling guitar and is well suited to the live setting. This is a real crowd pleaser and you can’t go wrong with a Hammond in the mix. I thought we were getting Jimi Hendrix’s Foxy Lady at the start of The Witchdoctor but then the band goes off into a funky groove and a familiar Blues theme. The Hammond is the star of the show at the outset but singer, Nico De Cock, also gets into his stride and puts in a sterling performance. Paglia plays with the audience as he turns in a precise solo and the whole thing builds to a crescendo with drummer, Jens Roelandt going wild. The Hammond may have been the star at the outset but as we get to the end that mantle is handed to Paglia as he rips up the fretboard on his extended solo.
It’s back to the slow, grinding Blues Rock that they excel at for Betrayal and it has such an authentic live feel that you can hear Risbourg’s hands slide over the keys at times. The atmospheric anti-war Blues of Sealed Souls may well split opinion. Although I agree with the sentiment, I don’t think it reaches the heights of others but maybe it’s one that doesn’t transfer from the studio as well as some other tracks. It has its moments as it builds up but De Cock’s vocal doesn’t climb the heights. I will add a caveat here in that Nico isn’t singing in his first language and it’s probably not even his second so we can cut him some slack. At least he’s not turning in some phony mid-Atlantic accent. The soaring guitar is the highlight of the song and De Cock does get better when he opens up towards the end. The faster tempo of Romance For Rent is ok and I get the feeling that after having such an excellent start they are saving a couple of good ones to gird their loins with for a big finish. I’m not knocking the song; it just doesn’t reach the standards they set themselves earlier. The big lead up to the end starts with the high octane Cruisin’ with De Cock in his element. The band is like a runaway locomotive with the rhythm section and Hammond keeping things on track. It’s another one of those “Oh, that Hammond” moments again. Top notch stuff! I’m not sure if Psycho Mind is one for the lockdown or not but they keep up the pace of the previous track and lay down a great beat and groove. The usual suspects lift this to a higher level with guitar and organ vying for top position. They close with Whiskey Drinking Women and Paglia toys with the audience at the start with Blues runs and riffs. It’s the most standard Blues on the set, slow and full of audience participation with slightly naughty lyrics. I’ll never look at Irish whiskey the same again! The organ sounds like Bambi is running up and down it at times and some of those extended notes are superb as Risbourg gives us a Masterclass. It’s 11 minutes long and they do build up to a fantastic finish as they go through the wringer, squeezing everything out and leaving everything on the stage with Paglia stealing the show at the end.
Live albums can be hit or miss. This one is certainly a hit.
Paul Boddy & The SlideWinder Blues Band – Friends Of Tuesday EP (Slide Records)
Just for the record, Tuesday is my least favourite day of the week, just saying!
Philadelphia based Boddy and his band are comprised of a core and several community members from a weekly open Blues jam (The Every Tuesday Funk ‘n’ Blues Jam) held in the Club Havana in New Hope, Philadelphia. This five track EP gives a flavour of the band and what their live performances have to offer. Opening with Over The Hump a funky Blues and a bit of fun as Paul gets into a groove, telling us how he used to be able to run like Forrest Gump but, like many of us, the years have taken over our bodies but not our minds. I’m still 26 in my head! The Hammond B-3 of Glen ‘The Wizard’ Hale gives such a round sound and you can hear the little nods to Jon Lord here and on the other tracks where the organ is deployed. Chuck Hearne is slapping the bass and his fellow rhythm section member, Dave Hollingsworth holds it all together on drums. Boddy adds some excellent guitar and a lived in voice. Love Me Darlin’ is a quick, sophisticated rhythmic Blues with guitar and Hammond swapping the lead and the pace is kept up with a Blues on the R&B side, Money On Love. Boddy adds slide guitar to this tale known all over the world, that of a young man spending all his pay cheque on the lookout for love. They speed it up even more for the Cajun infused Blues of Knock My Boots. Saxophone is a strange addition but the excellent slide guitar more than makes up for it. Only one message here, don’t stand on this guy’s Cowboy boots. There’s no let up on pace for the final track, Pretty Kitty, but it does break the cycle of three word titles. The Hammond B-3 is back, I just love it, and the addition of harmonica gives extra impetus. There’s some of Boddy’s best guitar work on show for this innuendo laden Blues but we could have probably done without the cat noises.
I said at the start that Tuesday is my least favourite day of the week but listening to Paul Boddy & The SlideWinder Blues Band may help to change that.
Paul J Bolger – Paul J Bolger (Wolfe Island Records)
Described in his blurb as an Irish Pop/Bog Gothic artist, Paul J. Bolger is as hard to pigeonhole as anyone I’ve come across this year. Opening with the upbeat Country influenced Swim he shows he can write a chorus and with harmony vocals, thumping drums and guitar adding the panache we’re off to a good start. The Celtic overtones of How Many More Tears? gives us a feeling of heartache that only us Celts can produce and as Paul bends his vocals both male and female backing singers deserve a mention. There’s an eerie start to Wedding Gown with guitar harmonics and deep vocal. It’s haunting, slow and severe. Now I know where the Gothic reference fits in. It’s another style for Pillarstone as he takes us off on a grinding Southern rocker with a fractured guitar solo. He stays in the deep South for Two Wrongs, a Little Feat style groover but he retains the Celtic overtone. For all the groove there are some intricate guitar runs that weave their way in and out. All Those things is piano led Country but don’t let the steel guitar fool you, this isn’t Country as you’d expect. As I do now expect from Paul, there’s a fusion of styles in multi layers for the listener to pick their way through. As I said earlier, he’s hard to pin down and Unkind is a prime example. It’s folksy, it’s rootsy, it’s Country, you choose. Just to further confound us, he finishes this short album in yet another style with shades of California acoustic Rock on I Believe. I’d say you should think of bands such as America and their ilk. It’s a good finish to an oh too short album.
Bombardier Jones – Dare To Hope (Sun King Records)
Ian Jones is the Baltimore singer-songwriter behind Bombardier Jones as well as an award-winning cartoonist. Jones feels “the new songs say: breathe, dance, play, raise hell, shake your blues away" which is a message sure to resonate with listeners during this turbulent time. Let’s see. The opener, Great Idea harks back to a time when everyone wanted to be a British Pop/Rock band, whether that be a 60s band or someone later like Squeeze or Elvis Costello. It’s followed by the soft and gentle Golden Hour with its message of ‘live for the moment’. Summer’s Come is truly American and I’m beginning to think that this guy is an antidote to our ills. It just feels like ‘good guy’ music. I feel that he’s caught out of his time and Let The Light Shine hints at this. He’s amassed a band and a half and they lift us up on this one. There are no big political messages in these songs as such, just a good feeling. There must be bands like The Kinks that have had an influence on Jones. I said the previous track was truly American but this is a guy who continually tips his hat to UK music on this album. The piano led So Many Tears shows that he’s quirky, unconventional and a tunesmith.
He gruffs up his vocal for Stay Wild and, despite what I said earlier, he gets a little political on this bouncy Rock n Roll with Jerry Lee style piano. Unrecorded Time is a documentary on how the common people survive no matter what they are put through. Time, kings and tyrants all pass by. It’s infused with some fine guitar breaks and there is a sense of joy on these songs. The Americana of Touch Of Her Hand is potentially the track of the album. It’s well sung, it’s well played and no matter what goes on, and just a touch of a hand will help. It’s another for this year and it could be your mother, your wife or a nurse. Is God a woman? Take Your Time is unashamedly Country with clean guitar tones and neat female backing vocal as evidenced on other tracks too. Is the title track a message for 2021? A seven minute epic to finish with, it’s dreamy and has that lovely backing vocal again. The piano punctuates the acoustic guitar and laid back slide. “Take another breath and start over” – kind of says it all. Just drift away on the gentle sounds of Bombardier Jones.
Joe Bonamassa – Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman (Provogue/Mascot Label Group)
Following on from the release of the studio album, Royal Tea, last year, and the ongoing Covid restrictions stopping fans getting into gigs, Joe Bonamassa decided to bring fans a livestream from the iconic Ryman Theatre in Nashville. Now Serving is that concert where he plays Royal Tea almost in its entirety with a few older gems thrown in too. I reviewed the studio album last year and was intrigued to find out how it would transfer over into a live performance. My intrigue was satisfied after the first minute or so of When One Door Opens, which has a grand orchestral prelude, a burst of the band then a sedate vocal introduction before Joe starts to open up vocally. It’s a grinding Blues Rock but has light and shade throughout with organ providing a great backdrop. Joe’s guitar features as you would expect and comes to life in the marching middle section. The backing singers (Jade MacRae and Juanita Tippins) are right on it before an archetypal Bonamassa solo hits in at around 6 minutes. It all returns to the sedate tones for the last minute and you almost forget that you are listening to a live album. The title track is another slow, grinding Blues rocker. I wasn’t too sure about this on the studio album as it was a bit of a departure for Joe but it has grown on me since and translates well into the live forum, giving him an extra string to his bow. There is no mistaking it’s him when the guitar is unleashed. One of the top tracks on the studio album is High Class Girl. It has that 60s British Blues Explosion feel to it that Joe loves so much. It has a big, ballsy chorus and is a showstopper even though we’re only three tracks in! Another top track from the studio album is the bass heavy behemoth, Lookout Man! Harmonica is added, which you don’t often get on a track from Joe but it brings a vibrancy to the track as Joe delivers his on-stage power to your living room. Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye is a Blues Rock ballad in the Gary Moore style. Joe is on form vocally here and some of his runs up and down the fretboard defy logic. Like most of the tracks it is an extended version and things allows for a little Prog Rock in the middle section. One thing is for sure, Joe hasn’t lost anything of his live performance prowess. There is a forceful introduction to A Conversation With Alice before things settle into the vocal. MacRae and Tippins fill out the vocal sound, the music already there with organ and guitar ably backed by the rhythm section. He mixes up tempos and tones extremely well and with the Hammond organ on form and Joe on slide guitar this turns into a great rocker.
The fast paced I Didn’t Think She Would Do It takes us back to the Prog Rock vein for the introduction then off into Blues Rock. Anton Fig on drums is working exceptionally hard but, as usual, Joe makes it sound so easy. Things are slowed down for a moment for Beyond The Silence and it’s not surprising after the frenetic pace of the previous track. This one comes at you like a Western soundtrack and it is high level power all the way. The pace returns on Lonely Boy, the last of the tracks from the studio album as Savannah doesn’t make it. Joe hits his falsetto as he takes us off on a bit of a Boogie with Reese Wynan taking on Jools Holland’s piano role from the studio version. The harmonica wails through an extended solo, taking over from the original horns but Joe steals the show, as he often does, with a whirlwind performance. It’s good to hear that Hammond organ too. He finishes with a trio of songs from his 2000 album, A New Day Yesterday, starting with Cradle Rock. He teases the virtual audience at the start of this Rory Gallagher classic before whipping into it. He does Rory proud with a great version but it’s not the gritty, raw Gallagher that we know and love. Next of the ‘encores’ is the Free song, Walk In My Shadow which has lost none of its impact. A swinging, strolling Blues, it’s a testament to Joe’s love of British Blues Rock. He finishes with a medley of British Prog Rock gems, Jethro Tull’s A New Day Yesterday and Starship Trooper and Wurm from Yes.
We get some cheers from the virtual audience at the end of the songs and there’s no chit chat between the songs (not that Joe normally does much of that) and that’s the only drawback of this live album. Joe himself says that this is the band’s visit number 8 and a half as this one is only a half. However, this one is all about the music. It isn’t Joe’s first live album but I wager it’s his most powerful and polished one, despite it being played to cardboard cut outs.
“Joe Bonamassa’s “Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman” is released on DCD, Vinyl, DVD and Blu-ray by Provogue/Mascot Label Group on June 11th.”
Pre-order: www.mascotlabelgroup.com/collections/new-products
Joe Bonamassa – Royal Tea (Provogue/Mascot Label Group)
Joe Bonamassa has now had a career that spans three 3 decades and it’s difficult to think of any Blues or Blues Rock fan that hasn’t heard of him before. However, for the uninitiated, Joe Bonamassa has been one of the world’s premier guitarists for a number of years now and he’s not afraid to switch things up. This can be heard on his new album, Royal Tea, where he draws his inspiration from British Blues artists such as Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Jeff Beck and Cream. Joe says “This whole adventure was a bucket-list thing for me. I would have been about twelve years old, and it was the sound that I heard in my head. Like, OK, I’m in. That’s what I want to be”. Bringing Cream co-writer Pete Brown, on board is one way of achieving that bucket-list and his touch is heard throughout the album starting with the single, When One Door Opens. This has a suitably regal, orchestral introduction before going off onto a slow electric Blues Rock. Joe’s voice is unrecognisable to begin with and the theatrical feel takes me back to my youth, listening to Pete Brown compositions on Wheels Of Fire and the like. This has all the hallmarks of a Cream song. Producer Kevin Shirley is also a co-writer on this seven and a half minute extravaganza as Joe turns up the heavy sounds halfway through. There’s some great backing vocals from Jade MacRae and Juanita Tippins and the band are on form from the get go. The title track is a pounding, grinding Blues rocker. It’s a big production number with Joe going through the full gamut. It’s still Joe Bonamassa but there’s a change in style, albeit a subtle one. Another one that was a single is the ballad, Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye, co-written by ex-Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden. It’s a standard Bonamassa ballad with soaring vocals and clean, crisp guitar. The typical fluid solos are there and I sometimes can’t believe how he gets to some of the notes that he does. Lookout Man starts with a deep bass line from Michael Rhodes before the band, including Errol Linton on harmonica, joins in on a crushing Blues Rock with drummer Anton Fig taking a prominent role. There’s that classic Bonamassa energy in the voice and guitar. He’s almost preaching on this, with big vocals from the backing singers in the chorus. Joe’s guitar has that underground feeling and Errol Linton’s harmonica brings us back to earth. Rhodes’ bass will pound your chest and there’s a quiet acoustic end, Kevin Shirley on acoustic guitar, in complete contrast to the rest of the song.
High Class Girl, another co-written with Marsden, is a sliding, strolling Blues with Joe in familiar snarling vocal territory. It has restrained guitar for the most part but it does fit with the song very well. I’m sure this will become a top song in his catalogue and I’m sure one that will become a standard in its own rite in the future. I have to give another mention to Jade MacRae and Juanita Tippins as they are quite superb. Taking on the Alice In Wonderland theme, A Conversation With Alice has a great opening, a fast paced rocker with Joe getting his slide out. He slows it down for the vocal parts although I’d have preferred it to be all out, all the way. It’s very polished in parts and reminders of Joe’s past in others. It’s got a great riff and I think he’s channelling his inner Joe Walsh at times. I get my wish as I Didn’t Think She Would Do It, co-written with Marsden and Brown, maintains the fast pace throughout. This has the signature Pete Brown feel and Joe is on form vocally with guitars soaring, wah wah’s out and playing in duality, even though he’s the only guitarist on call. Beyond The Silence almost feels like a theme tune to a Western. Joe goes from lows to crescendos with so much ease and Reese Wynans’ piano gives it a rounder sound. You’re waiting for the big solo on this but it doesn’t come. We’re off on a Boogie for Lonely Boy. I shouldn’t be surprised as Jools Holland is involved on piano and is a co-writer. With added horns and Jools’ signature Boogie-Woogie piano, it all makes for a whirlwind of a track. To finish things off we have Savannah. As the title suggests, we’re in the South and Joe adds in some mandolin and slide guitar to add to the feel. It’s a melodic Southern Rock end to a British Blues influenced album but I like to think that the British connection here, apart from Bernie Marsden doing backing vocal, is that I can easily imagine Paul Rodgers singing this as a Bad Company song. It’s an uncomplicated finish but sometimes it’s best to keep it simple.
Joe Bonamassa’s new album “Royal Tea” is released by Provogue/Mascot Label Group on Friday October 23rd.
Pre-order the album from
www.mascotlabelgroup.com/Joe-Bonamassa-announces-new-studio-album-Royal-Tea-Pre-order-now and
https://shop.jbonamassa.com/collections/royal-tea
Tickets: www.jbonamassa.com/tour-dates
Debbie Bond – Blues Without Borders (Blues Root Productions)
The happenings of the last couple of years has given songwriter and Blues activist Debbie Bond a multitude of topics to write about and for her fifth album she tackles as many as possible, from social justice to the environment and from equality to that small subject called love. She sets her stall out early with the acoustic led Delta Swamp of High Rider Blues. This is a forceful start with harmonica from “Radiator” Rick Asherson rounding off some of the grittier vocals. Joelle Barker provides tabla on the Soul filled title track, bringing a touch of the East to the Blues although maybe not as much as Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt did on their Slide To Freedom albums. Debbie’s vocal comes across as a little strained at times but that just the effort that she puts in. The sweeping, hypnotic guitar and drums have you feeling like you are on a slow-moving escalator. Ray Carless adds sax as the song builds and Lea Gilmore guests with her velvet vocal to give additional depth along with Meshon Omoregie and Gabrielle Semoine on backing vocals. You will come away with the message, “If we only knew what love can do”, and that’s maybe something we should all have a think about. Debbie turns in a clean and polished electric guitar and sharp vocal performance on the sophisticated Blues Rock of Let Me Be and continues with the slinky, cultured Blues of Blue Rain where she lets it all out with a wailing vocal as she laments about bad love. Husband Asherson tinkles the ivories in the background whilst Debbie gives us some strong, deliberate guitar strokes. She has a distinctive voice, sometimes a little throaty, but boy does she get the job done on Radiator, a song for her husband and how important he is to her. Brad Guin’s wailing horns set the high points on this swinging Soul fuelled Blues.
Guin’s sultry sax introduces the slow Blues of Heart Of The Matter and this just washes over you as you float away on gentle waves. The horns along with Asherson’s piano take front stage with Debbie’s guitar taking a back seat for a change. The whole thing is held together by a shuffling drum beat from Micky Barker. Debbie keeps things in a mellow groove musically with Winds Of Change. Lyrically though, it’s a different matter and this gives a great feeling of change and diversity. Asherson is busy on keyboards and harmonica with the harp jarring you out of your comfort zone. There may be light and shade on this track but it sticks to the groove, provided by Dave Crenshaw, throughout. Let Freedom Ring is a straight up protest song with past references echoing what is going on in the world today. This tribute to Dr Martin Luther King Jr has Debbie on acoustic guitar with Asherson adding some gruff backing vocals to his electric piano and has the feel of a one take in the studio kind of track. The Soul drenched and Country-tinged Shades Of Blue has Asherson’s keyboards and Guin’s horns to the forefront again and you forget time when you are listening to this, it is so easy to listen to as Debbie shows some different levels to her vocal. Proceedings are rounded off with Road Song, one about their love and life together, with harmonica and guitar leading as they up the pace for the final track. We get a little call and response with a middle section that changes the style and tone before they rock to the end. It’s a good, buoyant finish to an album that’s not afraid to tackle the topics of the day.
MG Boulter – Clifftown (Hudson Records)
Former member of The Simone Felice Group, The Owl Service and others, MG Boulter now continues his solo career with his third album. On this new album he sings of the characters of seaside towns, in particular his home town of Southend-On-Sea but it could be any seaside town up and down the country. The opener, Midnight Movies, introduces us to his gentle, sweet voice. Backed with acoustic sounds, he is a timeless storyteller, dropping little vignettes of Southend and surrounding areas as he does throughout the album. The electric Soft White Belly has a good pace to it and is on the Country side of Americana; Jackson Browne comes to mind. Added keys give this a soaring feel. His way of telling a story reminds me very much of Michael Stipe and he also has that vocal delivery in patches too. The story, of course, is very different, this one being about some of his personal recollections of old ladies playing in the arcades and looking across the estuary to the Isle of Grain in Kent. It’s back to the gentle acoustic sounds for the title track and he shows his skills as a wonderful observational writer with points such as “London stretches her fingers out”. He carries you off like the tides of the Thames and the song is all about teenagers leaving the town and then returning to raise the next generation just like the tides. He has such a tender style, none more so than on Nights At The Aquarium, a tale about his many visits to Southend’s aquarium with its porthole windows. He has the talent to turn every day things into the wondrous. One of the more up-tempo tracks is The Author Of All Things, She Speaks, a Paul Simon style expansive lyrical extravaganza. He’s a true wordsmith who flits between Folk and Americana as shown on this introspective about how we are the sum total of all those that have gone before. Some of these songs finish too soon but there is a feeling of leave them wanting more. The minimalistic Icy Paw is one of those songs with lyrics such as “Cadavers in the dawn we were too cold to kiss, the icy paw of Winter had seized our arms” conjuring up images of teenage years.
The Slow Decline is one of the few electric songs on offer. His style is so familiar you’ll feel as if you’ve known him for years, like many of the old storytelling songwriters. This one tells the tale of the fate of many of Britain’s seaside towns. Paul Simon comes through again on Fan Of The Band, which has shuffling drums and a leading bass line. It’s another of the more up-tempo tracks but still stays mainly in the acoustic field. It builds well and contributes fully to what is turning out to be a fantastic album. He makes mention of the London Road aka the A13, a road I travelled on many times when I lived in Thurrock and is also a sad tale of music venues closing, something that is unfortunately happening all over the place at the moment. Back to slow and methodical for Simon Of Sudbury with the atmospheric sounds in the background fitting the mood and tone of his voice. He wants to tell you a story every time and this one is about the Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon of Sudbury, at the time of the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381, the main protagonists of which were from Essex and Kent. A revolt against a poll tax, much the same as that against Margaret Thatcher’s iniquitous experiment in Scotland although that never ended in beheadings and murder! The most Folkie track is Night Worker with guitar and piano backing his crisp, clean voice. Violin comes in effectively over words like “Rain runs into gutters like tears”. Tales of commuter trains and sights on the last train home, we’ve all been there but MG manages to weave the incidents we’ve all seen into his songs. Remnants, like the others has to be taken in the context of an album as a whole, telling the tales of the South East of England and the Thames Estuary. He stays with his gentle acoustic tones to the end and on the final track, Pilate, he gives it an air soundscape to work over. We have cymbals crashing like waves as he tells tales of seaside carnival grotesques.
As I say, this is an album that deserves to be listened to as a whole and after you do that, go and find the rest of his music.
Sandra Bouza – Falling Away From Me (Sabucedo Records)
Toronto native Sandra Bouza broke though in her homeland in 2018 and has since been working towards this debut album release. Opening with Almost Love she immediately draws you in with her strong vocal and a sultry and soulful song. Although sitting firmly in R&B she also flirts on the edges of other genres such as the Pop crossover of Stone Junction. She has a quality to her voice that goes straight to your central core. There are no big solos here; it’s all about the voice and the song. Drums have been a feature so far and seen quite forward in the production and they snap you into attention on Not Like Me. We get a big chorus and a big voice to take it on, sung with deep passion. She flirts on the edge of Pop again on the short and punchy Turn It Up and she has such a rounded voice on this, and elsewhere on the album. The slow and deliberate Losing You has an overall full, round sound to its late night Soul feel before she gets all funked up on Human Connection. This funky R&B could easily be an anthem for the lockdown as Sandra unleashes a bit of attitude. Grungy guitar introduces East Side Woman and with a sultry vocal she ventures into the Rock arena and pulls it off well. Let’s call it Rock ‘n’ Soul and we even get a guitar solo of sorts! It’s all good stuff. It’s a low key start to the closing track, Wrong Songs, but it does build as it gets going and it takes you in and out, up and down as it progresses to the finish. It’s not a rocking end to the album but it does finish it off well and it shows her vocal and songwriting abilities in full.
This is grown up music. Album of the year? Probably not but it is a very solid debut and Sandra will go from strength to strength on the back of it. The album is due out on 6th November.
Connor Bracken & The Mother Leeds Band – Nightbird Motel
When you are a band that comes from Asbury Park, New Jersey you have to have something about you. Connor Bracken And The Mother Leeds Band (I’ll call them the MLB to save my fingers) hail from Asbury Park, stomping ground of Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny. Nightbird Motel is their second studio album and attempts to bring the energy of their live performances into the studio. They explode into action with When The World Stops Turning, full of staccato beats, a guitar tone that rings like a bell and a lead vocal from Bracken that has its roots in Punk. They don’t do things by half measures and they focus all their attitude and swagger on Read On You. This has a 21st Century Punk feel and it will grow on you. The percussive Darkness follows and quite simply, this is just a good Rock song. The band throws plenty at the hi-tempo Photographs Of Johnny Cash and, after an eerie start to Blame On Me, they release a strident mid-paced rocker. Bracken is such an expressive vocalist and the song, written after a desert trip in Las Vegas, is carried by the excellent rhythm section of Rich Seyffart (drums) and Chris Dubrow (bass).
Liquorstore, what would we do without them, is a fun, Stones style rocker which is also reminiscent of early KISS and they keep up the rocking up on Voice On The Radio with its expansive guitar experiments and tales of late night talk radio. They have plenty of influences but I’m going to throw one in here; this song could quite easily have been a Sensational Alex Harvey Band track. Nightbird continues with big sounds from a big band. There’s almost a Southern Rock feeling to this and the jagged guitar sound reminds me much of the late, lamented Tom Petty. 6 minutes of pleasure and one of my favourites. You may, like me, be unsure of how original Dream Of You And Me is. It sounds so familiar but I’m unable to put my finger on it. I can tell you one thing though, it is a cracker and The Boss will be proud of his Asbury Park compatriots. The final track, Reprise, is acoustic and a marked change from the rest of the album. Lovely as it is, it’s a bit disappointing to have such a raucous band go out on an acoustic instrumental. Connor says “It’s the post credits scene to our movie, and a reminder that we’ll be back real soon”.
I said at the start of the review that coming from Asbury Park you have to have something about you. Connor Bracken And The MLB have that something and can hold their heads high.
Bob Bradshaw – The Ghost Light (Fluke Records)
First and foremost, Bob Bradshaw is a storyteller and his new album, The Ghost Light, tells us tales of pirates and extraordinary feats. It’s his net result of lockdown but it’s not about the pandemic. Cork born and Boston resident, he has all the credentials for the Celtic infused Americana that he has brought to us since 2009. He opens with Songs On The Radio with twangy, jangly guitars and organ to the fore. Its dreamy sounds and strong guitar make for a solid start and although it’s not a fast one for the road, I could imagine driving with the top down and listening to this. Strong guitar. Dream will have you drifting on the clouds, its such a relaxing song as is his voice. This flirts with the edges of older style Country. We stay with Country for the slow shuffler, Gone. He plays with abandon but it is immediately lifted with the introduction of slide guitar and James Rohr’s B3. Dusty landscapes and flat roads leading to the mountains in the distance are what’s conjured up with Blue, which features Chad Manning’s fiddle. I’m finding his enveloping feel very easy to listen to. We’re still not getting any speed up here though and the doleful, pleading Come Back Baby is no different.
Bradshaw serves up a platter of Americana/Folk/Country on this album but She’s Gone For Good comes across as slightly over sentimental and the addition of female backing singers and fiddle doesn’t really help. It’s a bit under par for him. He goes electric and finds his swagger for 21st Century Blues with its Country guitar ringing like a bell. There are Latin influences provided by Francisco Martinez Herrera’s bandoneon on Sideways, a slow tango with good humour and a great tale. Throw in a wilting and lilting vocal and sharp guitar and you have a quirky hit. He continues with the electric segment of the album on Light Of The Moon and on this gritty Alt-Country you should be thinking Jayhawks. Jagged guitar rips through the haze and this one has the catchiest chorus on offer making it another highlight. He finishes things off with the dark and brooding heavy Country of In The Dark and the gentler, despite the title, Niagara Barrel Ride Blues. I love the latter’s title and I was expecting a rollercoaster but got just the opposite. Just Bob and his Dobro slide for a very gentle finish which speeds up very slightly in a couple of places to mimic the river.
Jimmie Bratcher – I’m Hungry (Ain’t Skeert Tunes)
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and ordained minister Jimmie Bratcher has, with his wife Sherri, created a cookbook of near 200 recipes from some of the world’s finest chefs, friends and family and has recorded this album as an accompanying side order. First up, and I’m not going down the route of first course, main course and dessert as that would be too obvious, is the Barrelhouse Boogie of I Love Her Name. This is unexpectedly piano led, played expertly by John Selle, and is a high energy opener with good rocking guitar from Jimmie to match the piano. You’ll get the food theme throughout the album but not many references to actual recipes other than on Mama Won’t Fry No Chicken. This is a laid-back jazzy Blues and a cautionary tale of what our diets can do to us. Aaron Mayfield is to the fore on Hammond B3, ably backed by the shuffling drums of Terry Hancock with Jimmie throwing in some particularly pointed notes on guitar. The grinding Blues of Bacon Is On My Mind is up next and if you haven’t got then point of the album’s title yet then this will drill it home. He’s going through the things that he can’t eat anymore but there’s nothing better than the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen. Subject matter aside, this is a typical pounding Blues with John Selle’s piano and Jimmie’s guitar swapping licks over a rhythm section of Joe Selle on drums and Craig Kew on bass, that thumps it out. The album may be about food but there is the old Blues double entendre not far from the surface and on Baby, I Like What You’re Cooking it’s right there. This is slowed down and Jimmie gives us his best deep, husky vocal to complete the late-night Jazz/Blues feel. The guitar work is strong although it’s not the best track on offer. Keb Mo’s Government Cheese is a gritty Soul Blues with nice drum patterns from Hancock and a comforting bass from Kew. They all get into a groove on this and Mayfield’s electric piano fits the sound and mood of the song. He also stars on B3 and Jimmie’s guitar is another omnipresent. There are some subtle socio-economic political elements such as “when you make my macaroni, I want you to make it with that government cheese”, highlighting the poverty that is prevalent at the moment. He takes us out of the depths with the good time music of Where You Gonna Stop, a rollicking, up-tempo Kansas City style Blues with references to his favourite haunts around the city.
The first instrumental of the album is the funky Blues of Greasy with Jimmie taking the spotlight on guitar this time. He’s not a brash player, he just gets things done sweetly and effectively and the band provides the perfect canvas for him to do his thing. Chicken Tastes The Same is a shuffling, jazzy rhumba-based Blues. Horns and slide guitar are added with great effect. Is this an indictment on chefs around the world or a testament to the flavour of our favourite poultry? You choose. The remix of his 2008 song Green Bananas has a Bo Diddley rhythm and a New Orleans jazz band backing it with clarinet prominent. What’s been added is a lovely story about a 98-year-old not wanting to buy green bananas as he might not be around for them to ripen up. The often-covered Little Milton song Grits Ain’t Groceries is given a swing beat with Jimmie steaming hot on guitar and Mayfield vamping away on Hammond B3 in the background. This is a good version. He spoke earlier in the album about not liking bologna (pronounced bolonie), it being a low standard food, but I’ve been to the city of Bologna and this, Bologna Sandwich Man, doesn’t represent their cuisine at all. As for the song, it’s taken from his Secretly Famous album and it’s jaunty, bouncing, short and sweet. He ends with the second of the two instrumentals, Happy, an up-tempo, jazz fuelled instrumental showcasing his guitar chops. Mayfield’s B3 gets in on the act though and turns in some fantastic runs too.
I first reviewed a Jimmie Bratcher album way back in 2005 and he’s showing no signs of slowing down on this, his 12th release. I’m off to check out that cookery book as this album has made me hungry.
Harvey Brindell – Pennies On The Dollar
This is Harvey Brindell’s first solo release and he has brought together a stellar list of friends and bandmates to help him out. A veteran of 35 years on the circuit, Harvey has put together a set of songs that he has either previously recorded and not released, recorded on other albums and reworked here or are staples of his live set. The title track opens up the album and this lightweight tale of financial woes is delivered as a shuffling Blues. Mitch Kashmar guests on harmonica and joins Brindell’s guitar in being well played. The rhythm section of the famous Jimi Bott on drums and Alec Brindell on bass provides a solid base but the vocal lacks a little bite. Kashmar’s harp sounds like its speaking to you at times. The considerable talents of JW Jones are added on lead guitar for Need Him And Weep, a mid-paced R&B. Dave Wagner takes over on bass with a throbbing beat and a change of tempo brings in long time bandmate John ‘Honeyboy’ Turner on harmonica and he blows it out of the park. It’s Chicago Blues for Take The Boy Out Of The Country with Harvey taking on harmonica duties and shows he can blow the harp. Joel and Dave Meints complete a trio for this on bass and drums respectively. Harvey sings and plays guitar with varying success. He’s not the best singer on the block, I’m sure he’ll admit but there’s a certain homegrown feel to the songs and the voice is part of that I suppose. Kashmar returns on harmonica for The Old Zoo Bar, an easy going, stylish Swing Blues that is hard not to like. In a further switch of style, Blues For Omaha is a pared back electric Delta Blues. Turner is back on harp duties and puts in another top performance. Jimi Bott just plays hi-hat for additional percussion as Gary Williams takes over the kit.
Mississippi Medicaid sees a superb addition of Johnny Burgin on lead guitar with Turner retaining his place on harmonica. This shuffling Blues will make a great live track as they all get into it with Williams and Wagner forming a formidable rhythm section. Harvey adds Hammond organ to his repertoire for Short Flight and for a further change to the line-up brings in Eric Byorth on bass and Don Holmquist on drums for a straightforward mid paced guitar led Rock instrumental. This trio remains for That’s The Blues, an up-tempo, strident, gritty one to get the heart going with bass high in the mix. Strident. Harvey shows a different, plaintive, side to his vocal on Omaha Bones. This harks back to a golden age wrapped up in a Rock N Roll ballad. The closing track, Queen Of High Waters (Des Moines 1993), is an energy laden Chicago Blues from the Elmore James school. Harvey doesn’t have the vocal power of Elmore but does make a good fist of it on guitar. The added harmonica from Jim Wilson is most pleasing and this is the track of the album with the Meints’ back on rhythm section duties.
Harvey Brindell is the epitome of the working musician and this album gives a great insight into what that means.
Broke Fuse & Friends – Why Should I Be Blue?
Broke Fuse is essentially a one man band in the form of Jay Moonah. However, he has enlisted a number of friends for his latest album Why Should I Be Blue? He says on the albums sleeve that ironically he had the need to collaborate on these songs but because of the situation this year he couldn’t do it the way he wished. However, he has managed to produce an album containing seamless contributions from a number of friends. Opening with Blow All The Blues Away he gives us eight original songs covering Roots, Blues and Rock. This opening song is a rootsy, slow chugging, acoustic Blues Rock with a good interchange between Alex Matthew’s guitar and Broke Fuse’s harmonica. Staying with Roots music for Rack ‘Em Up he produces some fluid harmonica sounds on this easy going song. Unconventional and ringing guitar from Paul Butters adds to the feel. The addition of banjulele and strings adds to the overall rootsy sound on the strangely alluring Night Before before he skirts on the edge of Folk Rock with You Know It’s True. Sandra Bouza takes on vocal duties and adds her own smoky voice. I reviewed Sandra’s album, Falling Away From Me, earlier in the year. There’s some good use of guitar and harmonica working in unison, both from Broke Fuse, and a good tale of infidelity and its cost.
It’s good to see the Scottish way of spelling Whisky in the next track, Whisky Bottles. Broke Fuse’s vocal sounds like it’s been drenched in Whisky too. Slide guitar from Mike McKenna and a strange little drum loop from Zen Skylar back it up strongly. Buffer’s Blues is a slow piano led Jazz Blues with Frank Horvat providing the piano. Broke Fuse delivers a pronounced vocal, coupled with a mournful harmonica, to provide a sombre mood. It’s a song about a feeling of worthlessness but also about taking a chance sometimes. Next up is The Runner Duck. Do you know what a Runner Duck is? No, neither did I. It’s one of those long necked ducks that stand up straight like a penguin. Wait a minute; this isn’t David Attenborough doing this review! Broke Fuse gets a duck sound out of his harmonica on this short instrumental and it’s all well played with the rhythm section getting a little funky (co-writer Attila Baraczka on bass and Broke Fuse on everything else). The only question is why? I’d describe it as Daffy Duck meets Little Walter. It’s all finished off with the rootsy title track and he dispenses with his friends to do it all himself. This gives a handmade sound whether that’s an unconscious feeling on my part I don’t know. Excellent guitar and ukulele with harmonica topping it off and Loudon Wainwright comes to mind.
Bywater Call - Bywater Call (Gypsy Soul Records)
Toronto based Bywater Call’s debut album is something of a tour de force. Covering R&B, Soul, Blues and Americana they spread a little joy as they go.
The opening track, Arizona, has an atmospheric beginning but that quickly leads into a funky, soulful R&B with the horn section giving a Stax feel to it. Vocalist Meghan Parnell’s smoky voice fits this to a tee. There’s a lot to Parnell’s voice as she brings emotion to Bring Me Down and grit to Nightmare. The fast pace of the opening track is continued into Forgive which has more than a passing nod to The Band’s The Shape I’m In through the chorus. Guitarist Dave Barnes hits us with a great riff on the opening of Talking Backwards which takes the listener back to the heyday of 60s Soul/R&B but with a contemporary twist to it. Julian Nalli adds some excellent sax breaks here. The aforementioned Bring Me Down does exactly what it says on the tin and is a complete change from the higher energy opening trio. Moody slide guitar introduces a 7 minute ballad which allows Parnell’s bluesy voice to excel with the emotion in her vocal blending perfectly with Barnes’ guitar.
There’s a return to the funky, New Orleans vibe on Over And Over. They are a tight outfit and dare I say, much in the vein of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. Barnes’ guitar comes out of the shadows for a brief foray into the spotlight. Hometown is a departure from the norm as they almost enter Country realms but do it with great effect. The waltz like beat is particularly effective and there’s almost a New Orleans funeral groove to it too. This grows on you very quickly and, in an album of highlights, is up there with the best. Parnell’s voice has all of the elements for her to be a great singer. She channels Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt to mention but three, but what a trio! Out of all this comes her own voice which, on Silver Lining she showcases to the max. Alan Zemaitis, often in the background, adds telling keyboards. There is an edgier side to the band and the echoed vocal on Walk On By highlights this. It’s a bit heavier than the other tracks but not any less impressive. They finish with a slow song which is a bit strange, given the energy of the band. That aside, Swing Low is a strong song and it’s only my well documented love of a fast song to end an album that’s making me slightly picky.
There won’t be many better debut albums this year.
Chris Cain – Raisin’ Cain (Alligator Records)
Raisin’ Cain is Chris Cain’s 15th album (although it’s his debut for Alligator) and added to some 30 years of touring it’s no wonder that he has earned the reputation of being a guitarists guitarist. Opening with the storming, sometimes humorous, Hush Money we immediately get the vocal comparison between Cain’s gruff voice and that of the great BB King. There’s some King magic in the guitar too with both BB and Albert in there and Greg Rahn provides good counterpoint on electric piano. He is such a good guitarist and keeps it up on You Won’t Have A Problem. This shuffling Blues highlights all of his years of experience and has him going from fluid passages to pinging notes out at will as he goes up and down the frets. From not having a problem we go to Too Many Problems with Derrick “D’Mar” Martin (drums) and Rahn (organ) setting the scene along with throbbing bass from Steve Evans. Horns (Michael Peloquin on tenor sax, Mike Rinta on trombone, Jeff Lewis on trumpet and Doug Rowan on baritone sax) come in and we get the full package with Chris, first of all on vocal and then snapping in with guitar fills and a scintillating solo. He does things with notes that you might not necessarily pick up on or expect to hear in the first place. Rahn’s electric piano jazzes things up a little too. The Gospel feel of Down On The Ground showcases a vocal full of feeling and on, what a solo! I Believe I Got Off Cheap is a funky Blues with Cain’s stinging guitar, a deep back beat from bass (Evans), organ and clavinet from Rahn and those wonderful horns. It’s not hard to understand why Cain is held in such high regard when he is consistently delivering songs like this. He takes over on electric piano for Can’t Find A Good Reason and with his guitar, softly introduces us to this classy Soul Blues, showing his versatility.
He’s got that authentic old Blues singers voice, one that’s normally only achieved after years in the business but one which Chris has had for some time now and shown to perfection on Found A Way To Make Me Say Goodbye. Born To Play is an autobiographical statement of intent. A Chicago Blues played with strength and a guttural vocal, with his guitar just there on the edge. I Don’t Know Exactly What’s Wrong With My Baby is a title that just trips off the tongue! That aside, it’s a sophisticated, grown up Soul Blues with smooth guitar played by a player in the higher echelon. Greg Rahn’s Electric piano looks to match up and is also of a very high standard, played with feeling and some of the runs are superb. Chris speeds it up for Out Of My Head, a swinging Blues with the horn section to the fore. Cain’s guitar plucks at your heart and this time Rahn provides backing on Hammond. The vocal on As Long As You Get What You Want kind of reminds me of a Dr John type vocal and style of song. It’s a funky Soul Blues showing that he can go across the genre and can add a little Jazz to his guitar too when required. He closes with the instrumental “out there” Space Force and they throw everything at it. Two electric pianos with Rahn on Fender Rhodes and Cain on Wurlitzer are augmented by Cain playing clavinet and ARP synth, Evans slapping his bass and ace guitarist chipping in on melodica. It’s a bit like a 70s TV theme and there’s elements of Stevie Wonder in there too. It’s all great and makes for a wonderful upbeat finish.
15 albums in and he’s certainly hit on one of his best.
Mark Cameron – Back From The Edge (COP Records)
With his 11th album release, Minnesota’s Mark Cameron brings us 10 original tracks of Blues based Rock. Starting with the satirical It’s Alright, a grinding electric guitar and harmonica Blues with his soft vocal counteracting the sterner sounds of his guitar and Rick Miller’s harp. It’s a good opener and one you would expect from such an experienced campaigner. Horns are added for This Is The Blues as the band goes more up-tempo. This is a quick, strolling Blues with workmanlike harmonica and guitar making it grittier than the opener. It’s obvious how well Cameron’s guitar and Miller’s harmonica work together and this is particularly evident on 2nd Job with Cameron deploying slide on Dobro this time on a tale of a relationship that’s like a job rather than a partnership. They are both playing like it’s a thunderstorm with Scott Lundberg’s bass adding to that feel and Dan Shroeder prominent on drums as the beat shows up high in the mix. There’s a strong sax input from Sheri Cameron on Never See It Comin, another deep and gritty Blues Rock before we go on to the wailing harmonica, crashing cymbals from Shroeder and strong guitar of All There Is To It. This is a good band, playing on the top of its form with seamless changes throughout.
The robust and strident title track is another good all-round performance again highlighting the strength of the band but the Jazz Blues of One Size Fits All isn’t the best on offer, despite its tongue in cheek delivery. There is a good interaction between Cameron’s guitar and trumpet but the song just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the album, nicely played though it is. It grows on you slightly as it goes along but when the vocal comes back it does lose it again. From there we get some of the best guitar work on the album on the slinky All Dressed Up. This is a moody Blues Rock with prominent harmonica and a welcome return to form. This continues with one of the high points of with album, the deep and dark Dollar For Liquor. Cameron’s gritty vocal and Miller’s mournful harmonica are made for one another on this less than pleasant tale told from the point of view of the drinker. The album is rounded off with the unexpected sounds of Lost And Found. This has acoustic guitar deployed beside electric, giving added depth. Strong bass lines are provided by Lundberg and with Sheri Cameron on flute things go a little Folk Rock. This is completely different to the rest of the album with a 60s/70s feel to it. It is good but it’s so out of line with the rest and that’s why it’s such a surprise. Miller’s warbling harmonica and Cameron’s pointed guitar solo towards the end go together to enhance the big chorus.
Chloe Caroline – Golden Hour
Golden Hour is the latest single from Californian, Chloe Caroline, and is part of her remarkable output for 2020. This output includes 2 full length albums, one of which (Everywhere I Go) was released in June with the other waiting for the right opportunity for release. Golden Hour evokes images of the West Coast (USA that is, not Scotland where I am) and is as good a piece of Pop/Country as anything around at the moment. It’s a little slice of sunshine in a year where we’ve not had too much to smile about and Chloe Caroline’s angelic voice is enough to bring a smile to the face of even the most hardened cynic.
Chasin’ The Train – Dead Man’s Handle
I know that I said that my ‘here’s one you might have missed’ series for 2020 was finished pre- New Year but this album came across my desk the other week and thought it deserved a mention. Scots Blues rockers Chasin’ The Train are one of the unluckiest bands from last year, releasing this, their debut album, on 3rd April just as we were all about to batten down the hatches and depriving them of the chance to get out and promote their album. The Dumfries five piece open Dead Man’s Handle with Beat Up Ford and this high octane starter takes us to the edges of Country, Blues, Rock N Roll and Rockabilly. They certainly give it their all, with lung bursting harmonica from Robert ‘Howlin Bob’ Clements but vocally, not the best from Tom Cuddihy, although he may be an acquired taste. They follow up with FWPB and before you all go searching for what that means, it stands for First World Problem Blues and we’ve got plenty of those! As for the song, it’s a standard mid-paced strolling Blues with an earthy and smoky vocal. It’s not the best track on offer and I’m unsure if they’re trying to be too clever or not. The slinky guitar solo from Rory Nelson helps to smooth the path though. They get back on track with Temporary Man with its moody slide guitar introduction. They up the tempo to make it into a shuffling Blues rocker and Cuddihy gets it together vocally. This is the track of the album with Nelson’s stinging guitar and Clements’ warbling, tremolo laden harmonica the stars of the show. Down Home sets out acoustically, a different branch line for the Train, or so you are led to think. Wistful harmonica then leads to a 70s Southern style rocker. At seven minutes, it’s got different phases and different styles within the song. Harmonica and guitar lift it again as it comes across as a bit rigid at times. It does have a triumphant chorus though. Peter Jamieson turns in some nice bass runs and Jason ‘Moon Drummer’ Little keeps them level through the phases. It’s almost there.
A chugging riff introduces Whisky Bottle and this is another that’s almost there. It’s got a good premise and the Dr Feelgood overtones are welcome. I hear a cowbell in there and that’s not something I hear every day! Nelson comes to the rescue on guitar once more. The rhythm section starts off Too Much Sugar at top pace and this song suits the band. It’s straight and simple and back to those Blues, Rock N Roll and Rockabilly edges. A bit of a highlight. There’s a bit of a curate’s egg with the slow, Chicago Blues of Exit Wounds; strong lyrically and on the guitar solo but it doesn’t suit Cuddihy’s vocal, perhaps in too high a key. Pounding drums announce the arrival of No Blues which is more suited to Cuddihy’s vocal. Clements’ harmonica gets a good cleaning out on this Soul drenched R&B. It’s a low key acoustic finish to the album with Don’t You Lie To Me. Clements’ harmonica trills away in the background and he shares the limelight with Nelson’s guitar as usual. The song does build through multi facets and succeeds on some. Cuddihy puts in a final performance and although there as elements of Free in there, the whole thing just lacks levels of expression.
I may have marked this album down in a few places but there are many good points too. Chasin’ The Train might not always click but when they do you better watch out.
Sami Chohfi – Extraordinary World
Brazilian-American singer/songwriter, Sami Chohfi has taken some time off from his frontman duties with Blue Helix to produce his debut solo album, Extraordinary World. Written over 2 years and whilst travelling through 6 countries, Chohfi has taken his rock upbringing and added flecks of musical influences from around the world. The result is a debut full of hopeful messages, sometimes introspective lyrics and a soft Rock approach that will translate the world over. He opens with Tidal Wave, a reflective Soft Rock introduction. What is immediately obvious is the wonderful tone of his voice and how easily he hits the notes. The title track continues in the acoustic vein (there won’t be much outwith this vein throughout the album) and whilst beginning with a gentle vocal, it builds into a classic Rock ballad. Be sure to stick with this one, you won’t regret it. Sami almost drops into Folk Rock for Dirty Your Soul and at parts I can almost hear a speeded up Sound Of Silence. No matter, what we have here is a wonderful songwriter.
I’ve already reviewed This Majesty as a single and its build up throughout the song is a joy. Sami is a proven performer and he certainly knows how to push the buttons. He brings in a little of his Brazilian heritage for the Rhumba based soft Rock of Serenade The Darkness before he’s back into the ballads with All Over Again. Although this one is a bit twee lyrically, it’s very easy to listen to, builds well and Sami’s voice does shine through again. You can tell that he is very comfortable in the acoustic ballad area as he serves up another winner with Dreams Of Yesterday. I get the feeling that I’ve been listening to Sami all of my life, that’s how he makes you feel. He’s such a clear singer even when he’s producing big finishes like this has. He keeps it low key for the final track, It’s Just Me, and the sparse electric accompaniment to his acoustic guitar is just a lovely way to round things off.
I found this album inspiring and it deserves to do well.
Sami Chohfi – This Majesty
This Majesty is a sober Rock ballad with an accompanying video shot against some stunning scenery in India. The song itself builds level on level to give us a wonderful introduction to erstwhile Blue Helix frontman Sami’s song writing and his classic Rock vocal. See what you think below. I, for one, can’t wait for the album!
Annabelle Chvostek – String Of Pearls (MQGV)
To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I opened up the files for Annabelle Chvostek’s album, String Of Pearls and it’s that sense of excitement and discovery that keeps me going. She’s Canadian with Eastern European heritage and a long-standing connection to Uruguay so that explains a lot. The sprightly opener, Je T’ais Vu Hier Soir (I Saw You Last Night) is mostly sung in French and we don’t get too many like that. It’s jazzy with violin/viola (Drew Jurecka), vibraphone (Mark Duggan) and trumpet (David Travers-Smith) all involved and a drummer (Tony Spina) and guitarist (Tak Arikushi) who keep up the pace admirably. It’s Jazz overtones again for the title track with expansive and swirling clarinet from Fabien Pietrafesa added and a classic voice for a classic European style of music. Clarinet remains and is joined by Fernando Rosa’s banjo and trombone from Martin Moron for Cannabin which is more New Orleans Jazz style with tuba (Jhonatas Soares) and trumpet from Juan Olivera also in the mix. The waves of Annabelle’s voice just flow over you and although I didn’t think I was going to like this album, she’s already winning me over. She has a good vocal range and she’s on point at all times too. The song goes full Dixieland for the last minute and a half with trumpet and clarinet starring. The acoustic led Walls is different from the opening trio. The violin still there but we get a swirling, sweeping vocal and it’s quite theatrical and orchestral in parts. The expansive chorus shows that she’s definitely not a one trick pony with elements of Pop and soft Rock. We’re back to the French lyrics and that style of Jazz for D’etre Humaine. It won’t be everyone’s kettle of fish of course but it’s sung and played well and the acoustic guitar solo from Debi Botos has a bounce to it. We get bandoneon (maybe the first time I’ve heard one of those) and a bit of a Tango beat for Come Back and her storytelling delivery is superb. She does feel like an artist who is out of her era and that is part of her charm.
Belleville Rendez-vous is French again and is an up-tempo Jazz with Botos showing lightning fingers on guitar. We return to the Tango for Just The Right Bullets and it just confirms her eclectic tastes. She has a certain sense of humour and this shows when the song speeds up like the soundtrack to a cartoon/silent movie chase in parts. Mary Hopkin comes to mind for some reason on Halfway Through but she is a one-off and so hard to pigeonhole. This one has a New Orleans vibe to it as well as that theatrical bent. Its fairground sounds for the start of The Fool with Rosa returning on banjo and horns, accordion (Lucia Severino) and bandoneon (Sebastien Mederos) playing over a winsome vocal. The sweet, Jazz inflected sounds of Firefly (You Just Love) hint of a Summer to come and show a rounded quality to her voice. It’s all going on for the closing Baby, Baby, Baby but the soothing sounds take you right to the end of the album. This has cello (Adrian Borgorelli), viola/violin from Sebastian Estigarribia, ukulele from Annabelle, glockenspiel from Mark Duggan and even wine glasses and bells from Travers-Smith over a lullaby love song which will have you floating on clouds.
Annabelle Chvostek is a one-off and String Of Pearls is a unique, maverick album in today’s often ultra-produced music scene.
The Cold Stares – Heavy Shoes (Mascot Records)
Indiana duo The Cold Stares (Chris Tapp and Brian Mullins) bring us their fifth and heaviest album to date, full of darkness and tales of divorce, loss, health issues and self-identity issues. They are a power duo and this power is evident throughout, starting with the title track, which is a big, ballsy opener with a story about destructive relationships. It sounds like there’s more than two of them such is the sound that they achieve. This was released as a single earlier in the year and is Blues Rock of the highest order. They up the tempo for the metaphor laden 40 Dead Men, an in your face, deep bass driven rocker with an echoed power vocal from Tapp and pounding drums from Mullins. They’ve got it all and this may well become a classic, especially with its message of fighting back to get to what makes you, you. It’s up there with the best and the slow, deliberate mid-section shows a high level of song writing skill. You should be thinking Free and Led Zeppelin when you hear the grungy and grinding Take This Body From Me as Tapp shows that he is no mean guitarist. There’s no let up as they pound their way into your head with Hard Times, a tale of bad luck. This stunner was another of the singles this year as was In The Night Time which although less ballsy and bombastic, is not any less of a song for that. Despite their obvious power and strength, they are a very rhythmic pair and it’s still hard to believe that they are only a duo. They can sure deliver a riff and on Strange Light they do it with aplomb. That ability to churn out riffs is the making of a successful duo.
The last of the singles is Prosecution Blues, a lumbering, aching Blues on emotional torture with screaming guitar from Tapp. It’s an assault on the ears, but in a good way and I’m going to be coming out of this album like I’ve gone 12 rounds with the heavyweight champion! They change tack slightly for the funky Blues Rock of It’s A Game but it’s still full on as Tapp pings it out on guitar. We get some signature grungy guitar on Save You From You and Mullins more than matches it. Classic Rock vocals round the whole thing off as they deliver a message on addiction. They don’t mess about and Mullins is flailing away to push the beat on You Wanted Love, which is on the short side like most of the others but any longer and you’d lose the immediate impact that each one provides. I’m getting shades of Rory Gallagher on the superb Election Blues. It’s hard not to nod along to this so just let yourself go as they go through their tale of manipulation. The high standard has been maintained throughout the album and the closer, Dust In My Hands, is no different. Slow and rhythmic, it’s not so much in your face as some of the others which shows that they are certainly not a one-trick pony.
This album is a must for any fan of heavy Blues Rock.
James Combs – Strange Signs/Circle Days (Great Willow Music)
Los Angeles Singer Songwriter James Combs fresh from his recent collaboration with acclaimed Americana band, I See Hawks In LA, brings us a double A side single to take us into the lighter days of Spring and Summer. Strange Signs was inspired by the Black Lives Matter protest and is strong, full of hooks to catch you and it’s Americana vibe has Albert Hammond all over it. Excellent harmonies from James’ sister, April Mann. Both songs were written by Combs and the acoustic led Circle Days hits on the Rock side of Americana with Byrds style harmonies from Kelly Atkins. This is one to bring us a little sunshine after so much darkness recently and is a great introduction to the music of James Combs.
This is the first of a series of bi-monthly double singles and I’m looking forward to the others already.
Joanna Connor – 4801 South Indiana Avenue (KTBA Records)
The Queen of Chicago slide guitar, Joanna Connor, is back with a bang with her new album, 4801 South Indiana Avenue. Produced by Joe Bonamassa and released on his Keeping The Blues Alive label it features 10 classic Chicago Blues from some of the best of that genre. Starting with Destination, a song written for a fast drive if I’ve ever heard one, and we’re already cranking the volume up at track one. Joanna lets raw aggression take over with superb results. It’s a frenzied start with piano on form and Jimmy Hall, Bonamassa and Josh Smith lending their not inconsiderable skills to add an almost spiritual feel. Joanna’s guitar is sublime, and she gets notes that I didn’t even realise were there. What a start and what a song, interestingly it was written by Jimmy Thackeray of The Assassins! Piano features highly again, this time by Reese Wynans, on Come Back Home, a shuffling Blues with echoed vocal. The power guitar is there and it’s so full of sass that I swear I’ve been given a good going over. It’s a case of for whom the bell tolls at the start of Bad News, a classic Luther Allison Chicago Blues and a powerful song at the best of times. However, Joanna takes it to another level with a gravelly vocal and piercing guitar. Technically, she plays it like a violin at times to give a superb effect. There’s a lovely piano solo to cut through the power of the guitar and for the first time you can really hear Joe Bonamassa’s influence. Up next is I Feel So Good which was reviewed earlier as a single. I still get shivers when it starts, I think it’s the gentle introduction like entering a bar as on the video and then that primal scream to announce the arrival of the act that does it. The breakneck speed and that first note can’t fail to get your interest. It’s a bullet track Boogie with breakneck drums from Lemar Carter and it’s almost as if Joanna transports herself to somewhere else during the solo. The rhythmic For The Love Of A Man has added horns for a big Bonamassa production of a big Albert King song. It’s still got that raw energy though as Joanna attacks vocal and guitar duties with equal gusto.
Trouble Trouble is a glitzy, classy Blues with Josh Smith on guitar and you get the full force of Joanna’s experience on it. She has a way of making you believe what is being said and her deep, deep slide guitar gets into your bones. The sweet sound of that amp as well is a treasure. You’ll get lost in the up-tempo of Hound Dog Taylor’s Please Help, it’s so easy to listen to, but the slapped drums will keep bringing you back. There’s a big bass line from Calvin Turner on Cut You Loose, a striding Blues that gets into a groove very quickly. We get a few tempo changes, but Joanna stays faithful to the originals overall, just adding a few little twists here and there. There’s no doubting her quality on guitar but don’t dismiss her vocal as she can mix it with the best as she adds some grit and she does love a howl. Part Time Love has Hammond and slide guitar, enough said! Mark Douthit’s sax is prominent on this and Joanna portrays the woman wronged with utmost power and there’s no messing with her. Best female slide guitarist…..only saying. She has such power and turns the table on the males as it’s usually they who sing these songs. Bonamassa throws in a solo to raise the bar even further. Matters are closed with It’s My Time with a spoken vocal with a repetitive sung chorus over bass, drums and chit-chat in the background. Written by Josh Smith, it’s so different from the rest of the album and no slide until nearly two minutes in but then you get a Connor and Bonamassa slide duet to repay your patience. A low-key finish but with a prophetic title and brought straight from her heart as much as the others.
This is a superb album and at 10 tracks all too short. There are lots of Chicago artists songs not featured here, notably the King of Chicago slide, Elmore James, which hopefully hints at future volumes.
Joanna Connor – I Feel So Good (KTBA Records)
As a precursor to her new album 4801 South Indiana Avenue on Joe Bonamassa’s KTBA label, Joanna Connor has released the video single, I Feel So Good. If the single is meant to have you on tenterhooks for what is to come then consider it objective achieved. Hailed as one of the most powerful and influential female guitarists in the world, the raw power of Joanna’s playing and gutsy vocal will blow you away. Bonamassa has long been an admirer of Joanna Connor’s work and has taken this opportunity to have her record a number of non-derivative Chicago Blues classics for the album, which comes out on 26th February and can be pre-ordered from https://shop.jbonamassa.com/collections/joanna-connor-4801-sia and https://jbonamassa.com/albums/2021/joannaconnor/4801/
Shemekia Copeland – Uncivil War (Alligator Records)
Shemekia Copeland has earned a reputation for telling it as it is and turning 40 has not lessened her passion and her commitment to getting the messages out there, whether it is about equality or gun laws and everything in between. Her latest album, Uncivil War, was recorded in Nashville under the guide of award-winning producer and musician, Will Kimbrough. The album opens with one of two recent singles, Clotilda’s On Fire; a strong story about the last slave ship to arrive in America in 1859, 50 years after slave trading was banned. The ship, burned and sunk by the Captain, was finally found in 2019 and Shemekia has used the story to produce a strong opener. I reviewed as a single and it still sends chills up my spine. A feature of the song is some stinging guitar from none other than Jason Isbell. Shemekia moves the message onto Civil Rights on the Gospel fuelled slow R&B of Walk Until I Ride. She delivers a smoky vocal and the lap steel guitar from Larry Douglas underpins the track. It speeds up towards the end in true, infectious Gospel style. The title track is the second of two recently reviewed singles and is another with a message. This time it’s about disharmony and trying to work together to get through things. It’s powerful stuff and it demands that you listen. Dobro from Jerry Douglas and mandolin from Sam Bush offer sounds from both sides of the fence. Things get ramped up on Money Makes You Ugly, a bit of a climate change attack. Rampant guitar from Cristone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram hammers home this Blues rocker. There’s a New Orleans vibe going on with the good time music of Dirty Saint. It’s a fitting tribute to her friend, Dr John with Peter Abbott (drums), Phil Madeira (organ) and Will Kimbrough (guitar) all coming in for special mention. The Rolling Stones’ classic Under My Thumb gets the Shemekia treatment as she slows it down and turns it into a slinky, soulful woman centric percussion-fest. Abbott, Kimbrough and John Hahn are renamed the Shemekia Snappers for their percussion efforts here.
Apple Pie and a .45 is not a song about an old single, it’s much darker than that. This is a powerful message about gun violence. It starts with dobro and you think that you’re in for a traditional Blues but then you are hit with a grungy electric Blues Rock with an attitude. Will Kimbrough on guitar is the perfect foil for Shemekia’s potent vocal. Give God The Blues is co-written by Shawn Mullins, remember him? It’s an all-inclusive song about one way love and how we all give God the Blues, no matter what religion we may, or may not, follow. There’s some string bending extraordinaire on She Don’t Wear Pink as Webb Wilder and Duane Eddy, yes, Duane Eddy join Kimbrough on guitar. This fast Rhythm & Blues slips neatly into Rock & Roll at times and it’s not one for the ‘girlies’. She gets the message over and has a good time doing it to. The mid-paced Blues Rock of No Heart At All could easily feature on a Walter Trout album; it’s got that kind of feel to it. Jerry Douglas returns on lap steel but it is the biting lyrics such as “you’re not cold hearted, you’ve got no heart at all” that stand out. Glad I’m not on Shemekia’s bad side! The guitar stars keep coming and a telling contribution from the great Steve Cropper is a highlight of the Junior Parker song, In The Dark. Although it’s a Parker song, it’s delivered in the Robert Cray school of recrimination. Shemekia brings us a voice strained with emotion on this slow, moody Blues about a bas relationship. On the other side of the coin is Love Song, a strolling Blues about good relationship and a nice way to finish as it’s one of her Dad’s songs, Dad being Johnny Clyde Copeland.
A lady with plenty to say and the ability to say it without being overtly political, something we can all learn from.
Copper Viper – Opal & The Bear (Under The Bower Records)
You immediately know you are listening to a Folk band as soon as Opal & The Bear starts and the deep vocals on this will have you wondering, like me, is this a male duo or a guy and a girl with a deep voice, or more than two? In fact, Copper Viper is an acoustic Folk duo, Robin Joel Sangster and Duncan Menzies. What leads to the confusion is the addition of Issy Ferris and Archie Sylvester of Ferris & Sylvester fame on backing vocals. This is their first studio recording since their 2019 debut album, Cut It Out, Count The Rings and the song builds well although I have to say that it’s a bit different to what I hear on a day to day basis. They are multi instrumentalists but I have to pick out the Spanish style guitar on this track. I believe that they are a good festival band and one I’d like to catch up with when we ever get back to gigs.
Copperhead County – Brothers (Continental Record Services)
Inspired by Blackberry Smoke and The Outlaws amongst others is a good start for an up and coming wannabe Southern Rock band. Copperhead County is that band and this set of 10 original songs opens with a track that exudes Southern Rock from every pore. Be Different is a rocking opener with a classic Rock vocal from Corvin Silvester and backing vocals matching him perfectly. You’d think these guys were from Alabama or somewhere close but guess what, they’re from Holland! 2 songs in and they’ve got me hooked already. Not Even The Wind brings in Country, Rock and Americana influences to produce a big sound and this continues with the title track with a guitar solo from Robert Van Voorden that captures the ethos of the genre perfectly. Just sit back and let Copperhead County take you to the South. The band rips it up on Horizon, a true Southern rocker and one that will be a firm favourite in their live set, whenever we get back to listening to live music. They’ll draw comparison to Blackberry Smoke and their ilk and deservedly so.
Bring On The Rain is a barnstorming highlight and although they are carrying on the traditions of bands such as Marshall Tucker they can also easily be put on a par with contemporaries such as Robert Jon & The Wreck and The Allman Betts Band. You’ll be singing this one before you know it. The very high standard of the album is kept up on the pounding rhythms of Pacific Street, supplied in good measure by the rhythm section of Alex Stolwijk (drums) and Niels Budel (bass). Jordy Duitscher’s Hammond organ, normally in the background, gets a small chance to shine but you are left in no doubt that this is a guitar band. The superb Country tinged instrumental, Tskaro, has nimble fingered Van Voorden on top form and this high energy track could easily become their ‘Jessica’. They calm things down for a little while on the acoustic Wide Plains. However, the soaring vocals from Silvester and backing singers Ashley De Jong and Marja Boender on the chorus are a prelude to the song speeding up at 4 minutes in. It becomes even better and although it’s not Free Bird, it does follow the same format albeit with an acoustic guitar solo, making it an epic in its own rite. The all action, all electric With You Again is all good and the classic guitar breaks of Van Voorden will ensure their widespread appeal. If you like Country Rock or Southern Rock then you’ll like these guys. They finish with Southern Feeling, good old Country Rock with that Southern feeling (sorry). It’s a good finish to an album that deserves to do well and I just love the guitar sound.
Copperhead County are a band on a mission and that mission is to spread their reputation as a serious Southern Rock band. Given that I hadn’t heard of them before receiving this album I would say that they are well on their way.
Bob Corritore & Friends – Spider In My Stew (VizzTone)
Bob Corritore is a curator of great Blues music and brings together some of the best artists around on his albums. This time, for Spider In My Stew, he plunders the archive for a fresh batch of 14 new tracks recorded over 9 sessions between 2018 and 2020 and featuring a plethora of modern Blues exponents. First up is Oscar Wilson whose sharp vocals feature on Tennessee Woman with its shuffling beat, wailing sax from Shea Marshall and deep harmonica from Corritore. Sugaray Rayford features on his own strong composition, Big Mama’s Soul Food, and he brings us a more earthy vocal. It’s a mid-pace Blues and after listening to the subject matter you’ll be hungry for more. Kid Ramos is prominent on guitar on this one. Chuck Willis’ Whatcha Gonna Do When Your Baby Leaves You features Alabama Mike on vocals, another strong and sharp vocalist. Pronounced guitar notes from Junior Watson are a feature and although there is less involvement from Corritore, you always know he’s there in the background. We get some good advice from Diunna Greenleaf on Willie Dixon’s Don’t Mess With The Messer. She is a powerful vocalist, perfectly suited for the strong rhythmic Blues of this track. The added deep sax sounds from Doug James are a bonus. Another of the Willie Dixon penned songs is the title track of the album. This time it’s Lurrie Bell on vocals, whose voice will chill your spine. Bell also contributes piercing guitar and Corritore is at his deep, warbling harmonica best. We have a slightly faster than usual version of the third Willie Dixon song, Wang Dang Doodle, made famous by Howlin’ Wolf. Shy Perry takes on the vocals and shows that the girls can take this song on too. Deep harmonies and raucous guitar are provided by Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry. Drop Anchor is a second song with Alabama Mike. This time it’s a Swing Blues with Corritore hitting the spot with his harmonica. My only complaint is that it’s too short.
Johnny Rawls adds his not inconsiderable vocals and sharp, sweet guitar to his own song, Sleeping With The Blues and with Doc Holiday added on organ, Rawls turns in a soulful, intimate performance. John Primer is one of Corritore’s go to people and on Mama Talk To Your Daughter it’s not hard to see why. This JB Lenoir song is a strong, striding Blues with excellent guitar from Primer. The moody and atmospheric Why Am I Treated So Bad has Francine Bell adding her dulcet tones. Stop start used to good effect and Corritore adds to the mood with haunting harmonica as does Kid Ramos on guitar with some particularly sharp notes. What a tone to her voice, an absolute pleasure. Up next is Willie Buck, who adds his vocal to the Muddy Waters style Chicago Blues of Soon Forgotten. Corritore rips into the harmonica for some of his best work so far with Jimi Primetime Smith on guitar and Fred Kaplan tinkling away on piano in the background. Lurrie Bell returns for his own composition, I Can’t Shake This Feeling, a strolling Blues with incisive guitar from Bob Margolin and the other Bob doing what Bob does on harmonica. The third and final contribution from Alabama Mike is on Look Out, which is R&B is the style of Money. He screams out the vocal at times and boy, can he reach those high notes. Kaplan plays a bigger part here, both on piano and organ and Corritore, not to be outdone, throws in a solo too. Things are rounded off with a good version of Bob Dylan’s I Shall Be Released with Francine Bell returning on vocals. This is a great song for her voice and you can grasp the Gospel feel. It’s very powerful with echoed guitar from Kid Ramos and Johnny Main. It’s a classic song and they don’t mess about with it too much and makes for a good end to the album.
Mary Coughlan – Life Stories (Hail Mary Records)
The words, Ireland’s greatest female singer in recent times, go some way to explaining how big a deal Mary Coughlan is. She has had an extraordinary 30 year career, starting with her debut album Tired And Emotional in 1985, and on the evidence of her new album, Life Stories, she’s not finished yet. This is an album of experiences that make up a life story, some good, some bad and opening with the aptly titled, Family Life. This is piano led, as are a few others, and is sad, reflective and pleading. Full of emotional reminisces. She stays with piano for Two Breaking Into One, this one being a bit more expansive than the opener. You can hear the experience in her voice as she tells you the tale through a very evocative break up song. Mary’s soaring vocal complements the fuller sound of the track. Deep sax and upright bass announce the arrival of High Heel Boots, which is delivered in a sultry Jazz style. It breaks into a big band sound for the chorus and there’s a full orchestra in there too. It’s altogether different from the opening two as Mary turns sassy, “I’d forgotten how good bad feels”. Forward Bound is quick; Jazz with a Rockabilly feel. It’s good fun and good time music. Mary’s back on piano for Elbow Deep, another reflective song which shows her storyteller’s soul. It’s another break up song and sometimes the best songs come from bad experiences, just as some of the best singers have had the worst lives. You can really feel for, and with, her on this.
There’s a slow, shuffling start to Dare You To Love Me before she brings in a big band on the chorus. This is her 17th solo album and she brings all of that experience to bear on this Jazz grower. Little Dance is a 25 seconds flirty piece and she stays in a flirty mood for Do It Again (not the Steely Dan classic) where the band produce a few unexpected sounds over a bouncy melody. The wonderfully titled Why Do All The Bad Guys Taste So Good follows and, as the title says, is a tale of how bad somehow has an attraction. It’s got a floating chorus and contemporary feel and there are no big solos; this album is all about the voice, the songs and the experiences. There’s more slow Jazz on Safe And Sound, which I found to be quite a harrowing narrative. Phrases like “beaten just for being bold” and “drown my demons in the hell of drink” are dredging up some bad memories and baring her soul. No Jerico is again piano and the ever present upright bass but this also has guitar fleetingly piercing the serene sound and beautiful melody. Finishing with Twelve Steps Forward and Ten Steps Back, Mary brings us a musically upbeat finish but still has a go at an ex-partner. This Jump Blues allows her to let her voice loose as she tells the full story.
You hear people go on about torch songs but I think this is an album full of anti-torch songs. It’s an album full of reflection but also one of looking forward and of cathartic experiences. It’s storytelling at its best and she makes you believe that you are listening to her life stories.
Crooked Eye Tommy – Hot Coffee And Pain (Blue Heart Records)
Languid, soulful Blues from Ventura County brothers Tommy and Paddy Marsh. Released on 10th July 2021, this is a pre-cursor to their upcoming album of the same name, due out on 21st August. As Tommy Marsh explains “I wrote this song entirely in my head. It started when I woke up one morning with bad back pain. I was sitting at the coffee table with my head in my hands and my coffee cup (like the cover art) and the line hot coffee and pain came into my head. The song wrote itself, but morphed into a love lost story."
Steve Cropper – Fire It Up (Mascot Label Group/Provogue Records)
Let’s get this out of the way, Steve Cropper is a legend. He was in Jake and Elwood’s band in The Blues Brothers, one of my favourite films, and that in itself guarantees legendary status, never mind the classic Stax songs that he has written and played on. Steve calls Fire It Up his first proper solo album since 1969 and says that he hasn’t heard himself this way since the 60s. He certainly has turned the clock back and has brought the ethos of Stax to this set of songs. He opens and closes with instrumentals in the form of Bush Hog Parts 1&2 along with an amalgam of the two. These are pulsating and pounding true R&B tracks in the style of Booker T with bass and horns playing big parts. Part 1 is a great amuse bouche for the rest of the album with Part 2 a wonderful lead in to the last track, which joins the two sections together for a first-class finish. Set in between these bookends are 10 gems of varying brilliance, including three previously released singles, the first of which is the title track where he adds the gritty vocal of Roger C Reale to his undoubted song writing and guitar skills. This mid paced soulful R&B has sweet, melodic guitar intervals and the short harmonica bursts add unexpected interest. One Good Turn harks back to the golden years of R&B with full on horns, fluid solo guitar interludes and top backing vocals. Steve is in rambunctious mood on the strident I’m Not Havin’ It and he throws a twist on the common love song with Out Of Love. This horn laden soulful blessing of a song has him pinging out the notes good style. The second of the singles is Far Away, on which we get Steve’s thoughts on modern living. Musically, it’s given the Cropper treatment with the recognisable chord progressions and a consummate horn section. His greatest skill is that he makes it all sound so easy.
He doesn’t really up the pace too much on the album and even the little movement in the chugging Say You Don’t Know Me is a tease with Steve’s guitar egging on the rest of the band but they don’t take him up on it. Horns and chord progressions set this one out for further investigation and it will grow on you. She’s So Fine is a little more up-tempo as the band grind out a classic R&B. We have elements of Booker T & The MG’s but that’s not unexpected. The ubiquitous horns are there giving the backbone of Two Wrongs with the rhythm section working away in the background. The songs are structured in such a way that Steve doesn’t need to throw in any big solos, everything just seems to fit. This is full of classic sounds and there is no surprise that he has been such an influence over the decades. If you are looking for mid paced R&B/Soul then this is the album for you and in the groove of Heartbreak Street you’ll find one of the best with the classic Cropper guitar additions topping it all off. The last, and current, of the singles is The Go-Getter Is Gone. Musically, this is another that looks back but with contemporary touches in the lyric. Drums and bass more prominent as horns are let loose to provide sweet sounds. The penultimate track is the aforementioned sequel to the opener and things are rounded off with Bush Hog where Steve joins up the two bookends to complete a classic Stax style instrumental with big bass and horn sounds.
Steve Cropper turns back the years with some additions to his list of classics. His attitude towards the creative process is summed up when he talks about the track, The Go-Getter Is Gone, and says “Roger came up with most of the lyrics here, I came up with the rhythms and the grooves and the changes, but I think teamwork is better.” He adds, “When a basketball team wins,” he says, “it’s not the player who made the last three-pointer who wins, it’s the whole team that got him there” and that’s maybe why there have been so few solo albums from ‘The Colonel’, Steve Cropper.
The Damn Truth – Now Or Nowhere (Spectra Musique/Sony Music)
Montreal based rockers The Damn Truth have teamed up with legendary Grammy award winning producer Bob Rock for six tracks of their third album, Now Or Nowhere. The remaining three tracks were covered by Juno award winning producer, Jean Massicotte as Covid intervened during the recording process. The band’s career has been a bit of a slow burner but now is their time to shine and they announce their intentions with the spectacular opener, This Is Who We Are Now. This was released as a single a couple of months ago and it’s lost none of its impact. Pin back your ears for big guitars, a big vocal, crashing cymbals and pounding bass. Power from the first note until the last. Tomorrow opens with a Slash style riff and it’s here that we start to really pick up on their penchant for a power chorus. Singer Lee-La Baum has a classic female Rock voice and knows how to use it on this classic melodic Rock track. It’s a softer start for Only Love but don’t be fooled as they’re soon getting into it again. Their music certainly falls on the melodic side of Rock and they can more than hold their own in today’s Rock arena. Strong guitar solos from Tom Shemer and another big chorus will make this a live favourite. Lee-La reduces her voice to a whisper for the beginning of Lonely before it turns into a throbbing grinding rocker with Shemer throwing in a soaring solo. She shows how good a singer she is and she’s fronting a band that is as good as anything else that’s around just now.is a good singer and they are a good band.
Everything Fades is acoustic led and every good Rock album always needs one of those. This is a good one with little hints to The Allman Brothers in the dual guitars. They show again that they can write a chorus so just turn up the volume and Rock it out. Superb. The Fire opens with pounding drums from Dave Traina and moody vocals from Lee-La. It becomes another crushing rocker with everything just hitting the spot and a deep, heart piercing solo from Shemer. You think you are going to get some more strident Rock on Look Innocent but it quickly changes into a slow one with a couple more changes in it. It’s maybe not as good as the other tracks and maybe they are trying to put too much into it such as a spoken part. The component parts are good, maybe the overall result not so. They do settle down mid song and it does get better. The vibrant Full On You sees a return of the big chorus but also a prominent role for bassist PY Letellier. Shemer is also back on form with some wonderful fills and a top solo. All too soon comes the final track, Shot ‘Em, and it’s another that starts off as one thing and ends up another. This could be classed as a Rock/Power Ballad I suppose, although the lyric wouldn’t fit in with a ballad, but it’s disappointing as I thought they’d have rocked it out for the finish. The chorus is a saver and Lee-La does let rip vocally.
This album deserves to be in your collection.
Kat Danser - One Eye Open (Black Hen Music)
One Eye Open is Edmonton, Canada based Kat Danser's sixth album and takes her from the Mississippi Delta to Havana and back to Canada in ten tracks, eight of which are self-penned and opening with the big band sounds of Way I Like It Done. Also prominent on this opener is Kevin McKendree's piano which supplements Kat's velvet vocal and Steve Dawson's long, fluid guitar notes. It's full of attitude and a great start to the album. It's already obvious that the horns are going to play a big apart in this set of songs and the trio in the section (Dominic Conway, Jeremy Cook and Malcolm Aiken) are on form again on Lonely & The Dragon. This slow, churning Blues features slinky guitar from veteran guitarist Dawson, who also produced the album, and a breathless vocal from Kat. However, it is McKendree's telling fills on Hammond that are the making of this track as, whilst the guitar runs are good, McKendree's rapid fingers win the day. One of the two covers is Gus Cannon's Bring It With You When You Come and it's hard to believe that this song is almost 100 years old. Kat and the band breathe fresh life into it and the jaunty, bar room Ragtime is set off wonderfully by barrelhouse piano and slide guitar. The guitar led Frenchman Street Shake is one for a little shuffle on the floor. The New Orleans vibes are provided by the horn section as sax takes a lead role alongside Dawson's slide guitar. Kat goes up a key for this and gives us some happy music with Jeremy Holmes on bass being effective yet unobtrusive as he is throughout the album. The second cover is Jessie Mae Hemphill's Get Right, Church which is appropriate as Kat could be a Jessie Mae for the 21st century. Dawson delivers superb acoustic slide in addition to lap steel which rings like a bell. There's minimal percussion but we get deep, ethereal tones from baritone sax to fill it out. It's an old style preaching Blues with a high level of playing, especially on slide guitar.
One Eye Closed is uptempo and Punk infused and although I get the sentiment, it's not the best track on offer. We get ragged guitar and snarling vocal and it allows Kat to maybe get 2020 out of her veins and that's fair enough. The guitar is the best bit. Slide guitar is welcomed back for Trainwreck and they're back on form with this classic Country roadhouse style. It's well played and the track is very good but the vocal is only functional and won't be getting on my list for favourite singer of the year. The mini vocal dip in quality ends with Please, Don't Cry and this Patsy Cline style Country song allows Kat to show a mournful side to her voice. The whole thing is played at funereal pace and Dawson's slide guitar is the star yet again. Kat continues to shine vocally on End Of Days, which is slow and relaxing despite the Covid topic. Written in her favourite cigar shop, it's a Soul Blues with Dawson on dobro and McKendree on organ taking prominence. Proceedings are brought to an end with Mi Corazon, which encapsulates the Latin themes brought from Cuba, although I think it's got elements of Tex-Mex too, especially with lap steel bringing that USA element. Sung in Spanish and with horns abound, it's a different way to end the album. More ups than downs and that makes it one for consideration for your collection.
Steve Dawson – At The Bottom Of A Canyon In The Branches Of A Tree (Pravda Records)
Steve Dawson’s latest album, his first for Pravda Records, is a tip of the hat to the styles and genres that have influenced him over the years from the 60/70s Folk Rock of his birth state of California to the Country music of Idaho where he grew up and to the Blues and Gospel of Chicago, his home of many years. Opening with This Is All There Is we are immediately taken by the easy soulful style and his sweet voice. It’s a gentle introduction to the album but the jagged guitar is a good counterpoint. He stays gentle with the Country/Americana sounds of Forgiveness Is Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be. There’s not a lot of instruments to the ear with minimal percussion, electric piano, acoustic guitar. Even the backing vocal is inconspicuous but that’s what makes it such a wonderful experience. The Spaces In Between has Michael Miles on banjo high in the mix along with acoustic slide guitar and there’s that sweet voice again. I think he could sing anything to you and you’d love it. It’s been a gentle easing into the album but 22 Rubber Bands is a bit more upbeat than the opening trio with electric guitar further upfront. It is a Contemporary Americana filled with Soul with guitar fills just sliding off the fretboard. He has honed his song writing and singing talents over the last few years and it has paid off with this reminding me of the great singer songwriters of the 70s. He returns to the gentle acoustic sounds for She Knew. It’s just voice and guitar to begin with and you don’t even notice the other instruments and voices arriving, you are so engrossed in the song. We have another soulful Country ballad in the form of Hard Time Friend, which has Steve stretching his vocal with some extended notes and reaches them well. He has become a serious singer and I can hear bits of Jackson Browne (especially on this), Eagles and even the likes of Stephen Bishop in his songs. However, on this occasion it’s all about the voice, with no big solos to deflect from that, and don’t think he’s only a gentle singer, he can add a bit of grit when required. A couple of words that I thought I’d never use in reviewing are Beautiful Mathematics but Steve has managed to come up with this quirky title. As for the song itself, it’s still in the sedate area of pace, but that’s not a problem, and is light and airy with electric piano making a telling input.
Above The Falls is a short acoustic guitar instrumental showing his prowess and is wonderfully played whereas the introspective I Will Never Stop Being Sorry is hard hitting lyrically and dolefully sung. He funks things up a bit for the electric Time To Remember and also injects slightly more pace. We also get another side to his vocal as he goes all wispy on us. We Are Walking In A Forest is highlighted by some beautiful vocals from Dolly Varden’s Diane Christiansen, harmonising wonderfully in this duet with Steve. It’s pared back to acoustic guitar and voices with minimal percussion and is a success. There’s a complete change on the title track with a Neil Young style grungy, overclocked guitar and also in the vocal style and just the whole outlook of the song. Brilliant! He finishes with a couple of downbeat songs in the form of You’re Trying Too Hard and However Long It Takes. Steve is letting it all out on these two, not that he hasn’t done so before, but his deep, sorrowful vocal on the first, matched by the sad sounds of guitar and strings, followed by the emotional closer are a beautiful ending to a body of work to be proud of.
Ben De La Cour – Shadow Land (Flour Sack Cape Records)
Ben De La Cour tells tales that appear to be fiction but have elements of his life entwined throughout. This is his fourth album and nothing is hidden and nothing is sacred. He opens with God’s Only Son, a Latin influenced Americana with Ben’s gravelly voice and powerful chorus taking centre stage. Whistling and twangy guitars set the atmosphere for themes of God, Devils, bank robberies, murder. What a start! High Heels Down In The Holler is 21st century Americana. It’s moody, menacing and jarring with fiddle and slide guitar vying for top billing. This leads us into the sombre The Last Chance Farm which has just Ben and guitar for the most part. Minimal keyboards are added to enhance the atmosphere and harmonies come in for the last couple of chorus’. Stark yet melodic and strikingly observant, documenting his first day in rehab. He sings “the kingdom of salvation hangs on a rusty nail” highlighting his feeble grip on deliverance and maybe a play on words too. Ben goes electric for In God We Trust…All Others Pay Cash. Blues influenced, it has elements of Country and Rock and is an indictment on how so many people, and corporations in particular, are in the modern day. Amazing Grace (Slight Return) is not a version of the well-known hymn but rather a beautifully crafted song with Ben’s voice, which is so easy to listen to, showing different tones and colours. Guitar, piano and some strings are all that is needed as backing and many try to do what he does with ease but very few achieve it. He is a true force within the Americana genre. He doesn’t use percussion too much but we have it, along with harmonica and some nice piano runs, added to the title track. He makes it sound so easy and Guthrie, Dylan, Browne (Jackson, that is) and Lovett are all echoed here along with many others such as the influences that Ben has soaked up.
He rocks it out on Basin Lounge, which if you took the pace and word play of Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues and rock it up and you’ll get an idea of what he’s about. One thing about Ben De La Cour is that he can tell a story and you’ll believe what he’s saying. On the Country influenced Swan Dive he gives us another wonderful example of his song writing skills and proves that he’s another star in the sky. To open with the lyric “Joey bounced like a brick from the fourteenth floor window. I watched him go silently all the way down. An angel in free-fall wearing a hospital gown” is a statement of confidence in your skills. The fiddle adds to acoustic guitar, drums and bass and I could listen to him for hours. I’m even picking up a little John Lennon’s Working Class Hero in here, just in the rhythm of the delivery more than anything else though. Violin is playing more of a part now and, along with added mandolin, gives another level to From Now On. He’s staying with the slower pace at which he excels and he sounds like he’s been part of our lives for a while even though we’ve just been introduced. This one has Celtic themes but don’t let the gentle tones, here and elsewhere, deflect you from what is often an underlying strong message in his songs. He draws you in with songs like Anderson’s Small Ritual with acoustic warm feelings. It’s just Ben and guitar for this tale of a sage man’s passing and of his time and advice. It quite fittingly trips off into a New Orleans funeral march right at the end. Menacing slide guitar introduces us to Harmless Indian Medicine Blues, a grinding Blues influenced fuzzed piece of Rock. It’s different from most of his other songs and will certainly bring you out of any snuggly safe place you’ve been nestling in. Like a Medicine Man going through his paces, Ben thumps rhythmically through to the end. The final song, which has come along too quickly, is the low-key Valley Of The Moon. It has minimal backing, bass and violin for the most part and we get some lovely Latin style guitar but it is the skill of Ben as a wordsmith that you have to concentrate on as he takes the listener through the pains of alcohol induced psychosis.
Ben De La Cour is one to add to your list of Americana singer songwriters for this year and many more to come.
Leif De Leeuw Band – Where We’re Heading (Continental Europe)
Taking Rock, Blues, Soul and Funk influences from the past decades, multi award winning guitarist Leif De Leeuw has produced a sound that will appeal to many fans of each genre. The album starts with a one minute introduction, Baby James, and despite the ethereal slide guitar you have to ask why. Baby James grows up though and becomes James, a funky Southern Rock. We instantly find out that this is a good band and a good sound. Leif’s slide guitar takes the song to another level and the rhythm section lays down some great runs and fills. I do like this song with its Hammond organ and lead guitar swapping riffs and living the life with the rest of the band grooving away in the background. The guitar wins the battle, by the way! The 70s style Country Rock of Playing In A Band harks back to The Band, CCR, The Allmans, Little Feat or many more. He does take his influences from a number of places and the Hammond organ and guitar are at it again, taking it away from the slightly twee vocal. It speeds up throughout with twin guitars a la Allmans towards the end. Do Me Wrong is a bit grittier and with vocals in the tenor range it gives a dramatic counterpoint to the grinding track. The organ fills are exquisite and there’s a lovely guitar break half way through. This boy can play and he takes you to the highest edge. Running is a slow, acoustic Southern Rock/Americana. Either way, it’s a beautiful song with the female backing vocalist fitting in well.
I’m not sure if Funky Gumbo is an original or not. No matter, it’s instrumental and does what it says on the tin. It gives electric piano, dual drummers, guitar and bass their little chances to shine in the overall glory. He’s off into jazzy, heavy Blues Rock on the title track and it shows that he can turn his hand to a few styles and play them all well. There’s a soaring chorus and the Hammond takes off someplace else before things slow down for a quiet, jazzy noted filled, guitar solo and they then build things back up again with Leif reaching the peaks and challenging the fretboard to stand up to the assault. The band gets a slow grinding groove on for the Blues Rock of All You Do. Sometimes you think there are two drummers and then you find out there are two of them! Leif again shows his skills with tone and colour to his playing, giving us some slinky sounds. The Hammond organ is here again and I think the interplay between them is wonderful. Drive on definitely has an Allman Brothers feel to it; the dual guitars will do that to you. I could listen to these laid back sounds whilst driving in my car quite easily. There’s a guitar duel with drummer shuffling the beat along before the band comes back in as one guitar takes off. The album finishes with the interestingly entitled The Gypsie Flies. The soft, gentle relaxing electric piano introduction sets the tone. Guitars come in but with the same feeling to them. Drums come in, cymbals first, as it starts to build. It’s an instrumental with electric piano Jazz beats and a bit Prog Rock in places but hey, I’m not complaining. Leif’s guitar skills win the day as he gets into it.
Andrew Delaney – The Villain Is Right!
I think it’s safe to say that Andrew Delaney is unconventional. Inspired by Tom Waits and James McMurtry amongst others, Delaney looks to bring the skill of song writing to his music in such a way that the person on the street can relate. …meanwhile is a powerful statement of an opener and you already know that he can mix comedy with serious topics with ease. His sharp, acerbic tongue continues on Napoleon (3000 Measly Dollars) and his Folk Rock/Americana style is bewitching. It’s delivered in a conversational style that sounds he’s singing just for you. I could very easily spend an evening in the company of Andrew Delaney. As for the subject matter of the song, there’s bits of Napoleon being auctioned off in it so I’ll leave it at that! The theatrical Giallo has him going fully electric, something that I don’t think happens very often. He is such a descriptive singer and writer as evidenced here. The violin gives a European feel to it, although there are Latin vibes in there too. It’s back to his gentler side, musically at least, for Astronauts. I’m getting a feel for a post-apocalyptic view on what we as a race once were but I’ll leave you to make up your own minds. Great song either way. Godzilla Vs King Kong (1962) is completely different to the rest as he gets a groove on. Bringing out his love for bad guys and monsters, he says on V13 “I identify a lot with villain characters. Like Batman’s villains are always more interesting than Batman. So, I like stories where the villain is well-defined and has human motivations and is justified in some way in what they’re doing". It’s all a bit Barenaked Ladies, a bit They Might Be Giants and that’s no bad thing.
The all-encompassing Feels Like It’s True just sweeps all over you, it’s just a lovely song and just to remain unconventional he follows it with the stark reality of The Pamphlet Says It All. With its realness, pleading chorus and stringent guitar it’ll bring you back to reality with a bang. Tells it like it is, no matter the subject and how often have you been fobbed off by someone telling you to read it in the pamphlet? I feel that there’s two Andrew Delaney’s (probably a lot more than that if you think about it); one which brings us the melodic music and the other with the counterpoint doleful wordsmith who has such an eye for the everyday things. Home is a prime example of this. A very short comedic nod to all the Jim’s out there, Jim, follows in waltz tempo before In There Somewhere drags you back to reality, this one being about memories, growing old and losing someone piece by piece, something that I, and many others can relate to. He finishes with the up-tempo Indie Folk Rock of Nonsense. There has been humour throughout the album and he’s not afraid to poke fun at the more serious of topics. This one has him baring his soul on a direct reference to his own problems with depression. Musically and vocally, Counting Crows come to mind but I don’t think that they are a particular influence on him as such.
He is quoted on V13 as saying “I feel like the album is about me coaching myself (and hopefully like-minded others) through tough subjects by breaking them down into smaller elements or examining them through the lens of the things that I love (monsters and horror movies and weird history and wordplay and absurdity). It’s meant to be humorous but not entirely comedic. I’m not a very serious person, but I wear black all the time and walk around with a mostly blank expression and suffer from bouts of depression. I think this album is about me saying to people, ‘See! I’m fun!’ despite all the outward evidence to the contrary". I think that sums him up.
Brigitte DeMeyer – Seeker (BDM Music)
California native but with a soul that resides in Nashville, Brigitte DeMeyer has a style and grace that is seldom heard. Seeker opens with the smooth soulful and inviting All The Blue, a tale of privilege and when people don’t know they’ve got it. Cat Man Do is a slow stuttering Blues fuelled Soul with a stylish vocal Jano Rix on slide guitar, piano and organ filling out the sound. The harmonies from Freda McCrary are deep and luxurious. Make no mistake, DeMeyer is a grown-up artist and Salt Of The Earth with its smoky vocal and relaxing deep harmonies open up the soul of her music. Rix, on organ, makes telling bursts and the rhythm section of Chris Wood on bass and Rix, again, on drums are fluid and loose. Oliver Wood on National guitar has minimal yet effective input. She likes a minimalist approach at times and the piano led Louisiana is a good example. Her voice is the main element and she wants us to hear how good it is. The song has the Louisiana vibe to it, no mistake and like the others, it doesn’t get out of first gear tempo wise but it’s a strong song nonetheless. The contemporary Soul of Calamity Gone has a build up to mid-tempo and I’d like to see some more up-tempo songs too. She is very good at the slow and mid-tempo numbers but maybe not a full album of them. That said, this is musically excellent and a bit of a protest song when you get into the lyric.
Already In is an acoustic led love song and you’ll like her voice. It’s not forced, it seems very natural. It’s just Brigitte and acoustic guitar for the first half of the song and she could be singing in your front room, it’s that intimate. Rix adds a mellotron to the mix in the second half to give a more rounded sound. Ain’t No Mister has a New Orleans Jazz vibe. It’s still slow in pace but its smooth, piano led and has some nice upright bass lines from Viktor Krauss. Folk and Americana elements come in for Wishbone and the acoustic guitar is simple and effective with all of the band picking out their parts well. It strides out in the middle section with slide guitar taking a bigger part and we get a couple of upbeat segments too. The title track ventures into soft Rock but again everything is kept to the minimum to achieve that perfect sound and tone. Overlaid guitars bring a different dimension but there’s no big solos as such on this album. This is another very good song and I find myself very relaxed after listening to Brigitte. It’s slow, gentle sounds to finish with on Roots And Wings And Bones but what else would we expect? Piano and guitar (Kris Donegan) provide the depth for this but the mellotron and bass (Ted Pecchio) are in the mix too. She does let her voice reach out on this and shows an extended range but the key is that no matter what she is singing, that natural feel comes through every time. It’s dedicated to Mothers the world over who give up everything for their families and there can be no greater thing than that.
The Halley DeVestern Band – Money Ain’t Time
Recorded live on September 1st 2019 at The Studio Winery, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Money Ain’t Time is a 50/50 split of originals and carefully rearranged covers. Opening with the Aretha Franklin classic Chain of Fools, DeVestern lets loose her powerful voice straight from the start. Live albums are often difficult to pull off but this is a relentless start with Rich Kulsar in charge of operations on drums and David Patterson pinging out the notes on fuzzed guitar. The band is already into full flow and the funky Soul of Muscle Memory has Patterson running the gamut of his guitar pedals. DeVestern has a strong voice but is maybe pushing it a little too far here but then again, it is a live album and allowances should be made. Try is a strong R&B with strident steps. I’m sure you’ll feel like you’ve had a complete workout after one of this band’s concerts. There’s no let up, three tracks in and I’m exhausted. The title track is a slow Soul Blues. Halley has a snap to her voice and the guitar matches it, with both turning in very theatrical performances. The title says it all and money can’t buy you time. There is a staccato start to I’m Ready before it goes off into a strolling Blues. It’s a classic song and Halley reins in her vocal slightly, making a big difference. Strong guitar work again from Patterson.
She shows a more mellow side to her voice on American Pain, a slow builder with political leanings before the band goes off onto the Martha & The Vandellas’ classic, Dancing In The Street. They give it a shuffling treatment but there’s no mistaking the classic sounds. It’s a good version of the song and the shredding guitar in the middle is a surprise addition. Boil is deep and sultry with a bass line to from Tom Heinig to break your spine. A bit grittier and tending towards Blues Rock, it’ll seep into your consciousness, especially with its big finish. T-Bone Walker’s Stormy Monday has been covered many, many times and the band plays it as a straight up Blues. It’s played well on guitar but it’s not a song that I’d generally associate with the female voice. Halley blows your socks off though as she goes through the gears on this seven-minute version and doesn’t lose your attention one bit. The closer, Mighty Love has an African feel to the rhythm. It takes a little while for her to get in place vocally but when she does, she rocks it. She gives out some love advice to the audience half way through, showing a good repartee. It’s a party song to finish with as everybody has a good time although I’ll never look at peanut butter and jelly (jam) in the same light ever again.
Daniel De Vita – Lost In Translation (Lunaria Records)
Lost In Translation is the fourth album from Argentine guitarist and singer songwriter Daniel De Vita. He opens with the title track, which has a fragmented guitar riff from Daniel and wailing harmonica courtesy of Nicolas Smoljan. It swings along very well with fluid solos, Mariano D’Andrea’s bass high in the mix and Nicolas Raffeta’s keys augmented by Gabriel Cabiaglia on drums to add to the flavour of this R&B. The slow and deliberate Blues of My Sweetest Regret churns along with Cabiaglia drums sounding like a hammer striking an anvil and De Vita throwing out phased guitar at will. It’s not all about guitar for Daniel as he turns in a powerful, sharp vocal on the down and dirty Blues of Sand Between Your Fingers. However, that guitar is never far away and as the song speeds up in the last minute he hits out with style and authority. The songs on the album are mainly originals but the first of two covers is Black Chicken 37, originally from The Buena Vista Social Club. This brings funky bass and drums with guitar and harmonica joining to great effect. Everyone gets a chance to shine on this instrumental and Raffeta takes his more than most on Hammond. The whole song builds so well around the rhythm section and Daniel confirms that he is a top player.
The closest thing on the album to traditional Roots is the shuffling, tongue in cheek She Claps On The 1&3. This has Raffeta making a large contribution once more, this time on barrelhouse piano. He often gets a unique sound from his guitar and on Breaking The Praise it’s like an angry bee at times. He gets to show off his own skills on this instrumental and he lets loose a couple of minutes in with a few changes of tempo thrown in to confirm his dexterity and flexibility. 6 Years Blues is a Chicago Blues, and a good one at that. He’s on form vocally and his guitar is so crisp and clean. The album was recorded live in the studio over a one-day session and it is on this track in particular that you can get that ’live’ experience. This will translate well to an audience and is sure to have them in raptures. It’s a top track. The New Orleans feel to California Rocket Fuel masks a topic of mental health and psychiatric medication (the title being a famous drug cocktail). It’s quirky with a barroom feel to it and will do enough just to get under your skin. He closes with the Jimmie Vaughan written D/Fw and is a great choice to go out with. It’s a high energy R&B instrumental that will have you wanting more and I suspect I’ll be having a look at his back catalogue fairly soon.
Jeff DeVito – Acceleration Due To Gravity
New Jersey’s Jeff DeVito, erstwhile frontman of Indie rockers, Particle Zoo, releases his debut solo album and the singer/guitarist has brought an album of original songs that can lift and provoke in the same breath. He starts the album in reflective mood with the dreamscape opener, Last Page First and Sycamore, which was reviewed as a single and is a catchy, Indie Pop-Rock that is a highlight. There are shades of early Elvis Costello in the vocal for You Alone and although it is a strong performance his voice has a peaceful quality too. Ether is a strange one. It’s like he’s out in space, literally out in the ether. I can’t make my mind up about it. It’s back to a more standard format of acoustic Indie Rock for Head In The Clouds. His despairing, rasping vocal is the making of this song. He stays in the acoustic field for Rolling By and this brings us back into a reflective mood as Jeff thinks of passing time.
Red Lights Turning Green, the second of three singles off the album, is electric, raucous indie Rock with a suitably snarling vocal and there’s a 90s feel to the not surprisingly superb Sensational. The third single from the album is Bed Of Nails. This is piano-led and shows that he has different layers and different strings to his bow. Hs voice fits very well with the melody and his short guitar solo sits easily within the song. The basic set up of You Are So Far makes it sound like a Blur song and it’s quite minimal in its execution. It’s almost like two songs with piano, trumpet and sax taking up a mainly instrumental middle section before the whole thing goes a bit Beatles-esque, White Album era, towards the end. Epilogue is a fitting title for a closing song and I got a bit confused to begin with. Electro beats behind an acoustic guitar was not what I was expecting. It’s a metronomic, low key finish but this will grow on you, even with Jeff’s pleading vocal as he apologises again and again.
There’s not a lot of acceleration on the album but its sombre feel will help keep your feet on the ground.
The closing word is with Jeff “I put a lot into this journey and I still want to share the music with anyone who’s interested,” says DeVito. “There’s plenty of ways to connect these days and touring will come back into the picture at some point. Until then, I’ll focus on seeing through this album and maybe even get a head start on the next one. Or who knows…” the scientist-at-heart wonders. “Maybe I’ll get back into the lab and help make a vaccine for COVID—and of course write a song about it.”
Dion with Joe Bonanamassa - Blues Comin’ On (KTBA Records)
Dion, I’m sure he won’t mind me saying, has been around for as long as anyone can remember but he’s always had the Blues at the heart of his music, even when it wasn’t fashionable with the labels that he was on. His new album, Blues With Friends, out on June 5th is the album he’s been waiting on for some time, an album that fulfils a lifelong vision and with friends like Dion’s it is sure to be a success. More about the album in the weeks to come but the first single, Blues Comin’ On is out now and is sure to cause a stir. Friend number 1 is Joe Bonamassa and Joe’s guitar is the perfect foil to Dion’s still wonderful voice. This fast shuffling Blues with Joe’s driving guitar urging Dion at every opportunity is going to be a favourite and if the rest of the album is as good then it will become a staple of many a collection. Not dropping any names but the rest of Dion’s friends reads like a who’s who – Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Sonny Landreth and Samantha Fish to name but a few. Bring on the album!
Dust Radio – Shotgun Shack EP (Lunaria Records)
Dust Radio are vocalist/harmonica player Paddy Wells and guitarist Tom Jackson who both hail from the Stockport area of the UK. They only met in 2020 after answering an advertisement for Blues musicians in a local paper. They thought that they’d be able to form their duo and get out gigging but we all know what happened. However, that gave them the opportunity to get some recording done and the Shotgun Shack EP is the first result. The 5 track EP opens with Dead Man’s Crawl, a deep, grungy rhythmic Blues with Jackson’s guitar laying the groove and a fuzzed harmonica and good vocal from Wells. There is minimal but effective percussion and all bodes well for the rest of the EP. The title track is more of the same but I’m not complaining. Harmonica and guitar are working well together to produce primal sounds and rhythms. It’s not flashy, it’s just good music. Fault Line strays off into Americana and they can do a job there too. Wells’ harmonica is on equal footing with Jackson’s guitar and his vocal is sound. They’re back on familiar ground with Backslider, a rollicking Blues Rock. There are great riffs throughout the EP but none more than here as we get echoes of the great Blues Rock bands. Harmonica and guitar swapping licks again and it’s hard to separate them. They finish, all too soon, with Siren Song and it’s a moody end to the set with wailing, mournful harp and rhythmic guitar backing the vocal for an understated end to a fabulous EP.
Early Times & The High Rollers – The Corner (VizzTone)
Early Times is a Blues Rock street poet who tells the tales of New York’s East Side and the characters that populate it such as Little Hustler, Uptown Charlie, Tijuana Madonna, Sweet Lou The Butcher, Ruby, Shakey, funky old Mabel and Mary with her Cha Cha hat. The ten original tracks cover a number of musical genres but one thing that is constant is Early Times’ incisive wit and commentary surrounding topics that are often hard to hear. Come On, Let’s Ride is the current single and this gritty Urban Blues confirms his street poet credentials. Immediately powerful and in your face musically, this sets the tone for the album superbly. The street themes continue with On The Corner and you start to get a feel for his distinctive voice, which is slightly less effective in the higher ranges. The High Rollers are a powerful band and Early Times leads them well on guitar. He is a Lou Reed for the 21st Century and I’m sure he was an influence somewhere along the line. Lou Reed lingers around Do What She Do but listen carefully and you might even hear some Tom Petty and even Eric Church in there. It’s a straight up Rock song and it’s a highlight. One complaint is that it’s not long enough. The first single was She’s About To Lose Her Mind and features the considerable talents of Popa Chubby. It’s back to the Blues for this slow stroller as Popa rips it up alongside Early Times on guitar, showing that the band are effective both in and out of the Blues. The urban sounds of the instrumental Rosie Herbs ‘N Ting brings a rich driving beat from the rhythm section and Early Times playing over it and cutting loose in parts and hitting us with sharp, piercing notes in others.
He’s Got A Jones is a funky Blues where he sings about cravings and the under society and he stays in the urban Soul/Blues arena for the Isaac Hayes styled, Say, Man. It’s a conversation for the vocal which is effective but it’s his punchy guitar playing that deserves top billing. Another in the Lou Reed vein is Charlemagne and this slow, strong Blues Rock is one which will become a staple of his live shows to come, I am sure. The acoustic street song, Someone Help Mary, shows his compassion and it’s one to make you think about others less fortunate in their times of need. The ultra-fast Return Of The Queen rounds things off with Dylan and Petty coming to mind, especially in parts of the vocal phrasing. Lyrically it could have been a Dylan song and musically, Petty. It’s a bit Punk, a bit Rock and a whole lot Early Times. It’s mean, moody, full of swagger and a machine gun delivery. It’s got a New York attitude and this is how to end an album. It’s immediately going on my ‘get me out of a bad mood’ playlist.
11 Guys Quartet – The Rona Stomp (Vizztone)
Believe it or not, this single is their first new recording for 12 years, the album Small Blues And Grooves that I reviewed a few weeks ago had been unreleased since 2008. The Rona Stomp is a Latin infused Blues instrumental led by Richard Rosenblatt on harp with the rest of the band chipping in to give us a slinky mid-paced soundtrack to move your hips to and try to forget about the ‘rona!
11 Guys Quartet - Small Blues And Grooves (Vizztone)
11 Guys Quartet have been around for since the 80s but their output has been a bit frugal to say the least. It’s been a few years in the making but Small Blues And Grooves is worth the wait. This 14 track album of instrumentals harks back to more gentle times in pars and is fully contemporary in others. Opening with Road Trippin’, a shuffling Blues with harp and guitar trading licks, they delve into some old-school, lung-bursting harmonica from Richard Rosenblatt and manic guitar from Paul Lenart on Jackrabbit. It’s short but I’m not surprised given the effort involved. Richard, coincidentally, is the Vizztone label group President.
Reminders of bygone times surface on Sweet Taste, with the front two of harmonica and guitar backed by the superbly understated rhythm section of Bill Mather (bass) and Chuck Purro (drums). Other reflective songs are the R&B of Four Maypops and the slinky beats and stabbing guitar of Speakeasy Serenade. You can just imagine these guys playing away in the corner of an old barrelhouse.
It’s not all looking backwards as Down And Dirty will prove. This does what it says on the tin; a slow, grungy Chicago style harmonica Blues. Lenart’s guitar has more of a jagged edge on Doggin’ It but there’s still that wonderful interplay with the harmonica. There’s slow gentle Blues (Sleepless), Beat era R&B with shades of Bo Diddley and echoes of I Want Candy (Hey Daddyo) and crossover styles (Rhumba Boogaloo), the latter of which will allow a little shuffle across the dancefloor although if you’ve seen me dance then perhaps not!
The remaining tracks alternate between harp and guitar as the prominent sound. East Cambridge Cannonball has train like drums to open although played at less than express speed. But, boy does that harp wail. You can hear the effort and outstanding control that Rosenblatt puts into harp playing on Swing Low whereas Lenart has a telling influence on the strolling Blues of Midnight Streetcar. His style is crisp and effective and he saves his best work for the closing track, Swamp Ride. This is a slow to mid-paced dirty Blues and although the two main protagonists share the load, it is Lenart’s guitar that is the lasting memory here.
11 Guys Quartet make it all sound so easy but that is testament to their playing proficiency and to their obvious closeness as a group.
Ellis Mano Band – Ambedo (Jazzhaus Records)
In Switzerland, the four-piece Ellis Mano Band are very much like The Wrecking Crew or The Funk Brothers in that they are top flight musicians in great demand to work for other artists. This means that they have been unable to release their own music until now, with their debut album Ambedo. They take no time to show why they are in demand with the confident, vibrant opener, The Horrible Truth. It’s a gritty performance and one that lays down a marker. The relaxing guitar tones of Sweet Sin herald a little Euro Pop Rock which is full of power both vocally and musically and confirms a set of seasoned musicians. Ambedo Mind introduces horns and brings a jazzy, Soul infused feel. With the added backing singers, the band are going for it and lead singer Chris Ellis turning in his best Al Green vocal too. The Fight For Peace is slow and moody with strong guitar and drums from Edis Mano and Nico Looser respectively. It’s a well-structured song with a powerful chorus and middle section. Ellis really goes for it vocally at the end, screeching it out. Johnny & Susie is a familiar tale of lovestruck youngsters that have their own paths. It’s a good Rock song with Looser tapping out the rhythm and Severin Graf on bass is more prominent. It’s also notable for keyboards, Hammond B3 in particular, starting to make a bigger impact on their sound.
The acoustic led ballad, Long Road, has added violin added which offers light and shade throughout the song which is quite theatrical in its delivery. As a counterpoint we are taken to The Question, a full on big, bombastic rocker full of keyboard action. They continue to mix things up with the slow and soulful Breakfast. Ellis turns in another gritty vocal and hitting the high notes as keys play a bigger part in the latter stages of the album and Mano’s guitar unleashed for a big solo. Hits the high notes. The penultimate song is Keep It Simple, which was reviewed as a single earlier in the year and has lost none of its impact. Track of the album and no doubt. They close with the slow and heartfelt Heart ‘n Mind. This comes across as a bit Coldplay in parts as it builds around the halfway mark before turning softer for the end. Ellis’ vocal does come over as a bit forced at times but it does suit the song.
Ambedo means the tendency to both reflect and absorb and Edis Mano says that it reflected the state of the process of recording an album and that musicians do it all the time, especially when composing new songs and creating a new album. I don’t know what it is but it does seem to work.
Ellis Mano Band – Keep It Simple (Jazzhaus Records)
Keep It Simple is the first single from Ambedo, the upcoming second album from Swiss Blues Rock four-piece, Ellis Mano Band. Top flight session musicians in their homeland, they’ve managed to set aside some time to record for themselves and if this single is anything to go by, we are in for something special when the album comes out. Pacy, smooth middle of the road Country/Rock hinting of Dire Straits and Chris Rea in parts although not particularly in the lyric and vocal. Chris Ellis’ voice is rich and velvet with a hint of grit in the background and the rest of the band, Edis Mano (guitar), Severin Graf (bass) and Nico Looser (drums) expertly negotiate the track, making it feel like a walk in the park. More to come from them on the album, I’m sure.
Kirk Fletcher – My Blues Pathway (Cleopatra Records)
My Blues Pathway is the sixth album from former Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Kirk Fletcher. Featuring a mix of originals and covers of Blues classics, the album is a chronicle of Kirk’s journey through the Blues. As he says himself, “My Blues Pathway is an album about celebrating the music that got me excited about playing Blues from the beginning of my career and the musicians that inspired me. My path led me straight back to the Blues.” He opens with an original, the funky Ain’t No Cure For The Downhearted and he immediately sets out his credentials as one of the finest Blues guitarists around at the moment. I recently reviewed No Place To Go as a single and the song, co-written with Robert Cray’s long time bassist Richard Cousins (also active on another recent review of Malaya Blue’s new album), still conveys that message that you should be grateful for what you have as it’s not always better on the other side of the street. Love Is More Than A Word is another co-written with Cousins and it’s a soulful Blues ballad that Robert Cray would be proud of. Horns are prominent on this with Joe Sublett and Mark Pender on saxophone and trumpet respectively. Kirk gives us an insight to his own struggles on Struggle For Grace, a slow swinging Blues with BB King style pinging guitar and Sublett and Pender noticeable again on horns. The first cover is Rather Fight Than Switch. This rolling Blues, written by AC Reed and although he was a saxophonist it’s the guitar that’s the star here. In fact, at one point Fletcher says he’s got a sweet guitar tone and I’m not up for contradicting him. It’s got a humorous side to it but does set out changing attitudes as we get older.
Heart So Heavy is a classic tale of a woman breaking a man’s heart. It’s a classic Chicago Blues with a smoky voice and stinging guitar from Fletcher ably backed by the horn section. If you didn’t think Fletcher was one of the best then this will surely change your mind. Brilliant. Written by Sonny Boy Williamson, Fattening Frogs For Snakes is a strolling Blues with Fletcher’s piercing guitar often reminding us of a leaping frog as the song tells the tale of not letting the rich man get richer off the back of the worker. The shuffling, funky Blues of Place In This World Somewhere was written by Chris Cain and with Fletcher holding onto those guitar notes for exactly just the right amount of time, I could listen to him play all day. Some of the guitar runs are superlative and sometimes they do unfairly draw attention away from his smoky voice, which can stand on its own when required. D Is For Denny is an instrumental tribute to Texas guitarist Denny Freeman and brings a rounder, heavier sound from Kirk. The horn section is in full flow as they back Kirk on a Blues guitar masterclass. He closes with Juke Boy Bonner’s Life Gave Me A Dirty Deal and this is the real deal. He adds two well-known names to this Delta Blues, the legend that is Charlie Musselwhite adds his distinctive harmonica and Josh Smith throws in some National Resophonic guitar. Musselwhite’s harp wails on this mournful closer, which although written in 1992, sums up 2020 in 5 minutes for many of us.
The album is due out on Friday 25th September.
Kirk Fletcher – No Place To Go (Cleopatra Records)
Award winning Blues artist Kirk Fletcher will be returning in September with his 6th album release. In the meantime, the former Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist is releasing a teaser from the album in the form of No Place To Go. This is a funky soulful Blues with horns in abundance, stinging guitar and a smooth vocal. It’s a good taster for what’s to come and look out for my review in the coming weeks, maybe along with a few words from the man himself. Catch the video for the single below.
The Foreign Films – Starlight Serenade (Curve Music)
Based in Hamilton, Ontario, The Foreign Films is the name under which multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter Bill Majoros releases his music. Having already released four critically acclaimed albums and an EP he is no newcomer to the business and his last release, Ocean Moon, topped the Indie charts on many stations worldwide and earned a spot on “Best Of The Year” on Little Steven’s Underground Garage. He is highly influenced by The Beatles and you immediately get this on the opener, The Fortune Teller (Pretty In The City). It’s an upbeat and bouncy start to the album but there is no mistaking the influences. Cow bell and hand claps lead us into Echoes Of The Heart and he continues with the feelgood factor. This is happy pop music showing a good vocal range and with a very retro feel. Many Moons Ago has added strings (maybe via synth) and has a prominent bass line. It’s sounding more and more like a McCartney album although tempo changes in the middle don’t work as well as they could have. That said, this is a consummate songwriter we have on our hands. Guitar and mandolin are more to the fore on the more folksy Rainbows and despite the change in direction it is still sunshine music. Drums are prominent on All The Love You Give and the organ fills are good, as is the song but all I’m getting is The Beatles. Acoustic guitar at the end is a nice touch.
There are echoes of 70s West Coast America on A Photograph Of You as he throws in another one of his influences. The harmonies are spot on and this is good Pop music with a well-executed key change towards the end. Proceedings are slowed down for The Mystery Of Love, which has a Beach Boys/doo-wop vocal keeping in with the West Coast feel of the second half of the album so far. He has an inviting, comfortable voice but the song strangely goes into electric hyperdrive about 90 seconds from the end with drums, guitar and synth pounding it out, which is just a little out of kilter albeit just as well received. He makes it hard not to like him and on Johnny Don’t Be A Fool he has such a familiar feel and sound, even if you haven’t heard him again. That McCartney feeling is back too. The West Coast sounds return on Sweet Madeline and sunshine oozes from his music. He likes to have bass high in the mix and for this, has the synth on strings mode again. He makes me smile with his music and that’s something we all need. He finishes with the big, Phil Spector style production of Angel In Disguise with tubular bells, big drums and power chords on guitar harking back to that golden age. If you are nostalgic for those 60s and 70s melodic, happy sounds but done in a contemporary fashion them this is an album for you.
4th Labyrinth – Better (4th Labyrinth Music)
It’s been 4 years since 4th Labyrinth’s debut album, Quattro Stagioni, was released but the band have been busy in the interim, building up a following for their live act and working on the new album, Better.
Better is hard to pigeonhole but for the most part comes down on the heavy side of rock plus some Prog themes thrown in. They could have merged the opening two tracks as Intro doesn’t really stand as a solo track. Much better to have it go straight into This Is Rock N Roll and made the first track just an unnamed intro. This melodic rocker is a great opening track and superbly sets up the rest of the album. The eponymous title track is fast paced with fuzzed vocal in places. They are still staying on the melodic side of rock but they throw in some little eccentricities that set them apart. This is short and sweet. Darkness Calling is heavier than predecessors and flirts on the edges of Prog. They are certainly showing that they have a grittier side and this is a highlight. This is followed by the quick time of Keep Me From Falling, underpinned by the rhythm section of Claudia McKenzie on bass and drummer Tom Winch. They drive the band on and enable Andy Cross to unleash his guitar for the first time. Frontman Marcel Kunkel takes on all vocal and keyboard duties and the piano led Your Symphony is a fine example. It strays into AOR but Cross’ guitar interludes add great effect. It ends a bit abruptly, as does The Feeling, which has Kunkel on form with staccato keyboard before the band lends its full weight. I’m A Hunter is a pounding rocker, slower than most of the others. However, I feel that the vocal doesn’t go far enough on this. A little more power and this could have been one of the tracks of the album. They finish with the epic, Iron Maiden flavoured Make It Mine to round off the album perfectly.
No second album problems here!
Alec Fraser Jr – On The Wings Of The Wind
A fellow Scot who has been living in Canada for over 40 years, Alex Fraser Jr is a bass player, producer and engineer of high repute. His CV is impressive and he has played with some of the biggest names in the industry such as Bo Diddley, Ian Gillan, Ben E King and Walter Trout to name but a few. However, it is as Jeff Healey’s bassist that he is probably best known. Normally known as a Blues player, he can turn his hand to many genres and on this, his debut solo album, he dips his toes into Roots and Traditional music with 10 original tracks and reworkings of a couple of traditional songs. He takes a wee while to get going vocally on the opener, Let Me Be Your Break In The Clouds but when he reaches the chorus and the associated harmonies, he finds his feet with a gruff, world weary voice that grows on you. Ocean Of Emotion is Americana bred out of Scots and Irish music. It’s better vocally and the simplicity of just his voice and acoustic guitar is a winner. The rootsy and reflective My Fathers Ashes continues in the simple and effective vein with Jimmy Bowskill on mandolin and guitar and the gentle sounds carry on with Terlingua Night. This sounds like it’s just someone sitting in your lounge and singing for a family party. Bowskill remains on mandolin for this and it’ll have you humming along very quickly. His world-weary voice works well with the harmonies and there’s a little Latin influence in there too. Traditional instruments continue to be added, and on Don’t Cry For Me it’s Chris Bartos on violin. Adding female backing vocals in the shape of Maggie Fraser brings another dimension to his sound, which for this is Celtic rooted Americana. Alec goes all Johnny Cash on us with the deep vocal tones at the start of the title track. This is probably his best vocal even in the higher ranges. He’s not a polished singer and has his rough edges but don’t let that detract from the songs though. This is a striding track with Gratia Leitch on trumpet giving a Latin tinge and Alec playing his own invention, the Circus Bass, which is an upright bass with seven drum sounds attached.
Acoustic seems to be the medium of choice and on All In A Day he hits a rhythm with Chris Bartos’ violin in the background and percussion used with minimal input but with maximum effect. There’s the first of a trio of nods to his Scottish heritage with Will Ye Go Lassie Go. It’s sung differently to what we are used to as Alec gives it an even more pleading feel. Keyboards from Rich Roxborough are added and he builds the song well. Incidentally, the original 1950s song was based on a variant of the Braes Of Balquither by Robert Tannahill who was from my home town of Paisley. This is followed by You Cannae Take It With You which is a good Scots outlook on life. It has a jaunty, fun outlook with Gypsy violin from Bartos, Robert Burns references and his Scots accent coming out in parts. Red Haired Girl is a true Scots/Irish jig with traditional instruments added to the previously used violin from Bartos and mandolin, this time played by James McKie who also chips in on bodhran. This is good stuff and it’s even got a wee Scots howl in it. He moves from the Scots/Irish sounds to what they influenced, the mountain music of the Americas for Flying In Dreams. We have banjo, as expected, but from Jimmy Bowskill which wasn’t expected, and it’s another good song with his voice suiting it perfectly. He stays with Americana for the closing track, Grandma’s House, and it’s a good one too. This has one of his best vocals and a great fiddler in Chris Bartos. He brings everything together, past and present and doesn’t make it too sentimental as it would have been so easy to do.
If you are looking for honest, roots music this year then you might not need to look any further than Alec Fraser Jr.
Ole Frimer Band – Live In Eppingen (Katti Records)
Danish guitarist Ole Frimer and his band recorded this concert in October 2019 at the Eppingen Jazz Festival. Of the eight tracks, four are originals and four are covers, starting with an original, and the only one with any Danish in the title, Lysningen – The Clearing. This has an atmospheric intro much like many bands building the anticipation at the start of a set. It builds as the band joins in and then Ole gives a sign of what to expect of him guitar wise. He produces clean notes with a Jazz vibe before Niels Ole Thorning slips in a funky solo on keyboard and then Ole comes back in with his guitar slipping and sliding with ease as he opens up. The moody and slow Sheltered Roads follows and although it is difficult singing in your second language, Ole comes over very well. He continues with his smooth, fluid guitar playing before an appreciative audience. The first of the covers is Eddie Boyd’s The Blues Is Here To Stay and this straight up shuffling Blues is given a great treatment on piano by Thorning. Ole injects just enough slur to his vocal to bring it home. It’s short, sweet and straight to the point. Why Are You Staying is a slow Blues with Ole popping out notes like a machine gun at times and we are treated to some of his best work here. Thorning on organ backs up well and fills out the sound. The song has classic Blues phrasing and tale and the band takes the audience into pin dropping country for an extended solo with only drummer Claus Daugaard providing a quiet beat. The band then shows that they can take it from almost silence to an explosion in a heartbeat.
The funky Single City has Frimer and Thorning in unison with Jesper Bylling sending out some bass lines. Ole sings this in his native Danish and shows he’s not afraid to mix it up. Frimer confirms what we already know on the solo, that he is a good player. Thorning’s piano sounds like raindrops on a metal roof at times. They finish with a trio of covers and Clapton & Cray fans will recognise Old Love. They maybe don’t hit those heights but it’s still an impressive cover. The piano solo is well executed, with the rhythm section ably backing and each showing leadership. The guitar solo is equally well executed with power when required and calm elsewhere. Gwendolyn Collins’ Got A Mind To Travel gets a funky upbeat treatment with Daugaard keeping the beat as the piano takes him on a journey. This is Jazz Blues with a strong guitar solo at the back end. They finish with Jeff Beck and Tony Hymas’ Brush With The Blues which is a gritty, instrumental Blues with Ole ripping up the stage and the rest of the band letting him do his thing as he goes from peaks to troughs and back again. They hit the stage, don’t have too much banter with the crowd and then they go – job done!
Pat Fulgoni – Dark Side Of The Blues. Pat Fulgoni Live In Prague (Chocolate Fireguard Music)
Originally released in 2000 and only available as a limited edition import from the Czech Republic, Dark Side Of The Blues has been rereleased and is now available to a wider audience. It’s a set of covers, played with Czech musicians fronted by the UK’s Pat Fulgoni. The 10 tracks open with Sonny Boy Williamson II’s Help Me. Played in a 60s British Blues explosion style it doesn’t have the expected harmonica but what it does have are deep keyboard tones and two very well played, nimble fingered guitars, one with a clean tone and the other, responsible for a quick key change, grungier. Fulgoni has an expressive voice and is more than a match for the twin guitars. You’ll maybe be familiar with the Eric Clapton version of the Ray Charles classic, Hard Times but Fulgoni’s slow and heartfelt vocal will also stay in your memory long term. He has a good vocal range and it’s used to the full here. It’s quite easy going, just relax and let this excellent vocal performance wash over you. The introduction of saxophone is unexpected but fits in well and has an extended solo too with Hammond organ lurking in the background. This is a good version of the song with a strong powerful guitar solo. Bill Withers’ Who Is He And What Is He To You is given a moody treatment with organ, guitar and sax competing for top bill. The deep slinky tones suit the female spoken vocal and adds to the suspense. To top it all we get hypnotic sax sounds and a dark vocal from Fulgoni. Not written by BB King but one of his most famous songs, Thrill Is Gone, is a Blues standard. Fulgoni and the band don’t play it like BB, but then again who can? It’s well sung but although he has the power, he doesn’t have the empathy of BB’s voice. The guitar is heavier than the original, not so clean, but it does add a different dimension. I love this song and this is a good version of it. There are two guitarists going at it but it’s still true that BB could do it with one note.
Another standard is John Lee Hooker’s Think Twice Before You Go. The fuzzed vocal is different but the pace is much the same as the original with the rhythm section driving the band along. It’s short and sweet but highlights a group of very competent musicians. It’s brave to take on a Stevie Ray Vaughan song and Texas Flood at that. This is a note bending extravaganza showcasing a very good guitarist and this is as good a cover as I’ve heard. Fulgoni’s voice has enough grit to carry the song and confirms his status as an excellent Blues Rock vocalist. Muddy Waters’ Rock Me Baby is ground out as the guitarist goes for it and we get a little cameo from the harmonica for good measure before they launch into a nine-and-a-half-minute epic version of Led Zeppelin’s How Many More Times. It’s an atmospheric opening before it goes off into a hypnotic Boogie showing that they’re not afraid to take on the music of some of the greatest guitarists of our time. This definitely reaches the Zep ethos but doesn’t reach the Plant vocal heights. Still In Love With You is a Thin Lizzy song that doesn’t often get an outing and Fulgoni changes it around a little. Phil Lynott is such a distinctive vocalist so another brave choice but he carries it off with his wistful delivery. Stinging guitar is a feature and almost matches the original. They close with the often-covered Robert Jonson classic, Crossroads. For this version think Cream, not Robert Johnson, so it’s one for the Blues rockers rather than the purists. Great version and the footsteps leading up to the crossroads at the start is a nice touch.
It would be good to hear some original material sometime in the future but as an album of covers you won’t get many that are better than this.
AJ Fullerton – The Forgiver And The Runaway (VizzTone)
Colorado based Roots and Blues singer AJ Fullerton is spreading out from his native state and beginning to build quite a reputation for himself. His new album, The Forgiver And The Runaway, has guest harmonica players Jake Friel and Paul Reddick adding their not inconsiderable talents and JD Taylor and Colin Linden contributing 2 of the 12 songs. From the opener, Remind Me Who I Am, you can tell that he has a way about him, he’s a confident performer and this easy-going Roots track will win many over. He has a voice like honey and the soulful Healing Takes Time is a perfect vessel for it. Organ and slide guitar feature prominently but this is all about the voice. Could’ve Been Mine is rootsy Americana with warbling harmonica and barroom piano as he starts to move away from the easy-going openers and the piano led Slippin Away continues that trend. This is a striding shuffling Blues based romp with excellent harmonies. Say You’ll Stay is heavier than the opening songs and the driving drums and deep fuzzed harmonica of this Blues Rock are more than matched by Fullerton’s grungy guitar solo. Harmony is important to him and these are to the fore again. The title track is all voodoo vibes and hypnotic rhythms. It stays rooted in the Blues though and nothing takes away from his strong vocal.
I Cried has powerful, driving Blues based rhythms so different from the first couple of tracks. There appears to be two sides to the AJ Fullerton coin. Great pulsating beats from the band and harmonica adds so much flavour. He’s finding his groove now on the Contemporary Blues of I Wish You’d Tell Me and he finally unleashes his guitar. Deep, drawn out harmonica notes bending all over the place makes for a top track. He stays in the Blues for Miss Cherry Red, which is swing, albeit slow, with wailing harmonica and a guitar shuffle. The barrelhouse piano returns to great effect. He’s certainly catching a groove and I can guess that his influences come from guys like Taj Mahal. We are straying into the realms of Country Rock for Never Was but that’s not a bad thing as it’s still got a Blues feel to it too. I have to mention his slide guitar, which is excellent. The penultimate track, Homesick, returns to Americana with outstanding pedal steel and the whole thing closes with the gentle Hooks In The Water, a Blues with an Americana twist. Is he a Bluesman, is he an Americana singer? He’s both, sometimes at the same time.
GA-20 – Try It…You Might Like It: GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor (Colemine Records in partnership with Alligator Records)
Only formed in 2018, GA-20 draw inspiration from the primal music of the late 50s/early 60s Blues, R&B and Rock N Roll. They use rare and vintage gear, including the Gibson GA-20 amplifier after which the band is named, to produce that authentic sound, which is both vintage and contemporary at the same time. Forming the same trio as Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers (2 guitars and drums) they celebrate his music in the 50th anniversary year of Alligator Records who were, in fact, formed for the sole purpose of recording and releasing Hound Dog’s seminal first album, now considered to be a classic. Opening with the pulsating, hypnotic, electric Blues of She’s Gone, they really get to the soul of Hound Dog’s music. This has a strong vocal and brings us sharp, stinging slide guitar from Pat Faherty. The pace gets ramped up for Let’s Get Funky. It’s almost instrumental with Faherty shouting out words of encouragement as Tim Carman thrashes the drums to within an inch of their life and guitarist Matt Stubbs intertwines with Faherty’s slide. It’s good fun as they jam their way through the rhythm and build to a frenzy. Sitting At Home Alone is a Chicago Blues par excellence with signature slide and deep bass tones and Stubbs provides lead guitar for the classic R&B instrumental, Phillips Goes Bananas, which is named after original Houserockers guitarist Brewer Phillips. The deep tones continue with It’s Alright, a chugging, shuffling Boogie. Whatever they play, they play it with fun and you always get a good feeling with GA-20. The slide is back too and the whole feel reminds me of one of my favourite quotes of all time, which just happens to be from Hound Dog Taylor himself when asked how he wanted to be remembered – “When I die, they’ll say ‘he couldn’t play shit, but he sure made it sound good!’”.
The classic Hound Dog song Give Me Back My Wig is given a suitably raucous treatment with the guitar work from Stubbs and Faherty at the top of the class. Strangely enough this is the second cover that I’ve heard of this so far this year. This is the stronger version of the two, but only just as both are superb in their own ways. This is one to get your pulse rate up to. Another classic is It Hurts Me Too, probably best known for the Elmore James version. This one is strong and often quirky which will keep it imprinted in your memory banks. They resume their grungy, shuffling boogies with See Me In The Evening and it has to be said that the delivery of the songs is just as impressive as the songs themselves. It’s all Chicago Blues, even when they funk it up a little on the slinky Sadie and it is a piece of genius to finish with Hawaiian Boogie as this, to me, must have been what the clubs where Hound Dog would have cut his teeth sounded like. It is simply wonderful with Carman going like a train on drums, Stubbs picking out the bass notes on guitar and Faherty producing slide guitar that is as fitting a tribute to the great man as you could wish for.
Stubbs is quoted as saying “not enough people know just how cool Hound Dog Taylor was”. I think there are many more about to find that out.
Rory Gallagher – The Best Of (UMC)
Following on from the recent Check Shirt Wizard, Live in ‘77 album, The Best Of is a 30 track, 2 disc trip through Gallagher’s back catalogue, many remastered in 2017. There’s not much you can say about Rory Gallagher and his music that hasn’t already been said. There’s a few Taste songs, a duet with Jerry Lee Lewis and a slew of his better songs to make up this set. Starting Disc 1 with one of the Taste songs, What’s Goin’ On from On The Boards, you can hear his virtuosity already. Ragged brilliance. For one of his top songs you don’t have to look further than Shadow Play from Photo Finish. I know this is a Best Of but this is one of the Best Of! He’s at his manic jagged guitar playing best on Follow Me, from Top Priority and the Celtic influences that mark the majority of his music start to appear in the undertones. The expansive Tattoo’d Lady, from Tattoo, has Rory finding his true voice now and highlights so many of his skills, revealing why he is so revered amongst guitar players. Another string to his bow was slide guitar and on All Around Man, from Against The Grain, he reminds you just how good he was. He punches out the notes along with tinkling piano. He screams in unison with the notes at times as he tips his hat to Hoochie Coochie Man in parts. Rory’s in reflective mood on one of his gentler songs, I Fall Apart from his eponymous debut album. This is an example of excellent songwriting and it stands the test of time. The clean tones show up his wonderful style all the more. Machine gun drums lead us to the final crescendo. There are times that Rory didn’t go full pelt and Daughter Of The Everglades from Blueprint, is one of those occasions. You can tell he was bringing in other influences and this produced a CSN&Y style, almost Country/Southern Rock in places. His playing is far more reserved than usual although there is some experimentation with tones and keyboards are given more prominence.
Calling Card, from the album of the same name, is one of his most famous songs, although not as frenetic as some of his others. A deep bass line holds the song together as guitar and piano swap licks on a Blues with lots of Jazz overtones. It wasn’t always electric guitar for Rory. He often played acoustic guitar and mandolin and that acoustic side is shown on a trio of songs, I’m Not Awake Yet from Deuce, the Folk Rock of Just The Smile from his eponymous debut and Out Of My Mind also from Deuce. His Celtic influences come through on the first two, with Rory showing his exceptional flair again on the third, a Country Blues where he shows he has a voice too. What this trio does show is that there was another side to the brash Rory but also why he is considered to be one of the best guitarists that these islands have ever produced. Edged In Blue, also from Calling Card, starts off as a slow Blues with Rory’s guitar piercing your heart but before long the drums start going like a train and the song is transformed into a classic Blues Rock. He really was a one off. He’s back to his more recognisable format on the bouncy Philby, also from Top Priority, where he’s throwing out riffs right, left and centre, albeit on an electric sitar he borrowed from Pete Townshend. There’s more echoes of Celtic influences and do you know what, he’d be less of an artist if they weren’t there. The penultimate track on the first disc is another one from his Taste days, It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again, also from On The Boards. They are in full Jazz Rock mode here. The dazzling guitar is the star here but the rhythm section deserves bags of credit as they keep everything on course. The introduction of saxophone hammers home the jazz element and not something you heard too often on a Gallagher track. Disc 1 closes with the aptly named Crest Of A Wave, also from Deuce. This is Rory at his slide guitar best and it’s difficult to know how he gets to some of those notes. He gives a trademark fractured vocal as he gives his all. I don’t think he really knew how to do it any other way.
Disc 2 starts with Bad Penny from the Top Priority album. Heavy Blues Rock with some classy guitar work. Walk On Hot Coals is another of Rory’s most famous songs and a staple of his live shows. Originally from the Blueprint album, it’s one of a few songs that I immediately go to if I want to listen to some Rory. You feel like he’s with you, like he’s one of the people. The people’s guitarist! The third Taste track is Blister On The Moon, taken from their eponymous album. Rory’s vocal is very different to what it became later; very proper and straight. The track itself sounds very like generic late 60s Rock. Taken from the Defender album, Loanshark Blues is performed in a JJ Cale style, apart from the chorus and is a gentle rumble through a sweeping Blues. Bought And Sold is another from the Against The Grain album and is a pulsating Blues rocker with Rory on particularly good form both musically and vocally. The grinding, swaggering, swooshing A Million Miles Away is from the brilliant Tattoo album and finds Rory in scintillating form as his guitar punches holes through your consciousness and piano and horns take over to the end. An acoustic version of Wheels Within Wheels is a slight respite from the full on Rory. This is from an album of the same name released after his death in 1995. It features this, and other out takes and lost recordings put together by his brother, Donal. We can all be thankful that he saved this, which shows a certain warmth to Rory’s playing. Seven Days follows on the acoustic plane and is a wonderful graceful Blues with Rory bringing in his slide along with his wailing harmonica. I think that Rory Gallagher played and sang the Blues like no other. Ghost Blues enters the fray with an expected eerie feel and then Rory unleashes his slide guitar again. This was found originally on Fresh Evidence, which was his last studio album but this could easily have found a place on some of his earlier albums. This is 8 minutes of classic Rory, full of energy and swagger. Rory, as harp player, and drummer earn their corn too. The manic guitar introduction on Cruise On Out signals Rory and the band in all out mode. Rory exhibits fingers of fury on this classic power trio festival of Blues Rock from Photo Finish. Exhausting stuff!
A previously unreleased duet with Jerry Lee Lewis on (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction gets an airing. What would’ve it been like to have been a fly on the wall at that session? They take The Stones’ standard an turn it on its head to produce an even grittier version than the original with Jerry Lee contributing trademark piano licks and drawled vocals. The jazzy, They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore is a fast paced piano and guitar extravaganza with Rory and the pianist swapping licks like two boxers trading punches. Another from Tattoo, this is confirmation, as if it is needed, that Rory could take any number of genres in his stride. Moonchild continues the upbeat pace and taken from Calling Card, which is often cited as one of his best albums, it is one of the best tracks on that album. Jagged guitar on the limited solo is a joy. Jinxed, from the album Jinx, has Rory on harmonica and trying to outdo himself on guitar. He almost does it too but not quite as the guitar solos are amongst some of Rory’s best. We finish where we started, with a Taste track and what a track to finish with. Catfish is from the 1969 eponymous album and is a Blues standard, delivered in characteristic heavy tones. What this does is that it gives us an insight into how Rory could manipulate his guitar and it’s no wonder the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, Ace Frehley, Slash, Johnny Marr, Joe Bonamassa and Brian May list him as having had a profound influence on their careers.
So, to round up; it’s a Best Of and there are some classics in there. It must be difficult to thin the number of tracks down especially after the release of the recent live album but where are Bullfrog Blues, Do You Read Me, Messin’ With The Kid and Cradle Rock?? That said, this is a more than useful introduction for those who have not dipped into the world of Rory Gallagher before.
The album can be pre-ordered at https://RoryGallagher.lnk.to/TheBestOfPR.
Rory Gallagher - Check Shirt Wizard - Live in ‘77 (Chess/Universal)
Rory Gallagher was always best remembered for his live albums as they showed him in his true environment. This set of 20 unreleased recordings taken from his 1977 tour to promote the 1976 album, Calling Card and should be listened to as a concert, 18 tracks and 2 encores. Taken from 4 venues, Brighton Dome, Sheffield City Hall, Hammersmith Odeon and Newcastle City Hall, and 7 albums, Live In ‘77 captures Rory Gallagher in his heyday.
Opening with Do You Read Me at the Brighton Dome we find Rory in fine form, starting with a song from Calling Card. This shows just what a prodigious talent he was. Gallagher fans will know all of the songs on this album but for the uninitiated, this is classic Gallagher. It has power, speed and bravado in his guitar playing accompanied by gruff, down to earth vocals. Moonchild, another from the Brighton Dome and another from Calling Card follows and is a performance of string bending mastery. Off to Sheffield City Hall for Bought And Sold, from 1975’s Against The Grain, a good old boogie, Gallagher style. He has the audience in the palm of his hands as he shows them how a guitar can be played and often vocally mimicking his guitar solo in a jazz style. It’s Hammersmith Odeon for the slow Blues of Calling Card. Rory gets plenty of audience participation on this one and there’s some great interaction between guitar and bass. Another from Sheffield is Secret Agent, from Calling Card and a classic Blues Rock where Rory gets his slide out and has some of his Celtic roots bubbling under.
You sometimes forget just how good a guitarist Rory Gallagher was but just one listen to Tattoo’d Lady from the 1973 album Tattoo will remind you just how good and sadly how much of a loss he was in 1995. Recorded at the Brighton Dome. Another from Tattoo, but recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, is the heavyweight Blues slogger of A Million Miles Away. Back to Against The Grain and Sheffield City Hall for Take What I Want. This is a flat out, Celtic Tinged, rocker, played at breakneck speed and no matter how good the song is, everything lifts a level when Rory goes into a solo. Going from the screams that Rory lets out during the solo, he gets a lift too. 1972’s Blueprint album gives us Walk On Hot Coals. Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, this is probably the first Rory Gallagher song I ever heard (Old Grey Whistle Test, I think) and still one of my favourites. A classic version to boot! Out On The Western Plain is the first of a quintet of acoustic led songs. Recorded in Sheffield and from the Against The Grain album, this has Western and Celtic influences in spades and highlights the technician in Rory.
The other acoustic tracks show Rory’s diversity, with Barley & Grape Rag from Calling Card bringing Rory’s humorous musical side to the fore and confirm that he could turn his hand to anything. He wasn’t just all about explosive, pyrotechnic guitar. Subject matter isn’t quite as light though. Pistol Slapper Blues was a live favourite, previously on Live! In Europe, and is an old time Blues rag with Rory displaying lightning fingers. Both are from the recordings at Sheffield City Hall. The prophetic Too Much Alcohol, from the Irish Tour ’74 album, follows and shows that he could play a straight Blues too. A powerful recording from Hammersmith Odeon. Rory gets the mandolin out forgoing To My Hometown and whips the Hammersmith audience up into a foot stomping, hand clapping frenzy. This was another of his live staples having previously been on the Live! In Europe album. One more from Calling Card is Edged In Blue at Newcastle City Hall. You can hear where Gary Moore got some of his influences from on this. Rory sets it out as a classic slow Blues but it soon transforms into a slight change of direction for him into soft rock. Peter Frampton comes to mind on this. Gallagher has influenced so many guitarists and it speaks volumes that those such as Ritchie Blackmore, Ace Frehley, Slash, Johnny Marr, Joe Bonamassa and Brian May list him as having had a profound influence on their careers. Hell, Eric Clapton said that Rory was the man who got him back into the Blues – enough said.
He gets into a groove very quickly on Jack-Knife Beat from Calling Card. The Hammersmith Odeon crowd get a masterclass in slide guitar and the Barrelhouse piano is a good counterpoint. The last track from Against The Grain is Souped-Up Ford and this has Rory at his stage best in Brighton. It’s just him and his guitar for the intro, warming up the crowd before the band joins him on a frenetic rocker with slide guitar to the fore again. In fact, this is some of the best slide guitar on the album. Often a concert closer, Bullfrog Blues is one of my all-time favourites, having first appeared on the Live! In Europe album. The Brighton audience are treated to an epic, near 10 minute version and this has to be played at maximum volume. There are places in the song where you feel the band are about to lose it but they take you to the edge and always bring you back. Big solos from bass and drums as well as the obligatory incendiary guitar where Rory seems ready to combust. The final two tracks, both from Newcastle, take you to the start of his recording career and to the, at that point, current. Used To Be was the first track on his first album, Deuce, and I can imagine someone sitting down and listening to this for the very first time in 1971 and thinking, wow who is this? It was the first sign of greatness and the fact that he kept it in his live set is testament to his fondness for the song. Country Mile is the final track and 8th out of 9 from Calling Card. I can hear Billy Gibbons in this high speed Blues rock with scintillating slide guitar. It’s a fitting end to the concert with energy and skill in abundance.
If you haven’t listened to the wonderfully unique Rory Gallagher before then this is an excellent entry point to catch his craft. He was such a giant on stage and he must have been a sight to see in full flow. Unfortunately, I never got to see him play live. Favourites? Every one of them!
Ghosts Of Men – Exhale
Essex rockers Ghosts Of Men release their second album, Exhale. They are proud to say that they’ve established their sound and that they know themselves enough to be able to write music that sounds like them and not worry about having to fit into a specific genre. That said, comparisons will be drawn, especially as they are a guitar and drum duo. Exhale was originally pencilled in for release at the end of last Summer after the guys had been performing at festivals etc but we all know how last year went for performers and everyone else. They start with Breathe In (Remix), a dramatic, ethereal opener. We have to remember that this is a duo we are listening to even though they haven’t yet unleashed the power. Singer/guitarist Clegg lays down a marker with his strong vocal. We get the stomping, storming power on Tell Me Why with drummer Ads getting more involved and what a lift in the sound. Clegg has to get the bass notes in too and that’s not an easy task for a duet. Power chords and stop start delivery bring us a short, sharp shock with some harmony in the vocal. This isn’t just heavy metal for the noise, there is a lot of melody. It’s a song about losing the telly remote and how such a trivial thing can tip someone over the edge. We get a power surge on Crooked Back and Clegg’s expressive voice comes into play. Ads brings some intricate drumming confirming that these are two very good musicians, playing music close to their hearts. Their passion oozes out and they work very well together bringing light and dark in the playing levels. Things are rolling along very well and this continues with Trouble. As I said before, they will be compared to other duos and it’s inevitable given the guitar and drums set up. This is a top song with melody an important part to their set up. It’s not too in your face which will win them a wider audience.
Saviour has all the classic ingredients including a staccato delivery but don’t let the heavy Rock logistics take you away from the song craft and the excellent vocal. That said, this is a Rock band, just play it loud! There’s an interesting chanting vocal and percussion middle section, just listen out for it. You Can’t Help Me opens with fuzzed guitar, picking out the bass line with minimal percussion to start with and you are just waiting for the explosion of sound. It appears a minute and a half in and they build the anticipation well. This is another good song and they generate such power. There are no big solos, difficult to do of course as a duo, especially when they are trying to get that ‘live in the studio’ feel. It doesn’t detract from the overall sound though. Full on power from the start heralds It’s Ok and the vocal harmonies in the chorus are very good. I was a little taken aback with the little fairground and spoken vocal excerpt, which was completely unexpected. Acoustic is not the usual delivery for Ghosts Of Men but they turn to it for I Don’t Feel Right and it transfers into the acoustic genre very well. It shows that they are not all about power and they can still turn in a strong performance even when the song is a little more mellow. They finish with another twist. This time, on Hold On, it’s the introduction of rapper Samantics. The two genres actually fit very well with Clegg taking the chorus. There is a good rhythm to it with Samantics almost leading the music down little alleys and Clegg bringing it back to the Rock highway on the chorus. I’m not particularly a Rap fan but this works well. Short but crammed full, just like the album.
Look out for my recent chat with Clegg coming up soon on our Interviews page.
Tomislav Goluban – Express Connection (Blue Heart Records)
Croatian harmonica player Tomislav Goluban aka Little Pigeon, brings us his 12th album, Express Connection. Opening with the title track, he hits us with a bang and immediately sets out his credentials as one of the best harmonica players in the business. The band are rocking at over 140bpm on this instrumental with drummer, David Green, deserving particular praise for keeping up the pace. Things get a little more sedate on Used To Be Someone with Kirk Smothers on sax and Mark Franklin on trumpet giving a great base to work with. Goluban isn’t the greatest vocalist in the world but he does deliver a deep, velvet vocal here, which gets better as he opens up a bit more. It’s the harmonica that will always draw you back in, none more so than on this Soul Blues. He is a top-notch player, much in the vein of Paul Butterfield. Guitar notes pinging out from Mark Johnson with Rick Steff on organ providing excellent fills gives us an excellent track. Kelly Zirbes is on backing vocals but might have been better taking on the lead vocal. Babe On The Run is raw and bouncy and the complete opposite of the eight-and-a-half-minute cover of The Velvet Underground’s Pale Blue Eyes. Goluban gets that Lou Reed feel into it and his voice suits the song very well. What he does do is he adds smooth toned harmonica and a little Country tinge to it and it does add to the song. The band works away in the background but all get a chance to shine here, particularly a delicate, excellent solo from Mark Johnson. Steff contributes a wonderful organ solo too. This is a very good cover of such a well-known song. They ramp up the pace again for Shoestring Blues, a CCR style rocker with Zirbes excelling on lead vocal and Steff coming in on barrelhouse piano.
Extra Boom is a shuffling harmonica Blues instrumental, Chicago style and there’s more than a nod to Little Walter. Steff, on organ provides the perfect foil and guitar gets in on the act too. I don’t know what to make of Seeds In The Bag. Musically it’s a Louisiana Rhumba beat with Professor Longhair influenced piano and a sleazy vocal. He swaps vocals with Zirbes but at times they sound as if they are singing their shopping list. Strangely effective. The band has some good fun on the upbeat Country Blues of Bite Me Like A Snake. Like the other tracks this is exceptionally well played, Mark Johnson’s slide guitar in particular. The deep bass harmony vocal from Joseph Franher is special too. The social justice infused No Future In Your Past has Smothers and Franklin playing a big part on horns. It’s up-tempo but Goluban has such an easy style you could be forgiven for thinking that he is lethargic but that’s how easy he makes it sound. It’s another Soul Blues and how he gets some of the notes from his harmonica I don’t know. Plays off Steff’s piano well. The final track is the last of the instrumentals and on Beast Walk we get an instrumental to match the masters. Horns, organ and guitar all play their parts too, giving an upbeat feelgood finish. Green and Bill Ruffino on bass are a top rhythm section driving it on and holding it all together.
Tomislav Goluban deserves his place in the higher echelons of harmonica players and on this evidence, he’ll be there for a while yet.
Scarlett Graham – Scarlett Graham EP (Wolfe Island Records)
17 year old Scarlett Graham has Canadian and Australian roots and it’s no surprise that this is her debut release given her tender years. However, don’t mistake youth with lack of know-how, with both of her parents being artists and spending her time steeped in music and art as a result. Producer Hugh Christopher Brown heard Scarlett’s songs on her birthplace, Wolfe Island, Ontario, and pushed her to record them. Brown said that Scarlett took to the studio as naturally as any artist he’s worked with and the result is this 5 track EP.
Opening with Fremantle, a gentle, personal message of home, Scarlett takes us on a short journey through her inner thoughts which will draw comparisons to Janis Ian (Simone, Hand Me Down) and Joni Mitchell (the aforementioned Fremantle). Vocally, there are echoes of Adele on Marron and the final track, Souvenir, highlights her contemporary Pop voice. All delivered with gentle charm, Scarlett’s songs are a breath of fresh air. The EP will be released on 17th July.
Henry Gray & Bob Corritore – Cold Chills (Southwest Musical Arts Foundation/VizzTone)
The latest outing from Bob Corritore’s vault is with Henry Gray. Henry Gray was one of the Chicago Blues originals, having played on major records by the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter and Billy Boy Arnold to name but a few. Henry sadly passed away in February this year at the grand old age of 95 and the world of Blues is a lesser place without him. These recordings were made over a 22 year period from 1996 up until Henry could no longer travel in 2018. The list of guests on the album is as long as my arm and I’m sure they’ll forgive me if I don’t mention their contributions individually. The 15 tracks open with the title track and Gray and his piano are in the foreground immediately as he and Corritore play out this grinding Blues. The vocal will give you the cold chills as it powers over you. It’s not hard to see why Gray was so important to the scene in the 50s and 60s and I’m so sorry that I never managed to see him. Look Out Mabel is an up-tempo piano Blues but it’s a different style to the others on the album, maybe even veering towards New Orleans. The drummer keeps up the tempo by pounding out like a steam train. Don’t You Lie To Me is the familiar Tampa Red song and Gray gets his piano to sing. Guitar and harp are vying for the limelight as everything ends all too quickly. The thing about this album is that the powerhouse and driving force of the rhythm section are on the whole unobtrusive but they get the job done and you know that they are there. There’s a little piece of social history in the form of the track, John Brim Telephone Message. This is a short message to Corritore suggesting that he call Henry Gray to get him to play piano with them. He must have got the message! Things are slowed back down again for Moonlight Blues with harp to the forefront and the guitar chirruping away in the background. Everyone in this band, no matter the personnel on each track, adds to the performance and know just exactly where to be and at what time. At the end you hear someone say play it back and see how it sounds, indicating a live in the studio recording and it certainly has that feel. On the mid-paced shuffle of Going Away Baby the guitar and harp are in perfect synch with a piercing guitar solo and enchanting harmonica from Corritore. Mother-In-Law Blues is a familiar tale with Gray’s rolling piano keeping everyone in place as the guitarist goes off on a fractured solo.
It’s Blues on the down and dirty side for Hurt Your Feelings and this slow Chicago Blues has a gritty vocal pleading to know what he’s done wrong to his woman. Corritore shines on harmonica and there’s some good interaction between Gray and Corritore on The Mojo, which is a mid-paced piano Boogie with the excellent rhythm section continuing to impress. Ain’t No Use, a powerful Elmore James style pounding Blues with a lived-in vocal and Corritore backing up admirably on harmonica confirms that this is a Chicago Blues album. A bit of surprise is The Twist, yes the Chubby Checker classic. It’s not what you’d expect to hear from this pair but they Blues it up a little and add harmonica. They’re just having a great time and although it’s slower than the original it does take me back to family parties in my youth when this was my party piece. The guitar led slow shuffler You For Me follows and with Gray’s piano not far from the front and Corritore playing restrained harmonica, the vocals get a chance to shine. You have to listen to the lyrics of Javelina Jamboree and even then I can’t tell if it’s about a hog roast or something completely different. There are some fun time vocals, not from Henry I think, for this up-tempo Jump Blues with Gray’s piano the driving force along with the drums. Birthday Blues is another storming example of Chicago Blues. It’s guitar led but with Corritore blowing up a storm. Gray’s piano is subtly in the background and what a privilege it must have been to have played and recorded with this gentleman. The familiar Going Down slow is the final track and it gets a good rendition as a piano Blues with harp and guitar ably completing the fills.
Corritore’s vaults have produced yet another gem and it leaves us wanting more.
The Great Leap Forward – Revolt Against An Age Of Plenty (A Turntable Friend Records)
Alan Brown of Manchester’s Big Flame is the man behind The Great Leap Forward and this is his first album in nine years. Known for his incisive social commentary, Brown has had plenty of topics in those years to sharpen his wit on for this album. There is a strong opening with Songs to Die To, which is filled with shades of The Lightning Seeds and their ilk and topped off with a wonderfully big chorus. The retro Indie of Things That Make Me Happy takes you straight back to the 80s and the almost childlike structure is endearing without being twee. The title track, and lead single, continues with the Indie sounds as you would expect from someone firmly rooted in that genre. Don’t be fooled by the melodic sounds as he rants against corporate consumerism and media control. There are traces of New Order sprinkled with the verve of 80s electronica and mixed with Rock overtones on Losing Faith In The Wall. This is fast paced with a soaring vocal from Brown in the chorus. Influences are coming from all directions and on Giving Back Is Good we get a touch of Squeeze, in fact more than a touch in places. This engaging triumph but I could have done without the strange white noise in the mid-section. Pulp and Brit Pop come to the fore on the bouncy and vibrant dEBRA 2021.
Brown is a multi-instrumentalist and on Words On Fire he brings us stringent guitar and drums on the intro. He is on fire on this track and XTC influences abound. Up next is Can You Kanreki? Well, can you? Not until you are 60 apparently as Kanreki is the Japanese celebration of turning 60 and rebirth. The song itself is a triumph, filled with hooks making it very catchy and another vibrant offering. Pulp surface again on A Life More Ordinary and I make no apology for saying that Brown just writes good songs which for fans of 80s and 90s Indie are a must listen to. Brown is never far away from political and social views and on It’s A Wonderful Lie he delivers a scathing indictment of the Government’s handling of the corona virus crisis. There are cuts of Ministers intertwined and wonderfully edited. If it wasn’t so serious a topic it’d be hilarious. My World Is Not My Own is slightly reminiscent of The Walker Brothers. It’s pounding., it’s powerful, it soars and it scorches. When Our Kingdom Comes brings the bands of the 80s into the 21st Century. I could name bands all day (you might think I’ve already done that) but that would be a disservice as Brown is a force in his own rite. This one is very melodic with that surging guitar as the background as usual. He uses the song as a canvas to bring forward some good vocal interplay. Events are closed with the eight and a half minutes of Songs To Die To Reprise. An 8 and a half minute reprise! It gives the song it more light and shade, with a different tempo to slow it down. We have spoken memories of victims of the Great War, making it an evocative and thought-provoking finish to the album. The last words are “we’ll it’s over, perhaps for the best”. I hope he’s not talking about The Great Leap Forward as I hope there is a lot more to come.
The Great Leap Forward – Revolt Against An Age Of Plenty (A Turntable Friend Records)
Alan Brown, former frontman for Post Punk Manchester outfit bIG*fLAME brings us his solo alter-ego, The Great Leap Forward and new single, Revolt Against The Age Of Plenty. It’s vibrant and melodic with a sense of civil conscience and bringing back the Summer sounds of the 80s and 90s. There is a big Manic Street Preachers influence, no bad thing, and it comes out like a mix of them and The Lightning Seeds. Great sounds, both vocally and guitar, which is like a jackhammer at times. A great precursor for the album of the same name which is due out on 30th July and will be reviewed here in due course.
Great Willow – Together Again
Written by James Combs (guitar, bass and vocal), no stranger to the BluesBlues pages, who joins his Great Willow bandmates Erin Hawkins (cello, keys and vocal) and Ed Barguiarena (drums and percussion) in this celebration of reconnection. Simple in its execution, its lyrics will resonate with so many and as the band says, “it’s back to the human races”. The song itself is a melodic Country Rock bringing back memories of classic late 60s/early 70s sounds with soaring harmonies, often grungy guitars, a lap steel performance by Paul Lacques of I See Hawks In LA and even Beatles-esque horn interludes from Joe Hellerstein. It’s a celebratory song and it’s almost as if we’re coming out of a pandemic!
Sonny Green – Found! One Soul Singer (Little Village Foundation)
The title of this album means exactly what it says. Sonny Green, although he has been performing for over 40 years, has only just released his first album. He did release a few singles in the late 60s and early 70s but he never did manage to get an LP out. Well, at the grand old age of 77 he’s managed it. Said by some to be the greatest R&B singer never to be discovered, Green has a style and tone all to himself and you can hear that straight away on I’m So Tired. This gritty, urban Soul has horns, funky guitar and keyboards to match the gravel in his voice and a great start to the album. The upbeat If Walls Could Talk confirms his classic Soul voice and this has all the elements that you need for a classic Soul song, horns, pumping bass, guitar and keyboards with guitar and sax contributing telling solos in particular. Sonny turns to the Blues for the smooth and sensual I Beg Your Pardon and not only do we have the ever present horns we get the extra gift of Hammond B3. Things get slowed right down for Willie Nelson’s Are You Sure and the vibrato in Sonny’s voice is tremendous. He can take his place amongst the old style Soul crooners. He has that classic smoky voice, none more so than on Cupid Must Be Stupid. The band finds their groove on this grinding Soul Blues and if that’s a trombone solo in there then that’s pretty rare nowadays. There’s also a big sax solo and keyboards switch to electric piano.
The band continues to excel on Blind Man and Sonny chips in with a deep, gritty vocal which also has a bit of a growl to it too. We get a little Al Green scream at the start of the upbeat Back For A Taste Of Your Love and it continues throughout. He has a voice of his own but there’s no denying his influences. The band are in full flow on this one with horns, keyboards, bass and drums all in for special mention and the guitarist has his wah-wah pedal out in the background for those who can pick it up. Alabama Mike features on vocal and guitar his own composition, Trouble, and this slow funky Blues with a punchy bass line is one of those that’ll make your spine quiver. Another in the Blues arena is If You Want Me To Keep On Loving You. With a fluid guitar solo pinging out the notes big time, Sonny throws in an Elmore James style Blues shouter performance. He does excel in that old school Soul and his gritty voice is so suited to songs like I Got There where everything is squeezed out of the notes both vocally and on saxophone. He finishes with another old school style song, Be Ever Wonderful, and he shows the range to his voice as he stretches it out and hits the heights. The slow tempo highlights the vibrato and tremolo in his voice as he is ably backed by electric piano. If you’re a fan of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and Little Milton then maybe Sonny Green should be on your shopping list.
Alastair Greene – Bayou Mile & Heroes (Whiskey Bayou)
Guitarists guitarist Alastair Greene has released a couple of acoustic versions of songs from his 2020 album, The New World Blues, which was reviewed by us and was in our Top 50 Blues albums of the year. Both tracks were recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, just Alastair and his guitar. The flexibility of the acoustic guitar has allowed him to produce two wonderful and diverse versions of the songs and it is no wonder Joe Bonamassa has Bayou Mile on his Spotify acoustic playlist. I’m sure it will make ours too.
For the best in acoustic Blues Rock have a listen to the songs from Alastair Greene’s Acoustic Session At Coyote Road Studios.
Alastair Greene – The New World Blues (Whiskey Bayou)
Produced by Tab Benoit, who also co-founded Whiskey Bayou and plays drums on the album, The New World Blues is Alastair Greene’s album for today. As he says “The New World Blues is a reflection of current times and has equal parts, dark and light”. Built around the archetypal power trio, the album will most certainly draw comparisons to others of the same ilk. The opener, Living Today, has got a bit of a Spirit In The Sky vibe to it but what separates it from that is that we have Greene laying out his credentials as one of the top Blues Rock guitarists around today. This is a very strong opener and a great taster for what is to come. The deep, grungy funky grooves of Lies And Fear come with a big, big solo and Southern Rock, Cajun and Blues are never far away throughout the album, evidenced by Bayou Mile. This is Southern Rock on the mellow side as Greene brings out his slide. It’s all underpinned by some top drumming from Benoit. The variety of styles continues with the upbeat, shuffling Blues of When You Don’t Know What To Do. Benoit goes like a train on this and although bassist Corey Duplechin keeps to the background, he does make up an effective rhythm section as Greene lets rip with his guitar ringing like a bell at times. No Longer Amused is a slow, gritty Blues with Greene’s searing guitar the star. As I said before, the power trio set up will draw comparisons and Cream come to mind here as they show they can match the best.
The instrumental, Back At The Poorhouse, is an upbeat Blues Rock and a showcase for his guitar. This is unadulterated quality but Benoit is almost as much to the forefront as the guitar. Things plod along very well on Find Your Way Back Home. He’s no slouch vocally but you are left in no doubt that the guitar is what matters most and that this is a guitarist’s guitarist. Duplechin’s bass is more prominent this time. The intricate guitar and nimble fingers shown on Heroes, not the Bowie song as we have 11 originals here, provide an oasis of a ballad and a solo that is pervaded by sustained notes. There’s another stunning solo on the energetic Blues Rock of Wontcha Tell Me before he turns in a slow, ponderous Blues in the form of Alone And Confused. This Clapton-esque performance is punctured by another big guitar solo; it’s relaxed, it’s lugubrious and it’s simply stunning. He leaves the title track to the end and this slide-fest has Rory Gallagher written all over it. It’s the king of pounding mid-paced Blues rocker that Gallagher excelled at and Greene is also bringing his A game. If you love Rory Gallagher then you’ll love this and it’s a great finish to the album.
Douglas Greer – My Last Storm (Continental Song City)
Based in Galveston, Texas and a regular on the circuit, Douglas Greer is a modern Country troubadour. Whether it is with his full band or solo acoustic, he delivers his brand of Roots, Country and Rock with panache. His new album, My Last Storm, is his third and the first in 4 years. It opens with the visions of the Wild West in the title My Bible And My Gun. What we get is a strong Southern Rock song covering the two well-worn themes. The Country flecked title track highlights his storytelling ability and you feel that he’s lived it. Accordion and fiddle gives it a mountain feel and its two great tracks to open with. Flitting between Country and Rock, Ride That Dragon strongly hints Steve Earle in his list of influences. This is a bit of a foot stomper with strong bass and drum performances. That said, the guitar player ain’t too shoddy either and Greer has the perfectly chiselled voice for this type of track. He’s settling down to a Country vibe for Million Beers and you can add Townes Van Zandt to that list of influences. This bar room Country Blues with obligatory twanging guitar is the kind of song that should take Greer to the next level. He goes all mean and moody on the acoustic led Like A Glove. With just minimal keyboard accompaniment and I can just imagine him on stage with one spotlight, knocking this one out. Very, very good. It’s back to straight up Country for Real As Me and you’ll have a good old time to yourself listening to this one as the fiddle and Steve Earle vibes return again.
Greer growls and snarls his way through the Alt-Country of Grown Man and you can tell he’s a grown-ass man. The weakest track on the album is Superpower as its repetitive style takes away from the Texas style guitar. It’s almost there but the start lets it down and it’s only when the drums become involved that he seems to find his groove again. I was beginning to think that he had run out of steam but back he comes with At The Mercy Of The Criminal. This is acoustic, quite gentle and on the Americana end of things. It certainly helps him recover from the slight lull of the last track. The last two tracks offer different styles with the keyboards and snappy drums of Happy You’re Gone, Girl taking us almost into a dance beat and the closing track, Canada Won’t Let Me In, returning to Americana as he takes an almost whimsical look at himself and his past life.
As Greer himself says “When I was a kid, I always kept a diary and liked to write about what was happening to me at the time. As a songwriter, I like to think there’s a part of me and my experiences in everything I write”. I think he has achieved it and this album is a worthy introduction to the stories of Douglas Greer.
Tim Grimm – Dreaming Of King Lear (Cavalier Recordings)
Taken from his upcoming album Gone, and in fact the last song to be written for the album, this is a slice of Americana as thick as your doorstep. In it he references Michael Smith, Eric Taylor and David Olney all who were great influences on him as a songwriter but also sadly all passed away last year. It’s a tender, beautiful song with a sympathetic vocal from Tim and gently arranged backing from bassist Jackson Grimm, who also joins Tim on guitar, and Diederik van Wassenaer on strings. Tim’s album, Gone, will be out on 10th September, keep your eyes peeled for the review.
Half Deaf Clatch - Every Path Leads Here (Speak Up Recordings)
Well, where do I start? I’ve not heard any of Half Deaf Clatch’s previous work and this is not what I expected at all. This is a sombre 10 song collection that in its own way is a bit of a concept album, that concept being life and how hard it can be. Opening with the atmospheric A Change In The Season, Clatch gives us a slurred, gritty vocal of someone that’s had a life well worn. This is over a Swamp Blues backtrack and sets the scene for the rest of the album. The Country infused Blues of Too Poor To Die follows and has that gravel voice, 20 Woodbine a day gravel, get the idea? He plays everything with layers of guitar, organ and percussion providing depth to the tracks. This is a mesmerising tale of social inequality, a sobering thought for today’s world (“too poor to live and sure as hell too poor to die”) and my favourite track on the album. There’s a Tom Waits feel to Half Deaf Clatch and none more than on Soul Searching. This sounds like it’s straight off a Western film soundtrack, the one that plays when the hero walks off into the sunset at the end of a film. If Tarantino is doing another Western then he’d do well to snap this up. Some of the tracks would benefit from a full band. The great riff and staccato start to These Blackened Blues is case in question. It could be transformed but I appreciate that this may not be the desired effect. What I am finding is that Half Deaf Clatch is a bit of an acquired taste and maybe best to listen to in small batches. However, the more often you hear the songs, the less of a shock they are. There’s no discernible vocal range on songs such as Bright Lights And Bedlam but what he loses out on range he more than makes up for in feeling.
The shamanic A Web Across The Heavens is next and follows the dark theme. Lyrics such as “The path gets harder as I climb, ascending towards the skies” and “And though it’s just a dream, it feels so real. Oh, I can’t wake up, maybe I’ll sleep forever” tell you that if you’re looking for a pick me up during the pandemic then this isn’t it. The Country inspired These Weary Bones is up next with a toned down vocal and, despite the content, a more upbeat feel to the melody. Clatch steps away from the Blues for the next couple of tracks, On Through The Woods and The Endless River. On Through The Woods definitely has a step towards Folk but, as you would expect, the darker side and The Endless River has sounds of moving water to accompany Folk/Country/Mountain tones before going off into a Rock vibe. This arguably has his best vocal and although it’s over 7 minutes the strangely hypnotic sections make that pass seamlessly. The album is finished off with Black And Blue and you may well be feeling that way too after going through the whole album. The addition of drums gives the song a lift and it’s actually a bit of an anthem. It’s a good finish to what is a thought provoking set but don’t be fooled, this is not an easy listening album.
Half Deaf Clatch sounds like he had a real hard paper round when he was younger. It’s been as tough an album to review as I’ve had in a while. Has it been worth it? Who knows, but there are some good songs in there and enough of a high level of musicianship on offer to assure me that I’ll revisit soon.
Jeffrey Halford – Beware Of Worthless Imitations Volume 1 1999-2019 (Continental Song City)
In Halford’s words “Some people call this music Americana, we call it rock ‘n’ roll, country soul with a different shade of blue”. I’ll use many terms to describe his music, no doubt as I go through this bumper 20 track album, compiled from eight previous releases. It splits itself nicely in two, the first half with his band, The Healers plus guest appearances and the second just with the band themselves. They open with Bad Luck, a high octane Blues Rock showcasing pounding bass and drums with wailing harmonica adding further texture. Just as you think you are in for an album of Blues Rock you get slide guitar and the Louisiana feel of Creole Moon. They keep up the pace as they go in a different direction from the opener, adding in a Country element and the guitarist showing no mean fretboard skills. The first of the guest appearances comes on Radio Flyer and it’s already becoming hard to pigeonhole them, much like the guest, Chuck Prophet. You could call this Southern Rock/Country/Americana but what it has is the classic hooks and chorus that will make it a favourite. It’s slower than the opening two but it brings no less of an impact. Prophet stays on for Lost And Found and we settle into an Americana vibe for this strong track with a good vocal which suits the song to a tee. The Gospel Hummingbirds appear on Satchell’s Fastball, a gritty Country track with slide guitar to match. I’d say it has a sleazy feel but not in a bad way, if you can get what I’m trying to say. John Mellencamp comes to mind on Nine Hard Days. It’s Rock with a Country edge that matches the best in that genre. It’s out and out Country for Watching The Trains, a common theme for that field. It features ragged slide guitar and shows a singer who, whilst not flamboyant, certainly knows how to get the job done. They stay on the theme for the slow Western of Railbirds, with obligatory Cowboy harmonica in the background. Halford turns in a great vocal performance here on this sombre and wistful track. Augie Meyers joins for the last two tracks of the first half and what an impact it brings. First of all there’s Louisiana Man, a brooding Americana/Swamp Rock in the style of Steve Earle/CCR which sends out a strong statement against the Government (no matter which era we’re talking about). The second is In A Dream which brings us fairground organ to begin with before going off into a Tex-Mex two-step, Los Lobos style.
The style of the previous track links nicely into Mexico with its Latin acoustic licks and dreamy, floating, dramatic electric guitar. Halford’s vocal soars at times as he rises to the occasion. The tinkling keyboards of Rainmaker shouldn’t have you thinking cartoon thoughts as this Americana is no Disney soundtrack. A strong message is attached to this one. North Beach with Dobro and a stomping, gritty Country beat is another in the style of Steve Earle but Halford shows he has a gentler side with the slower, Country infused Two Jacksons. Keyboard led, it’s not about Michael and Janet, it’s actually about buying a jacket and dating a girl. There’s more Americana beats with Latin overtones on Door 3 and just to keep us on our toes he delivers the edgy, percussive, off the wall Elvis Shot The Television next. Back to acoustic moods for the feel-good Country of 10,000 miles before going off on the darker side for West Toward South. This is mean and brooding with a deep, spoken vocal which shows just how good a storyteller he is. The last two tracks continue to show the diversity of Halford’s music. There’s the good paced, profound Americana of Deeper Than Hell with its twanging Country guitar and Duane Eddy tremolo and then there’s the final track, Sea Of Cortez, an acoustic, gentle finish which with the addition of a little percussion and accordion/harmonium builds gradually to the end.
I was wondering about the need to be releasing a 20 track album but on hearing it I can understand why Halford kept them all in as it would have been hard to drop any of them. This is a very good album indeed and I love the cover.
https://continentalrecordservices.bandcamp.com/album/beware-of-worthless-imitations-vol-1
Lynne Hanson - Just Words (Independent)
This is Canadian Americana singer/songwriter Lynne Hanson’s 7th studio album and is widely expected to be her most successful so far. She’s been branded too tough for Folk and too Blues influenced for Country but I believe she can cross all of the genres and it’s no small measure that her songwriting has been compared to Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mary Gauthier and Lucinda Williams. I last came across Lynne Hanson when reviewing The Lynnes’ Heartbreak Song For The Radio which I couldn’t praise highly enough, so I had big expectations for Just Words.
As a ‘heartbreak poet’ you would expect a degree of sadness in Hanson’s work and you certainly get a plenty. However, there are broader issues explored here and her poetic style of songwriting helps her get through some tough issues. Things start well with the upbeat Country of True Blue Moon and the Americana, with Celtic overtones, of Hearts Fade Away. These not only highlight her massive songwriting ability but also the wonderful tone in her voice and reminded me very much of the feel of the aforementioned album by The Lynnes. The jagged guitar on Long Way Home fits perfectly with the haunting refrains and echoes of days long past which hints at her journey to sobriety. The title track is a gritty song from the swamp, all edgy and menacing, touching on bullying whereas Higher Ground brings us a slow, strolling bluesy feel. Like the other tracks, this is a well-crafted song which shows such a high level of proficiency.
Clean Slate is about rebirth and although it is wistful, you’ll find yourself singing along very quickly. It’s a skill that not many have but Lynne has that effect on you, the one where you can’t do anything else but become part of the song. There’s always a hint of Folk music in her work, none more so than on Such A Random Thing and Every Minute In Between. These gentle, contemporary songs show that she isn’t just a one trick pony. Sandwiched between these two is the electric Americana of Lollipops And Roses. Michelle Shocked comes very much to mind on this and its sombre feel fits very well. A favourite! Hemingway’s Songbird just gently wafts over you. It’s very easy to listen to and shows her quality wordsmith skills. Things are rounded off with Would You Still which has a fluid New Orleans feel to it and also a hint of Steve Earle. It’s a reflective end to what is an album that may just propel Lynne Hanson into the collections of many new admirers.
I said at the start that I had big expectations for this album and, believe me, they were more than met.
Erin Harpe – Meet Me In The Middle (VizzTone)
Recently released, Erin Harpe’s latest album, Meet Me In The Middle is her fourth on VizzTone. For this she goes back to her roots in Country Blues which is self-produced and recorded at her home studio with her husband/bass player, Jim Countryman. It’s a collection of 10 songs, 4 self-penned, all in an acoustic format with Erin playing acoustic, 12 string and slide guitars as well as vocals, kazoo and foot percussion. Jim chips in with ukulele bass and backing vocals. She opens with three of her own songs, the first being All Night Long and this sets the stage for her finger picking style (praised by Billy Gibbons and that’ll do for me) along with a racy vocal on a slide Blues. As with the rest of the album it’s pared back with just bass and minor percussion added to the guitar and vocal. Jim’s backing vocal is part of a call and response section. As I said earlier, this is an acoustic album so don’t expect too many fireworks and Hard Luck Woman follows a gentle path as does Meet Me In The Middle. This is slide guitar, gently played in the old style of Blues players. Harmonies are well executed. I’d say that Piedmont Blues is Erin’s style as she shows this well on the Sippie Wallace classic Women Be Wise. It’s refreshing to hear this clean gentle sound after listening to so many electric Blues Rock albums recently. The kazoo is broken out for this one and I’ve not heard one of them for a long time. Erin has the voice to suit this style of music and I can imagine this coming across well in a small, intimate concert. Lucille Bogan’s I Hate That Train Called The M&O is a slow, mournful Blues with a drawled vocal. It’s a tale of lost love and shows that she is an excellent storyteller. Added bass and minimal percussion are the only embellishments.
Another cover is the well- known traditional Rollin’ And Tumblin’. She ups the pace a little and although you’ll be used to the Eric Clapton and other versions, Erin gives a very good account of herself with Jim contributing good bass runs during the slide solos. You’ll need to be careful how you say the next title; Pick Poor Robin Clean could be a bit of a tongue twister after a few lemonades! This confirms Erin as a troubadour, like Roy Book Binder. The kazoo is back out and she just seems to have so much fun in her playing and she certainly puts everything into it. You don’t really need to do anything to the classic Spiritual, When I Lay My Burden Down as all of the power is in the lyric. Erin gives it a sympathetic treatment with some harmony from Jim. She has such an easy style, highlighted on Memphis Minnie’s What’s The Matter With The Mill, but that doesn’t mean easy to play, it’s just that she makes it sound easy. That comes with experience of course but also when you love what you’re doing. You just lose yourself in her songs but this one, like a lot of other Blues songs, is difficult to pin down as to whether there’s any innuendo in there. There’s no change in direction right to the last track, One Fine Day, although it does sound like an autoharp is being used. I may be completely wrong of course. No matter what, she goes out on a self-penned spiritual level and you leave the album feeling totally refreshed.
Casey Hensley – Good As Gone (VizzTone)
Good As Gone is Casey Hensley’s first all original studio album and continues her upwards trajectory, which started in 2017 with her debut album, Live featuring Laura Chavez. Guitarist Chavez has assisted Casey’s production of the new album as well as playing guitar. It’s like BOOM, welcome to the album when the title track starts. Her big voice will shake you out of your stupor and belies the picture on the cover. This is a powerful Blues rocker with tones of Gospel and echoed guitar. Casey growls and snarls her way through the song which hits us at top speed. The slow Blues of You Should Be So Lucky has Casey prowling like a Panther before she pounces and rattles off words like a machine gun at times. Chavez throws in some piercing guitar to cap it off. If I Pray is striding and pulsating with the rhythm section of Evan Caleb Yearsley on drums and Marcos C on bass driving it on as Casey continues with that gravel laden voice and shows she can hold a note too. Chavez shows how good a guitarist she is and neither of them leave anything in the tank. The jazzy Blues of What Do You Say has Casey singing it straight, to a certain degree. We still get a little growl or two every now and then and the whole thing is kept short and sweet.
Love Will Break Your Heart is a sultry, slow Blues with horns and backing vocals that are just as gritty as Casey’s. Chavez’s guitar solo is played as if it’s just a matter of fact but there’s plenty of skill behind it. There’s plenty of passion shown on the slow, old style R&B of Searching For A Man and she stays in the R&B arena for What’s A Woman To Do, although there is some pace injected. Horns from Jonny Viau and Steven Ebner come in for special mention but it takes a lot to out-do the raucous marvel that is Casey’s voice. It’s not all bombast, grit and bluster though as she shows control and a little finesse on Don’t Want It To Stop. This slow, Soul Blues shows that she can reach the high notes without having to growl them out. I believe that this song could rival I’d Rather Go Blind if she sang it straight all the way through and when you add the echo from the guitar it is very much in the vein of Chicken Shack/early Fleetwood Mac/Christine McVie. Chavez cuts loose a little on guitar and just adds more magic to the track. It’s a fast paced Swing Jump Blues in the form of All In to finish with. Good time music with rocking guitar stealing the show this time. It’s very short but with Yearsley going like a train it’s probably a good thing for his wellbeing.
Casey Hensley is a powerhouse of a singer and I’m sure she’ll be around for some time to come.
Donna Herula – Bang At The Door
Chicago born guitarist and singer songwriter Donna Herula has brought us 11 original tracks and three carefully selected covers for her third album, Bang At The Door. On this new album she has made a departure from the first two by moving away from being solo to surrounding herself with some wonderful band members and special guests. Proceedings begin with the title track, an acoustic slide guitar driven rhumba which tells the tale of a guy coming home late and drunk but he’s already been thrown out before and there’s no chance of a reunion. A cautionary tale of repeated offences and a good start to the album. Pass The Biscuits has a shuffling, New Orleans vibe with nice tones from her resonator slide guitar and a clean, clear vocal. Written about her mentor and host of the King Biscuit Hour radio show, the late Sonny Payne, it is a touching tribute. Donna is joined on vocals by her husband, Tony Nardiello, for Can’t Wait To See My Baby, a strident acoustic Chicago Blues. They work well together and the added voice brings further depth to the song. There’s more of an Americana feel to Promise Me, a song of the loss felt when a partner is in prison. Her voice suits this to a tee and with Jon Shain on mandolin playing in the background it feels like a bunch of mates sitting in the front room and just playing for the love of it. The slinky, contemporary Jazz Blues of Not Lookin’ Back is a slight departure with piano (Doug Hammer) playing a big part but with the ubiquitous slide guitar never far away. Drummer, Dana Thalheimer taps out the rhythm well with lots of hi-hat and cymbal action. Bill Newton is introduced on harmonica for I Got No Way Home, an upbeat Chicago jam with Herula and Newton indulging in a bit of call and response. Daryl Davis also gets a piece of the action on piano. Donna cements her place in the higher echelons of female slide guitarists on the instrumental, Black Ice, and there’s quite a few of them around nowadays to compete with.
Donna pays tribute to bottleneck originator Bukka White with a strong, in your face from the outset, version of Fixin’ To Die. She doesn’t have the greatest of ranges vocally but uses what she has well. She is a far better guitar player as the solo confirms. Husband Tony returns for Jackson as they return to the Americana field for a gentle and lovely harmonised ballad. Donna has a bit of fun with the Ragtime Piedmont Blues of Movin’ Back Home, where she fingerpicks dextrously around lyrics about the trials of having to move back in with your parents! It’s good fun and will resonate with people who, like me, have had to return to live in their parents’ house for whatever reason. The slide guitar is back for Got What I Deserve, a slow, slick shuffler of a Country Blues with Anne Harris on violin before Donna returns to fingerpicking for Who’s Been Cookin’ In My Kitchen. This one is full of Blues innuendo but sung with a prim and proper voice as a wonderful counterpoint. Donna goes all sassy and gets a bit of emotion into her voice on Something’s Wrong With My Baby but the guitar remains the star. This is her best vocal of the album. She finishes with yet another top-class guitar performance on The Soul Of A Man and she has also been getting better vocally as the album goes on. I’d say there is a certain amount of comfort when backing vocals are in place.
Donna Herula is a slide guitar star for the 2020s and beyond.
Doug Hoekstra – The Day Deserved (Kobalt Music)
This is Nashville based Hoekstra’s first album in over a decade and for fans of his diverse, non-stereotypical style it has been a long time coming. He’s not one of these release an album every 10 years type of artists, with eight previous albums along with three books to show for a career that has seen him globally recognised and critically received. This new set of songs opens with the eerie fairground sounds of Seaside Town, reviewed earlier this year as a single. Doug’s wispy vocal bringing a truly independent sound. The spooky opening to Higher Ground leads us into deep deliberate guitar strokes from Dave Coleman and the influence of Lou Reed is never far away. It’s strangely relaxing and even at nearly eight minutes long, it drifts past very quickly. The addition of Hannah Fairlight on backing vocals is welcome as the song ebbs and flows with occasional bursts of ragged guitar just to add further depth. David Henry's cello is added for Unseen Undetected and he makes it sound as if he’s in the room with you, whispering in your ear. There’s something about Doug’s music that just hits the spot. But it’s not just that, there is a poetry to his lyrics that’s not often heard these days. It’s horns that are added this time on Wintertime as Doug gives us his version of classic R&B. He doesn’t get out of first gear though and maybe if it had an injection of pace, we might get a different song but then it wouldn’t be Doug. He virtually speaks his way through songs at times, which has been done before by many of his influences like Reed and Leonard Cohen. Coleman's guitar and Fairlight's vocal gives it a vintage feel. The acoustic Late Night Ramble is another at over seven minutes. It’s wonderfully observational and he plays this one pretty straight. Peaceful Americana with unexpected key changes and clarinet from Jude Hoekstra. It wouldn’t be Doug if there wasn’t a little something unexpected in there too.
Carry Me is one that does have a slight impetus to it. Low key vocals from Doug as we have throughout but a big chorus is an added extra. Excellent drumming from Chris Benelli, simple guitar and keyboard segments, nice riff, enough said. The sweet melodies of Grace are brought to us via a baleful vocal, full of Reed influences and he changes his vocal style again for Gandy Dancer as he shares duties with the female. It’s got a gritty and grinding feel to it, almost seedy, with Jimmy Bowland's sax adding atmosphere. This is a slinky departure for Doug as he rocks it out and struts his stuff. Keeper of The World is a bit more up-tempo than some of the others and it’s back to the sad, wistful vocal. This one will grow on you. The acoustic led Outside Looking In gives me the feeling that this is what Doug often feels. We shouldn’t be surprised about the low-key finish as that’s how the album has gone. This one builds and grows throughout with the addition of harmonica a bit of a surprise.
Doug Hoekstra may well be an acquired taste but just listen to the poetry in his lyrics, his skill of taking the everyday and turning it into things of beauty.
Doug Hoekstra – Seaside Town
Seaside Town comes from Nashville based Hoekstra’s first album in over 10 years, The Day Deserved, which is due out next month. His voice still retains that wispy, calmness about it and it all comes over a bit 80’s 90’s UK Indie, not that that’s a bad thing. Seaside Town is very gentle and easy to listen to, despite its theme of missing but of final redemption. It’s a thought-provoking taster for the album and I’m hoping that this is just the warm up.
Victoria Hoffmann – Hopeless Love
Born in Nigeria, raised in Greece and now living in Nottinghamshire, Victoria Hoffmann will have plenty life experience to sing about for some time yet, I would think. Hopeless Love highlights that this is not a manufactured voice we are dealing with and will take a wee while to get used to it. She’s still raw and edgy and the song is played in an Indie Folk style much akin to Amy MacDonald and KT Tunstall. As for the mechanics of the song, it’s standard Indie love angst, girl meets boy, has a short-lived romance and then years later wonders what might have been.
Tony Holiday – Soul Service (VizzTone)
Memphis based Tony Holiday brings us the follow up to 2019’s Porch Sessions which confirmed his status as a top harmonica player. Soul Service extends his range and reputation starting with the soulful strolling Blues of Paying Rent. His harmonica breaks are effective as you would expect but it’s the rich vocal from Holiday that may take some by surprise. He gives us a shuffling old style R&B Rock N Roll crossover on She Knocks Me Out. He really blows at the harmonica and you can hear the effort being put in. His band are getting into it too with stinging guitar from Landon Stone in particular. Tony slows it right down for It’s Gonna Take Some Time and gives us that mellow voice again. It’s an old style soulful stroller with a lovely warbling harmonica solo that I could imagine the likes of Nathaniel Rateliffe singing. The acoustic Good Advice is mid-paced Southern Soul/R&B and all Grandma’s give good advice, including Tony’s and writer, JB Lenoir. He doesn’t go off on long solos and just hits you with what you need.
Checkers is a jazzy Blues with funky electric piano from Victor Wainwright, fuzzed harmonica and smooth vocal. It’s a life is a chess board type tale with the guitar clicking like a cricket. The pounding rhythmic Blues of Getting Off The Hustle follows with its customary short burst of harmonica before we hit Day Dates with its slinky bass from Max Kaplan and slow harmonised vocals. Jointly written with John Nemeth who has also been reviewed this year, this builds well into soulful Stax sounds and it shows that you don’t need to be hit by vocal histrionics all the time. This gives you a warm feeling and Tony’s harmonica is left to inject the significant break. He finishes proceedings with a grinding, gritty soulful Blues in the shape of Ol’ Number Nine. The guitar and harp work so well together on this one and it’s a fine finish to a fine album.
With his cool sounds, Tony Holiday is the package.
The Holy Guns – Girl With The Red Dress On
British based Blues/Rock/Soul collective, The Holy Guns are led by Brad Williams, session musician, touring musician, TV/film/commercial composer.
Girl With The Red Dress On is mid-paced Rock with sharp vocals with a rolling rhythm section. Short sharp guitar fills attract the attention but there’s no big solo to take anything away from the song. This is a group of musicians getting together to have fun and play music just for the hell of it, just the way that it should go.
Iconic Eye – Back From Behind The Sun
British Rock band Iconic Eye hand new singer Janey Smith, previously known as Janey Bombshell, her debut on their new EP, Back From Behind The Sun and she makes an immediate impact by writing the lyrics to three of the five songs. Opening with the title track and Smith belting it out on this straight up rocker, it’s got all the classic parts for great Rock; storming singer, flurries of guitar notes from Neil Hackett in the solo, thrashing drums from Jon Cooksey and the anthemic feel. The only cover is that of Jefferson Starship’s Jane although it does sound a bit like Rainbow in parts. Greg Dean’s keyboards take more of a part but there’s no doubt that this is a classic British Rock band playing classic British Rock. There’s a big solo from Hackett and whilst there’s flash, there’s also substance on this energetic 8 minute epic. The lockdown song, Ghost Town, has a dual guitar effect from Dean, who writes the music for three of the songs and the title track’s lyrics, and Hackett with Cooksey’s drums getting a good work out, ably backed in the rhythm section by former Dante Fox bandmate Mike Dagnall on bass. Smith reaches the high notes as they confirm that they are quite simply, a good band with a good guitarist. The onslaught continues with Have My Day, with music written by Hackett, showing that they don’t know how to play at anything less than 100%. It’s driving Rock and by that I mean crank it up when you’re driving! Hackett’s guitar runs are sublime as this melodic rocker delivers a message of being persistent and never giving up. They finish up with Femme Fatale and this is exactly what Janey Smith is. They keep rocking to the end but surely there’ll be some respite when the album comes out. Smith puts some extra grit into her vocal for the strong women everywhere.
Iconic Eye are in the mould of classic British Rock bands and this is a great debut from their new line up.
Johnny Iguana – Johnny Iguana’s Chicago Spectacular! (Delmark Records)
It says spectacular in the title so the album already has something to live up to. However, when you take some of the best musicians around and hand them eight songs written by Blues masters and four originals written by the main man then you are off to a great start. 44 Blues is a big opening statement – bang, we are here! Written by Roosevelt Sykes, it’s played as a standard Blues but hard, gritty and in your face. The drums get a good slap from Michael Caskey with Iguana’s piano and guitar from Bob Margolin getting a good going over too. That must be where Johnny’s cut fingers on the album cover came from! This is all topped with a strong vocal from John Primer. The wonderfully named Hammer & Tickle is one of Iguana’s originals and this instrumental rolling piano Blues is played at a good pace. Iguana shows he’s not all about thumping the keys as he shows off some intricate playing. However, as the title suggests, there’s a bit of the hammer to go with the tickle! Willie Dixon’s Down In The Bottom is played as a ponding, rhythmic Blues and it’s Caskey on drums who keeps it going. Iguana’s piano and John Primer’s guitar are relegated to the back until their brief solos. Short and sweet with Primer on vocal duties again. Billy Boy Arnold takes over vocal duties for Sonny Boy Williamson’s You’re An Old Lady and I defy you not to get up and move to this good time Boogie. Arnold’s smoky vocal and excellent harmonica are used to great effect. The second of the three original songs is the upbeat piano instrumental of Land Of Precisely Three Dances with Iguana showing how good a pianist he is as he strolls through the time changes. The rolling bass of Bill Dickens and punchy drums of Michael Caskey add significantly through the Jazz phases. Gil Scott Heron’s Lady Day And John Coltrane almost has a Latin tempo to it but it’s definitely a Blues. Iguana’s piano is bass heavy and there’s a strong vocal from Phillip-Michael Scales.
I suspect that Johnny is talking about ladies from New Orleans on Big Easy Women! It’s certainly New Orleans style piano and again one where he shows he can change tempo in an instant. This instrumental is very short but one that Professor Longhair would be proud of. There’s not been much Chicago Blues on show until we get Burning Fire. Iguana has been a fan of Otis Spann’s music from a tender age but its guitar and not piano that’s to the fore with Lil’ Ed doing the honours. He also adds a wailing vocal which brings to mind Lowell Fulson for me. Elmore James’ Shake Your Moneymaker is so well known that it’s difficult to do much to it so Iguana and the band hit the pace, push forward slide guitar (Lil’ Ed) and drums (Kenny Smith) and have a great old time to themselves with Lil’ Ed retaining vocal duties. The last of Iguana’s self-written instrumentals is Motorhome and he keeps up the pace. His piano and Caskey’s drums hit the sweet spots in his now almost trademark tempo switches. It’s another that showcases his tremendous piano skills. Stop Breaking Down is another of the more famous covers. Written by Sonny Boy Williamson it’s bound to have strong harmonica playing and that is provided by Matthew Skoller who also provides vocals. They play it straight up and it’s a strong performance all round. They finish with Big Bill Broonzy’s Hot Dog Woman and although Iguana’s piano and Billy Flynn’s guitar vie for lead billing, both come out very well. Throw in a world weary vocal from Billy Boy Arnold and you’ve got a great finish to a great album.
Chicago Spectacular, it does what it says on the tin!
Calum Ingram – Demon Eyes
Recently released, Demon Eyes is the follow up to Calum’s last single, Dancing In The Moonlight. For this, he turns to the Blues and, as Calum says “I wanted to delve deep with this one, not only emotionally, but into my love for Blues and Roots. I wanted to show that Blues is still a way to show hurt in the modern world”. What he’s produced is a standard Blues but with the added twist of his cello, which soars and sweeps through the song as well as any guitar would. It takes a bit of patience on the part of the listener as, if you are like me, you expect a wailing guitar to come in at any moment. So, be patient and remember that the cello is the star of the show here. Calum says that he has always been captivated by the likes of Rory Gallagher and others and I’m sure that the feeling would be mutual if the great man was still around.
Calum Ingram -- Dancing In The Moonlight/Demon Eyes
You may remember Calum Ingram, the dreadlock haired rock cellist, from the Tony Visconti TV programme 'Unsigned Heroes' in 2017. Well, he's been busy recording since then and this double-A single is the first of what I expect to be a few releases in coming months. He's taken the Thin Lizzy classic, Dancing In The Moonlight, and given it a funky makeover. I's a brave choice to take on such a song and bare yourself to the world on an instrument not usually associated with Rock, ELO aside. It's a true reinvention of the song and I'm sure that the bass riffs would have brought a little smile from Phil Lynott. Demon Eyes, even though it's a double-A, will always play second fiddle to the main song but is just as innovative and brave. Co-produced by Kirk Yano in New York and Calum in my hometown of Paisley, this is going to put him firmly on the map.
Think Rock, think Cello! There's a phrase I never thought I'd utter.
Jan James - Justify (Blue Palace Records)
Michigan raised and Chicago resident, Jan James believed from an early age that had a voice that was likely to bring a smile to people’s faces. From her first album on Provogue to her new, 8th, album now on Blue Palace Records, James has amassed a level of experience that enables her to match that original belief. Along with guitarist, Craig Calvert, she has brought an album which is as rich as it is varied. From the opening strains of the soulful opener, I’m Always Coming Back to the all-out Blues rocker (with that soulful twist) of the final track, Dangerous Decision, her rich velvet tones guide us through the album.
Jan can turn on the grit and sass too and it’s easy to understand why she played the role of Janis Joplin at the Chicago Royal George Theater ‘s production of a play based on Janis’ letters and songs. The Soul, Funk and Rock feel to Good Man Down is an excellent example of this. More evidence of swagger can be found on the title track, which has a guitar with an attitude and a ballsy, gin soaked vocal on The Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Woman. This very good cover stays pretty true to the original although Jagger squeezes slightly more sleaze from the vocal.
Ballads are represented by the powerful and emotional Try and the acoustic led Never In The Game, which gives us the full gamut of Jan’s emotive voice. Power vocals are shown on the heavier Blues sounds of A Different Life, with earthy guitars and drawled vocal making this a favourite, the Gospel tinged Blues of Anything You Want, which has one of the top vocals and is upbeat both musically and lyrically and the slow, powerful Where You Gonna Run To. This has the best guitar on the album and Jan reveals an extra smokey tone to her voice. Believe In Me, a shuffling Blues/Rock n Roll crossover and Lucky U R, a faster paced Blues rocker with slide guitar added to great effect complete the set.
Jan James has the voice, nothing else needs to be said!
Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps – Takes One To Know One (Blue Heart Records)
Teresa James is a well-known artist on the Blues scene and her latest single, Takes One To Know One is a slick jazzy Blues, which is to be expected given her pedigree. It has a big chorus, horns aplenty, stinging guitar from Anson Funderburgh and Teresa’s smooth voice of experience. She has what many will aspire to be. It’s taken from her upcoming album Rose-Colored Glasses Vol 1 and I wait with baited breath for the rest of the tracks.
Eric Johanson – Below Sea Level (Nola Blue Records)
Louisiana native Eric Johanson is stepped in the history of the area and when you’ve got Tab Benoit as a mentor then you’ve got two steps to success already. The third step for Johanson was to sign with Nola Blue Records and his debut album for the label, Below Sea Level, goes some way to establishing him as a force to be reckoned with and one of the top young guitarists around at the moment. He’s already had one album on Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou label, recorded with his cousin, Tiffany Pollack and played in Cyrille Neville’s band so he’s certainly not wet behind the ears despite the baby faced assassin look on the albums cover. The opening track, Buried Above Ground, is a storming, explosive beginning to proceedings and is followed up quickly by the first single, Down To The Bottom, which I reviewed a month or so ago. This has lost none of its impact and introduces us to his excellent slide guitar playing. He slows things down a bit with Changes The Universe and this allows us to hear the wonderful tone that he gets from his guitar and the added Hammond organ from Ray Jacildo fits perfectly. Get the defibrillator ready for the next track, Never Tomorrow, as pounding drums from Cody Dickinson and bass from Terrence Grayson threaten to crush your chest and rattle your spine. This is Blues Rock of the highest order and Eric throws in some vicious licks for good measure. Hammer On The Stone is a slow, metronomic Blues Rock which harks back to the hey-day of British Blues Rock and turns heavy and grungy at times.
I hope you kept that defibrillator handy as they come back at you again on Have Mercy where Grayson’s bass reminds me of that of ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill. This is another mid-paced Blues rocker and Eric gets his slide out again. He’s a guitarist that doesn’t need to do that much to get noticed – he’s that good! The bass and drums show hang around for River Of Oblivion and there’s more top slide guitar on this slow builder before the excellent Nowhere To Go is unleashed. The breakneck guitar on this speedy Blues Rock is something to marvel at. They are an archetypal power trio and Open Hearted Woman confirms this. Much in the style of Cream it shows them to be a trio of some note themselves as Johanson excels on guitar, channelling Freddie King at times. There’s a touch of Gary Moore on Dose Of Forget and that’s the level he’s at already. Add the voice, which is tremendous and you have the full package. Get your air guitars out for this one! He gets the acoustic guitar out for Love Is Rebellion but the electric slide is still there too though. It builds well as the band joins in and Eric takes his guitar on a trip. It’s Dobro and slide for the closing track as Eric decides to go out on a more traditional Blues. It’s just him and his guitar on Riverbend Blues and it’s a low key finish to an album that has at times been raucous, heavy and heart stopping.
If you’ve got a list of top guitarists like me then you’re going to have to find some space for Eric Johanson in there.
Eric Johanson – Down To The Bottom (Nola Blue Records)
This is the first single from Eric Johanson’s upcoming album, Below Sea Level, due out in September. Hailing from Louisiana, and you can hear that in his playing, Johanson produces a storming slide guitar Blues. He’s backed by a driving rhythm section of Terrence Grayson (bass) and Cody Dickinson (drums), giving us an archetypal power trio. The song is about letting go of the world for a while and along with the rush of Eric’s guitar, it’s a great way to wake you up in the morning. Johanson has been steadily building his reputation over the last two or three years and if the single is anything to go by then the album is only going to enhance that reputation. He is a stunning new guitarist to add to my list of favourites.
Robert Jon & The Wreck - Last Light On The Highway (Independent)
Since forming in 2011, Robert Jon & The Wreck have been producing Southern Blues and Country Rock to great acclaim and rave reviews. 2020 sees them release their 8th album, Last Light On The Highway.
The first of 11 originals, all written by the band, is Oh Miss Carolina, Southern Country Rock at its best. Heaped with Southern Rock riffs and a great singalong chorus, it’s a fine start to the album. Work It Out is slow and soulful and is actually their first track with a horn section and backing singers. A tale of having to work at your relationships. Over their 9 years the band has moulded into a tight unit and this can be heard on Can’t Stand It. This is another in the Soul/R&B field and this direction is a bit of a surprise. It has some nice dual guitar work, which fits in seamlessly. Tired Of Drinking Alone is good old Southern Rock and more what I expected from the band. It’s very melodic and bordering on Country in places but it’s got all the hooks and some outstanding slide guitar from Henry James. We’ve got Allman Brothers/Thin Lizzy style dual guitars on Do You Remember, a Country Rock reflective look back at the good times of your youth.
They stay on the Country Rock theme with the gentle This Time Around before Henry James lets rip on Don’t Let Me Go, a driving, thumping rocker. You have to turn the volume up on this one! They move between various forms of Rock; Country, Southern and Blues in the main, and they perform them all with great style. Case in point is One Last Time, electric piano led mid-paced Southern Rock. This builds to a crescendo on guitar towards the end before finishing on piano. Sure to be a big show tune. Gold is the obligatory ballad. Piano led, lost love etc etc. Doesn’t make it a bad track though. They finish with 2 part title track which is an operetta, Meat Loaf style. The first part of the saga is wistful and acoustic with the second, longer part fuelled with electric guitar and strings. This is just good Rock, what else can be said apart from there’s a bit of Deep Purple and others in there for good measure.
As good as the album is, I’m sure it’s the live arena in which Robert Jon & The Wreck excel. Try and catch them on their upcoming tour which will be recorded for later release.
Dennis Jones – Soft, Hard & Loud (Blue Rock Records)
Soft, Hard & Loud is the seventh album from LA based Blues powerhouse guitarist Dennis Jones and the title of the album references his power trio who can produce all three in one song. Revolves Around You is a bouncy opener with guitar notes picked out like raindrops on a metal roof and with added wah-wah and other pedals. When you pick away at it, it’s ultimately a fine Blues with a guitarist of some note. A good start. I Love The Blues is a classy, smooth Blues where he talks about his own upbringing in Maryland. His mellow voice harks back to his childhood and growing up in a family that was supportive of musical leanings. There are echoes of the late great Gary Moore in the styling of the song and there’s a telling contribution from Bennett Paysinger on Hammond B-3. Like Sheep was released as a single and the heavy Blues Rock is the perfect foil for Jones’ barbed view of today’s affairs. He’s following in a long line of exceptional guitarists in this field and Jones can certainly hold his own. The song is driven along by the classy rhythm section of Raymond Johnson on drums and Cornelius Memes on bass. This guy’s not for coming around the back entrance, he’s coming straight through your front door as stated in the classic Blues theme of infidelity on Front Door Man. This is a fast Blues with Jones’ fingers flashing like lightning. He continues to explore the genres with the sultry Soul/R&B of Nothin’ On You. Classy backing vocals from Michael Turner and Allison August along with unfussy guitar from Jones compliment the song, which is a romantic note to his favourite lady.
I Hate Hate is very laudable and very relevant nowadays. Filled with Reggae beats and clean lines as he works the fretboard on another opinion driven track. The band bursts back into life with funky sounds on Gonna Be Alright. Jones’ guitar is seamless and peerless at times. The pounding and flamboyant slow Blues of When I Wake Up highlights his gritty vocal and as mentioned elsewhere this is a trait of the band as a whole. They can be soft and mellow in parts and loud and gritty in others. Dennis releases a frenzy of string bending notes towards the end. I’m Not is a slow sophisticated Blues with a familiar theme “I’m not a doctor baby but I can sure cure what’s ailing you” you get the drift. We even get some extra Hammond B-3 from Jason Freeman on this one. The strong guitar breaks show a technically gifted player but also one who plays from the heart. Influenced by Jimi Hendrix and it’s not hard to see why. He closes with Burn The Plantation Down and it’s a finish that I approve of; fast-paced Blues Rock. We can all understand the sentiment here as Dennis delivers an angst ridden scolding. He does enough vocally throughout the album but the guitar is the star and is always likely to be.
JW-Jones – Sonic Departures (Solid Blues Records)
It’s all about self-isolation albums these days and here’s JW-Jones’. I’ve been reviewing JW-Jones’ albums since My Kind Of Evil back in 2004 but it’s still relevant to quote Buddy Guy when he said that “This young man is one of the people who will keep the Blues alive”.
There’s a fractured introduction to Blue Jean Jacket before it sets off into a swinging 12 bar with JW’s signature guitar. There’s going to be lots of horns on this album and the horn section have hit the ground running here. The soulful Same Mistakes has a Memphis feel to it and leads into a new version of Ain’t Gonna Beg. Originally from the 2012 album, Seventh Hour, JW has changed the key slightly and the addition of horns has taken it to a different level. The thirteen piece horn section is certainly put through its paces here, no mistake, and turns it into a full on string bending, horn blowing R&B belter. I may have said in my review of Seventh Hour that Ain’t Gonna Beg may have benefitted from a welcome addition of horns but I take no credit, of course. JW lays down a funky groove on the grinding Blues of Drowning On Dry Land. The keyboard fills are key to the sound every bit as much as the horns. When you add JW’s honest vocal with its tone just made to envelope the listener then you have a winner.
Big Band Swing Blues meets the Everly Brothers on Bye Bye Love! It’s definitely a different slant on the classic song and, although covered by many, including Simon & Garfunkel, it’s the first time I’ve heard it treated this way. It’s strangely likeable although very short at just over 2 minutes. At the complete opposite end of the spectrum we have Snatchin’ It Back with its intro of contemporary drums and hip-hop feel leading into a snappy horn-led Blues. Next up is It’s Obdacious. I don’t know where obdacious comes from but it does kind of suit the song. This is another Big Band Blues and I say, what’s the point of having a big band if you don’t use it! It almost seeps into 50s Rock N Roll territory and a special mention for the sax player. JW doesn’t do too many slow songs but The Things That I Used To Do is one of those. This Kansas City style slow shuffle is a great example of JW’s versatility. It takes a certain self-confidence to take on a song generally associated to a great and even more s when you are rounding off your album with it. However, that’s what JW has chosen to do with When It All Comes Down, a song widely associated to BB King. JW gives a very true representation of the song and although it’s true that he doesn’t have the vocal power of BB (not many do) he does deliver it in his own inimitable style and give us a great finish to the album. Guitar wise, he keeps to the ethos of the original with a few notes delivering the message rather than unleashing a fretboard frenzy. It should be noted here that JW won the 2020 Best Guitarist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis just before the virus took hold.
JW-Jones has more than repaid the faith shown in him by Buddy Guy.
Lloyd Jones – Tennessee Run (VizzTone)
Originally released in September, Tennessee Run is Portland based Lloyd Jones’ first album to be recorded in Nashville. The 14 self-penned songs cover a few styles as Jones draws on his extensive travel and experience. That experience includes working with the likes of Earl King, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Mama Thornton and Albert Collins. His songs have been covered by Clarence Gatemouth Brown, CoCo Montoya, Joe Louis Walker and Curtis Salgado so you know that you are dealing with a serious songwriter and performer. He opens with the fast paced R&B of You Got Me Good. Here we have horns, twanging guitar from Jones and a drummer going like a train. It’s a great, if very short, start. He keeps up the pace for Me & You and this is one to clap your hands and tap your feet to. His fluid guitar solo is matched by a smoking sax and a smooth vocal. I Wish I Could Remember completes a trio of short high octane songs to start with. This one is a Dave Edmunds style Rock N Roller which suits me down to the ground. Guitar and piano (Kevin McKendree) setting the pace along with drums and I think Teresa James helps out on backing vocals. He turns on the Funk for the single, Where’s My Phone? It’s still short and sweet but the pace is slowed down a little. There’s no time for big solos, he just hits you between the eyes and moves on. Nothing wrong with that in my book. He does ballads too and the soulful Blues of A True Love Never Dies is such a song. The longest track so far and its still under 4 minutes. However, laid back guitar and background assists from organ and horns make those 4 minutes pass by very well. Bayou Boys has Jones’ renowned Swamp style from the start. It’s got horns and percussion to the fore with sharp guitar and bass. The organ takes over from his guitar as the lead on the whole for this Blues with a Swamp rhythm and a New Orleans vibe. The piano led Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool is a mid-paced New Orleans style Blues. Jones’ voice is as sweet as treacle and he keeps the guitar solos to a minimum as we have now become accustomed to.
The pace is back on the shuffling Boogie/Jump Blues of Turn Me loose and he keeps on shuffling but slows it down for That’s All I Want, which again takes us to New Orleans and Dr. John with horns and backing singers rounding out the sound. There’s a Southern Soul/R&B feel to Love Is Everything and its grinding groove gives horns and backing singers the opportunity to take a more focal role. Chicken Bones is a mid-paced Blues with sweeping organ and clipped guitar before we get a bit of grit added to Jones’ voice on Every Time We Meet. This striding R&B has nice guitar and organ solos and turns out to be a very good song. Dilly Dally is a soulful Blues and skips along just nicely with guitar and organ working well as usual. He finishes off with Chevrolet Angel and he funks it up again. This is Southern Funk and Jon Cleary comes to mind. You will certainly be able to get your groove on to this.
Lloyd Jones doesn’t mess about; he gets in there, does what he does and moves on.
The Jujubes – Where Are We Now
Upcoming London Blues trio bring us their debut album, Where Are We Now, a collection of self-penned songs and covers that take the Blues in different directions. They open with You’re Gonna Be Sorry, a pulsating slide Blues with wailing harp from Pete Sim. It’s a tale of a woman wronged and one that I wouldn’t want to cross. Strong instrumentally, it’s based on Delta Blues and it’s a good start. The first of the covers is Memphis Minnie’s Chauffeur Blues. I think Big Mama Thornton did a version to but this is a completely different version. It’s got a lazy vibe but with strong vocals from Nikki Brooks and a top performance given those who have gone before. Sim’s harmonica is very good and the whole thing has a ragged feel at times which just adds to the charm. Change Is Coming is an upbeat, bouncing Blues Rock which suits Brooks. It’s a strong song and vocal as they rip it up to the end. Lonnie Johnson’s Blue And All Alone is given a laconic delivery. It’s a straight up Blues but this time without slide or harmonica. The guitar fills from Sandy Michie and Pete Sim are excellent and the solo from Michie is so clean and sharp, switching to and from echo with ease. Another classic to be given the Jujubes treatment is Leadbelly’s Leavin Blues. It’s acoustic, as expected, and I’m not sure if there’s a 12 string in there or not but it sounds like it at times. The rhythmic sounds are almost Indian at times and it’s a bit more up-tempo than you might expect.
The slow burning acoustic Blues Rock of the title track was reviewed as a single earlier in the year and it’s still a favourite. Kansas Joe McCoy may not be a name that’s too familiar with you but this version of his song, Why Don’t You Do Right, may well have you searching out more of his work. It’s slow and slinky with some percussion, which is not often heard from this trio. Acoustic and electric swap lead duties and it’s all topped off with that distinctive vocal from Brooks. Funeral Song is very difficult to describe. There are elements of a New Orleans funeral song (it just needs some horns), Latin guitar and Gypsy music. Drums burst onto the scene and then disappear just as quickly. It shouldn’t work but I never fail to be surprised with music. It Hurts Me Too is one of my favourite Elmore James songs so no pressure there. The Jujubes add Sim’s harmonica and slow it right down. This does take away the guitar power of the song but it’s good in its own way with a strong, mournful vocal from Brooks. They give us a deep, creeping menacing version of the Son House classic, John The Revelator and this must become a theme tune for something, surely! At times its just voice and percussion to intensify the underlying power that is there and jarring electric slide guitar from Michie adds depth. To close with Dark Was The Night Cold Was The Ground is a bold move. It’s another classic, this time it’s Blind Willie Johnson and I’ve never heard a sadder song than this. The Jujubes give it an even more eerie treatment too with Michie’s acoustic slide and Sim’s harmonica back with a vengeance. It’s sombre as you would expect but it’s not what I would have expected for a closing track though. Brooks can be heard in the background with mourning sounds which come more to the fore as the song goes on but don’t turn into the lyric at any part. Birdsong right at the end is a good touch as it suggests life goes on, which of course it does.
This is a very good debut album and I’m sure there is more to come from this trio.
The Jujubes – Where Are We Now
London based Blues Rock trio The Jujubes are not your usual set up. They consist of a singer (Nikki Brooks) and two guitarists (Sandy Michie and Pete Sim), one of which also contributes harmonica on occasion, but with no rhythm section. So, it was with no little interest that I opened up the file for their upcoming single, Where Are We Now. What met me was a slow, sultry and smooth acoustic Blues Rock with not a little attitude. Brooks’ vocal is strong and the guitars, although a bit Wanted Dead Or Alive in places (no bad thing), come across as a pair that just instinctively know each other’s next move. The lack of a rhythm section doesn’t mean that there’s no percussion on the single, minimal though it is. Perhaps further listening will reveal some hidden secrets and I think there’s enough here to make you want to go searching for more.
Ted Russell Kamp – Solitaire (Continental Song City)
Probably best known as Shooter Jennings’ long serving bass player, Ted Russell Kamp is also a Roots and Americana artist in his own rite performing, in normal times, 200 live shows a year and through his twelve previous solo albums. Album 13, Solitaire, is a set of 14 songs recorded mainly alone at home and with Kamp playing most of the instruments. He opens with My Girl Now which was reviewed as a single earlier in the year and you immediately get the feel for his style of Americana with its guitar and mandolins upfront and Kamp giving us shades of Tom Petty (Yer So Bad) in his vocal delivery, particularly in the chorus. Path Of Least Resistance is one that will certify him as an old-time troubadour, an American storyteller in the mould of Kristofferson and that ilk. He sings of songs of the heartlands and on You Can Go To Hell, I’m Going To Texas he heads to the golden era of Country with steel guitar from John Shreffler giving it the feel of an old blanket, nice and comfortable. The contemporary referenced lyric of Birds That Sing At Dawn is clever, given that the song itself is a gentle acoustic offering dominated by a voice filled with experience which demands to be listened to and not necessarily the lyric. As Far As The Eye Can See has a prominent bass line, which along with staccato guitar and finger clicks, makes the instrumentation for Ted’s vocal, which is only slightly backed on the chorus; powerful beauty. The uncomplicated and unthreatening The Hardest Road To Find with its sharp guitar, goes back to when songs were songs and life was simple, if hard. Kristofferson comes to mind again.
The title track may not be to everyone’s taste but it, and others, will appeal to Folk and old Country fans alike. One thing to take away from this is that the guitar fingerpicking throughout has been excellent. There are some lovely harmonies in the chorus of Western Wind, another that could not be mistaken for anything other than a truly American song. Ted steps into Country Blues for Be Your Man and with a good slow and rhythmic beat, just like clockwork, and a finger picking Blues – he's spot on. He further enhances his Americana storytelling credentials on A Rose Or Two and on The Spark, which was the other part of the single already reviewed, he takes things to a slightly darker place. It’s Americana again but on the theatrical side with a great story to it and we can take inspiration from it as we look to come out of the dark. The bass led Only A Broken Heart has a classic old style Soul bass line. Simple, yet powerful sounds from just Ted, his bass and some finger clicks. The gentle sounds continue with Exception To The Rule and he has that skill of being able to pervade your consciousness and have you humming the song long after it has finished. He goes up-tempo and turns to Bluegrass for the closer Lightning Strikes Twice. This is a good finish with banjo added to his impressive list of instruments played and he sounds like a band all to himself.
Ted Russell Kamp – My Girl Now/The Spark (Continental Song City)
Ted Russell Kamp is probably best known as the long-time bass player for Shooter Jennings. However, he also performs 200 shows a year playing his own brand of Roots and Americana. This two-track single is a precursor to his 13th album, Solitaire, which is due for release on May 7th. You get the feel for his style of Americana on My Girl Now with its guitar and mandolins upfront and Kamp giving us shades of Tom Petty (Yer So Bad) in his vocal delivery, particularly in the chorus. The Spark is also acoustic but feels like it is coming from a dark place. It’s Americana again but on the theatrical side. It has a great story to it and we can take inspiration from it as we look to come out of the dark.
It’s intriguing enough to make the wait for the album worthwhile.
Annie Keating – Bristol County Tides
This is Annie Keating’s eighth album and one that, like many, has been influenced by the pandemic. It’s a deeply personal album but one that will have you singing along in no time. The 15 original tracks start with Third Street with its deep, gruff guitar and vocal. This is an earthy, throbbing, mid-paced rocking Americana with Steve Williams’ pounding drums, Teddy Kumpel’s slide guitar and Ted Caldwell’s keys all vying for prominence. The acoustic led Kindred Spirit has crisp, clear guitar and a breathless vocal. It flows wonderfully and is as strong a song as I’ve heard this year. She goes full electric again for Marigold and she creates an atmosphere from the outset of her songs. We get echoes of the classic indie singer songwriter, it’s simple and effective with great grungy guitar breaks. I could listen to Annie’s music all day and the clean sounds of Nobody Knows will tell you why; there’s no over complication on the songs. Great backing from the band and an effective vocal without all the gymnastics that seems to have taken over music nowadays. Some of these songs are going to make my playlists this year, that’s for sure. The Blues influenced Blue Moon Tide has some more of that slinky slide guitar and deep organ backing. This is a loose band and on this one they are straight out of the bayou with a chorus that encourages a singalong. Half Mast is played at funerial pace, suitably sombre for the subject matter. She has the ability to get you humming along with her songs, no matter which one or whatever she is singing about, on this occasion it’s loss. All in all, a lovely song. She further confirms her consummate song writing skills with High Tide, which packs a punch in a velvet glove.
She does draw comparisons to others such as Lucinda Williams, Alison Krauss, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris etc but on the piano led Kindness she is, in my opinion, a one-off. Steel guitar and drums are minimal partners to what is, at times a voice which shows vulnerability. Comparisons or not, she is a beautiful songwriter. There are nods to classic Country on Hank’s Saloon with added accordion from Charlie Giordano and barroom piano from Caldwell. It’s a slow swayer with the band having a good time. A drunken gem. One thing about her is that she doesn’t waste many words and on the acoustic Song For A Friend she tells a story, but not only tells you it, she draws you into her world with her tales and it’s not an unpleasant place to be. The Avett Brothers come to mind on Doris and these are comfortable sounds producing comfort music. You’ll feel that she’s in the room having a conversation with you on Bittersweet. There’s not a lot going on other than her and her guitar on this beautifully told, heart wrenching tale. The band bursts back into life for the grungy grinder, Lucky 13, a tale of gambling’s underbelly with wailing organ to the fore. Most of the album has been low key and Shades Of Blue continues this. It’s got another big chorus and hints to the song writing of Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega delivered wrapped up in a less snarly Alanis Morrissette kind of vocal. The album finishes with the appropriately named Goodbye and right to the end, she doesn’t disappoint. These are simple Americana sounds from an artist who doesn’t compromise on quality.
Keeley – Brave Warrior EP (Dimple Discs)
Keeley are a much talked about 4 piece Dublin outfit fronted by singer/guitarist/songwriter Keeley and including Marty Canavan on keyboards, bassist Martin Fagin and Pete Duff on drums. They pursue an unusual conceptual thread, conceived several years ago, focusing on German tourist Inga Maria Hauser, whose murder in Northern Ireland in 1988 remains unsolved. This thread is interwoven in everything Keeley does lyrically and this 4 track Brave Warrior EP brings that story to life set to a backdrop of excellent music which, in turn, takes back to the best of what British music was on The Glitter And The Glue, provides psychedelic Indie sounds with an Irish twist on Last Words, throws in dreamy, wistful tones on Never Here Always There and finishes with the dark, keyboard centric You Never Made It That Far. This is a band on the rise and you’ll soon be hearing a lot more about them.
Jim Keller – By No Means (Continental Song City)
With a career that stretches back to the founding of the band Tommy Tutone in 1978, a stint in the 1990’s being publisher and manager for Philip Glass and a current band that features Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo, Jackson Browne’s bassist Bob Glaub and John Hiatt’s drummer Michael Urbano, you know that Jim Keller is the real deal. Add to that his songwriting collaborator is former Levon Helm and current Lumineers bassist Byron Isaacs. He goes on to prove his credentials with his fourth solo album filled with 11 tracks that will soothe your soul. He says of his deep, worldly wise voice that if he didn’t have that voice then the songs wouldn’t be the same and that he no longer tries to sound like other singers like he did in his youth. Those deep, smooth vocal tones hit you immediately on the opener, Easy Rider and it’s a case of easy rider, easy on the ear. The Americana filled Laying On The Tracks has a JJ Cale feel to it, it’s so smooth and laid back and the deep Southern Soul Blues of I Don’t Want To Fight takes us to an almost spiritual plain. We get Latin tinges on Mistakes, most likely down to Hidalgo’s influence but there’s still the JJ Cale vibe. In fact, it’s like Jim is JJ’s urban brother. This is sweet, smooth, sublime uncomplicated brilliance. There’s something about a song where you immediately fall into synch with it and Find My Shadow is one of those songs. Whether it’s the beat, the rhythm, the lyric or the key I don’t know but I was singing along within seconds. He has that skill to find your button and press it.
Maria Come Home has Jim way down there in the vocal range. He sounds like the morning after a heavy night. Slow and deliberate it verges on dark, soul wrenching Country and Latin. David Olney, Johnny Cash and Tom Waits are surely influences on him. Those deep tones continue on Don’t Get Me Started and bass guitar is also prominent. This is an old guy song, listen to the lyric and you’ll get what I mean. Musically, we get hypnotic Canned Heat rhythms with added fiddle and the only extended solo from Hidalgo. Jim has a talent for uncomplicated songs that have an older feel yet also come across as ultra-contemporary. Take Pretending for example. This is delivered as an old style 50s slow Rock N Roll ballad but you are able to take anything from it that you wish. It’s all done in Jim’s inimitable style and continues an album where there are no big solos and it’s all about the songs. Jim flirts with Country, Rock N Roll and general Americana and Love On The Line edges towards Country and the great American songwriters. Wild Love has moody Southern rocking Soul sounds with Vonda Shepard on backing vocal and the final track, Done Walking The Line, signs off on an album where there is nothing that will drag him out of his laid-back form. Suitably twangy guitar, a flip side to Johnny Cash’s Walk The Line and a little pastiche on the lyrics of Blue Suede Shoes say enough about Jim Keller to make you want more.
Elly Kellner – I Could Have Made A Child EP
This recently released 5 track EP is the latest offering from Canadian singer songwriter Elly Kellner. Having previously worked with Grammy Award winning producer Larry Klein and Iain Matthews/Matthews Southern Comfort Kellner has shown that she has the right stuff but only if she chooses to use it. And therein lies the rub. Elly Kellner chooses her own path and if that includes challenging taboos that don’t make her popular then so be it. Take for example the opening track, I Could Have Made A Child. This wistful, thought provoking song is about her choice to live her life rather than have a child but it’s also about whether choices made by everyone should be accepted or regretted. The quirky I Will Start Over with its spoken verse and singing chorus could well be about trees and rebirth, at least that’s what I take from it. The cautionary tales in Sharp Corners appear to be aimed at children and the warmth and honesty that comes across is palpable. Its got simple acoustic sounds and a message of looking after our children. She stays acoustic for Another Person and she shows her vulnerability on this. It seems a very personal EP and at times you feel that you are intruding as she sings in that area in between your senses and you really have to listen to what she is saying. The final track, Mountains Of Men, features Sandro Friedrich on flute and it’s another dreamy, reflective song that continues the gentle but thought provoking theme that’s gone through the album. I’d say that this almost ventures into the realms of Prog Rock.
This is an EP to make you think and Elly Kellner has shown that she has the lyrics, the music and the voice to help you do just that.
Kelly’s Lot – Where And When
Formed by Kelly Zirbes in 1994, Kelly’s Lot has an impressive back catalogue of 15 CD’s and numerous tours of the USA and Europe under their belts either as a band or as a duo with Kelly joining songwriting partner and guitarist Perry Robertson. For their latest offering they have pared things back to bring us an acoustic collection of songs old and new, recorded live in the studio. Kelly’s Lot has always had an element of Blues in their music but this is the first album to concentrate solely on the genre. They start with an original, Stronger, written by Kelly and Perry to reflect what is going on in the world just now. What we might find is that the trials and tribulations of the past year might just make us stronger. Kelly’s forceful voice and lead guitarist Doug Pettibone's intriguing guitar style on the solo make for a great start and you can immediately hear that ‘live to tape’ method of recording. Howlin’ Wolf’s Somebody In My Home remains slow but with some added slide guitar and some of the Wolf’s signature vocal inflections. There’s no real change in pace or delivery for Heaven, a gentle Delta style Blues which apparently only took them 15 minutes to write. Finger picking style with added slide and a strident repetitive chorus shows how well they work together with Pettibone showing how good a soloist he can be and Perry adding his voice to the chorus towards the end. Written by Lovie Austin and probably best known for the Ma Rainey version, Jealous Hearted Blues is a slow, shuffling tale of jealousy but sometimes taken from a humorous point of view, despite the subject matter. Pointed slide guitar pierces the laid-back delivery of the song. The slow pace continues with Lost, on the subject of depression, but Kelly still manages to produce a lot of power and passion as everything bubbles underneath. Her baleful voice and ever-present slide add depth to relaxing guitar, which is like waves lapping against the shore.
We get a bit of pace injected on the upbeat Nature, a Howlin’ Wolf song about how it’s in our nature to be looking around even if we are in a settled relationship. Kelly’s matter of fact vocal delivery moulds well with Pettibone’s great solos and fills. The slight increase in pace remains for the title track and they continue to give that feel of having them sitting right in front of you. This is high standard with top class solos and the subject matter of not spending enough time with each other will resonate with many. Another of the covers is Robert Johnson’s Stones In My Passway and although it doesn’t have the immediacy of the original, they do bring us a different vision of the song. It’s crisp and clean, maybe over so but the slide guitar is a welcome addition and it does have that hypnotic feel to it. That Fool is a slow, trundling sleazy Blues about unrequited love. We get superb riffs from both guitars and a gritty vocal with just a slight echo from Kelly. The Folk Blues of Ma Rainey’s Black Eye Blues is something of a conundrum with there being something wholesome about the rhythm and delivery but contrasted by the domestic abuse subject of the lyric. Guitar, vocal and whistles bring a feeling of being comfortable but you know you shouldn’t. I am confused, but happily so. They finish with a strolling Blues filled with hope in Ship. The lyric is sandwiched between a running bassline and slide guitar topping. Maybe all of our ships will come in this year!
King King – Maverick (Channel 9 Music)
Maverick is King King’s fifth studio album and although written before the pandemic arrived, is full of titles and references that I’m sure will be a fillip for many. They open with Never Give In, which was the second single to be taken from the album and it’s a rousing determined start. Its Blues Rock as you would expect and you can immediately hear how Alan Nimmo’s voice has matured. There are no big solos and with Jonny Dyke on organ backing up, the slower middle section is atmospheric. It gains a bit of speed towards the end and will transfer well into the live arena. It’s also the first of a few on the album that will give people something to think about. They keep the rocking up for Fire In My Soul. This is full of soul and passion with controlled power. Alan unleashes his guitar for the first perceptible time but the control is still there. King King have already proved that they are a good band but they are now pushing to be classed as a great band and with a very good rhythm section of Zander Greenshields on bass and Andrew Scott on drums, exceptional keyboards from Jonny Dyke filling out that wonderful sound the band gets and Alan on guitar then they are well on their way there. When you add that final component of Stevie Nimmo adding his guitar might then that might just be the last piece of the jigsaw to see them up in the highest echelons, both contemporary and historically. As I said before, all the songs were written pre-pandemic but Whatever It Takes To Survive is a particularly prophetic title and I’m sure that many people will take their own message from it. It’s anthemic and with a big dual guitar finish coupled with Alan’s booming vocal, it’s so uplifting. Another pill for the pandemic is the strident I Will Not Fall and with Jonny Dykes leading on keyboards the band gets a groove on. We get a glimpse of how good a guitarist Alan Nimmo is and also how flexible he is too. This was the first single and with its strong message will be a massive song for them in their live set. The piano led ballad, By Your Side, will become a favourite in days, months, years to come with its softer approach. It’s a lovely song with a wicked guitar solo and both will tug at your heart strings.
The funky One World has a bit of a socialist message (note I used a small s) but a social and not a political one. It’s followed by the moving Everything Will Be Alright and this is a song where everything just fits into place perfectly, nothing else is needed to be said. Another which shows a softer side is When My Winter Comes and this reflective, thought provoking song has us thinking of a young man looking forward and an old man looking back. Simply beautiful, it’s just piano and vocal and Alan’s emotive voice is nicely complimented by Stevie on harmony. They’re back with the power on Dance Together, which has an edge of R&B behind the Rock. Dare I say it; it has a bit of Joe Bonamassa in the vocal at times. The guitar solo is a bit more in your face on this one and it is so crisp and clean. The finish to the album comes all too quickly and with End Of The Line we get a big vocal to send us off with. Its soul packed and Alan sings from his heart once again. He also shows us who is boss with a short yet impassioned solo and the whole thing goes out quietly on electric piano.
A completely inspiring album and who needs a vaccine when you’ve got King King!
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Kimon Kirk – Altitude
Already highly regarded as a studio and touring musician, Kimon Kirk has now brought his talent for song writing and producing to us in the form of his second solo album, but his first in 10 years, Altitude. He opens with the gentle Evergreen and we are immediately taken away to the 60s and 70s harmonic sounds of the American West Coast. His whispery vocal just floats away on the breeze as we get a Byrds/America vibe but without the harmonies. Crisp guitar offsets the gentle vocal to herald the start of what promises to be a top album. The Americana feel of Trampoline brings us the harmonies via Sarah Borges. This has a hook, particularly in the catchy chorus and I can hear echoes of Brian Wilson here. The doleful Stranded leaves us thinking is it a plane or a relationship that’s in trouble but what we ultimately have is a tender song with excellent wordplay. Kirk’s wispy vocal is used to great effect on What Do I Know. Don’t be fooled by the gentleness of his voice, he can reach the heights too and shows off a very good range. This builds well right to the end and the simple guitar riffs fit in perfectly. There’s a dark, foreboding start to I Think Of You. It’s ponderous, airy and atmospheric; practically stripped bare down to the melody. It’s about coming out the other side and strangely alluring. Interlude sounds like a tuning up session. I understand the premise – half way through so we’ll have an old-style interlude but for the life of me I can’t see what the point is.
Baby Who Knows is co-written with Aimee Mann, who also provides backing vocals. He has such a sweet voice and Aimee is the perfect foil. He also has the skill of writing a hook laden chorus and that’s where this song will get you. It’s a song about life choices and there are no big solos, the song stands by itself, it is that good. He steps up the tempo for The Girl I Used To Know and it is another stand out. We get sharp, incisive guitar from Lyle Brewer, pounding drums and bass from John Sands and Jim Haggerty and backing vocals from Sarah Borges again. It’s another that is out of its time, a theme that goes through the album. Failed Myopic has that retro feel too and is lyrically clever, musically cheery. Things are slowed right down again for Halfway Right but those honied tones are still there and are the making of the song. We get another one-minute filler in the form of Reprise and I am left wondering why again. It doesn’t appear to be of any musical value and he could just have added a minute’s fade to one of the other tracks. The finish couldn’t be any more different. My Old Neighborhood begins with America style acoustic chords and the gentle tones which have filtered through the album as a whole. It’s not a big, blockbusting finish but I didn’t expect one given what has gone before. This is a beautiful, reflective song with well-crafted lyrics such as “To forget what makes you strong will never kill you. Leaves you no one but yourself to blame” hitting straight to the heart.
Eddie Kold Band – Chicago Alley Blues (L+R Records)
To many, Chicago is the home of the Blues so where better for Eddie Kold and his band to rock up and record their second album for L+R? He opens with Smart City Blues, a vibrant soft Blues Rock with sweet guitar fills. Eddie is another example of someone singing in their second language and putting lots of us to shame. A cautionary tale of our lives being governed by Smart devices. Too Hot is a striding rocker with synth horns and a bit of a strange one. Getting Old is a Blues in the Chicago style but with Eddie’s twist. He’s not conventional, that’s for sure, both musically and vocally. He’s getting old, just like the rest of us but he can still play a mean guitar. Charlie Love guests on Gimme Back My Love and his vocal and harmonica lend an air of authenticity to this powerful and upbeat Chicago Blues. Eddie strings us out with his piercing guitar as Charlie blows up a storm on harmonica. Larry Doc Watkins joins up on vocals for Telephone Man and the rest of the tracks and try as you might, you very rarely get the enunciation that a natural speaker gets. This is funky with solid guitar and a power base of a rhythm section. Eddie reaches into the Soul genre and plucks out Without You. They prove themselves to be smooth customers as Larry lets it all go and Eddie throws in some punchy guitar.
Larry isn’t as potent on Just A Dream, a slow, strolling Blues. That said, it’s musically effective, following a well-trodden path, with precise guitar playing and ringing like a bell at times. We’re back to form vocally on Christmas Blues, which starts with church organ playing Christmas hymn then off into the Blues. Larry’s vocal sounds like it struggles to get out at times but it’s the staccato guitar solo that takes up most interest. The song itself is a Christmas song about buying presents and it’s a Blues. Say no more. Suicidal Blues was never going to be an upbeat one and Larry’s suitably wearisome vocal is full of expression. Its piano led for a change but Eddie does give us some piercing and haunting guitar too. Bernard Allison guests on Blues Man and no offence to Eddie but you do notice the difference when Bernard comes onto the scene. Allison has not lost any of his power or tone and is the making of this song. The classic, Before You Accuse Me, brings us slide guitar from Tom Holland and harmonica from Omar Coleman. Watkins puts in a storming performance on this to match the jagged slide solo. It’s given more of a rhythmic swing than other versions and you don’t hear the harmonica often enough on the album and the solo here is so special. Coleman and Holland stay on for Howling For My Darling, the Howlin’ Wolf classic. It’s quicker than the original and Watkins gives it wolf howls as he blusters his way through the song. It’s hard to emulate the Wolf though. Clean picking from Kold as they raise a storm. The final track listing may be a bit different to here but that won’t affect your enjoyment of the album.
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Laney Lou And The Bird Dogs – Through The Smoke
Through The Smoke is the fourth album from Montana’s Laney Lou And The Bird Dogs and they open with the melancholic Hi-Line, which has an almost Latin feel at times running beneath the Country theme. It’s acoustic as you would predominately expect from a Bluegrass band, with Lena (Laney) Schiffer on vocal and guitar duties, ably backed by Josh Moore (guitar, vocals), Brian Kassay (fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, vocals), Matt Demarais (banjo, vocals) and Ethan Demarais (bass). As an opening track it’s everything you would want; good pace, soaring vocals and instruments played by top musicians with talent to burn. There is some easy-going fiddle from Kassay on Up For Air as they slow things down a little from the opener. They sound like a band who just enjoy playing and one I’d expect would be as happy in a bar as a 10,000-seat auditorium. They interchange the lead vocal often on the album and the first is on Bootleg, a familiar tale of the Tennessee bootleggers with suitable fiery banjo from Demarais. There are strong Country themes throughout, added to Folk and Rock to give a flavour to Americana of the highest order. They are a loose, liquid band that are up there with the best in the genre. As with many bands of this ilk, they are all capable on vocals as they show with a further change on lead for Burn It Down. There’s a slight change to a higher pitch this time and they are back to their familiar fast pace. The guitar from Laney Lou and Moore is matched by Demarais’ banjo and all are exceptional. To give it a slightly British comparison – think of a Mumford & Sons hoedown and you’ll be in the right area. Laney Lou returns on lead vocal for emotion laden Reeling as they show that they are not all about blood and thunder.
They continue to show what a good group of musicians they are on Black Crow. This has a rapid vocal which conveys a rather eerie, yet effective, result. Rapid fire banjo from Demarais joins with Moore’s guitar, Kassay’s fiddle and a take no prisoners vocal to get your body moving on Ball And Chain. It’s back to Laney Lou as she delivers an Alison Krauss style vocal for the slower Count On You before they Rock it up a little on the Bluegrass crossover, Paradise. This brings the sound that you would expect from this genre and that’s not a criticism, it’s a compliment to the skills that they so obviously have. They continue to show no problem in interchanging lead vocals on Feed The Beast, where the harmonies that they have been delivering with aplomb throughout the album come together for a dreamy, soaring chorus. The closing track is Alive and if this doesn’t make you feel alive then you’re dead already! It’s a strong finish with a gruff vocal, backed with superb harmonies and augmented by the outstanding triumvirate of fiddle, banjo and guitar. Everyone gets the chance to strut their stuff and they are all having a great time. A wonderful way to complete the set.
Langan, Frost & Wane – Langan, Frost & Wane (Goldstar Recordings)
Langan, Frost & Wane are three songwriters (Brian Langan, RJ Gilligan and Nam Wayne) writing in the Folk tradition and drawing candidly from the Folk revival of the mid-20th Century. Keep that in mind as we go through the tracks. The opener, and one of three singles, is Perhaps The Sorcerer where they have what sounds like a bouzouki playing along with guitars. It’s Prog Rock, it’s psychedelic (albeit acoustic) and it’s pure escapism. They introduce electric guitar for The Dandelion although it’s still mainly acoustic led. This is a throwback to the late 60s psychedelic movement, crossed with Folk and Prog and with lyrics to match. For example, “We are weeds and you’re the dandelion”! Middle Eastern wind instruments meet English Folk on Falcon Ridge and it’s already obvious that influences since as The Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention and even Donovan are likely to surface more often than not. There’s even a little Appalachian influence in there with the banjo and all done to a slow dance rhythm. The Appalachian themes continue on Babe And The Devil. Eastern drums add to a real melange of styles and genres to provide an ultimately relaxing experience. King Laughter is the second of the singles and they are still merging Prog, Psych and Folk. It’s a contemporary song but it could be from centuries ago, given the overall feel of it. Put aside any doubts that you have and just accept the song for what it is as fiddles, Middle Eastern influences, acoustic guitar and flute give all the components for 60s British Folk Rock. Everyday Phoenix is an intriguing title and it’s back to the mountains via Donovan. It’s not what I was expecting this album to be and that in itself will maintain your interest. It’s all very gentle with even the harmonising evocative of the 60s too. I honestly get an Elizabethan feel on Frozen Shell and that English Folk theme runs through it. It’s modern instruments and arrangements but the overarching feel is that of vintage Folk music.
The last of the singles is the intriguingly name Learn The Name Of The Plants. The song is a Contemporary Folk with Prog undertones but it’s the horticultural lesson that goes along with it that is the surprise here as they take you a list of plants and whether they are good or bad for you. The hypnotic Libra Moon just consolidates the fact that this is an album out of its time and the title of Alchemist Of Hazy Row suggests Prog Rock but stays firmly in the Folk genre. Flute is added again to assist the acoustic guitar to provide simple, yet very effective and pleasing fare. Fiddle and slight percussion are added as things begin to build but the whole thing is completely crazy (in a good way). The album has been acoustic based and there’s no change with The Weaver And The Traveler. It is on tracks like this where their song writing skills make them 21st Century equivalent of travelling minstrels. Keys have been added to promote that Prog Rock feel. It sounds like a dobro being played on Orange Magic but it could easily be another Middle Eastern stringed instrument. This, of all the tracks, has the most Middle Eastern feel to it, especially at the start. However, it then completely changes and continues to switch genres, keeping the listener guessing. I’m a bit nonplussed over it all, although there are some that would say that that isn’t difficult. It’s all very well played but can’t help feeling that I’ve often gone back in time and although I know that’s what the desired effect is, maybe a little more contemporary input would have hit more targets. I can honestly say that I’ve never had an album like this to review before. There’s something in every track that you can hang your hat on but Everywing isn’t the best on offer as it loses it vocally in places. It’s well played though and although we have the inclusion of flute again, don’t be mistaken that this is a Jethro Tull type album. They play it pretty straight on She Walks Alone, which has nice guitar and good harmonies before they finish with Diomyria. Like the rest of the album, this is a gentle, almost sombre, song and with harmonies to the fore, they play it pretty straight again. It just floats away with strings and acoustic guitar send you to your dreams.
Levara – Levara (Mascot Records)
Levara are a trio of musicians from Europe and the USA that have settled in Los Angeles and now bring us their eponymous debut album. Supporting bands such as Toto and Foreigner has certainly influenced their sound but these three are superb musicians and songwriters in their own rite. They make an instant impact with the opener, Heaven Knows. It’s clean and slick contemporary Rock but harking back to classic AOR in places. Their soaring harmonies in the catchy chorus compliment singer Jules Galli’s great range and if you think that the rapid-fire guitar has some familiar tones then you may be right as the band’s guitarist is Trev Lukather, son of Toto stalwart Steve. Bringing Pop to the Rock is former One Direction drummer, Josh Devine, originally from the UK but finding his Rock chops with Frenchman Galli and Lukather. That Pop side of Rock comes out at the outset of the single, Automatic. This is very commercial and the soaring power chorus is already becoming a trademark of the band. There’s not a lot to it on the surface but you’ll be singing along to it almost immediately. Devine’s pounding drums are a feature of Ever Enough and they have a knack of writing memorable light Rock songs with plenty of hooks. It’s all very harmonious and their voices go so well together. We get an Interesting guitar solo from Trev and it sounds like he’s using his pedal board to its full capacity. We’re not going to get through the album without any influence from Lukather senior and his contemporaries and throughout On For The Night we are reminded of a contemporary Rock with more than a nod to Foreigner, Journey, Toto and their ilk. There’s a smooth solo with harmony and melody showing as big parts of this band. Devine excels along with bass as they take a prominent role on Allow. Galli’s vocals are very smooth but he’s got an edge too. Throw in some classy guitar from Trev and you’ve got another hit.
Power Pop resurfaces on Can’t Get Over with Journey star Steve Perry lending his powerful soaring voice and the band rocking behind him. Trev’s technique shines and he must have had a good teacher! Perry remains for the controlled power of Chameleon, another of the singles, which keeps them on the lighter side of Rock but they bring all the pomp and commerciality with it to firmly say that they are not in one camp or the other. Another of their high energy chorus’s breaks through the slower verses of Ordinary. As a band they are anything but ordinary as they bring us more of the melodic Rock they’ve been producing so far, interspersed by piercing short guitar solos. They have a very full sound, highlighted by the strident Just A Man, which has their signature soaring chorus and they finish with No One Above You, which confirms Galli as a vocalist with a sweet voice, dripping with honey. He could turn his hand to many genres but I think he’s found his place with Devine and Lukather in this tight trio. Closing with a power ballad would normally be a bit of a risk but when you do it this well then there’s nothing left to say.
Ben Levin – Carryout Or Delivery (Vizztone)
Let me just start by saying that depending on which biography or press release I use, Cincinnati based Ben Levin is 20 or 21 and still at college. I’ll no doubt repeat this at some point in the review. Carryout Or Delivery is his third album and second for Vizztone. At an age when some of his college compatriots will actually be asking “carryout or delivery” as a job, Ben is already forging a career for himself as a new commander in chief for young Blues pianists. He’s already got such a mature voice and he displays this on the opening track, You Know. This piano Blues is a rocking start to the album and his delivery belies his age. He moves in the direction of R&B for Stuck with the band in perpetual motion as Ben rattles the keys and keeps up the pace of the opener. Ben moves onto Wurlitzer electric piano for the classic Blues of Too Good For Me. For me, this is a piano version in the writing style of It Hurts Me Too and Ben is certainly drawing on all of his influences for this one, with Pinetop Perkins and Ray Charles often cited. For me though, it’s Otis Spann that comes across most in his playing. The title track is a 50s style Swing Jazz number and he certainly doesn’t sound like he’s 21 at any part of this and on the stop start classic Blues stylings of Have You Lost Your Mind he moves onto another keyboard, Hammond B3 this time. His guitarist, his father, Aron Levin, gets a little cameo lead here too. In fact, Aron stepped in as Ben couldn’t use other musicians due to the pandemic restrictions. As I’ve said, he doesn’t sound like any 21 year old I know and that voice comes through again on Some Other Time. It’s a voice that sounds like it’s been through a lifetime never mind 21 years and well suited to this one from the Soul arena. Electric piano is to the forefront but he’s showing that he’s part of the band too.
Rolling drums from Oscar Bernal announce the start of NOLA Night before the rest of the band, Aron on guitar and bassist Chris Douglas, joins in with Ben’s piano, playing a New Orleans Blues. Bernal and Douglas are Ben’s regular rhythm section. He’s channelling his inner Jon Cleary and Professor Longhair on this. The guitar gets a solo but it’s all about the piano on this fun time instrumental. Ben explores some deep funky Soul/Blues on the first of four covers, Frank Frost’s My Back Scratcher, and Hammond B3 comes into play again to set it off with that wonderful tone. Is he ready to compete with the giants of instrument such as Billy Preston, Booker T Jones or even Al Kooper? Maybe not yet, but he’s got time on his side and he’s well on the way already. Papercut is an old style, Fats Domino soft Rock & Roll with some nice gentle guitar work. A papercut is the worst kind of hurt, so they say! In playing in this style it raises the question, is he a young man in an old man’s body? He’s possibly out of his time zone but the rolling piano breaks he uses here are quite timeless. Another instrumental comes up nest in the form of The Buzzard, written by Chicago bluesman Harold Burrage. This is a slow, rhythmic pounding Blues with guitar and organ swapping places on the lead. Plenty of passion on show here. He’s back in New Orleans for the intriguingly titled, Hadacol Bounce, written by Bill Nettles. I had to check what Hadacol is and found it to be a patent medicine marketed as a vitamin supplement. Its principal attraction, however, was that it contained 12 percent alcohol (listed on the tonic bottle's label as a "preservative"), which made it quite popular in the dry counties of the southern United States. No wonder they were bouncing! As for the song, it’s a mid-paced Swing Blues which has a little bounce of its own. It’s worth noting that Professor Longhair also did a version of this. Ben goes all reflective for the closing track, Floyd Dixon’s Time Brings About A Change. It’s a late night piano bar track with some staccato guitar, and one to go gently into the night with.
Ben Levin sounds like he’s been about for years, has lived the life and is telling you about it. There’s plenty more to come from this young man and lots of changes ahead of him.
Joe Lewis Band – Up Next
Up Next is the first Joe Lewis Band album in six years and the 10 original tracks are a mixture of Blues, Gospel, Funk and Soul. They open with the lively I Like It which has a dreamy guitar from Lewis in the mid-section and enough grit in the vocal to make it real. The funked up Hot Lovin’ Momma is a contemporary Soul Blues with some extraordinary note bending from Lewis and the pace is upped on Can I Get With You as Lewis rips it up on guitar. It’s got elements of Rock n Roll, Soul and R&B and just comes across as good time music. Think James Brown but without the vocal gymnastics. The modern Gospel of Do Your Work In Me is delivered via a mid-paced Funk Soul with Jazz elements and a heartfelt vocal before he turns to the classy ballad, Broken Angel Of The Delta with its soulful vocal and well thought out guitar solo.
Do Drop Inn is vibrant, particularly in the pounding drums of Derrick Enyard and suits Lewis’ fluid vocal. Funky contemporary Blues and telling the tale of how Lewis found his vocation, what’s not to like? One for the list of top Rock N Roll titles is the rollicking Twang A Doodle Boom Boom. This is even faster than the earlier Jump Blues of Can I Get With You as Lewis’s fingers blur. It’s relatively short but I’m sure that is a blessing to Lewis’ fingers. The band keeps is short, sharp and sweet with the swinging Blues of Baby Rocks The Boat and then takes us back to funky Soul with Defying Gravity. This has Enyard slapping the drums, a funky bass line from Tom Cole and another powerful vocal and wah-wah guitar from Lewis. They take me back to Terence Trent D’Arby at times. They close things off with the acoustic Gospel of Jesus I Love The Way You Love and it’s not the way I’d have expected this set of songs to end. Lewis’ electric solo more than fits the song but it’s a bit of a come down after the earlier and better songs. Like the others it’s quite short and with the album coming in at just over 30 minutes you do get the feeling that there should have been a lot more on offer.
Veronica Lewis - You Ain't Unlucky (Blue Heart Records)
You Ain't Unlucky is the debut album from the 2020 Boston Music Awards Blues Artist of the Year, Veronica Lewis and the 17 year old, yes 17 year old, has arrived with a bang. The self produced and almost entirely self written album opens with the previously reviewed vibrant title track and single with its mix of Boogie Woogie and Professor Longhair style new Orleans vibes. It doesn't take long for Veronica to lay out her credentials as a top class pianist and singer as she breezes her way through the opener with Don Davis' sax coming in late for a solo. It's quickly followed up with Clarksdale Sun, an infectious upbeat Blues Boogie with Veronica on strong form vocally. Her nimble fingers on piano are ably backed by Mike Walsh on drums and Davis's previously mentioned sax, which delivers another telling solo, to complete a tight trio. Put Your Wig On Mama sees things slow down a little but that doesn't lessen the impact. This striding Blues, written to her mother, confirms that this is a star in the making, with a great voice and outstanding piano. The song is about going out to dinner for a change to home cooking and that's something we can only dream about at the moment. The Louis Jordan classic Is You Is My Baby is given a sultry treatment and slowed down from the more recognisable versions. With the addition of smokey sax, this is very good indeed.
Fool Me Twice is a rousing Boogie Woogie which goes through a couple of tempo changes. This is a call to those who shouldn't suffer fools gladly and benefits from an infectious hook. Up next, there's a couple of Rock 'n' Roll songs in the form of Katie Websters Whoo Whee Sweet Daddy and Ode To Jerry Lee, the former of which boogies along well and sounds at times like there's two pianos on offer. The second is an instrumental homage to the wild man of Rock 'n' Roll, Jerry Lee Lewis and what a tribute it is. Her fingers are a blur with glissando aplenty and the keys getting a good battering, giving us some good raucous fun. Both songs highlight how much of an influence Webster and Lewis have been on Veronica. She finishes with a flourish with the mid-paced Boogie of The Memphis Train to bring us to the end of an all too short album but one that is as impressive a debut as I've heard for some time.
www.veronicalewis.com
Veronica Lewis – You Ain’t Unlucky (Blue Heart Records)
Our first review of 2021 is for the 2020 Boston Music Award winner, Veronica Lewis, who introduces her rolling Boogie Woogie piano Blues with the release of You Ain’t Unlucky. This precursor to the album of the same name, due out on 19th February, brings us a powerful vocalist and a strong pianist as part of a trio with drums and sax, revelling in influences from Katie Webster, Otis Spann, Jerry Lee Lewis and Pinetop Perkins. This is a good appetiser for the album and I can’t wait to hear it!
Andy Lindquist – Stand.Abide.Endure (Mauntra Records)
Andy Lindquist releases music at a rate never before known to the industry. This is his fourth album this year and his 73rd solo recording in total. Surely the Guinness Book Of World Records has to come calling soon. Following on from his last Blues outing, Blues Soul Groove, Andy has never sounded so good vocally as he does on the opener, The River Queen. This grungy Blues Rock is punctuated with slide guitar and name drops all over the place. This is the way to begin an album. The Call Of The Rooster has a bounce to it and whilst there are no particular references to the only other Rooster song, it does have some of the darker elements of that song and there’s one little Howlin’ Wolf howl towards the end. Blues Upon The Red tends towards what many people will think of as Blues but Andy still is on the Rock side. He slows it down and belts it out! Full of Blues references, he lets loose on slide guitar to give an earthy sound and there is no mistaking that this is Andy Lindquist. It’s all about his home town in North Dakota and a fictional tale of his local pastor, who turned out to be the KKK leader in real life, in a battle with the Red River which, of course, the river wins. The Country Blues of Even When The Sun Don’t Shine has Andy starring on Dobro. We get shuffling drums as the brushes come out and you feel as if he is singing from the heart and that you are getting a look into what is Andy’s life and his battles against illness. It’s a lovely song and carries a nice little riff too. We get a rare guitar solo from Andy on the standard Blues Rock, Andy style, on No Vacation and he surprisingly throws in horns and percussion from the outset on the Reggae infused C’Mon And Call Me just to keep us all guessing. You hear the needle going onto the record at the start of Grey Bones and don’t get too comfortable with the classic easy-going Blues Rock of the verses as Andy will shake you out of your slumber on the chorus. This is a top song with shades of AC/DC’s Ride On and there’s no shame in that.
You might think you know what you are getting with a title such as Swamp Thang but that’s where Andy gets you. It’s not a swamp rocker as you might expect as Andy injects a little Soul into proceedings. He does unleash his guitar a bit to satisfy all you rockers out there. The grungy, gritty and barbed Sinner To The Well has Andy in full storytelling mode and there’s always a message in his songs as he draws from the well of his extraordinary life. He sounds like he’s really enjoying himself and he rarely gives less than a full performance. He calms things down a little for the gentle shuffler, Just Like A Circle, before turning all mean and moody on The Price Of Whisky where he turns in his best Blues Shouter vocal. There is no messing with this one with power from start to finish as he tells us all about the demon drink. He uses slide to great effect on Atlanta Burns, which carries a great riff and drum pattern as he turns up the heat, literally! This is strident Blues Rock of an excellent quality and probably song of the album as he gives a nod to the Allman Brothers at times. The contemplative Why Do Flowers Have To Bloom is a straightforward and beautiful acoustic Folk song played on Dobro. Andy is in fine voice showing he doesn’t have to blast it out all the time and the short electric solo fits well. He still gets his message across and I’m sure we’ll all take something different from it. That Funky Soul Mud starts a little bit like John Kongos’ Tokoloshie Man and like that classic, this’ll get you moving too. It’s good fun and vying for track of the record with dobro prominent again. Authentic vinyl crackles accompany Andy on dobro for the closing track, Twenty Nine. It’s a Delta Blues, full of Blues references and a stunner to finish with as he pares it all back with just minimal percussion as an accompaniment.
Just when you think Andy Lindquist can’t produce another fine album, he goes and does it again!
Andy Lindquist – Blues Soul Groove (CC Badass Productions)
It’s a New Year so that must mean a new album from Andy Lindquist. The man of many albums and many genres will probably release another one per month this year so it’s good to be in on the first of 2021. I don’t review all of Andy’s albums, just as well as I might not be able to fit anyone else in! His last Blues album, Blues By Two’s reached number 24 in our albums of 2020 so let’s see if Blues Soul Groove can go any higher. By The Foot Of John Lee opens proceedings and begins as an acoustic Blues based song with minimal percussion until about half way through where drums and electric guitar turn it into Blues Rock with lots of Blues phrasing and a strong vocal full of power and passion. The title track is Blues on the Soul side as you may have expected and the smooth sounds and slinky guitar leads us to the striding Blues Rock of That’s Where I Born My Blues. The lumbering, gritty tones of Bygone Blues are introduced by jarring, jagged guitar and this isn’t any of your late night smooth music. Andy doesn’t do conventional and this is the best track so far. He gives his all vocally on As The Blues Turn and as I’ve said, he’s not your conventional Bluesman as he carries a lot of his other influences into most of his songs. This one has a dream like chorus and a harsh verse to counterbalance it. Still Dragging That Chain has a spiritual message wrapped up in a gritty Soul fuelled grinding groover with Andy throwing in piercing yet controlled guitar.
Dirty Up The Water is a pounding electrified Country Blues and is more conventional than most but with a political edge in the lyric. It’s a strong track and guitar is possibly his best. He’s back to his strong, powerful and moody best on The Hands Of The Devil, switching tempo seamlessly. This grinding Swamp Blues is another top track. Andy can come across as an old time Blues shouter at times, especially on Bully Blues (Cult Blood). With its hypnotic beat it proclaims that you need to stand up for yourself and is bible thumping in more than one way. The pleading vocal of Doomed To Repeat It asks us to learn from our mistakes or it’s the end, effectively. Discord is effectively used in the guitar solos as Andy gets his wah-wah out to deliver another off kilter Blues. Ya’ll Pick Your Poison sounds more Country than Blues. Andy tones down the vocals to give an understated feel and throws in some good guitar runs. The song itself is just about the inevitability of it all, we’re all going so you might as well choose your poison. There’s that excellent signature jarring guitar sound from Andy on She’s A Lean Mean Machine as he stretches the edges of Blues music with this Blues rocker. The use of own backing vocal is a bit disconcerting at times but works in moderation. The final track, Ya’ll Get Over Yourself, is a pounding Blues rocker and the title says it all. It could relate to any number of people, especially from last year. I’m sure there’s someone in your life that this will relate to. Nice transitions on the guitar help to make this a great finish to the album.
Andy Lindquist – Dakota Country (Stone Soup Publishing)
Man of many genres, Andy Lindquist takes on classic Country for his new album. We’ve got trucks, death, religion, whisky, Cowboys, farming. All we really need is trains and prison and we’ve got the full set but I may have missed them! He opens with the old style Country of Black, Yellow Red And Blue and gives it a bit of a contemporary twist with a message on diversity. Andy lays down his guitar credentials straight away, although he’s not a flashy player. Not sure if he’s added pedal steel guitar to his repertoire or if it’s an effects pedal that he’s using. No matter, it comes across very well. It’s Country & Western for My Cowboy Blues but what else would you expect? Guitar is full on and he leaves us with the message that it doesn’t really matter where you’re from when it comes to liking Country music. He’s originally from Dakota but lives in Florida now so he has a bit of everything in his make-up. Things hark back to the Honky Tonk and the golden era of Country & Western music for Lucky Stars and you can’t have a Country album without a reference to alcohol. Andy comes up trumps on My Friend Whisky and it’s nice to see he’s spelled it the Scottish way. This is emotional, edgy and suitably downbeat. There’s classic Country guitar breaks on Holler Run and a slight criticism could be that he over uses the harmony at times on this and others. That said, Andy is having a good old time to himself. He slows things down for There’s Karma To Come with its classic theme of looking back on a life not well lived and the consequences to come. I reviewed In Country Heaven as a single and despite the subject being of the hereafter, it’s a happy song. He’s twanging away with the best of them and although Andy can be offbeat at times, I don’t mean off beat. He can be a bit left field with some of his chord changes and progressions at times but that just adds to his quirkiness.
We’re back in the honky tonk for Good Old Lucky Me and Andy often reminds me of another outlaw Country artist, Phil Lee. Andy certainly gets the basic Country guitar sound. It sounds like pedal steel guitar again on Willow. This is acoustic, John Denver style Country and the heartfelt, wistful vocal and good use of harmonies comes across well. Pray For Rain is more contemporary than most. It’s slow, deliberate and very good. One that steps away from the theme is the futuristically sounding Forever Blue Skies. Andy stretches his vocal her and takes it into the Rock arena with the only nod to Country being his twanging guitar. If the title It Ain’t So Easy Getting Out isn’t the title for the pandemic then I don’t know what is. It’s not about the pandemic of course, it’s about relationships. It’s acoustic and soulful with Andy putting in a top vocal performance. These Lonely Days keeps us on the slow side. It’s acoustic, fractured Country with a contemporary feel. Slow and sombre, it’s got a nice solo, again, not flashy but effective. The penultimate track has a great title, Wrong Side Of The Horse and quick, excellent guitar licks. Played as a two-step, it’s good fun and just maybe has Andy’s best guitar work. The final track is the fitting The Mighty Red. Acoustic and quick, it’s about a river and the journey back to it. It’s stripped back to a degree and less use of the harmony vocal allows Andy to step forward. He also uses mandolin to great effect and this gives the song a hint of this side of the pond. This could easily be the track of the album and gives us a strong finish.
So, has it been a successful debut forage into Country for Andy Lindquist? In parts, he gets the essence of old time Country, in others he could come across as a pastiche to some. However, in no way does he send up the Country scene and everything is from the heart, as it should be. People may say, pick a genre Andy and stick to it but variety is the spice of life, isn’t it? I wonder what will be next?
Andy Lindquist – In Country Heaven (Stone Soup Publishing)
You may have seen my reviews of Andy Lindquist’s Blues albums in the past but they only scratch the surface of a man who covers more than one genre and releases albums at such a rate that you’d swear there was more than one of him. He’s moved onto Country for the first time and this single, In Country Heaven, is taken from his upcoming debut Country album, Dakota Country (look out for a review soon). The song has some of the elements of classic Country, with twanging guitar and the subject of the hereafter prevalent. It’s the deep, rich tones of Andy’s Telecaster (correct me if I’m wrong) that gives it that authentic Country feel and despite the subject matter it’s a happy, uplifting song that makes you want more and you want it now. All bodes well for the album.
Andy Lindquist - Full Pain Love (Mauntra Records)
You may well have never heard of Andy Lindquist but he has a story to tell. North Dakota born and Florida resident Lindquist has lived a life to supply more than one Bluesman with a portfolio of material, including an unfulfilled membership of legendary band, Heart. Full Pain Love isn’t the glossy, over-produced Blues churned out by many these days, this is an album which has a certain gravitas. There’s something for everyone here whether it be the big, booming, chugging Blues of A Stone or the Delta vibes of No Sugar Coat’n It. There’s more than one element to Karma’s Gonna Get You Good with Delta, New Orleans and Chicago styles combining well on a stop start slow paced Boogie. It’s not all about the guitar and the piano led Man Has Got To Sing The Blues is a particular highlight with Lindquist singing from the heart. The title track encompasses him in one track. The gritty, staccato guitar delivery and rocking vocals give the theme for the album.
Lindquist goes from one extreme to another between the slow, sultry Blues of Funky Kinda Voo Doo and the bombastic Blues Rock of Hold Onto That Love with the latter having an underlying Funk and a vocal often reminiscent of Sammy Hagar. In The Devil’s Snare is a great name for a Blues Rocker and well named as the snare drum gets a pounding to compliment the smokey vocal and smoking guitar. The vocals and guitar are not always on the gritty side as highlighted on Inside My Skin where he shows his mellow side vocally and produces some clean, concise guitar fills. However, he does excel in the filthier side of the tracks and The Kerosene Shakes and You Got Two Faces both exemplify that. The former has a dirty vocal and guitar perfect for this mid-paced Boogie and the latter has the heaviness ramped up with a fuzzed and fractured guitar solo.
Lindquist has been prolific throughout his career (in excess of fifty albums) and his forays into Blues now number seven. Long may he continue as proceeds from non-digital forms of this album will go towards charitable efforts against the sexual slave trade.
@andylindquistrocks
David Long & Shane O’Neill – Far From Home (Country Pylon Recordings)
Long and O’Neill are both well-known frontmen for Irish Indie bands Into Paradise and Blue In Heaven and this three-track single, taken from their upcoming album, is a not so common venture into joint writing despite the fact that they have known each other since the age of 6 or 7 and have often played in bands together. The title track and ‘A-side’ of the single has them combining to produce an Echo and the Bunnymen style Indie Rock. The ‘B-side’, Shake Me I’m Magic, continues on that theme, perhaps also citing New Order, and the feeling that you get from it is one of old style, downbeat Garage Rock and this is perhaps how many people feel these days. The ‘Bonus Track’, a cover of The Sound’s Hand Of Love, is more upbeat. It has all the elements of Indie Rock but has the addition of some Glam hand claps and drums. This, as do the other two tracks, comes across as hand made with a sense of musical freedom and not restricted to too much technique.
Alex Lopez and The Xpress – Rising Up (Maremil)
Cleveland born guitarist and songwriter, Alex Lopez, returns with his fifth album, Rising Up. Now a feature on the Florida Blues scene, Lopez likes to mix things up with a sound that covers Blues, Rock and Soul. The eleven original songs that make up the new album start with Light It Up, a big, brassy opener with heavy Blues Rock overtones. Lopez’s guitar and Kenny Hoye’s keys swap lead roles during the solos confirming two accomplished artists with a fluid action. Paradise is being released as a single at the same time as the album and is a good introduction to his music. Acoustic slide guitar vies with strong keys and there’s a bit of an edge to the vocal, almost as if he has a bit of Rory Gallagher about him. I’m sure that this will go down well live. He funks things up a little for the title track with added backing vocals from Latonya Oliver and Dana Merriwether giving it more body. The Hammond B3 is playing as big a part as the guitar at times but the riffs are there no matter who brings them, just enjoy them. The whole thing just gives a feeling of uplift and especially so in the chorus. Not This Time is a slow Blues with a powerful vocal from Alex. His guitar fretboard is well used as he goes through the gears with Hoye responding and then some with some interesting runs being conjured up between the two of them. The next track, I’m Always Wrong, turns out to be a bit of a surprise in that it is delivered as a smooth, big band style Blues. It’s the story of men the world over and I’m sure I’ll get some correspondence on that! We have intricate guitar, the ubiquitous organ and Hoye also featuring well on piano within the melody.
He’s back on rockier ground with the grinding Even Up The Score. Organ and guitar take advantage of the rhythm section’s (Steve Roberts on bass and Kana Leimbach on drums) sturdy base. There is a big solo on this one with enjoyable progressions and fills. Cream, Led Zeppelin and Free come to mind in places and there is some well thought out dual guitar at the end. Anymore is probably the most commercial song on the album. It’s a straight up AOR track with Hoye on organ taking the plaudits. Alex turns to his acoustic guitar for Mountain Rain and he makes the strings sound like a waterfall in places with an interesting chord structure. It’s just Alex and his guitar with a little backing vocal to keep things simple. The funky Blues of Blues In My Groove has Alex pinging out the notes but he’s still outshone to a certain degree by Hoye on keyboards. Bass and drums are working overtime as the band encourages you to get on your feet. Falling is a quick stroll of a Blues shuffle, a staccato Blues Rock, where Alex lets his fingers loose. It’s pretty straightforward as it drifts off into a jazzy kind of ending with the keys lifting the whole song as usual. He finishes with a sedately paced reworking of Smile from his second album. I’m not sure what Alex was trying to achieve but it has come out as a Huey Lewis style Soul/Blues/Rock and that’s not a particularly bad thing.
The Lucky Losers – Godless Land (Vizztone)
San Francisco’s Lucky Losers aka Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz release their 4th album, Godless Land. The pair declares their credentials from the outset with Half A Nothing, complete with twanging bass vibrant harmonica bursts from Berkovitz and Lemons’ classic Blues Rock vocal. This up-tempo opener has a singalong chorus and is an excellent start. They don’t slow things down much on the title track. This mid-tempo Gospel inspired song will have you singing and moving along very quickly. I’m won over already and we’re only two tracks in. It’s very difficult not to like this with Berkovitz’s harmonica based on Little Walter. It’s around seven minutes long but time passes by very nicely. A favourite. They show that they’re not a one trick pony when Berkovitz takes on the vocal duties on Mad Love Is Good Love, a venture into soulful Pop. His deep growling harp is complimented by his tenor voice and punctuates throughout before it all finishes off with a Gospel feel. It’s another style as they give us a fast Chicago Blues with a Shakin’ All Over Riff on No Good Lover. They work so well together and added guitar of the frantic variety rounds this off brilliantly. A change of mood comes with Be You. This piano-led, sultry contemporary Blues is a good counterpoint to the rest of the album. As with a number of the other tracks, Lemons and Berkowitz share lead vocals, none better showcased than on the jazzy, nightclub Blues of Catch Desire By The Tail. They’ve retained the piano for this and the barrelhouse style fits in well.
The atmospheric Leave You On The Side Of The Road features acoustic guitar, a bit of a rarity so far. It’s moody Blues Rock and has some of the best harmonica work on offer as well as slide guitar too. They are throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at this and with good results. Berkovitz takes on lead vocals again for Can’t Keep Pretending and this sedate Soul offering suits his tone to a tee. Throw in some Stevie Wonder style harmonica licks and you’ve got it in the bag. Acoustic slide guitar resurfaces on My One Good Eye and they are back on form with this slow, lumbering Blues Rock from the swamp. Lemons is on her best smouldering form and Berkovitz adds some suitably warbling harp. What Makes You Act Like That heralds a return to the Jazz Blues side and although they share the vocal and there’s some interesting acoustic guitar fills, sharing solos with the harp, it does feel a little lightweight. There’s a bit of a mixed message on The Good Fight as Berkovitz delivers a hopeful message over a sombre, downbeat track. Horns and keyboards add great effect. I expected a big finish with The Ragged Heart and I got it. They edge into Americana on this and although it’s not the big production, in your face rocker that I like an album to finish with, it is a fitting end to the album and I fully expect to hear it on a TV soundtrack sometime in the future.
Dig deep into The Lucky Losers and you’ll find a duo that has their finger on the pulse of what’s going on with all of these days.
Steve Lukather – I Found The Sun Again (The Players Club)
Another who needs no introduction, Steve Lukather is the only member of Toto never to have taken a leave of absence from the band. His solo outings have been sporadic, the last album being 2013s Transitions. However, the most recent break has not done him any harm as I Found The Sun Again is a fine body of work. We have five original songs added to three carefully selected covers to make up the set. He starts with Along For The Ride, an airy, fluid, fast tempo opener. It’s Classic Rock with a great chorus and I’m feeling good already. It’s not too far from that recognisable Toto sound but that should be expected to a degree. He is a guitar great and he shows it here from track one. Serpent Soul is one of the three tracks previously released as singles and Steve proves that he has a strong voice as well as being a guitar ace. This is a slinky smooth slow grinder with excellent piano runs. You’ll get the drift that Steve’s not the bad guy, it must be someone else and we all know someone with the soul of a serpent, don’t we? There’s a superb piano and guitar call and response in the mid-section and you’ll get the feeling that you can take the boy out of Toto but you’ll never take Toto from the boy. The slow tempo of The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys gives off an eerie, night-time feel to it. It’s an epic 10 minutes long, much akin to the Traffic original, and this allows for extended keyboard and piano solos. It’s a real grower and covers different ground with Jazz in a piano and drum segment. Steve is quite restrained guitar wise until the last couple of minutes when he leaves us with a solo with some elongated notes in Jazz/Prog Rock form. This is very good. The instrumental Journey Through is a Rock fantasy, showing remarkable technical brilliance. All songs were cut live, no clicks, no fix and no rehearsals. There was one run through and the record was take 2! This is a soaring example of how a guitar can be played. Bass, drums and keyboards provide wonderful backing too.
Joe Walsh’s Welcome To The Club is the second of the three covers and Steve stays quite true to the original with Walsh’s unique play on rhythms. He also matches Walsh on guitar, something that not an easy job. The second of the singles is the title track and this ethereal song will just take you to different places and is one for sitting back, relaxing and taking some time off from the world. The last of the singles is Run To Me with Ringo Starr featuring on both the record and the video. It’s another with a glorious chorus and very ELO in its execution. Steve’s guitar playing is just wonderful. Not many people will finish an album with an eight-minute version of Robin Trower’s Bridge Of Sighs but we already know that Steve doesn’t do anything by halves and he does pick his covers, doesn’t he? Here we have Toto meets the Blues and very heavy Progressive Blues at that. The Hammond organ is sublime as is Steve’s guitar work. Robin Trower is not an easy man to match but Steve’s very free style of playing fits so well. It’s an unexpected finish, albeit a most welcome one given that I’m a big Robin Trower fan.
I think I’ve run out of superlatives and that says it all.
Erja Lyytinen – Lockdown Live 2020
Filmed and recorded during the pandemic for a CD and DVD release, Lockdown Live 2020 is a set of songs split evenly between Erja’s 2019 release, Another World and some earlier albums. I can’t believe that it’s been 10 years since I reviewed her Voracious Love album and Don’t Let A Good Woman Down, one of the highlights of that album opens the new live album. Erja and her band announce themselves with a crescendo of slide guitar and showcase powerful women with a powerful song. Erja immediately shows that she is a strong guitar player and the organ fills give us happy little interludes. The grinding Blues Rock of Cherry Overdrive, the first from last year’s Another World, highlights her storming rhythm section with Erja showing just how good a slide player she is on an extended solo. She’s able to go off on this and other solos as the organ is always there to fill out the sound. Erja is starting to come into her own vocally on Black Ocean but she must have found it strange to have no audience. The song, from 2017’s Stolen Hearts, still sounds fresh and although there’s no slide this time her guitar just sings its way through it. The stop start beginning to Hard As Stone, from Another Heart, is a prelude to grittier lead and excellent backing vocals. Her guitar speaks to you with long sweeping notes and a little dual lead guitar segment towards the end. Also plucked from Another World is Torn with its staccato verse and it’s here particularly that you know you are listening to a live album as the raw power comes across in waves. The most traditional Blues so far is Dreamland Blues from the 2006 album of the same name. Erja’s overclocked, fuzzed slide guitar adds to the infectious slinky rhythm.
Lover’s Novels from Stolen Hearts has an almost Stevie Wonder type funky keyboard background to it. When you add Erja’s raucous guitar to the mix then you have a wonderful result. You have to marvel at her slide guitar. The title track from Another World treads into Rush territory at times. It’s a top md-range Rock song with a bit of a climate change message but what lifts it is the organ and top notch guitar solos. This is a big song and is sure to be included in all live shows from now on. Feeding on strong drums the organ, guitar and bass fall into synch very well. Erja speaks out to the audience as if they were there and getting us to join in. Also from Another World is Snake In The Grass. I’d turn up the volume on this even if you’ve already got it high as Erja turns up the Funk on her Blues Rock base. She’s such a good player and gets her wah wah pedal out for good measure. She returns to slide guitar for Rocking Chair from Stolen Hearts. This is a stop start Blues Rock and Erja stamps her personality all over the song, even giving a little primal scream towards the end. The band rips it up on the jumpy rhythm of Wedding Day and the pace is increased considerably. It’s from Another Day and the original featured Sonny Landreth. I’ve not heard that version yet but I’m off to find it. Two great slide guitarists together and I can hear the parts that Sonny would be playing. The organ comes to the fore for a welcome solo and it’s another to play at full volume as Erja channels her inner Rory Gallagher and Billy Gibbons. The album closes with the only true ballad on offer, Wildflower. Taken from the 2003 album of the same name it’s a lovely song with Erja letting loose her emotions and I can see why it has been picked as it gives the audience a chance to sway and get out their mobile phone lights but I’d be slightly disappointed if this was the last song of a gig. I’m not taking anything away from the song but I want to leave a gig after having one last song that sends the adrenalin though my veins but each to their own.
This is an excellent introduction to the music and wonderful guitar playing of Finland’s Blues Queen, Erja Lyytinen.
Cash McCall – Blues Coming Down (Nola Blue Records)
Opening with piercing saxophone from Rajiv Halim and Cash’s deep, velvet voice, Blues Coming Down is a sophisticated Blues. It’s being released to celebrate what would have been McCall’s 80th birthday on 28th January and is a fitting tribute to the man who passed away on 20th April 2019. Jim Koeppel’s fluid lead guitar has just the right amount of echo and competes with the sax and keyboards from Tennyson Stephens (piano) and John Christy (Hammond B3) to provide the perfect backdrop to McCall’s dulcet vocal tones. Koeppel also co-wrote and produced the single which I think would fit perfectly into a Detective TV/Film soundtrack. I can just imagine the detective walking away down an alleyway to the sounds of Blues Coming Down, after solving the crime.
Gerald McClendon – Let’s Have A Party! (Delta Roots Records)
Gerald McClendon’s devotion to the old school Soul of Motown, Stax and Atlantic has earned him the nickname of “The Soul Keeper” and with this new album he does exactly what the first track says. Keep On Keepin’ On just tells you how it is with McClendon’s classic voice dripping with slow and mellow soul backed by elegant sax from Skinny Williams, a pronounced bass line from Johnny B. Gayden and Jim Pugh on Hammond B3. I’m getting the message of “if it’s not broken, why change it”. Rico McFarland’s guitar leads on the stylish If It Ain’t The Blues with McClendon’s honey vocals delivering these Blues as a punch wrapped in a velvet glove. The title track, incidentally borrowed from a Sam Cooke classic, has a strong bass line from Gayden, working well with producer and songwriter Twist Turner on drums. This is steeped in Soul as you would expect but it’s a grinder and not really party paced. The Soul ballad, Pretty Girl, has Gerald at the top of his vocal range and he sings it so well, showing that he has a number of layers at his disposal and the slow Soul Blues of Pack Your Bags And Go confirms that he knows what he does well, this is it! Sultry sax from Williams compliments Pugh’s Hammond B3 on this tale of betrayal. There’s no pace anywhere so far but like I’ve already said, he knows what he does well. Ghetto Child is another grinding Soul with jarring guitar from Joe Burba and funky bass from Gayden.
He can add a smoky tinge to his voice when required and on You Got To Be Strong it gives it a bit of an edge. It’s another ballad with Gayden’s bass high up in the mix and John “Boom” Brumbach starring on sax this time. Throw This Dog A Bone is a BB King style Blues with appropriate guitar fills from McFarland and you’ll find it no surprise that this is a slow one too. There’s more slow Soul, albeit in a reflective romantic mood this time, on Start All Over Again, with Burba and Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi prominent on guitar and piano respectively. Burba has an easy-going style and Harlan Terson takes over bass duties with Turner just getting on with things on drums. They love to have the bass high in the mix and Dave Forte is brought in this time for the bass heavy and percussive I Just Can’t Help Myself with McFarland’s guitar adding its weight too. I can’t say too much about his voice; he likes a slow one and his voice fits perfectly. It’s more of the same on the slow Soul Blues of I Just Can’t Take Anymore, this time with a melancholy guitar solo from Burba to suit the subject matter. He closes things off with Funky Stuff and although he funks it up, he doesn’t really speed it up. Acclaimed Chicago guitarist Melvin Taylor pings out the notes on guitar and Art Love on bass throws out some lines. Gerald’s voice is on point as it is throughout the album.
The album might be titled Let’s Have A Party but this isn’t a party album, unless it’s a late-night party for two!
Gerald McClendon - Can't Nobody Stop Me Now (Delta Roots Records)
Gerald McClendon may be a name that isn’t too familiar on this side of the Pond but the Chicago born singer/songwriter is one of the best the city has produced. This is an album of 12 original tracks and opening with the title track, McClernon unleashes his velvet voice and sings in a pure Soul style that augers well for the rest of the album. On Where Do We Go From Here he highlights that he has that classic Soul/R&B voice that would have fitted in so well with the 60s and 70s Motown and Stax rosters. Skinny Williams adds wailing saxophone to great effect. Gerald gets all Mr Cool on Groove On Tonight. He’s got such a relaxed and easy going style it’s not hard to understand why he’s got the nickname The Soul Keeper. This is short and sweet with a telling organ contribution. She Don't Love Me Anymore is slow and soulful with a mournful sax solo from Williams. Runnin’ Wild is a favourite. This horn laden, grinding Soul-fest wouldn’t have been out of place on an Otis Redding album.
It’s Over Now is piano led and guitar makes an appearance for a first time to give the track a bluesy feel. Gerald’s silky vocal is the star on Mr Wrong. It’s a classic theme, “Can I be Mr Wrong tonight, ‘til Mr Right comes along”, and one where he lays it all out in the open. He adds a bit of grit to his voice on the powerful I Started Over. Steeped in classic R&B and although a favourite, I thought it could have benefitted from being a bit quicker in tempo. It’s back to his more delicate, vulnerable side for the ballad, You Can’t Take Me Love and Why Can’t We Be Together evokes thoughts of Al Green and Marvin Gaye. Things get a little funky on Cut You Once, a story of a cheating man. This is another that grabs you immediately but I’d also like to hear a faster version. Gerald closes with I Think About You. It’s slow paced, much like the rest of the album, but it is a showstopper with its wistful horns and stirring Hammond organ.
Is Gerald McClernon laid back? He sure is. Is that a problem? Not in my book! Keep on keeping the Soul.
Michael McDermott – What In The World (Pauper Sky Records)
Michael McDermott has been producing music of the highest order for the past three decades yet, despite his considerable talent for songwriting, he remains firmly in the fringe and I suspect that’s where he wants to be. Once described as the next big thing in Americana and beyond by many, he’s tried the Nashville thing but, as he puts it “I’m from Chicago, like eight miles from where John Prine grew up, so this is how we do Americana in Chicago mother******s. I gave Nashville a little bit of a try, but decided why would I want to be around a bunch of people like me?”. Remember that humour as it comes across often in the album which opens in an explosive manner with the title track. This has a rapid fire delivery much in the style of Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues or Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire. You get the reason why he is so highly thought of on the Americana of New York, Texas with its gentle verse and harder chorus. He can change emotions in a turn with emotive lyrics such as “I am fortune’s fool, I only wanna be with you. Take me in your wing, can’t you see I ruin everything”. McDermott is a troubadour and a storyteller that can encapsulate a lifetime in a song. Blue Eyed Barmaid is a prime example of this; just let it was over you. I’m reticent to say that he is a modern day Springsteen given the accolades of 30 years ago but I’m sure he can handle it. The upbeat The Things You Want has just enough grit in the voice to carry it and that Springsteen skill of tale telling surfaces again. So much so he could easily be the man himself, distinctive vocal apart. There’s a sense of foreboding in the intro to The Veils Of Veronica and this sombre tale of broken Veronica will carry you away on a dreamscape. He can write a chorus for sure and although there’s a sombre feel to the song, it’s got a good hook for a singalong although this isn’t a happy singalong. The piano led Die With Me is deep and emotion wrenching and brings out the fact that the album is about the group and not the individual. I know that’s strange to say seeing that it’s a solo album but it’s all about the song, with no big solos. He’s a true lyricist and on this he tackles tough subjects and how those subjects will die with him.
He has a shot at the acclaim from his past and possibly his own self-doubt on Contender where he says “I could have been a contender, not like the pretender that I am”. Despite the down beat lyric the song itself is upbeat Rock n Soul with a big sax input from Rich Parenti. There’s that storytelling again and a true dreamer’s song. This is followed by Mother Emanuel with its pounding chorus, rocking verse and free spirit. It’s worth noting that McDermott gives up lead vocal to Rich Parenti on this one. He goes acoustic for the rest of the album, starting with No Matter What in which he shows himself to be an American writer in the truest sense. He draws you in with every tale he tells and it’s all so comfortable. When you reach Until I Found You the only thing to say is step up and take your place amongst the top songwriters. These songs are not just I lost you, you found me sickly love songs, these are songs about real life feelings. I thought he was channelling his inner Dylan when I saw the title Positively Central Park and he can certainly fill a song with meaningful lyrics just like Dylan can. He has plenty to say and he says it well. This is a strangely uplifting beautiful song and is one of many on the album that is a song that you will remember. He finishes with an acoustic version of the title track and it’s every bit as good. It’s just vocal, guitar and political statements aplenty.
Scott McKeon – New Morning
Currently performing in Sir Tom Jones’ band, Scott McKeon is a guitarist of no mean ability. New Morning is his third album and his first since 2010’s Trouble. Recorded live in the studio to catch the energy in the room, most of the tracks were captured in the first take. The nine tracks open with Fight No More and we immediately get Jazz Rock vibes from the drums of Jeremy Stacey. Rocco Palladino joins in on bass with Scott coming in on guitar and subtle keys in the background. Scott shows he is a top guitarist from the start and why he’s so much in demand. There are shades of Hendrix in the shift changes, both intricate and brash at the same time. The title track is like a slow, gentle awakening to the new day and he manages to tell the story through his guitar. It’s a Blues infused instrumental with a feeling of the band having an organised jam, making it a showcase for guitar, bass and drums, which becomes very freeform, very quickly. Most of the album is instrumental and the next, Zapruder, has complex guitar backed with Hammond B3, giving a plethora of levels covering Jazz, Rock, Blues and touching on Prog Rock at times, all wrapped up in one exciting package. It’s masterful and colourful with a completely unexpected tempo change. The slow and moody Fego could easily sit on a Pink Floyd album and Scott shows that it’s not all about the power.
Angerstein Road is a short, rhythmic Blues based interlude and precursor to the heavy, grungy Blues Rock of Third Eye Witness. This features vocals from Gavin Conder and jagged, ragged guitar from Scott. It’s almost as if he is squeezing the notes out of his guitar and it is the complete opposite to the airy chorus. It’s back to the instrumentals for the Jazz flecked Crossfader. This gets ramped up as we go through the track and as the title suggests there is plenty use of the crossfader. It is a festival of notes from Scott. Everything Is Nothing opens with strident drums and guitar before Conder adds classic Rock vocals. This is possibly the most straightforward Rock song on offer and a note bending extraordinaire. If you had any doubts about how good and imaginative a player Scott is then just listen to this. Excellent drums from Stacey and Palldino’s bass is unobtrusive but effective. The final track, Take Me Back, is a late night, slow, sophisticated Blues Rock with a smoky, gritty vocal from Conder showing a touch of Steve Marriott. Scott’s slinky guitar runs are perfect and are a fitting end to the album which shows how he has grown as an artist since I reviewed his first album, Can’t Take No More, way back in 2006. I’m sure that after listening to New Morning you will certainly want more.
Lisa Mann – Old Girl EP (Jayray Records)
West Virginia born singer songwriter, Lisa Mann has garnered a number of awards during her 20 year career and a quick listen to her new EP, Old Girl, tells you why. Opening strongly with the Country flecked title track, Lisa immediately shows her credentials. The gentle sounds belie the serious subject matter of an older woman looking at the world around her and how she fits into it. Lisa shows her humorous side (either that or the monkey lovers will be up in arms) on It’s The Monkeys Or Me. It’s actually about a relationship that centred on one partner’s love of all things primate and the other’s ultimatum. This is faster than the opening track with the band bursting into life. She’s still in that Country groove for this but with a little rasp to her voice. Setting her firmly in the Country arena is Everybody’s Making Money, a jaunty tale of who is actually making the money, especially in the music business. Lisa delivers a sassy vocal on That’s All, an excellent Country/Blues crossover with twanging guitar from Jason JT Thomas and shuffling drums complimenting Lisa’s own strident bass. Lisa tells it as it is on this slow stroller, a Sister Rosetta Tharpe original from 1938 and if anyone could tell it as it is it was Sister Rosetta Tharpe! Lisa closes things off with Around Here, a slow Country song that drifts into R&B and Gospel as her powerful voice pleads with us to remember those musicians, famous and less so, that have gone before.
So, old guy reviews Old Girl. Some would say that is apt!
Bob Margolin – Star Of Stage And Screens EP (VizzTone)
This six track EP builds on Bob Margolin’s current success using acoustic only music. His 2019 album ‘This Guitar And Tonight’ won a Blues Music Award for Best Acoustic Album. The six original tracks, all just Bob and his guitars and recorded at home, begin with the title track and he just pours his heart out. It’s not always downhearted as it shines a light of some of the things we’ve been getting up to during the pandemic but it also points out what we have lost. It’s a particularly sad vocal on Love And Thanks as he plays the Blues for those who have not made it through. It’s painful at times as he shares his grief. After Party is forward looking to a point and looks hopefully at playing live shows again, meeting people and reconnecting. He plays slide guitar on this and tries out some of his best Robert Johnson and Elmore James licks. The suitably sombre For My Teachers has a wonderful guitar accompaniment and its sorrowful delivery matches the theme. Its slide guitar again, this time played over a shuffling beat, for Let It Go 2020. This is a cautionary tale of no matter how bad things are, you can make them worse. Some light-hearted moments on an EP full of sadness and loss. Bob continues to mourn the loss of live music on March 2020 In Stop Time. He reminisces on his last live performance in March and how he now just plays in the house. He sums things up well when he says that it doesn’t matter if you call it Coronavirus or Covid-19, it’s a plague.
Six songs of deeply sad musings on our situation and in Bob’s words “I’d like to distract us from the largest world tragedy of my lifetime, but I must confront it musically. I thought it was ironic that musicians always wrote, performed or recorded songs about death, illness, natural and unnatural disasters — as entertainment. I tried to avoid it until my last album had two political songs on it. At its brightest, one song on this EP looks forward to an ‘after party’ someday. At its saddest, it mourns those we lost.
A few years ago, I wrote ‘I Shall Prevail’ about the challenges of modern life and the will to overcome. Though today’s challenges were unimaginable when I wrote that song, there’s nothing to do now but what I said in the song ‘Love and Thanks’ here: I’ll stand and walk toward what I only hope is there.’ Let’s stand together with love and respect and cope, survive, and make new opportunities out of the ruins of ‘the old days.’ “
Jason Marsalis – Live (Basin Street Records)
Recorded in May 2017 as part of Basin Street Records’ 20th Anniversary celebrations, this set at The Little Gem Saloon has now become Jason Marsalis’ first ever live album.
The percussionist supreme opens with Ratio Man Strikes Again taken from his most recent album, Melody Reimagined Book 1. Jason’s weapon of choice is drums but other percussion is used extensively within his band. All the components are there; transitions well executed, pianist Oscar Rossignoli, Gerald Watkins on drums and Jasen Weaver on bass all in perfect unison and step back when Jason comes back in. It all comes together like water running down a waterfall. Also from his last album is the slow and soothing Passionate Dancer. Rossignoli and Marsalis are in perfect unison on piano and vibraphone respectively and for the leader of the band, Marsalis is quite content to take a less forward position, letting the others play the melodies as required. I have to say that Rossignoli’s piano sounds just drift over the audience. Bourbon Street Ain’t Mardi Gras is the third track from Melody Regained Book 1 and it’s a jovial vibraphone led tune. What it also is, is a showcase of the exceptional talents of the band, vibraphone, piano, bass and drums with Jason and Jasen being the glue that keeps everything together. Jason, as you may or may not know is one of the famous Marsalis family and although I’m not a Jazz expert, I can appreciate great musicians and that is what we have here. He makes the vibraphone speak to the audience whether it’s in person or on a recording such as this.
Ballet Class, from his critically acclaimed 2013 album, In A World Of Mallets, has you imaging the dancers flitting across the floor to his pizzicato effect. It’s amazing how music can conjure up an image. The piano takes over and continues the theme to produce a lovely piece of music with little classical themes thrown in here and there. From Music In Motion, Marsalis brings us Short Story #1 and I just want to get a drink and curl up to this. It’s so relaxing and I can imagine sitting in the conservatory listening to the raindrops in the background as this plays. At The House, In Da Pocket is a great, fun way to finish. Taken from his The Year Of The Drummer album it’s bouncy and upbeat with Marsalis taking the lead and the piano responding. There are some familiar tunes in there and I’m sure most of you will pick out at least one. This is one very percussive mini album.
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar – The Reckless One (Gypsy Soul Records)
Like many artists, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar have used the enforced lay off to record new material and, in lots of cases, release it as singles, EP’s or albums. The Reckless One, Samantha’s new album, is one of those albums and I can say that she and the band have used their time well. Those of you familiar with Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar will know of their soulful R&B sound and they’re off straight away on Love Is All Around. This is a big, horn-laden Funk festival with a sassy vocal from Samantha. This continues with the first of 3 singles from the album, Don’t Have To Be, and the Memphis sound comes across clearly as it gets further infused with Soul and R&B. I’ve said it before but the band sounds so much like Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and her, in particular, I feel vindicated. Throw in St Paul & The Broken Bones as another of her contemporaries with a similar vibe. The addition of Hammond organ is welcome and those horns just give you a great feeling. The only cover on the album is Bob Dylan’s Meet Me In The Morning to which Samantha adds a gritty vocal and turns it into a grinding R&B for a great result. Slide guitar is added to the smooth flowing Loving You Is Easy. Samantha takes no prisoners with her archetypal gritty Soul/R&B vocal and with the horns and organ never far away from the action you get the full package. One Heartbreak is slow and staccato with the horns to the fore and the rhythm section keeping everyone in order and then there’s I’ve Got A Feeling. This is the second of the 3 singles and you should really catch the video on YouTube as it will give you goosebumps. It’s a scintillating Gospel infused slow burner and there’s so much power and emotion running through it that it will take your breath away. Fantastic!
Sacrifice is the last of the singles and it’s not really what you might expect given what’s come up so far. It’s got an upbeat 60s feel to it and although the distinctive gritty vocal is there, musically it just has that feel. However, you should bear with it as it will grow on you if it doesn’t have an instant impact. She generally stays in that era for So I Always Know and this classic Memphis Soul has Stax pouring out of every pore and makes for another fantastic track. Soul fans will love the whole album but the super quick Pass Me By may well be one of the favourites and staying on the Soul side of the Blues we have the simply superb Better To Have Never. It’s another slow one in the form of All That I Am that brings us the penultimate track. However, slow or fast, Samantha has the voice to cope with both and although I’m reticent to make too many comparisons, Janis Joplin does come to mind here. I don’t really want this album to finish but finish it must and Samantha and the band give us a funky one to leave us. The sharp lines from the band in the horns in particular are what I’ve come to expect from Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar. Classy!
SAMANTHA MARTIN & DELTA SUGAR – SOCIALS
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar - Run To Me (Gypsy Soul Records)
A follow up to her pared down debut release, Send The Nightingale, Run To Me sees Samantha Martin bring an expanded band, including full rhythm and horn sections.
The decision to go with a full band this time is justified as Stax sounds abound on Gonna Find It, Good Trouble and Over You, each with their own layers of groove. Martin’s deeply soulful voice comes across well, no better than on the opening song, You’re The Love, where it interweaves superbly with the jagged guitar of Curtis Chaffey. Delta Sugar are not a high energy band, although they can reach a fair pace when required. They’d rather stay in the low to mid-pace range and that’s where you’ll find the very slick, ultra-soulful Will We Ever Learn, the sultry Southern Soul influenced Wanna Be Your Lover and Chasing Dreams, which has outstanding note bending emotional vocal from Martin and her backing singers.
There’s something a bit different on This Night Is Mine but the Supremes/60’s girl band sound just lacks that little something that would allow it to match the rest of the album. However, they are back on form with Only So Much, which is painfully slow but dripping with class and emotion. This is quite likely the track of the album and calls up ghosts of the great Soul and Gospel records. As a closing track, All Night Long is up my street. It’s upbeat and Martin’s wailing vocal matches the theme of betrayal. All in all, an excellent follow up to Send The Nightingale and I hope to catch Samantha when she tours the UK later this year.
Gregg Martinez – MacDaddy Mojeaux (Nola Blue Records)
Vocalist and trumpeter, Gregg Martinez has earned the nickname MacDaddy in musical circles and he’s certainly the Daddy when it comes to his blend of New Orleans style R&B, Philadelphia & Memphis Soul and Texas Swing. Opening with a cover of the Ray Charles classic, I Believe To My Soul, Martinez displays all the attributes of a well-honed artist. He turns in a soulful Blues with electric piano and horns on form He’s getting into his groove early and with the addition of expressive guitar on the Blues/Gospel corker, Same Old Blues, you can tell that this is an artist who is now reaching his 12th album. Following in the footsteps of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, Martinez takes on You Left The Water Running where he ups the pace a little and delivers every bit a classic Soul vocal as the other two did. There’s also some fine saxophone from Ronnie Eades of the Muscle Shoals Horns. On the powerful ballad Wildflower, Gregg gets licence to express himself and he reaches those high notes with ease and the additional of sultry guitar is a bonus. The first of three original songs is The House, where Martinez collaborated with Grammy winning songwriter Tony Goulas. This is a striding, pulsating Funk fest whereas Starting All Over Again, which has Martinez sharing the vocals with Goulas, is slow Soul with a singalong element that will be great for live performances if we ever get back to those.
The Martinez penned Eva Delle has Sonny Landreth guesting on slide guitar, what else do you need? Well, there’s Rockin’ Dopsie Jr and his Brother Anthony from the Zydeco Twisters for a start. These are the perfect guests for this great song. It’s Southern Swamp Music at its best and a favourite of mine. Another Goulas composition comes in the form of Just Stay Gone, which was released as a single last year. It’s relaxed and touching and Gregg reaches the high notes again. I love the line “if you can’t stay good, please just stay gone”. He’s back on a groove with a great version of Clarence Carter’s Snatching It Back. Horns and funky guitar abound – this’ll get you moving. Moonlight And Magnolias has a 50s Doo-Wop feel to it and harks back to gentler times and Southern Belles. Southern Funk rears its head with a cover of Tyrone Davis’ Can I Change My Mind and it highlights what a consummate performer Martinez is. Charlene Howard, who is a rising star of the Louisiana Swamp Pop scene, is introduced on Don’t Pull Your Love and it’s not hard to understand why she is gaining attention. She has a voice like silk but can add grit when it’s needed and Gregg joins her for this duet with a classic to and fro journey, previously covered by Sam & Dave. These are two very powerful vocal performances and it’s another favourite. He finishes with the piano-led and string-laden Marie. It’s heartfelt and although low key, it’s a fitting finish as he stays quite true to the Randy Newman original.
Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys – Elmore James For President (Continental Blue Heaven)
Noted for being one of the toughest sounding Blues rockers around, Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys bring us more of their wild sounds in their new album, Elmore James For President. It’s an apt name for the album as not only could Elmore James have been a better President for the USA than others we won’t mention, Mastro’s power and energy conjure up images of what Elmore brought to the world of Blues. They open with the album’s burgeoning and rhythmic title track. Mastro’s fuzzed vocal is offset by heavy guitar from Smoke, Jimmy Goodall’s pounding drums and John Fohl’s baritone bass along with slick harmonica licks from Mastro. There are shades of Little Axe as well as Elmore James in this organised chaos. An homage to the New Orleans Jazz guitarist Sidney Snow follows in the form of Red Guitar. They are such an energetic band and this shuffling Blues Rock will go down well in a live setting. They have a little bit of Dr Feelgood about them with the fuzzed vocals and powerful, free flowing guitar. Hound Dog Taylor’s harmonica led See You In The Evening has them rocking the Blues and I’d say the vocal was a bit sleazy but that doesn’t really sum it up the way I want to describe it. Johnny asks for Hound Dog to be Vice President. What a ticket that would be! Child Wolf is pulsating Blues Rock. I don’t know the guys but they sound like the kind of band you’d want to be in. Slide guitar is kept in the background but is used with great effect on this tale of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Harmonica leads again on Lazy Lester’s If You Think I’ve Lost You as it squawks its way through the mid paced Blues. We get a plaintive vocal from Johnny, Jimmy’s drums coming like a train and the slide guitar from Smoke gets a bit of a solo. They are such free spirits. The harmonica is coming more and more into play as the hypnotic Wildman Call shows and which Johnny dedicates to the Young Brave Hunters and all the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians.
Last Dance In Memphis is a heavy Blues with a power solo from Smoke before its back to Mastro’s harp for Baby Don’t Worry. Mastro and Smoke are in perfect unison on this street Blues version of the Sonny Boy Williamson song. The booming harp and guitar combo continues on Rampart Street. This is uncompromising music and it takes the rhythm section being on point to hold it all together. Marie Laveau practised voodoo in New Orleans in the 1800’s and the band brings her to life on Like Marie Laveau. It’s more of a Chicago Blues in its slow, throbbing, shuffling delivery and just listen to those cymbals crashing. It’s ragged but it’s good with Mastro’s harp wailing like a banshee. Good fun! The menacing One More Time is a standard Blues played in a less than standard way. Mastro’s snarling vocal tops off an all-round raucous sound. If you’re looking for high energy rocking Blues then you need go no further than The Bottle Won’t Save You. The call and response between voice and harp is great and he has so much originality in his playing. This is lung bursting at times. They close with a nod to Little Freddie King, who in some quarters is the best New Orleans Bluesman, in the form of Little Freddie Is King. The song is an anarchic instrumental with everything going on, all at once. It’s a cacophony of sound and it’s like a Blues version of Madness’ One Step Beyond. One word – brilliant!
This is an album that won’t allow you to be down in the dumps. Play it loud and play it often.
Lyia Meta – Daylight
Malaysian born Lyia Meta is a Grammy balloted artist, an international multi award-winning singer and songwriter and an exhibited visual artist. Drawing influences mainly from Rock and Blues, she is happy to explore other genres, adding them to her sound. This can be heard on Daylight which is taken from her latest EP, 15013. It is a slow, grooving, sultry Jazz inflected Soul Blues and you might get a bit of a surprise when she starts singing as her voice is deep and smoky, not what you might expect. Dripping with honey, this could easily be one of the voices of 2021.
Micke & Lefty featuring Chef – Let The Fire Lead (Hokahey)
Micke & Lefty (Bjorklof & Leppanen) together with Mr Chef return after a 10 year recording hiatus for the band with their third album, Let The Fire Lead. The trio, well known for their harmonies, have been concentrating on solo projects but have released the album to celebrate their 20th anniversary. 12 tracks with 9 of them originals are the result of this latest get together and they wanted to capture the energy of their live shows on record. Starting with Tell That Woman they certainly inject that pace as this acoustic slide Blues is like a whirlwind in places and Leppanen’s guitar gets a battering. Always Something Good is rootsy with easy going vocals. Leppanen certainly knows his way around a fretboard and it’s just like having your friends sitting in your front room and playing away. There’s contemporary yet old style Blues in the form of Big Bill Blues. It comes across as almost Ragtime as they swap vocals and hit the harmonies. Leppanen’s slide guitar comes in like waves hitting the beach and Bjorklof has the drums to match. Smalltown Baby is a Blues Rock love song but delivered in their inimitable acoustic fashion. Lefty’s guitar gets another working over, confirming that his slide guitar style is quite unique. It’s back to Roots for the happy music of the title track and it sounds like mandolin has been added to the slide guitar. A tale of never giving up, this keeps a good pace and Chef on bass and Micke on drums just fall into place following the guitars lead. The Latin sounds of The One takes you to the bodegas. It’s got a feeling of a live recording with harmonics abound. That said, the slide guitar is definitely the star of the show.
The trio prides themselves on playing good Roots music and Gotta See My Church is a fine example of this. Micke’s drums are prominent and although electric guitar is introduced it doesn’t take the limelight away from acoustic slide as they give a Gospel feel in parts. You Gorgeous You is a strange one with elements of Pop, Folk and Rock all wrapped up in an acoustic melee and then it’s back to the Roots for No Stuff Is Good Enuff, a poke at our throwaway lifestyle. This is an old school singalong piece of fun but that doesn’t mean any lack of quality. They drift into Cajun for Rock N Bowl with harmonica and electric guitar added to Micke’s shuffling drums. I tell you now, this will get to you! The classic I’m A Steady Rolling Man is given a bit of a different treatment as they quirk it up a little. Chef is prominent on bass and the beat is offset by a world weary vocal from the grand old man of Finnish Blues and Rock N Roll, Eero Raittinen. It’s a gentle, folksy finish with I Got To Tell You. I have to say that it’s probably the weakest track on offer and a bit lyrically naïve. However, Leppanen’s slide guitar is a saving grace.
When you mention the Blues, Finland isn’t the first country you would name but Finnish Blues and Roots are out there and with Micke & Lefty plus Chef it is in good hands.
Lynn Miles - We'll Look For Stars (Digital Only)
The first single from Lynn's upcoming album of the same name. I'll review the album later but the single whets the appetite. It's a brave choice to release a single which is just piano and vocal but when you are one of Canada's most accomplished singer/songwriters then you have the sturdy roots on which to make these brave choices. The song is simple and melodic but don't misunderstand that simplicity with a lack of skill. Miles is one of those songwriters that can capture contemporary, often melancholic, themes but with a depth that most others don't often go to. I reviewed her last album, released with Lynne Hanson as The Lynnes, and if We'll Look For Stars is on the same par then we are in for a treat.
Lynn Miles - We'll Look For Stars (Must Have Music)
Veteran of 14 albums and erstwhile member of The Lynnes with Lynne Hanson, Lynn Miles is a singer/songwriter to be reckoned with. Her melancholic view of a world filled with vulnerabilities has garnered her many awards and much acclaim. We’ll Look For Stars is the latest in a line of critically acclaimed albums and opens with the title track, already a single, which is a simple, melodic piano and vocal beauty. She follows that with the mournful, The Saddest Song, which has an introduction of roots instruments such as mandolin and accordion. The guitar-led A Heart Can Only Take So Much is a soft, gentle mid-paced Country offering which brings to mind Lucinda Williams and she stays in the Country area with a slow, traditional homage to Merle Haggard, surprisingly called Merle. The thing about Lynn Miles is that she makes it sound so easy and the Americana fuelled Restless is a case in point. She transports you to the Mid-West with a rare upbeat venture. I say upbeat, it’s as upbeat as Lynn gets on this album.
A sign of her ability as a storyteller comes on Old Soul, a tale of not taking old folks for granted. She’s also got a voice that draws you in and makes you feel completely at ease which is used to full effect here and on the rootsy, Celtic influenced The World Is Spinning with its weary, reflective cautionary message. The subject of She Drinks is one who drinks to remember, to forget, to forgive and regret, which covers all the bases. She’s also ‘trying to fill a hole in her heart’ and that gives the listener a feeling of a heart tugging tale of someone who believes they are lost. Main St is one of the few to feature a rhythm section and is a mid-paced Americana tale of towns losing their Main Streets. It’s another example of Miles hitting the spot with her lyrics and it’s a favourite of mine. Electric guitar is not a frequent visitor but it makes an entrance on the contemporary Country of In The Wilderness. Despite its introduction there’s no change to the gentle delivery. Proceedings are rounded off with Because We Love, which disappointingly is the weakest track on the album. It’s low key, which I’ve come to expect, but although it’s lyrically fine it just doesn’t reach her own high standards.
Final track notwithstanding, this is an excellent album from an accomplished singer/songwriter and is a first-rate introduction to Lynn Miles if you’ve not come across her before.
Giulia Millanta – Tomorrow Is A Bird (Ugly Cat Music)
Tomorrow Is A Bird is Giulia Millanta’s seventh solo album and she takes you into her world of dreams which have become her songs. I love her quote, “Today is a feather, tomorrow is a bird” and it sums this album up to a certain degree in that you can let it take you anywhere just like the wind takes a feather. Opening with the expressive Euro influenced Americana of Castle In The Clouds she brings us a clear, direct vocal over a driving beat. To say that she can be a bit quirky would not be missing the point completely and on the title track she is as complex as she is mainstream. She is described as a musician, traveller, warrior, cook and many other things just to highlight that complexity. The addition of fractured guitar adds a further dimension to this dreamscape. In A Dream is more upbeat and has the addition of tremolo laden guitar from David Pulkingham. Giulia clearly has a defined style after seven albums and her distinctive vocal brings Euro influences to what is effectively an American background. Not surprising as she is a native of Florence who has currently settled in Austin. I and others describing her sound as Americana is stretching it a bit at times. She has elements of Pop, Country, Rock and Folk in her music in places, Sugar Home being an example. No matter how you perceive it, it’s simply a lovely song when you dig deep. This is an album of ten original songs either fully written by Giulia or in collaboration with one or two others. On Animal, which has a little Rock added, she has a tone to her voice that has you immediately searching for sound-alikes and there’s not that many that come to mind. However, the more I think of it, the more that Katie Melua comes into my head. It’s more about delivery than anything else though.
Kiss You Goodbye is one for the purists as Giulia puts on her best Piaf vocal and the guitarist adds contour to the peaks and troughs that Giulia presents. Art Rock wrapped up in Folk is how I would describe Breathe with Giulia tip toing through the vocal and Brian Standefer’s cello gently sway. As it gets going, drums (Joey Shuffield), bass (Lindsay Greene) and Pulkingham’s guitar add their influence with Chris Isaak style tremolos in motion. Quiet Fight has Norah Jones overtones and those continue on Violet which has a strong performance from Giulia and shows again her skills as a wordsmith. Her songs are to concise and very rarely going much more than three minutes. She finishes with Unconditional and if there was ever a song title that described the singer then this is it. She smoulders her way through it with lovely harmonising vocals and minimal instrumentation. It’s an understated and low key finish, which in reflection is just what I should have expected.
As an added bonus to the album that I received for review I also got a copy of Giulia’s 2020 book, Between The Strings, which is a collection of her thoughts and dreams both on and off the road. I’ve had a quick peek at it and I can already see that it’s a book that I’ll be dipping into often to peruse Giulia’s words of wisdom. Made up of little one and two page snippets, it’s a fascinating collection of the funny and less so thoughts going around in her head, for example, on the subject of the book itself she says that there’s three ways to use the book (I paraphrase)– 1. Randomly open it and if you don’t like the story then move onto the next one, 2. Read it in order and if you don’t like the story move to the next one, or the next book and 3. If you have a wobbly table place it under one leg!
I honestly don’t know how to take this album. It’s strangely compulsive and I suppose that’s Giulia’s hook. She gets your interest and then brings you into her world. It’s one for the ‘this is a grower’ bundle.
Danielle Miraglia – Bright Shining Stars (VizzTone)
Boston based singer and guitarist Danielle Miraglia (pronounced Murr-AH-lee-a) is probably best known for her band The Glory Junkies but she’s also build a solid reputation as a solo performer. Straddling the worlds of Folk, Blues, Roots and Americana with ease she’s been compared to Bonnie Raitt, Rory Block and a Lucinda Williams with a sense of humour.
Bright Shining Stars is her new acoustic album and the mix of covers and originals starts with the short and sweet Sounds Like Home where we are introduced to her percussive, rhythmic style. This instrumental has a flavour of viola from Laurence Scudder and offers a hint to the differing genres that are coming your way. This is followed with an acoustic version of the often covered, Ma Rainey written classic, CC Rider. Danielle announces her powerful voice which is all the more noticeable with the sparse instrumental backing of just guitar and viola. This is probably a gentler version of the song than you are used to but it works so well. There’s a little added electric guitar from Peter Parcek on Bob Dylan’s You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go but it’s still that gentle approach that we are quickly becoming comfortable with. Danielle is a 21st century Blues singer who draws on all of the chanteuse of the past, brilliantly shown on this Country Blues. There’s a Country/Roots element behind a number of her songs and although it’s not a fiddle, the viola gives that string component. Pick Up The Gun is a case in point; an acoustic Blues Rock with that Country vibe. Although Danielle has been around for a few years I feel that she is ready to be a new star. This is exemplified on Janis Joplin’s Turtle Blues where she unleashes her weapon of choice, acoustic guitar, on this classic Blues and it suits her style perfectly. Her playing style doesn’t take away from the added grit in her vocal as she bends the notes seamlessly and letting rip. There’s some excellent backing from Parcek on electric guitar with an understated solo.
Famous For Nothin is a comment on modern day celebrity. Danielle doesn’t hide her feelings here as she rips into them on this contemporary Blues. Scudder is back on viola with a mournful solo and if you think there’s a bass in there then you’ve been taken in by her guitar style which requires neither bass nor percussion. Fills from viola and slide guitar add to the Country Blues of Love Yourself and slide continues on the foot stomping return to Bob Dylan in the shape of Meet Me In The Morning, which has added harmonica from Richard Rosenblatt. It’s another classic Blues and another version you may not be familiar with on It Hurts Me Too. Like me, you may be more familiar with the brash electric versions of Elmore James and Eric Clapton. Danielle turns it acoustic but still gets the power via her vocal. She finishes of with another often covered classic, Robert Johnson’s Walkin Blues. It’s amazing how many people have covered this and his other songs. Danielle deploys slide guitar again but keeps it short and sweet to bookend the album.
Miss Bix Featuring Keeshea Pratt – Red Walls (Blue Heart Records)
Bet you thought that this single was going to be something from a Rapper or R&B singer. Instead you get this deep, hot, thoughtful, slow and funky Blues. Lesley Letven Bixler aka Miss Bix has a deep, velvet voice and Keeshea Pratt provides the power and the grit. I say it’s thoughtful but what I mean is that it’s thought provoking and it’s when you listen to the lyrics that you get the true meaning of the song. It begins “Flashing headlights in his rear view mirror. What has he done, why are they pulling him over?” and it’s then that you know. Add in guitars from Franck L Goldwasser, drums and bass from Ralph Carter and keyboards from Tom Canning then you have the complete package. At 6 minutes it’s a long single but for the story that it tells, it’s well worth it and it deserves to be heard.
Lorenzo Mohr – Harry Wants To Be Free (Own Label)
Recently released second single from Italian, New York based, rocker Mohr. The frantic style to this single leans as much to the 70s American Punk scene as it does to classic rockers Queen and Kiss. It’s a song of wanting to escape the endless surveillance that we are all under nowadays and will hit the spot with many. Taken from his debut album, due out sometime in the Autumn.
Gary Moore – How Blue Can You Get (Provogue Records)
An album of previously unreleased material from the late, great Gary Moore should have you slathering at the mouth and from the first notes of I’m Tore Down you’ll understand why. This is how to start an album and although it’s the often-covered Freddie King classic it in unmistakably Gary Moore with typical vocal snarl at times. He was a master of his trade with soaring guitar licks showing a man at the top of his game. The rhythm section is pounding away in the background, almost deferentially with organ providing further backing. Moore had that gift where he could take you to a place in a solo and just when you think that’s as far as he can go, he goes up another step. I miss him. He continues the assault with a version of Cream’s Steppin’ Out, a deep, multi-layered Blues rocker with Hammond slamming it out in the background. It’s an instrumental, fluid and loose with Gary showing exactly what he could do. In My Dreams is one of his classic Blues ballads with sustained notes all over the place. This kind of song became a bit of a trademark for Gary. Power, a different kind from the openers, much more controlled, from start to finish. The BB King classic How Blue Can You Get is not for the faint hearted and although Gary throws lots more notes at it than BB did, he can’t match the great man vocally. He turns in a great performance nonetheless and doesn’t play about with it too much in the timing. This is one of the best versions of the song you’ll ever hear.
You wouldn’t think it was Gary at the outset of Looking At Your Picture, it’s a very different, low key vocal. However, as the song progresses you can pick him out. The song itself has a voodoo, swamp feel to it and comes across all menacing. Another Blues ballad in the shape of Love Can Make A Fool Of You is played like only Gary could. Organ, bass and drums providing the necessary stage for Gary to unleash that guitar. This is him in his prime and how he gets to some of those notes is anyone’s guess. Slide guitar is deployed and you won’t hear that often, for Elmore James’ Done Somebody Wrong. That distinctive Moore vocal is there with Hammond vamping away good style. The rhythm section is strong and the guitar breaks are sensational, a great version of another one of my heroes’ songs. I can’t believe Gary has done something wrong. We finish with a slow one, Living With The Blues and a fine family we are too! Seriously, this well-worn story of the descent into the depths after a loss is a good choice for the final track (if this is the last of the previously unreleased tracks). It’s a slightly restrained guitar performance but it fits the song perfectly and he still reaches those heights and does open up where necessary.
He is sadly missed and on this performance it’s no hard to understand why.
Mojo Morganfield – It’s Good To Be King (Delmark)
Released a couple of weeks ago now, It’s Good To Be King is the latest single from Muddy Waters’ youngest son, Joseph ‘Mojo’ Morganfield. Featuring some big hitters in Billy Branch (harmonica), Ronnie Baker Brooks (guitar) and Brother John Kattke (piano) this is a rollicking Blues with all the required elements. Also including The Mannish Boyz (Rick Kreher on guitar, Michael Flynn on bass and Chris Alexander on drums) it rolls along very well and will leave you feeling good, not an easy thing this year!
Tyler Morris – Living In The Shadows (VizzTone)
The second VizzTone release from Tyler Morris, Living In The Shadows is produced by Mike Zito and features Zito, Ronnie Earl, Joe Louis Walker and Amanda Fish. Taking on the majority of lead vocal duties for the first time, Morris starts with Gary Moore’s Movin’ On and whilst there is no doubting his guitar skills, more of which we’ll talk about throughout the review, his breathless vocal isn’t up to the song. He throws out guitar notes one after the other (maybe too many at times) and the speed of the song is most welcome. It could be that we are spoiled by the Moore original but we shall see. Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven is a standard slow Blues which suits his voice better. Shows he’s just not all flash and fireworks as he turns in a superb solo on this. Another big cover is that of Tony Joe White’s Polk Salad Annie. This has been covered so many times and Morris brings in Joe Louis Walker on vocals with Mike Zito adding his considerable talents on guitar. He slows it down a little from other versions that I’ve heard and there’s a stinging slide guitar solo to boot. The title track is a grinding Blues Rock but again I feel that Tyler’s voice is too thin for this kind of song. However, he’s letting his guitar do the talking with some wonderful licks. This is another young guitarist with talent to burn. Talking of Gary Moore, Temptation (written by Morris) is an archetypal Moore Blues Ballad. Morris’ guitar could match that of the man and there’s even some of his progressions in there. The rhythm section has been superb so far and they provide the backbone to Tyler’s beast of a guitar. The solo is stunning, powerful and could on its own cement his place in the top echelon of current players.
The Hale/Zito composition, Better Than You is lifted so much by the introduction of guest vocalist, Amanda Fish who takes this driving, sassy Soul Blues in her stride. Taking his cue, Tyler turns in a better vocal performance on Why Is Love So Blue. He picks his way around the fretboard like a veteran on this strolling Blues rocker and his deep, powerful tones highlight the intricacy of his playing. Nine To Five is heavier, grungier and wearier to reflect the soulless feel of a nine to five job – I get it! However, this isn’t the best track on the album and even his guitar can’t save it. The name checks are thrown out on Young Man’s Blues, a grinding Blues with an attitude and guitar to match. Again, his vocal isn’t really up to it and I think he needs to work on that. Ronnie Earl adds his guitar to this and there is some excellent interplay between the harsh raucous sounds and the smooth clean note bending. Taken From Me is a hypnotic grinding Blues Rock. Again it’s voice versus guitar and poor versus superb. Slide guitar well executed but it’s not the best song here. He finishes with the driving rocker, I’m On To You but I’m sorry to say that I can’t get over the voice, no matter how good the music is. This could be so much better with a guest vocalist. I’m all for diversity and uniqueness in music and singing but there isn’t anything here to say that his voice is unique and if it wasn’t for his superb guitar then the album would be less well thought of.
Benjamin Adair Murphy – Let’s Make A King
Benjamin Adair Murphy very clearly states that Let’s Make A King is a political Blues album and he’s not wrong. It’s an unexpected start to Your Gun, a Blues based anti-gun song that’s all fuzzed for effect and short but not so sweet. If you thought that you were going to get conventionality then you’ll need to look elsewhere as Benjamin launches into the Americana/Blues of Stupid Follows Evil. The lyrics are very Bob Dylan but the use of sax and clarinet from Peter Hess is not. I’ll say it here that Benjamin has a unique voice. He keeps you guessing as you never know what you’re going to get from him. Although this is a shuffling Americana/Blues again, it’s a maze of sound and lyric and rambling guitar, yet it all works. One Hundred Pills Per Person is upbeat but not in the subject matter. Murphy is a modern day protest singer and the big Pharma companies are getting it this time. Bob Dylan must be an influence with wailing harp and ragged guitar punctuating it. Nothing over 3 minutes yet. Teach The Christians is a quirky, laid back pop at those who think they are religious but have forgotten what the messages are. Hess provides deep sax backing for the title track, which is a dark commentary on overseas policy. It’s very downbeat, political, has a menacing vocal and the fractured, jagged guitar adds to the overall feel.
Same Kind Of Fascist is happy music, believe it or not, with birds tweeting in the background. It’s just Benjamin and acoustic guitar. He tells you as it is and what actually is a fascist. A minute of WOW! This isn’t an album for the fainthearted or those who have stuck their heads in the sand as The White Man Gets Things Done confirms. Benjamin tells you what you don’t want to hear and what the white man has actually done. It’s hauntingly effective and confirms that the album is all about the lyrics. He’s relentless as next up is U.S. Custody, one about people dying in custody. Presented in an eerie setting with whispering vocal. He breaks his record and finally gives us a song that’s over three minutes in Back Pocket Blues, a more traditional style song with a singer and a band. He’s not pushing a message as such. His singing is of a style, not preaching and it’s even got a chorus and a smooth trumpet solo. It’s Alt-Country for How Are We Doing On Time? It’s got a slow lugubrious feel and the backing singer is use d sparingly but effectively. Very quickly we get to the final track, We’ve Been Waiting For The First Day Of Summer (Since The First Day Of Fall). This is upbeat, even jaunty Americana with the expectation of getting out into the Summer air hanging there. Murphy is a complex guy, but very intriguing. He does what all the great songwriters do and gets his point over in three minutes or less and that’s a talent.
My Darling Clementine with Steve Nieve – Country Darkness (Fretsore)
My Darling Clementine is Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish. They are well known to include Elvis Costello songs in their live set and in 2019 started their dream of a lifetime and began the Costello inspired Country Darkness project. Initially released as a series of 4-track 12” EP’s, the 12 Elvis Costello covers have now been joined by an original My Darling Clementine song as a bonus track. Featuring tracks spread across 8 Costello albums and 1 by Paul McCartney, the album takes 2 tracks from each of The Delivery Man, King Of America and Secret, Profane & Sugarcane and 1 each from National Ransom, All This Useless Beauty, Flowers In The Dirt, Trust, Taking Liberties and Brutal Youth.
They open with Either Side Of The Same Town, taken from Costello’s Imposters era The Delivery Man album King and Dalgleish immediately introduce us to their respective rich baritone and sweet sympathetic vocals. The song itself is delivered in a slow and heartfelt manner. Led by Nieve’s piano but also backed by some fine guitar from Richard Hawley’s guitarist, Shez Sheridan. King and Dalgleish swap lead duties effortlessly but harmonise wonderfully to make this a true duet. They’ve taken I Lost You from National Ransom and it’s more upbeat than the first track but it still has Costello’s dry acerbic tale of loss. Their voices work very well together on this and throughout the album. There’s not too many people cover Elvis Costello songs but on the evidence of this album, it can be done and it can be done well. I’ll Wear It Proudly is from the King Of America album and is a fine example of how his non-Country songs can be adapted. That said, there’s no hiding the classic Steve Nieve chord progressions. It’s good to see some of his less well known songs getting an airing and this is a beautiful version of the original. Nieve has come up with a lovely arrangement for Why Can’t A Man Stand Alone from Elvis’ All This Useless Beauty and it could easily be part of a musical. The Crooked Line was released as a single earlier in the year and is taken from Costello’s Folk infused album Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. Their voices are in perfect harmony ably backed by some suitably Country tinged guitar breaks from Sheridan. This is very reminiscent of early post New Wave Costello. Another from The Delivery Man album is Heart Shaped Bruise, originally collaboration with Emmylou Harris, making it a perfect fit here. Sombre and piano led, the delivery brings Roy Orbison to mind.
That Day Is Done is the only Costello song not taken from one of his albums. From Paul McCartney’s Flowers In The Dirt album, it’s been turned into a true Country song and shows that Elvis can write a Country song and so, apparently, can Paul McCartney. Elvis’ lyrical talent and often used areas of subject matter do lend themselves to the Country idiom. The collaboration with Jim Lauderdale from Trust, Different Finger, has a Tex-Mex feel with, I think, melodeon being added to acoustic guitar. Nieve’s piano break gives a barroom effect for this classic theme of infidelity. Elvis worked with Loretta Lynn on I Felt The Chill Before The Winter Came, another from Secret, Profane & Sugarcane and its set firmly in Country methodology and, although gentle, the topic is treachery. If you like classic Country then you are going to love the album and in particular, Stranger In The House from the Taking Liberties album. You’ll be singing along to this in no time and in spite of yourself. The second track from The King Of America is the beautiful Indoor Firework. It’s just piano and vocal and their voices interweave so well with Dalgleish showing some of Elvis’ famous vibrato. The last of the covers is Still Too Soon To Know from Brutal Youth and another that highlights how well suited some of Costello’s songs are not only to the Country genre but to musicals too. You sometimes forget just how magnificent a lyricist Elvis Costello is. The bonus track and the only My Darling Clementine song is the previously unreleased Powerless. It’s a slow waltz and fits in well with the covers. Added horns give it such warmth and it’s so easy just to drift away on it.
It’s interesting to note that there’s not one track from what is considered to be Elvis’ Country album, Almost Blue. Having said that, the point of the album was to find lesser known Costello songs that had that little bit of a Country ethos to them and reimagine them. The band approached Nieve to allow them to use the songs for the album but he went one better and offered his services to the project and his advice on song selection and arrangement, along with his not inconsiderable input on keyboards, has made the album the treasure that it is.
John Nemeth – Stronger Than Strong (Nola Blue Records)
Idaho born and Memphis based, two-time Blues Music Award winner John Nemeth brings us his 10th album, this time with his young band The Blue Dreamers. Opening with the hypnotic two-beat of Come And Take It, the band channels their inner Wolf and throw in a little John Lee Hooker too. This may be a young band, Nemeth’s 20 year experience excepted, but they are pretty seasoned and they show how tight they are on Fountain Of A Man. Nemeth’s tenor vocals punch through Jon Hay’s fuzzed guitar and the frontman’s harmonica playing is high class, as you would expect. The standard Blues of Little Junior Parker’s Sometimes slows things down a bit and there’s a Swamp Blues feel, but there’s no lack of effort highlighted by Nemeth growling his way the harmonica solos at times and Hay unleashing his tremolo. Guitarist Hay, at 19, is a rising star and he shows it on Throw Me In The Water. The band gets on a bit of a boogie here and the rhythm section of Danny Banks on drums and Matt Wilson on bass are a great platform on which to build as they go all out on the song. Chain Breaker is a mid-paced rhythmic Chicago Blues with top harmonica work from Nemeth. The mix of this band is just perfect and I’ll be watching the future of young Mr Hay with some interest. Introduced by Wilson’s funky bass line, the humorous Bars has the band slowly joining in and leads us to Nemeth’s classic Soul/R&B voice and Hay’s lovely runs up and down his fretboard.
The infectious almost Ska beat of the Gospel tinged I Can See Your Love Light Shine was reviewed as a single earlier in the year and is still as fresh. Deprivin’ A Love is persuasive, pulsating and with its call and response, has got it all. The grinding Blues of Work For Love follows and this is a song for the downtrodden. Punchy, clean harmonica lines flow over the relentless rhythm from the band with Hay interjecting a jagged solo and confirming his potential. The longest track on the album is the slow, sentimental Guess Who. Although this is a lovely song, written by Jesse Belvin, and has guitar work commensurate to its epic length, it’s otherwise unremarkable. When I saw the title She’s My Punisher, I thought John had gone all kinky but not to worry. It turns out that it’s a 50s style Soul/R&B with echoes of Sam Cooke. John signs off with the fast paced R&B of Sweep The Shack. As the title suggests, he’s cleaning things up before he leaves us but there’s a feeling that he’s left us already as there’s no harmonica here. However, that void is filled with a signature solo from Hay.
To reach 10 albums is an achievement, to reach 10 and still have a level of relevance is a triumph.
John Nemeth – I Can See Your Love Light Shine (Nola Blue Records)
All aboard the John Nemeth express as he blows his harp like a train. I Can See Your Love Light Shine is a good time song for some bad times. Taken from his upcoming 10th album, Stronger Than Strong, due out on October 16th, this single has seasoned performer Nemeth backed by a band of young guns destined for a great future. Under the name of The Blue Dreamers, 19 year old guitarist Jon Hay (remember that name), drummer Danny Banks and bassist Matt Wilson provide a strong base for Nemeth’s renowned harp playing. More about John and the band when I review the album.
Wayne Nicholson & John Campbelljohn – Elmore’s Blues
Wayne Nicholson’s career spans 50 years and has long been considered Canada’s best Blues Rock vocalist. Add in John Campbelljohn’s multiple award winning guitar mastery and you have a potent force. On Elmore’s Blues they pay tribute to Elmore James with 12 of his songs and a couple of their own. Beginning with the first of the James songs, I May Be Wrong, Campbelljohn already sets down his credentials as a top guitarist on this fast Blues and Nicholson proves that he is no mean vocalist. Standing At The Crossroads is a more instantly recognisable Elmore style as it has that sweeping severe guitar that was one of his trademarks. I Believe, one of James’ more famous songs, is given an almost Reggae beat and one that I’m yet to be convinced of. That said, Nicholson gives a strong performance on vocals and Campbelljohn on slide guitar is a gem. If I Was Blue is one of the two originals on the album and could easily have been an Elmore song. It’s a very good slow Blues and Nicholson gives a heartfelt recital. Campbelljohn plays a sublime solo and the addition of organ fills out the sound. Who’s That Knockin’ is a classic swinging Blues, played in the classic style and most welcome. Campbelljohn certainly does it justice and although Nicholson isn’t the same Blues shouter that James was he still gets plenty of power into his vocal. With the addition of some nice Boogie piano at the end this is a good ‘un. The jumpy, swaggering Blues of No Love In My Heart is up next and they swing it up in the chorus much like the original. John picks out that Elmore ethos on this one. Another of Elmore’s more famous songs is Rollin’ And Tumblin’. It’s given a heavier, hypnotic, almost Swamp Rock arrangement with Campbelljohn’s slide piercing the trace.
Sinful Woman is a slow classic Chicago Blues played straight and true. They are good as a pair with piano bass and drums fulfilling their duties well too. Happy Home is instantly recognisable as an Elmore James song. However, this time the piano makes a telling contribution. This is the kind of music that got me into the Blues! I hope someone else finds inspiration here. Shake Your Money Maker is played at breakneck speed as you would expect. It’s often covered, never bettered but this is as good as any. We get a cameo bass solo from Bass solo from Bruce and Neil chips in on drums. One of my favourite Elmore James songs is Sunnyland and they get that haunted and lost feel of the original. It chugs along very nicely and they have come up with a very good cover. The aptly named Strange Kind Of Feeling comes across as rather strange with flute, I think, and a Country lap steel effect but still coming across as a Blues. There’s Jazz and Country influences and it’s a bit all over the place. The pianist is doing his own this in the background but it’s all exceptionally well played. It Hurts Me Too is one of the songs that most people will associate with James and one you can’t mess about with too much. Nicholson gives it a classy Blues Rock vocal, there’s organ added and of course Campbelljohn’s excellent guitar. This is a good version of the classic and it’s difficult to replicate James’ vocal so better not to try. They finish with the second of their own compositions, Dancin’ With The Blues, and it’s a good one in its own rite. It’s got strong guitar and a top vocal with the rhythm section driving everyone on and piano in the mix.
Elmore’s Blues is a strong album and a fitting tribute to one of the greats.
Nivid – Mazhab
Nivid is Aditya Virmani, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer from New Delhi, India. This latest single, Mazhab, is the closing track from his recent acclaimed concept album, Merna and is sung entirely in his native Hindi. The track is slightly industrial, slightly dreamscape and whilst I don’t understand Hindi I believe that the lyric is designed to challenge religious idolatry in India and whether organised religions bring people together or actually push them further apart. If you want to listen to something different to take you away for three minutes or so then you could do worse than listening to this.
Noble Jacks – Stay Awake
Stay Awake was originally released in Spring 2019 (went straight into the Top 10 Official Album Chart) and this Deluxe version has the original 10 tracks plus 4 others. The opener, 10 Times, shows that Folk Rock is alive and kicking. Exceptionally fast and features a fiddle player on fast forward. They keep up the pace on Lights Out which takes us to the alternative side of Pop but the Folk influence is never really that far away and resurfaces on the rocker, Rely On Love. They’ve not really stopped for breath yet and the title track doesn’t provide any respite. This has Celtic influences to add to the breakneck speed and if I was looking for someone to compare them to it might just be The Men They Couldn’t Hang. Energy levels are maintained on Morning Light and this is sublime, happy music; a real tonic. There’s almost a Caribbean feel to the guitar riff and there’s also a decent bass line. I’ve not even mentioned the singer yet and that’s quite simply because his voice just fits in. Take for example New Beginning, his voice is just perfect for the music, it can deal with the energy and is not overrun by it. This, by the way, is another very good song. Lift Me From The Floor is modern Folk with a Country twang and adds to the feel good aura of the album. It does what it says on the tin for this one.
The high level of energy makes it easy to see why they are such a popular live band and on This Rose they give us a mover and a shaker. Their music is an amalgam of Folk, Country, Rock and Celtic and they’ll be missing out the opportunities for getting this across to an audience dreadfully. They do periodically take a breather and on What Did You Say they do take a very slight one. This is a bit rockier and has a heavier vibe to it. Like most of the others, this is presented as a short, sharp shock and is perfect for the live arena. The last track of the original album is This Is Real and they keep up the energy to the last. It’s another audience pleaser, although smoother and not as gritty or edgy as some, and shows how good an all-round band they are. The bonus tracks are exactly that. Enjoy The Ride is another one to get the audience bouncing. They’ll get compared to Mumford & Sons but they really are a different kettle of fish completely. This one is full of Celtic influences and Big Country stylings in the guitar. African and Caribbean guitar tones abound on Road Of Death, admittedly not a great title for such an uplifting album. This is a good, hook ridden mash up between the guitar tones and Celtic Folk. The Afro Caribbean tones continue on Noble Ground and as I said before, the singer doesn’t let himself be overpowered by the complex beats and themes going on all around him. The drummer has a lot to contend with and soaks it up admirably. It’s a cracker to finish with in the form of Dreams Carry Me On. The fiddle player is going at it again on this Country Folk offering. It’s a great addition to the original album and the singer does stretch himself at times through the album but he does it so very easily and without the need to scream and screech as so many modern day singers feel the need to. However, the fiddle is the star here. A top album with or without the bonus tracks but I’d go with the Deluxe version.
Oh Susanna – Sleepy Little Sailor Deluxe Version (MVKA)
Massachusetts born and Canadian raised Suzie Ungerleider, aka Oh Susanna, has decided to revisit her 2001 critically acclaimed second album, Sleepy Little Sailor. I didn’t review the original release so I’m looking at it with fresh eyes and I’m sure that’s what you will all be doing. Championed by Bob Harris and drawing comparisons to Gillian Welch, Oh Susanna has gone on to release five further albums. She opens with the title track, a gentle, atmospheric introduction to the world of Oh Susanna. This is followed up with River Blue, a piano-led Americana with strong vocals and chorus making for a favourite already. Otis Redding’s I’ve Got Dreams To Remember has been often covered but maybe not quite in the same vein of Oh Susanna. She gives the classic track a subtle Americana twist and her voice, almost childlike at times, gives a different depth to the song. There are echoes of The Kinks, well Ray Davies at least, on King’s Road. This bounces along and is very British in its construction and delivery. We’re back in guitar-led Americana territory on All That Remains with nerve jangling guitar and a feel of Nick Cave in there too.
She has such an impassioned voice at times and the hauntingly beautiful Beauty Boy and the sparse, aching, ethereal Sacrifice are fine examples of this. The beauty of her music is that she keeps things simple and the melodic piano piece Forever At Your Feet only needs the enhancement that strings bring to it to deliver that feeling of longing and sadness. She goes full Americana for Ted’s So Wasted, laying on the Country vocal in what could easily be mistaken for a pastiche. However, it’s got all of the elements for a great Country song. It’s back to acoustic guitar for the Celtic and Folk influenced St Patrick’s Day. A forlorn cry for help, it still has an Americana feel, especially on the electric guitar breaks. The last song of the original album is Ride On, another sombre one but this is where she excels and everything is so beautifully sung. You feel every note with her, all 10 minutes of them and everything is so laid back and thought provoking. She’s supported Wilco and Whiskeytown in the past and I can see why. Acoustic versions of Sleepy Little Sailor, Sacrifice, Beauty Boy, River Blue and King’s Road follow with Sacrifice, River Blue and King’s Road particularly benefitting from the treatment. It’s all finished off with an acoustic version of You Win Again, which is all out dark Country and which wasn’t on the original 2001 album.
All in all, this will be a good addition to your Americana collection.
David Olney & Anana Kaye – Whispers And Sighs (Schoolkids Records)
Whispers And Sighs is, what turned out to be, the final studio album from the much-celebrated singer/songwriter David Olney and on it he paired up with young, up and coming Americana star, Anana Kaye who originally hails from Georgia, Eastern Europe that is. Just like artists such as Townes Van Zandt saw something in Olney, he saw something similar in Kaye and this 13-track album is the result of the collaboration between the pair along with Kaye’s husband, Irakli Gabriel. Olney said in 2019 “We have no idea where the songs come from, but they bring a peace of mind like an old photograph of home. Wherever that may be”. Apparently within minutes of the final mixes being saved, Anana and Irakli received a call saying that David had just passed. The album opens with a short strings piece, The Station (Prelude) before the album starts proper with My Favorite Goodbye. Olney’s baritone voice is deep and succulent and adds gravity to the haunting, reflective melody. Piano and cello add weight to the piece. Things remain on the sombre side for Anana Kaye’s first lead vocal on My Last Dream Of You. Her voice has a childlike quality and is quite distinctive. The song just drifts along on clouds and is quite simply, beautiful. After a gentle start, Olney wakes you up with Lie To Me, Angel. It's a bit heavier than the opening trio with grungy electric guitar and pulsating drums. It’s not as reflective as the last two and more in the present. Lines like “we can’t make it right, let’s make it real” and if you’re gonna lie to me, lie to me right” show him as the master wordsmith. It’s also got a great rant at the end. It’s Anana’s turn again on Thank You Note and already we are hoping that her quirkiness is not the sign of a one trick pony. The shuffling tango beat and gypsy violin swirling away in the background are the perfect compliment to the dark lyric. It's definitely a duo of contrasting vocal styles and you can hear the age and experience in Olney’s. This is gentle with a wistful feel as he reflects over his life.
Why Can’t We Get This Right? has Anana back on lead vocal although this time supported with harmonies which seems to level out her voice. As with the rest of the album it is musically beautiful, this time with deep rich bass tones from Chris Donohue. Sideview (Interlude) is another short string piece before we are hit with Last Days Of Rome, which starts off like a Stones song and remains so mostly throughout. We’ve got Anana on vocals for this good thumping rocker which would make a great lead out song. She’s taking more of the lead vocal and fitting in well to the task as the song makes marvellous use of piano and strings with sweeping orchestral sounds in parts. The World We Used To Know is a stark, bleak view on life through war set to sometimes a completely contrasting melody. Flits between the two and rails against wars of all kinds and gives us the message that we don’t know who is the enemy any more. I get the feeling that this could be as introspective as it is outward reaching. Anana continues on vocals for Tennessee Moon, which sounds like it’s been about forever. It’s tender and her voice now suits the song with some of the quirkiness removed. This is a grower. The choral opening to the final track, The Great Manzini (Disappearing Act), is a portent of things to come. Sounds like Latin for the vocal although it is short and difficult to pick up on. We then get Spanish guitar and David swapping spoken word with song. At over 6 minutes it’s a very strange one to finish with. We get a mostly spoken vocal over historical themes and Gothic and Baroque tones and a subject matter of a magician who can make someone disappear but not able to bring them back. There must be many hidden themes in here but maybe I’m just not bright enough to get them.
All in all, this is a fitting epitaph to one wonderful singer/songwriter and perhaps the chrysalis of another.
One Thousand Motels – Get In When You Fit In (Universal Music)
This is Rat Scabies and Chris Constantinou’s follow up to the first One Thousand Motels album, 2% Out Of Sync. 15 tracks with only one over four minutes, this is an attack on your senses with rapid fire songs. They have added Sean Wheeler on vocals for this one and what an addition. Starting with When The Rabbit’s Got The Gun they bring us Sean’s Southern preacher vocal delivery over a fun, blues rock based, horn laden stomper. The Blues feel continues on the up-tempo Dark Harvest and they add Steve ‘West’ Weston on harmonica. This is a gritty Blues shouter filled with rebel yells and swamp thing howls. They funk it up on Brand New Headline and the horns, both the Memphis Horns and The Specials’ horn section are a force to be reckoned with. Wheeler has such a lived-in voice but I’m not sure what kind of life he’s has to get it. Reel Me In is a strong walking Blues with horns at the base and guitar and piano playing supporting roles as on others although the Hal Lindes’ guitar does get let loose a little here. This is feelgood music as is the uplifting God Is Good, a Soul Blues with a great beat maintained by the rhythm section of Christantinou on bass and Scabies on drums with added percussion from Preston Heyman. Oh, and those horns and the First Street Choir just make it soar. The stern, ethereal spiritual Spirit Flies Free is a great fit for Wheeler’s broken glass voice. It’s plaintive and percussive with Lindes’ guitar the only instrument that stands out along with percussion and hand claps. The keys are kept in the back mix. Weston’s harmonica returns for the Blues based hypnotism of Sing A Long with Wheeler sounding like a voodoo shaman at times and Lindes’ guitar piercing the fog.
Wheeler gets his best Soul voice on for the spoken start to Somewhere Else. It comes across as a sermon with good fighting evil, a familiar theme, and the Gospel feel is enhanced with the choir backing everything up. Quick mention for the sax player too. Zion will wake you up with its high energy, Gospel feel again. Wheeler’s raspy, gritty vocal and Constantinou’s pounding bass line vie with the trumpet for top billing. Tell Me is a Bo Diddley shuffler with a New Orleans influence. A modern old-style tune if you get what I mean. Bit of Iko Iko in there too and a wailing trumpet, what more could you want? It’s back to the Blues for Let Me Know, a languid barroom, gin-soaked track. It’s got just enough sleaze to make it perfect and with Lindes’ surging guitar solo, backed by the horns, they are onto another winner. The anthemic Funk of Blood Makes The Grass Grow Green has another strong bass line and the big sax input makes the whole thing flow like treacle. Temptation sounds a bit like The Blind Boys Of Alabama in the chorus and Wheeler turns full demon at times. Christantinou is coming more to the fore on bass as the temperature gets turned up going towards the end. The penultimate track, Count On Me is old style Soul/R&B but with that added ingredient of Wheeler’s voice. For a duo that are a drummer and a bassist, neither instrument has been the main force of the album with the bass, in particular, in and out of the mix. However, the rhythm section is top class and have proved it many times before. The final song, Never Forget has it all. Based on Delta Blues, it is infused with Gospel and is spiritual, hypnotic and releasing. Slide guitar is to the fore for this story of Martin Luther King. Its powerful and thought provoking and reminds us that we should never forget this man and what he stood for.
There is very little not to be impressed about on this album.
Dean Owens – The Burning Heart EP
This is the first of a Desert Trilogy series of EP’s leading to an album, Sinner’s Shrine, recorded with Calexico in Tucson and which is due out in the Autumn. The songs on each of the EP’s feature a track each from the album alongside songs from the album sessions and others recorded at long distance with special guests. Inspired by Dean’s love of the American South West, the songs bring out his storytelling genius infused with his longing vocal and the scope of Calexico’s canvas. He opens with the big production number New Mexico, markedly different from the original which was on his debut album, The Droma Tapes. It’s mid-tempo Americana with Latin themes as you’d expect from the title and it’s got all of the components including horns and accordion, played by Jacob Valenzuela and Joey Burns respectively. Dean’s sharp delivery fits in superbly with the theme and brings us a great start to the EP. Here Comes Paul Newman arrives as if straight out of a Spaghetti Western, all whistles (provided by Dean) and horns Mexicali style. It’s a short instrumental inspired by one of Dean’s favourite films, Hud, along with the music of Elmer Bernstein and Ennio Morricone. Riverline follows in the same vein as its predecessor but with John Convertino’s sharp snare drum balancing Dean’s wistful vocal. He does like a whistle! Inspired by Francisco Cantu’s book, Where The Line Becomes A River, it builds well to the finish. The closing track, Tombstone Rose was written with Joey Burns and was formed from a video message sent by Burns to Owens from his garden in Tucson where he was tending a plant called a Tombstone Rose. The song is more gentle and less punchy than the others but allows Dean to show off different layers to his voice and, confirming his place amongst the modern-day troubadours, he accompanies himself solely on guitar.
My appetite has certainly been whetted for the next two EP’s, Sand And Blood and Ghosts. These will be released on 7th May and 9th July respectively. Look out for reviews coming soon.
Patti Parks – Whole Nother World (Booga Music/VizzTone)
This is Patti Parks’ first album for famed Bluesman Kenny Neal’s Booga Music label and it’s a combination that has produced an excellent album in Whole Nother World. Patti starts with I’m Trouble and you are immediately hit with her big voice banging out a sprightly big band Blues. I think with that voice, anything Patti tells me, I’ll believe it. More Than You’ll Ever Know is a sophisticated, late night, soulful Blues. Hammond organ and guitar pairing up for a sultry sound with drums prominent in the mix and piano filling along with the organ. Patti adds a little more grit to her voice too. It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World is a big song but she has the big voice to take it on. It has been often covered, but not often covered better as she goes from power to a whisper in one breath. The band just slips in easy with some pizzicato from the guitar at one point. Kenny Neal adds his vocal, guitar and harmonica talents to Baby Bee. They turn to acoustic guitar for this Delta Blues as they share the vocal. Patti shows some good vibrato and the song is a gentle counter to the power of the others.
She ups the pace again for Stickin’ To My Guns, a striding Blues rocker. Neal’s harmonica remains and certainly adds a lot to the overall sound. He is a very good player. Don’t Play Me Cheap is a piano led ballad with plenty of sax input and Hammond organ sweeping in the background. This is a strong song and confirms that she has some set of pipes. It’s a return to the big band sound for I Can’t Think but it’s keyboards that take on those duties this time rather than brass and woodwind. Patti is a bit subdued on this but there is a well-deserved solo for the Hammond on this grinding R&B. Patti finishes off with the pounding mid-pace of No Means No, and don’t you forget it! This is a big, ballsy finish with all of the band getting little cameos.
Big voice, big heart, big album.
Peach & Quiet – Just Beyond The Shine (Peach & Quiet Music)
Peach & Quiet are real life partners Heather Read and Jonny Miller but their wedding band name belies their music, which despite coming from the Canadian West Coast could easily be from across the border. Partners since meeting in 2019 they now release their debut album and that Californian feel first appears in the opening track, Empty To Fill, with its gentle warm breeze cutting through your cold January morning. Hugely influenced by The Byrds, they immediately show their experience and songwriting prowess; this is no straight off the boat duo. For My Love is slow, soft Country and sets the tone for what is going to be a gentle album. It’s here that you first get their harmony with Jonny taking lead vocal as he did in the opener. They keep it simple and it’s not cutting edge but then again, does everything need to be? I love the mournful guitar. Heather takes lead vocal for the first time on California Way and its Country sounds hark back to My Old Kentucky Home at times. I can see that this is an album that is going to be one for relaxing to. The warm, gentle sound just makes you feel comfortable. Add to that, they are good musicians and there’s such a lovely guitar tone. Shoreline After A Storm has sultry and alluring sounds with Heather continuing on lead vocal. There is a short languid guitar solo, or is it pedal steel, that fits to perfection and Steve Dawson, who also produced the album, is the source of that.
They share lead vocals on Lucky In Love and their gentle Americana is infectious. They’ll probably not love me for saying that its music that you don’t need to scrutinise too much, just sit back and listen. The pedal steel on this is sublime. There’s an overarching Country feel to the album but there’s Folk, Americana and Soft Rock involved too. Will You is Folk with Country inflections but still delivered in their gentle style though. It’s clean, clear guitar tones are well placed and although it’s not music for everyone, you should just take it as it is intended. They keep the songs short on the whole and with no big solos or egos. They continue this with There’s A Very Good Chance but some may say that this, and others, is overly sweet. However, I’m not going to criticise them for that given the year we’ve had. We just need something nice in our lives every now and then. I have to say that the slide on acoustic guitar is very well executed. Flowers Grow is reminiscent of Mamas and Papas and their ilk, yet with a Folk Rock feel too. It’s back to that 60s California feel; I was never there but this just sounds like it. They close with one to look forward to Spring in Seven Daffodils, the only song which neither Heather nor Jonny has written. It’s still in their gentle style and there’s been no pace to speak of throughout the album. Another one reminiscent of The Byrds at times, particularly in the chorus, but that’s not a bad thing.
I’m getting a strange feeling that I’ll be listening to more than one of these tracks pretty often through 2021 and beyond.
Kat Pearson - My Roots (ToneTrade Productions)
Despite Kat Pearson’s career having already spanned 20 years this is my first taste of her music. Born in East Long Beach and raised in Los Angeles, Kat and her family are steeped in Gospel and the Blues and her roots go all the way back to the cotton fields of Tennessee. Now based in the UK and after going through various transformations, Kat & Co and Speakeasy, she has now released her latest solo album, My Roots. This is an extremely personal album, full of memories and stories of her family. Beginning with Cane Creek, a laid back opener with fluid lugubrious guitar from Francesco Accurso, which suits the swamp Blues feel of the song. Her vocal goes barely beyond spoken tones but you can hear hints of a smoky character to it. When The Blues Is Over is slightly more upbeat and with jazz piano interludes, is a markedly different tack from the opener. Nino Menci’s piano is to the forefront on Where I Belong, a bit of a lounge Blues but one where Kat comes out of her shell vocally, if only slightly. The Truth gives us an almost spoken vocal and led by the piano and a slinky guitar, it is very easy on the ears. I remember reviewing a guy called David Basse some years ago and this song is reminiscent of some of his work. Emotions and family ties are plentiful on the eerie, Ode To My Mother, which is followed by one of the few upbeat tracks, Can’t Leave It Alone. Until I Get What I Need starts off with a solo grungy guitar before setting off on a Blues riff and Kat joining in on vocal. Only the two instruments, but they deliver a very powerful song. The penultimate song is probably the most upbeat of them all and Nothing Left To Lose is also the most traditional Blues on offer. The last track is a bonus track and what a bonus! Kat saves the best for last for a shuffling Blues with outstanding slide guitar fills. However, Labour’s Train has a powerful message about how newly released slaves had to catch the Labour’s Train to go and find work. At 2:46, it’s just not long enough, and I’m left wanting more.
Kat Pearson is a unique artist with a unique style and more power to her.
Grant Peeples – Bad Wife (Continental Song City)
This album was released as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of American women getting their right to vote. So, we have an album of songs written by women and played by guys, Grant Peeples doesn’t take the easy path, even when it comes to the name of the album which has proved a little contentious. Bad Wife is a selection of songs that he has collected over the years and written by women with whom he has worked during those years. He hasn’t changed any of the words to make a song come from the perspective of a man and you get that from the first line of the first song, Crying Out, which is “When the lights are off, I need a man to touch”. Written by Carrie Elkin, this has Grant’s sharp vocal full of vibrato and bass tones over a gentle Americana sound. Phoebe Blume’s 3:52 a.m. stays with a slow pace but has the added message of leaving, a Western style delivery and a fractured guitar. There’s no discernible increase in pace on Unsustainable, an old style Country tune written by Eliza Gilkyson with a silky guitar solo and we still get gentle tones on the Caroline Spence and Stephanie Lambring written Slow Dancer. This has fiddle from George Elders added to it and the tones and feel makes me think of Lynn Miles and Lynne Hanson. He’s still not out of first gear by the time we get to Iris and the concept of him singing these songs is still a bit hard to get your head around sometimes. This one, written by Telisha Williams is the latest song about the strength of women both inwards and outwards.
The title track is dark and tackles some serious subjects such as self-loathing and unworthiness in relationships. Written by Ali Holder it is much more grittier musically than those that have gone before. Grant’s vibrato is back in force on Dayna Kurtz’s Venezuela and its gentle Latin sounds come across as Willie Nelson Americana. This album is enveloped in a tone, a pace and a subject and Keep Trying encapsulates all three. Written by Alicia McGovern, this is Americana of the purest form. Rebekah Pulley’s Rich Man is acoustic, as is most of the rest of the album but unlike most it is a love song. It’s very short though. Good Actress is even shorter and this Sarah McElhaney song is presented a capella and has a feel of both Blues and Native American vibes with a story of the mask that some people put on just to get through the day. Market Town is noted as a bonus track and that is exactly what it is. Written by Myskin and originally recorded by Peeples in 2011, it takes us back to the gentle acoustic sounds of Americana with added accordion/harmonium and minimal percussion. It really is a beautiful song to finish with and, I’m led to believe, his favourite of any song he has ever covered.
Pentral – What Lies Ahead Of Us
Hailing from Belem in Northern Brazil, Pentral bring us a sound that is both heavy and melodic Rock whilst sending out political and ecological reminders of what is going on in Brazil and the wider world. Pentral stands for ‘spirit’ in Latin, indicative of the message this band is trying to inspire via their sound - the need to transcend this material world through the power of music, without losing connection with reality and human frailties. They open with the seven-minute Silent Trees, which was released as a single earlier in the year. Rainforest sounds and female Shamanic chants are a prelude to trees being felled then into the music. This is for fans of Heavy and Prog Rock, Iron Maiden and their ilk. It’s a mid-pace, gnarly warning of destruction with an intricate acoustic middle section which all adds to the atmosphere. Another of the singles is All My Wounds and they up the pace for this one, a more straightforward heavy Rock. Soaring vocals from Victor Lima with obligatory snarls where required and with his brother Vagner (drums) and Joe Ferri (bass) and drum playing at breakneck speed. Victor is also the bands guitarist and rips it out at times here as the song finishes almost as quickly as it started. Staccato, shredding beats herald Disconnected and this confirms a power trio of some repute. They do have a series of melodic interludes amongst the mayhem though. There is an acoustic start to Letters From Nowhere with a female humming in the background, representing the forest I assume, before the gentle sounds are soon replaced by the harsher electric sounds that represent the story of the Amazon being ripped apart. Complex, layered echoes as if straight from the forest. The last of the singles is Aiming For The Sun with its shredding guitars and Iron Maiden posturing. Victor just tells it like it is via his classic heavy Rock voice and lets out some lung bursting, beseeching notes towards the end. Strong and powerful drumming from Vagner going on here too.
The acoustic A Gift From God is maybe not the best track on the album but when Victor does let his voice go, it can soar. He’s pleading for the rainforest as the song explodes into life for the final minute or so. No Real Colour In Souls has an anti-racist message with a drum fest at the start. Bass and guitar join for pretty standard power trio fare but it’s the message that you have to pick up on rather than the riffs. They produce light and shade as the they go through the passages of play and they keep you guessing as you never know what is coming next. They’re not predictable, that’s for sure. Victor brings us some lightning guitar at times. There are power chords aplenty on The Shell I’m Living In and this is a band with a conscience. Victor is happier in the higher ranges when he’s singing and the light and shade are there again, which is a big feature of their music. Victor is a good guitar player and he does love a bit of theatre. The grinding opus, Are You Satisfied?, will take you through the gamut of emotions as it goes from spectral Prog Rock into slicing Heavy Rock and beyond, all done with passion and soul. The final unique track, the last two being radio edits of Silent Trees and Aiming For The Sun, is The Law and they are going out with a bang. Another one around the eight-minute mark, its machine gun guitar is an assault on your senses and intended to bring out an emotional response. They go through the movements like a classical music piece and inject Latin themes in the acoustic guitar segment. Victor rocks it out on guitar to the end with Vagner and Joe able to carry that power throughout.
Phantom Blues Band – Still Cookin’ (Vizztone)
One from my 'You may have missed this' pile. Released in January before the website was opened and didn't make it onto my old blog.
All you have to say is that the Phantom Blues Band are the touring band for the legendary Taj Mahal and you know what company you are in. This is my first interaction with the Phantom Blues Band since their 2007 album, Footprints and it was with baited breath that I started to play the opening track, Don’t Fight It. The cobwebs were blown away as they launched into a New Orleans style swinging Blues. There’s lots of horns, steamy vocals and banging piano. A classy opener! The slinky Stop Runnin has Hammond B3 and horns aplenty. There’s some good interaction between the two vocalists and they show that they are such a tight outfit. Guitarist Lee Schell gets in on the act with a pinging and popping solo. They’ve got that New Orleans groove again on Wingin. This is all slide guitar and gentle swing and boy, are these guys laid back dudes. Very reminiscent of Little Feat. I’m getting The Rolling Stones meets The Big Easy on Just In Case. You can’t fail to have a good time listening to this, I know I certainly did. Mike Finnigan’s Hammond tries to outdo the horns on this great, fun track and the guys must have such an enjoyable time playing it. They slow it down for the emotion filled Blues How They Linger. This piano Blues has a smokin’ Sax solo from Joe Sublett and all you need to do is grab a glass and relax. Shine On is a bit of an oddity. Granted its Gospel fuelled and has a great message but the Reggae beat just doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the set, despite it being well executed. It would be interesting to hear it on a Reggae album.
Better But Not Good is a barroom piano Jazz Blues and we’re firmly in Louisiana on this one. It’s followed by Tequila Con Yerba which translates as tequila with weed. I don’t know what these guys are up to, honest! This has Latin rhythms as the band branches out into Mexico and maybe even Cuba with Les Lovitt’s trumpet slicing through the rhythm like a rapier. Bad Blood is a Tony Joe White Steamy Windows type song as the band gets down in the swamp. The gruff vocal and swirling guitar add to the effect but it’s those horns that keep grabbing your attention. It’s old style R&B for Fess Up and Otis Redding and Sam Cooke are just two who I could imagine singing this and the swinging, strolling Blues of I’m Just Your Fool harks back to the dance halls. They close with the slow, soulful Country Blues of I Was Blind. Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne come to mind and there are touches of The Band in there too. A lovely song to finish with.
Shawn Pittman – Stompin’ Solo (Must Have Music)
Not known for his acoustic guitar playing, Shawn Pittman has spent some of the lockdown recording Stompin’ Solo, an album of, yes, you’ve guessed it, solo acoustic songs. Mixing originals with some classic acoustic Blues, Pittman has delivered an album that will make you sit up and listen. He bookends the album with two Mance Lipscomb instrumentals, Mance’s Rock and the wonderfully titled Spanish Flang Dang. The opener is almost Rockabilly in its execution with Blues and Rock & Roll elements giving that feel with the closer full of Latin themes and a clockwork tempo. Both highlight the power and fingers of steel required to play this kind of acoustic music. Shawn’s strong playing comes through well on the first of the originals, Leanin’ Load. His drawled vocal fits perfectly for the man and guitar set up. Ode To Texas is the first outright Blues and this Delta Blues confirms his status as a real Bluesman with superb solos. A class act and a classy song. The originals keep coming with the funky Blues of Fly Swattin’ Woman. I’m sure that there is an allegory in here for any flies going into Shawn’s house! Another straight up Blues is a cover of Frankie Lee Sims’ Talk Didn’t Do No Good and with Shawn’s fingers working at lightning speed, it’s another short, sharp little gem. Shawn switches to R&B/Soul for Go Down Swingin’ and you almost forget he’s playing an acoustic guitar. His voice fits perfectly again as he moulds it into the different genre and I’m sure you’ll agree that going down swinging is the way we’ll all want to go. Lightnin’ Hopkins is a true acoustic Blues legend (and cousin of Frankie Lee Sims from earlier on) and Shawn’s cover of Lightnin’s Stomp gives us all the bells and whistles as he pulls out all the stops. A superbly played instrumental that is a highlight.
It’s back to the original compositions for the truthful Somebody Gonna Lose, Somebody Gonna Win and this striding Blues is going to become a hallmark of Shawn’s acoustic side. No Such Thing has echoed guitar and fuzzed vocal giving a vintage feel and brings us a cascade of guitar brilliance in the middle. It’s back to the Delta for Pressin’ Your Luck and slide is brought in for yet another strong song and Bukka White inspired, Early In The Morning and I for one feel so relaxed after listening to this. You can imagine some of the songs transferring over to electric but none more so than Take A Real Good Look. This is a driving Blues rocker that will be an excellent addition to Shawn’s electric shows and talking of electric favourites, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson’s Sweet Lovin’ Mama is already there. This acoustic version is a rhythmic, chugging Blues and shows up well in the different format. That’s Alright is a gentle song of resignation. Written by Jimmie Rogers it’s a pragmatic tale about lost love but how it’s alright. Like the rest of the album, Shawn’s playing is fluid. The album is finished with the aforementioned Spanish Flang Dang and neatly finishes an album as surprising as it is good. An excellent addition to Shawn Pittman’s armoury!
Shawn Pittman – Make It Right (Continental Blue Heaven)
Oklahoma native and Dallas resident Shawn Pittman releases his 13th album, Make It Right. Unlucky for some? Let us see. Any fears are dispelled by the gritty, crushing urban Blues of the opener, I Done Tole You So! This is Shawn telling it like it is and delivering some supercharged guitar. Finger On The Trigger is a funky Blues and a slow grinding one at that. Shawn shows his class with expressive guitar work with the rhythm section providing a perfect foil. The upbeat, pulsating fuzzed guitar of Make It Right! follows and what’s not to like? He loses it slightly on the vocal at times but that doesn’t particularly detract from the overall effect. I get feelings of the swamp on I Feel Good and it has that otherworldly sense to it. It’s got such a sound that it takes you back to the dawn of electrified Blues (not that I was there, of course). There Will Be A Day is a funky Blues in the style of Howlin’ Wolf’s Killing Floor. Shawn is a very flowing player dispensing a flurry of notes and this is as good an upbeat Blues as you’ll hear this year. The slow Blues of How Long brings a sense of calm to the proceedings. However, Shawn’s playing takes you in and out of that tranquility with his staggering dexterity.
For Right Now is a slight step away from the Blues and into Soul. It’s not the best track on the album and by that I mean that it doesn’t reach the standard of others, not that it’s not a good song. He’s back on form with the jagged staccato sounds of Cold Sweat. There are a few influences in Shawn’s style and this instrumental is part Albert Collins, part Lightning Hopkins. We’re back on familiar ground with the Stevie Ray Vaughan style Swing Blues of Woke Up Screaming and Shawn rolling the notes from his guitar. There’s a tale for all of us on Let It Go as I’m sure most of us have something that we haven’t. For this slow Blues we have drums going like a train pulling out of the station and Shawn’s signature guitar as he bends the life out of the strings at times. He stays on the slow side for the Chicago Blues of Fair Weather Friend. There’s no doubting that the guitar is the star of the show and that does mean that the vocals are passed over at times but I have to say that he does come across well in that respect too. Shawn finishes with the call and response slide guitar extravaganza that is I’m Done. Seeing that the album only took two days to record in Denmark with the famous rhythm section of Erkan and Levent Ozdemir this was probably recorded in one take; it’s short and sweet and is a great end to the album.
Abby Posner – Dear 2020
Los Angeles based singer and multi-instrumentalist Abby Posner brings us her letter to 2020. Dear 2020 is rootsy Americana and is upbeat musically, despite the year we’ve all had. She uses the vision of 2020 to look forward and sings of hope for the future as this year will be gone the same as others. It may well be that you need everything to fall apart so that you can rebuild and that is essentially what the song is about. It’s well sung with fine guitar breaks and yes, it does give hope for the future. In Abby’s words, “It takes some time to mend but there is hope around the bend”. Here’s to 2021 and perhaps a new album?
Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters – The Fastest Outlaw
The Fastest Outlaw is the latest in a series of original singles from this Scottish power trio. It’s a solid Blues Rock with a strong vocal from Potts. Ably backed as usual by the rhythm section of Charlie Wild on bass and drummer Jonny Christie, Potts turns in some outstanding slide work both in unison with his voice and in the solo. The single is available for download from Bandcamp as of 6th August and available for streaming on all major platforms from the 13th. An album can’t be that far away, can it?
Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters – It Won’t Be Long
This is the third in a series of original singles from Edinburgh’s Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters and it’s a stomping jackhammer Chicago style Blues. Potts is in good form vocally with a particular snarl coming out at times. The song is hypnotic with rise and fall, light and shade all coming into play. It’s another fine effort and one that will stand them in good stead for the future with its cautionary tale of someone who has finally snapped. All you naggers beware!
Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters – Swashbucklin’
Edinburgh Blues trio Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters are cut from the cloth of classic British Blues and this mid paced strolling, shuffling Blues will help spread the word. Potts takes on vocal and guitar duties and his jagged, often unwieldy, guitar a la Wilco Johnson in parts comes with interesting picked effects from his strings towards the end. It’s sung pretty straight and a solid rhythm section in the form of bassist Charlie Wild (should have been the drummer with a surname like that) and Jonny Christie on drums provides a strong base on which to build. I look forward to hearing more but in the meantime I’m off to search for my inner pirate!
Trevor B. Power - What Is Real (Farm 189 Records)
New Jersey's Trevor B. Power is a student of Woody Guthrie's songwriting and writes about what he sees. He's had plenty to look at over the last 12 months and plenty of material for his second album, What Is Real. Opening with World Gone Madd, a striding Country rocker with solid slide guitar. It's a pumping start to the album. The soulful Get Well Johnny follows with harmonica and organ to the fore. Backing singers also join for this Blues as Trevor turns on his velvet voice and Will Wilde's harp brings a couple of lung bursting runs. For Pandemic 2020, Power goes all Springsteen and Mellencamp for a mid paced rocker, which at times reminds me of (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love & Understanding. The sentiments of the song are all in the right place and here's hoping that we all get out of it unscathed. It's back to Country for I'm Still In and it's here that things start to go a bit awry for Trevor. The song isn't particularly a stand out although his vocal has remained fine despite the changes of genre. There's a brief return to form for the 7 minute grungy, grinding Chicago Blues, Easier Way. The harmonica is to the fore again and there's no big solos as such with Trevor allowing the band to do their collective thing.
He covers a few genres on the album and perhaps this has had an adverse result on the whole. Life Is Good is another in the Country vein and it's a good ole tune that rattles along at a decent pace. However, I get the feeling that the album is starting to peter out after a good start when we reach Sexy Witch. Trevor has a bit of grit in his vocal and New York Jazz singer Danielle Illario plays the foil. It's basic Country Rock and not his best. A bit of the grit remains for I'm A Fool, a Country ballad, but the dip in quality remains. I'm not getting any passion when I listen to Woman, a mid paced Blues shuffler and although the guitar does add a level but I feel that if he could have lifted his vocal it would have made it a different song altogether. The album closes with the gentle acoustic This Old Road. 12 string guitar is introduced which gives it a different tone but its another that doesn't reach its potential. I feel that this is an album strewn with missed opportunities and he could have lifted the level of a few songs with stronger vocals and maybe not trying to shoehorn the lyrics in as he often does. It's disappointing that the album has failed to capitalise on such a good start.
www.trevorpowerband.com
Kerri Powers – Session 19 (Digital Only)
This 5 track, digital only, EP is Bostonian Kerri Powers’ response to the Covid crisis with each song related in some way. They are songs of longing and a need for change and speaking of change, the opener When A Clown Thinks He’s King is the perfect modern protest song. It’s gentle Folk but if you are looking for a new President/Prime Minister then this is your theme song. Staying with Folk of the distinctive American variety, Memory Lane is a song of reflection, of reminiscence and highlights how powerful just having voice and guitar is. Diamond Day follows and although it’s still low key, the sombre feel fits perfectly with the way everyone is at the moment. The song itself steps out of the Folk idiom and into a more contemporary Americana feel, perhaps drawing comparisons to Tift Merritt, Lucinda Williams and Shelby Lynne. Kerri stays in the Americana field for the eminently lovely Shadow Of Someone before changing to piano for the final track, Keep You Closest. She’s remained low-key and reflective for the entirety of the EP and this is no different. It sounds like it could have been a Jackson Browne song but it more than stands on its own. You can just drift away on the strains of Kerri’s soothing tones and forget about your woes.
This is an excellent introduction to the tender song-writing skills of Kerri Powers.
The Lena Prima Big Band – Live In Concert (Basin Street Records)
Daughter of well-known songwriter and bandleader Louis Prima, Lena Prima has carried on his infectious energy and transplanted it into her live show with her own 14 piece big band. Recorded in Las Vegas last year, Prima and her band give us the full big show experience starting with the Jazz standard, I’ve Got You Under My Skin. They give it an up-tempo cha-cha beat which fits the song very well. Big Band Jazz arrives in the form of Come On A My House which shows that Prima’s got the voice and the band has the chops. As I said earlier, Lena’s father was Louis Prima and many of you might know him as the voice of King Louie in Disney’s The Jungle Book, or am I showing my age? He wrote and sang I Wanna Be Like You and with the addition of (The Monkey Song) to the title his daughter performs her father’s song with panache. It’s not the original but who could surpass that? It’s another oldie to follow up and Eddie Cantor’s hit from 1946, Josephine Please No Lean (On The Bell) comes with a good story about her father and Jimmy Durante. She has a great rapport with the audience and her big voice is well supported by her superb band. After their explosive opening few tracks, the band takes a bit of a rest at the start of Oh Marie as the piano takes the lead. It doesn’t last long though and before long they’re back at it and bursting into life. The song has that enveloping feeling of times gone by. She dips into her Italian heritage often on the album and the band is back on form for Darktown Strutter’s Ball. Although Lena’s voice dips a little at the start, she recovers well for a big finish. It’s often thought that Benny Goodman wrote Sing Sing Sing but it was in fact Lena’s father. It’s such a famous song even if you don’t know the title and it has to be one of my favourite pieces of Jump Jazz music of all time. Lena and the band turn in a fantastic version too, so all’s good!
Clarinet and piano lead off on Pensate Amore (Think Love) and I’ve heard this many times on Italian holidays. It’s a lovely, gentle song with an excellent trumpet solo and you really get the feeling that you are in the room. The band is in full swing mode on the Jump Blues of the snappily titled 5 Months 2 Weeks 2 Days, Jump Jive ‘An Wail and they continue with their big sound on the 1965 recording, See That You’re Born An Italian. Another of her father’s songs, Please No Squeeza Da Banana, is a cautionary tale about not squeezing an Italian’s fruit – I’m saying nothing else! Lena and the band having a good old time on this song, originally from 1945. They move things on a couple of years for Chi Baba Chi Baba, a number 1 for Perry Como. It’s just piano and vocal for this Italian lullaby and to be honest, that’s all it needs. Just A Gigolo (I Ain’t Got Nobody) is another famous song and everyone gets involved in a singlong including a couple of guys up on stage from the audience. Sounds like they’re having a great time (alcohol may have been involved). Things are rounded off with the classic, Don’t Rain On My Parade from the film and stage show, Funny Girl. It’s a big, grandstanding finish with the band in full flow.
Live In Concert does exactly what it says on the cover, but Lena and the band also bring you in and make you feel like you are sitting in a front row table.
John Primer & Bob Corritore – The Gypsy Woman Told Me (VizzTone)
Bob Corritore teams up with former Muddy Waters, Magic Slim and Junior Wells guitarist John Primer for their third album together. They add a stellar cast for an album of Chicago Blues that is hard to beat. They start with Keep A-Driving with Primer’s smoky vocal and driving, shuffling guitar backed by Corritore’s blazing harp to produce a Chicago Blues par excellence. Add to that some wonderful piano and a guitar solo that helps to work up a storm and what a start you have. The title track is one of Muddy Waters’ most famous songs and although it’s slower than the opener, it’s still a classy Blues. Corritore maintains his style and form throughout with some parts very intricate. Primer matches him with his guitar buzzing like a bee. Knockin’ On Your Door is a strolling Blues and one which suits Primer’s wonderful voice which has years of experience in every note. As it progresses it turns into an Albert King kind of funky Blues. The acoustic Gambling Blues is heading towards the Delta with a familiar tale of losing one’s money through gambling and the feeling that comes afterwards. Primer picks away at the strings while Corritore blows up a good one. It’s back to electric for the familiar melody, yet a Primer original, of Little Bitty Woman. Slide guitar, rampant drums and piano feature well here. Walking The Back Streets And Crying is a classic slow, powerful Chicago Blues with Primer in top form both vocally and on guitar added to lung bursting notes from Corritore.
There’s an upbeat, funky version of JJ Cale’s classic, Same Old Blues. It’s different, especially with Corritore’s deep harmonica tones, and doesn’t fail the original. My Imagination is played at strolling pace and confirms Primer’s classic Blues voice. Corritore soars to the highest notes as he goes through the range with piano giving great backing and a rhythm section on top form. Let’s Get Together is a vibrant Blues played with style and panache and with Corritore just confirming that he’s one of the best around. It sounds like Primer could sing all day and night and still not break sweat and his simple and effective guitar sets the whole song up. Primer opens up on a familiar tale of lost love on Left Me With A Broken Heart and you can believe his grief. This slow Blues has Corritore’s harmonica full of vibrato as he moves up and down the instrument at lightning speed at times. Melancholy guitar from Primer adds to the overall feeling of sadness. The Primer original, Walked So Long is a standard Blues shuffler with Primer back on acoustic guitar, bass more to the forefront and Corritore warbling away with so many effects coming out of his harp. They finish with Ain’t Gonna Be No Cuttin’ A Loose, an Elmore James style pounding Blues with Corritore throwing everything at it. This is one to get your feet moving to and Primer gets into the act with a liquid solo. This is a storming finish with both of them vying for the last word and I’m sure they could have continued for quite a while.
Q
R
The R Train Band – Flip Out Zone
Flip Out Zone is the first single from The R Train’s debut album, to be released soon. On this they send out a message of intent with the rousing intro and an almost 70s Punk vocal. The Brooklyn band delivers an all action, energetic performance, ragged at the edges in all the right places. Driven forward by a lively rhythm section of Mike Annese (drums) and Denny Lee (bass), the jagged guitar of Jeffrey Black weaves in and out. In the words of the band “Flip Out Zone was written with the pressures of life in mind… to break from monotony and send a new message of ‘wake up to reality and be who you really want to be.” All bodes well for the album later this year.
Felix Rabin - Pogboy EP
This 6 track EP is being launched on 17th April to follow up what is expected to be a very successful support stint on Samantha Fish’s UK tour beginning at the end of February. Opening with the powerful Walk, Rabin performs with a maturity beyond his 24 years. On the soft side of Rock, Walk is a throwback to the days of melody in Rock music. This is followed by a radio edit of Moving On, suggesting that this could be a single in its own rite and is likely to be the face of the EP. Softer and mellower than the opener, it does feature Felix’s guitar more prominently and adds a horn section. This is a soulful , relaxing song and highlights his understated guitar style. Say (You Won’t Leave Me) is a highlight. Grittier and funkier than the opening two tracks, it echoes of Prince and Stax as the guitar finally gets unleashed. Angels is a slow, pounding Blues Rock with a deliciously delicate vocal. Pogboy comes from the Pog guitar effects pedal that Felix uses to great effect throughout the EP but none more so than on this track. Bit of a mini theme starting here with the next song, Death. Obligatory ballad but with Spanish and Jazz themes which lift it from the ordinary. It’s a long one at over 7 minutes but you’ll be swept along with it, particularly on the soaring guitar solo, so much that you’ll hardly notice time passing. This is likely to be a favourite at his gigs. The EP closes with Gone, a pulsing, metronomic mid-paced Rocker. This builds to great effect with the horns playing a prominent part. Felix saves his most passionate vocal for the end and it’s fitting that it fades out with his excellent guitar It’s certainly worth following up on Felix Rabin as he has the credentials to carve out a very good career.
The EP can be pre-ordered at https://www.felixrabin.com/store
Jose Ramirez – Whatever She Wants (Delmark Records)
Costa Rica’s premier Blues artist Jose Ramirez was recently nominated for a Blues Music Award for his 2020 debut album, Here I Come (reviewed on BluesBlues) and he now brings us this soulful, slow and sultry Blues as his latest single. The aching vocal tells a tale of a man who will cross the line for his love with keyboards from Andre Reyes Jr and the rhythm section of Kenny Watson Jr and Antonio Reyes providing a solid base for Jose’s stinging, and often screeching, guitar.
The future is bright for Jose Ramirez.
Jose Ramirez – Here I Come (Own Label)
32 year old Jose Ramirez is Costa Rica’s premier Blues artist and although he has toured in Europe and the USA, his debut album, Here I Come is likely to get him the attention he deserves and builds on his second place finish in the 2020 International Blues Challenge. The slinky Blues of the title track starts things off and although it’s the piano that’s in the forefront, it is Jose’s punchy guitar solo that will make your ears prick up. Freddie Simon’s I Miss You Baby is one of only two covers on the album and the big band, jazzy nightclub Blues are smooth and calming. It’s a polished performance all round but the melancholic sax stands out for special mention. The piano does play a big part in Jose’s band and stands out on the funky, striding Blues of Gasoline And Matches along with the controlled power of Jose’s guitar solo. He has a guitar style that is very familiar, and it stands out on One Woman Man, but I can’t just place it for the moment. I won’t let his guitar playing take anything away from his voice and the breathless quality he has here somehow suits the Latin piano to a tee. Goodbye Letter is another slow, smooth Blues with the piano taking a lead role. It’s always high up in the mix with the rhythm section remaining unobtrusive. Everything about this screams ‘top class’ and the guitar solo has notes being cascaded like a waterfall just as the ice has started melting after Winter. This is an epic track as guitar and piano share the burden.
The Way You Make Me Feel is horn led soul with the piano up there as usual. The band gets on a slow groove with muted trumpet in evidence. Its organ for a welcome change on Three Years and this slow, strolling Blues is late night, grown-up music. He’s not really injected any pace so far but that’s not been a problem. The drums are more prominent here and bring along Jose’s fluid, easy going guitar. There’s a nice little cinematic nod to The Godfather at the end. Horns lead again on As You Can See and there’s still no pace but, hey we’re having fun. Jose shows his vocal range and pulls out a performance on this classy, sophisticated Blues. His burgeoning guitar has some enjoyable progression. There’s a church organ introduction to Waiting For Your Call, a mid-paced Soul offering. It builds well as the band joins in with the organ, horns and guitar complementing each other and an outstanding sax solo. The other cover on the album is Robert Johnson’s Traveling Riverside Blues and Jose gives it a different treatment than usual. He slowed it down, given it a funky groove and added organ. It’s not one for the purists who may believe that the soul has been taken out of it. If you hadn’t heard the original then you might not be so critical. It’s a hard task taking a Robert Johnson song and trying to make it something different. Jose’s guitar work is great and the band on the nail as usual but choice of song maybe not the best for trying to put your own stamp on despite the Latin stylings towards the end. He finishes with Stop Teasing Me and mid-paced is as fast as we get. This is a smooth, funky Blues and one I can imagine Joe Bonamassa taking on. Is the guitar of a similar quality? No, but it’s still pretty damn good. The organ is peppering notes here, there and everywhere and for me has been the star of the show.
Kid Ramos & Bob Corritore – Phoenix Blues Sessions (Southwest Musical Arts Foundation/VizzTone)
The second album in Bob Corritore’s ‘From The Vaults’ series features recording sessions with guitarist Kid Ramos in the late 1990’s and early 2000s. Guest artists include Henry Gray, Nappy Brown, Big Pete Pearson, Chico Chism, Doctor Fish and Chief Schabuttie Gilliame. Originally issued in 2012, Corritore has added four previously unreleased tracks this time around and removed some of the originals. Opening with Aw Shucks Baby with Nappy Brown’s deep bass vocal and Corritore blowing a good one on the harp from the off. This is a fast and great start to the album. Its piano and guitar to the fore on the first of the new tracks, Tommy Dorsey’s Come On In. We are treated to the first lead guitar from Ramos and it’s a treat. The slurred vocal befits the theme of the song and Corritore stays in the background this time. 24 Hours is a slow Chicago Blues and another of the new additions. Written by Eddie Boyd it features a mournful and powerful vocal with Kid missing his woman and Corritore must have lungs like bellows judging by some of the notes that he holds. Chief Schabuttie Gilliame takes over vocal duties for his own song, No More Doggin, and his bass vocal is a perfect fit for this Blues which is a cross between John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf. The metronomic feel is punctuated throughout as Ramos lets loose on guitar. Henry Gray is next on vocals and piano on Elmore James’ I Held My Baby Last Night. Gray’s sorrowful vocal is suited to this slow Blues and Corritore is never far away from the action with his harmonica. Natural Ball is piano led again, this time by Tom Mahon, and the tale is to live life where you can. Written by Big Pete Pearson and featuring his gritty vocal and Corritore’s harp blowing like a gale, this is very easy to listen to.
Don Robey’s Mother In Law Blues is another of the additions and the slow and mournful Blues is a well-worn tale of a wife walking away due to the singers drinking. However, this one also involves the mother in law and you know that’s never going to go well. Ramos includes laid back guitar and the pianist plays an effective part, tinkling away in the background. The next of the new tracks is the more up-tempo They Raided That Joint, which has barrelhouse style piano. What is confirmed here that we are dealing with a very tight band and there are no big solos to distract you from the main event. Blues songs are full of innuendo and imagery and Possum In My Tree is a fine example. Slide guitar and shouting vocal from Ramos and Pearson respectively pepper this tale of infidelity. I’ve not heard a Blues shouter for a while and the passion brought to this is second to none. Nappy Brown’s silky bass tones are back for Baby Don’t You Tear My Clothes and this is so different from the rest of the album with its jaunty feel. The upbeat feel continues with Talkin Bout You but gone is the silky vocal of Brown and we’re back to the streetwise vocal of Henry Gray on his own song. This takes us into the realms of Texas Blues and it’s another group effort with no big egos. They finish with Chief Shabuttie Gilliame’s powerful, smoky voice on his own composition, Snakes Crawls At Night and this grinding Muddy Waters style Chicago Blues is, although a slow ending, a decent way to finish the set.
Bob Corritore’s vaults continue to bring us some gems. I hope there’s more to come.
Johnny Rawls – Live In Europe (Continental Blue Heaven)
The term Soul Blues was invented to describe the music of Johnny Rawls and with a career spanning 50 years he’s a renowned songwriter, producer and recording artist. Live In Europe is his 20th release and captures a performance at the Bischofsmuhle in Hildesheim, Germany plus a couple of tracks recorded in Denmark. The gravelly Soul voice is immediately put into use on the slow and smooth Beast Of Burden before he turns onto a funky Blues riff on Country Boy with the band sliding into it easily. Guitarist, Kenan Ozdemir throws out a belting solo and Alberto Marsico is particularly prominent on Hammond organ. Too Weak To Fight is old style Soul and takes us back to the hey-day of 60s and 70s Soul whilst there’s a Northern Soul feeling to Can I Get It. The trio of out and out Soul songs is finished off by Turning Point, which brings us back to the style of the 60s and in which Johnny revels in.
The classic T-Bone Walker Blues of Stormy Monday gives Kenan the opportunity to shine and he takes it whilst Marisco flicks over the Hammond keys supremely. This is the added song from a concert in Vejle, Denmark. Johnny tries to whip up the audience with the fast tempo funky Soul of Into Something (Can’t Shake Loose) as the band finds a groove with Marisco in the lead. Johnny even breaks into a little James Brown in the mid-section. Pouring Water On A Drowning Man is a classy 60s Soul with a Blues theme and one of his best vocals. Marisco is the beating heart of the band and there’s a lovely cameo from Kenan on guitar. The rhythm section are also Ozdemir’s, Father Erkan on bass and his other son, Kenan’s brother Levent on drums. Lucy will get you moving as it bounces along. It’s upbeat, uncomplicated and good fun. He closes the album with the other added song, I Miss Otis Clay, which was recorded in one take in a studio in Copenhagen. It’s a tribute to his old friend and an emotional, gentle touch.
Dave Riley & Bob Corritore – Travelin’ The Dirt Road (Southwest Musical Arts Foundation/VizzTone)
Now a 15 year institution, the Mississippi and Chicago duo of guitarist/vocalist Dave Riley and harmonica ace/producer Bob Corritore have expanded and reissued their long out of print 2007 album, Travelin’ The Dirt Road. Comprising the original album plus two unissued originals from those initial sessions, it is the first of a ‘From The Vaults’ series that Corritore is bringing us from his own library of recordings. They open with the upbeat I’m Not Your Junkman. Riley’s smoky vocal is immediately evident and it is complimented by Corritore’s renowned harmonica style. Riley adds guitar and at times he rings off notes just like picking leaves from a tree. The song itself is about a man who has had enough of trash talk and telling his partner to take her trash to the junkyard. It’s the only song on the album not written by Riley himself, this one being from the pen of John Weston. They take on the mantle of guitar/harp duos very well and this is personified in the title track as Corritore’s wailing harp offsets this straight and simple rhythmic Blues. It’s not a fully electrified album as we can hear with the acoustic Overalls. This is a strange tale of someone wearing overalls and not really willing to disclose what’s underneath, or so I think. Come Here Woman is a slow Chicago Blues with sustained harmonica playing showing Corritore’s perfect breathing technique. At seven and a half minutes, it’s a rambling Blues with both playing to a high standard and Riley just giving it that authentic feel. The down and dirty Let’s Have Some Fun Tonight is a passionate shuffling Blues which has Riley playing from the heart but I’m sure he’ll agree that he’s not the best guitar player in the world. My Baby’s Gone is played in an upbeat Howlin’ Wolf fashion despite the theme of losing a partner. Deep tones from Corritore with some added rocking piano. Gritty, experienced vocal tells you that Dave’s been there and lived it.
The Muddy Waters style Chicago Blues of Voodoo Woman, Voodoo Man probably just gets my vote of track of the album but it is close. This is slow and deliberate with a classic Blues theme, Riley’s strings sometimes vibrating like a buzzing bee and Corritore warbling away on his harp. Throughout the album we go from Mississippi to Chicago and back again (sometimes in one song) and Way Back Home is a perfect example. However, this chugging 12 bar Boogie could relate to anyone looking for their own way back home. Riley has turned in his best guitar work on the last two tracks and they obviously had a good time recording this one, given the laughter at the end. Doggone Blues is a tale of a man and his dog. Slow and from the Delta, it’s a touching tune. One of the things that comes out of the album is that of Riley’s gruff, sometimes gritty, smoky voice and on Country Tough he uses it to its best. This song has Dave coming across as a man who has seen, and done, some things. They close with two short ones and I suspect that these are the added tracks. An upbeat shuffling Blues, Friends and an acoustic Delta/Country Blues, Safe At Last which I’m sure Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee would have been proud of.
Kid Ramos and Henry Gray will be the next releases from Bob Corritore’s vaults. Keep an eye out for those as hopefully they’ll be of the same quality as Travelin’ The Dirt Road.
Jason Ringenberg – Rhinestoned (Courageous Chicken Music)
One of the Godfathers of Americana, Jason Ringenberg had planned to take a step away from recording after his last album, Stand Tall, despite having some songs left over. However, during 2020 other songs quickly flowed out resulting in Rhinestoned. Overall, it’s his take on Nashville’s place in music, his place in Nashville and how they are changing. Two seconds into the opener, Before Love And War, and we get the Nashville feel with the tremolo arm on the guitar. He’s not lost anything vocally and he’s still poignant and provoking lyrically. This is strident Americana with lovely harmonies from daughters Addie and Camille. One thing about Jason is that he’s not conventional, not now or ever. He’s a true wordsmith, rousing, protesting and telling it how it is on The Freedom Rides Weren’t Free. Written before the racial unrest in 2020, this is a story based on those who fought against the segregated bus systems in the 1960s. The conversational Nashville Without Rhinestones reminds us that change is not always for the best and highlights him as a Country Punk, in the best sense of the word! He sings it straight with Kristi Rose on the cover of The Carter Family’s The Storms Are On The Ocean. This version is Folk and Celtic influenced and highly influenced by the Folk-Rock bands of 60s and 70s UK. Fats Kaplin appears on fiddle as Jason and Kristi serve up some excellent harmony. A surprise inclusion is the traditional Easter hymn, Christ The Lord Is Risen Today. This non-stop rocked up version has him sounding like a Southern preacher in places.
My favourite track is the brilliant I Rode With Crazy Horse and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did! Alt-Country inspiration with banjo and electric guitar in unison on the Celtic influenced runs. Has a way with words as I said previously and this has it all. Crank it up and listen to the beauty of the song, which came to him in a dream and is loosely based on an old Sioux legend of an unnamed cousin of Crazy Horse who fought alongside him at every battle until his death at Fort Robinson. My Highway Songs is more of a straight up Country song, if you ever get one from Jason. Deep, rich guitar is supplemented by strings, shuffling drums from Steve Ebe and steel guitar from Fats Kaplin. Simple and fantastic, you’ll be singing it too. A cover of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ Time Warp has Jason channelling his inner Hank Williams. It’s brilliantly played and well executed but just take the time to listen to those sublime lyrics. Talking of Hank, next up is a cover of You Win Again played in a suitably Barroom Country style and swings along just nicely, thank you very much, and the ragged harmonica just rounds it off perfectly. Stoned On Rhinestones is another straight up Country but with Jason’s particular slant on life. He heard Hank and is now stoned on rhinestones. I really did laugh out loud at this. He rocks it out on Keep That Promise with his distinctive vocal delivery confirming him as the Punk of Country. Harmonica blows up a storm on this storming Country rocker. He closes out with Window Town and it’s yet another of the many melodic songs he has picked for us here. He mellows his voice accordingly and musically has again shown he has the chops and the licks. Even within a genre, Ringenberg has shown he can cover all the sub genres and he has gentle Country Rock at the heart of this with Kaplin’s pedal steel ringing out as a rallying cry for the Nashville that Jason has seen come and go.
Jarkka Rissanen & Sons Of The Desert – Cargo (Humu Records)
Veteran Finnish bluesman, Jarkka Rissanen has played with many bands in his time but he has settled well with Sons Of The Desert. Cargo is the seventh solo release from Rissanen and it’s a 9-track instrumental mix of Blues styles from the Delta to Chicago and all places in between. I always find it more difficult to review instrumentals and a whole album of them is a challenge. They open with Tomcat and you immediately get the easy-going style of dual guitarists Rissanen and Markus Vaisanen as they slink around like two old tomcats, looking to get up to some mischief. The relaxing theme continues with Rocking Chair and they make it so that you believe you are sitting in your favourite chair. Rissanen has a laid-back style befitting his years and the syncopated drums of Esa Karki just encourage you to sit back and let your dreams carry you away. The title track has more of an edge to it, it’s a bit heavier. Vaisanen more than matches Rissanen on this as they complement each other throughout. New band member, Ilpo Komulainen, has a more prominent bass part here too. The whole thing has more pronounced and deliberate note making but with subtle pace and key changes. Each song has to be taken in isolation as an album full of instrumentals can be a bit too much. On Mousetrap, slide guitar is introduced sparingly and the notes that are picked out are a bit grizzly in places, smooth in others. It’s a good exchange of with expert players exercising their right to play. The slightly more up-tempo Tofu Queen is next and brings images of desert islands with the warm breeze blowing across your face. Tofu? I don’t know why. What I do know is that they can conjure up light and shade just with a flick of the wrist and a pick of the plectrum.
Pictures of the old Wild West come with Pow-Wow . Slide guitar deployed again along with strong beats on the tom toms. It’s a strong, powerful sound and the images invoked take you back in time. With instrumentals you are forced into using your imagination and each one is a blank canvas for everyone who listens to it. The Bull has jarring and jagged electric over a Latin tinged acoustic base. It’s moody and atmospheric with Karki driving it on. Another of the more up-tempo tracks is Roll Call. This is like perpetual motion, like a train on the tracks. The band are working well here, as they have on the rest of the album, but particularly here. they have on most of course. I think that this would have been a prime track to be set to an old video on The Old Grey Whistle Test. They finish with Once Upon A Time and they slow it down a final six-minute epic which, like some of the others strays into prog rock land. It’s a d dreamscape on which to float away and shows that skill of light and shade to its highest level. Sometimes you forget that there are no lyrics it becomes suitably ragged and disjointed towards the end.
I’ve listed this as a Blues album but it is so much more. It’s an album of guitar artistry that goes across the genres using Blues as its base and exploring the wide musical universe.
Skylar Rogers – Firebreather
In the last couple of years Skylar Rogers has put together a band she calls the Blue Diamonds and a style she calls Soul Rockin’ Blues. The result of that work comes in the shape of her new album, Firebreather which opens with the sassy, grinding Blues of Hard Headed Woman. This has just the right amount of Funk to make the groove and with Skylar’s power vocals and stinging guitars from Steven J Hill and Marty Gibson. Skylar is Chicago born and she has Chicago in her Blues chops. A highlight and we’re only at track one. What you will soon find is that Skylar has such a tone to her contralto voice and she uses it to full effect on Back To Memphis. It’s a mid-paced Blues, pretty much played straight up with the guitars on a feast of note bending. She funks it up on Work, with Pete Zimmer’s keyboards coming more into it along with the driving rhythm section of Jerry Ewing (bass) and ‘Disco Fuzz’ Bradley Arl on drums. The power continues on the funky Blues Rock of Like Father Like Daughter with Hill and Gibson swapping lead duties to great effect. Failure is not a word that should be in Skylar’s lexicon and this slow, contemporary Soul Blues is far from that. She is clear and precise in her extended notes and the well-worn theme about the only success in life is to have loved someone is told in such a believable way.
The title track has staccato stop start guitar to set the scene. The band explodes into action with keys and drums prominent. Skylar then adds her power as the band rolls behind her. However, she could have raised this a level by adding a little Rock to her vocal. Movin On is a soulful Blues that builds and grows into a hypnotic classic. She proves how good a singer she is and the deep harmonies add such tone to the song. Skylar and the band keep things slow for the mournful Soul Blues of Drowning. She holds her tone and form so well and that’s testament to her as it is so easy to be shown up on this kind of song. The power gets turned on as the band pounds away but it’s not over the top. The guitar solos are kept short throughout the album although this has one of the longer ones as it turns into a grinding Boogie. You almost feel the sense of drowning as you have the struggle and then the release although it’s a song about lost love and the tears that follow. A trio of slower ones finishes with Thankful and the spiritual feel of the song is complimented by sympathetic guitar. However, Skylar can turn on the power at will, and she does! Zimmer’s keys have, in the main, remained in the background but what an effect they have on the overall sound. The guitar solo is very good and makes this another highlight. Insecurities gives us a striding soulful finish and the message of keep strong and love yourself is one for us all. They are such a good band they just seem as if they’ve been in my head for a long time.
The Ropes – The Ropes (Wolfe Island Records)
Wolfe Island Records are building up a decent roster of artists, the latest to release being The Ropes. The band consists of Hugh Christopher Brown (Chris), Jason Mercer and Pete Bowers and only came into being in the last year when the three neighbours became the house band for the string of artists coming through Brown’s studio. Brown and Mercer have known each other for a number of years and from their time together in the Canadian band, The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir (BTC), along with songwriting colleague Kate Fenner. From there, the trio ended up in New York where Mercer has been a member of Ron Sexsmith and Ani Difranco’s bands in recent years and Brown and Fenner continuing to work as a duo. Bowers comes in later when they became neighbours on Wolfe Island but he had known them earlier from when he attended BTC gigs. The Ropes’ music is one of different genres but all given the same homely touch. Whether it is the Country/Americana of the gentle opener From The River and Waterfall with its added crossover into Jazz piano or 70s California feel of San Diego and the happy St Francis you just get that warm feeling from the Ropes. Fenner adds backing vocals to a few tracks but has most influence on the previously mentioned San Diego and you can tell that she has been singing with Brown for some time as their voices just meld together.
Goldmine has Jazz overtones and the saxophone has a big part here in producing a smoky atmosphere. The vocals don’t always get there but there is a certain attraction in the cracked vulnerability. Methods has a modern R&B vibe to it and I can hear John Legend and Bruce Hornsby in there too. They are very good storytellers and 1st Snow tells such a good story that I could imagine it as part of a movie soundtrack. Another name for warm and homely could be’ middle of the road’ and that in itself is not a bad thing as shown on It Starts Again. This is innocuous and non-threatening but it is played well and not everything needs to be edgy. Easlen will grow on you so give it a few listens. It’s a bit of a mish-mash with straight Pop and, to my ear, elements of Prog Rock in there too! Maybe it’s just me. They finish with the unpronounceable Oconomowoc, a bit of piano fun to round things off. I’m just glad they didn’t have to come up with lyrics.
The Ropes is not factory, conveyor belt music and that’s what I like about it.
Eileen Rose – Muscle Shoals (Continental Song City)
The chance to record an album at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio doesn’t come up that often so when you get it you have to grab it with both hands. Eileen Rose did so and she has certainly made hay while the sun shone with a new nine track album (the A Side) and a bonus album of reworking’s of older songs (the B Side). So, let’s start with the A, nine new tracks. She’s Gone is a gentle opener and Rose’s ragged, lived in voice reminds us that’s she’s no newcomer. She is a consummate writer as shown by an album and two books in one year, albeit 2019. Guitar and pedal steel solos are also worth a mention. She cranks it up for He’s So Red and it’s a complete change from the opener. This is deep in the Alt Country field with power and plenty of social opinion. She certainly doesn’t do anything by half as she tackles Matte Kudasai, a King Crimson track. This is actually from my favourite King Crimson album, Discipline, so I may be a little biased. It’s a strange choice and not an easy song to do. She keeps the sweeping soothing tones and her voice has just enough quirks in it to make it a success. Get Up couldn’t be any more different to its predecessor. This upbeat Country influenced rocker unleashes the guitar and is a tale of getting old and what to do about it. Am I Really So Bad is slow and reflective and shows how expressive a singer and songwriter she is. All about a relationship breaking down, she doesn’t hold back. We get Country in the old style in the shape of On Shady Hill. This is bouncy and has a sweet sense of more naïve times. However, Eileen Rose always has a tweak. She continues by coming down from Shady Hill with the contemporary Country Rock of A Little Too Loud. She can switch genres so quickly and with the quick guitar solos can it ever be too loud? Crank it up! We’re following a theme now; too loud last time and now be quiet on Hush Shhh. She brings us recollections of being in singing class and growing up through that, all wrapped up in a Country bundle. The A Capella sound of The Auld Triangle finishes off the A Side. She has the voice for this old Dubliners song, a powerful prison song about the triangle ringing at certain parts of the day. This has certainly been an eclectic set of songs.
Shining starts the B side bonus album and is taken from her 2000 debut album, Shine Like It Does. This is the first of eight reworking’s from her back catalogue but how different these are from the originals, I don’t know as I haven’t trawled through her back catalogue. I can see why she burst onto the scene though if this is an example of her first album. Her voice was so powerful already. Walk The Jetty is heavier, deeper and darker. Also from her debut album it’s a gritty alt Country with ragged guitar. The Neil Young-esque Country era Good Man follows. This is taken from her 2002 album Long Shot Novena but she goes back to her first album for Trying To Lose You. This is a song about escaping from someone or something and not being able to get away. It’s musically upbeat in contrast to the gritty lyric. She’s more like her current vocal and sound on 2007s Stagger Home from the Come The Storm album. It’s gentle Americana but with lyrics that transcend the years and also discuss dark themes. This is a highlight of either side. Queen Of The Fake Smile has a Country style title but don’t be completely fooled. From 2014’s Be Many Gone it shows her to be a storyteller and superb songwriter. If you take Bruce Springsteen and mix him with Elvis Costello then you may just get an idea of the songwriting on offer. Old Time Reckoning, from 2008s At Our Tables, is quite simply superb and Sad Ride Home is another example of her excellent storytelling. She’s got a great band who I’ve not mentioned much and they produce so many excellent Country/Americana sounds. This one is taken from 2009s Luna Turista and is a very good end to what is a great introduction to Eileen Rose, past and present.
David Rotundo Band – So Much Trouble (Dreams We Share)
Toronto’s David Rotundo and his band bring us 12 new songs, recorded in one take and sympathetically produced by famed Danish harmonica player Lee Oskar. First up is She’s Dynamite and Rotundo winds up his harmonica before the band leaps into a fast Blues Boogie. Its good fun and Ron Weinstein’s Hammond organ shares lead duties with Rotundo’s harp. Weinstein also contributes piano and with Andrew Cloutier on drums provides a driving rhythm and a great way to open the album. The standard slow Blues of I Must Be Crazy has a suitably crazed vocal for an old tale of unrequited love. Weinstein’s Hammond organ powers in on the break before Desmond Brown takes over to strut his stuff on guitar. This is a very good set of musicians that has been put together and it’s a very good song too. Rotundo takes the mantle on harmonica for the second break and his lungs of steel take over as he blows a tornado. The band slips into a funky groove so easily for Funky Side Of Town. Full of soul, Rotundo almost speaks the vocal. The vibrato and tremolo on his harmonica is excellent and the addition of Phillip Peterson’s cello and backing vocals from Annie Jantzer is welcome. There’s an authentic Blues feel to Hard Times Coming with dobro and harmonica playing their part. Dean Schmidt plays bass and it sounds like an upright one to me. Percussion is kept to tambourine from Denali Williams and Rotundo’s wailing harp puts him in the group of excellent harmonica players that are out there at the moment. It’s back to electric for the title track, which stays in the slower pace but builds very well. Jantzer provides excellent backing vocal again but it is Weinstien and his Hammond organ that takes front stage. Darian Asplund provides horns as Rotundo and Skylar Mehal swap licks on harp and guitar respectively. At times, it’s almost like the vocal is secondary. Too Blue features crisp guitar chords from Milky Burgess and a laconic vocal from Rotundo although Jantzer gets more prominence here. With guitar and harmonica taking turns on solos they both bring their A game.
The one take method of the album makes it feel like a live recording at times and how I miss live performances. Drinking Overtime would be a great song to hear live with Asplund blowing his horn working well with Weinstein’s Hammond on this chugging, walking Blues. Rotundo’s harp is so sweet and the whole effect just makes you want to join in. That Thing Called Love is a sultry late night Blues with Asplund’s sax and a velvet vocal from Rotundo and they continue to mix things up with the funky Blues of Trying To Find It. This has a grinding groove and stinging guitar from Burgess. Asplund’s sax and Weinstein’s Hammond create a stir towards the end. Ed Weber takes the spotlight on the piano led ballad, Foolish Love with Rotundo and Jantzer providing achingly beautiful vocals. Schmidt joins in on bass and there’s Hammond in the background from Weinstein. To complete the mood, Asplund provides sultry baritone saxophone. Rotundo turns to acoustic guitar for Long Road and this is a complex melange of instruments and themes. I feel a Native American sound yet there are Indian instruments in the form of Tabla played by Joseph Ravi Albright. Peterson’s cello appears again, there are congas from Thor Dietrichson & Ernesto Pediangco and there’s additional percussion from Williams. This all gives it a bit of a hypnotic vibe and it builds excellently as each section joins in. Rotundo stays on acoustic guitar for the final track along with harmonica, Trouble In Mind and it’s a simple, wistful and reflective end to the album.
My roster of favourite Canadian artists has just increased again.
Deb Ryder – Memphis Moonlight (VizzTone)
Memphis Moonlight is the fifth studio album from singer and songwriter, Deb Ryder. All 13 original songs on the album are written and arranged by Deb and she has brought in Tony Braunagel as producer and surrounded herself with a stellar cast of musicians, including guest stars David Hidalgo & Steve Berlin from Los Lobos, Alastair Greene, Ronnie Earl and the Delgado brothers Joey and Steve. It all starts with the big Memphis horns introduction to I’m Coming Home. This is a sassy, sweeping, pulsating Soul Blues with big inputs from sax and organ and Deb deploying her throaty vocal straight away. Harmonica is added for Hold On which is rocking Blues Rock/Soul very much in the style of the Stones. These Hands brings us slide guitar to add to the harmonica this time as Deb goes more towards the Blues but still in a rocking Soul style. There is controlled power throughout with spiritual themes woven in. This is a highlight and will be a favourite in her live set. The band gets into a groove for Get Ready with Deb turning in a soaring, echoed vocal and she rocks it up for Blues Is All I Got with its echoes of Nutbush City Limits in places and its strident, unshackled guitar. The pace slows for Love Is Gone, a sultry Blues ballad with Hammond organ providing the perfect foil to the slinky guitar solo and Deb’s emotion filled voice.
The title track highlights some exceptional Dobro slide. There’s minimal percussion yet it is rhythmic and hypnotic. A couple of things to take form this is the excellent guitar playing and what a singer Deb is. The pulsating Boogie of Just Be Careful follows and it’s a joyful, soulful experience. Devil’s Credit Line is another of her signature pulsating songs with slide guitar playing a big part. She has the voice for this rocking Soul Blues and she’s certainly not shy to use it. We get that soulful, spiritual feel again on Jump On In with Hammond and guitar ably backing Deb’s vocal before we set off on Standing At The Edge. Hammond is prominent again but the drums help to set out a jazzy vibe. There’s plenty of swing and attitude on this and the organ is the star. However, the bass player deserves a mention too for a powerful performance. Second Chances is a very quick two step Blues with Cajun influences with accordion and guitar swapping licks. Organ and horns provide the backbone and drummer keeps up the pace admirably. The album is rounded off with Most Of All, a slow Soul ballad and standard stuff for the genre with shades of I’d Rather Go Blind at times in the verse.
Curtis Salgado – Damage Control (Alligator Records)
Curtis Salgado needs very little introduction. A self-taught harmonica player he became vocalist/harmonica for The Nighthawks before going on to the co-leader of The Robert Cray Band. No stranger to health problems, Salgado continues to fight back from his 2017 quadruple bypass after earlier conquering liver and lung cancer, the latter of which is not ideal for a harp player. Damage Control, his first full band album in four years, is the latest episode in Salgado’s long career with hopefully many more years to come. The opening track, The Longer That I Live is strong and with plenty of rhythm added to his Blues. Its soulful sounds are enhanced by Mike Finnigan on organ which vies for control of the spotlight with Kid Andersen’s rapid guitar solo. There are shades of Van Morrison in his voice and such a tone that only comes with experience. Another on the soulful side is the piano and organ led What Did Me In Did Me Well. He has a world-weary tinge to his voice on this but also brings out his harmonica for its first outing and shows his mastery of the instrument. The song has a New Orleans feel to it and, like the opening track, has Andersen and Finnigan swapping licks towards the end. Things get rocking for the Kevin McKendree piano led You’re Going To Miss My Sorry Ass, an up-tempo piece of good fun telling us not to take anything for granted. Precious Time starts like a Stones song and then I get John Hiatt in the vocal. Salgado lets loose on vocal a bit and shows how strong he is, and great backing vocals add to the fluid mid-tempo Rock groove. It’s old-style Rock n Roll for the infectious Count Of Three and the band keeps up the pace. This’ll take you back in time with a clear and crisp vocal from Curtis. You’ll be nodding and tapping along to this before too long. You just don’t know when you are going to lose someone so the cautionary tale of Always Say I Love You (At The End Of Your Goodbyes) is particularly apt. It tells you to make sure you say what you need to say now and not leave it until later. It’s a ballad as you would expect and it’s full of heart and soul with a great organ solo, Billy Paul style, again from Mike Finnigan.
Hail Mighty Caesar has a New Orleans swagger with piano and organ to the fore but Kevin Hayes on drums comes in for special mention with his classy, syncopated style. It’s a tale of Caesar, Cleopatra and Marc Anthony and their lives and loves but it could easily be applied to someone you know, maybe. The driving, soulful Blues of I Don’t Do That No More is filled with the rocking piano of Kevin McKendree and the story of getting older and becoming less reckless comes to us all eventually. Rock turns slightly to Jazz, first for the slinky, easy on the ear Oh For The Cry Eye and then for the album’s shuffling title track. It’s been clear that piano and organ are what this albums set of songs are built on but the rhythm section, although it changes often through the album, is such a tight unit, particularly on this song. Jerry Jemmott on bass and Tony Braunagel on drums are the protagonists here. We’re off to the swamp for the Cajun inspired Truth Be Told with slapped drums from Jack Bruno and Wayne Toups on squeezebox and additional vocals. This is another that’ll get you moving, and it sounds like they had a great time recording it too. Salgado gets his harmonica out again for the grinding groove of The Fix Is In. His harp is so clean and always hits the spot. It’s a timely reminder that during hard times conmen, including the politicians, are out in force so if it sounds too good to be true, then it is! The closing track is the only cover on the album, Larry Williams’ Slow Down, with the title being exactly the opposite of what the band do as they rock it out to the end. A great Rock n Roll finish with the piano getting a pounding from McKendree a la Jerry Lee, George Marinelli getting in a rare guitar solo and horns thrown in as everything gets thrown at it.
40 years as a recording artist and it seems that Curtis Salgado gets better with every outing.
Susan Santos – LA Sessions EP
Recorded in December 2019, LA Sessions is a 4 track EP which follows up on Susan Santos’ critically acclaimed album, No U Turn. Susan brings us an all original set which begins with the upbeat first single Dirty Money. This down and dirty Blues Rock is a hand clapper with a sultry vocal, stinging guitar and a true power trio offering with Fabrizio Grossi and Tony Morra on bass and drums respectively. It’s a story of one man’s obsession with money and power and reflects the dark side of Hollywood. The September single release was Somebody To Love and this Latin infused striding mid-paced Blues is a stylish glimpse into the versatility of Susan Santos. She follows this up with the pounding Blue Rock of Fever and as she lets rip on guitar she shows how serious a player she is. Our left handed slide guitar temptress leaves the best to the end. Wait is a superb well-paced rocker with the best vocal and guitar on show. It’s a familiar tale of the Devil waiting at the crossroads and whether you make the right choice or not.
I know that No U Turn was released last year but surely after this EP there’s another album forthcoming. In the meantime, the EP is well worth a listen!
Savoy Brown – Ain’t Done Yet (Quarto Valley Records)
It’s been a few years since I’ve reviewed a Savoy Brown album so you can imagine my surprise when this arrived in my in-box. When you’ve been in a band since 1965 it could be expected that you will run out of ideas for songs or find different ways to deliver the Blues Rock music that you are known for. Kim Simmonds, leader and founder of the band says “The new album continues the approach I’ve been taking with the band this past decade,” and “The big difference with the new album is the multi-layer approach I took to recording the guitar parts. It’s all blues-based rock music. I try to find new and progressive ways to write and play the music I’ve loved since I was a young teenager.” Although Savoy Brown has been going for 55 years, the current line-up is the longest serving, with 10 years under their belt.
It’s certainly a different sounding Savoy Brown to that of, say, 20 years ago but the ethos is the same; good Blues Rock to get your feet moving and your heart pumping. The impact of the band, a three piece outfit with Simmonds on guitar, Pat DeSalvo on bass and Garnet Grimm on drums, has not lessened over the years as shown by the opener, All Gone Wrong. This is a good old Boogie and Simmonds’ guitar stabs like a knife through the heart. The Devil is a common theme in Blues music and the rhythmic Blues of Devil’s Highway is well-suited to the theme. Simmonds’ voice just drips with experience and his guitar playing shows no reduction in ability. The earthy, back to basics River On The Rise has echoes of John Fogerty and it’s hard not to like it. This is followed with Borrowed Time, a heavy, grungy Blues with fuzzed vocals and the title track, a Boogie that’s a song for all us oldies!
Feel Like A Gypsy has a Santana feel to it with its shuffling Latin beat. Kim’s vocal shows the rigors of a lifetime in the business and his experience shines through. His guitar work is some of the best on the album. Next up is Jaguar Car, a John Lee Hooker type metronomic Boogie with added harp and slide guitar. The band is rocking on this and giving all a good time. Grimm even finishes off with some rim shots. Simmonds gets the Dobro out for a bit of authenticity on Rocking In Louisiana. It does what it says on the tin; straightforward rhythmic Blues Rock. If you are looking for a song that encapsulates today’s Savoy Brown in 4 minutes then look no further than Soho Girl. This is heavy Blues Rock at its best and Kim rolls back the years. They finish with Crying Guitar, a slow Blues instrumental. Personally, I’d have swapped over the last two tracks to give a bigger finish but that’s not to take anything away from it. The guitar work on this shows that Simmonds has still got it and as the album title says, he Ain’t Done Yet.
Kim Simmonds has been an accomplished guitarist for many years and on the evidence of this album, the years have certainly not diminished that. Long may he continue!
Adam Schultz – Soulful Distancing (Blue Heart Records)
Mentored by the great Clarence Spady, New Yorker Adam Schultz is a young man with a burgeoning talent. A guest on Spady’s recent Surrender album, also reviewed on BluesBlues, he proves on this debut for Blue Heart Records that he is already carving out a reputation for himself. He opens with Johnny Guitar Watson’s 1977 song, A Real Mother For Ya, and gives it a soulful, jazzy treatment. He gets into a groove very quickly with his band and particularly the rhythm section of Adam Cohen (bass) and Sharon O’Connell on drums, stamping their mark immediately. Add in a greasy vocal from Spady, a sweeping chorus and slinky guitar then you have enough to make your backbone slip and slide. He stays in that lazy groove for Early In The Mornin’, a slow Blues shuffler written by Louis Jordan and probably best known for the BB King version. Everybody gets a chance to shine here with Adam’s guitar pinging out the notes and horns added to give even more depth, especially on the silky sax solo from Tom Hamilton. This track proves that Schultz is a serious contender. We get a George Benson vibe on Good Conversation and he shows such a style and touch in his playing. The song made its debut on Spady’s Surrender album and Schultz adds a different R&B dimension to it here. The addition of horns again is great and Michael Angelo adds a touch of smokiness with his voice to great effect. He knows how to hit that groove and no more so than on Harlem Tonight where he and the band are so loose and bringing to mind The Crusaders and Isaac Hayes. They are such a relaxed band and the funky Blues of Who (Who Told You) is the epitome of this as Schultz again shows that he is no mean guitarist. This cover of Little Walter’s 1956 song shows that Schultz is not afraid to plunder the back catalogues of the top artists to confirm his own credentials for playing the Blues.
The Jazz overtones of Have Some Faith give a soulful contemporary feel with Ekat Pereyra adding a different flavour on vocals. He takes things a little more up-tempo for the funky West Coast Cure For The Blues with keyboards starring rather than guitar this time. Hamilton’s tenor sax leads us into Toxic Medicine, which is full of Soul but one that I can’t get too excited about as it is not up to the standards of the rest of the tracks on offer. He is back on form with a sweet vocal from Spady and an even sweeter guitar for Can I Change My Mind, a mid-paced Soul groover with organ and horns never far away from the action. The Mel London written Cut You Loose is transformed into a funky R&B with the sweet Hammond sound and Schultz showing how accomplished a guitarist he already is, even at the age of 18! Matters are closed with a slow, rhythmic, walking Blues in the form of Roosevelt Sykes’ 44 Blues, previously covered by many including Howlin’ Wolf and Eric Clapton. Spady adds a little grit to his vocal to bring out even more from Schultz’s guitar and the excellent band are all there supporting this excellent young artist to provide a good finish to what is a top debut album.
The Secret Combination – Finally (Coast To Coast)
Finally is the ironic title to The Secret Combination’s follow up album to their 2008 release, Live At Paradiso. Considered a bit of a Dutch ‘supergroup’, The Secret Combination are a group of excellent, seasoned musicians led by frontman, Jeff Mitchell. This is a 2-album set and Not A Day Goes By is first up on the first album with Mitchell’s plaintive vocal taking us through this wistful Americana. The excellence of the musicianship is first shown by Johan ‘Steel JJ’ Jansen on pedal steel. Jansen has Derek Trucks and Sonny Landreth on his CV so this is the calibre that is on show. I’m not too sure that Mitchell’s vocal works on 3 Minutes. The funky beats mixed with Jazz piano from Rob van Vliet and steel guitar just seems like a strange combination and his voice doesn’t impose itself. You Know And I Know is a different proposition; good pace, good song and very easy to listen to. The piano led ballad, In The Still Of The Night has a big production with string arrangements and a guitar solo from Rene ‘Tres Manos’ van Barneveld which fits in perfectly. Mitchell’s not got a conventional voice but it’s very expressive. Room no.5 is quite sedate but with a strong message and story. It is a powerful song with a Country undercurrent and sparkling slide and steel guitar from van Barneveld and Larsen respectively. Special mention for Toni Peroni as the drums become more prominently in the mix. It’s Americana with attitude on Everything By Now and Mitchell’s voice suits this. Van Barneveld’s guitar work is superb and the track is a standout. You Can Do Better brings us an acoustic led finish to the first album. It’s low key, moody and atmospheric and when the drums come in halfway through, they serve to ramp up the dark mood even more.
Mr Mailman starts disc 2 on an upbeat footing. This is firmly in the Americana field and a good sound start to the second half. I can’t really compare them to anyone else so far and that’s not always a bad thing and A Trap So Tender continues with the Americana theme. This is a very good band, made up of excellent musicians but the guitars are the stars here, Jansen’s pedal steel in particular. They are very easy to listen to on this form. We get a fast one on Considering You with electric piano competing with guitar for the lead. The guitar wins with a jagged solo. There is a bit of fun in the lyric and there are many hooks which will make it a favourite for many. They rock it up on Ain’t No Crime and Jackson Browne comes to mind, a comparison at last. This is another standout and will be getting played again and again. Rainy Day Parade has all the ballad components, piano led, strings, dulcet tones and is as good as anything else in this genre that I’ve heard this year. Mitchell has come into his own vocally and the 2nd album is slightly edging it. The deep, soulful tones continue on My Lovin’ Right, which is led by electric piano and jagged guitar chords. Overall, it is slow and smooth with the pedal steel keeping it in line and a lovely guitar solo towards the end. There’s an upbeat finish to proceedings with Real Love. They veer towards Soft Rock on this one with electric piano and guitar at it again. The guitar wins out again but to be fair, it does get more time to do so. The running bassline of Chip Visser stands out with keyboards and drums getting in on the action too before van Barneveld’s guitar breaks it up in a raucous manner. It all works very well despite the hypnotic, wild finish.
Eric Selby – Where You Born At? (Soul Stew Records)
Much sought after producer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Selby has been spending a little time on his own music over the last couple of years. The result is this first full-length recording coming only a year after his first solo original music releases in 2020, including the Anxious Zen single reviewed by us. He opens with the gentle Rock of Another Page and his airy vocal brings us a song that is simple in its complexity and complex in its simplicity. There’s a lot going on, including very good guitar fills, but it’s not rammed down your throat. This is a great taster for the rest of the album. The Lean Years has a dramatic orchestral and operatic opening which gives way to Eric’s dreamy vocal and acoustic guitar. The resulting enveloping sound is an aural delight and the accordion in the middle is a pleasant surprise. It’s acoustic guitar and organ to begin with for Arise but they quickly become understudies to electric guitar as the pace increases. It gets into your head very quickly and is well written, well sung and well played, what else do you want? Everything just seems to glide, including the big guitar solo and even the tick tock of the alarm clock. Old style crackly vinyl bookends Orbit. In between we have a song with such a happy go lucky feel to it. Eric has the ability to hit the right sound, at the right time with the guitar work again very good. He can write a chorus and hook you in and that is one of the reasons that songs like this are hard not to like.
He strays slightly into Folk Rock for More Than I Care To and it’s a genre he feels comfortable in. His voice, plus the backing vocal, is so relaxed you can’t help but feel warm all over. Lyrically, he has the knack of getting to the heart of the topic, this time it’s one of past relationships. It’s getting more difficult to separate out favourites, there are so many to choose from. As mentioned above, Anxious Zen was reviewed as a single last year and his dulcet, almost British vocal, still very much reminds me of Al Stewart. The song itself is laid over a mix of 70s style Soft Rock that conjures up images of driving down the California coast in an open topped car. You may detect some subtle homage to The Allman Brothers, especially in the guitar solo, that could only be expressed by such a consummate musician as Selby so obviously is. There is a serious message brought to bear by this track and one which many will relate to, especially in these uncertain times and that is one of relationships and those having to deal with mental health issues. Eric shows his song writing skills in the very clever lyric of Pavlov’s Demons, which although is played at a slower pace, it has a bounce to it. He’s maybe losing a little steam towards the end of the album and I’m Good With That, whilst not being a bad song, just is not up to the standard of others in places. It does hit the highs sometimes but not consistent like the rest. A pared back revisit in the form of The Lean Years (Reprise) finishes the album. With cello more to the fore and accordion still there with other keys, it brings a light and airy finish.
I said in my review of the Anxious Zen single that it was a wonderful teaser for any album that may follow. The album has lived up to those expectations.
Eric Selby – Anxious Zen
Blues Hall of Fame inductee, Eric Selby, has gone in another direction with his latest single, Anxious Zen. His dulcet, almost British vocal, which very much reminds me of Al Stewart, is laid over a mix of 70s style Soft Rock that conjures up images of driving down the California coast in an open topped car. You may detect some subtle homage to The Allman Brothers, especially in the guitar solo, that could only be expressed by such a consummate musician as Selby so obviously is. There is a serious message brought to bear by the single and one which many will relate to, especially in these uncertain times and that is one of relationships and those having to deal with mental health issues.
The single is a wonderful teaser for any album that may follow and I hope that is not too long before it appears.
Rick Shea - Love & Desperation
South California's Rick Shea has produced his 12th album under Covid's unprecedented circumstances that led to recording sessions by band members being undertaken in isolation at a number of locations. Opening with Al Ferrier's swamp rocker Blues Stop Knockin' At My Door, delivered in a Rockabilly/Tex-Mex style with accordion giving it an authentic feel, Rick proceeds on his mission to give you a feel good experience. The band ensures that you'll want to make you get up for a jig with Shawn Nourse (drums), Jeff Turmes (bass), Phil Parlapiano (accordion/organ), Skip Edwards (keyboards) and David Jackson (accordion) already showing how good musicians they are. Blues At Midnight slows things right down and you'll have to decide if this is a Country or a Western ballad. He has all the correct vocal inflections and at the right time too. Authentic twangy guitar and accordion lends authenticity. You get a feel for his storytelling ability on Down At The Bar At Gypsy Sally's (the title is taken from Townes Van Zandt's song, Tecumsah Valley) and his deep vocal and excellent range are the making of the song. That's not, of course, forgetting the ubiquitous guitar and accordion giving the Jook Joint feel. The title track sounds like a cross between Garth Brooks and Todd Snider, and highlights Shea as a confident artist. This has an inward looking aspect with deep bass tones and a rhythm that carries you off whilst the accordion plays that serenade. The unashamedly Country of She Sang Of The Earth brings in fiddle and mandolin and has bass to the forefront again. There's a message for us all in the song and we better take heed. Rick hovers around gentle sounds and Big Rain Is Comin' Mama is no different. This is drenched (no pun) in Country themes and further brings out his musicality.
If you are looking for something that is simply Country then you could do worse than A Tenderhearted Love. It's heartfelt and harks back to gentler and happier times but maybe could be doing without the sha-la-la's. Our beloved accordion is back for the two-step Tex-Mex of Juanita (Why Are You So Mean). Part sung in Spanish it makes me smile and another that'll get you on your feet. The World's Gone Crazy is up next and as far as the title is concerned, you better believe it! As for the song, it's spiritual and one that immediately sounds familiar. The slow Country of Nashville Blues is a cautionary tale of the pros and cons of life and the music business. Rick has that classic old style Country voice which suits this baleful tune to a tee. I've not really said much about his guitar style but the instrumental, Mystic Canyon gives us a pleasant reminder. From the first notes of the intro until the end Rick gives us clean, peaceful guitar much in the vein of Chet Atkins. Inspired by the work of Elmore Leonard, Texas Lawyer finishes the album and does so at a quick pace. Mandolin is introduced along with Spanish guitar, accordion and Latin themes throughout. Rick's clear, precise vocal blends well with all the instruments plus the Mariachi horns and he drifts off into Spanish in parts for an all embracing excellent finish. I do like the line "A cunning heart will always get what it deserves" and I like to think that I agree with Rick.
www.rickshea.com
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – Straight To You: Live (Provogue Records)
5 times Grammy nominated guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his band send out a new live album, only their second ever and the first that’s also on DVD, and a perfect antidote for the current crisis. Recorded at the Leverkusen JazzStage for Rockpalast, they open with three songs from last year’s The Traveler album, starting with one of the three singles, Woman Like You which is a superb track to start an album. Great vocals, great guitar and one that’ll get you up and moving, what more could you want? The pace is kept up on Long Time Running and the horns add so much to the sound. Kenny is on harmony vocals with Noah Hunt on lead. We’re only two songs in (by the way, the second song on the DVD is an extra, it’s a fabulous version of Neil Young’s Mr Soul) and I’m already in two minds. That’s not over the music but the fact that this is a live recording and I’ve not been to a gig since February. Noah Hunt has a classic Blues Rock voice and Kenny’s guitar is already hitting the heights. The third track from The Traveler album is I Want You, a slow, grinding Blues with Kenny taking over on lead vocal duties. This is a big, glossy performance as Kenny rips up his fretboard. They are such a good band and those horn players are excellent in the fills. The upbeat Diamonds & Gold from 2017’s Lay It All Down is the second of the singles and it’s good time music. There’s a swapping of vocals and both voices go well together with Noah’s baritone and Kenny’s tenor. He makes it look so easy on guitar and that is the sign of a master. A quick mention for Joe Krown on Hammond as he makes his presence felt too. Elmore James’ classic Talk To Me Baby is given some horns, a sax solo and a vocal that blasts it out of the park (maybe not quite a blast as Elmore though). This is another that Kenny often plays live although I’m not sure if it’s been included on an album before. I’m sure KWS fans will correct me if I’m wrong. One from the How I Go album is Heat Of The Sun and this slow Blues has Kenny piercing your heart with his guitar. He is a behemoth and can take you from full power to the sound of a pin dropping in an instant. He holds the audience in the palm of his hands as he turns in a virtuoso performance.
Down For Love is an upbeat strolling Blues rocker with Chris Layton on drums keeping up the beat like a train and horns with telling interventions. Kenny’s on lead vocal again for this one, another taken from Lay It All Down. Joe Krown gets some limelight on piano during Shame Shame Shame, which is from the debut album Ledbetter Heights. Krown adds a certain Jazz vibe to this Blues until Kenny comes back in and rips up the stage. It’s a big sound and a band on fire on Turn To Stone, again from last year’s The Traveler. The energy of the concert is explosive and even in the quieter moments you know that you are only there for a second or two before it all goes off again. How he keeps up the attack I don’t know and it’s hard to tell which of his solos are the best, he is that good, and he gets faster and faster as the end approaches. From Trouble is and also included on Lay It Down, is the last of the singles and probably his best known and biggest hit, Blue On Black. No KSW gig can do without this song and this is a great version, packed with harmony, emotion and power. There is some classic Blues innuendo on Slim Harpo’s King Bee – “I’m a King Bee baby, buzzing around your hive” and Kenny turns it into a high impact Blues with the horns blowing up a storm. He on top form on guitar of course as he makes it sing, or should I say buzz! Noah turns in some honey streaked vocals to match. Krown is on Hammond again as he takes another opportunity to shine. This is fantastic stuff and I think it was also included on his other live album, 10 years ago, going on to be a fixture in his set. Jimi Hendrix songs have often been covered by artists but with varying results. This one is Voodoo Child (Slight Return) and it’s wah-wah-tastic! It’s a fuller sound than the original of coursed, given the personnel on hand and what a way to finish a concert and an album. Kenny just goes for it and all the tricks come out. That’s not to say it’s all about trickery, you have to have those sublime skills to begin with and Kenny Wayne Shepherd has those in spades. They take the opportunity to vary pace and direction during the 11 minutes + of the song as it builds to a bombastic climax. This was originally on his Trouble Is album and also made reappearance on Lay It All Down.
This is a superb reminder of what we have been missing – GREAT LIVE MUSIC!
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Corvin Silvester – The Sun & The Cloud
Released on the cusp of the New Year, I’m treating Corvin Silvester’s 6 track EP as a 2021 release. Erstwhile Copperhead County frontman Silvester obviously hasn’t been letting the grass grow under his feet during the pandemic as he has written all of the songs here. Starting with Be Still My Love, he goes through all six with just his voice and acoustic guitar proving that sometimes simple is best. The Americana style of this opener harks back a little to Copperhead County in that you’d never be able to tell that Corvin is from The Netherlands. There’s a little grit to his vocal as he bends the notes. A good start. Sally Joe is Outlaw Country and it may be that this, and a couple of the others, will make its way onto the next Copperhead County album as I can see them being worked up for the full band. You can’t beat a bit of whistling, especially on a haunting Western style track such as this. Time is slow and reflective with Corvin showing that his voice is more than capable of being out there, without a band to hide behind (not that he does that). At times he could just go up that extra note but often decides against it. That could give an extra element and take the song up a level. The darker tones of Howling give a different vibe than what has gone before. Corvin’s voice goes deeper and more velvety. Jan Pohl, who recorded and mixed the EP, adds guitar to broaden the sound. The title track is a strange one. It’s distinctly European and up-tempo. There are hints of backing vocal like the previous track. This one veers off into Folk with a Jazz club vibe. As I say, strange. The final track, Lowdown, is given an old style recording effect, like it’s an old 78 or something like that. Its Bluesy Roots music with a wailing vocal but the effect makes it sound as if the volume has been turned down and gives it an eerily quiet delivery although Corvin is obviously singing at a high level.
Nate Smith – By The Door (Independent)
Los Angeles man Nate Smith is known for being a Grunge rocker so it’s no surprise that he brings some of that to his latest album release, By The Door. I reviewed the opening track Oh My Heart as a single and it’s still a brilliant piece of blunt Americana. Whilst it was just guitar and voice for the opener, on Anymore Nate introduces slight backing vocals and a banjo in the background along with a bit of whistling. It’s still stark and bleak as he sings about not wanting hear about love anymore. Feelings of hurt abound even in the whistling. His crisp guitar sound is ever present but none more so than on Little Bird. There’s added keyboard, albeit subtle, but still no drums or bass. This is a song and an album for those wishing to take a look inside themselves in a quiet room. The little bird is a metaphor but are you that little bird that can’t fly?
The banjo is back, and a harmonica, for Amazing, an achingly beautiful song with Nate pouring his heart out. Think Neil Young in his pared back, tortured days but with a deeper vocal. Nadine opens with sounds of footsteps and feedback before going into a grungy, fuzzed visceral soundscape and finishing with those footsteps again. It’s not the Chuck Berry song, that’s for sure and not my favourite track on the album. He switches from electric to acoustic guitar for Bad! but still keeps that clean yet sombre delivery. Feedback beckons again and announces the start of the title track, which finishes the 7 song album. It’s got a big, banging guitar, a return of harmonica and airy backing vocals over a stark lead track. He sounds like he’s sinking into the pits of despair both orally and aurally and sums it up with taking us out to the end with sustained guitar.
This isn’t for the faint hearted yet there is beauty in the way that Smith delivers some of his songs. He’s not going to win any prizes for happy go lucky guy of 2020 but the album is well worth a listen.
Nate Smith – Oh My Heart
Los Angeles based Indie man, Nate Smith is a singer songwriter of some experience and his honest style of writing comes across in his new single, Oh My Heart. It’s just Nate and his guitar (plus one or maybe two pedals) and it is Americana personified. There’s no guitar solos, it’s just Nate playing simply and giving us a vocal that is challenged but reaches all the notes perfectly. It’s an emotionally pleading tale and the electricity he produces is palpable. It’s taken from his upcoming album, By The Door.
Space Age Travellers – Cobra
Space Age Travellers, an all instrumental trio from The Netherlands and fronted by BJ Baartmans, released the single Cobra last month as a prelude to their upcoming album Spaceology, which is due out in January 2021. The single is very Middle Eastern influenced, particularly in the guitar melody. The drums are joyful and I’m sure there’s some Middle Eastern used too although that could just be some computer trickery! I’m intrigued and very slightly excited for the album release.
Clarence Spady – When My Blood Runs Cold (Nola Blue Records)
Clarence Spady pays tribute to his long-time friend, the late Lucky Petersen, with this cover of Petersen’s When My Blood Runs Cold. It is a chilling rendition with gut wrenching vocals and Spady’s guitar just sings its way through the song. Like, Spady, I love the chord progression and I’ll admit to a chill or two running down my spine. Another timely reminder and taster for Clarence’s album due out in the New Year. The single is out on 11th December and you can see the video below.
Clarence Spady – Surrender (Nola Blue Records)
Sallie Bengston, President of Nola Blue Records, has a sign in her kitchen which says “Music is what feelings sound like”. I couldn’t have put it better myself and Clarence Spady, with this cultured Blues, certainly gets his feelings out. It’s a song borne from a local church recovery meeting when the topic for the day was surrender and Spady’s stinging guitar and tortured vocal bring forward a rush of emotion that will have you thinking. He’s not released an album for 12 years but surely Surrender is more than just a standalone single, it has to be a catalyst for some more new material from this veteran bluesman.
Dave Specter & Billy Branch – The Ballad Of George Floyd (Delmark)
This is a mournful and thought provoking song with two pillars of the Blues scene getting together to bring us a powerful message. To be honest, the music is slightly irrelevant as the words are the most important thing here. Specter’s guitar and Branch’s harmonica give sympathetic backing to the weight of the lyric and both take turns at taking the lead vocal. Their voices blend well together and as they say in the lyric “We can't let this happen again, it’s time to bring about a change”. The single will be released during the Autumn.
The Speed Of Sound – Tomorrow’s World (Big Stir Records)
This is the lead single from Manchester’s power pop trio, The Speed Of Sound’s upcoming album, Museum Of Tomorrow. On hearing the opening line of “We were offered Star Trek but they fed us Soylent Green” you will know that you are not getting a sugar coated celebration of the 21st Century so far. With sharp lyrics throughout, spread over Indie Pop sounds with drums high in the mix, rhythm heavy guitars and 60s stylings in the chorus added to a synth symphony at the end creating a flying saucer landing, there’s something in there for everyone.
Gerry Spehar – Lady Liberty EP
Set for release on Inauguration Day (20th January), Gerry Spehar’s latest release is a three track EP covering some of the topics that are hard to listen to but must be heard. It follows on from his 2018 album, Anger Management, and continues to highlight the state of US politics under their soon to be ex-President. Take the opening track Lady Liberty, Part One as an example. This is dedicated to two American icons, The Statue Of Liberty and Civil Rights activist John Lewis and it is a reminder of the promise to look after all. Sung in Spehar’s world weary vocal over a shuffling groove it is a stark message, considering all that has been going on in the past year. Spehar shows all of his storytelling skills on Laura Dean, a story of the pandemic, death, PPE and Zoom. He’s a 21st Century troubadour and “stop the machine, walk away” are some of the saddest lyrics I’ve heard in many a year. Laura Dean is a young ER Doctor and nine months pregnant who has to walk away from a patient. This may just remove you to tears if you take the time to listen to the lyrics, something we don’t always do.
Immigrant Suite is an epic trilogy of real life tales starting with Barrier Reef, which is suffused with Latin guitar (Javi Ramos), fiddle (Gabe Witcher), trumpet (Erinn Bone) and is a harrowing tale of a young girl crossing the Rio Grande to search for her father in Virginia and the hope of a better life. Backing vocal is provided by Christine Spehar. Boy And Beast is the second movement and fingerpicked guitar replaces the strummed versions of before. Fiddle is still prominent. This is a young boy trying to make his way to Los Angeles to find his mother who has already been lucky to enough make the crossing successfully. Witcher’s Fiddle is superb as are Spehar’s dulcet vocal tones, which are sympathetic to the subject. Meet Me At The Moon wraps up the trio. Sung in Spanish in parts it is punctuated by Bone’s trumpet and James Taylor style guitar phrasings. Lyrically heartrending, it is offset by the more upbeat melodies, and is a story about a young girl dreaming to reconnect with her papa in America and talking to him on the phone every day. However, she doesn’t get there after being a victim of street violence at home in Guatemala. A trilogy, in fact a full EP, that Neil Young would be proud of.
What these songs confirm is that Gerry Spehar is a marvellous storyteller in the Folk/Country tradition, taking real life events and making you listen.
Brad Stivers – SIX (VizzTone)
A long EP, SIX is a collection of songs that shows Brad Stivers’ versatility and it’s hard to believe that when you are listening to him that he’s still in his 20s. Straight from the mid-paced Swing Blues of the opener, Lose Your Love, Stivers delivers punchy guitar and vocals. He then takes us through the up-tempo Three Times A Fool where drums and organ come to the fore. It’s a new take on the fool me once, shame on you theme. This time it’s the fourth time I didn’t feel a thing. Stivers shows his love of West Coast Blues with some nice guitar licks. Just A Memory is short and is a little bit like Fats Domino without the piano. Laid back sax and drums again to the fore are the highlights.
The late night Jazz/Blues of Ray Noble’s famous The Very Thought Of You has Stivers delivering a very dulcet tone, much like Al Bowlly, the first to sing it. It’s the guitar solo that makes it different from other versions that I’ve heard. Jerry ‘Boogie’ McCain’s Turn Your Damper Down has good harmony between Stivers and his soon to be wife, Lindsay Beaver, who I believe also contributes drums on the EP as well as co-producing it. Piano and bass keep the tempo up as Brad goes off on a superb solo. Another short one, it’s a case of wham bam thank you mam. He closes with Your Turn To Cry and slows it down for a track that harks back to 50s/60s romantic pop but with an added sharp guitar.
Rob Stone – Trio In Tokyo (Blue Heart Records)
Rob Stone learned harmonica from some of Chicago’s great players such as Jerry Portnoy, Sleepy LaBeef and Sam Lay. That grounding enabled him to travel the world, playing the instrument he loves and encouraged by his mentor, the late Big Jay McNeely, he recorded his first acoustic album in Tokyo. Backed by pianist Elena Kato and bassist Hiroshi Eguchi, Stone brings us Trio In Tokyo, which is a departure from his usual electric Blues albums and collaborations featuring the likes of Joe Bonamassa and Slash in the past. The trio opens with No Money, which fits firmly into the Jazz Blues idiom. Clean lines and a laid-back feel are accentuated by excellent piano from Kato, a bouncing bass line from Eguchi and Stone’s top-class harmonica. Got To Get You Off My Mind, one of the two singles from the album, is more of the same gentle Jazz Blues. You have to be in a certain kind of mood to like this club style late night Blues but the tunes will soon have you there. It’s very slick, cocktail lounge music with a smooth vocal from Stone and some tinkling ivories. No harp this time though. Originally made famous by Ray Charles, Come Back Baby is more of a straight up piano Blues and a well-executed one too with, as you would expect, the star being Kato on piano. Stone has to be commended for his harmonica work too. The mid paced Jump Blues of Johnny Ace’s Poison Ivy has both Stone and Kato on top form. Eguchi’s bass is very unobtrusive but you’d notice if it wasn’t there. Stone is heard egging on Kato to even higher levels. The second single is the famous There Is Something On Your Mind and this is given the Stone with some top howling harmonica.
There’s no real edge to any of the songs but they all fit into their own niche. Take Amos Milburn’s Money Hustlin’ Woman for example. It’s a bit too clean but given the audience and the acoustic setting I can understand the approach. This is a true Blues song with a common theme which highlights his incredible technique but he still doesn’t try to outshine his colleagues. The more up-tempo Jack You’re Dead remains in the Jazz Blues arena with the 40s and 50s vocal stylings of Big Joe Turner, Nat King Cole and Fats Waller coming to mind here. The Louis Jordan tune has some of the more intricate harmonica work on it though and the bass gets a bit of limelight too. What Am I Living For? is a Country style Blues with Stone bringing us his best crooning vocal. However, his harp cuts through it like a sword and you can really hear the effort. He hits a bum note at the start of Blow Fish Blow! but perfectionist as he is, he starts again. I’m sure that not many would have notice it. This instrumental shows just how good he actually is with some of the notes and runs he hits being sublime. They finish with the Leadbelly classic, Goodnight Irene. It’s not a song I’ve heard too often before on piano but, as with the others, this is a slick professionally delivered piece. A low key and mournful finish results in a decent enough version of the song and Stone’s harp only makes a fleeting appearance towards the end.
Kai Strauss – In My Prime (Continental Blue Heaven)
Believe it or not Kai Strauss has been on the scene for 25 years, first as guitarist with Memo Gonzalez & The Bluescasters and then in his own rite. With his new album, In My Prime, he has firmly put his mark down as being one of the world’s premier guitarists. He starts with the slow burner, Going To London, and immediately sets a groove with his guitar singing and piano, horns and a funky rhythm section putting together a truly sophisticated Blues. The title track follows and it’s got an upbeat BB King big band era style to it. His voice fits in well with the style of song but it’s his guitar that does the talking. With lightning fingers it’s not hard to see why he so well thought of in guitar circles. The powerful funky Blues of Guest In The House Of The Blues was released as a single and the horns take a prominent position as guitar and keyboard swap licks. Keep Your Happy Home is a grown up Blues much in the style and content of Robert Cray. It’s smooth, slow and well executed with the piano ivories being tickled and fluid guitar from a master of his instrument. He also provides a good vocal here, something that could easily be missed. There’s an interesting drum beat on the grinding Blues of You’re Killing My Love and with horns back in force, stinging guitar and smoky vocal there’s plenty of variation to keep you intrigued. Very good!
The horn laden standard Blues of Down On Bended Knee has Kai sharing an outpouring of begging his woman to come back. This is a Blues theme of old as I’m sure you know. We get a big sax solo and a guitar to match with Kai squeezing everything out of his axe to get the right notes. Harmonica is added for World Crisis Blues, a mid-paced comment on the pandemic. It’s in a standard Blues format with a sweeping guitar solo that sounds like raindrops on a tin roof in parts. Big wailing notes from the harp and a good sentiment to the song. Betting My Life On The Blues is a funky Blues and the horns are the making of it. The more I listen to Kai’s playing the more I appreciate the fluidity there is to it. The smooth low key Blues of Put That Bottle Down brings intricate guitar and a deep vocal. He reminds me of so many other players and then he reminds me of no-one, he’s that hard to categorise. He’s back with the Funk for A Day Late And A Dollar Short and his despairing vocal is so full of soul. Only one word for his playing here; superb. He finishes with the Chicago Blues of Wait A Minute Baby. This is slow and mighty with a return for the harmonica, which shows depth and power ad confirms there’s a player there. The piano gets a look in too, however the star will always be his guitar, this time with slide and tremolo for additional effect. A classy finish to a classy album.
This is certainly a guitarist in his prime.
Suitcase Sam – Goodnight Riverdale Park (Curve Music)
Rumoured to be from ‘the wilds of Canada’, Suitcase Sam is a bit of a throwback when compared to modern musicians. For example, Goodnight Riverdale Park, his second album, was analogue recorded using two-and-a-half-inch tape to give it that vintage sound. This is my first introduction to Sam and I have to say that his voice was a bit of a shock at the outset with its slight yodel and old time Country vibe to it. It does take a little getting used to. That initial shock comes on Growing Up and like Sam, the music is from the wilds. It’s a bit like music from the hills and it’s a good opener and it gets the feet going. The Honky Tonk of Friday Afternoon is surely influenced by Hank Williams Jnr and his old time Country companions. Just breathe in those pedal steel sounds. The Maple Leaf Stomp is a short instrumental that harks back to 20s and 30s Jazz with a clarinet lead and upright bass being slapped. Good fun. The Band are an influence on Frankie And Me. It’s Country flecked with hints of Southern Rock too. Keyboards excel as does guitar and the whole thing rocks along very nicely with a bouncing beat. We get a bit of Willie Nelson style Outlaw Country on Morning Mail and there’s more than a hint of Steve Earle in there too.
Sam likes to have fun with his music and he also likes to have quick takes in the studio. I can imagine him banging out Edge Of Town, another in the old Country style, in one take. The Band are echoed again on The Grand Trunk Pacific Coast Railroad. They are Canadian compatriots of course but it’s the Americana of barrelhouse piano and fiddle, who are in an almost drunken duet, that binds them. The clarinet makes a triumphant return on Honey I Know, more old-style Country and Jazz but this time with backing singers and a swing section to make it a real mash up. I can hear Leon Redbone in the Jazz section and we get contrasting crashing cymbals and laid-back guitar to round things off. His exaggerated drawl will not be to everyone’s tastes and he lays it on thick for the bass heavy My, Oh My. Backing singers help to level out the vocal over the course of the song but I can imagine him singing away in a barroom somewhere in the back of beyond with the distinctive tone of the piano backing him. The woodwind solo is a good addition. It all finishes with Tattered Shoes, an acoustic, harmonica assisted jug band Blues. It’s quite an intimate album but it’s the kind of music that you feel you could just step into and play along.
Quinn Sullivan – I’m Wide Awake (Provogue/Mascot Label Group)
Now 22, Quinn Sullivan has already amassed a number of years playing guitar and singing all around the world, including playing with maestros such as his mentor Buddy Guy and Carlos Santana. He’s obviously learned from these guys, and many others, as he has now moved into a more polished stage of his performing career. The 12 songs on the new album, I’m Wide Awake, are a sign of a young man who is wise beyond his years but will push him to even greater achievements in the future. He opens with the first of three singles, All Around The World, a gentle commercial Rock opening which allows him to show the depth to his voice and little glimpses of his guitar prowess. The grinding She’s So Irresistible follows with a funky bass line, thumping drums and Sullivan showing that he has the guitar chops. The second single, How Many Tears, is slow and soulful. I’d go as far as to say that this could be a future classic with its Stax sounds. Sullivan displays a great falsetto as he opens up vocally and deep funky guitar solo. He is the full package and there is still so much more to come. The last of the singles is In A World Without You and he gets his groove on with this funk fest. Great production, very clean with great transitions and big things beckon for this young man. The guitar solo is so smooth and his fingers just slide over the fretboard. I’m picking up a little Latin feel to it too, maybe a Santana influence. He says it’s one of his favourite songs on the album and I’m not going to disagree. She’s Gone (& She Ain’t Coming Back) is slower but he has such an infectious vibe around him that means that anything he sings is immediately likeable. Look out for the big solo on this. Baby Please is funky Soul and highlights a voice that is beyond his years and he brings out that falsetto again. He is so easy to listen to and this is an album that will be getting repeated often.
The up-tempo Real Thing is another very commercial and very good song. He has developed into a top-class songwriter and deserves to be a success. He’s getting such a full sound on the album with plenty of colour. Another on the up-tempo side is You’re The One and he’s not trying to be the gritty Rock star here, just a good musician playing good easy to listen to songs. This, and the rest of the album will be great Summer listening. He goes a little heavier on the instrumental side of Wide Awake but there is still the clean, clear vocal. The grinding Strawberry Rain is his most grungy song but he does have that melodic vocal festival of a soaring chorus to bring us back to the gentler side. Love it as he gets out the wah-wah for his guitar. When I saw Jessica listed, I thought, “that’s ambitious” but it’s not the classic Allman Brothers song. Instead, it’s an acoustic, ballad style track that you’ll just drift away with. Very strong. He finishes with the piano led ballad, Keep Up. I thought we might get an up-tempo one to finish with but alas not. However, what he does do is he leaves us with a reminder of how good a guitarist he is and that more than makes up for the lack of pace.
Emma Swift – Blonde On The Tracks (CRS/Tiny Ghost Records)
Did you see what she did there? Well, that should give you an idea of what is coming next.
Emma Swift openly admits that she is not a prolific song-writer but she was having particular problems during a recent depressed period. During that period the idea came up for a Dylan cover album as she had started to play some of his songs as something to wake up for. Swift has plundered well-known and less well-known albums and songs for this collection. Starting with Queen Jane Approximately from Highway 61 Revisited she gives her own interpretation without the Dylan nasal sneer. I Contain Multitudes (the first single) is not a familiar Dylan song, at least not to me, but Emma plays it in such a way that you couldn’t fail to recognise it for one. Taken from this year’s album Rough And Rowdy Ways, it’s Dylan in a particularly reflective mood and a strange one to cover and also to cover so soon after the original release. Emma’s soft tones carry the well-crafted One Of Us Must Know from Blonde On Blonde (the first part of the play on words for the Emma’s album title). I’ve not gone back to the originals to compare as I feel the songs deserve to be heard on their own. This stands on its own very well.
I was playing the original version of A Simple Twist Of Fate the other day, just by coincidence, so I can compare this one. It’s From Blood On The Tracks, the other part of the play on words for the album title. Her version takes off the rough edges and slows the tempo for another excellent cover. Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands is the final track on the Blonde On Blonde album. She has the ability of turning the songs into her own; “I’m very influenced by singers like Sandy Denny, Joan Baez, Billie Holiday, Sinead O’Connor. There’s an art to interpretation, and for me, these women are the masters. I’m as indebted to them on this record as I am to Bob Dylan” says Swift. She portrays a very vulnerable vocal throughout the 11:57 of the epic song but there’s an underlying strength too. Some of you will recognise The Man In Me from the opening credits of The Big Lebowski, which was taken from Dylan’s 1970 album, New Morning. I’ve not watched that film in ages so that’s now added to my watch list! Emma has taken a number of songs that are not often covered and has done them well. Going Going Gone from Planet Waves is not immediately recognisable as Dylan. Swift adds a soaring vocal and although the album has been gentle throughout we do get a little electric guitar here. That electric addition continues on with an excellent solo on You’re A Big Girl Now, originally on Blood On The Tracks. The choice of this song to finish with is either a simple twist of fate (haha) or Emma telling us that she’s arrived. Whatever it is, it is a lovely version of the song.
So, there’s nothing from Another Side Of or Nashville Skyline, but you can’t have everything. This is as good an album of Dylan covers that you are likely to hear. It’s always a difficult task to cover a Dylan song, never mind 8 on one album, but she does so with aplomb.
Dudley Taft – Cosmic Radio (American Blues Artist Group)
Cincinnati resident Dudley Taft has been building his reputation for exciting Blues Rock over the past few years both through his six previous albums and extensive touring worldwide. His seventh album begins with the title track, a full on rocker to open with and language to match at times. Dudley leaves you in no doubt as to what you are about to receive and expects you to tune in to the frequency of the unknown. The band keeps at it on Left In The Dust and they throw everything at this; soaring fuzzed guitar, strong vocals all at breakneck speed and kept together by the drums of Jason Patterson. There’s still no let-up in the pace as Dudley goes all out for it on The Devil, which is, as you would expect, all about temptation. The first sign of slowing things down a bit comes on Goin’ Away Baby, a funky Blues rocker with fluid solos from Dudley and they keep things slow for One In A Billion. This has long floating Jimi Hendrix style notation and is a grinding Blues Rock which also brings Cream to mind. It goes over 8 minutes as Dudley throws in a couple of extended solos for the first time. Up next is the mid-paced The End Of The Blues and I hope not, for so many reasons! This is one of his best vocal performances and he throws in some wicked guitar too for good measure.
It’s ironic that Relentless is a slow Blues considering some of the quicker tracks earlier. It’s the first song that he wrote with his daughter Ashley Charmae and she takes on lead vocal duties. She delivers a sultry performance as dad goes off on a note bending extravaganza and turning grungy in parts. All good stuff. What an opening to Fly With Me as the band goes straight into it and grinds it out on a heavy Blues rocker. There’s plenty of digital dexterity on show and his nimble fingers may well have been influenced by Tommy Iommi. Those lightning fingers continue on Hey Hey Hey and if you like a bit of grit but still want melody then here you go. All For One is a big, booming, crunching Blues rocker with screeching guitar solos and is definitely on the heavy side of Blues Rock. It’s not The Monkees on I’m A Believer, instead it’s a softish rocker with Dudley on form vocally and, as ever, on guitar. Basically it’s Dudley getting out his frustrations over lockdown etc. Hell yeah! And no, it’s not Whitney Houston on I Will Always Love You either. What it is, is it’s a Rock Ballad to finish and a piano led one at that. Both unexpected turns from Dudley. It’s a good song and has great backing vocals from his daughter but I was expecting the big guitar solo to come and was sadly left disappointed.
Dudley Taft has progressed album by album and this is his best to date.
Laura Tate – Live From El Paso (811 Gold Records)
Texan Actor and Singer Laura Tate has compiled an array of top class musicians to back her on this live album, recorded in the open air at the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheater in West Texas. The special concert was to benefit The Laura Tate Fund For The Arts. She opens with the delicate Jazz Blues of No Place To Hide and that is literally the case as her voice is as delicate as the song it’s portraying. I’ll Find Someone Who Will is a little more upbeat and Laura adds a bit to her vocal but she’s not yet reaching the peaks. Originally written as a Texas rocker by Teresa James and Terry Wilson for Coco Montoya, Laura’s still giving out that Jazz Blues vibe but her voice could have been a bit grittier to match the song. I didn’t think I’d be reviewing a Rat Pack style Jazz version of Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back In Town but here we are. One of my favourite and most played songs of all time is given a complete work over and if I hadn’t heard the original I’d have thought that this is a fair enough, middle of the road big band number. However, I have heard the original and nothing here has enhanced the songs reputation. Laura is back on form to a degree on the slinky Jazz Blues of I Need A Man. She delivers a sultry vocal but there are parts of the song where she could have exploded into life and gone to town. A special mention goes to Jeff Paris on piano. Laura’s starting to hit her stride now and Irma Thomas’ Hittin’ On Nothing is a case in point. The horn section of Lee Thornburg (trombone), Darrell Leonard (trumpet) and The Phantom Blues Band’s Joe Sublett on saxophone, provide an excellent balance and Teresa James is excellent throughout the set on backing vocal. Sublett’s sax solo and Doug Hamblin’s guitar give the song that little lift. The warming up continues on the excellent and hot Jazz Blues of Can’t Say No and there’s a night club feel to Still Got The Blues. I must admit to a little trepidation when this one came up as Gary Moore’s Still Got The Blues is another of my favourite songs. Panic over, this isn’t another reworking although its star is still the guitar, only this one belongs to Doug Hamblin.
Nobody Gets Hurt is quite simply another good song. Laura’s vocals are fine but I feel that she could stretch herself a little more but perhaps that’s something to do with the open air venue. Hamblin is certainly the one that holds everything together. The fast paced What A Way To Go is leading a charge towards the end of the album. Piano and guitar fills are excellent, it’s a good story and has a vocal that matches it. Good times continue with Cowboy Jazz, which unsurprisingly has gentle Jazz themes and a few cowboy references thrown in too. The closing track of the concert proper is actually the track of the album. Big Top Hat is Texas Swing and finally we get a bit of sass and attitude from Laura. This is what I expected more of on the album. Jeff Paris lets loose on piano, taking guitar, bass (Terry Wilson) and drums (Tony Braunagel) with him and the horn section blowing away in the background. This one will get you on your feet. They come back for an encore, the strolling Blues of If That Ain’t Love. These last two songs leave the audience with a glow but sadly there’s not enough of it on the album.
Live albums can be hit or miss. This one has more miss than hit but that could be down to the lack of noise from the audience. I don’t know if it was a conscious decision to minimise the audience or whether it was down to the outdoors venue but it does detract from the album.
Chip Taylor – In Sympathy Of A Heartbreak (Train Wreck Records)
So, for those who aren’t aware of Chip Taylor he’s the guy who wrote Wild Thing and Angel Of The Morning and his brother is Jon Voight. That gets that out of the way. He is so much more than that though. Never known for being conventional, Taylor often sings about subjects that others wouldn’t. In Sympathy Of A Heartbreak, released earlier this year, he tackles the issues of the day, in his own inimitable style and with a voice that carries the rigours of his 80 years. Starting with the title track, I can say that I’ve written about many singers with world weary vocals but very few rivals Chip Taylor. The heartbreak that comes across is nothing short of complete but yet it’s not his heartbreak that he is singing about but that of another. His style does take some getting used to but there is no doubting his consummate skills as a songwriter, as highlighted by Together We’re Not Much. This is gentle Americana; just him, guitar, bass and piano with a little backing vocal and maybe harmonium too. This is a beautiful sound and it’s so intense you can hear him breathing. He can hardly get the words out at times, the motion is so much on I Love You Anyway. This reflective gentle waltz is one for an older couple to listen to and is a fine example of how beautiful his songs are. Some of his songs are about loneliness, anguish and heartbreak and It’s Hard To Sing This Song has all three. He does add some cymbals to this but you’d hardly notice them as its strings and Taylor stretching his vocal as he comes out of his shell a bit that takes your attention. Listen to the lyric though, you can’t help it and that’s why he does what he does. On He’s A Magician we have a slow, very relaxing fairground theme with offbeat piano, accordion and bells. You’ll be used to the deep, almost spoken vocal by now, so much so that you’ll feel that he’s in the room with you.
Thank You For The Offer is very short and very thought provoking. This hit me hard and I urge you to listen to it and see how it makes you feel. Taylor sings about everyday things but he can pull your heartstrings on any subject as he does on Bad Bus Ride. We do get some harmony vocal on this and he does lift his voice in parts. Little Girl In Blue is a sing about diversity, again with backing vocals and a little percussion. Once again, very thought provoking. I can see why his songs are covered so often as on songs such as Newfoundland he gives you the pallet and you can make so many things with his words. You might think that everything’s about despair but you can find happiness in his songs too and the harmonium lends itself well to this one. It’s just guitar, piano and bass on Senseless, much like it has been for the rest of the album, with the odd cymbal and horns completing the sound. Chip Taylor has opinions and he’s not afraid to let you know. This is just an old style song if you get what I’m meaning. Does Chip go out rocking? Nah! I Hope You’re Alright goes the lyric On Mantra For Rest and I can’t think of a better line for these times. The harmonium is there to back the piano and guitar and that voice for the sedate finish that the rest of the album has been preparing you for.
JD Taylor – The Coldwater Sessions (Vizztone)
JD Taylor is well known for being the front man of Little Boys Blue but this is his first solo release after 5 albums with the band. It’s an album played in various styles, all 11 tracks of which are originals. He opens with the Chicago Blues of You Got Me Where You Want Me and he impresses immediately. This is obviously a harmonica player who has paid his dues. The guitar is a little frenetic in places but that takes nothing away from the song which has become a favourite of mine. Ooh Wee has staccato guitar over an elegant Blues with horns being introduced on the chorus to great effect. Nothing Left To Say is simply Soul and JD shows that he’s not just got lungs of steel for the harp, he’s also got a decent voice too. This has Memphis style horns and I could imagine the Temptations singing this silky smooth number. You’d better get your snake hips out for Cocomo as JD and the band deliver a slow groove based on a Bossa Nova beat and he keeps to a genteel pace for At First Glance, a soulful ballad in a Robert Cray style.
By All Means is a shuffling Blues that’ll get you going with wonderfully fluid guitar and exquisite Hammond organ from the Rev Charles Hodges playing a nice cameo in the background. This is another favourite with JD’s harp playing excellent, as ever. We get a funky New Orleans Soul next with It Ain’t No Good. JD adds a Dr John vocal and there are hints of Jon Cleary in there too. Hammond, guitar and horns are the stars and JD doesn’t even need to get the harp out on this one. It’s not away for long though and it’s back for the lung-bursting Hanging On. This up-tempo Blues shows that JD is a true exponent of the harmonica. This continues on the grinding, strolling Blues of Honey Honey Baby. Anastasia could be labelled as the weakest track on the album but even then it’s 90% there. One thing is for sure, the harp playing will still blow you away. Things are rounded off with The Coldwater Swing and JD goes out with a bang. Guitar and harp are in perfect up-tempo unison for what is an excellent finish to an excellent album.
If you like Blues harmonica or just plain old Memphis/New Orleans style Soul and Blues then you could do a lot worse than checking out JD Taylor.
Julian Taylor Band – Desert Star (Aporia Records)
Toronto based Julian Taylor returns with a refreshed version of his 2016 album Desert Star, a 22-track epic, to reacquaint us with his bold soulful sounds. You’d think that an album of such magnitude would struggle to maintain a level of quality throughout but on the whole Taylor manages to do so. From the outset with the horn fuelled, made to make you move upbeat Just A Little Bit, there’s something for most of us. He straddles a few genres with Soul and Rock being the two most prevalent. Bobbi Champagne is an example of his smooth, slow, sultry Soul drenched style. Vocally impressive, he’s a man to be reckoned with. The band can rock things up too and on Heard Good Things they and Julian go all Black Crowes on us. He’s just as good in either genre as he turns on the power both vocally and musically. It’s got a great riff and good Rock N Roll guitar. Say Goodnight, along with Desert Star (Who Could Ask For Anything More) and One Time, sets up a softer section of the album. These songs show Julian’s softer side and his beautiful vocal tone with deep, slow short guitar interludes befitting the first of the trio. We get deep, funky tones on the title track, which turns towards Rock in the chorus and an expansive chorus, carried by Jeremy Elliott’s drums, on the final track. You can’t help but liking Julian’s voice, he is such a wonderful natural singer. Funked up Disco themes are the main driver on the contemporary sounds of Pick You Up before he returns to his soulful side for Take Me (Stay) with the rhythm section (Elliott on drums and Jarrod Ross on bass) giving it a strong backbone and David Engle’s keys subtly picking out lines of notes. Glass House is an Acoustic Rock with Laurel Tubman turning in a performance on backing vocals as their voices meld. Taylor adds another mournful dimension to his voice as their two voices link with guitar to give a stripped back sound. He uses acoustic guitar widely and House Is A Garden, with its big Rock chorus, is another where it is used to great effect. He has a great vocal range and uses it well, showing off his falsetto on the Soul groove of Coke Bottle Candy.
Kinnie Starr features on Feel Your Love, a rhythmic grinding soulful track. It has a Rap section, not something we are known for reporting on, which is fine and compliments Julian’s power vocal. He can do old school and contemporary as he has that timeless voice and he fully exploits the contemporary scene with Hot Heels. This could match many of the tracks that are making the charts nowadays. His expressive voice is perfect for the Soul of Tiny & Mighty and, just as you are about to think you’ve got him vocally, he goes up an unexpected level in the chorus sections. That Spice is not up to the standard of the rest. It’s fine but doesn’t grab you and represents a bit of a blip on this extensive album. He could easily have left it out. Chemical Low is subdued and has a relaxed vibe that builds into the chorus. It’s strong and it will grow on you, guaranteed! The band funks it up for Fever which starts strongly but struggles in parts. Ultimately, it’s a good, fun song with a singalong chorus. The next three are some of the best on the album. Get Loud Pt 2 is a shuffling Soul/R&B with a wonderfully toned, crystal clear vocal and simple, effective guitar. It’s even got a Kazoo! Set Me Free has full on horns that give you a release. It’s stomping, surging Soul and is bound to be a crowd pleaser. The last of the three is the strangely titled The Belly Of The Underman and sees Julian and the band stepping into Reggae territory. The strong rhythm section comes through again on this powerful and addictive highlight. It’s Rock N Soul for Never Too Late as his voice pierces the music like a plane bursting through low cloud and the guitar rocks out. This is another that will grow on you. The 22 tracks are finished off with the big, powerful finish of In My Life, on which he turns on the Blues Rock tap. We get grinding, heavy vibes with lots of Cream influences amongst others. I can just imagine Jack Bruce singing this although Julian does let rip with a couple of notes that Jack may not have been able to hit. There are suitably heavy guitar riffs and solo as Julian and the band leave nothing in the tank.
Templo Diez – Starlight (Continental Record Services)
Dutch band Templo Diez brings us their sixth album, Starlight, which was five years in the making and takes us on a deeply personal journey for the band members. Drawing inspiration from personal events, dreams, books and movies, the band brings 10 introspective dreamscapes that are not for the faint hearted. Ragged, jangling guitar and strings brings an eerie start to 303 South and at first I’d have said that it was a low key start to the album. It is, but having listened to the rest, it doesn’t get any more upbeat. We get the odd thunder of drums and bass and a weary vocal but it’s 3 and a half minutes before we get the band exploding into a cacophony of sound. There’s a feature of Lou Reed style vocal in places through the album and on the compelling Night Wind we get our first example. The band is in from the start and there’s a bit of melody creeping in. It’s not unpleasant but at six and a half minutes, maybe a bit too long as there’s no breaks to lift us out of the depths. The introduction of female backing vocals slightly masks the continued low key feel and there’s a bit of Prog Rock going on although they’ll never be accused of burning out, energy wise at least. The sombre Southern And The Dog shows that they like to go in for their soundscapes and with this dark, you could say Americana, plodder the effect is brought about with ragged guitar. Piano is introduced on Clear Fence but any hope of joviality is soon quashed. I think this would fit into an album of faster paced songs quite easily but it obviously fits the low key mood of this album too. The rhythm section finally gets a true outing and there’s an interesting untidy guitar solo. I’d say, think Velvet Underground.
There’s a more conformist start to More Rain On Vegas and the female vocal certainly gives a different dimension. Again, it’s not upbeat but its dreamy approach really works this time. There’s a hint of Jefferson Airplane here, certainly 60s psychedelia but it ends too abruptly. It’s back to a Lou Reed vocal for Sister and this just washes over you as the guitarist plays it straight and there’s none of the harsh sounds to be found elsewhere. Think of Eels in their most despairing moments for In Times Of Madness and this is one of the more melodic songs on offer. As I say, if you are looking for a high energy album then you’ll have to look elsewhere as the slow Indie Rock of Forty Seconds continues the theme of deep introspection. There’s actually a band performance here, not that I mean they haven’t been a band so far but it’s just that they all come out of the shadows for this. This and More Rain On Vegas are the top tracks on the album. They finish off with Going Surfing and The Beach Boys, this ain’t, not even in Brian Wilson’s darkest days. Like the rest of the album, it doesn’t get out of first gear but the female backing singer is back. Going surfing, might not come back!
If you want to go into your shell then this could be the band you want to take with you and if you like sad tales of insanity, love lost and found, travelling and the beauty of the sea at night then Templo Diez may just be for you. I’m not taking anything away from this deeply personal and introspective album but it will split opinion. I don’t think it’s the kind of album that you’ll return to again and again as it is very intense.
Templo Diez is Pascal Hallibert, Leejon Verhaeg, Paolo Panza, Hans Custers and Shireen van Dorp.
click here to listen to STARLIGHT
https://continentalrecordservices.bandcamp.com/album/starlight
Kirsten Thien – Two Sides (Screen Door Records)
Although this is her fifth release, this is my first introduction to Kirsten Thien and I didn’t know what to expect. However, I wasn’t expecting the excellent opening track, Shoulda Been. This acoustic led thumping Blues Rock has a rasping vocal & slide guitar from Thien and throbbing bass from Erik Boyd. Mention a woman playing slide guitar and everyone immediately starts comparisons with Bonnie Raitt. In this instance they’d be right. The Country flecked Sweet Lost And Found follows up and its simple effective strains stand up to anything else in the contemporary field. Kirsten is back to the Blues with After I Left Home. This Buddy Guy inspired chugger lays down a mark that she’s certainly a rival to contemporaries such as Samantha Fish. Kirsten can certainly play guitar but the rousing solo here is a fine example of Arthur Neilson’s work. She continues to mix and match her styles with the Doobie Brothers style Soft Rock of Say It Out Loud. Laid over a Bo Diddley beat provide in the main by drummer Alex Alexander, this has an inspirational message; just say it loud, whatever you feel and whoever you are.
I Gotta Man continues the swapping of genres and is firmly back in the field of Blues Rock. It’s stringent guitar duet and Rock vocal makes for a crowd pleaser. Something completely unexpected comes up next with Montanas. Sung fully in Spanish and although she has covered other genres already I certainly didn’t expect the Latin vibes of this from the New York based Blues singer. It doesn’t steer away from its Latin base and is a festival right through to the end. The upbeat middle 8 is particularly good and it’ll get you moving. A wonderful collaboration with Grammy nominated guitarist/songwriter Raul Midon which has Fabian Almazan and John Benthal prominent on piano and South American guitars respectively. There’s some Resonator slide from Doug MacLeod played over a shuffling drum beat from ace Nashville drummer Wes Little on Better Or You’re Gonna Get Burned and let me tell you, I believe her. Things are finished off nicely with the soulful Blues of the Leon Russell written I’d Rather Be Blind, best known for the classic Freddie King recording.
I’ve said that I hadn’t heard of Kirsten Thien before this album dropped in my lap. Two questions come from that, 1) why not and 2) where’s her back catalogue?
Dave Thomas – One More Mile (Blonde On Blonde Direct)
Welsh born and Norwich resident Dave Thomas won’t mind me saying that he’s been about for a while. A former member of British Prog rockers Blonde On Blonde he’s dipped his toes into Folk, Rock, Blue Eyed Soul and Roots but it is the Blues where he appears to be happiest. One More Mile is the first of a trilogy of albums that will cover his broad musical history and in fact this opening album gives us a taste of what is to come. Collaborations with Terry Popple (drummer with Van Morrison), Canadian songwriter Tony Henderson, Christie Moore’s lead guitarist and founder member of Horslips Declan Sinnott and The Groundhogs are featured with some of the sessions coming from the 90s and early 2000s. To open with a cover of BB King’s It’s My Own Fault could be deemed brave by some but Dave’s voice of experience breaks through on this slow, smooth and classy Chicago style Blues. His guitar fills are excellent and while the solo is particularly intricate I’m sure BB wouldn’t mind it. Terry Popple deserves a mention for his drum work especially in the mid-section and the horns from Travis Haddix’s band, Norman Tischler (saxophone) and Jeff Hager “Hager The Herald” (trumpet) are superb. One of only two Dave Thomas compositions, the hypnotic I Like My Chicken Fried, has an introduction of horns and Tom Arnold’s Hammond organ. They then go off to grind out a Funky Blues groove and show their consummate professionalism. Everyone should be ordered to listen to a burst of Hammond B3 every day! James Cotton’s One More Mile To Go is delivered close to the original as a shuffling standard Blues. Dave introduces harmonica, as you would expect on a James Cotton song, and I’m not saying that Dave’s harmonica playing is on a par with some of the great harp players out there just now but as a whole and as far as the Blues is concerned, he’s a true Bluesman from the UK that can match the best that the USA can produce. His easy going vocal style is such that he could sing your shopping list and make it sound like the Blues. The first section of four songs with the band members already mentioned and including Dylan Aplvor on bass finishes with Poor Boy, the second of his own compositions. This starts off on organ and bass with drums and vocal quickly joining along with guitar. However, the Hammond is the rock on which this is built. It’s a hard life story and one where he’s not discernibly a British artist in terms of the British Blues scene. I get a sense of Robert Cray about him, not in his guitar style but just in the overall feel and ethos of some of the songs. His guitar playing is exciting at times though.
The middle section of the album comprises three songs written by Tony Henderson (the final one co-written with Declan Sinnott) and there’s the first change in style, although not immediately. I Want The Blues is a guitar and harmonica Blues in a Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee style and this is delivered in an almost conversational way. It’s an end of the evening song and one where the performers can’t hide; they are out there for scrutiny. The slinky guitar solo is impressive. The style change is more perceptible on You Danced In My Kitchen as he steps away from the Blues into Celtic overtones with a jazzy feel. A deeply emotional song that will mean so much to so many. The ethos of the Blues is never far away and there’s a folksy element to There’s A Train. This is more ‘British’ which is quite ironic since it was written by a Canadian and an Irishman! The use of accordion on this and the previous song adds to the Celtic Folk Rock vibe. Thomas turns in an emotional vocal and fitting the acoustic tones perfectly. It’s also worth noting that Sinnott played all of the instruments on these three songs.
The final trio of songs are written by British Blues icon Tony McPhee and the Groundhogs founder member does not disappoint. Starting with Garden, he takes us back to the electric side of things. It’s a step back towards the Blues but on the edge of Prog Rock. It’s a cross between Cream and early Moody Blues with a pinch of King Crimson thrown in for good measure. One for the Eco warriors, just listen to the lyrics and have a think to yourself. There’s a powerful slide guitar solo in the mid-section but the whole thing is a bit marmite in parts. I love the heavier instrumental parts but Thomas’ vocals are not the same as earlier in the album. It’s on to Eccentric Man and we’re back in the room. This bluesy Prog Rock is expansive and will win you over, no doubt. On listening more I feel there’s an element of inspiration from Cream as Thomas lets himself go on guitar. The final track, Strange Town, is a Blues based rocker although the bombastic Prog Rock themes are still there. It’s interesting that he has left it until the last two tracks to fully unleash his power guitar but all I can say that it’s wonderful.
I’m looking forward to the next two albums of the trilogy already!
Too Slim And The Taildraggers – The Remedy (Vizztone/Underworld)
Opening with the second single Last Last Chance, Too Slim And The Taildraggers bring us 11 tracks of good old Blues Rock, 10 originals and one cover. The aforementioned Faces influenced Last Last Chance has it all; swagger, riffs, the lot. This is followed by She Got The remedy, a slow, surging rocker with fuzzed vocal and the expected riff-o-rama from Too Slim on guitar. Next up is the first single, Devil’s Hostage, a gritty, sleazy Blues with ZZ Top overtones. It’s a gem of a track but it is being matched by the rest of the album. The good times continue with Reckless, which is a shuffling Boogie with a Bo Diddley beat.
Sunnyland Train is an Elmore James style, slide guitar extravaganza, which is good as it was James who wrote it! If this doesn’t want to make you pick up a guitar, I don’t know what will. Excellent shuffling drums from Jeffrey 'Shakey' Fowlkes to set the whole thing off. The Western themed Sure Shot follows and introduces banjo and a softer vocal. This slow and menacing Americana would have been an excellent addition to the Breaking Bad soundtrack. It speeds up towards the end to provide an excellent counterpoint finish. Platinum Junkie has additional harp as the band grind it out but this one doesn’t grab you as much as the others. There’s a return to form on Snake Eyes, good mid-paced Rock with more banjo and Latin themes to boot. A favourite is the walking Blues of Think About That with its Jimmie Vaughan/Fabulous Thunderbirds vibe and the final track, Half The World Away is a good end to a good album. This has Too Slim giving us Contemporary Blues refrains through his excellent guitar work. This is Blues Rock of the highest order.
Too Slim And The Taildraggers – Last Last Chance (Vizztone/Underworld)
The second single from the upcoming album, The Remedy, is a rollicking Blues rocker in the style of The Faces. Too Slim has an archetypal rockers voice and it drips from this cracker. Last Last Chance? Come on boys, we’ve all been there.
Too Slim And The Taildraggers – Devil’s Hostage (Vizztone/Underworld)
Devil’s Hostage is the first single from the upcoming album, The Remedy. Gritty, sleazy Blues with ZZ Top overtones. This is a riff laden Blues from the underbelly. A gem of a track and here’s hoping the album gives us more.
Trower, Priest, Brown – United State Of Mind (Manhaton Records)
The trio of Robin Trower, Maxi Preist and Livingstone Brown, collectively known as United State Of Mind, could hardly be more different. Add the Rock guitar virtuoso Trower to the Reggae pioneer Priest and talented producer/mix engineer and musician Brown; what do you get? You get a trio of styles that probably shouldn’t work but yet it does. Opening with the title track those diverse musical styles bring us a cool, soulful, smooth Maxi Priest vocal playing over a Robin Trower guitar groove and Livingstone Brown sending out some bass lines that go straight to your heart. The mellow, funky, commercial vibes are punctured with a classic Trower solo. A great start. Used for the soundtrack to the recent movie, Ali’s Comeback, Are We Just People is a soul filled, gentle track that will ease all your troubles. Robin Trower shows all of his experience as he confirms his status as one of the UK’s foremost guitarists. Strings, woodwind (flute) and horns all subtly there in the slick production by Brown. Things turn a little more Rock oriented with On Fire Like Zsa Zsa as Trower grunges it up and gets his Wah-Wah pedal out for the solo. It still has that wonderfully funky commercial feel and this is one of the most surprising and welcome results of this coming together of styles. On the Blues influenced Walking Wounded Priest gives a wonderful performance on vocals. We already know that Trower is a virtuoso but he shows it again with some Avant Garde licks. Strings mellow things out and I could easily sit back with a drink and listen to this in the late evening.
The very laid-back Priest leads the band in Sunrise Revolution. Horns dip in and out, Trower is picking out the notes and Brown joins with the drummer to provide a cool base for the song. It’s not a Reggae song but lyrically has that ethos. Like others, Hands To The Sky is full of Soul and Summer sounds. The production is superb and it’s difficult to believe that these three are not from the same backgrounds. The songs are all about union, unity, love, peace and redemption, none more so than Bring It All Back To You. This has a slow, deep groove with telling input from Trower but there are no egos on show, just three wonderful craftsmen at work. Trower plays so well in the lower ranges, giving him his distinctive sound and this can be heard on the grinding, powerful Good Day. Are we having a good day, you bet we are! It’s a low key, atmospheric close with Where Our Love Came From. Strings feature highly but Trower’s solo steals the show. It’s so easy as the notes slip from the fretboard and is a fitting end to an excellent album.
I hope there’s at least one more album to come from this trio.
Tscheky & The Blues Kings - Men Of Blues
The Blues Kings are a young German band with a passion for the Blues. Led by Michael “Tscheky” Sedlatschek, they bely their years and have already built a solid reputation for great Blues, Boogie and Rock N Roll. Heavily influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan at the age of 6, Tscheky formed the Blues Kings with rhythm guitarist Christoph Voggesser in 2011 and has been bringing us the message since their debut album in 2016. The latest album opens with Falling Down But Feeling Free, a jaunty 60s Pop Rock which highlights the energy that the band has. Tscheky takes on vocal duties as well as lead guitar for the band and he has such a youthful voice which, despite being a little nasal, is good for this fun opener. Elmore James’ Talk To Me Baby is well played and rhythmic with a vocal in a higher range than the original. The piano solo from Andreas Schatz is unexpected yet well executed and Tscheky shows where his true skills lie with a fluid style on guitar. Very good albeit a little clean overall for an Elmore James track. The classic Hound Dog Taylor song, Give Me Back My Wig, is known for its energy and this version almost reaches those levels. A very good cover with Tscheky stealing the show with a rocking solo. Schatz turns on the style on LA Boogie, a shuffling piano Boogie with a matching beat from drummer, Elija Von Le Suire. I’m a guitar man generally but I do love a piano Boogie and this instrumental is good as any around. Man Of Blues is another shuffler with Tscheky and Schatz starring again on guitar and, this time, Hammond B3/electric piano. His voice suits this one better and gives a more rounded feel. There must be 10s of 100s of versions of Chuck Berry’s Sweet Little Sixteen out there and you don’t really have to do that much to it, it’s that good already. This is an ok cover with a decent guitar solo which actually leans more to Country.
Earthbound is funky, Blues Rock but very lightweight until the guitar solo appears and this lifts it to another level. The clean guitar tones of the rhythmic Please Don’t Leave Me Baby outgun the very good piano from Schatz but it is with the vocal that most will have some troubles as it comes across as a little marmite; you’ll either love it or you’ll not. Another from the 60s/70s era is the quick, raw R&B of Living In A Free Land. The extended guitar solos on this are very good and confirm that this is the star of the band. They diced with Country tones earlier and go into it more on Walk Away Back Home. They actually excel at this and place the bass from Markus Rehrl a little higher in the mix. Tscheky changes genres with ease on guitar and this is one where they all have a good time but it’s perhaps time to re-evaluate lead singing duties. Pointed notes from Tscheky’s guitar infiltrate the shuffling Blues of Hug You Squeeze You. I do understand that singing in a second language is not always successful and phrasing suffers here at times. However, it’s a good song and well played with guitar and piano raising it up. I have to say that Tscheky’s guitar deserves a higher stage and if he can round off his vocal then there is no stopping him. This one has a Jools Holland tone, sharp, high pitched and an acquired taste. Proceedings are brought to a halt with a Country/Texas ballad, Take Me With You Or Wherever. Paul Heaton comes to mind vocally and, as I have said above, if he just rounded his voice a little then he’d have a far better overall sound. He’s in tune so that’s not the problem, it’s just the pitch that’s not to my particular liking.
Tscheky & The Blues Kings are a band to be reckoned with and may well be destined for higher things.
Dan Tuffy – Letters Of Gold (Continental Europe)
Dan Tuffy’s second album takes him away from the dark Country themes of his debut and into a more big production groove based sound. However, there’s always that undercurrent of despair and depression around. He opens with Can’t Contain My Feeling and his lugubrious vocal and piercing electric guitar thrusts through the acoustic rhythm give an overall eerie depressive feel. He slightly ups the pace for Honey Flow but it’s still that sombre vocal delivery. There is some excellent acoustic guitar work though, but it sounds like it’s been mixed in a home studio with all the gadgets going. Dan goes Americana with Eternity, a dark tale of a boy’s life before and after the war. There’s some Tex-Mex tones in amongst a deeply sad and depressing tale which finishes with redemption. Guitar rings like a bell and this thought provoking song will grow on you. The gentle Time Stole My Angel is up next and his heartfelt vocal could see him being described as a young Chip Taylor. He can tell a story and this one is about a child growing up. I don’t like the drum machine effect but I can understand why it’s being used and is that a Wurlitzer organ in the background?
Sandy Track is rhythmic Americana. Ironic as there’s no drums. I’m not sure if this is entrancing or not as he often takes you to dark places. Is that where the Sandy Track takes you? No Sleep Until The Work Is Done is a dark, gritty tale of the working man. It’s haunting and the thundering single guitar note adds to the atmosphere and he includes backing vocals for the first time I think. The pared back Home Fires is Electronica Americana and the drum machine is back. Low key, minimalist, atmospheric and keyboard led it is punctuated by a short sharp guitar interlude as it builds to the end of the song. It was always going to be a low key finish going by the rest of the album and Big Man doesn’t disappoint. It’s a dark tale of fame but is he talking about his father though? Like some of the others it’s hard to tell what the true story is.
Ruby Turner - Love Was Here (RTR Productions)
Ruby Turner is widely recognised as one of Britain’s foremost Soul/Gospel singers and is an integral part of Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. Her desire to write again was ignited by production team, Nick Atkinson and Kat Eaton and has resulted in this set of 11 originals. Opening with Got To Be Done, a soulful track with Al Green and Curtis Mayfield vibes, Ruby takes us through a mainly mellow album which is quite introspective in places. Her vast Soul and Gospel experience is evident all through the album but none more so than on Don’t Cry Over Yesterday where she gives a hint of the power in her voice during the chorus. Hints of Al Green surface again on Won’t Give You My Heart To Break which has Ruby in fine voice and makes for very easy listening indeed. Gospel is never very far away when Ruby is singing and she gives us the full velvet toned experience on the laid back Under Your Sky. There’s no doubting her credentials as she trawls her Soul and R&B history for the classic Soul of Make You Happy. However, she’s yet to give us the full Ruby Turner power vocal.
Love Was Here is not a high energy album and the title track follows the slow and soulful feel of the majority of the songs. Still singing well within her capacity, Ruby just draws you in to sit back and let it wash all over you. Gentle vibes continue with the introspective Runaway and A Better Way, the latter having an uplifting chorus and one that I can imagine Al Green singing. The chorus of Why Didn’t We Try gives further hints of her vocal power but it’s not fully unleashed yet. Things get a bit more upbeat on Time Of Your Life, the closing track, before we are given a bonus track in the form of Chasing Love. This is the lead song from the film, The Host, which was released in January this year. It’s very Bond like and I can see why it was chosen for the film. It’s Ruby’s most passionate vocal which is sadly not the case often enough on the album.
This is an album that shows the mellow side of Ruby Turner and is well worth a listen.
Ad Vanderveen – Treasure Keepers (Continental Record Services)
Treasure Keepers is Ad Vanderveen’s 14th album but there’s something different. This time he’s pared everything back and in keeping with the times we are in, gives a performance of one in solitude and desperate to regain contact. He opens with David And Goliath, a tribute to his mentor, David Olney, who passed away recently. It’s just Ad and his guitar on this Folk song and you can feel the respect for his friend coming through. The title track has more sedate sounds although a little bit of harmonica does change the perspective in parts. The overall effect is one of having him play in your front lounge. One thing you can expect from Vanderveen is a story and End Of Me And You is a fine example of his art. He remains on the Folksy side of things as he channels the singer/songwriters that have gone before such as Dylan and Guthrie. If you like to sit and listen to a guy with an acoustic guitar singing stories that you can relate to then Ad is your man. As often with the man, the lyric is more important than the melody and on Sixty Thousand Thoughts he brings some of his finest. There’s only so much that you can do with an acoustic guitar so attention turns to his voice and his expressive delivery fits well on this Americana tinged track. Death Is For Others is back to guitar and harmonica, the staples of the singer/songwriter. I think we all had ambitions in those areas when we were young. No? Just me then? I’m not taking anything away from this song which is definitely in the mould of Bob Dylan and could easily have made it onto one of his albums, it’s that good.
The achingly beautiful Looking Through Your Eyes has Neil Young influences all over it whereas stark voiced Puppet Show appears to be an allegory (you make up your own mind about who) with a vibraphone or something similar backing him up. He’s back on guitar for Times Like These, another musically Americana tinged song with a plaintive Neil Young style vocal. Ad sings “Come out of this a better world” – we can only hope. Guy Clark and Slaid Cleaves come to mind on If I Can Do It, So Can You, another in the Americana style both in tone and subject. It’s the only full cover on the album and is included because of its life changing effect that it had on Ad in the late 70s. On looking at the title, Lonely You Are, I wondered if Yoda had taken over the songwriting. I am only joking, of course. Electric guitar makes a first appearance as a counterpoint to Ad’s vocal. We get some harmonica too but it all feels very unadorned. The closing track of this first real solo album from Ad is Motherland and there’s a bit of noise to this. It’s actually a version of the Dutch national anthem with words added by Ad. Grungy electric guitar gives a bleak feeling but I can imagine a speeded up version of this being quite upbeat. However, the slow pace fits in with the rest of the album as Ad, I believe, is making a point that 2020 has been nothing to cheer about.
Ad’s own words on the album, “I’ve often heard myself say ‘a song should be able to stand on its own two feet, but I’d never really made a record like that. It was time to practise what I preach: one shot on the spot with no overdubs – a bold and daring choice if I do say so myself – and if a song wouldn’t stand up to it, it simply wouldn’t come to life. It took a sense of ruthless vulnerability to present my new material in this way that turned out feeling very rewarding”. I think he’s proved his point.
Various Artists – Alligator Records: 50 Years Of Genuine Houserockin’ Music (Alligator Records)
Alligator Records celebrates their 50th anniversary with a massive 3 CD (double vinyl album) selection from their finest artists over the years. The 58 track, fully remastered, CD extravaganza brings us a true cross section of what Alligator Records, and the Blues, has been about for all these years. It’s not one of those compilation albums where there’s 10 tracks from one artist and one each from a few others, Alligator has had a wide enough reach since the beginning to enable one track from each artist. The 18 track first album appropriately begins with their first signing, Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers and their classic, Give Me Back My Wig. You can still feel the energy that founder Bruce Iglauer must have felt when he first heard them and which set him off on his love of the genre and to set up the label. The first CD charts the early years and features diverse styles such as strong female voices like Koko Taylor and Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women, the harmonica Blues of Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell, James Cotton and William Clarke, guitar giants Fenton Robinson, Son Seals, Johnny Winter, Albert Collins (the first non-Chicagoan to be signed and one of only two artists to get two mentions on the album, the other being Carey Bell), Robert Cray, Johnny Copeland, Lonnie Mack, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown and Roy Buchanan, New Orleans piano Blues from Professor Longhair and the Roots Rockabilly Blues of The Paladins. I’m going to try and nominate two tracks as favourites from each album but believe me, there isn’t a bad track within the 58. Two particular favourites from this first album are Blue Monday Hangover from Albert Collins and Riding The Blinds (Live) from Lonnie Mack.
Album two features 21 tracks and continues with the love of guitar based Blues with Michael Burks, Kenny Neal, Michael Hill’s Blues Mob, Bob Margolin, Long John Hunter and Joe Louis Walker, the Country infused Blues of The Holmes Brothers, the Swing Blues of Little Charlie & The Nightcats, the piano Blues of Katie Webster, the slide guitar Blues of Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King and Dave Hole, the funky Blues Rock of The Kinsey Report, the harmonica Blues of Carey Bell, Billy Boy Arnold and The Siegal-Schwall Band, Louisiana Zydeco from C.J. Chenier, Gospel and Soul Blues from Mavis Staples, Janiva Magness and Corey Harris & Henry Butler, acoustic Piedmont Blues from Cephas & Wiggins and Soul infused New Orleans Blues from Eric Lindell. Favourite tracks: Love Disease from Michael Burks and I Won’t Do That from Joe Louis Walker.
The third album brings a further 19 tracks and, whilst continuing with the back catalogue it also brings us bang up to date with some latest releases. We have the Louisiana Swamp Blues of Marcia Ball, slide Blues from Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Soul Blues from Roomful Of Blues and Curtis Salgado, harmonica Blues from Billy Branch And The Sons Of Blues, Elvin Bishop & Carlie Musselwhite and Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, contemporary Blues Rock from Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Selwyn Birchwood and Tinsley Ellis, political Blues from Shemekia Copeland, Jump Blues from The Cash Box Kings, Southern Blues from Tommy Castro & The Painkillers and JJ Grey & Mofro, electric guitar Blues from Coco Montoya, Chris Cain and Guitar Shorty and Chicago Blues from The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling. The set is completed fittingly with Toronzo Cannon’s quickfire The Chicago Way and this could easily have been the name of the album. This is the hardest of the three albums to pick out two favourites as it covers a period when I started to review Alligator artists and I have lots of favourites but I’ve narrowed it down to two, Make It Back To Memphis (Live) from Tommy Castro & The Painkillers and Clotilda’s On Fire from Shemekia Copeland.
Jump, Chicago, Piedmont, Zydeco, piano, guitar, harmonica; all sorts of sub genres are covered as Alligator spread their net over the years and many of their artists fit into more than one sub-genre. This is what makes Alligator Records such a great label and is testament to Bruce Iglauer’s dedication to the history of the Blues. I’m sure that there are quite a few artists that have slipped through the nets over the years but those who have contributed to the Alligator story read like a who’s who of the last 50 years of the Blues and going through their biographies of the artists I couldn’t help but notice how many passed away too soon and how much more beautiful music we may have got from them.
I couldn’t do my normal track by track treatment of this album as the review would have been 10 pages long! However, that shouldn’t deflect from the fact that this is an important piece of Blues history and deserves to be so. The album is accompanied by an extensive 40-page booklet which spells out the birth of Alligator and how it has grown over the past 50 years to become the bestselling Blues label in the world. You have to add this to your collection.
Various Artists – Blind Racoon Nola Blue Collection Volume 3 – (Nola Blue Records)
Compilation albums are often hard to review as the breadth of songs available takes a while to work through and with Blind Racoon and Nola Blue Records bringing us two discs and 32 songs to savour, it’s a task and a half! I’ve reviewed most of these tracks as part of their constituent albums so I’m not going into any depth on those other than to say that after listening to this 2 CD treasure trove of Nola Blue’s recent output you should search out John Nemeth’s ‘Stronger Than Strong’, Kirsten Thien’s ‘Two Sides’, Eric Johanson’s ‘Below Sea Level’ and Malaya Blue’s ‘Still’ albums, all of which appeared in our Top 10 albums of 2020 or had singles from them in the singles Top 10. Of those that I haven’t previously reviewed Benny Turner’s slick I Can’t Leave, the grinding Soul Blues of One More 1&1 from Matt Lomeo, Reverend Freakchild’s haunting Sweet Sweet You and the driving rockers What Would Delbert Do from Sammy Eubanks and Sandy Haley’s Never Sleep Your Way To The Middle are the best of the bunch.
It’s a great advert for a superb roster of artists.
Various Artists – The Blind Raccoon 2020 Holiday Sampler
It’s Christmas season and with that we get a plethora of singles and albums to mark the occasion. Most are for the single track market as single performer Christmas albums don’t seem to be as popular as they once were. On the other hand, we do get a number of Various Artist type albums with songs old and new and this sampler from the Blind Raccoon roster of artists is just that. Culled from album tracks and old and previously unreleased singles it covers a number of different styles and outlooks. Starting with singer and bassist, Benny Turner we get a story of missing love and trying to get home, quite often Christmas themes, on I Want Some Christmas Cheer. This was previously released as a single in 2015 and its Benny’s soulful Blues version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Sometimes Blues songs lend themselves to the Christmas season and this one hits the mark. Brigitte Purdy’s previously unreleased I’m Your Holiday Baby is not your typical Christmas song and Buddy Guy’s Home For Christmas, also previously unreleased, is not the usual Buddy we know and love. It’s less frenetic but some of his trademark vocal does creep in. It’s particularly slow for a Buddy Guy song but the strong guitar is there as you would expect on this well-worn theme of being home at Christmas. Chris Daniels & The Kings inject a bit of much needed pace and it’s the first of what you’d consider a normal fun holiday song. Cool Yule is a mid-paced Swing Blues with excellent horns, in particular the trumpet solos. Taken from the 2018 album Stealin’ The Covers, this checks all the bases. The album features some of the artists that I’ve reviewed over the years and, in Delta Moon, some of my favourite discoveries. Their contribution, Christmastime In New Orleans, is taken from 2018’s Babylon Is Falling and is another non-traditional style holiday song. It’s Blues, New Orleans style and has slide guitar and husky vocal as you’d expect from this band. The Jon Spear Band is a new one to me and Wintertime from the 2017 album, Hot Sauce, is another that’s not a typical Christmas song. However, it does make us think about our values and of others less fortunate at this time of year with its tale of loneliness, homelessness and hunger. Christmas Is Calling is the contribution from Kelly’s Lot. From the Another Sky album, its simple, catchy chorus gives it the hook for success and makes it a bit of a standout. Laura Tate’s live version of the old classic, Merry Christmas Baby sees the band in great form and Laura having a great old time to herself. Meg Williams gives us the fast Blues of Let It Ring, which was a single last year and is a bit of a stocking filler.
Two tracks from Michele D’Amour & The Love Dealers make the selection. The first, Naughty List is in the true Blues style of wicked behaviour. Let’s go get on the naughty list Michele implores you. Organ is extensively used but not in a church setting. It’s taken from the2019 album Christmas In Blue and features CD Woodbury on guitar, whose World’s Gone Crazy album I reviewed earlier this year. The second from Michele, The Noisiest Toy, has a title that will reverberate with parents the world over. Remember those toys where the batteries were removed after a couple of days and never replaced? Also from the Christmas In Blue album and good fun. I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a well-known festive song, maybe best known for The Beach Boys version. This powerful version from Peter V Blues Train with prominent tenor saxophone from Danny Walsh is certainly not The Beach Boys. It’s another standout and the Peter V here is Peter Veteska whose Grass Ain’t Greener On The Other Side album I reviewed this year. It’s a Boogie-Woogie Christmas with Professor Louie & The Crowmatix with their track, Daughters & Sons. From as far back as 2006’s Holiday Time it’s rollicking good fun and you can’t help but like it. If there was ever a song for this year it’s Teresa James’ previously unreleased I Need Christmas This Year. It’s slow, jazzy and oh so appropriate for this year. This should be out there and a big hit but you know it won’t, it’ll be some reality star or something like that. It’s a lovely feel-good song with a clear vocal from Teresa and crisp guitar from Kenton Youngstrom. Nip In The Air from The Honey Larks gives that old style girl harmony vocal group feel and I get to hear a kazoo for the second time in a couple of days. Joni Mitchell’s River is offered by Tiffany Pollack and Eric Johanson. It’s given a contemporary, not overtly Christmassy, feel with a strong vocal from Pollack but not as big a guitar input as I’ve expected from one of my new guitar heroes Johanson given his impact on me from my review of this year’s Below Sea Level album. We get sleigh bells for, I believe, the first time on Tomislav Goluban’s Ho Ho Christmas. There’s plenty of energy and Harmonica and guitar are to the fore on this, originally a single from 2018. The most traditional message is saved for the strong final track, Peace And Goodwill from Vaneese Thomas, a single first released in 2015. Sleigh bells make another appearance and you are left with that Christmas warmth.
Although I’m not a fan of Christmas songs per say, I do have a select list of favourites. It may be that my list has just expanded by one or two.
Various Artists – 2020 Blues (Alligator Records)
This 5 track sampler from Alligator Records brings us new and established acts and whets the appetite for the albums to come. It starts off with Chris Cain and I Believe I Got Off Cheap. Cain is Alligator’s latest signing but he has been around for a while and has 14 albums to his name already. This is from his upcoming album, Raising Cain, due out in early 2021. It’s got stinging guitar and with his gritty voice and horns adding to the overall feel, you get the impression that you are in the presence of a master of his craft. Selwyn Birchwood may be a new name to some but Living In A Burning House from the eponymous album due out in 2021 is a great introduction. Birchwood is one of a number of new generation Blues players that will take the genre forward. This is a big production, Albert King influenced, Blues with deep, growling bass and sax along with Birchwood’s searing guitar. I’ve already reviewed Shemekia Copeland’s Uncivil War as a single. On further listening I can confirm that it has lost none of its impact since that first hearing. Taken from the upcoming eponymous album, it’s an acoustic protest song with a Gospel feel which resonates perfectly for the times we are in. Curtis Salgado is another that’s been around for a while and we find the veteran of 10 albums in an honest reflective mood, thinking about long life and last gigs. The song, taken from Damage Control, due out in early 2021, is piano and keyboard led with its spiritual feel painting a bright and vivid picture. The last track is What The Hell? from Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite. The two Blues greats get together to give us a scathing, yet humorous, commentary of the state of play. The title, which could be the headline for 2020, says it all really and the album from which the track is taken, 100 Years Of Blues, promises to give us an insight to the many stories that the pair will most certainly have. The album is due out on 25th September.
Peter Veteska & Blues Train – Grass Ain’t Greener On The Other Side
Grass Ain’t Greener… is Peter Veteska’s fifth album although it’s the first time that I’ve come across him. Stepping away from his usual Jazz and Funk influences, Peter has gone for a more Blues and Rock approach this time. Starting with the standard Mikey Junior, harmonica-led Blues of Am I Wrong Pretty Lady, he immediately shows how good a guitarist he is. However, it’s not all about the guitar here, and throughout the album, as the legendary Jeff Levine brings the mighty Hammond B-3 for a showcase too. Baby You’ve Got What It Takes, originally by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton, is a mid-paced, strolling Blues with Jen Barnes taking joint lead on vocals and she and Peter fit so well together. It’s got punchy guitar and organ sharing the spoils. Alex D’Agnese provides pounding drums from the outset of Running Like A Dog and he, and Coo Mo Jhee on bass, are the backbone that allows Levine and Veteska to joust in perfect synchronicity until Peter steals the show with a stinging solo. The acoustic Blues of I’ve Been Missing You builds nicely. I can just imagine sitting in a bar and a guy picks up his acoustic guitar and starts to play. The some others come out of the audience and start playing along. It just gives you that kind of feel. Mikey Junior’s harmonica speaks to you and the whole thing is laid back and relaxed with an acoustic solo to top things off. You Give Me Loving is an upbeat, Swing Blues similar to the Kansas City style. Does anyone play Kansas City style anymore? The vocal oozes experience and this is a very good band, both individually and as a group. This is one to get up and have a quick shuffle to.
The slow, Jazzy Blues, Learning The Blues, is just that, a slow, Jazzy Blues and the upbeat Contemporary Blues of Thinking And Drinking (something that doesn’t happen often) has D’Agnese drumming like a steam train. Guitar and organ swap lead roles effortlessly but both are able to show their virtuosity. I don’t think that the repetitive lyric at the start of Ray Charles’ Heartbreaker is altogether necessary and the standard format of the song is saved somewhat by Levine on organ and by Veteska delivering some more clean and crisp guitar. There’s a good, chugging cover of You Don’t Love Me, which at just under seven minutes gives time to allow Veteska and Levine to tip the nod to The Allman Brothers version with extended guitar and organ solos. D’Agnese keeps everyone in line though. The closing title track has a heavier, funkier approach than the rest of the album. Veteska gets his Wah Wah pedal out and Levine’s Hammond, quite fittingly, takes us to the end.
The grass ain’t greener, don’t you know it brother. Stay on this side with Peter and the band.
The Voodoo Sheiks – Norm
Norm is The Voodoo Sheiks’ first single despite releasing 3 albums in the last decade and celebrates their new line up. It’s a rolling mid paced Boogie with hints of Chicago Blues within the harmonica inserts. Henry Gee guests on Hammond organ and ably assists the rhythm section allowing the guitarist to strut his stuff. This is an accomplished band with a singer that’s ‘real’ and a bit of Dr Feelgood about them too, in the sense that they would have fitted into that ‘Pub Rock’ scene of the Feelgoods, Graham Parker, Rockpile and their ilk. We await the next album and maybe by then we’ll all have a piece of norm.
Wily Bo Walker - Tales Of The Mescal Canyon Troubadours (Mescal Canyon Records)
Following hot on the heels and the success of 2020s Ain't No Man A Good Man, Tales Of The Mescal Canyon Troubadours opens with the upbeat word fest of Drive (Mesaclito Mix) and it sounds as if its straight off a film set. The album is meant to be a companion to Ain't No Man A Good Man and could easily have been included in that set, it's that seamless. Wily Bo is on form with his distinctive deep gruff voice as he rocks it up a little. Walk In Chinese Footsteps (Bardo Thodol Mix), like the others, is from his back catalogue and he likes to re-imagine his songs and often plays them with different collaborators, this time it's E D Brayshaw. It's already a favourite of mine and the new mix doesn't diminish that. It's not my first rodeo with him and it's difficult to add to what I've already said but I do like the romping guitar on this. Wily Bo meets Jan & Dean and The Surfaris on the instrumental Jawbreaker (Surf -O-Rama) with its excellent and distinctive guitar. A feature of many of the tracks on the album is the prominent bass line and none more so than on I Want To Know. He turns in a particularly languid vocal and the funky Latin themes take us to the edge of Disco. For The Children (When Nightmares Come) is not a typical (if there is one) Wily Bo song in that its acoustic led. However, the distinctive throaty vocal is still there as are the Latin themes, especially in the guitar solo with E D Brayshaw.
It's the full Wily Bo Walker Band for Velvet Windows (The Moonshine Diaries)and this rootsy Blues based track confirms their musical excellence. Mandolin, guitar, it's all in there as it all bounds along splendidly. Who's Loving You Tonight? is one with Danny Flam and things change as Wily Bo's whisky drenched voice goes even deeper. It swings in mid pace and has a big production behind it. Chattahoochee Coochee Man (Southern Slide) is another that's been given a few tweaks and the introduction of slide guitar is most welcomed. I think I've said it before but I'll say it again; there's nothing like Wily Bo Walker around at the moment. He's an old time performer, using all of his massive experience, playing for the modern day. The most straightforward Blues on offer is Time To Forget You (Bourbon & Candlelight Mix). Slide guitar, horns and Danny Flam lift the song to another level. E D Brayshaw returns for the final track, Moon Over Indigo, where Wily Bo's weary vocal helps you drift through to the end of the set, although the piercing guitar will help maintain your attention. I previously said that Wily Bo was a result of Leon Redbone going into the Louisiana swamp and merging with Darth Vader and I still stand by that.
This is grown up music provided by the storytelling voodoo voice of Wily Bo Walker from Voodooville. Some people may say that Wily Bo is an acquired taste; I've acquired it!
www.wilybo.com
If you like the album then you can get a bonus set of songs (Troubadour Jams) at Bandcamp.
Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam – Ain’t No Man A Good Man (Mescal Canyon Records)
This deluxe version of the album comes in with a mind blowing 20 tracks of what Wily Bo Walker is all about. Recognised as a Master Blues Artist in the U.S. Blues Hall Of Fame, Wily Bo Walker is a one-off, a contemporary man that has the ability to time travel. You’ll get what I mean by the end of the review. Danny Flam is a multiple Grammy award-winning musician and has played with Wily Bo on his previous two albums. You immediately know that you are in the presence of an artist on the title track opener. Then Wily Bo’s distinctive voodoo vocal comes in and you are immediately transferred to New Orleans and the swamps. Its horn laden, has shades of In A Broken Dream in the guitar solo and all immersive; what a start! I get what the title means on Fool For You (2020 Hindsight) but he’s inadvertently come up with a good one for the pandemic. Bo grinds out the vocal as horns blaze away in the background and guitar, organ and bass compete for the stage. Meanwhile, the drummer just gets on with business. This just washes over you and it’s such a great sound. He mixes things up a bit with Did I Forget, a cross between Fats Domino and Leon Redbone, musically and vocally. We’re treated to a wonderful sax solo on this New Orleans style stroller. The staccato horns of Velvet Windows (Treme Trippin’) are matched by the Hammond organ being played in true slapping style. It’s a big production which I’m becoming used to and that brings us that immense, round sound with backing singers and an intricate guitar solo. Wily Bo’s style can come across as menacing at times and is suitably dark on Walking With The Devil (Blood On My Hands). He must be pretty unique in today’s Blues; a throwback, yet contemporary and is welcomed as such. This one offers up slide guitar, Jazz themes from those luscious horns, Soul, Funk and I’d be quicker to tell you what it’s not got. Oh, and there’s some gorgeous guitar work towards the end. Wily Bo’s horn fuelled songs fit so well with the guitar interludes and a good example of this is Night Of The Hunter. This is a grower and he dresses his voice in velvet for it. This is a voice that could lead you astray if you weren’t careful. It’s a Disney baddies’ voice and he certainly doesn’t sound like he’s from Glasgow! That said, he’s got the Glaswegian swagger. There’s a bit of a Reggae beat to Ain’t Hungry No More and the horns and organ are on form again. It’s such a polished band. Wily Bo goes through the Blues back catalogue of themes throughout the album. They swing it up from about halfway through as the guitarist takes them on a ride and Bo throws in a frenzied vocal. We go straight into the deep dark vocal on Time To Forget You. This is old school and more of a straight Blues with guitar to match. Organ and horns provide the now obligatory back up and they round the sound off so well. I could easily see him playing in old style juke joints. We have a version of St James Infirmary Blues like you’ll never have heard before. It’s given an up-tempo beat with horns and organ vamping away good style. At times the horns sound like they are throwing down the gauntlet to the guitar and they get it back with interest. If you then place Wily Bo’s smoky vocal over the top then you get the picture. It’s a dark theme and a dark vocal for Build My Gallows (Ain’t No Return). This grinding Blues is dark as the night and a fitting end to what would have been the last track on the album. However, this is a deluxe 2 disc version we are listening to so the fun just keeps on coming.
Chattahoochee Coochee Man is the wonderfully titled start of disc 2. It’s a bit of an upbeat tongue twister as Wily Bo has some fun. His music has to be a soundtrack to a film or TV series somewhere, sometime and if not, why not? Funky bass lights up I Want To Know (NY Funk Mix, and there are times when you forget about the deep, growling, sometimes snarling, vocal and it becomes the norm. The music is sweet throughout the album and this is a fine example with the sax leading the horns in a merry dance. Who Do You Love (NY Chill Mix) has a wee nod to The Bee Gees at the start before Wily Bo works his magic on the classic song, turning it into a festival of Funk. I’m not a dancer but the Latin rhythm on this is making me move. It’s a fine set of musicians on the album with special mention to the trumpet solo which pierces the Funk and the superb bass runs. Synth is a bit of a departure on Walk In Chinese Footsteps but other than that we still have the familiar horn-led groove. He really is Mr Smooth and this is music.
Walk In Chinese Footsteps – Synth is a bit of a departure but other than that we get the familiar horn-led groove and screaming guitar. He is Mr Smooth. This is music and it will grow on you as will most, if not all, of the others. For The Children starts with a female vocal and string accompaniment. Guitar then adds to the build-up and Wily Bo comes in with an almost straight vocal. I suppose for him, everything is a straight vocal. The slow all enveloping sounds make this probably the most conventionally contemporary song here. It’s got a strong lyric, a sweeping guitar solo and is a huge song in many different aspects. He ups the pace again for Drive (Two Lane Blacktop Mix) and has the trumpets spitting out the notes and the other horns growling. The backing vocalists are getting plenty of exposure too. He’s got the ability to make everything sound sleazy and I mean that in a good way! The instrumental, Jawbreaker is played at breakneck speed with horns getting their chance to be the main focus, although the pounding drums do attract a certain attention and the guitar won’t be outdone. This would be great for a film titles shot. Imagine a car chase down the Amalfi coast. The atmospheric Moon Over Indigo has a tortured vocal with trumpet to match. I’m sure there’s a trombone in the middle and the whole thing is played in a heart wrenching jazzy style but with Howlin’ Wolf overtones. He evokes the spirit of yesteryear and as I’ve said before, there’s no-one quite like him around these days. When The Angels Call Your Time (Bourbon Street Mix) is New Orleans funeral music. There’s so many layers to his music with Harry Lime type zither in the back (older people will know what I mean) and flirting with Mary Hopkin’s Those Were The Days in parts. I can just see Wily Bo at the front of the procession and what a sight that would be. The final track of this festival of music is Long Way To Heaven (Chicago Gospel Mix) and he stays with the theme of the hereafter. It’s got a particularly strangled vocal and there are good hooks for the horns and the backing singers on form. It’s a low key finish to the deluxe side of the album but there’s a storming sax interlude, key changes, a big production and screeching from Wily Bo. I say low key but its low key with a punch. Brilliant!
How can I describe Wily Bo Walker; well, remember I mentioned Leon Redbone? It’s like Leon Redbone walked into the Louisiana swamps, merged with Darth Vader and Wily Bo came out.
Water Tower – Fly Around (Dutch Records)
Los Angeles based Indie Folk/Bluegrass quartet bring us their long-awaited debut album, Fly Around, which stretches and pushes the boundaries of Americana into fields you’d not usually find it. They open with the Bluegrass tinged Fromage and will these guys be the big cheese, we’ll see! Sorry, couldn’t help myself there. The song itself is acoustic and fast with Feinstein on mandolin ringing in your ear. Three verses, one each in French, English and Spanish with some name dropping too. The title track features former Old Crow Medicine Show member, Willie Watson on lead vocals. Feinstein is prominent again on mandolin to begin with but all of the Roots instruments are out this time, Feinstein on fiddle in particular, for an Appalachian two step which retains the authentic real feel of this traditional song. Katy Weed takes on fiddle duties and leads the way on the slower Bobcats with its gentle Beach Boys style harmonies featuring briefly in the mid-section. This is Americana of the highest quality. Come Down Easy is a slow shuffler, again strong in harmony with fiddle the choice of instrument for fills. We do get the welcome addition of Ezra Meredith on electric guitar in the mix for the first time too for this cover of the Spacemen 3 song with Watson on backing vocal. It’s back to acoustic Americana mode for Town and they remind me slightly of a couple of bands from a few years ago, Frog Holler and the Wrinkle Neck Mules. There are also shades of the Avett Brothers too on this short one in an album of short ones.
Frontman Kenny Feinstein describes Fly Around as a concept album about leaving one place for another, notably his move from Portland to Los Angeles and he tries to bring the feeling of moving into Mile High Club. This synth instrumental featuring some vinyl samples from producer Don Bolles’ collection of planes taking off from LAX and keyboards from Ariel Pink’s Shags, does give the feeling of flying through the clouds but it’s been so long since I’ve been on a plane, never mind getting up to naughty stuff on one! I feel that it’s a strange electronica addition but there are connections to other tracks which merit its inclusion. They are back on familiar ground with the grungy Americana of Classic Misdirection. They’re putting themselves around the genre to explore every sub-genre possible. The chorus has a touch of First Cut Is The Deepest to it and the whole thing has a 60s/70s aura surrounding it. Great stuff! The harmonies are strong again on Fly Abound, this time provided by Bullets And Octane’s Gene Louis. It’s laid back and a relaxing, key changed play on Fly Around if you listen closely. It’s one of the longer tracks and it still doesn’t reach 4 minutes. They get the pace back on for the penultimate fun filled, mandolin fuelled, It’s Wrong. This is certainly at the Bluegrass station of Americana. It feels like there are dual mandolins and Bolles gives the drums a good slap, harking back to his Punk days with The Germs. I’ve not mentioned Feinstein as a vocalist yet but he has a voice that just fits, no matter what the band is playing. They round things up with Anthem, featuring Black Flag’s Ron Reyes on lead vocal. Played at a breakneck speed, the grungy electric guitar and Feinstein’s fiddle go at it with Celtic infused breaks that could be coming from a Scots or Irish traditional band. Synths in the background like they have been on a few of the songs and taking us back to the link with Mile High Club. This is a rollicking finish to a very good album.
Kerri Watt – Chapter 1 EP (Cooking Vinyl)
Glaswegian singer-songwriter Kerri Watt is releasing a three track EP, Chapter 1 on 2nd October. The tracks are a prelude to her upcoming album and give us a taste of what Kerri is about. There’s some Country, some Rock and some Pop and Kerri has said that these elements will feature heavily on her album. The EP opens with Jessie, Glaswegian Country with an attitude to match. It’s all snare drum, guitar and harmonica with Kerri refreshingly singing in her own accent at well selected points. This upbeat yet cautionary tale has a touch of The Fratellis about it. Kerri’s cover of Needtobreathe’s Let’s Stay Home Tonight shows her gentle side and she says that she chose the track not just because they are one of her favourite bands but because “their music is a perfect blend of country, rock and pop - three of the genres prominent in my upcoming album. I loved the idea of doing a stripped back acoustic cover song with some country style picking and harmonies inspired by Southern American acts like The Chicks and Little Big Town.” You can see the video for Let’s Stay Home below. Kerri rounds off the EP with an electric Country/Pop crossover, Can’t Catch Me, which shows a) how good a singer she is and b) how comfortable she is in switching genres. The album promises to be one to have.
Andy Watts – Supergroove (Booga Music/Vizztone)
Andy Watts has earned the moniker of Israel’s Ambassador of the Blues after bringing some of the top names to perform in the country and also through his own band, Blues On Fire. Co-produced by Kenny Neal and released on Kenny’s Booga Music label, Andy’s new album, Supergroove was released on 4th September and opens with the instrumental title track. It’s a bit brave to open with an instrumental but this driving Rhythm & Blues with guitar and sax taking turns on leading is a success. The shuffling Blues of Living Hand To Mouth follows and the world weary vocal fits to a tee. The addition of harmonica adds to the downtrodden effect. Andy releases some stinging guitar in the intro and solos on Strait Shooting Woman but it goes off in an unexpected direction. It becomes a melodic R&B rather than the Blues Rock that I had expected, although that does come in on some of the solo work as he goes for it. There are a couple of guest vocalists on the album and the first is Joe Louis Walker who adds his considerable voice to Burning Deep, a big and ballsy Blues ballad with great guitar work from Watts. He certainly skirts the fringes of Blues and R&B, none more so than on Pack it Up. This has it all, smoky vocals, a big sound from the horns, first-rate keyboards and sweeping guitar.
Blues Of The Month Club features the second guest vocalist, Eliza Neals and the horns remain for this driving soulful Blues. Andy picks out the notes on guitar superbly and there’s an echo of Gary Moore’s Cold Day In Hell in parts of the build-up. Andy slows it down for Don’t Take My Blues Away and the weary vocal returns with an exaggerated vibrato, which at times is a bit excessive. There’s something about Don’t You Let Me Down. It seems a bit out of kilter with the rest of the album but its Bo Diddley R&B Soul groove along with Andy’s soaring guitar and Danny Shoshan’s vocal manages to nail things down. Raw is a fast R&B with a rocking guitar solo and he continues to skirt on the edges. He could be classed as R&B, Soul, Blues, Blues Rock or Funk on one album and sometimes in one song. It was an instrumental to start with and he’s bookended the album with another, Supernatural. Andy holds some of the notes on this edgy, slow Blues for an extraordinary time as trumpet breaks away from the rest of the horns for a moment in the spotlight.
Jay WayeS – Just A Friend EP (Continental Europe)
The Just A Friend EP is the first release for Tilburg based writer, arranger and programmer Jan Wim Schoenmakers under the pseudonym Jay WayeS and the six self-penned tracks are a nod to his Country and Americana favourites of the past. There’s Alt.Country in the opener We’re On Our Way Home and the powerful vocal and Peer Desmense’s steel guitar help it to go along very well. The gentle, I Know, has some Celtic and spiritual influences and Country and Folk surface on the six plus minutes of the single M’Ria. This is another on the gentle side and the story of a girl’s life of struggle brings an emotional vocal from Jay. Fiddle (Joost Van Es) and mandolin & dobro (BJ Baartmans) give it the Country feel but the vocal leaves you in no doubt that this isn’t an American that’s bringing it to us. All You Need To Know is 70s style soft Country Rock and Jay could well be a man out of his time. It’s pretty harmless stuff with hints of early Eagles in parts. The title track is undoubtedly old time Country, played in a Del McCoury style and along with the opening track, is one of the better songs on offer. The set of intimate songs is topped off with Safe In Your Arms. Strangely endearing, it shows a sense of vulnerability in his voice.
When Rivers Meet – We Fly Free (One Road Records)
Following on from a couple of critically acclaimed EP’s, husband and wife duo When Rivers Meet release their debut album, We Fly Free, on their own label, One Road Records. Grace and Aaron Bond have honed their love for Blues Rock over recent times and this album it is incredible to think that their first EP was only released in April 2019. Using tube tape echo and reverb chambers they have produced an authentic sound which brings over their passion for the genre. Did I Break The Law is the opener and with pounding drums, throbbing guitar, fuzzed vocals and slicing slide they produce an explosion of sound that’s a fitting way to start an album. You are left in no doubt about the power of this duo and their band on Bound For Nowhere. Aaron Bond’s guitar is the driving force but Grace’s vocal is more than a match. There are no big solos, just a sense of authority and credibility. On Walking On The Wire, there’s a strong slide performance and again it’s power from start to finish. I have to say that they’re not like anything else around at the moment. The pace and energy drops a level for I’d Have Fallen and this gives Adam Bowers’ drums a bit more prominence as well as Grace showing what her voice is all about. Battleground was a recent single and they are back to their percussive, driving, expressive sound. Grace lets rip vocally and shows that she can hold her own up and down the range. It’s sometimes easy to hear where a band’s influences come from but I must admit that this duo are hard to pin down, especially so on Kissing The Sky, which is a slinky, often grungy, Blues rocker with Grace on resonator mandolin.
Aaron takes on lead vocals for Breaker Of Chains and it’s hard not to think of Civil Wars on this one. Grace plays the fiddle and with the addition of a military style snare it brings a little departure from their norm. A very good song, all said. The atmospheric I Will Fight has added piano and Grace gives a top vocal performance as she goes from gentle tones to soaring peaks with Aaron backing her ably in harmony. This is further augmented by a painfully aching slide solo. There’s a big departure on Bury My Body as they go acoustic. This builds well throughout its mournful journey and the piano provides a focal point. There’s no flash to it, it’s just a very good song and one of many I am looking forward to hearing live if we ever get back to gigs. Take Me To The River is another highlight in an album full of them. Aaron takes on lead vocal and his rich tones show that he’s no slouch here either. This is a forceful Blues Rock with a slide to match. I guarantee your head will be nodding and your feet will be tapping. Grace returns to lead vocal duties for the eerily feeling Friend Of Mine and this has just the two of them with Aaron on cigar box guitar backing Grace’s dramatic voice. Bowers does come in with some sparse drum beats to the end for some effect. There are no minimalist drums for the final title track with Bowers pounding away like a steel works foundry as the duo let rip on an effectively rhythmic, slow rocker with fuzzed vocal.
As debut albums go, this is a cracker, full of stunning, often gritty songs that will transfer well into live performances.
Dr Michael White – Live (Basin Street Records)
This follows on from the Jason Marsalis Live album and was recorded at the same Basin Street Records 20th Anniversary celebrations in May 2017. Dr Michael White is a clarinettist on repute and leads his expert quartet through three of his own songs and a couple of covers. Proceedings begin with King Oliver’s Canal Street Blues and White takes the lead alongside trumpeter Gregory Stafford and you can appreciate the mastery even if you don’t like Dixieland/New Orleans style Jazz. Mark Brooks pings away on bass and at 10 and a half minutes long it’s no surprise that there are only five tracks. They take the audience through a journey as they take their instruments to the edge with a note playing extravaganza. White goes through the full range on clarinet and Seva Venet on banjo gets involved with a picking solo style you don’t normally hear. The whole thing is joyous and celebratory. I Love You Too Much To Ever Leave You is the first of the three self-penned songs and they keep the pace up with trumpet and clarinet playing in unison. Stafford also takes on vocal duties and gives us a suitably deadpan delivery, playing with the notes at times though. White gives us a wailing clarinet solo and Stafford, back on trumpet, responds with banjo and bass playing off each other. There are shades of true Calypso on Caribbean Girl (A New Orleans Calypso) despite the title but no matter where the Calypso is from, both the band and the audience get into it with gusto. Summertime is the classic Gershwin song and it’s given a pleasant arrangement, suitably relaxed and free flowing. White’s clarinet takes on the main duties and provides some classy note bending. The banjo interlude is something I’ve not heard on this song before. It’s the third instrumental out of four so far but the appreciative audience lap it up as White takes his clarinet to the limit and Jason Marsalis makes an appearance on drums. The last of the self-written songs closes off the mini album and, also at 10 minutes long, bookends the set well. It’s introduced by the sweeping sounds of White’s clarinet and you can’t help but have your mood raised by it. Growling trumpet and soaring clarinet, this harks back to the golden age. It sounds like someone is playing the spoons but it’s likely to be Marsalis adding more percussion to his drumming duties. Percussion was missing from the first three tracks, although not a problem, but Marsalis whips the crowd up on this one. You can tell it’s live with the audience participation and the sound of chinking glasses! That said, they were a very appreciative audience.
Dani Wilde – Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues (VizzTone)
British Blues Award winner Dani Wilde gets back into the studio and comes out with this acoustic led Blues with brother Will Wilde playing the harmonica. This is a partially stripped back performance of the Ida Cox song with Victoria Smith on bass, an electric solo from Dani and brushes out for a shuffling drum beat. The song was written in 1924 but still resonates today as Dani gets the attitude into her voice and delivers a strong feminist message.
Hopefully this is a precursor to an album, perhaps even of covers of songs by her favourite strong Blues women.
Dani Wilde - Masters Of War (Vizztone)
A new interpretation of Dylan's often covered classic track from his 1963 album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Dani gives a suitably wailing and contemporary vocal performance that brings the song into the 21st Century and shows that it has as much meaning now as it did in the early 60s. Dylan wrote the song as a protest to the Cold War nuclear arms build up and Dani has used the song to add her own voice against the arms trade.
The John Williams Syndicate – Out Of Darkness (Wulfrun Records)
John Williams has been in and around the music industry since 1974 and he’s done it all, including producing four Top 4 albums including a number 1. The only thing left to do was to bring out a record under your own name and Out Of Darkness is the result. Williams produced three albums for Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott but if you are expecting the same acerbic wit as Heaton then you will be looking elsewhere. The opener, Loud And Clear has a Folk Rock feel to it with Williams backed on vocals by Isabella Coulstock. It’s airy and multi layered with Charlie Williams on guitar and Williams himself on keyboards contributing big parts. New Flag is a glossy production but that’s no surprise. What is a surprise is that Petula Clark joins John on vocals. Again, on the Folk side of Rock with Williams contributing banjo amongst plenty other instruments. Their voices go well together and the assembled band are top performers. Claudia Brucken takes on lead vocals for Luminescent, a piano led duet between her and Paul Visser with an all-enveloping and sweeping chorus. Close To You strangely reminds me of the 70s band Pilot in places. It’s probably the guitar sound that Charlie Williams provides. That, and Mike Batt. Don’t know what that says about my ears at the moment! He gets a full, rounded sound and that’s years of experience right there. We’re off on a Boney M/Euro disco vibe for You’re On My Mind with Isabella Coulstock taking on the lead vocal. String laden with Spanish guitar adding to the Euro feel.
From Spanish guitar to Spanish Song. This is contemporary Pop with Coulstock sharing lead vocals with Slicko Di Caprio. Sung in both English and Spanish this could be a big ballad for the holidays – remember them? You Got Me From Hello has smooth contemporary sounds again and shows he’s not afraid to tackle more than one genre. Coulstock is on backing vocals again and fits very well with Williams’ soft voice. Some pointed guitar from Williams makes this late-night smoothie. Latin vibes infiltrate Never Want To Be Without You with Amber Prothero joining John on lead vocal. It’s sometimes difficult to slot them into a specific genre, and this should probably be filed under soft rock/pop. Piercing guitar from Charlie Williams is a highlight. The penultimate track, Nothing, has the first-rate production that we have come to expect and the song itself is fine but, like others, there is little to get you going. There’s nothing wrong with being middle of the road and non-controversial but that may split the audience. This has a retrospective feel and a little nod to the older listeners when Twist and Shout and Magic Roundabout are name checked. It’s back to the Spanish themes for Don’t Give Up On Me with Brucken taking lead vocals again. Horns add to the overall Latin feel. It’s a smooth, sultry finish to an album that I’m sure will grow each time I listen to it.
Joseph Williams – Denizen Tenant (The Players Club)
Solo albums from Toto members are like buses, wait for a while and then two come along at the same time. Matching Steve Lukather’s new album is Denizen Tenant from vocalist Joseph Williams. Backed by a who’s who of previous collaborators the album features twelve new recordings, ten of which are originals. He opens with the single, Never Saw You Coming, a grinding start with that distinctive vocal; it’s pure and clean in tone and so recognisable. Keyboards ping away like a bell and there are some telling guitar interjections. A smooth, classy start. Another single was Liberty Man, co-written with Toto band mate David Paich, and you’d never guess at the Toto influence. Seriously, it’s a difficult sound to break away from, so distinctive and melodic and with an excellent soaring chorus. The title track continues the keyboard influence, more so than the Lukather album unsurprisingly. Rhythmic, rolling beats meet complex layers and the guitar work that is there is top class with Steve Lukather and Mike Landau a constant throughout the album. The final single is the strangely titled Wilma Fingadoux. Whilst you are thinking about the title, you’ll find yourself very relaxed through this digital festival. Black Dahlia, with Paich on Hammond B-3, may, or may not be based on the famous story of Elizabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia. In any case, it’s more commercial than others with shades of Steely Dan in the Jazz inflections and, if I dare, a little Stephen Bishop influence in there too. The first of the covers is Peter Gabriel’s Don’t Give Up, originally recorded with Kate Bush. For this, Williams enlists the services of his daughter, Hannah, for the Kate Bush part. It’s a tough one to cover given the power of the two original vocalists but Williams makes a good fist of it, putting his own stamp on it and reaching the requisite notes. For those familiar with the original, you’ll know what I mean and you’ll know where Gabriel takes it.
The Dream is another of those gentle melodic Rock tunes that he does so well but there’s a couple of jarring notes in there just to make you pay attention. The guitar playing is very familiar and lends well to the melodic, choral rhythms of the song.
Remember Her is piano led with an almost Prog Rock overture but Williams brings us back to his melodic Rock as soon as he starts singing. It is a bit of an injustice to say that these could easily be Toto songs but that’s simply the case. However, there are definitely some Yes and Genesis influences here and elsewhere throughout the album. No Lessons is in the vein of the great American songwriters and could easily be one for a stage musical whereas Mistress Winter’s Jump returns to the gentle Rock sounds and not much else to say about it. He’s a consummate singer with a fantastic tone to his voice and he could sing the phone directory to you and you’d love it. The second of the two covers is If I Fell and Williams says that he first learned about harmonies from this Beatles song. It’s a very good cover and you can tell he has learned well. His voice is so suited to this and with it being such a great song he’s done well by not mucking it about too much. The final track is World Broken and I couldn’t agree more. Such great sentiment and a wonderful soundscape to finish with. His harmonies are perfect as they have been throughout and it’s a fitting end to a top album. With the telling contributions from members of Toto past and present and others too many to mention, this an album of songs that deserves to be listened to.
Kim Wilson – Take Me Back (M.C. Records)
It’s a return to M.C. Records for Kim Wilson after 17 years and the first album is the aptly named Take Me Back, his first solo album in three years. It’s a 16 track festival of harmonica, featuring some Kim Wilson originals, some covers of songs by Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Nolan, Larry Williams plus others and backed by a band of Blues luminaries such as Rusty Zinn, Billy Flynn, Barrelhouse Chuck, Big Jon Atkinson and Kid Andersen. Ironically for a harmonica festival there’s none on the opener, You Been Goofin’. It’s a solid slinky Blues with twanging guitar, deep sax and Kim’s voice is still sounding great. The harp arrives with a vengeance on Wingin’ It as Kim sets off on a lung bursting instrumental that rolls back the years. He trades licks with guitar and shows why he is one of the greats. Little Fine Woman is in the finest tradition of harmonica Blues. Has the feel of a Kansas City Blues with a shuffling drum beat. The guitar also gets plenty of action on this classy track. By the end of the frenetic Slow Down, the drummer’s arms must have been ready to fall off! This takes me back (did you see what I did there) to The Fabulous Thunderbirds in their hey-day with an added bonus of the sax player taking a shot in the limelight. No Place To Go is a Howlin’ Wolf style strolling, shuffling Blues but without the big booming voice. This is not a criticism of Kim’s voice as I don’t think anyone has ever matched the Wolf vocally. What Kim does bring to it is a wonderfully wailing harmonica and the sombre tone is set by the use of acoustic guitar. The slow and deliberate Strange Things Happening is a grinding Blues with a powerful harmonica solo which is one of the best on the album. There’s another of Kim’s signature power harp solos on the mid-paced Play Me as he again swaps licks with the guitarist. There are times when you think the harp is actually speaking to you. If It Ain’t Me is a down and dirty Blues as Kim reminds us that this is a harmonica album and don’t you forget it. He shows us his mastery of the instrument as he tips his hat to Little Walter.
Strollin’ does what it says on the tin! It’s an instrumental masterclass with some real lung bursting notes. He also has a certain tone that I’m not sure that anyone else has. The way that Kim has recorded this album in mono and live in the studio, has given the tracks a feeling like it was recorded back in the day and none more so than on The Last Time. The clean production of nowadays would take away the authenticity of this song and there are times when you lose yourself in the harmonica so much that you forget the vocal, which I may say is as good as it’s ever been. Money, Marbles & Chalk is a straightforward Chicago style Blues with the fuzzed harp that signifies Kim Wilson. Its shuffling drums for a shuffling Blues on the title track. The horns have disappeared on recent tracks but the twanging guitar returns to take its place beside harp, drums, bass and piano. It’s short and sweet, but they all with none of them over four minutes. Kim gets some deep harmonica sounds on Rumblin’ and I know there’s likely to be more than one used over the album and with different keys but I’m not expert enough to establish where! However, there are times here that he sounds as if he’s playing two at the same time. It’s back to The Flying Thunderbirds for one of their classics, I’m Sorry. I remember buying Butt Rockin’, the album from which it comes, back in the day and loving Kim’s two tone footwear on the cover. It’s not as percussive or horn laden as the original but he’s not played about with it too much. Not really any need to. There are lots of Blues riffs and classic themes in the fast paced Goin Away Baby. The guitar riffs come in the Robert Johnson style and I just love the reference to the four ladies in his life; his mother, his sister, his sweetheart and his wife. He finishes with another powerhouse instrumental, Out Of The Fryin’ Pan. He’s just letting you know that the harmonica is the star of the show and, whilst most take a step back, the wonderful rhythm section steps forward to take a bow.
Kim Wilson is another for whom most things have already been said so I’ll just say that this is a guy who has reached the pinnacle and stayed there. He’s not just following in the steps of the Blues greats, he is a Blues great.
CD Woodbury - World's Gone Crazy (Own Label)
Following a career threatening wrist injury in 2018, CD Woodbury makes a triumphant return with World’s Gone Crazy, an apt title for the current times. He starts with Follow The River Home which has opening bars of Gospel leading into a quick walking Blues in the style of Leavin’ Trunk. This is followed up with Walk Around Music, the first and not the last with comments about his size. On this, he tells us about Soul music getting him to move his big old body around. He produces some nice guitar runs on this, which has fuzzed vocals over a sleazy Jazz Blues beat. I Didn’t Know, a strident R&B laced with Funk and a little tango, courtesy of Mike Marinig’s sax is the third of the opening eight self-written songs. Emerald City Blues is a full on, nearly standard 12 bar electric Blues with CD hitting some notes on the excellent solos. I sense a little Walter Trout influence here although I may be completely wrong. We’ve got some Funk, baby on Memphis Heat as CD recounts his Beale Street exploits. This is all built on the foundations of Marinig’s Hammond and CD and the band get into it. This is a favourite with guitar, sax, bass and drums all swapping licks before a tight sax solo. There’s more than a little Average White Band at the end of this. The title track reflects the cover art very well with a fuzzed, hungover start before slide guitar takes over for a contemporary Blues covering the woes of the world just now.
South Of South Hill is built on the excellent rhythm section of Don Montana (drums) and Patrick McDanel (bass) as they set down a groove. CD comes in to match the bass as they go on to a funky Blues rocker. CD puts on his best Fats Waller voice for Can’t Eat That Stuff No More, a whimsical song about his weight and what he can and can’t eat after his Doctor gave him a dressing down. I can empathise to a certain degree. Great view on the diet programme he got through the internet, then on to Weight Watchers and Slim Fast before deciding that he may go out sooner but he’ll be happier as he can’t eat that stuff no more. The album finishes with some covers and other originals not written by CD. The first is the classic Willie Dixon song, Wang Dang Doodle. First recorded by Howlin’ Wolf, this is not an easy song to replicate well. CD and the band do it a little quicker than most and turn it into a bit of an urban Boogie with Montana on lead vocal. It’s a decent version. Last Go Round has a Country Blues feel to it. It’s a shuffling grower that gets better with each listen. This has some of CD’s best guitar work on show but I’ve not said much about his voice. He has a lovely storytelling delivery which is far more suited to his music than one which goes up and down the scales. Adeline, written by Kevin Andrew Sutton, has sax to the fore along with heavier guitar. There’s an altogether shadier feel to this. It’s edgy and brings CD to the game, and it’s another favourite. There’s no introduction required for Hey Joe and kudos to CD for testing himself with this. He comes through the test well and again, his storytelling delivery style works so well with the song. It’s not Jimi Hendrix but then again, who would be? The addition of saxophone brings a different dimension and it’s the first time I’ve heard the sax being used on the song. It’s the longest track on offer, accommodating extended sax and guitar solos, building well to a raucous finish. Joe Louis Walker’s 1998 song, Preacher And The President, ends the album. It’s a funky finish and as much an indictment on today’s incumbents as it was during the 1998 impeachment trial of Bill Clinton. The Hammond organ is used to great effect and I just love that sound! A good finish to the album and it’s another favourite. I’m sure most of these songs will feature high on CD and the band’s live set and I’ll maybe get to see them some time after the pandemic.
Tim Woods – Vortex
Following in the steps of his 2018 album, Human Race, Tim Woods has expanded into the field of the concept album with Vortex. This collection of 10 songs is based around the idea that vortices exist in special areas around the Earth and that they exude energy for healing amongst other forces. Opening with the steady, thumping tones of Ready he gives us a hint of what is to come, guitar wise and his drawled vocal suits this Blues Rock to a tee. You are drawn into thinking that the title track is going to be more sedate than the opener but the echoed vocal harks back to the golden age of 70s Rock. His voice does soar in parts but struggles very slightly in the higher range. It’s a first real outing for his guitar and it comes over very well. There’s funky beats and some James Brown grunts on Some Of Your Love as the drums give a staccato beat and the bass is on form. Sometimes does what it says in the title. It builds into a classic Blues Rock and Woods delivers it with some grit in his voice. It’s just that it only hits the buttons sometimes. Good though it is, it’s a little light vocally. There’s nothing wrong with the musicianship, in fact, there’s some nice guitar work. There’s an acoustic start to Sage and it’s another that builds nicely and his electric guitar adds vitality. Organ, drums and bass underpin this instrumental as the song takes us to an epoch and then back down the other side to the end.
I Don’t Know Yet is a swinging contemporary Blues with top notch guitar and the organ is always there in the background to round out the sound. On the flip side is Take Me Away. This sentimental acoustic song just seems so out of kilter with the rest of the album. That said, there is an excellent electric solo to pick up on. Destination Unknown has the added skills of Paul Hornsby, better known for producing The Charlie Daniels Band and The Marshall Tucker Band, on piano. However, there’s only so much that and your guitar playing can save and the vocal on this is not Tim’s best. He’s back on form with the bouncy Swamp Rock of The Mess and it’s amazing what a difference there is in his vocal. It’s got a fuzzed effect on it and it’s one of the best on offer. More of this on the album would have been good. He finishes with the acoustic eco message of Water Is Life. I can understand why he chose this to finish with as it rounds off his message but I would have preferred that he finished with The Mess as that gives more of an uplift, albeit only musically.
It’s hard to know what to think about this album. Maybe over time and more listens the message will become more than the music but at the moment it’s a curate’s egg, good in places, not so good in others.
Yonder Boys – Acid Folk (Blue Whale Records)
Take an Australian, an American and a Chilean, base them in Berlin and have them play Bluegrass and Americana and what do you have? Yonder Boys is the answer and Acid Folk, their debut album is just about as complicated. They bring an array of influences to bear on the album and deliver a sound that is both fresh and often surprising. They open with Rabbit Song, which I’ll class as 21st Century Bluegrass. It has the ethos of the genre but offset vocals from David Stewart Ingleton (the Australian) bring a different element. Set against breakneck guitar from Jason Serious (the American) and Ingleton’s banjo, matched by fiddle from Heloise Lefebvre it makes for an interesting and haunting opening. The rapid Mumma’s Boy is more of a classic style than the opener with Tomas Peralta (the Chilean) to the fore on mandolin. Eagle Song is more gentle and slower than the opening two but it highlights again what consummate musicians we have on our hands here. Their vocal harmonies, enhanced by Mabloni, come front stage on New Bohemians and this will get you going. It’s not anything other than good music, played superbly. The band’s sense of mischief comes across on the anarchic and often explicit The Great American Pussy Grab. Americana with a Beach Boys chorus, this is where they can surprise you.
Look At What You Done is high speed Bluegrass with a little sea shanty added as they continue to push the boundaries. It could be one for those who wish to do a little headbanging but don’t want their ears to be bleeding at the same time. We get classic Americana and Bluegrass sounds of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and harmonica (Sebastian Hoch) on High On A Mountain. The harmonies are there again along with the beats and mountain references but they add tuba (Matias Ignacio Pineira) to throw us a curve ball. There’s minimal percussion but even with that they do seem like a band that you’d have a good night out with. Mosey On Down is not your classic Bluegrass as they add sax from Han Sato this time for a slow, ponderous venture into the Jazz arena. It’s back to their old school roots for the deep harmonies of the folksy House Carpenter. Trumpet from Pineira and French horn from Sebastian Villegas are added this time to banjo as part of a sparse accompaniment and there’s a sea-based feel to this one too. They stay on the maritime theme to finish with as they bring us Il Pesce Spada (Italian for Swordfish) and deliver the first half A Capella with lots of echo in the voices. The second half goes all a bit strange with instruments deliberately playing off key at times, producing a raucous sound.
Yonder Boys is an intriguing band and one that’s not afraid to experiment with the norm. More power to them!