THE
THE BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019 EDITION
Editorial
Steve Jones, Editor and CBS President
Dave Keller and I at the BBMAs
move on for our three acts. The good news is they all did a great job! See the article and photos in the issue. Our election at the annual meeting resulted in adding two additional Board Members to the fold. Tom Lombardo and Allen Duerksen have already helped us in our efforts and we appreciate their ideas and inputs and look forward to the coming year with them. I’d also like to welcome back Bill Graw, Bonnie Fox, Terry Keller, Bob Haendler, Ken Pearson, Dennis Barker, Rick Davis, and Rick Hein for another year of service to the Society. We have a fantastic group of people who are helping to make Crossroads the fine organization that it is.
Just when you look at what shows we’ve done sometimes you get the feeling, “Well, we’ll never top that!” Then we go and do it anyway. Every year someone says that at the festival or at one of our shows and then we do something else and folks say we did top it. I think we just like the last thing we did the best, or maybe we do really do things better and better. Either way, we’ve had a lot of fun! September and October were killer months. We survived the Blues Festival in August and then the Blues Blast Music Awards came to town a few weeks later. Paul Filipowicz and our annual meeting were at the Lyran Society, and then our first event at the Radisson Hotel with Toronzo Cannon made for a nice month. October brought Dave Potter and Wheatbread Johnson to the Lyran Society. The Jimmys returned to the Hope and Anchor in October. Coco Montoya came back to Rockford and we had a superb show with him at the Nordlof Center and we also had a great show with Wayne Baker Brooks at the Radisson. We also had our Blues Challenge at the Lyran Club Sunday October 6th!
So how will we top all that in November and December? Well, maybe with 4 great shows at Lyran: Harpo’s Revue, Ivy Ford, Trinadora Rocks and Bob Frank, perhaps. And maybe with Reverend Raven and Westside Andy at the Hope and Anchor in November and then Ivy Ford there for our Christmas show. How about we have Nick Schnebelen at the Radisson, and then throw in Chris O’Leary at Marys Place for fun? We keep the shows coming! Our blues challenge turned out to be more of a rubber stamp than a challenge. Our second band entry had their car broken into and crashed into four other vehicles and wound up spending the day recovering a smashed car and filling out police reports. Our other solo entry got stuck in Florida. It was play and
BITS has started off nicely and we have a number of programs planned for the next few months to build on. We expect our efforts for 2019-20 to resemble what we did last year, which will be fantastic! Wheatbread Johnson has been to Machesney Park Elementary School and Maria Montessori School and Mark Hummel and Billy Flynn stopped by Carlson Elementary School in September and October. See inside. We are still on the lookout to expand participation in the Society. We are looking into getting an intern from Rock Valley College to help in our marketing and promotions next semester. We are looking at better ways to get word out and continue our growth. We’ve refreshed and updated our Yahoo! Group Lists; see inside the back cover for info on this. We also would like people to chair and be part of committees to get the club more formally managed by a large team of people to share the workload. October seems to be a “jinxed” month. Our least attended show (outside of indoors in the summertime) are always in October. There is no certain, common cause that we can see, but our attendance figures do show routine dips in October for some reason. This is something we will continue to explore. Despite some complaints I may have aired, we are probably enroute to ending our very best year ever. We have really been blessed with great partners for doing shows which enabled us to bring dozens of fantastic acts to the Rockford area. If you want to help us in our work, we’d love to have you give us a hand. Let me or any of our officers and board members know and let’s make 2020 even better! Keeping the blues alive requires some work but all in all it is a load of fun!
Very blues-ily yours,
Contents Editorial……………………………………………….………….………....2 Contents, Board, Local Radio & Application ……….………….3 BITS Update…………………………….……………………....….…....4 Crossroads Blues Challenge…………………....….….…..……….5 Toronzo Cannon……………………………………………..…..……...6 Coco Montoya…………………………………......……………....…..7 Blues Blast Music Awards..…………………………………….…….8 Wayne Baker Brooks……...…………………………………….…….10 Music Reviews………………………….…………...…………….......11 BITS Activity Book…………………………..……..….……………..36 September and October Crossroads Shows ..……………..37 Upcoming Shows……………………………………………...….…..39 Member Update……………………………………..……………......43 Hope and Anchor, Lyran and Radisson Shows…………….43 Blues News and Upcoming Events……………………..……...44
Cover photo by Rick Davis The Groove is a bi-monthly publication of the Crossroads Blues Society. The PDF version (typically 36 to 40 pages) is emailed to members of Crossroads. Hard copies (12 pages) are sent out to members without email ($5 membership surcharge). Editor in Chief: Steve Jones Music Reviewers: Rick Davis, John Mitchell, Marty Gunther, Bill Graw, Lynn Hetzler, Mark Nelson, Tom Lombardo, Steve Jones and Mark Thompson. All un-credited content by Steve Jones
Blues on Local Radio WNIJ - 89.5 FM •
Friday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with Harold Brown
•
Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 PM with David Rosik
•
Saturday evenings from 9 PM to midnight with David James
•
Rich Gordon fills in regularly
Crossroads Blues Society Officers and Board Members Contact Info President: Steve Jones
sub_insignia@yahoo.com
Vice-President: Bill Graw
williamjgraw@gmail.com
Secretary: Bonnie Fox
bonitafx@gmail.com
Treasurer: Terry Keller
terry@markpack.com
Board of Directors: Denny Barker Rick Davis Bob Haendler Ken Pearson Rick Hein Allen Duerksen Tom Lombardo
harkthebark@mchsi.com rick_davis_937@comcast.net rhaendler@comcast.net cntrylivng@aol.com mrrickhein@sbcglobal.net cptbynd@aol.com whotom@yahoo.com
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Blues in the Schools Update
Wheatbread Johnson at Machesney Park Elementary School
Wheatbread with Pre K/K Students at Maria Montessori
We are back in business! Our first school show of the year was Friday, September 6th at Machesney Park Elementary School with over 400 4th, 5th and 6th graders having a good time with Wheatbread Johnson. The kids enjoyed participating and got to sing and dance as part of the presentation! On Monday, October 7th we had a big day at Maria Montessori School at the old Marsh ES in Rockford. Wheatbread Johnson did a smaller assembly for grades 1 to 3 to start the day. Three shorter sessions with the 6 Pre K/K classes followed that, with singing and dancing and shaker eggs and lots of fun. The day concluded with another assembly, this time with grades 4 through 8. The program was adapted for the older audience quite well and all 5 programs were big successes. All in all, about 575 students got to enjoy the BITS programs. Next up was Mark Hummel and Billy Flynn. They spent an hour with Carlson ES and about 125 students from 4th and 5th grade. It was a big morning and a first for us to have Mark Hummel
Wheatbread with Grades 4-8 at Maria Montessori
here with BITS. Billy is an old hand at supporting us! More BITS coming soon!
Wheatbread with Grades 1-3 at Maria Montessori
Mark Hummel and Billy Flynn at Carlson ES (photo by Rick Davis)
Crossroads Blues Challenge
DanPhelps
Ax and
Our 2019 blues challenge was a fun time, although from a “challenge” perspective it wound up not so challenging. One of our solo acts was stuck in Florida and one of our bands had their car stolen and crashed into four others and never made it. That left Dan Phelps as the lone solo artist and Harpo’s Revue as the lone band entry. But the challenge went on and each act performed and did so admirably!
sive. After their great set they hung around and jammed a bit for us, too!
Dan went first and did a great set of acoustic tunes on his resonator. Focusing on some great old songs, he put his spin on them and showed us his skills as an accomplished Delta blues man.
Ax and the Hatchetmen were next. This 8 piece youth act features Axel Ellis as vocalist and on guitar. He and Sal Defilippi play big Gretsch guitars while Kenny Olezewski plays a Strat; three guitar players! The horn section is Phil Pistone on trumpet, Quinn Dolan on saxophone, and the very animated Timmy Wilcox on trombone. On bass was Hunter Olshefke and Logan Lake was on drums. These kids had it going and were really impres-
Ax and Hatchetmen
Harpo’s Revue completed the day. Mark Kegel (AKA Harpo Mark) leads the band and plays harp. Bass player Vid Adkins, guitarist Eddie Melendez, and keyboardist Pat Glass also sing. Mike Stock is on the drums/percussion. They did a nice little set of all original tunes for us, garnering points for originality. Everyone there enjoyed their performance. Next up is fundraising to help the guys pay for their trip to Memphis. Harpo’s Revue has a gig at the Lyran Society on Friday November 1st. We are working on getting Ax and his band and Dan Phelps in front of more folks here in he Rockford area. We are also fundraising for them all and, of course, Crossroads will throw in support, too. The IBC will be in Memphis from January 28th to February 1st. We wish our three competitors the best of luck!
Harpo’s Revue
Toronzo Cannon
at the Radisson
We’ve begun a new endeavor with the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center and it seems we’ve hit another home run with a great new series of music for Rockford. We are looking to do these shows approximately monthly and have events scheduled for October and November (December will be an off month). Working with Michael Muzzarelli and the staff at the Radisson has been rewarding and we hope this becomes a long-term, regular set of events for us! Saturday, September 28th was our kickoff and we had a killer show set to get things going. Toronzo Cannon and his band were brought in for our first show and it also happened to be a CD Release event for Toronzo’s new Alligator Record, The Preacher, The Politician Or The Pimp. As we got started, the crowd was still forming. Frankly, someone asked me if I was worried because my face must have shown it. Fears were misplaced, however, as we had about sixty people rapidly move in and then shortly thereafter the crowd grew to almost 100 people and the room was filled up nicely! Toronzo and his band started put with a little instrumental to warm up their fingers, so to speak, and then got into their repertoire hotly and heavily. Featuring tunes from the new release and the first Alligator record The Chicago Way, Cannon grabbed the crowd and built to bigger and bigger heights. He opened the
photos by Rick Davis
second set solo and he was hilarious, telling jokes and making light of a number of topics and folks at the event. The second set had even more energy and feeling than the first set, and the first was utterly superb! His rendition of John The Conqueror Root was one of my highlights of the show (a great cut from his second Delmark album of the same name). The show featured all original tunes and the crowd was into it as was Toronzo and the band. Pookie Styx on drums, Ari Seder on bass and Adam Pryor on keys did a superb job backing up Toronzo. Pookie is always amazing on the skins, having played with so many blues greats over the years. Ari graduated in 2001 from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a B.M. in jazz guitar and has spent the last 11 years learning and playing bass. He has played with many of the Chicago blues royalty and is in high demand. At 21, Pryor has played organ for 17 years now and he tours with Toronzo Cannon, Tom Hambridge, Lex Zeppelin, and Brandon Santini. He’s played with many of the legends and has a bright future in music. These guys were great as was Cannon. This was a great show at a fine new venue for us. We look forward to continuing this partnership with the Radisson. And we hope to have Toronzo back again soon– it was a stellar show. The new CD is also sure to garner notice for awards next year!
Coco Montoya
lives as they played each song. His band was phenomenal, too. Jeff Paris on keys was the standout and had solos on almost every song. He and Coco traded licks and solos and seemed to feed off each other naturally. When he’s not playing with Coco or helping to write songs and producing music, he serves as Keb Mo’s music director (19 years) and has worked with such dignitaries as Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart, Bill Withers and Dan Fogelberg. On bass was Nate Brown and Rene Bieber was on drums; both appeared with Coco when he was here in March 2016 and are amazing artists in their own right. Coco played hits from his old CDs and his brand new one Comin’ In Hot on Alligator Records. He has had a host of fine albums, but this may be his best. We reviewed it in our last issue.
Coco Montoya returned to the Nordlof Center for two sets of fantastic and inspired blues on Thursday, October 17th. He and the band were truly on fire and gave the crowd many thrilling performances to enjoy. Their interplay and ability to work together was amazing and they seemed to have the time of their
If you missed this show you may have missed the best show in Rockford this year. The former sideman for Albert Collins and long-standing member of John Mayall’s Blues Breakers is one of the top guitar players out there and he demonstrated that for the big crowd that was there. Thanks to Joe Geraghty and Rosemary Productions for being the motivation behind this show!
Blues Blast Music Awards The 12th Annual Blues Blast Music Awards were held Friday, September 13th at the Tebala Events Center in Rockford. The evening showcased many great artists, giving music fans a great treat! Cleveland based Bob Frank opened the evening with a super solo acoustic set which everyone enjoyed. Mighty Mike Schermer was next with Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones backing him; Schermer impressed everyone with his artistry. Alistair Green, also backed by Doug Deming, then gave the audience a fine performance to savor with his great guitar work and vocals. Ben Rice did some fine acoustic solo work and everyone was impressed by him and his sound– well done! Chicago’s Russ Green was next and he delivered a su-
per performance on harp and vocals– what a superb artist! The young Katie Henry played guitar and piano for her set and showcased
her skills well; she has a bright future ahead of her for sure!
Whitney Shay had Brazil’s Igor Prado backing her and her soulful performance was very much appreciated by
everyone in the house; her vocals were amazing and Prado showed his guitar skills to boot! Vermont’s soul singer and guitar player Dave Keller gave us an inspired set and amazed everyone with his work– he is really something else and showed us that he is quite the talented guy! Chicago’s Mary Lane gave an impassioned performance, singing songs from her fine new CD; she is making a name for herself here in her later years and it was obvious why she is having success. Teeny Tucker and her band showed us why she was a double nominee; her vocals were spectacular and she grabbed the crowd with her enthusiasm and persona!
Catfish Keith put together a disc of hemp related songs he’d done over the years and was a fan favorite; Keith showed us why his career spanning 19 CDs now (all available at the merch table!) has been so successful! Up next was Bob Corritore who had been nominated many times and performed at every Blues Blast Music Awards Show. Bob is a
Chicago transplant to Arizona and runs the Rhythm Room in Phoenix. He had Oscar Wilson and Taildragger with him, both who appeared on his CD with him. After all these years, Bob won a Blues Blast Award and was obviously quite humbled as he accepted it before us all. Corritore was solid on harp and Oscar wowed the crowd with his vocal work; then Taildragger took the stage and worked the crowd with his noteworthy antics. Next to last to perform was Canadian chanteuse Dawn Tyler Watson; she gave everyone a thrill with her outstanding vocal work and in her set also did a little human trumpet work that was quite cool! Last to perform was Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones. Doug was amazing as always and grabbed the crowd with his blues and jumping performance!
2019 Blues Blast Music Award Winners Contemporary Blues Album Brandon Santini – The Longshot Traditional Blues Album Bob Corritore & Friends – Don’t Let The Devil Ride
The awards all got presented through the course of those performances and then it was time to jam. Teeny Tuckers’ band was on stage as she, Oscar and guest Diunna Greenleaf and the folks backing them gave one of the year’s memorable live performances. The stage was on fire as the three singers went back and forth and had the crowd on their feet. It was an inspired jam! Not to be outdone, the rest of the evening’s entourage took the stage and did their own jam. What a night it was as Blues Blast’s Show for their 12th Annual Awards came to a close. Bob Keiser truly outdid himself with this great evening of music!
Soul Blues Album John Primer – The Soul Of A Blues Man Rock Blues Album JP Soars – South Bound I-95 Acoustic Blues Album Catfish Keith – Reefer Hound – Viper Songs Revisited Live Blues Recording Magic Slim & The Teardrops – I’m Gonna Play The Blues Historical Or Vintage Recording Magic Slim & The Teardrops – I’m Gonna Play The Blues New Artist Debut Album Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson – Blues In My Blood Blues Band Sugaray Rayford Band Male Blues Artist John Primer Female Blues Artist Dawn Tyler Watson Sean Costello Rising Star Award Ben Rice
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners for 2019!
Wayne Baker Brooks
Wayne Baker Brooks and his band were at the Radisson Hotel in Rockford for our second show there and what a great show it was! He and the band went through a short and high energy first set, then came back for a long second set with a nice mix of tunes. The second set began with the guys seated and doing some down home and thoughtful tunes and then moved back into their high energy blues. Wayne gave a tribute to his Dad, beginning with his Guitar Shorty days and did an inspired version of “The Crawl.” You can tell from Wayne’s demeanor and presence how important Lonnie was for him as a father, musician and life influence. Wayne is the ultimate gentleman just as Lonnie was.
Wayne’s band certainly deserves a shout out as they are a vital part of the act. Kenny Kinsey on the bass always does a stellar job. He’s played with Wayne for 14 years now when the Kinsey Report is not touring. Also with Wayne for 14 years has been the great drummer Jerry Porter. Jerry has played with countless blues legends and is himself one of the top drummers out there. Scott Tipping also plays guitar and is a fine musician in his own right, playing with Wayne along with Sun Beard, and 40,000 Headmen. It was a fantastic night of music featuring a host of originals and superb covers. Next up at the Radisson is Nick Schnebelen from on November 23, formerly of Trampled Under Foot and a wonderful act on his own!
Music Reviews Various Artists – Battle of the Blues: Chicago vs. Oakland Delta Roots Records www.deltaroots.com 13 songs /56 minutes Classic soul blues of the ‘60s and ‘70s never goes out of style, and this CD -which features the voices of artists from Chicago and California – is a great example why. All but one of the artists on this stellar collection are folks who’ve spent their lives flying under the radar in musical terms – something you’ll find both amazing and unbelievable once you’ve given it a listen. The album was lovingly assembled by percussionist/label owner Twist Turner, who’s lived and worked extensively in both locales. A native of Seattle, Wash., his professional career began in the early ‘70s, and his resume includes work with a virtual who’s who of blues and soul blues artists, including a two-year run backing Junior Wells in the house band at the legendary Theresa’s Lounge. Although Turner was in complete control of the project – recruiting the talent, recording and engineering their work and composing 11 of the 13 cuts, all of which come with a rock-solid traditional feel – the true stars here are the vocalists, all of whom from deep in the gut, reach the depth of your soul and definitely deserve your ear. They’re supported by an equally impressive collection of session musicians, including Joe Burba, Rusty Zinn, Mark Wydra, Maurice John Vaughn, Dave Workman and Hiro Konishi on guitars, John “Boom” Brumback, Bernard Anderson, Skinny Williams, Leon Q. Allen and Norman Palm on horns, Chris Burns, Roosevelt Purify, Alan Batts, Brian James, Mark Pontin and Max Brumback on keys, Art Love, E.G. McDaniel, Dave Kaye and Dave Forte on bass with Turner handling drums and adding synth horns, keys and guitar on multiple tracks, too. Mz. Sumac swings from the hip to open with “Broke Ass Man.” The daughter of bluesman Craig Horton, who recorded Living Blues Magazine’s 2001 debut album of the year, she’s based out of Pittsburg, Calif., and delivers a saucy slow-blues number that finds her ready for new love and ready, willing and able to heap abuse on her ex. Bassist Aldwin London, a 47-year veteran of the Oakland scene, follows with the only cover in the set, Willie Nelson’s familiar “Funny How Time Slips Away,” smoothly restyling it into the soul-blues medium. Next up is Freddie Roulette, a native of Evanston, Ill., and the only true “name” in the set. One of the top lap steel players in the
world who began his career with Earl Hooker and Charlie Musselwhite, he’s been based in the Bay Area for decades and swings from the jump with the instrumental, “Take It Easy.” Now 91 and a former Oakland bar owner, Nat Bolden steps into the studio for the first time since recording a 45 for Tight Fit Records in 1990 to deliver his own composition “Good Morning Mr. Blues,” a tune that’s been in regular rotation on SiriusXM since its debut. Former Magic Sam sideman James Newman sears with “Hit and Run,” an offer to be a satisfier for a lady whose man has gone. Chicagoan guitar Emery Williams Jr., who worked with Johnny Nash and several Windy City blues legends, left us 13 years ago, but lives on through “Hurtin’ on You” before “Mr. Excitement” Mel Brown smokes with “Now That I’ve Gone” and Roulette returns to deliver another instrumental, “Red Tide.” Next up, Chicagoan Gerald “The Soulkeeper” McClendon takes off the chill as he describes an icy-hot lady in “Cold in the Streets.” Newman and Brown return for “Me and My Guitar” and “Time Slippin’ Away.” The disc closes with Californian Country Pete McGill, who died about six months before the release of this CD, getting new life through “Hoochie Coochie Mama” and with a reprise from Williams, “Mama Don’t Weep.” Available from most major retailers, Battle of the Blues: Chicago vs. Oakland is a tour-de-force with absolutely no dead spots – and it’s a sure bet to surprise nominators during the next award season. This CD has been at the top of the charts since its release. Run, don’t walk, to pick this one up. It’s that good! Reviewed by Marty Gunther
Annika Chambers – Kiss My Sass Vizztone www.AnnikaChambers.com 10 tracks/45 minutes Annika Chambers won the 2019 Blue Music Award for Female Soul Blues Artist of the Year and follows that up with her third CD release. Recorded on home turf in Texas, Annika’s excellent vocals are front and centre here on a selection of material from ten different sets of writers. Richard Cagle and Larry Fulcher produced the album but also enlisted Larry’s Phantom Blues Band friend Tony Braunagel to play on and co-produce two tracks. A huge variety of musicians contribute here: guitarists The Mighty Orq, Corey Stoot, James Wilhite, David Carter, Paul Ramirez and Paul DesLauriers are all involved, alongside
keyboard players Randy Wall, Barry Seleen and Stephanie York Blue, drummers Braunagel, Brannon McLeod and Greg Brown Jr, sax player Anthony Terry, percussionist Sam Harrisson and backing vocalist Nicoya Polar; Larry Fulcher on bass is the only constant. There are also guest vocal spots by Ruthie Foster and Paul DesLauriers. The album opens with a full-band production tune by RB Stone from which the album gets its title - “Let That Sass Out”. With sax adding to the overall funk feel Annika looks forward to her evenings when she can leave the polite ‘Sir’ and ‘Madam’ behind and can let her hair down. Gary Nicholson and Jessi Alexander wrote “That’s What You Made Me” on which Annika sounds rather like Shemekia Copeland as she delivers the lyrics about infidelity and how she reacts to it. “You Can’t Win” was a song written by Charlie Smalls for the 1978 film “The Wiz” and Annika gives an impassioned reading of the song on which David Carter plays a strong solo with some distortion. A major highlight is the duet with Ruthie Foster on Mack Rice’s “What’s Your Thing”, a serious song about prejudice and hatred with the memorable refrain “My thing is love, my thing is freedom, my thing is peace - what’s your thing? The Mighty Orq plays all the guitar parts, including some impressive pedal steel. The running order of the CD differs from the artwork but the next track we hear is Annika and Larry’s original “Brand New Day” which has more of Orq’s guitar and jazzy piano, no drums and outstanding vocals: “It’s a brand new day with the same old blues”. “World Of Hurt” may sound familiar as Jeff Silbar and Gene Clark’s song was recorded by John Mayall on his 2008 disc Along For The Ride. Annika’s version has sax and slide as well as rocking piano, one of the uptempo songs here. The pace drops for arguably the track with the highest straight blues content, Carolyn Wonderland and Eric Dane’s ballad “Stay”. It’s the longest track here and allows Annika to take her time to provide a genuinely emotional performance, another superb track with several musical highlights, from the piano/Hammond work to an exciting sax solo. Angela Strehli is another fine Texan blueswoman whose “Two Bit Texas Town” keeps listeners’ feet tapping as Annika sings of finding the blues via the radio in a small town well away from the blues centres.
Etta James is always a yardstick for female vocalists but when you choose a song that Etta performed with Sugar Pie De Santo you will definitely need to bring your ‘A’ game! Fortunately Annika is up to the task as she works through “In The Basement” (Roquel Davis/Raynard Miner/Carl Smith), one of the two cuts produced by Tony Braunagel. After that piece of dance-orientated fun the album closes on a quiet moment as Annika duets with Paul DesLauriers on resonator guitar and Sam Harrisson on percussion for Chris Smither’s “I Feel The Same” which is very well done and makes a good contrast with most of the album’s more upbeat and bigger productions.
Cheyenne James—Burn It Up Self Released www.cheyennejames.com/ 10 Tracks 41:46 Cheyenne James is a singer out of Texas. She has been on stage for many years, and is now in her mid-20s. She has performed on stage as a singer and as an actress. She also is a fire-eater. This is her first release. The disc contains Six originals and four covers. Contributing to the release are Rock Romano (bass & ukulele), Dave Carter (guitar), Mark May (guitar on 2 cuts), Jim Brady (drums), Steve Krase (harmonica), Randy Wall (keys), Eric Demmer (saxophone) and Lamar Boulet (trumpet and flugelhorn). The music is a mix of blues, soul, R&B & blues rock. The opener was made famous by Little Milton. “Grits Ain't Groceries” is a soulful anthem of a tune, and James handles it quite well. Paul Krase leads off the next cut with his fine harmonica work. The bluesy tune called “Gypsy Mama” is a fast paced tune that will please your ears. “I Didn't Know” has a country blues flavor to it, but the horns swing it into a Texas blues tune. This original tune will put people on the dance floor. There is a Latin tinge to the blues tune “Lay Me Down”. Mark May adds his guitar to this track. The 5th tune is the classic “Let's Go Get Stoned” made famous by Ray Charles (Written by Ashford & Simpson). The vocal delivery by James is top notch, though it could have been a bit more in front in the mix. Up next is “Rock”. Steve Krase’s harmonica leads off this track which is slower and bluesier than what the title might have made you guess. “Roll Your Coal” is a horn driven, semi-jazzy tune. It rolls along with a nice piano break in the middle. James hits some sweet high notes on this one too. Van Morrison’s “Steal My Heart Away” has a sweet sound with the use of a Ukulele. You don’t hear that instrument in blues often. The overall sound feels like an acoustic country blues, though there are electric instruments. For “What Does It Mean” we get a mellower tune with James’ vocals out in front where they belong. Lamar Boulet and his horn do a fine job on this one. It is not a straight blues tune, but it is powerful. The Willie Dixon penned “You Know You Love Me Baby” get a more Texas than Chicago blues treatment. As the closer it is an important tune. This group of musicians hit it hard on this tune. The band sounds great and the mix is super. This is a well mixed/produced set of tunes. Cheyenne James can sing and she had a great group of musicians with her on this one. The music styles touched on many facets of the blues. It was not dominated by covers, but those performed were tasteful. This was a late 2018 release so I hope there will be more music soon from the band. So blues fans, go give this a listen. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
This is an impressive album that certainly confirms Annika’s rising status in the blues, soul and Rn’B world - check her out! Reviewed by John Mitchell
Tad Robinson—Real Street Severn Records www.tadrobinson.com/ 10 Tracks Born and raised in New York City, Tad Robinson attended the University of Indiana and eventually emigrated to Chicago and became a fixture in the Chicago blues scene. Working with Dave Specter and others along with his solo work, Robinson has garnered eight BMA nominations. His work on Severn Records has been superb and this latest CD is perhaps his best. Showcasing his skills as a singer, harp player and songwriter, we have an outstanding release for blues and soul fans to savor that was recorded in Memphis and pays homage to that soulful sound. The album title is a play on words for Beale Street and Robinson delivers some soul here that would make Memphis quite proud! “Changes” is a sweet, soul blues penned by Tad and Ken Saydak. Robinson is in a zone from the start, offering up some of his trademark vocals. The Hammond organ and horn section add depth and lots of soulfulness. Next up is “Full Grown Woman,” some slow and soulful blues with the horns and organ punctuating Tad’s vocals nicely. “Search Your Heart” is next and it is a George Jackson tune. There are some emotion filled vocals here along with organ and guitar that are just spot on and beautifully done. The funky “Love in the Neighborhood” follows and we get our first taste of Robinson’s harp in this funky number. Great stuff by Tad here again and we get some harp to boot! “Wishing Well Blues” is a thoughtful soul tune with great horns and organ work once again. The guitar solo and more than a smattering of harp help make this special. “You Got It” is a Roy Orbison tune that Robinson turns into a cool, slow soul blues tune that you just sway to and then realize with a little amazement eventually that it is an Orbison tune. Tad sings with real emotion here. “You Are My Dream” is a swell soul tune with a nice vibe and a little harp work to help here and there. Bread’s 1970’s pop hit “Make It with You” is given a slow soul workover by Tad. He takes the pace down from the original and makes it ever-so-soulful and cool. The backing vocals echo the lead and the song is transformed from 1970’s pop to deep soul– very cool! “Real Street” follows, picking the pace up nicely. Robinson blows some harp, the horns blare and Tad delivers more amazing vocals. Restivo gives us another sweet guitar solo, too, and things are moving along as we get into the final cut, “Long Way Home” where Tad takes things down and finishes with some slow and savory soul. The organ, horns and piano make things fun, but it’s Tad’s amazing vocals that once again sell this as they do every cut on this album. Supported by the Hi Rhythm Section of Charles Hodges on Hammond organ, Leroy Hodges on bass, and Howard Grimes on drums, Robinson also brings in Joe Restivo on guitar, Kevin
Anker on electric piano, Devin B. Thompson on backing vocals and the horn section of Marc Franklin on trumpet and Kirk Smothers on sax. These guys are phenomenal and make for a sweet album of soul tunes. These are amazing songs that are all delivered with feeling and passion that Tad seems to effortlessly deliver to us. This is his best album, which is a testimony to it’s greatness given the other fine work he has out there. This is by far the best album I’ve listened to in 2019. Do not miss this one– you will be sorry if you do! Reviewed by Steve Jones Wheatbread Johnson—Buy A Guitar Whole Grain Records (Self Released) www.facebook.com/pg/WheatbreadJohnson-Fan-Club-1138072642951137/ posts/ 8 tracks Rockton, Illinois is home to Wheatbread Johnson, a fantastic musician and educator who is the stalwart anchor for our Blues in the Schools program. His follow up to his Boogie Fool album is a rocking set of original blues tunes that showcase this guitar master’s talents. Recorded in Rockton and in Berlin, Germany, joining him on the CD are Jim Richardson and Rudi Fischerlehner sharing the duties on drums. “Brother John,” the title track and “Papa Can’t Save You” were recorded in Germany. “Brother John” is driving cut with a great vibe. “Buy A Guitar” is a rocking tune about how owning a guitar can transform the individual if you commit to the practice and diligence needed to play it. It hearkens to late 70’s/early 80’s rock; it’s a high energy dance tune that Johnson lets loose on. “Papa” is an angry sounding tune also with a driving beat. “A Little Rain” is a very uptempo solo acoustic cut. Wheatbread picks and strums while howling our the vocals– nicely done! “I Just Want Your…” is a song of passion and lustful feelings. Johnson is back on the electric guitar with a hill country sort of groove going with a simple snare and tambourine behind him for effect. The guitar is fuzzy and cool and the overall effect is interesting. “Gravel Road” is the top song on the CD by far. Gritty, driving, rocking and just cool; I could imagine it being the theme song on some big pickup truck commercial. “Up All Night” continues the guitar assault from “Gravel Road.” The big sound and primal-ness of the delivery is nicely done. “Have Ourselves A Party” is a bluesy tune with perhaps a tinge of country for good measure. Johnson growls out the vocals and delivers another fine performance. All in all this is a great little CD. More rock than blues (as Johnson stated at the release), the CD demonstrates the abilities of this fine guitar player with a big voice. Great songs and great musicianship– what is not to like? This ia fun CD and well worth some spins for your enjoyment! Reviewed by Steve Jones
The Mike Duke Project – ...Took A While Little Village Foundation www.littlevillagefoundation.org 15 tracks/51 minutes The Little Village Foundation is a non-profit label, dedicated to releasing material from artists that deserve to be heard but have hitherto remained ‘under the radar’. Mike Duke was born in 1948 and played through the 70’s with bands like Wet Willie and The Outlaws. This interesting project assembles fifteen tunes written and performed by Mike who in 1981 sent a demo to Bob Brown, then manager of Huey Lewis & The News. That song was “Hope You Love Me Like You Say” and Bob immediately saw its potential for Huey who went on to record three of Mike’s songs, including the big hit “Doin’ It All For My Baby” and “Let Her Go And Start Over”, all three of which appear here in their original versions with Mike on vocals and piano and band members that include Wet Willie’s Jimmy Hall on sax. Those three songs appear in a run of tracks 2-4 and it is immediately clear why Bob was attracted to the songs which sound like a combination of Boz Scaggs, early Southern Rock and Muscle Shoals productions. Apparently there were over 60 original songs under consideration but the 15 here are certainly worth hearing. Four songs were re-recorded in June 2019 with Kid Andersen producing and involving experienced musicians such as Angela Strehli on backing vocals, Jim Pugh on organ, Kevin Hayes on drums and Steve Ehrmann on bass; Elvin Bishop adds a slide solo to the attractive “I Can’t Let You Go” and on “Let Me Be Your Fool Tonight” the Zydeco Flames bring a real New Orleans feel with accordion and washboard. The relaxed tribute to all things Southern “That’s What’s So Good About The South”, recorded in 1991 with former Allman Brothers guitarist Jack Pearson, was apparently pitched to Dr John and the earliest song here, 1977’s “Coming Round Again”, was offered to Gregg Allman when he broke up with Cher: both songs would have fitted their intended recipients well, the former having a tongue-incheek attitude and the latter being a real tearjerker with superb brass and guitar accompaniment.
There are also recordings from across the intervening years: highlights include the bubbling “Little Miss Ponytail” and the tender solo piano/vocal “When You Had It All”, Mike taking a nostalgic look back in time. The collection closes with “Nicasio”, a short live piano instrumental named after and recorded at the roadhouse set up by Bob Brown where for more than twenty years Mike has been a regular performer and manager of the general store.
Michele D'Amour and the Love Dealers - Heart of Memphis BluesKitty Records www.micheledamourandthelovedealers.com/ 8 tracks/34 minutes
Seattle native Michele D'Amour wrote her first song, "My Mom is So Mean," at the age of six. In 2017, she won the Grand Prize for a jazz song in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. D'Amour and her band, the Love Dealers, released their first EP in 2014, the same year they were Washington Blues Society finalists in the 2014 International Blues Challenge. The band then released three CDs over the next four years. Their fifth effort, "Heart of Memphis," features D'Amour on vocals, Patrick McDanel on bass, guitarist Jeff Cornell, Dave Delzotto on drums, Brian Olendorf on keys, and Noel Barnes playing tenor sax. Embellishing the horn section are guest artists Greg Lyons and Greg Schroeder on trumpet and trombone, respectively. Rae Gordon, Sheila Kelly, and Kristi Miller provide backing vocals on a few tracks. The album opens with "Another Sleepless Night," a story of a lonely lady in a fruitless wait for her man's return. The song's slow salsa rhythm is complemented by Cornell's bluesy guitar solos. "Dirty Pool" is a tale of betrayal with a mellow, grooving bassline and lively guitar and keyboard solos. While D'Amour's voice exhibits concern and anguish in the first two tracks, she switches to pure seduction for the straightforward "Come on Over," which features some nice piano work and an intriguing trumpet solo, giving the listener two more reasons to accept the lady's invitation. "Cradle to the Hearse" includes a mariachi-style trumpet with a gritty blues guitar and a funky bassline, topped off by rocking sax and guitar solos that round out the melodious melange. D'Amour examines today's "I want it all and I want it now" culture with "No Time," a fast-moving commentary about consumerism and the emptiness that it ultimately delivers. The title track, "Heart of Memphis," slows the pace down with a chronicle of the band's time in the birthplace of Rock and Roll.
In the disc's only cover, King Curtis' "Memphis Soul Stew," D'Amour spells out the recipe for a great tune, one ingredient at a time, while each musician adds a hearty solo to the musical meal. The album wraps up with the spiritual "Strange Angels," an ode to musicians and their role as shepherds for the lost souls of the world.
In the sleeve notes Bob Brown details how he met Mike and continued to work with him over the years. Mike’s debut release has indeed taken a while but demonstrates that good things are worth waiting for. Not really blues but for anyone with broad tastes there is plenty to enjoy here.
Heart of Memphis is a collection of approachable songs with relatable lyrics, conveyed with tight musicianship and versatile vocals. D'Amour's songwriting touches on a range of emotions, including sadness, anger, seduction, sarcasm, and empathy, and her voice delivers each feeling quite adeptly. The first listen didn't jump out at me right away, but it continues to grow on me each time I hear it. Give it a listen!
Reviewed by John Mitchell
Reviewed by Tom Lombardo
Zac Harmon – Mississippi BarBQ Catfood Records www.zacharmon.com 11 songs/48 minutes Zac Harmon has proven to be one of the most versatile artists in the blues during the past 25 years, mixing his Jackson, Miss., roots with soul-blues, gospel, reggae and rock, but he cuts new ground for his debut on the Catfood imprint. This one’s produced by Grammy winner Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana and Journey) and is as contemporary as any blues album can get. But the change in styles should come as no surprise for anyone familiar with Zac’s background because he’s truly a blues man for all seasons. A powerhouse vocalist/guitarist and the son of a harmonicaplaying pharmacist dad and pianist mom, Harmon grew up in neighborhood that was rich in musical talent. His next-door neighbor was a music instructor who hosted Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and others, and Bill Ferris – founder of the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture – lived close by. Zac turned pro at age 16, playing behind harp player Sam Myers, a family friend, then worked with Z.Z. Hill, Dorothy Moore and other major artists who toured the region. He relocated to Los Angeles at age 21 and established himself as a songwriter. In addition to work on TV, film and commercials, his originals were recorded by several top R&B acts of the ‘70s and ‘80s, including The O’Jays, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Freddie Jackson and others as well as Black Uhuru’s Grammy-nominated reggae album, Mystical Truth. Harmon’s return to his roots came in 2003 after composing and performing blues tunes for a movie score. He hasn’t looked back since releasing the album Live at Babe & Ricky’s Inn later that year and winning the International Blues Challenge a year later. Mississippi BarBQ is the seventh CD in Zac’s catalog. Recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, the lineup includes two red-hot bands: Catfood honcho Bob Trenchard’s The Rays (Bob on bass, Richy Puga on drums, Johnny McGhee on guitar, Dan Ferguson on keys and with a horn section of Mike Middleton, Andy Roman, Nick Flood and Drake Dominigue) and Harmon’s own unit (Corey Carmichael on keys, Chris Gipson on bass, Ralph Forrest on drums and Texas Slim on guitar) for four of the 11 cuts. Janelle Thompson, Shakara Weston and SueAnn Carwell provide backing vocals, and Munyungo Jackson (percussion) and Bob Corritore (harmonica) make guest appearances. Other than the closing cover, all of the material here is fresh, and the majority is penned by Zac in collaboration with Trenchard. The driving blues, “Gypsy Road,” opens the action with the description of a child who’s destined to listen to the “voice of the
big boss man” and head down the title highway. It’s propelled by Harmon’s sweeping fretwork and a driving rhythm pattern. The medium-paced, soulful shuffle “So Cold” wonders why a romance has suddenly gotten so frosty while the funky “Smoke and Mirrors” continues the theme. This time, the lady’s here one minute and gone the next. The title cut, “Mississippi BarBQ,” is destined to be a soul-blues classic that folks will be grooving to for years. It’s a tender medium-slow ballad with romantic overtones built atop images of putting half a hog on the fire, sharing drinks, collard greens, cornbread and beans while grooving to good tunes. The action and tempo picks up for “Desperate Love” – about a woman with a past who hooks up with a hustler who’s a three-time loser – before “Honey Pleez” questions why the lady’s being so mean atop a funky arrangement propelled by Carmichael’s 88s, Corritore’s harp and Harmon’s guitar. Up next, the loping “Make a Dollar Out of Fifteen Cents” addresses the struggle to make ends meet before Harmon deals with the ghosts of his lady’s past life in the silky smooth “Sunday Morning after Saturday Night.” Two more originals -- “Lord Save Me from L.A.” and “Since You Been Gone” – follow before the disc closes with a stellar cover of Bob Dylan’s familiar “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” Available through most major retailers, Mississippi BarBQ is tasty from the jump, and sure to leave you satisfied. Reviewed by Marty Gunther
Charlie Wooton Project - Blue Basso Wild Heart Records www.charliewooton.com/ 10 tracks/46 minutes Charlie Wooton is one of those bass players who's not content to simply stand in the back as part of the rhythm section; he plays the bass as a lead instrument. Wooton's formal training in classical and jazz, his nighttime gigs playing zydeco, and his experience as a sound engineer helped him to develop an eclectic musical style that's evident in his latest release, Blue Basso, a tribute to the late, great Jaco Pastorius. Wooton is joined by Daniel Groover on guitar, Jermal Watson on drums, and classically-trained Keiko Komaki on keys. Blue Basso kicks off with the instrumental "Jaceaux," a lively tune with a classic rock feel that highlights Komaki's chops on the Hammond organ and dual-bass action from Wooton and guest Doug Wimbish. The airy "Reflections" introduces us to the vocal talents of Arsene DeLay and some fancy guitar work by Groover. "I Don't Know" features Damon Fowler on lap steel guitar, lending a country feel to an otherwise jazzy tune. Komaki places a few classical piano licks on top of the jazz chords, adding a subtle
richness to the track. Wooton lays down a groovy bassline on his cover of Jaco Pastorius' "Come On Come Over," nicely complemented by Watson tapping out an eccentric beat on the drums. "Dime Note" also shows off Watson's drumming, with Groover's guitar sounding like an homage to Steely Dan's "Bodhisattva." DeLay returns with the sexy and provocative "One Night," featuring Anders Osborne on guitar. "Fulton Alley" is a full-on instrumental jam session accented by lengthy guitar and bass solos. The fast-moving "Tell Me a Story" has some nice slide guitar work by the legendary Sonny Landreth, who also lends his talents on the laid-back and appropriately named "Front Porch." (Before I had even read the title, I thought, "This sounds like a few guys playing the blues on someone's front porch.") The album closes with a funky cover of The Stones' "Miss You," with Eric McFadden providing a couple of cool guitar solos. Blue Basso combines blues, rock, funk, and jazz, producing a collection of songs that should appeal to a wide audience. As a fan with eclectic taste in music and an affinity for the bass guitar as a lead instrument, I'll be spinning this disc quite frequently. Reviewed by Tom Lombardo
Jeff Dale and The South Woodlawners – Blues Power Pro Sho Bidness www.jeffdaleblues.com 11 songs/35 minutes A 40-year veteran of the Chicago music scene whose roots were planted in the soil of a hardscrabble neighborhood on the South Side, Jeff Dale delivers blues the way it’s always been meant to be: raw, fiery and straight from both the heart and hip. And that’s exactly what you get here in a set that includes his own core band and guest appearances by several key players in the Windy City. Influenced early by Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor, Howlin’ Wolf and others, Dale quickly established himself as a rock-solid slide guitarist and vocalist, touring with a long list of luminaries, including David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Lowell Fulson and Pee Wee Crayton. His recording career as a front man began in the ‘80s with the release of two all-original albums, and this is his sixth release in the past decade, which includes three with his current band and The South Side Lives, a duo album with fellow fret master Jeff Stone that celebrated their 50-year friendship. He also produced one of Honeyboy’s final albums, I’m Gonna Tell You Somethin’ That I Know, which featured the Woodlawners along with harmonica player Michael Frank, who managed Edwards’ career for decades.
This all-original disc was co-produced by Marvin Etzioni, one of the most important figures in roots music, whose credits include work with Trombone Shorty, Steven Stills, Judy Collins and The Counting Crows. The album’s dedicated to percussionist Tim Austin, known affectionately as “The King of Groove.” Buddy Guy’s longtime drummer, he holds down the bottom on three cuts here, and died unexpectedly not long after his sessions were recorded. The all-star lineup also includes Derek Phillips on keys, Orlando Wright, Carmelo Bonaventura and Jon Siembieda on guitar, Charlie Love, Pat Zicari and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lee Loughnane on horns, Darryl Lieberstein, Aaron Barnes and Andre Howard (Magic Slim) on bass, Clark Pardee, Brian Lara and Mark Mack on percussion, Glen Doll and Hunter Ackerman on harp, Dane Little on cello, Nora Germain on violin and Sherry Pruitt on vocals. “Toxic Stew” cuts a funky groove to open. A gritty, autobiographical number about growing up on the slabs of concrete near the steel mills on the city’s Southeast Side, a highly industrial area in which factories spewed poisonous fumes. The mood brightens and lightens for the medium-fast shuffle, “Good Luck Woman.” Unfortunately, however, she brings “bad luck all the time.” The title tune, “Blues Power,” opens with an a cappella vocal accompanied by handclaps before erupting into an aural tribute to the music that carried Dale and associates through troubled times. “Middle Class Moan” picks up the theme of the difficulties involved in living hand-to-mouth in an expensive city. The ballad “One Step from a Broken Man” opens with a simple guitar hook and progresses with a staccato rhythm as it describes someone who’s about to become unglued after his lady announces she’s set to leave. It features a terrific violin solo mid-song. A Bo Diddley beat kicks off “Best Kind of Trouble,” which relates a bit of knowledge: “Play that music – but do your own thing” and keep the blues alive because, like the title says, it’s the greatest form of suffering you can ever undertake. Dale revisits the breakup with the ballad, “Stone Cold,” before firing out of the gate for the brief, but propulsive dance number, “Let’s Buzz,” while “Undercover Man” puts a new spin on being a powerful lover before “Black Crow,” which portends trouble ahead, and “Can I Boogie,” a stop-time barrelhouse boogie, wrap things up. Funded through a Kickstarter program and available direct from the band (address above), this one’s contemporary blues at its finest. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Marty Gunther
Vaneese Thomas – Down Yonder Segue Records www.vaneesethomas.com 12 songs/56 minutes There are few, if any, singers in the blues with a better pedigree that Veneese Thomas, the younger sister of Carla and daughter of Memphis legend Rufus. And fortunately for music fans everywhere, she returns to her roots in style with this CD, which transports listeners through a wide range of emotions. A powerful alto, she broke through as an R&B singer in the ‘80s, hitting the charts with tunes that included “Let’s Talk It Over” and “(I Wanna Get) Close to You” on the Geffen imprint worked as a session singer behind Freddie Jackson, Melba Moore and Sarah Dash, among others, and then spent a large portion of the 2000s on the Segue label, where her soul/funk/jazz stylings moved closer to the blues. But Vaneese is far more than that. As a singer, she’s circled the globe in the company of opera great Luciano Pavarotti, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion and more. She’s a gifted songwriter, producer and arranger whose tune “One Shining Moment” was a Top 10 hit for Diana Ross. And she’s an acting talent who’s appeared in the films The First Wives Club and Mighty Aphrodite as well as TV series on PBS and Disney. Thomas teamed up with longtime partner Wayne Warnecke at Peaceful Waters Studio in New York and Royal Studios in Memphis. She’s backed here by an all-star cast of musicians, which includes Bluff City legend Charles Hodges (Al Green, James Carr, Boz Scaggs) on Hammond B-3 organ with a rhythm section composed of Late Night with David Letterman bassist Will Lee and Saturday Night Live drummer Shawn Pelton. Sister Carla adds backing vocals, and actor/musician Kevin Bacon shares the mike on one cut. Rounding out the sound are Al Orlo, Tash Neal and Warnecke (guitars), Robbie Kondor and Paul Mariconda (keys), Marc Franklin (co-founder of the Bo-Keys), Tim Ouimette, Lannie McMillian, Ken Gioffree, Kirk Smothers, Rick Kirska (horns), Katie Jacoby (violin), Paul Amady and Conrad Korsch (bass) and Berneta Miles on backing vocals. The all-original set opens with “Legacy of Pain,” which describes a hard-working sharecropper who’s left with nothing at the end of the day. It’s loaded with 40-acres-and-a-mule imagery atop a stripped down, steamy swamp-blues beat. “I Tried,” a sultry, horn-infused torch song, is ballad delivered from the position of a woman who’s watching as her man heads out the door for the final time and pleading for another chance. The mood turns introspective in the follow-up “Highway of Regret,” in which Thomas reflects on the good times that drifted
away. The tempo quickens for the intense “Wake Me,” which begs for someone to bring her out of the nightmare she’s enduring after being scorned. Hodges’ keys fuel “Second Chance,” a gospel-tinged number that’s loaded with optimism for the future. “Mama He Loves Me” finds Vaneese seeking advice about romance and proves that the hope expressed in previous song has come to pass. But the road’s rocky because “Lies,” which follows paints a picture of a lady wondering what she’s going to do after he man tries to convince her that all their trouble is in her mind. It’s followed “Handle Me Gently,” a tender ballad, which pleads for sensitivity and understanding. The mood turns serious for “Legacy of Pain,” which features Bacon and deals with a series of unresolved murders that occurred in Mississippi. Memphis soul-blues comes to the fore for the searing “Last Kiss” before “Gone,” which is described as a foot-stomping call to the altar at a tent revival. The disc concludes with “Down Yonder,” an autobiographical number in which Vaneese describes herself as a vagabond who’s drawn like a magnet to her hometown and all the blessings it holds. Available through most major retailers and strongly recommended for anyone with a taste for high-quality soul-blues. Reviewed by Marty Gunther Tokyo Tramps - If I Die Tomorrow Vagabond Entertainment www.tokyotramps.com 13 tracks/52 minutes This husband and wife duet followed an unlikely path to being blues musicians, given that they both hail from The Land of the Rising Sun. Satoru Nakagawa (guitar and vocals) came to the US after graduating from high school. Searching for the soul of Rock -n-Roll, he discovered the blues in Louisiana, and eventually headed to Boston. Yukiko Fujii (bass, keyboards, and vocals) started playing piano at six years old, formed her first band at 14, and later moved to Boston, where she met Nakagawa. The band's seventh CD features Tim Carman on drums, percussion, and vocals. While Nakagawa's influences lean heavily on the blues masters, Fujii has more of a classic rock background. The blend makes for a unique sound that combines blues with arena rock, psychedelia, jazz, and funk. The disc opens with "Flowing Water," which starts with a laid-back feel and evolves into something like a Vanilla Fudge record with a "Born Under a Bad Sign" bassline. The title track features Fujii doing some cool McCartney-like slides on the catchy bass riff. "Why" really showcases Fujii's vocal
talents as well as her ability to lay down a funky groove on bass, and Carman delivers some very tight drumming on the song. Nakagawa takes lead vocals on the slow, bluesy "Woman," in which he channels his inner David Gilmour for a pair of neoFloydian guitar solos. "Bluebird" is a fast-moving, straight-up blues rock tune, and the instrumental "Misty Forest" brings back the Pink Floyd feel - especially the drumming - with a touch of Hendrix. "Betty's Kitchen" is a funked-up blues rock song about a woman in New Orleans who always had something good cooking on her stove. "Talkin' to Someone" starts out spooky, gets psychedelic during the jam (rounding out the Pink Floyd sound with keyboards), and wraps up with a groovy ending. Fujii sings again on "Mystery Man," a tune with a classic rock feel. Her slight accent adds an interesting flavor to her beautiful voice. Nakagawa goes heavy on the slide guitar for the lighthearted blues shuffle "Reprobates, Tramps, and Saints," and then he slows things down for "Lovin' Man." The band gets optimistic with "Winter Always Turns to Spring," featuring two voices and a slide guitar producing a haunting three-part harmony. The song starts slow, speeds up for a rocking guitar solo, goes back to the slow harmonizing, and resolves to an a capella outro. The disc concludes with the laid-back "Blues in My Blood," which features some nice vocal harmonies. I grew up on classic rock (before it was considered "classic"), which introduced me to the blues through artists like Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd. (Yeah, Floyd started out as a blues band.) I love the blend of musical styles that Tokyo Tramps incorporate into their repertoire. If I had this album on vinyl, I'd probably wear out the groove like I did on my copy of Dark Side of the Moon. Reviewed by Tom Lombardo
Michael Lee – Self-titled CD Ruf Records www.themichaelleeband.com 11 songs/48 minutes Based out of Fort Worth, Texas, Michael Lee made a splash on the 2018 edition of The Voice, joining Team Blake after a stellar version of B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone,” and accomplishment that helped him land a singing spot on the B.B. King Blues Band’s powerhouse release, The Soul of the King, handling vocals alongside Joe Louis Walker, Kenny Neal, Diunna Greenleaf, Taj Mahal and others. And he’s gaining more traction with this release. Based out of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in Texas, he’s a gifted guitarist with an old-school, R&B-style voice who’s been influenced heavily by Freddie King, Delbert McClinton, Andrew
“Jr. Boy” Jones, Lucky Peterson and longtime John Mayall sideman Buddy Whittington. In some spots here, he might remind you vocally of Nick Schnebelen. His guitar attack is pure Lone Star blues-rock -- hard-edged with razor-sharp single-note runs that are free of control-board trickery. Produced by Nick Choate and Nick Jay and recorded live, this one features a collection of ten Lee originals and a reprise of the King Classic. Michael’s on electric and acoustic guitars throughout and backed by guitarist Charley Wiles, percussionists Blaine Crews and Clint Simmons, bassist Scott Lee and keyboard players Colin Campbell and Anthony Farrell with horns delivered by Preston Lewis, Evan Templeton and Jordan Carr. A flourish of horns and fuzzbox licks open “Heart of Stone.” Written from the perspective of someone who’s dealing with a romantic breakup, it’s a guitar-driven statement that Lee will survive unscathed. The feeling continues in the slow-blues burner “Don’t Leave Me,” which gives Michael to stretch out vocally. The soulful and melismatic “Weeds” is a positive, percussive oath that the singer’s going to take his lady to a new home where they can watch their unborn children play. The blues-rocker “Praying for Rain” deals with a situation common to anyone who’s lived and worked a farm while “Love Her” is a driving description of a dangerous woman who must be loved from a distance. The ballad “This Is” gives Lee plenty of space to stretch out vocally as he describes a man who wonders if the love is real as he stands at the altar and is in the midst of exchanging wedding vows. “Can’t Kick You,” an old-school rocker that would fit it any Texas roadhouse, is up next before Lee dips into B.B.’s songbook for “The Thrill Is Gone,” opening a with a gospel feel and quickly changing things up with a much darker, heavier feel than the original. “Fool of Oz” is aurally different with a stripped-down sound. It deals with someone who’s only “as good as your last lie.” Another deep ballad, “Here I Am,” continues the theme of being a man left behind before “Go Your Own Way” opens as a slow shuffle before erupting into a raucous rocker. Available through most major retailers, Michael Lee delivers on the promise he displayed on TV. Pick this one up if you’re interested in a young man with plenty of promise. It’s a winner! Reviewed by Marty Gunther
Michael Bloom and the Blues Prophecy - Whisper in the Wind Random Acts Media https://michaelbloom.com 11 tracks/47 minutes Born in Chicago and classicallytrained, Michael Bloom has been singing, playing guitar, and writing songs for the better part of his life. Whisper in the Wind, his debut CD, features an array of musicians, including two inductees of the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. Bloom's guitar and vocals are supplemented by Mary Lane and Kristina Leeper (vocals), Michael Damiani, Minuro Maruyama, Jono Manson, and Tim Arnold (guitar), Sumito "Ariyo" Ariyoshi, Brant Leeper, and Michael Damiani (keys), Jeffrey Labon (bass), Andrew "Blaze" Thomas and Faustino Cortez (drums), and Mark Clark (percussion). Don't be fooled by the word "whisper" in the title - this album is 47 minutes of foot-tappin' head-bobbin' blues. "Time on My Hands" is a fast-moving opener that includes some nice slide guitar and subtle keyboards. The title track follows with a haunting bass riff, a lyrical warning about the perils of love, and a piano solo that introduces us to Ariyo's style of blues played by a classically-trained pianist. "Just Can't Win" slows the pace and gives Ariyo a chance to show off his classic rock skills on a Hammond organ. Bloom trades off vocal duties with guest Kristina Campbell on "I Remember Love," a blues shuffle with a country-sounding guitar solo and some ragtime inspired piano provided by Brant Leeper. "Brownsville," the album's first of three covers, is a slide-guitar lover's dream that features Michael Damiani on piano. It's followed by another cover, Johnny Copeland's "Old Man Blues," a slow traditional blues number that brings back the Hammond B3, this time played by Leeper. Bloom gives us a powerful, extended guitar solo on the track. "Till I Met You" picks up the pace again, followed by "No Luck at All," with Bloom suggesting that "bad luck is better than no luck at all." I can't say I agree with his premise, but the tune has a nice groove and a couple of cool guitar solos by Bloom and Maruyama. The instrumental "Lisa" is a fast-paced tune with Bloom and Arnold trading guitar solos back and forth. "I Ain't Got the Blues" brings back Leeper's jazzy piano style accompanied by Bloom and Manson on guitars. The album wraps up with a straightforward cover of the classic "Dust My Broom," featuring Mary Lane's vocal impersonation of Robert Johnson. Bloom and his band skillfully and subtly incorporate other musical genres into Whisper in the Wind, giving the disc a little extra flavor while staying true to their roots. The album blends traditional blues with a modern sound that should please the ears of any blues lover. Reviewed by Tom Lombardo
Dudley Taft - Simple Life American Blues Artist Group www.dudleytaft.com 12 tracks/47 minutes When Dudley Taft was in high school, he formed his first band, Space Antelope, with his friend Trey Anastasio, who would later achieve fame as the lead guitarist of the modern jam band Phish. Taft played in several hard rock bands in the 90s, and in 2006 he began to play blues rock, recording six albums between 2010 and 2017. Simple Life, his seventh album, emphasizes the "rock" in blues rock, with a disc full of songs that are gritty, edgy, and occasionally spooky. The collection features Taft on guitar and vocals accompanied by Kasey Williams on bass. Walfredo Reyes, Jr., Chris Ellison, and Mike Taponga each handle the drums and percussion on various tracks. The disc opens with "Give Me a Song," a hard rocker with a thundering beat. Next up is the title track, a powerful ode to recovering workaholics who've left the rat race in pursuit of a "Simple Life." "I Can't Live Without You" is one of the the bluesier tracks on the album, with Taft overdubbing two guitars into one "solo." The next two songs, "In Your Way" and "Don't Let Them Get Away," remind the listeners to avoid the negative people in their lives. "Death by Bliss" is a slower tune with a Seattle grunge influence, and "Bombs Away" sounds like a Deep Purple song with a touch of U2 and a few Hendrix-inspired licks. The record's only cover, "If Heartaches Were Nickels," was written by Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers Band) and features John Kessler on bass. It's a traditional 12/8 blues song with a guitar solo that reminds me of Jimmy Page on "Since I've Been Loving You." "Never Fade" and "Pouring Down" offer us flashbacks to 70s rock anthems, and "Shine" maintains the rock feel with a catchy riff and some energetic lead guitar. Taft dedicated the album's finale, "Back to You," to his wife Michelle. I'm not well-versed in the grunge scene, but if I had to make a comparison, I'd say it has an Alice in Chains feel to it. If you like hard rock with a blues influence, you'll appreciate Simple Life. In a way, it reminds me of John Entwistle's solo work with a blend of grunge: hard driving, uncomplicated rockn-roll, which seems appropriate, given the album's title. Reviewed by Tom Lombardo
Scotty Dennis – Back To The Blues Self-Release www.scottydennis.com 13 tracks/67 minutes Scotty Dennis is a long-term fixture on the Kansas City scene, fronting his own band for over twenty years before going solo in 2015; Back To The Blues is his debut solo release, recorded in KC with bassist producing and featuring 12 originals plus one contemporary cover. The core band is Brandon Hudspeth (Levee Town) on guitar, Willie Newell on keys, producer Jerry Keller or Jacque Garoutte on bass and former drummer for Samantha Fish Go-Go Ray; D’Angelo Talbot adds B/V’s to several tracks. The album opens with one of the rockier cuts in “I’m Gone”. Brandon’s core riff provides a base for some tough lead lines as Scotty realises that the relationship has foundered and he just has to leave. “How Can You Love Someone” has a catchy, upbeat style with Willie’s keys adding an almost flute-like high end element though Brandon’s central solo was a bit over the top for this reviewer’s tastes. Indeed, there are a few instances where one wishes that Brandon would adopt a ‘less is more’ approach, especially when hitting the wah-wah pedal as on “For Her Love”. On a fairly long CD a couple of tracks rather outstay their welcome and you wonder if the album would not have benefited from a little judicious editing. The only song that Scotty did not write here is “Darkest Before The Dawn” for which Scotty gives particular thanks to its writer Anthony Gomes. Scotty’s emotional reading of this song references the tragedy of losing his daughter and it is a genuinely moving performance, topped off by Brandon’s spiralling solo that remains tasteful and fitting to the mood of the song, making it a standout cut. Scotty’s smooth vocals particularly suit soulful tunes like “Feel My Love”, a co-write with Hamilton Loomis who guests on guitar and brings along his sax player Fabian Hernandez to nail a dramatic alto solo. The title track is another keeper with great piano fills and some fine playing from Brandon, as well as a choir of friends and relatives who add ‘oomph’ to the chorus. The stripped-back “You Got To Love Me” has Scotty’s vocal supported only by Brandon’s acoustic work, an opportunity to appreciate the quality of Scotty’s voice. In case blues fans were unsure of what the album might offer, three of the last four songs use the ‘B’ word in the title: “I’ve Got The Blues For You” is an uptempo stormer with a great guitar riff and pounding piano which lyrically celebrates the live blues experience at one of Scotty’s shows; “When I First Met The Blues” is similarly uptempo as Scotty describes his earliest experience: “I was four years old when I first met the blues; I heard the music once, man I sure liked that groove”; closing track “Play Some Blues” has a more jagged rhythm to reinforce the overall message that Scotty will give you a good time if you go and see him live. I think we all got the message! Reviewed by John Mitchell
Jon Gindick—Love At The All Night Cafe Old Chimney www.jongindickband.com/ 12 Tracks /50:05 California born Jon Gindick is a highly respected harmonica player. He runs Blues Harmonica Jam Camp annually, and sells instructional videos/books/ lessons to aspiring harp players. He also does his own music CDs where he sings and plays a bit of guitar too. On this recording he is joined by Pete Gallagher (drums), Franck Goldwasser (electric and acoustic guitar) and Ralph Carter (bass, Keys & backing vocals). This is his second blues blues album. The music has an easy, modern feel to it. I believe these are all originals. The release opens up with “I Was Born to Wail “. This is all out blues harp extravaganza. He recalls the blues harp tradition from Little Walter to Sonny Boy and many others. This is a great kickoff to the release. I like the happiness in the next tune “Feeling Her Gone”. It is about the aftermath of a breakup, but is full of positive vibes about going forward. “Baby's Got the Blues” is a blues shuffle tune with a mid-tempo pace and fine harp work. A Latin beat takes over on “The All Night Café“. Ralph Carter adds piano to this dancing tune. I like the modern feel of “Load Me Up, Baby”. It will get the people dancing with the guitar and harp work. The mood gets soulful on the ballad “Mississippi Moods”. It takes on a bit more Nashville than Memphis but sounds sweet. “Happy Wife, Happy Life, Happy Home” is a saying we all of heard, but some men forget. The tune has a great beat, and great lyrics. “The Song I Couldn't Write” is a love ballad, with neat lyrics. It would be a slow dancing treat at a live show. Jon sings to his wife and how she walks on “I Love the Feminine Girl”. It might not escape the Twitter wrath today, but it is meant as love for his woman. Things slow down again with the soulful “Hand Holding Man”. The piano makes the tune along with the harmonica. The Latin feel returns on the ballad “Can't Get That Girl off My Mind”. The harp work is very good on this one. The closing number is another ballad called “In the Land of You”. It is a love song that has sweet lyrics. Overall I enjoyed this release much more than I expected I might. The playing is very good and the songwriting is a positive. It could use one or two more up-tempo tracks like “I was Born To Wail”. The release got off to such a hot start and did not come back to it often enough. Love At The All Night Cafe does paint a happier mood than many CDs of today. I appreciate that good vibe. Overall a really good job on this release. It is recommended for harp fans and blues fans in general. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Les Copeland—One More Foot In The Quicksand Earwig Records http://lescopeland.com/ 18 Tracks/72:25
Woods”. Copeland makes his guitar sing. Up next is the title cut “Just Another Foot In The Quicksand”. It melds together some country blues with a hint of old time jazz. Closing out this long CD is “Gotta Get Up” I like the tune’s clever lyrics about bettering yourself every day.
Les Copeland has played the blues since his teens, mostly in his home area of British Columbia in Canada. This is his third release, with all being on the legendary Earwig label from Chicago. You may have seen him touring with the iconic David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards, or playing in a Pacific Northwest area festival. Copeland wrote 11 of the 18 cuts. Copeland plays guitar and does vocals where applicable on all the tracks. Cameron Ward (bass) and Scott Grant (drums) help out on just over half of the tracks. Label chief Michael Franks adds harmonica on one track. So on to the music! The music was recorded in British Columbia over a 3 day session. Sleepy John Estes is the writer of “Drop Down Mama”
This is a fine mostly acoustic CD. Styles vary between blues and jazz. This is a veteran entertainer and musician showing you what is important to him and his craft. Enjoy this CD, and hope you get a chance see him live. Les Copeland seems to make a new full sized CD every 4 years. I hope we don’t have to wait that long for more material….maybe even a live set would be great. Thanks to you Les and Earwig Records for a fine release.
The opening cut is remembered by the Albert King version from the mid-70’s. It was written by James Edward Ross. “Change Of Pace” get a funky beat treatment here, something I was not expecting when I hit play on the CD. It is pretty good!!. Up next is the Bill Bill Broonzey tune “When I Been Drinking”. This is fine acoustic piece. Sleepy John Estes wrote the next piece “Drop Down Mama”. Everyone should be familiar with this piece. Copeland, solo with his electric guitar, does a good job on this one too. Another cover follows. “Woman Across The River” was recorded in 1968 by Johnnie Taylor and later by Freddie King. Copeland gives it a funkier edge. “Gone” is another end of a relationship song. It reminds me of “Can’t Find My Way Home” as a tune, though it is a solo piece. “Perfect Man Like You” is a haunting blues ballad with a picking guitar teamed up with a slide guitar all by Copeland. “Uncle To Aunt” is a strong blues instrumental with his compatriots helping out. It originally had lyrics telling the story of a “major life” change for someone. You will figure it out. I like the easy going solo ballad “This Fool Will Never Know”. It is a loneliness tune and very good. I hear a bit of David Bromberg in presentation of “Treat Everybody Right”. This one is another Big Bill Broonzey penned tune. Ward and Grant are back on “Tiny People”. It is an instrumental for Copeland’s 10 children, and especially the new baby. Michael Frank jumps in on harmonica adding to the sound of the trio on “Soggy Bottom Breakdown”. The tune has a strong swampy, country blues feel to it. “Lets Get Together Again” was written at a songwriting workshop. It is a good tune. There is a jazzy feel to “Good Friends”. It is a positive tune about having great relationships. The great Ray Charles wrote “Hallelujah I Love Her So”. This is a non-piano version of this tune that gets jazzy. I miss piano, but this version makes the cut. I adore the smiling tune “I'd Be Nothing”. This one could have been on the TajMo release of a few years ago. The song is a positive relationship story. The band gets their most lowdown blues for this release on “Lost Sheep Out In The
Reviewed by Mark Nelson
The Paul DesLauriers Band – Bounce Bros Records/VizzTone Label Group www.pauldeslauriersband.com 13 songs/59 minutes Paul DesLauriers and his three-piece group of blues rockers have been pretty quiet since their most recent previous CD, Relentless, captured entertainer, electric band, bassist and percussionist of the year at the 2017 Maple Blues Awards, Canada’s highest honors. But fans of the Montreal-based band can rejoice because this super-tight album picks up where the last one left off. One of the most highly decorated bands ever to emerge from the Canadian blues scene, the unit just missed winning the International Blues Challenge in 2016, finishing second in the voting to California’s Delgado Brothers. But they’ve been making major waves on both sides of the border ever since. The band’s fronted by Ontario native DesLauriers, a talented and inventive guitarist and clear-throated vocalist, who was a cofounder of the rock band Black Cat Bone, which produced several well-received albums in the ‘90s. He launched this unit earlier this decade after a solo career that found him recording and touring with Bryan Lee, Johnny Ferriera, Amanda Marshall and future IBC winner Dawn Tyler Watson. The award-winning lineup here includes drummer Sam Harrisson and bassists Greg Morency and Alec McElcheran, DesLauriers’ longtime songwriting partner, who filling the chair fulltime now that Morency has left to pursue another musical adventure. Adding to the mix are Lance Anderson, who sits in on organ for two cuts, and Florida-based IBC winner JP Soars, who provides six-string on one of his own originals that the band covers. The album was captured by Harrisson at his Sam’s Tone Studio in Canada and by Chris Peet at Man of War Studios in West Palm Beach, Fla., and includes 11 originals and one additional cover
culled from Peter Green’s time with Fleetwood Mac. DesLauriers lays down multiple guitar tracks on several of the songs, adding to the aural dynamics. “Here We Go” opens quietly and runs for 28 seconds before flowing into “It’s All on You,” a rocker that builds quickly after DesLauriers lays down a repetitive, funky riff. It’s the first of a succession of uptempo love songs, which isn’t surprising when you discover that Paul married Houston-based soul-blues star Annika Chambers a few weeks before this CD hit the street. That tune suggests that “you can be my light/I’ll be your helpin’ hand” before Harrisson’s drumbeat kicks off “Let Me Go Down in Flames,” the admission that, after having been burned in the past, the singer’s been reluctant to commit himself to love, something that’s about to change in a dramatic way. The theme continues with “Take Me to the Brink,” a rapid-fire number that opens with a Western feel, but instantaneously erupts into an intense burner. The tempo slows slightly for the medium-fast Southern-rocker shuffle, “Happy Wasting Time with You,” before “Driving Me Insane” finds DesLauriers reflecting on “a kiss in the night…a risky game…a dangerous game.” A cover of “Jumpin’ at Shadows,” penned by British blues legend Duster Bennett and popularized by Green in the ‘60s, slows the action down dramatically, but fits perfectly with what’s come as it reconsiders all of the decisions the singer’s made previously in love and life. DesLauriers’ mid-tune solo is a true-blue pleaser. The action heats up again for the rocker “Working My Way Back Home” before Soars joins the action for “Picked a Bad Day,” which recounts car problems and poverty that coincide with deciding to start drinking atop a hard-driving beat. The mood brightens again for “When the Darkness Comes” and the singer can sense that his lady’s getting close. The message continues in the uptempo shuffle “Feeling All Kinds of Good” before the barebones instrumental “Loosy Goosy Jam #769” and the 10-minute, organ-driven ballad “Waiting on You” bring the action to a close. Blues comes in all shades, and The Paul DesLauriers Band definitely delivers for anyone who prefers their music at the harder side of the blues spectrum. Hard-driving and in-your-face throughout – and a must-have for anyone whose tastes also run to rock. Reviewed by Marty Gunther Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method—As Live As It Gets Self Released www.pollyokeary.com/ 13 Tracks/72:32 Polly O’Keary discovered the blues after seeing Jeff Healey in a Canadian bar. This is the 5th release for the Washington stage based act. O’Keary sings and handles the bass. Her drummer is Tommy Cook who is also her husband. Rounding out the powerful trio is guitarist
David Miller who had his own band in southern California for nearly 2 decades. O’Keary and Cook served as the rhythm section To Too Slim And the Taildraggers for four years. They have won multiple Washington Blues Society awards. This is a veteran blues rock trio. There are only 4 covers on this one. The recordings were made at several local venues with Jason Shavey co -producing with the band. The opening cut “Red Light” jumps into your speakers after the opening club intro. O’Keary’s vocals ride the wave of Miller’s powerful blues rock guitar and her powerful bass line. “A Man Who Can Stand” is a bit slower than the last cut, but still retains a powerful rock feel to it. It tells the story of what she is looking for in a man. On “I Wish I Could See Me Now” there is a bit of funkiness in the music. It was written by Texas great Darrell Nulisch and the wonderful Ronnie Earl. On the 4th cut “In My Father's House” (written by Eric Bibb) the funky beat continues, though the vocals get a tiny bit buried. It still has good energy. O’Keary’s vocals really shine on rockin’ “Hard Act To Follow”. Miller provides some nice guitar licks too. Things slow down on the soulful “Black Crow Callin'”. This tune is powerful and was the title track of the band’s last release. The band comes out firing blues rock on “It's My Soul”. Miller’s guitar is on fire on an extended solo. It’s a Ronnie Earl penned tune. “Stop Train” was on the 3rd release, 2014’s Compass. In a live setting the performance of the song takes a harder edge, with a showcasing O’Keary’s vocals. The set list goes back to the 2004 first release “Gather Around”. “Gather 'round Me Angels” was a great track on that release, and I think this live cut falls short a bit with the lack of harmonica and keyboards that were prominent in the studio version. “I Don't Understand” is a solid blues rock tune. O’Keary lays down a solid bass line for the other band mates to follow. One of my favorites on this release is “Old Love”. The song was written by Eric Clapton, Robert Cray & Jerry Lynn Williams and was on the Clapton release Journeyman in 1989. This is an excellent physical recording, with the band stretching things almost 11 minutes. The guitar work tips a bit toward a Robin Trower feel rather than Clapton. “Sugar Daddy” is a hot rocking original for the band. It has a very good call and response feel to it. The closing number is “Who Needs The Blues”. The band sounds good. When I reviewed their last disc, I wondered how the sound would compare from the studio with extra musicians versus the touring trio. The trio is powerful, but I do miss the extras of keys and harmonica. This is a good live band and they show it on this release. A bit more blues would have been a nice addition. I enjoyed this release and certainly the blues rock fans out there will too. Nine cuts clock in at 5 minutes or above. With over 70 minutes total, it is almost a double disc compared to some releases these days. I applaud the band putting their good work out there. Keep the good music coming. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Professor Louie & The Crowmatix— Miles Of Blues Woodstock Records www.professorlouie.com/ 10 Tracks/45:19 Professor Louie & The Crowmatix are a veteran group out of Woodstock New York. There was a long relationship with Rick Danko, Levon Helm and all the members of The Band. The group has 20 releases to their credit. The leader is Professor Louie (Aaron Hurwitz) who sings, plays keys/organ and accordion. The remaining band members are John Platania (guitar & vocals), Miss Marie (vocals, percussion), Gary Burke (drums) and Frank Campbell (bass & vocals). A few special guests show up on the recording also. The musical style mixes blues, rock and other Americana influences. There are 2 covers along with 8 originals on this release. “L-50 Blues” is a rousing bit of music to open the CD. The acoustic guitar work is top notch and pays tribute to the old Gibson guitar model. Things get modern with “Funky Steampunk Blues”. This one is a cross between a Bo Diddley beat and a second line feel. It is a pretty cool tune with great guitar and fine harmonies. On “Love Bound” Miss Marie handles the vocals for this rockin’ tune. The guitar work is first rate on this blues rock tune. “Passion In My Life” is a blues love song for Professor Louie to Miss Marie. She shows off her piano chops on this one. Things go south to New Orleans and the bayou for “Rain 40 Days”. Miss Marie is back on the vocals. This one stays funky throughout. I like the B3 organ intro by Professor Louie on the rocking song “Exit Zero”. This one is soulful and a good time. I bet the dancers love this one. The B3 really makes the song groove. The classic tune “Please Send Someone To Love” by Percy Mayfield is next. Miss Marie handles the vocals on this fine cover of this 50’s classic. The other cover is of a Richard Manuel/The Band tune called “Orange Juice Blues”. It dates back to the Basement Tapes time period (1967) of that group when they worked with Bob Dylan in Woodstock. Professor Louie played with these musicians back then and over the decades to follow. I like the upbeat tune with its good harmonies. “Oh My Lady” has special guests Tom Malone (horns) and Bobbie Van Detta (guitar) helping out. This is a bluesy ballad with the Woodstock Horns adding great value to the tune. Professor Louie’s organ playing is first rate. The release closes out with a live bonus track called “Bull Frog Jam Blues”. This is a 9 minute jam that is quite a treat. All the musicians get a turn to shine on the upbeat tune. I have always been a fan of The Band, and listened to releases from Professor Louie and his group before. This release is a treat, and will appeal not only to other fans of the aforementioned, but blues fans in general. There is very good guitar and variety of blues music. Sometimes the vocals could be stronger, but the certainly are not a real detriment to the music. This is a veteran band that knows what they are doing. Go grab this one for an audio treat. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Jersey Swamp Cats—Go Cat Go Self Released www.facebook.com/Jersey-SwampCats-181307138936305/ 9 Tracks The East Coast is alive with the rhythm and blues sound of 1947 Imperial Records, the 1952 Memphis Sun studio sound and the 1950 rock of Chess Records these days. The Jersey Swamp Cats of Gerry Gladston on keys, Don Leich on guitars, Larry Ghiorsi on bass and Chris Reardon on drums create a high energy mix of New Orleans boogie, jump-blues, and rousing rockabilly blues for their new release Go Cat Go!
The traditional sound of Jersey Swamp Cats quartet opens with the 1956 jazz swing Louis Prima classic “Jump Jive and Wail.” The band shares vocal responsibilities with Gerry Gladston leading the way on lead vocals and hot boogie woogie piano solos. With Don Leich backing on vocals and smoking guitar riffs, the quartet explodes on this vintage tune with a performance equal to the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy or The Brian Setzer Orchestra rendition. The band continues with an original jump-blues track with a very descriptive account of a crazy little gal as sweet as her name “Cupcake!,” focusing on the accomplished guitar work of Don Leich. The band brings to life once again “Blue Monday,” the Dave Bartholomew tune first recorded by Smiley Lewis in 1953. The band offers a traditional blues fueled version that will take you back to 1957 with the great late Fats Domino. For their next original, “I Don’t Mind,” the band features special guest horn players Anthony Salimbene Jr. of Crescent City Maulers on saxophone and Patrick Dudasik on trumpet that conjure up the same party atmosphere created by Wisconsin’s 50s and 60s R&B/ jump blues band The Jimmys. The live release of “Too Tired” saw Albert Collins collaborating with Gary Moore on stage for a spectacular guitar faceoff. With Don Leich on guitar and Gerry Gladston on piano, they deliver the same powerful duel leads, while the rhythm section of drummer Chris Reardon and Larry Ghiorsi on bass tighten things up for a dynamite rendition of the 1978 Collins tune. The band brings back to the scene the horn section for some tasty East Coast jump-blues with another original entitled “Dance All Night.” They bring that same exciting jump-blues tradition as Roomful of Blues on this number. They travel down to Bourbon Street for a tribute to the Preservation Hall band, delivering some Mardi Gras flavor with the tune “Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing.” The next tribute is to the late great Albert King and his hit “I Get Evil,” with Gladston delivering vocals with authority in his voice. For their debut album the Jersey Swamp Cats finish with an original house rockin’ number that has Leich joining Gladston on twin power vocals as the entire band puts the hammer down on "Shiny Gray Corvette." The Jersey Swamp Cats are certainly a pleasant surprise coming out of North Jersey. You will want to catch their shows as perform their own brand of jump blues and vintage rock ’n’ roll. Reviewed by Rick Davis
Moonshine Society—Sweet Thing Self Released www.moonshinesociety.com 10 Tracks/48:45 The band Moonshine Society works in the Washington DC area. In 2009, members of The Joe Poppen Band and Black Betty & The Bad Habits merged groups and started this band. Members include Black Betty (vocals), Joe Poppen (guitar), Christopher Brown (bass) and Barry Hart (drums). Other members include Wes Lanich (keys/B3), Rodney Dunton (drums), Tod Ellsworth (bass) and a few special guests including Jason Ricci (harmonica). The music is blues with doses of blues rock, blues rock and a bit of funk. This is their 2nd release. Members of the group went to Berklee School Of Music, and worked with harmonica great Charlie Sayles. Barry Hart played with D.C. legend Danny Gatton. Their initial release Live In Shanghai was recorded during an extended gig in China. Included in the release are 3 covers and a song collaborated with Johnny Winter. The music would be in the vein of Bonnie Raitt and Tedeschi Trucks. The initial track is “Sweet Thing”. Black Betty takes command with her powerful vocals on this her composition. Jason Ricci adds his harp to this powerful Chicago blues tune. I like the retro soul/surf influenced “Shake”. A horn section (Ron Holloway (tenor sax), Vince McCool (trumpet) and Ken Wenzel (baritone sax) punch up this very dance-able cut. A very New Orleans spin is given to the classic tune “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean”. Black Betty’s sassy vocals make this a treat. The horns are back with Billy Mayfield lending some supporting vocals. This is a cool version of this song. Things slow down with the soulful ballad “Come On Home”. Black Betty wrote this one too. A tribute to Johnny Winter is called “Southern Road”. Ricci is back on harp for this blues rock romp. It is high energy for your ears. I really like the tune “Biscuits, Bacon, and the Blues”. After a gospel intro, the tune slides into a hot blues shuffle. There will be dancing to this tune. Two classic tunes were merged cleverly on the next tune. “Use Me on Gilded Splinter”. On the “Use Me” portion the band rocks the tune harder than many covers of it. There is a nice bass line segue for nearly a minute until they slide effortlessly in ‘Gilded Splinter” and then back into “Use Me”. Up next is the classic “I'd Rather Go Blind”. Black Betty gets to shine on this one. Her voice booms but it seems like she does it with minimum effort. Nothing new here, but a quality effort. “Deal the Devil Made” is a sultry jazzy ballad. The vocals are sung, not belted out, so we get to hear Black Betty’s vocal range clearly. I like this one. The last track (labeled bonus) is “The One Who Got Away”. This is a soulful & powerful ballad. I would imagine the crowd quiets down listening to this one. Your ears will enjoy this one. Will Rast adds keys to this final cut. Originally this cut was part of a benefit album for Cancer
Can Rock. This is a tight band with quality talent. I like that most of the material is their own. Black Betty can sing with the best of today’s women vocalist. She has a strong stage presence too. They are doing it their own way by delivering high quality tunes and performances. I can see how they have won multiple Washington Area Blues Society’s WAMMIE Awards. With this release and broader exposure they could get in line for bigger awards. Until then enjoy this release and catch them live when you can. You will enjoy both! Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Al Basile – B’s Hot House Sweetspot www.albasile.com 14 tracks/59 minutes Paul Gabriel – Man Of Many Blues Smoke Ring Records www.paulgabriel.net 13 tracks/66 minutes Wentus Blues Band with Duke Robillard – Too Much Mustard! Ramasound www.wentusbluesband.com 15 tracks/60 minutes Three CDs, three different acts, one from outside the USA. The link? Duke Robillard, who produced all three and plays guitar on each of them, and the recording studio, Lakewest in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, with Jack Gauthier in charge of recording. And, in addition, Duke has recently issued a disc of his own Ear Worms, reviewed in a recent edition of The Groove - he’s a busy guy! Al Basile was in the first incarnation of Roomful Of Blues but has been an independent artist for many years, regularly issuing albums that combine his cool cornet work and sharp lyrics. On most of those albums he has worked with Duke and members of Duke’s band: here we have Al on vocals and (usually muted) cornet, Doug James on tenor sax, Jeff ‘Doc’ Chanonhouse on trumpet, Bruce Bears on keys, Duke on guitar, Brad Hallen on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums. As usual, all the material was written by Al who also arranged all the horn charts. The music divides between blues and the sort of Rn’B/Soul mix typified by opening track “So-Called Storyteller” with Al’s inventive lyrics about what is real and what is not set over Duke’s jagged guitar, Bruce’s insistent piano spikes and Al’s smooth cornet. In “Five
Roads” Al issues an invitation to join him; it’s an open offer, to be taken or not, the outcome left to our imagination as the band hits a great blues groove while in “Razor Wire” the band sounds like Booker T & The MGs behind Al’s acerbic lyrics about how we manage to hurt people, sometimes just with words. A soulful ballad “Try One” explores how we fall into addictions – check out Bruce’s superb piano work on this one – while the uptempo “Don’t Fool With The Truth” warns us to not to lie as Duke plays some great Albert King-styled bends in his solo. In “I See You There” he keeps thinking he sees an old lover on every street corner, with another great ensemble performance from the band. “I Ain’t Changing” expresses how we get entrenched in our views, perhaps the reason why debate seems to have become more aggressive in recent times; as Al observes in the sleeve notes “it’s worth remembering that any of us could be wrong at any time”. A couple of songs will particularly appeal to those of us getting a bit older: “Talking In A Room” is an outstanding cut about valuing conversation with a loved one over some of the things we placed at the top of our lists when younger; “Time Has Made A Fool Of Me” finds Al reflecting on how his body is ageing but his spirit remains youthful over another cool blues riff. Al is now 70 but shows no sign of slowing down and this is another excellent disc to add to his discography.
Paul Gabriel was on three albums with Harry Chapin and played slide on Rory Block’s Grammy-nominated Mama’s Blues. This is his second collaboration with Duke following 2013’s What’s The Chance and it’s a solid disc. Paul wrote all the material, collaborating on two songs and handles vocals and guitar with a core band of Mark Teixeira on drums and Bruce Bears on keys with bass duties divided between three players: Scott Spray, Frank Davis and Paul Opalach. Duke plays second guitar on six cuts and Christine Ohlman adds B/Vs to four. Tenor and baritone saxes are added by Mark Earley to five tracks, three of which also feature Doug James on baritone. Opener “I Feel Good” is a midtempo blues groove driven by the twin horns while Paul delves into soul-blues on the outstanding cut “Cold, Cold, Cold”, a lovely tune with fine horns by Mark Earley. Paul’s voice works particularly well on this one, adding a touch of vulnerability on a song with bittersweet lyrics and aided by Christine’s backing vocal support on the chorus. The horns also work well on “No Finance, No Romance” which has a Little Feat feel (who also did a song with a similar title) and Paul gives us a fine, relaxed instrumental mid-album with “Blues For Georgia”, dedicated to Georgia Lewis, a gospel vocalist with whom Paul worked for many years. Paul’s sense of humour shines through on “Second Story Man” as a femme fatale attempts to lure him up to her apartment, played to a T-Bone Walker stroll, and on the oddly titled “Face Full Of Frown”, in which Paul is clearly finding the relationship heavy going, a jump blues with the horns back on board as Paul and Duke exchange strong solos. Two songs towards the end of the album are particularly noteworthy: the positively charged “On That Train” again benefits from Christine’s B/Vs and has a hint of gospel in the chorus whilst “Dear John Letter” makes a rousing finale to the album with a memorable chorus and Paul rocking out on guitar. Where Duke joins Paul
the music has hints of jazz, as on “Maybe We Can Talk Awhile” and on the relaxed title track “Man Of Many Blues”. A varied and interesting album, well worth seeking out. The Wentus Blues Band has been a fixture on the Scandinavian blues scene for over thirty years. Duke met them in 1987 and long delayed plans to record together have now been realised with this album on which Duke guests on second guitar alongside Niko Riippa, bassist Robban Hagnäs, drummer Daniel Hjerppe, keyboardist Pekka Gröhn and vocalist Juho Kinaret. There are six tunes from members of the band, three by Duke (one written with the band and two reprised from his earlier career) and six covers. Four diverse covers open the album: the Holmes Brothers’ “Stayed At The Party” makes a striking opener with its gospel-infused chorus, frantic percussion, piano and rhythm guitar; Tom Waits’ “2.19” has a snaky Louisiana rhythm and vocalist Juho adopts a suitably deep growl, very different from the first song; the band’s rocking take on Robert Johnson’s “Judgement Day” is certainly a long way from RJ’s original but works fine though unfortunately the harmonica player is uncredited; Leonard Cohen’s “First We Take Manhattan” works really well as the guitars play off each other well though Juho’s laidback vocal removes some of the angst of Cohen’s original. “She’s A Killer Hot Blonde” is a great piece of rock and roll with pianist Pekka getting up a head of steam and the band shows it knows its way round a slow blues in the romantic “Right In Your Arms” which has a superb guitar solo. The title track is a short instrumental written by Duke, Robert and Niko which harks back to guitar instrumentals of the 50’s and is immediately followed by Duke’s “She Made My Mind” which goes back to the days of The Pleasure Kings. “I Hear You Knockin’” is most often associated with Lazy Lester and the band does a solid version, appropriately with some harp in the mix, and excellent piano and guitar work while Chuck Willis’ “Feels So Bad” storms along over Pekka’s piano and organ work. Four more band originals follow: “Miranda” mines a soul vein, “You Got My Love” is a rocking blues, “Selma” is a slow blues with a singalong chorus and “Where Have All The Songbirds Gone” is almost pop with its gentle rhythm and breathy B/V’s. Duke’s “Passionate Kiss” rounds off the album, starting with Pekka’s keys and Juho’s vocals before the tune builds up and the guitars come in over impressive work from the rhythm section who really drive this one along. With the choral vocals these last two songs are the furthest from the blues but also demonstrate the band’s range of styles. Across the three albums Duke Robillard has again shown what a fine producer he is, getting the best out of all three acts. All three albums should be on everyone’s radar. Reviewed by John Mitchell
Seth James—Good Life Cherry Bomb Records www.sethjames.com/ 12 Tracks/41:15 Seth James comes to us from Texas. His music is a gumbo of blues, country, roots, rock, and Americana. His grandfather was a honky tonk piano player. James played guitar in college. This is his 4th solo release, and he had two releases with the band The Departed. Seth James (vocals & guitar) is backed by Bob Britt (rhythm and slide guitar), Lynn Williams (drums), Kevin McKendree (keys), Steve Mackey (bass), Wendy Moten (background vocals), Jim Hoke (sax), (Roy Agee (trombone), Vinnie Ciesielski (trumpet) and Yates McKendree (lead guitar on “From Way Behind”). There are 4 covers with the rest of the tunes written or co-written by band members. The CD opens with “Brother”. This one will quickly take you back to early Little Feat and to current Honey Island Swamp Band. It is a funky tune with Kevin McKendree killing it on the keys. The horns and James’ funky guitar light up a New Orleans feel. I like the fast paced “That's How You Do It”. It is a tune about working hard because “That’s How You Do It”. The title track “Good Life” is next. It is a slower message song about doing the best you can to get to the “Good Life”. UK artist Frankie Miller wrote the next tune called “Little Angel” in the early 70’s. He has been an influence on Seth James and his music. He does not stray far from the original, but puts a bit of his own stamp on this blues rock tune. “Ain't Whatcha Eat But The Way How You Chew It” is about life and how different things can influence it. Delbert McClinton is the writer of the song. There is some fine guitar work here. “From Way Behind” is a more delicate soulful tune. Yates McKendree takes over the lead guitar work on this cut and it is pretty fine. The pace picks up on “The Time I Love You The Most”. There is a 70’s blues rock feel to this rocking tune written by the great Dobie Gray. I like the sweet soulful ballad “I'm Coming Home”. The organ and background vocals help make the tune a success.
Brad Vickers and his Vestapolitans—Twice As Nice Man Hat Tone Records www.bradvickers.com 11 tracks Brad Vickers and the Vestapolitans are champions of an old time music sound. Ragtime, hill country, and all sorts of other roots influences are mixed together with a singing style that matches the music. The Vestapolitans are Brad Vickers on vocals and guitar/bottleneck guitar, Jim Davis on clarinet and tenor sax, Margey Peters on bass and vocals, and Bill Rankin on drums. Special guests abound with Charlie Burnham on violin, DAe Gross on guitar, Mikey Junior on vocals and harp, Dave Keyes on keys, V.D. King on sax, guitar upright bass, banjoele, percussion, keys, and vox, and Den Shot on guitar. Things open with “Worried Life Blues,” the Big Maceo tune that Chuck Berry rocked to. Brad and Company slow things down and give it the down home treatment. Nice guitar by Dean Shot here, sax and piano solos are also featured here. “Mississippi Swamp” seems to me to be a remake of “Rolling and Tumbling” with Vickers on bottleneck guitar and Mikey Junior blowing some mean harp. “Love Can Win” features bass player Margey Peters on lead vocals, a slow to mid tempo blues. Brad and Margey share the vocals on a slow and interesting Jimmy Reed cover; “Close Together” gets turned into a Vestapolitan-styled blues. Things pick up with “Coast To Coast,” a driving tune with Dave Keys leading the assault on piano and V.D. King on baritone sax. Peters wrote the tune and Vickers fronts the band here as he rocks and rolls and swings on guitar. Peters also wrote the title track which she sings in an old-time style as Jim Davis lays out some slick licorice stick and tenor work as Vickers excels on the bottleneck guitar again.
The great Robert Palmer wrote “I'm Coming Home”. This a slower soulful/funky ballad. Things go Texas blues rocker on “Medicine Man”. It fits the theme of the recording about “You can’t get something for nothing”. It is a great message. There is a fantastic message in “Third Generation”. It warns of how the Third Generation can be born to wealth and throw it all away by not appreciating things and working hard to keep it. The closer is an acoustic blues tune called “I Am The Storm”. It is an ode to the power of Mother Nature.
“Red Dust” features both Brad and Margey on vocals along with Mikey Junior. Vickers slides nicely and King pounds out the percussion in a Native American Indian lament that is both interesting and thoughtful. “Everything I Need” pays tribute to Jimmy Reed again, this time in a great sounding Chicago shuffle. Will Shades’ jug band song “Stealin’ Stealin’” gets Vestapolitanized with Margey fronting the band with Mikey in support, an old time sound with a fun pacing. Tampa Red’s “Look A There Look A There” with Shot on guitar again and Mikey laying out some mean harp. Davis on tenor and King on baritone sax blend sweetly, too. Dave Gross joins the fray for the final tune “Brooklyn Evenings.” The guitar is sublime and the song hearkens back to a time before all of us were born.
I like this release. It has variety of styles and great messages. The players are all pretty good. Nothing is done in a guitar slinger style. Cover are few but tasteful. The music listens well from start to finish. I like the message about being accountable for what you do and how it affects what you get. I hope this release gets attention to Seth James. The wild alien trail crowd album cover is pretty cool too!
Vestapolitan fans will clamor for this one. If you are not familiar with Vickers and his band and their style, this will give you a full taste of the sort of things they do. Featuring a great group of regular and visiting musicians, you’ll get a good sampling of their stuff and how they mix music and a little humor to practice their craft.
Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Reviewed by Steve Jones
Altered Five Blues Band—Ten Thousand Watts Blind Pig Records www.alteredfive.com/ 12 Tracks/43:05
thing to enjoy here too. Get out and see this band. They are a blues treat.
Altered Five Blues Band is a Milwaukee-based quintet that has been playing for over a decade. This is their 5th overall release. It was produced by the top notch producer Tom Hambridge in the spring of 2019 in Nashville. All of the tunes are originals from the band members. Jeff Taylor is the front man and vocalist. He is joined by Jeff Schroedl (guitar), Mark Solveson (bass), Raymond Tevich (keys) and Alan Arber (drums). The band tours the mid west and Europe. They were awarded Best Self-Released Album for its record Cryin’ Mercy at the International Blues Challenge in 2015. The music is big loud and hot, so buckle up when you listen.
Sparky Parker—In The Dark Self Released https://sparkyparker.com/home 10 Tracks/40:20
The opening cut “Right On, Right On” roars out of the speakers with a Z Z Top riff and a strong roadhouse blues rocker feel. Special guest Steve Cohen puts his harmonica into this firestorm of a song. “Too Mad To Make Up” continues the hot music. Jeff Schroedl and his guitar drive the tune. Tevich’s keyboard work is also a highlight of this booming tune. I like the title track “Ten Thousand Watts”. It is a powerful tune highlighted by Taylor big voice. Things slow a bit, just a bit, on “Mischief Man”. There are some Bob Diddley hints in this fun and bouncy tune. Arber really drives the tune with his drumming. “Great Minds Drink Alike” is a blues tune made for the bars!! The Schroedl guitar work is fine and it is a great compliment to the solid keyboard work by Tevich. The musical pace slows with the down home blues tune “Don't Rock My Blues”. The music production on this tune is really good, with great separation of the instruments. The band visits New Orleans with the R&B “Sweet Marie”. The Tevich piano work is great, with Arber laying down a great NOLA beat. Taylor really owns the vocals too! The band slows it a bit on the ballad “Dollars and Demons“. The song if powerful with Schroedl handles a fine solo, with Arber and Solveson keeping the band going with their backbeat. A Milwaukee band has to have a dong about beer. “I Hate To Leave You (With A 6-Pack In The Fridge)” fits the billing. This is a fine blues song about breaking up..and the cost of it! Alter Five heads to the southern swamps on the strong tune “Let Me Do The Wrong Thing”. Taylor sings about letting him do the wrong thing just one time. All the band members get to jam on this one. “Half Of Nothing” is up next. It is a breakup song with Taylor happy for her to leave if she takes her share of the debt because there is not much of anything else left. This is a real blues topic. Closing out the release is the strong tune “Let Me Be Gone” Steve Cohen is back with his harmonica on this one and he makes a strong impact on the song. This is a strong blues rock tune. This is another strong release by Altered Five Blues Band. The foot is on the accelerator for most of the disc. They are a strong band, capable of even more recognition world wide. Jeff Taylor is a more than capable front man. Blues rock and electric modern blues lovers will be dancing. Other blues fans should find some-
Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Houston Texas is the home for Sparky Parker. The music is a mix of blues/ rock/soul. Parker is a blues rock guitarslinger and vocalist. He is joined in his band by Phillip Lock (bass), Kevin Berry (drums) and William Gorman (keys). This is his first studio release after a live outing in 2016. Parker is also a member of the local rock band Funky Mustard. He has supported local blues artists Diunna Greenleaf and Vanessa Collier. The release has seven originals and 3 quality covers. The title track “In The Dark” starts off the music. There is a fiery funky guitar riff opening up the song and it maintains the pace throughout the tune. “This Old Thing” is ahead straight blues rocking tune, reminding me a bit of the 70’s band Bad Company. I like the roadhouse feel of “8 Days In The Doghouse”. It is a rocker about trying to get a relationship started. The 4th cut is the original tune ”Games”. This one is a bit slower but has strong guitar work. It has a lot of Texas feel to it. For “Sleepy Town” we find a strong solo early in the tune. Parker’s vocals seem stronger on this cut. The blues shuffle “Good Man” is another pretty good tune. The first cover is “Treat A Dog” made famous by Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland. It is a soulful tune with a bit of blues rock edge and minus the horns from Bland’s version. Things get a bit country rock with a cover of the Rolling Stones tune “Dead Flowers”. This one does not make me get overly excited, maybe because it has been covered too many times. “Quintana” and it’s surf rock instrumental feel makes for a nice change of pace for the release. Go grab your surfboards. The closing number is a hot cover of Slim Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips”. This is a hot blues rock version with an extended guitar solo by Parker at the end that rocks the house. Sparky Parker has a hot guitar centered release on his hands here. Overall this one is pretty solid. Parker’s vocals are not above average on several cuts, but he gets the job done. His guitar work is the centerpiece of the music. The covers are well known, but do not dominate the release. Time will tell if this is the springboard to Parker’s solo career. I’ll look forward to a follow up release sooner rather than later. Blues rock and Texas blues fans will groove on this one. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Billy Price – Dog Eat Dog Gulf Coast Records www.billyprice.com 12 tracks/59 minutes
Long-term fans of Billy Price will know what to expect and will not be disappointed. If soul-blues is to your taste and you have not come across Billy do check out this one and other albums from his discography. Reviewed by John Mitchell
Pittsburgh’s Billy Price first come to prominence when he fronted Roy Buchanan’s band. Since then he has made a series of albums, including his acclaimed collaboration with Otis Clay This Time For Real which won a BMA for Best Soul Album of the year in 2016. Billy’s last album, 2018’s Reckoning, was recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland studio and Billy returned to the California coast to record this one. The material here includes four covers alongside eight originals written by Billy and regular collaborators Jim Britton, Bill Troiani and Fred Chapellier. The studio band is Alex Pettersen on drums, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys and Kid Andersen on guitars and pretty much everything else; horns are added to most tracks by Eric Spaulding (tenor sax), Jack Sanford (baritone) and John Halblieb (trumpet) and Lisa Leuschner Andersen adds B/Vs to three cuts. Rick Estrin, Alabama Mike, Mike Zito and Charlie Owen guest on a track each and The Sons Of The Soul Revivers (Walter, James and Dwayne Morgan) add B/Vs to four tracks. The album opens in full-on soul mode with “Working On Your Chain Gang” which really gets your body moving with its excellent horn arrangement and catchy chorus before a second Price/Britton tune, the midpaced “Lose My Number” which has a slight latin feel from the hand percussion, Kid playing some delightful chords behind Billy’s vocals and Jim wrapping it all in the warmth of his organ work, the tenor sax adding drama to the middle section. Bobby Byrd’s “We’re In Love” has that jazzy 60’s rhythm that makes you snap your fingers, Billy’s vocals well supported on the chorus by Charlie Owen. Rick Estrin provides the title track and plays harp on it too, a song about how society is getting more selfish and divided, Kid’s eerie effects on guitar combining well with Rick’s harp as Billy and Alabama Mike share the verses. Willie Dixon’s “My Love Will Never Die”, best known from Otis Rush’s peerless version, features Kid and the horns duelling on the famous riff though Billy’s vocals are a little histrionic for this reviewer’s taste. Later in the album Billy does a great version of the Steals Brothers’ song “Same Old Heartaches”, once a hit for The Impressions, giving it a classic soul treatment. “All Night Long Cafe” ups the funk quotient with clavinet adding to the 70’s feel, Mike Zito adding a suitably freaky solo before the only original that Billy did not have a hand in, Jim Britton’s “Walk Back In”, a soul piece that fits Billy’s voice like a glove and is a definite highlight with another rousing horn chart and great B/Vs from the Soul Revivers. Billy and Jim wrote “Toxicity” with Gulf Records co-founder Guy Hale, a song that straddles the soul and funk divide as Billy sings of a hopeless romance. Billy wrote two songs with French guitarist Fred Chapellier with whom he has worked in the past: “More Than I Needed” is pure soul and sits nicely alongside the Impressions tune, Kid adding some string sounds using Moog and ARP synths; “Remnants” is a blues with lots of wah-wah guitar from Kid and lyrics that are both timeless (infidelity) and modern (files left open on the computer). The last track is the co-write between Billy and Bill Troiani who collaborated on the title track of Reckoning: “You Gotta Leave” fits well lyrically with “Remnants”, another tale of a relationship gone sour played over a jagged rhythm with the bari sax adding to the bottom end, twinkling electric piano and a fine Kid Andersen solo, making a solid end to the disc.
Kevin Breit—Stella Bella Strada Stoney Plain www.kevinbreit.com 10 Tracks/39:27 Canada is home for guitarist and future thinker Kevin Breit. This is the 4th release he has been involved with on Stony Plain (2 solo & 2 collaborations with Kevin Manx). Breit has toured with many pop, jazz & rock artists including Rosanne Cash, Delinee Dion, Norah Jones and Cassandra Wilson. He has been awarded Maple Leaf Blues Awards, Juno Awards and appeared on recording that have earned 10 Grammy Awards. Stella Bella Strada loosely translates to ‘beautiful star of the road’ and is aptly named for a new guitar built by master instrument maker and friend, Joseph Yanuziello. This one of a kind guitar is used on this release. The music hops from genre to genre. It is not a blues disc, but a musical disc. It is a group effort with nearly 40 musicians appearing, not counting the choir.
The opener is the soft tune “A Common Vow”. Breit’s guitar work dances over a string group that gives texture to the sound. The sound gets funky on “Buttons And Zippers” with a bit of NOLA second line to it. As a song it is not bad, though the abrupt ending was a bit bothersome to my ears. On “Vegas Address” the song fits the title. The music sounds like something from a floor show, with a full big orchestra. It flows with a bit of a Latin feel to it. The next cut is “Mother's Cupboard”. The music has a bit of rock to it, though maybe for a music soundtrack. I kept expecting it to take off but it slides on with a slower pace than it should. It did get a bit better near the end crossing a bit of Little Feat meeting up with Frank Zappa. “Shoo The Bluebird” is another meandering mostly instrumental piece. I like the guitar work here a bit more and the overall tune. It could be part of a western movie soundtrack. The title track is up next. “Stella Bella Strada”. It starts like the intro to a horror film and jumps into a bit of gypsy jazz crossing a Mexican border circus band. It is too all over the map for my ears. The sound stays south of the border on “Of Silk And Honey”. Breit can get lots of sounds from his guitar. “Marcello Loren” is a sound filled tune with horns, organs, guitar and other rhythm sounds. I guess it too could be movie music. I do like the more jazzier sound on “If You Knew”. It crosses a classical feel with jazz and a bit of Eric Johnson. The closing tune is “Kick At The Grape” mixes a bit of marching band to circus parade to zany jazz. It did not float my boat. Technically Kevin Breit can create sounds that make different music. Aside from a bit of funk, there is not much blues here. I am sure he enjoyed making this and his ear has a different ring than mine. If you like weirder, kinda out there guitar and sounds this might be for you. It will not be a featured release at any blues festival. Technically Breit has an ear for different sounds. His resume shows he can play all kinds of music that is popular. I believe this was one for himself, and that is not all bad. Reviewed by Mark Nelson
Rick Estrin & The Nightcats – Contemporary Alligator Records www.rickestrin.com 12 songs/51 minutes Anyone who’s ever spent time listening to Rick Estrin and his band of melodious merrymakers since their debut in 1987 knows they’ve always delivered tunes that reflect modern ideas and sentiments with a great deal of insight and humor. But he and The Nightcats put it in overdrive for this release, their 15th title in the Alligator catalog. Even though they’ve been there all along, it’s a tongue-in-cheek effort to break through the glass ceiling into the world of mainstream music, and it works on all counts as the band seamlessly stretches its comfort zone to include new, no-holds-barred numbers that incorporate elements that are more familiar in hip-hop and other art forms. Fear not, though. Contemporary is cutting-edge blues through and through, a template that works perfectly as it stretches sounds formulated a century ago in Mississippi and creates a blueprint that will appeal to music lovers in all genres in future generations. The core lineup of The Nightcats – Estrin on vocals and harp backed by multi-instrumentalist/producer Kid Andersen and keyboard player Lorenzo Farrell – remains intact since the band reformed after the retirement in 2008 of guitarist and former headliner Little Charley Baty. Amping things up on this one is the addition of Derreck “D-Mar” Martin on percussion. A music educator of note, his background includes 17 years with Little Richard and work with a who’s who of blues and soul artists, including Bobby Rush, Carla Thomas, Syl Johnson, Dorothy Moore and dozens more. Recorded at Andersen’s award-winning Greaseland Studios in California, the mix also includes former Nightcat Alex Pettersen on drums and Quantae Johnson on bass for seven cuts and guest appearances by Jim Pugh on organ and backing vocals provided by Lisa Leuschner Andersen and James, Walter and Dwayne Morgan, the gospel trio who record as The Sons of the Soul Revivers. One of the most inventive lyricists of the modern era, Estrin opens the action with “I’m Running,” an unsettling description of being chased by Father Time and having “no time for looking back.” His intense mid-tune solo is interspersed with the ticking and chiming of clocks and the call of the cuckoo. Andersen’s guitar is featured on the soulful “Resentment File,” Rick’s advice for men to treat their women better. The title tune, “Contemporary,” is up next. After obsessing on claims that “the blues is goin’ nowhere,” he comes to the conclu-
sion that it’s time to change his sound. After a light, breezy and bluesy opening verse, the band erupts atop a deeply funky beat and progresses through multiple formats, including a stellar rap delivered by D-Mar. By the finale, Estrin assures listeners he’s got the “key to guarantee triple-platinum success” and plans to kick everything off with a farewell tour. Fear not, though, The Nightcats return to their root with “She Nuts Up,” Rick’s hipster description of his lady, who occasionally goes off the rails because of some unexplained past horror. It’s delivered in the same easy-greasy manner fans have come to know and love. Folks will rush to the dance floor for “New Shape (Remembering Junior Parker),” which is propelled by a heavy bass beat and professes love for a woman who’s gone from rail thin to heavier and extra-fine. The pleasing stop-time instrumental “House of Grease,” and anthem to Kid’s recording studio, features Andersen trading guitar licks with Farrell on keys and stellar work on the kit from D-Mar before Rick wonders if money is the “’Root of All Evil,’ what’s it called bein’ broke?” The slow blues, “The Main Event,” finds Estrin on chromatic and reflecting on his inevitable demise, surrounded by friends as his body’s been lowered into its grave, before the mood brightens for “Cupcakin’,” a jazzy instrumental penned by Lorenzo on which the entire band has space to shine. “New Year’s Eve,” which looks forward to turning the page on 2019 and flipping the calendar, precedes a cover of Detroit bluesman Bobo Jenkins’ 1959 hit, “Nothing but Love,” before “Bo Dee’s Bounce,” another pleasing instrumental, closes the set. Rick Estrin gets more space to show off his prodigious harp skills here than most previous albums, and The Nightcats are at the absolute top of their game on throughout. Available wherever fine CDs are sold -- and definitely a strong contender when next awards season rolls around. Pick it up. You won’t be disappointed. Reviewed by Marty Gunther
HeavyDrunk—Holywater 4142 Music www.HeavyDrunk.com 13 tracks A friends of HeavyDrunk frontman Rob Robinson told him that Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown introduced him to come up and play with him by saying “Man, he’s a no-playin’ so-and-so... and a heavy drunk!” Robinson took the name for their band while never revealing who the musician was, and the band does play a very heavy blend of blues, soul and roots music that does get the listener
swooning and swaying to their music. It’s a big band; including Robinson there are six people total making up the sound of the vocals and nine other musicians who play their instruments. Robinson is joined on guitar by Will Beman and Kurt Stowe. Bill Ferri and Brian Allen handle the bass duties. Bernard Bell and Dave Diefenthal are on drums. On sax is Tyler Summers and Roy Agee is on trombone. Eric Bikales is on keys and James Hooker plays piano.
Creative original songs, two nice covers, fantastic vocals and exemplary musicianship make for a superb album of soul, blues, rock, funk and everything else these folks pour into their music. These musicians backed the likes of Elvis Presley, Prince and Keb' Mo', among others, and Robinson and his backups are amazing. This is one fine album and I highly recommend it for you listening pleasure! Reviewed by Steve Jones
“If I Loved You Hard Enough” begins with a humorous description of Robinson’s woman whom he grabs by the hair and drags across the Piggly Wiggly parking lot where she loses her pink flip flop in a disabled parking spot. The rhyming and alliteration is amusing and cool and the backing vocals help make the song rise to heights as Robinson testifies and the band plays in full support. It is a very cool cut and great hook to start off their third album. The guitar wails and the horns blare as Robinso howls. “Walking to the Mission in the Rain” follows, a gritty and interesting cut with Robinson delivering his great vocals with beautiful work by the band behind him. The guitar solo is great and the horn work just adds such great feel to the music. The title track “HeavyDrunk Holywater” is a slow and somber piece with Robinson and the piano giving an emotional performance as the snare fills in behind them. The backing vocalists help out and give a churchy feel to the tune. The sax comes in to counter the vocals and add to the somberness– well done! “One Dancing Fool” starts with some keys and Robinson and then the band comes in for a driving and vibrant cut. A prolonged guitar solo serves nicely as the outro to the cut. “I Can’t Be Satisfied” is a sweet little ballad that builds and builds in intensity and more instruments and voices are added to the piece. “Keeping Up with the Kid” is a slick and jazzy soul blues with some nice guitar work and well done organ and horns. “High on Love” is another slow and somber piece with vocals and piano featured along with some tasteful filling in here and there by the rest of the band. The last third of the cut is an interesting instrumental. “Memphis” is a funky and cool cut with a great little groove and cool falsetto work by Robinson. The trombone gets featured mid song in this sweet number. Up next is “Somebody’s Got to Take Them Panties Off,” a song where Robinson begs to have the teasing stop and get to the serious stuff and let be him who does the undressing. Slow, sultry and sublime work by Robinson and the band here. The guitar and some funky pedal work adds a cool touch tot eh song, too. “Pick You Up Along the Way” follows, a nice funky cut with lots of great playing and a little vocal to boot. “Slave” is the first of two covers. This Stones tune lacks the rawness of the original but replaces it with soul and funk and a great vibe. Mike Mattison’s “Midnight in Harlem” is a great TedeschiTrucks tune that Robinson and his other vocalists and band make their own. A beautiful slide guitar solo pays homage to Derek Trucks to conclude the piece and it’s just so well done! The album concludes with “Shine On,” another original cut. This slower paced tune features good harmonies and a nice guitar solo.
Johnny Burgin—Live Delmark Records www.delmark.com 14 tracks Recorded live at the Redwood Café in Coatati, California, in the Bay Area, Rockin’ Johnny gives us twelve new cuts and two covers with his band and some fine special guests! Recorded in just one night, the music feels like they have been on the road and honing their craft for weeks; this is a testament to all involved! The band is Johnny Burgin on vocals and guitar, Aki Kumar on harp (cuts 1 and 5) and percussion (cuts 3 and 9), Kid Andersen on guitar (except for tacks 4, 7 and 12) and piano (tracks 7 and 12), Chris Matheos on bass and Steve Dougherty on drums. Rae Gordon shares the vocals on 4 tracks, Charlie Musslewhite blows some harp on 3 and Nancy Wright is on sax for 5 tracks. The band and guests are tight and really do a fine job. Things start with “You Gotta Make a Change,” a rocking cut with Johnny singing and playing with Andersen; both lay out some mean guitar and Aki Kumar blows some dirty sounding harp. “Can’t Make It Blues” is a pretty slow blues that Johnny and Kid wail on quite effectively. “She Gave Me The Slip” is a midtempo blues with some thoughtful and emotive guitar picking. “You’re My Trinket” is a neat little shuffle with more stellar guitar work, here just with Johnny. Earl Hooker’s “The Leading Brand” is the first of the two covers. Kumar plays some nice harp in this fine instrumental piece and Andersen and Burgin lay out some nice guitar licks, too. Robert Lockwood’s “I Got To Find Me A Woman” is the other cover and it follows. Wright appears on sax as Burgin gets started, then Rae Gordon joins the fray with her powerful voice. She and Johnny spar vocally and make this one a lot of fun. Wright takes off into a huge tenor sax solo that is mighty fine and it gets followed by an equally fine set of guitar solos. “Late Night Date Night” is co-written by Gordon and Burgin; Johnny excels on guitar while Gordon delivers a powerful yet sultry performance. Wright returns for “”You Took The Bait” as Gordon fronts the band and Burgin and Andersen team up on guitar again. There’s a nice guitar solo followed by a sax solo here along with Gordon’s well done vocals. “Daddy’s Got The Personal Touch” is
Last cut featuring Gordon. She and Johnny share the vocals with Johnny on the verses and Rae on the choruses. Wright gives us a solid solo on sax and later the guitar solos are equally impressive. “Louisiana Walk” is a super little guitar instrumental with Wright backing the hot and heavy guitar work. “Blues Falling” brings Charlie Musselwhite to the mix. He blows some amazing harp, as he always does, as Johnny sings and plays along with him– good stuff! “California Blues” follows, a slow blues to start about the state of California. Johnny sings with emotion and Charlie replies on harp. Then the pace quickens to a moderate boogie woogie as Johnny sings and Charlie plays. Straight up Chicago blues with a West Coast theme. Both get shots at solos and both took full advantage, giving the live crowd and now the CD listener a great performance. The guitar stings in “When The Bluesman Comes To Town” and Johnny sings with even more emotion. Charlie continues to blow mean harp; slow blues that is just great, great stuff! The album concludes with “Jody’s Jazz,” a slick little instrumental with some blistering guitar and sax. Burgin has crafted some fine new songs and put together a great set for listeners to enjoy. The album showcases the band and their guests and the recording captures the energy and feeling of the event. This is a fine CD and another nice accomplishment from a fine young bluesman– kudos to Rockin’ Johnny for this outstanding album. It’s a winner and you need to listen to it ASAP! Reviewed by Steve Jones
Tennessee Redemption Endless Blues Records TennesseeRedemption.com 10 tracks The all star duo of Brandon Santini and Jeff Jensen has been formed to become Tennessee Redemption, delivering to us 8 original songs and a couple of fine covers. Renewing their collaborative efforts from 2012 & 2013 where they performed around 400 times together on Beale Street, this new collaboration of the artists has produced some new roots, blues and rock music that truly showcases the talents of both artists and their band. In addition to Santini on harp and vocals and Jensen on guitar and vocals we have Timo Arthru on guitar and vocals, Bill Ruffino on bass and vocals and David Green on drums and vocals. The Memphis sound is strong in this fine assortment of tunes assembled by Santini and Jensen. The begin their album with “Glad To Be,” a country blues tune with some added organ that makes the mix even tastier to savor. Santini’s harp is excellent and the punctuation by Jensen’s guitar makes for a great opener. “We’ve Got A Thing Going On” follows, with a little slower and funkier grove going on here. Brandon gets a couple of short solos then Jeff concludes with a lengthier one before the two take
us home. “Souls In The Water” is a swampy sort of slow blues with some nice, airy harp and guitar sounds and backing harmonies. “Back To Tennessee” follows, a song that builds into a first and then second intense guitar solo by Jensen. It’s heady stuff and quite good, a really sweet southern rocker. “Leave My Body,” a dark tune that is cool and interesting that concludes the first half of the album. It’s intense; “leave by body by the side of the road in case I’m not really gone.” Jensen adds darkness to the mood on his guitar and later Santini blows some harp to also add to the feel. “See About Me” is a brighter and more uptempo cut to pick us up and feel good. The harp is bright and cool like the vocals and tehn the guitar solo continues to create upbeat feelings. Tom Waits “Come On Up To The House” gets “redeemed” by Santini and Jensen. Rather than the gritty and guttural vocals in the original we get a more upbeat and cool approach with vocals, harp and guitar giving a light and expressive take on this one– very enjoyable! The original “You Don’t Love Me” is next, a smooth and melodic cut with a bit a passion and lots of feeling. A big harp solo mid-song is well done and packs punch here, and then Jensen delivers a similar solo on guitar to take us home. Little Walter’s “Watch Yourself” follows, a massive harp assault that I think takes the original song to unexplored new heights. It’s dirty, smoking hot, very cool, and just explosive. Santini delivers a fantastic performance here. The CD finishes up with the cool and refreshing “Going To Mexico,” an acoustic cut that shows us another side of Jensen and Santini. It’s a pretty tune that is expressive and emotional; a fitting conclusion to a power packed set of songs. I’ve seen Santini and Jensen in concert individually with their bands. Both are capable and excellent performers. The collaboration between the two takes both of them to new places; the adage that the sum is greater than the individual parts going into it certainly is true here– these two guys together have created fantastic new music that is just great. The new songs and covers show us these guys are amazing musicians who feed off each other’s talents and are able to step up their already high games into something even better as a team. This is a superb CD that blues fans will be talking about for a long time– well worth getting a copy and listening to it!!! Reviewed by Steve Jones
The Jimmys—Gotta Have It Brown Cow Productions (Self Released) TheJimmys.net 13 tracks The Jimmys worked with producer Tony Braunagel again on this great new studio album. The song quality is outstanding and the performances are tight. This may be their best album yet as it has great new songs, superb performances and just a well crafted overall sound! Jimmy Voegeli leads his troop of Wisconsinites to new heights in this CD. Jimmy wrote most of the songs, sings, plays piano, Hammond B3 and clavinet. His main partner in crime is the great guitar player Perry Weber who also wrote a number of the new cuts, sings and plays the guitar. Peterson Ross plays saxophone and did all the horn arrangements. John Wartenweiler handled the bass duties while Baunegael handled the drums. Kevin Feyzi on trombone, Mike Boman on trumpet are the other part of the Young Horns. But Kyle Samuelson (trompbone) and Al Falaschi (trumpet) also contribute to the cause. Marcia Ball appears on vocals and backing vocals and Melodyne Perry and Mike Finnigan also help on backing vocals. Wally Ingram helps with percussion. There are 12 new tracks an a cover of a Jim Liban cut. “Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” is a rocking, honky tonk sounding cut with Perry on vocals and the Young Horns in full force. The guitar solo leads off and then we get a little baritone sax to appreciate. Great hook to start off a great album. Next is “Grim Reaper,” a cool tune with Jimmy out front. The tenor sax solo is well done and Voegeli’s vocals are fresh and cool. “Write A Hit” follows; Marcia Ball joins Jimmy for the vocals and the two deliver a fine performance together. Jimmy also offers up a nice piano solo in this amusing cut. “She Gotta Have It” is a bouncy tune with Voegeli in the lead and a nice solo by Weber. “Started Up Again” features Weber in the lead and with another nice guitar solo. Perry’s vocals are solid and humorous. “Hotel Stebbins” features Marcia backing Jimmy in this story about the Alboma, Wisconsin hotel where the Jimmys were featured on a marquee with them as the fine print to a midget wrestling event. To add insult to injury, their assigned room for six was a broom closet and not a real room at all. Weber returns with “Drinkin’” and delivers a great performance about a topic he and the band are well versed in. “When You Got Love” is a nice and prophetic tune about men succumbing to the opposite sex. Jimmy sings with experience while Perry lays out some nice licks on guitar. The Young Horns blaze throughout and Jimmy tinkles the keys sweetly. “Always A Women” continues the theme about men succumbing. Voegeli sings with continued authority to a tune with a rousing beat. He gives us some good B3 vibes and Ross’ tenor sax accompanies
him nicely. Next up is “Words and Actions,” a song about how the effect of poor choices of words. Weber offers up a good solo as Voegeli sings the lead. Jim Liban’s song “Someday Baby” is up next. Weber leads the fray as Voegeli fills in with some “take you to church” organ work. The Young Horns are forcefully present, too. Perry offers up an emotional solo and then Peterson similar does so on his sax. A cool cover from one of the blues royalty of Wisconsin’s songbook! Weber continues with “Take You Back,” a story about getting love to come back. A thoughtful guitar solo followed by some organ and a little sax help move things along. Weber gives us a second helping on guitar and then takes us home with the rest of the boys. The finale for the CD features the B3 organ in an instrumental penned by Voegeli entitled “Jose.” The entire band gets to chant “Jose!” in deference to their sponsor and potential lifeblood. Ross gives us another tasty tenor solo but it’s Jimmy’s organ that bears the brunt of this and its’s pretty cool. This baker’s dozen of tracks is a fantastic effort. The Jimmys are an amazing band that seems to be a party waiting to happen at each of their performances. This CD offers up a lot of the vibrancy of their live stuff and showcases the skills of this band of brothers who know how to both play and play. I highly recommend this one; fans will quickly see that this is probably their best effort yet and those new to the band will see a great example of how damn good they are. Run, do not walk, and go find a copy of this CD to buy today, but don’t carry any sharp objects and be care careful not to spill your drink when you do! Reviewed by Steve Jones
Miss Bix & The Blues Fix featuring Leslie Bixler—We Don’t Own The Blues Self Released https://www.missbix.com/ 12 Tracks/54:50 Miss Bix performed in the past as Leslie Bixler (Letvin) in the Los Angeles jazz club scene. After the birth of her son, she spent time with him at home. She started writing children’s music. Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers among others helped her release some of that work. Once her son grew up she decided to go back to her performing career. She visited Clarksdale MS and feel in love with the blues. That experience led to this release. She is the singer here. Ralph Carter (bass, percussion, guitar and keys), John ‘JT’ Thomas (keyboardist with Hornsby), Gary Mallaber (drummer previously with Van Morrison, Steve Miller and more), Franck Goldwasser (Paris Slim guitar), Bill Bixler (Sax) and RJ Mischo (Harp) round out the musicians. The music is all originals for the band. He music is southern influenced blues.
The opener is “Follow Me Down”. This is a slower moving blues tune with a good feel to it. I like “Slave To The Grave” and its slow swampy blues feel. Miss Bix shows off her vocal chops on this one. The pace picks up on “If You're Doing What I'm Thinking”. There is a feeling that cheating may be going on in the lyrics. RJ Mischo hits it home with his harmonica trading licks with Goldwasser on guitar. “Gotta Get off This Ride” is a solid slower blues tune about making changes in life. The lyrics are interesting. The band sounds great on this tune. There is a spooky intro to “Black Widow” which then rolls into a softer blues rock tune. It is a love revenge tune about relationship going bad and revenge being sought. No southern blues set would be complete without some reference to voodoo. The slow grinding blues tune “Voodoo Man” hits the mark. Gary Mallaber really keeps the pace for the band on drums. “Crazy 'Bout You” is a slow soulful tune. At nearly 5 minutes the band all gets to stretch out a bit on this one. I like the strong intro on “You're A Child”. It is not a wild blues rocker, but there is strength in the playing and pace of it. Chad Smith handles the drums on this one as a special guest. The title track “We Don't Own the Blues” is next. This is another lover breakup song that reaches the conclusion that it happens to them and too others, so this breakup is nothing special. Franck Goldwasser has a solid guitar solo on this one. Things slow down on the long sultry ballad “It Wasn't Me”. This is a torch song with a bit of a jazzy feel to it. The vocals are right out front on this one. On “Baby Come Back” the music takes a bit of a slow Latin groove. Bill Bixler adds his sax to this one. The closing tune is “All The Time”. Bixler wrote this one as a reflective look at her life and accomplishments and what is to come ahead. It goes a more of a pop vein than blues but is still a pretty song. Leslie Bixler created a fine release here. A crack band certainly helps out, but her vocals and writing are very strong on the material. I expected this to be a more raw good time release when I first picked it up. There is certainly a refinement to the disc that is refreshing. The blues thread thru the music and the lyrics. It will be interesting to see where the next release takes the music. Will the blues stay as a key component, we can only hope. Blues vocal fans will like this one. Reviewed by Mark Nelson Bushmaster Featuring Gary Brown— Dancing In The Belly Of The Beast GEM Records www.bushmasterblues.com 14 tracks Gary Brown is the Bushmaster and he has written all 14 of these great new songs. This is his fifth album and first since 2011. It includes many songs about the injustices that he and we all see almost everyday in society. Born in Washington, D.C., Gary grew up with a diverse group of friends and was exposed to music all his life. His mother turned to church music while Gary was young but that did not deter him from listening to everything whenever he could. He played guitar
since he was 11 and after high school he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He was at a Charlie Pastorfield and the Believers show and met the band (and his future wife Trudi) at the break. Pastorfield invited him up for a solo in the second set and Brown found his calling. The album feature his band and some great guests. Gary Brown is on guitar and vocals. Justin Kimball is on bass, Justin Pinkney is on drums, Tim McDonald is on keyboards, and Daniel Weston Cohen is on slide guitar. Backing vocals are provided by the great Tracy Nelson and Vickie Carrico. Recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, the album is produced by Geoff Wilbourn. The album begins with “Profile,” a tune about what cops often do with people of color. The song itself has an up tempo beat and offers a slick guitar solo while the lyrics describe a continuing issue with law enforcement. “Ajax And The Hot Wax” is a tune of unrequited love, at least in a sense. A funky groove, cool lyrics, and a slick guitar solo sell this one. “Song For Freddie Gray” is another song with a social justice theme. Freddie Gray died due to spinal cord injuries while being transported in a police van in Baltimore in 2015. A driving (almost marching) beat and strident, forceful vocals make this quite effective a message and a good song. Next up is “The Blues,” a funked-up and cool cut about the labor of Brown’s love. A couple of big solos spice this up sweetly, too. “Nowhere To Stand” is more commentary about the problems of violence and shootings, whether it be in altercations in the neighborhood or with the authorities. This is a slow blues with a throbbing beat, a big organ sound and more of Gary’s guitar. Well done! “Mushroom” is next, a cool, angry, rocking tune about love gone wrong. “Miss Sexyfine” is a funky number Brown delivers with authority. He delivers a stinging guitar solo mid song to sweeten the pot. “40 Acres And A Mule” is a driving blues about the broken promise to African Americans during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. Brown sings he’s waiting for his promise to be fulfilled, being stuck in low paying jobs and paying into a future 40 acres a mule that never will come. Some very slick guitar work is featured here, too. Next is “Army Of Two,” a love song with super backing vocals. “Elevator” is a song warning his woman that the elevator goes two ways; more great guitar work here once again. The heavy funk groove of “Pressure Cooker” makes for a good backdrop for the commentary of how life has heated up and is ready to explode with unnecessary violence and injustice. Brown offers another stinging guitar solo, this time to take things home. “Jekyll and Hyde” is a slow blues about a relationship gone bad with a two faced woman– very well done with more great guitar and the organ adding an almost church-like feel to the cut. “Profit from Pain” is a cut about greed and poor treatment of employees; more great commentary and music! “Thing Back Home” concludes the set. Tim Jones is on acoustic guitar in this commentary about the current top administration in D.C. Brown does not hold back his feelings here in this great CD about life in the U.S. He’s penned and played 14 great songs and has put together his best album yet– this is some powerful stuff. This is one heck of a CD; mixing blues and funk, the Bushmaster’s got a real winner here! Reviewed by Steve Jones
Giles Robson—Don’t Give Up On The Blues American Showplace Music www.gilesrobson.com 12 Tracks/60:08 Giles Robson has been making a name for himself in his home county the UK. He handles vocals and plays harmonica. This is his 3rd solo effort (first in the US), in addition to 2 collaborative releases over the last 8 years. In 2018 the release of Journeys To The Heart Of The Blues by Joe Louis Walker, Bruce Katz and Giles Robson was released here on Alligator Records after gaining traction in Europe on Munich Records. This release gave Robson a great deal of attention in the United States. On this release Bruce Katz is back on piano and B3. Others contributing to this recording are Aaron Lieberman (guitar), Ray Hangen (drums) and Antar Goodwin (bass). The music is electric blues with a tip of the cap to the past. Robson wrote all of the material for this release. “Land To Land” opens the release. It is a mid tempo rocking; blues tune with Giles showing off his harmonica sound, and the rest of the band joining in on the fun. I like the shuffle tune “Don't Give Up On The Blues”. This one has a solid Chicago sound with the piano and harmonica leading the way. Ray Hangen bangs his drums with his best Bo Diddley beat on the wild tune “Damn Fool Way”. It is a tune about losing your love and knowing you were the one that made it happen by not treating her well. Things slow down on “Your Dirty Look & Your Sneaky Grin”. The title paints a picture that is supported by the music and lyrics. There is no showing off here, the band plays as a solid unit. At over 6 ½ minutes in length they all get to stretch out. The blues continue on “Show A Little Mercy”. Robson shines with his vocals and interesting lyrics. Katz really shows his piano chops on this one. It is a good one!! I love the this harmonica/piano duet called “Boogie At The Showplace”. Katz and Robson really match it up on this rollicking tune. This instrumental will get you dancing. Another strong track is “Fearless Leaders”. Goodwin and Hangen set up the back beat that the other band mates dance on top of. Robson his really blowin’ his harmonica on this one. Katz breaks out the B3 on “Hey, Hey Now!”. It is a playful tune with the B3 dancing throughout the tune. Another instrumental is next. “Giles' Theme” is a showcase for Robson and his theatrics on the harmonica. The whole band is grooving with a nice B3 solo by Katz. “Life, With All Its Charms” is another mid tempo blues tune that really cooks. “That Ol' Heartbreak Sound” is a long all out blues onslaught. The sound is clear and powerful. The closing tune is “Way Past Midnight. This one goes nearly 7 minutes and is a slow grinding hot tune. This is blues at it’s emotional and heart felt roots. It is a great closer and must be a great tune live. All five musicians contribute, though I do love the Katz’s B3 solo just after halfway through the song.
This is a really good one. Classic blues fans, harp fans, B3 fans will all get their feed on with this one. The music gives a slightly modern feel to the old classic electric blues. All the players do well, though Katz and Robson really get the center spotlight. I don’t see any American gigs on his calendar but I imagine that will change. I look forward to seeing Robson’s show live. Until then blues fans grab this release and enjoy it. You might want to look for his previously mentioned Alligator release or his older releases. Reviewed by Mark Nelson Keb Mo—Moonlight, Mistletoe a& You Concord Records concordrecords.com 10 tracks Bluesman Keb Mo (Keving Moore) has laid down 10 Christmas tunes for the upcoming holiday season, half of which are originals. It’s a fine effort with Keb and a variety of different artists in support. The classic “Please Come Home for Christmas” kicks things off. He gives this one a bluesy and jazzy presentation with nice keys by David Rogers and Akil Thomson on some smooth electric guitar. Next is the title track; Gerald Albright is on sax and gives a nice solo and there is some pretty strings that are nicely arranged. Smooth and flowing, it’s more jazz than blues but well done. “Better Everyday” is another original with some horns and organ and keys and backing vocals to make things rounded out and cool. “Santa Claus, Santa Claus” gets a dirty sounding work over with stinging guitar by Thompson in support of Keb. The amusing “Christmas is Annoying” is next, an original done with just Keb in trio format with Scott Mulvahill on upright bass and Neil Tufano on drums. Less is better as he bops through things in a bouncy and lilting manner. Koko Taylor’s “Merry, Merry Christmas” gets a well done and fresh update with Thompson and Rogers in support. “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” brings the strings and horns back with pretty piano by David Rogers helping out along with Mike Pachelli’s guitar and Melissa Manchester sharing the vocals. “Santa Claus Blues” is an old 1931 Charlie Jordan tune that Keb works over nicely with some piano and a little acoustic slide. “When the Children Sing” feature Keb on guitar and vocals with The Children of NIA House Montessori School, a beautiful and uplifting cut. “One More Year With You” is a smooth and jazzy original that might be a Tony Bennett song if it were not Kevin Moore delivering with his emotive pacing. Cool horns, piano and keys make this special. Okay, it’s not all blues and there is a tad of schmaltz here and there, but this is a nice Christmas album mixing some nice jazz and Keb’s always thoughtful vocals. If you need some new Christmas music to make the season bright, then you might think about picking this up! Reviewed by Steve Jones
Dave Specter—Blues From The Inside Out Delmark Records www.davespecter.com 12 tracks Blues From The Inside Out is the the new CD from renowned Chicago blues guitar great Dave Specter and the first CD featuring Dave testing out his vocals (spoiler alert– he does a great job!). He has appeared on over 40 albums in his 35 year career and was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame last year. Blending blues, jazz, and soul has been his trademark and he continues his run of excellent recordings with this new album. The album also features some great guests, including Hot Tuna/Jefferson Airplane legend Jorma Kaukonen on guitar on two tracks and Brother John Kattke on keyboards and organ and also with vocals on four tracks. Dave’s band is Harlan Terson on bass and Marty Binder on drums. These two guys comprise the tightest and coolest backline on the music scene in Chicago. Also appearing here are Sarah Marie Young on vocals for the next to last track, Bill Brichta on acoustic guitar on that same track, and Ruben Alvarez on percussion on a trio of tracks. The Liquid Soul Horns also appear on three cuts; they are Mars Williams on tenor sax, John Janowiak on trombone, and Ron Haynes on trumpet. Tad Robinson and Devin Thompson also sing backup on four cuts. Specter makes his vocal debut on the opening track, the title cut. He does a great job singing about paying your dues playing the blues and gives us some wickedly cool guitar to enjoy on top of that. He follows up his debut with “How Low Can One Man Go,” a commentary on Donald Trump. The title says it all for lyrical content. Jorna Kaukonen lays out some nasty licks in support of Dave, some really cool stuff. Dave sings with passion and grit, delivering a fine performance. “Asking For A Friend” is the other Specter vocal track, a slick number about his woman who is sneaking out on him. He solos on guitar twice with some slick stuff, too. He’s comfortable singing stuff he writes, so perhaps this is just the start of many more great songs with Dave fronting the band! Kattke handles the vocals starting with “Ponchatoula Way,” the second track on the album. It also features the horn section and a super piano solo by John along with Dave’s guitar solo. It’s got a nice, swampy feel and it’s a winner. “March Through Darkness” is up next on the CD and Brother John offers up a soulful set of vocals. It’s a great song about tolerance and unity. Specter gives us a thoughtful solo followed by an nice organ solo by Kattke. He returns later to deliver Kaukonen’s lyrics on “The Blues Ain’t Nothin’,” a jazzy blues with great horn support. Kaukonen adds his guitar to the mix for some soloing and sparring with Dave. John finishes up with piano and vocals on the next cut “Opposites Attract.” It’s a bouncy blues cut with a nice guitar and piano solo and backing harmonies.
Sarah Marie’s lead comes on the acoustic “Wave’s Gonna Come.” Opening to acoustic guitar and ocean sounds, Young gives us passion in her delivery in this cut about change coming. She builds as Dave’s guitar does, a very cool and emotional cut. The instrumentals start with track 4, “Sanctifunkious.” It’s a funky cut with Dave’s guitar and some delightful organ work. “Minor Shout” is a sweet, minor key midtempo romp with guitar and organ, featuring some interesting key changes. “Soul Drop” features the horns again along with guitar and organ. It’s a fun ride and the guitar/organ/guitar solo is nicely done. The horns and Dave fade things to end the piece. The album concludes with “String Chillin’,” a soft and slow ramble that shifts gears a bit as Dave moves into a big solo. Kattke follows him on the piano and then the two amble on and peacefully and slowly work their way to the end. It’s a pretty finish. This is a fantastic album. I was excited to get it in the mail and it did not disappoint me. Dave’s last CD with Otis Clay Message In Blue was his best, and it turns out this one is right there with it. The only thing that disappointed me was that it had to finally end. Dave also has a great podcast on the internet that just happens to be entitled the same as this new CD. It’s got a heck of a lot of great interviews and music, check it out at: www.bluesfromtheinsideout.com. This is an important album. Specter continues his quest to make superb music. His guitar work is flawless. His songwriting is superb. His new endeavor into vocals adds a new dimension to his work and I can’t wait to hear more! I think this is an album that all blues fans will enjoy– I most highly recommend getting a copy for your listening pleasure! Reviewed by Steve Jones
Mark Hummel and Billy Flynn BITS at Carlson ES Photo by Rick Davis
BITS Activity Book
A few years ago we put together an information and activity book about the blues. It contains a short blues history, instruments used by blues bands, coloring sheets for young children, three more pages of activities for older students, a list of references and resources and contact information. It is available on Google for download as a PDF file. Go to: https://drive.google.com/file/ d/1w3H1AkLLmJTffzxV5c2L0pS99VnLCy9m/view? usp=sharing to get a copy. Also on the drive are our annual BITS pamphlet: https://drive.google.com/file/ d/1x65BTT8z_kKLzFE9wobmqMWsh6QHo-tn/ view?usp=sharing and an animated PowerPoint on Crossroads: https://drive.google.com/open? id=13qdeKOzJRaRG7mmupIxrTsf1dL8lCpSy Feel free to download and use these documents!
September and October Crossroads Shows
Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones at the Hope and Anchor Photo by Rick Davis
Lots of Friends with Doug Deming at Hope and Anchor Photo by Rick Davis
Paul Filipowicz with Big Al Dorn and Benny Rickun as Harp Attack at the Lyran Society - Photo by Rick Davis
Toronzo Cannon at the Radisson Hotel
The Jimmys at the Hope and Anchor Dave Potter at the Lyran Society
Coco Montoya at the Nordlof Center
Coco Montoya at the Nordlof Center
Wheatbread Johnson CD Release at the Lyran Society
Steve Jones and Wheatbread Johnson at the Lyran Society
Wayne Baker Brooks at the Radisson Hotel
Wayne Baker Brooks at the Radisson Hotel
The Groove - Crossroads Blues Society Newsletter
Hope and Anchor English Pub Second Saturday Blues
Membership News We continue to grow with new members and renewals continuing! Thank you for supporting live music and helping to keep the blues alive to all our new and returning members! New members: Bruce Allen Clayton Andreychuk BeBee Barrett Bryan Biehl Evelyne Delgado-Norris Family Henry & Lisa Doll David & Sharon Galen David Heaton Eric & Lynn Hetzler Michael Jankovec Rick Mattingly Family George R. & Diane Wilhelmsen Renewing Members: Paul & Kathy Antonou Rick & Diane Blodgett Linda Cain Curtis & Carolyn Carlson Mike & Paula Coulahan Mary & Patrick Fisher Tom Frawley Luke Fredrickson & Jill Greenig John Grall
Jeff Johnson Paul & Mary Kegel Don Merchant Jeff Nielsen Lisa Pflipsen Kevin Pieterek Gregg & Shari Riverdahl Paul Thompson Brian & Michel Williams New members get a CD upon joining and new family members get two CDS. If you did not get any, please let us know the next time we see you! The Email newsletter averages about 40 pages an issue and is in full color, delivered as a PDF to members. Mail newsletters are 12 pages and printed in greyscale. Mail members have a $5 surcharge to help with printing and postage costs. We produce six newsletters a year with about 30 reviews and all sorts of other great information related to the Society and our events. Again, we thank our members for their support and helping us to keep the blues alive! See the membership form on page 3 of this newsletter to sign up. It’s a great way to help keep the blues alive!
Many years ago Al McNary started up a Yahoo! Group for Crossroads. It was a good way to blast out information to everyone interested in what we had going on. The group fell somewhat into disuse for awhile, but we’ve tuned it up and are trying to use it again as a means to get the word out about our endeavors. It’s free to join the group. You can request to Join our Yahoo Mail Group by emailing: crossroads_blues-subscribe@yahoogroups.com One word of caution: if you reply to an email sent to the group then the entire group will get your reply. You can pick out the individual email of the sender to reply just to them. You can also send Email our Yahoo Mail Group: crossroads_blues@yahoogroups.com is the address. Spammers and non-blues related emails will get the users blocked, so please use the email for what it is intended for– getting the word out about local blues!
www.bluesblastmagazine.com
The Hope and Anchor Second Saturday Blues is a fun monthly; shows are from 8 to 11:30 PM. There is a $5 cover charge. Located at 5040 N 2nd Street, Loves Park IL, USA, phone 815-633-2552 for info! 11/9/18 Reverend Raven with Westside Andy Linderman 12/14/19 Ivy Ford Band 1/11/20 Brandon Santini 2/8/20 Mike Wheeler 3/14/20 Kilborn Alley Blues Band 4/11/20 Cash Box Kings 5/9/20 Corey Dennison Band 6/13/20 Paul Filipowicz 7/11/20 Luca Kiella Trio
Lyran Society First and Third Friday Blues (Once a Month June-September) The Lyran Society featured blues, a fish fry, other great food, and a lot of fun. The Lyran Club has great shows twice a month outside of summer. Located half a block east of 7th Street at 1115 4th Ave, Rockford, IL 61104, you can call (815) 9640511 for info. There is no cover charge, it’s a free show. Open to our members and friends, all ages are welcome! Shows are 7 to 10 PM. 11/1/19 Harpo’s Revue 11/15/19 Ivy Ford 12/6/19 Trinadora Rocks 12/20/19 Bob Frank 1/3/20 Catfish Keith
Radisson Hotel & Conference Center The Radisson is now doing Saturday shows about once a month with some really great acts. $10 admission. Food and drink are available at the shows. Located at 200 South Bell School Road, Rockford, IL 61108. 10/19/19 Wayne Baker Brooks 11/23/19 Nick Schnebelen
Crossroads Blues Society
THE
P.O. Box 840 Byron, IL 61010 On the web at: crossroadsbluessociety.com/
THE BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY
Crossroads Blues Festival at Lyran Park: www.crossroadsbluesfestival.com Email us at: sub_insignia@yahoo.com
Keeping the Blues Alive Since 1994 2014 Blues Foundation Keeping the Blues Alive Affiliate Award Recipient
Call us at: (779) 537-4006
2014 Chicago Blues Hall of Fame Inductee
Email our Yahoo Mail Group: crossroads_blues@yahoogroups.com
2005 Rockford Area Music Award Winner– Musical Outreach Organization
Request to Join our Yahoo Mail Group: crossroads_blues-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Mail to:
Award Winner
Blues News and Upcoming Events December at our Christmas Party. Shows at the Lyran Society are our Blues Challenge winners Harpo’s Revue, the Chicago Blues Kitten Ivy Ford, Trinadora Rocks and their Sock Hop, and acoustic bluesman and storyteller Bob Frank from Cleveland. We need you to support live music– without good attendance it will be hard to keep live shows going. We have a thriving blues music scene we’ve put in place– lets keep it going!
November and December continue our record pace of great shows and will help us conclude the year with a bang! Special shows include Chris O’Leary at Mary’s Place (above) and Nick Schnebelen at the Radisson Hotel (right). The Hope and Anchor features the ever-popular Reverence Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys with Westside Andy Linderman in November and the Chicago Blues Kitten Ivy Ford in