There’s
a lot of interesting music coming out of Los Angeles
lately, and the new self-titled record by Los Fabulocos is a classic example of LA ingenuity. You
take Kid Ramos and stir him in a pot with Chicano
artists Jesus Cuevas, Mike Molina and James Barrios
to form one of the freshest records I’ve heard in a
long time.
“Educated Fool” opens up with an accordion lead by
Jesus as he leads us down the litany of his
education with women. A master of the game, Jesus
learned his moves the hard way, “told her that she
needed my kisses…told her that she needed my
love…looking so fine…round about 9…I was creating a
disturbance in her mind!” A fine guitar solo by Kid
Ramos accentuates the learning curve that Jesus has
gone through to get to this point in his mastery of
the pursuit of women. This first tune has great
energy and the disc is definitely up and running.
“If You Know” has me wanting to get up and polka.
Jesus is distressed by how his woman is treating
him, “if you know that I love you…why do you treat
me like you do…make me feel like such a fool…but my
heart keeps loving you!” Hopefully this woman will
overcome her fears and appreciate all the Jesus has
to offer. “Crazy Baby” echoes this theme of love at
a much slower ’50s kind of pace. “All of my
life…I’ve looked for someone like you…you’re sweet
to me…but I’m so mean to you!” Jesus is waiting for
this woman to realize how much he loves her and he
needs to stop and take a look at how he’s been
treating her. Hopefully, they meet in the middle.
“Lonesome Tears In My Eyes’ features Kid Ramos on
vocals and revels in its Hispanic origins. Kid has
fallen hard for a woman who chooses to ignore his
affection for her, leaving him sad and
brokenhearted. “Can’t forget me that you told me…so
many promises and lies…I want to try and forget
these…lonesome tears in my eyes!” Kid’s been treated
wrong and he needs to move on.
The next tune, “Un Mojado Sin Licencia,” is sung entirely in Spanish and
allows Jesus’s accordion to take its place, front
and center. The liner notes indicate the band’s
Cali-mex influences and this tune is a classic
template of the band’s influences. A more aggressive
tempo highlights the intro of our next cut, “Day
After Day.” Here we find Jesus just struggling to
make ends meet and working hard to build a better
life. “Feels it in his heart and soul…love can be so
hot and cold…knows he must keep his faith…that’s one
thing…no one take!” Perseverance is the theme of the
day and it’s the one real way that Jesus can keep
his struggles in perspective.
The liner notes
indicate that our next Spanish tune, “Como Un Perro,”
is a classic that goes right to the heart of the
band’s cultural influences. An elegant ballad full
of passion, “Como Un Perro” musically draws me in as
a listener and the emotion of the song is all I need
to know.
Jesus is on the prowl again with our next tune, “You
Ain’t Nothin But Fine.” “Little girl…let me walk you
home…you know I won’t do nothing wrong…cause you ain’t nothing but fine…fine…fine…and I wish you were
mine!” The party continues to roll on with “You Keep
Drinkin’.” “Lying to myself…is what I got to
do…thinking that you love me as much as I love
you…the painful truth I realize…is what I got to
see…as you pour down one more whiskey…made in
Tennessee!” Jesus’s woman would much rather party
and have fun than make a relationship work. So let
her have one more drink…Jesus is moving on.
Jesus
continues to ponder his relationship ending in “Just
Because.” “I know you think you’re smart…just going
around and breaking lover’s heart…just because I
want someone whose kind…with a heart as good and
pure as mine…but maybe I am asking for too
much…darling…please don’t ever break my heart!”
“Let me love you…love you…all night long…let me
please you baby…all night long…I want to please you
baby…one time before I go… sings Jesus in “All Night
Long.” Here we find him madly in love and he’ll do
anything to keep this girl happy. Familiar notes
emanate from Kid’s guitar as Jesus’s accordion fills
in behind him. It’s a good tune and Los Fabulocos is
growing on me…both as a record and a band. “Burnin’
The Chicken” is next and the intro has me imagining
I’m at a bullfight. This is a wild instrumental that
has the band going full bore at it. It’s a nice
opportunity for Kid to stretch out and remind us
what a great guitar player he really is and the
passion in his playing really shows. The final cut
on this record, “Mexico Americano,” is also sung in
Spanish and pays tribute to what it means to be a
Mexican American.
Los Fabulocos is a wonderful project. I like the
fact that I’m left as a listener to experience the
emotions of the Spanish songs to which I don’t know the
lyrics while the band runs me through the gamut
of all of their influences. Another fine Delta
Groove group, I’m convinced that Los Fabulocos will
be together as a band for a long, long time. Check
this group out at
www.losfabulocos.com and pick up a
copy of the disc. You may not understand all of it,
but the experience is not to be missed and you will
appreciate the artistry of Jesus, Kid, Mike and
James.
---
Kyle Deibler
Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at
the right time. The day after this year’s BMA’s,
Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm were tearing it
up on an outdoor stage in Clarksdale and managed to
catch the ear of Delta Groove owner/producer Randy Chortkoff. Randy signed the on the spot, shipped
them off to Nashville to work with producer David Z
and the result is the butt kickin’, hill country
influenced new record, 2 Man Wrecking Crew.
Cedric is the grandson of R.L. and the first cut on
the record, “R.L. Burnside,” is a tribute to the man
he affectionately calls “Big Daddy!” “Got me a new
drum set…when I was 16 years old…$200.00 short…Big
Daddy said…here boy…here you go…thought I was going
to leave…without a drum set that day…but Big Daddy
did what he always did…and he saved the day!” Family
was everything to Big Daddy and Cedric is truly
grateful for everything he’s learned from his
grandfather.
Lightnin’ Malcolm’s guitar is front and
center on our next cut, “So Much Love.” Here we find
that Malcolm has found a woman he definitely wants.
“I’ve got so much love, babe…can’t hold out too
long…I want you to rock me baby…in your arms…in your
arms!” Lightnin’ must be a romantic because this
theme of love continues on “My Sweetheart.” You hear
the hill country influences all over this tune as Lightnin’ tells us, “Early in the morning…my baby
cook me breakfast…bring it to my bedroom…then she
wraps her legs around me…my sweetheart!” Better hang
on to this one, Lightnin’.
“I don’t wanna love…nobody else…girl, I want you…afor
myself” finds Lightnin’ continuing to sing the
praises of the woman he’s in love. Sounds like he’s
definitely got it going on. On our next, “Don’t Just
Sing About the Blues,” Lightnin’ tells us that he
doesn’t just sing the blues, he’s got them too. “I
just don’t sing the blues…I’ live them too…got so
much blues in my life…I got to sing them too!”
Cedric’s bass drum has me stomping my heels and you
can’t help but appreciate this duo from the Delta.
“That’s My Girl” finds Lightnin’ continuing to sing
the praises of the woman in his life. “On Friday…we
go out to the club…the first thing she wants is a
glass of gin…when the night’s just about over…me and
my girl is feelin' real good…then its time to go
home…cause she can give it to me all night long…my
girl!”
Cedric’s next vocal is up next on “She’s Got Somethin’
on Me.” Lightnin’ moves behind the drums
and Cedric’s on guitar for this slow ballad.
Cedric’s questioning his reasons for staying in the
relationship he’s in, “she’s known in the
streets…for breaking up happy homes…this I knew…but
I still love her to the bone….but did I keep on
coming back…for love…did I keep on coming back…cause
she’s got something on me?”
Bekka Bramlett and Etta
Britt provide the background vocals to Cedric’s
search for the truth as he realizes that love is not
what’s keeping him in this relationship. Lightnin’s
back on the vocals for our next cut, “Fightin.” I’m
just never clear on what he’s fighting for. On the
one hand he’s worried about his woman walking out
the door; on the other hand, he’s living deep enough
in the Hill Country that Uncle Sam isn’t going to
find him. I think he’s fighting to keep the woman he
loves and his ability to make a living making shine
and other things the government would frown on.
“Make love to me…before they drop the bomb!”
Whatever it is, Malcolm is definitely worried.
On
the next cut, “Stay Here in Your Arms”, Malcolm
tells us, “a little song…come out of Mississippi…and
I’m the boy here to tell you about it. “I hate to
go…I want to stay here…in your arms…I want to stay
here…in your arms!” Malcolm is definitely longing
for the woman he loves and being away from her is
driving him crazy. More of Jason Ricci’s harmonica
makes it appearance on the next tune, “She Don’t
Love Me No More.” Malcolm’s relationship has gone
south and his woman just doesn’t love him anymore.
“Lord, tell me…what did I do wrong? You know that I
miss that little girl…can I have her please come
back home?”
“World Full of Trouble” is definitely an appropriate
song for the times. Just the right amount of
feedback and distortion give this song its
appropriate edge, “it’s a world full of trouble…it’s
a world of blame…it’s a world full of trouble…seem
like I…don’t know my name.” Malcolm’s trying to find
his way in a world full of uncertainty and you
certainly can’t fault him for his confusion in these
times. “Babe…where did you go? I saw you across the
room…you ain’t there no more…I got the mad man
blues!” The object of Cedric’s interest is just not
feeling his desire for her and she’s balking at his
attempt to win her over. As a result, Cedric’s
temperature is rising…leading to his case of the
“Mad Man Blues.”
Another Burnside tune, “Tryin Not
to Pull My Gun”, is up next. A number of things are
setting Cedric off and he’s trying to behave. For
example, he’s trying to help a friend who is
homeless, “he didn’t have no money you’ all…and he
ate up all my food…and then he went in my
bedroom…and smoked up my reefer too! Tryin’ not to
pull my gun! 2 Man Wrecking Crew closes with “Time
to Let It Go”, another tune by Cedric. “Now we used
to love each other babe…but we don’t love each other
no more…things been going bad for so long…it’s time
we let it go…you broke my heart babe…broke my heart
in two!”
I don’t really know how the stars conspired to bring
Lightnin’ Malcolm to the Hill Country of Mississippi
to learn from the likes of Junior Kimbrough & R.L.
Burnside, but his partnership with Cedric Burnside
ensures that the Hill Country traditions are alive
and well. It’s easy to see how they blew Randy
Chortkoff away and why he signed them to Delta
Groove in the first place. They make great blues and
that’s all there is to it. 2 Man Wrecking Crew is
proof of that. You can find out more about these
Mississippi Bluesmen at
www.myspace.com/jukejointduo
or on the Delta Groove website at
www.deltagroovemusic.com.
---
Kyle Deibler
Live
At the Blue Cat Blues Club from Jim Suhler &
Alan Haynes, is another great release from TopCat Records, again
released in Europe by those knowledgeable guys at
Blues Boulevard Records.
I personally love hearing live blues recordings so
that I can gauge just how good a band is without any
electronic help.
Oh boy! Does this CD show just how
good these guys are live. I’ve never had the luck to
see them perform live, but after hearing this album
it’s on my list of priorities!
The opening track will
persuade you to buy the CD
without listening to anything else – it’s an
incredible version of Louisiana Red’s “Too Poor To
Die” and it’s possibly the best version that I’ve
ever heard. Suhler’s slide is out in front and
proves the point that he is often described as the
best young guitarist to come out of Texas since
Johnny Winter – as if you didn’t already know from
his work with George Thorogood & The Destroyers.
Apparently, Suhler met Alan Haynes at a guitar
exhibition in 1997 and they got on well and started
gigging together in the Dallas area (home of the
Blue Cat Blues Club). The rest, as they say, is
history. Let’s hope that this live album from the
two of them will spawn some great follow-ups.
Track two is equally as good as the first one – an
eight minute version of Eddie Taylor’s “Knockin’ At
Your Door,” with more slide and a real driving beat
that has you out of your chair and moving! Vocals
this time are by Haynes. You start to wonder how
these guys can keep it up when they hit you with
Freddie King’s “I Wonder Why,” with Haynes on vocals
once more, and you can feel that Texas music is what
it’s about for these musicians.
The next
five tracks feature three Suhler written
numbers – “Down & Out In Texas,” “Don’t Do It,”
and
“Say Your Prayers.” The first one is very Stevie
Ray Vaughan to my ears, and none the worse for that.
Why shouldn’t Suhler be influenced by another Texas
great? “Don’t Do It” is a fast paced boogie beat
that must be great fun to have on in the car on a
long journey.
Suhler’s vocals and his guitar work on Ray Sharpe’s
“Oh My Baby’s Gone” carry on the quality of this
album really well, and again this is probably the
best cover version of this song that I’ve heard.
For some reason the band included Jimi Hendrix’s
“Are You Experienced” as the last track, and I’m not
sure why. Yes, it’s a good showcase for the two
guitarists, but is it blues? I’d much rather have
heard another good blues track like the opening one.
That said, it’s a very small criticism and it
shouldn’t deter anyone from buying this otherwise
superb CD.
---
Terry Clear
After spending years entertaining blues fans in
South America, Brazilian harmonica master Alex Rossi
has gone international and produced this fine album,
Let Me In,
on Top Cat Records – released in Europe via the
influential Blues Boulevard label.
Rossi has plenty of help on the album, and the names
will tell you that he is held in high regard by his
fellow musicians – Phil Guy, Holland K Smith, Brian
“Hash Brown” Calway, Richard Chalk and others are all
listed on this CD. It’s no wonder that this man is
able to summon some big names --- he has toured with
the likes of Dave Honeyboy Edwards, Phil Guy, John
Primer, Jeff Healey, Billy Branch and lots more.
Let
Me In opens with Byther Smith’s “Tell Me How You
Like it,” with Rossi taking the vocals, and it’s a
good version which lets you know that this CD is
well worth listening to.
Richard Chalk takes the vocals on the next track,
“The Sun Is Shining,” giving Alex Rossi a bit more
freedom on the harmonica, and he blows up a storm
with Luciano Leaes providing some excellent piano
work.
Phil Guy takes vocal (and plays guitar) on three of
the tracks, and he’s very obviously enjoying himself
here. He doesn’t take things too seriously, and the
result is some great genuine blues from a band that
is enjoying every moment of it. His versions of
“Rock Me Baby,” “That’s Alright” and “Show Me You Bombacha” are enough to make you go and buy this CD
– and you’ll get a bonus with the other tracks, too!!
There are so many guest artists on this CD that it
would take a page to list them all – but, as well as
those already mentioned, Kathy Prater deserves a
mention for some fine vocals on “Good Lover” and
Fernando Peters plays superb bass on almost all of
the 11 tracks. There isn’t a bad track on this
album, but the highlight for me has to be the ninth
track on the CD, Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want To Make
Love To You.”
Let’s hope Alex Rossi stays where he is and doesn’t
go back to the South American circuit!
---
Terry
Clear
One of Virginia’s hottest blues bands is
Planet Full
Of Blues. The three-piece band is fronted by Johnny
Ray Light, who sings, plays guitar, and writes most
of the songs, and is driven by a powerhouse rhythm
section of Brock Howe (drums) and recent addition
Mike Connell (bass). On occasion, they add a horn
section to great effect. Their repertoire includes a
mix of Texas and Chicago blues, Memphis soul and
even rock & roll.
Their self-titled, self-released debut recording
backs up this claim strongly. It’s an 11 song
set with emphasis on high-energy blues and rock.
Highlights include the horn-driven opening cut,
“Pain Will Melt Away” and “Planet Full Of Blues.”
“Got The Blues” features plenty of Light’s muscular
guitar work, as does “You Can’t Always Be Right,”
and “E-Jam,” the disc’s too-short closer. “Money”
takes a funky turn, as does “Dirty Pains,” courtesy
of guest Planeteer James Albright’s nasty bass
(Connell was not a member when the album was
recorded). The strongest pure blues cut is “Man
Tamer,” which borrows the “I’m A Man/Mannish Boy”
riff.
Other guest musicians lending a hand are Paul
Draper, with some terrific Hammond B3 organ on
selected tracks, Eric Stark, who plays trumpet and
arranged the horns, and Richard Yeager on saxophone.
Co-producer (with Light) Larry Gann also adds
percussion and backing vocals.
Planet Full Of Blues offers a powerful set of blues,
boogie, and rock that will please their fans and any
interested newcomers. Check this CD out at
www.cdbaby.com or visit one of the band’s websites (www.planetfullofblues.com
or
www.myspace.com/planetfullofblues).
---
Graham Clarke
Dynomite is
Memo Gonzalez’s fifth album and his second
with Crosscut Records, the follow-up to the 2006 CD
Live In The UK.
Gonzalez’s backing band, The Bluescasters, are
European in origin and comprise of Kai Strauss on
guitar, Erkan Ozdemir on bass, and drummer Henk
Punter – the album also has some guest musicians, in
the shape of Josh Fulero, Jan Karow and Boyd Small
(who also produced the album with Gonzalez). The
album was recorded in Germany, so I’m guessing that
the band live there, it’s well produced and well
recorded, and the band is tight.
The majority of the
12 tracks on the album were
written by band members, and the covers that are
included were well chosen (Freddie King’s “Double
Eyed Whammy,” James Colegrove’s “Dynomite Nitro,”
and the classic soul track “Slip Away” – the latter
sounds like a strange choice, but it works.)
The CD opens with “Bad Luck” featuring some well put
together slide guitar backing – the track written by
Memo Gonzalez and Kai Strauss. It seems like this
could be a good songwriting team for the future.
It’s got a compulsive beat to it and it put me in
mind a little of The Mavericks “Dance The Night
Away.”
The Jim Colegrove track follows, a nice rocking
blues lifting the tempo a bit and getting the feet
tapping, and track three, “One Day, One Kiss, One
Night,” gets the tempo up a little bit more, and
again brings The Mavericks to mind – that’s not a
criticism, by the way, it’s happing rocking blues
that is just right to dance to, if you’re in the
mind.
Things slow right down with “Please Come Home,” and
this is my favourite track on the album. It shows
the band off to its best effect and reinforces the
fact that this is a “blues” band, with some fabulous
Stevie Ray Vaughan style licks on the guitar.
From there on in, the music carries the listener
along with a combination of styles, rhythms and tempos
and, most of all, good music. Track five, “Strange
Kind Of Feeling” includes some inspired
boogie-woogie piano work from Jan Karow, and it
makes me wish he was an integral part of the band.
The CD closes out with a driving beat in the form
the instrumental “Fat Boy,” which comes a very close
second to being my favourite track – this is the
band at close to its absolute best and you could buy
this CD for this track and “Please Come Home.”
Give it a listen, it’s well worth it!
---
Terry Clear
Steve
Howell started out playing folk songs on his
guitar as a teen, but once he heard Mississippi John
Hurt, he changed directions and eventually became a
master blues fingerpicker and began a long musical
partnership with guitarist Jim Caskey in the duo
Howell & Caskey, opening for many national acts
including Country Joe and the Fish, Anson
Funderburgh, and Bugs Henderson. More recently,
Howell has released a couple of discs that capture
his love and reverence for American roots music. His
latest release, My Mind Gets To Ramblin’ (Out
of the Past Records), focuses on country blues.
My
Mind Gets To Ramblin’ consists of 13 tracks
previously recorded by other artists. Howell is no
slavish interpreter. His versions of these songs
incorporate his own style and personality, so when
you hear the opening cut, Muddy Waters’ “I Can’t Be
Satisfied,” it has been somewhat “recreated” as a
gentle swinging tune, though Howell’s slide guitar
is just as effective as Waters’ was back in the
’40s. “Louise,” Mississippi Fred McDowell’s hypnotic
classic, is another standout, as is William Brown’s
composition from the early ’40s, “Mississippi
Blues.”
Amazingly, Bo Carter’s “Policy Blues” seems as
timely these days as it did when it was first
written over half a century ago. Buddy Flett joins
Howell on the Robert Johnson standard, “Steady
Rollin’ Man.” He covers a couple of Rev. Robert
Wilkins tunes, including “Dirty Deal Blues” and the
wonderful “Prodigal Son,” which was originally done
in the late ’20s as “That’s No Way To Get Along,”
but was revamped when Wilkins embraced religion.
Howell
also does a fine version of Memphis Minnie’s “Ain’t
Nothin’ In Ramblin’,” that will get your toe tapping
for sure, and musical partner Caskey joins him for a
lively version of Mance Lipscomb’s “Ain’t You
Sorry?” The disc closes with the old spiritual,
“Joshua F’it The Battle of Jericho,” and an elegant
version of Kid Bailey’s “Rowdy Blues.”
In
addition to Flett and Caskey, the cast of supporting
musicians include Joe Osborn (bass) and Darren
Osborn (drums, keyboards), as well as Denise Spohn
providing vocals on “Louise.” The Osborns also
produced the CD with Howell, and the disc has a
warm, intimate feeling to it, perfectly accentuated
by Howell’s calm, relaxed vocal style.
My
Mind Gets To Ramblin’ is an immensely rewarding
release that will please any fans of country blues
guitar.
---
Graham Clarke
Texas based
Steve Howell is straight of the early
1950s, with a beautiful rendition of old country
blues. You immediately get the impression that here
is a man without ego, who plays the blues because he
loves to do so. My Mind Gets To Ramblin' (Out
Of The Past Records) is the follow up to his 2006 Out Of The Past
release, and it’s even better
then the last one – full of flavour and a huge mix
of influences – Fred McDowell, John Hurt, Little
Willie John etc etc.
The opening track is a really
good interpretation of the old Muddy Waters song “I
Can’t Be Satisfied,” with lovely soft slide guitar
and some subtle changes to give it a new angle,
instead of just making a straight copy. And that
seems to be Howell’s thing, putting his own angle on
old country blues songs – and he does it very very
well.
If the opening track doesn’t convince you (although
I’m sure it will), then listen to his versions of
Robert Johnson’s “Steady Rollin’ Man,” Fred
McDowell’s “Louise,” or Bo Cater’s “Policy Blues.”
Every song is changed just enough to put Howell’s
mark on it, without losing the original taste.
Steve Howell takes Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Bo
Carter, Fred NcDowell, Memphis Minnie, Mance
Lipscomb and others, and shows that he can play
their songs with originality and imagination. There isn’t a bad one amongst them.
Admittedly, you need to be a fan of old country
blues to full appreciate what this man is doing, but
for me he can do this for years to come and I’ll
enjoy every bit of it.
Howell is backed by the drumming Osborn Brothers,
Darren and David, as well as their dad Joe on bass,
Buddy Flett and Jim Caskey on guitars, and Denise
Spohn on additional vocals.
There is an excellent mixture of tempos, rhythms and
flavours on this album, and it fulfills the well
worn cliché “something for everyone.”
If you like country blues, then buy this album – if
you’re not sure, then buy it and be converted!
It’s being looked after by Betsie Brown of Blind
Racoon, so you’ll be seeing a lot of it!!
---
Terry Clear
You
Don't Know Your Mind (Out Of The Past Records) is the latest offering from Lafayette,
Louisiana based pianist, singer and songwriter David
Egan, and it follows up the 2004 album Twenty Years
Of Trouble. This is the man who wrote “Sing It”
which has been recorded by Marcia Ball, Tracy Nelson
and Irma Thomas, and he co-wrote (with Greg Hansen)
Joe Cocker’s “Please No More.”
All 11 of the songs on this album were written,
or co-written, by Egan, and his skill as a songwriter
shines through from start to finish. I’m guessing
that his influences stretch from Fats Domino, via
Champion Jack Dupree, to Dr. John, there’s a
definite swampy, hot sauce flavour to this CD.
The album opens with the title track, “You Don’t Know
Your Mind,” which includes some lovely guitar work
from L’il Buck Senegal; whoever decided to make
this track one was inspired, as it’s probably the
best track on the CD. It’s well written,
atmospheric, and a good example of what David Egan
can do.
Track two, “You’re Lying Again,” lets Egan loose with
some New Orleans piano, and it has the sort of beat
that makes your feet tap – very Dr.John, and that’s
no criticism!
Track three, “If It Is What It Is,” is a jazz-based
track with Jennifer Nicely taking a share of the
vocals – a laid back track that relaxes you while
you listen. It moves neatly into the late night
ballad type song, “Bourbon In My Cup,” and then onto
“Love, Honour & Obey,” which lets Senegal strut his
stuff again behind the piano and vocals of Egan.
The tempo picks up a bit with “Money’s Farm,” with a
nice swampy boogie beat a little reminiscent of Tony
Joe White’s early work, before slowing into “Small
Fry,” with Joe MacMahan on moody dobro.
“The Best Of Love Turned Blue” has Chris Belleau on
trombone, adding a unique flavour to a slow blues
with a strong hint of Dr John again – Egan seems to
be able to take the Dr John influence and use it to
superb effect when he wants.
There’s a new version of “Sing It” (mentioned above)
included on the album, and I can’t make my mind up
whether I like the original, or the new, best.
“Proud Dog” is pure swamp blues with snatches of
trombone behind the New Orleans piano, and it leads
into the final track off the album “Smile,” a slow
boogie that couldn’t have come from anywhere else
but Louisiana.
I can’t make my mind up which track I like the best,
but it’s definitely either the first or the last!
---
Terry Clear
Shreveport, Louisiana native
David Egan may not be a
familiar name to many blues fans, but he’s written
songs you’ve heard from other people, like Johnny
Adams (“Even Now”), Percy Sledge (“First You Cry”),
Joe Cocker (“Please No More”), John Mayall (“Wake Up
Call”), and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas (“Can’t Get
Nothin’ Sucka” and “Too Much Wine”). While carving
out a niche as a songwriter, Egan also played
keyboards for A-Train, Lil’ Band of Gold, File´, and
Jo-El Sonnier. He finally broke out on his own in
2004 with the release of the highly-acclaimed Twenty
Years of Trouble. Egan’s follow-up disc, on Out of
the Past/Rhonda Sue Records, is You Don’t Know Your
Mind.
Egan teams up with longtime songwriting partner
Buddy Flett on the title track, which opens the
disc. It’s a low-down track that features guitar
from Lil’ Buck Senegal. “You’re Lying Again” rolls
along like a long-lost Fats Domino number, while “If
It Is What Is (It’s Love)” is a lovely swinging duet
with Jennifer Nicely. “Bourbon in My Cup” is a
future after-hours classic, and “Love, Honor, and
Obey” is a tale of heartbreak.
“Money Train,” a hard-driving boogie track, is a
tale of Egan’s younger days, while “Small Fry” is a
bittersweet tribute to his son that will appeal to
most parents who realize their children grow up much
too fast. “Best of Love Turned Blue” is another song
dealing with heartbreak, which is soon upended by
Egan’s version of “Sing It,” his composition that
served as the title track for the Irma Thomas/Marcia
Ball/Tracy Nelson album of two decades ago. This
version packs a powerful punch, courtesy of one of
the grooviest second-line beats you’ve heard in a
long time.
The closing tracks, “Proud Dog” and
“Smile,” offer encouragement to those who have
fought their share of battles in life. The words of
wisdom offered by Egan on these two tracks sound
like they might have come from experience.
You Don’t Know Your Mind is a superb set of New
Orleans R&B and blues, easily one of the best
releases of 2008. Every note you hear will carry you
to the Crescent City. As good as David Egan’s
compositions have been over the years, it looks like
they’re as good or even better when he performs them
himself.
---
Graham Clarke
Now 83 years old, it’s safe to say
that B. B. King has lived a full, rich life. Born in
poverty in the Mississippi Delta, he’s played for
kings, queens, and presidents. He’s traveled all
over the world multiple times and is beloved by
everyone. He’s appeared on countless TV shows and
movies, and even has a museum named after him (in
Indianola, MS). What’s even more amazing is that
even though he has curtailed his touring schedule
(no longer touring overseas), he still maintains a
workload that would wear out a man half his age.
In past years, at least since his song, “The Thrill
Is Gone,” hit the charts in 1970, a lot of King’s
studio output has been hit-or-miss. There have
always been a few gold nuggets in each B. B. King
recording, but you sometimes had to sieve out a lot
of pyrite to get to them. Granted, since the late
’90s (with his excellent self-produced Blues On The
Bayou in 1997, his wonderful Louis Jordan tribute
disc in 1999, and even his collaboration with Eric
Clapton in 2000) he’s started moving in a different
direction, at least focusing more or less on the
blues. But as inspiring as his live shows have been
over the years (I saw him play for less than 500
people a couple of years ago in my hometown as part
of the annual Medgar Evers Celebration, and he
played for two solid hours like there were 5,000 people there), he’s rarely ventured from his comfort
zone on his recordings.
King’s latest release,
One Kind Favor (Geffen),
finds him moving from that comfort zone for the
first time in many years. Producer T-Bone Burnett
has assembled a core band of Dr. John on piano, Jim Keltner on drums, Johnny Lee Schell on guitar, and
Nathan East on acoustic bass, but also features
horns on most of the tracks as well. The result is a
album that’s much less polished than many of King’s
previous releases, which puts more emphasis on his
magnificent vocals and, of course, the inimitable
Lucille. In addition, the 12 songs on One Kind
Favor, most of which were originally done by some of
his biggest influences, are songs that he’s never
recorded before.
The opening track is Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “See
That My Grave is Kept Clean.” Despite the dour
nature of the tune, it has a stripped-down, bouncy
rhythm. “I Get So Weary” is the first of four songs
from the T-Bone Walker School (the others are “Get
These Blues Off Me,” “Waiting For Your Call,” and
“Midnight Blues). King has long asserted that Walker
was one of his biggest influences as a guitarist
even though his guitar style is totally different
from Walker’s for the most part. To me, where
Walker’s guitar work (as well as his total musical
approach) was ice cool, King’s fretwork was driven
by fire and passion. Similarly, many of today’s
blues guitarists list King as a major influence, yet
few play like him. Regardless, these tunes are well
done and it would be nice to see King do a tribute
disc for Walker similar to the Louis Jordan disc of
a few years ago.
Another major King influence was Lonnie Johnson, and
three of his songs are represented here as well (“My
Love Is Down,” “Backwater Blues,” and “Tomorrow
Night.”). King also pays homage to other legendary
artists as Leroy Carr (“Blues Before Sunrise,”
attributed to John Lee Hooker in the liner notes),
the Mississippi Sheiks (their classic “Sitting On
Top Of The World” and “The World Gone Wrong”), and
Howlin’ Wolf (a swinging version of "How Many More
Years”).
King has lost little, if anything, off his fastball.
Vocally, he’s still as powerful as he ever was, and
his guitar work is as unique and distinctive as
always. And with a great band behind him, as is the
case here, he’s simply unstoppable.
From all the press surrounding this release (the
sticker on the disc quotes Rolling Stone describing
it as “a late career masterpiece”), one might get
the impression that B. B. King is winding down, but
One Kind Favor is proof positive that the King of
the Blues is planning on being around for years to
come. We can only hope that will be the case.
---
Graham Clarke
Guy King may be best known to blues fans for his
stint as lead guitarist (most notably on Kent’s Comin’ Alive CD) for Willie Kent for several years
until Kent’s death in 2006. At that point, King
formed his own band and has been gigging around
Chicago on a regular basis ever since. Recently,
King released his debut recording as a frontman,
Livin’ It (IBF Records).
Recorded at Twist Turner’s House of Sound in
Chicago, Livin’ It is a pretty diverse set ranging
from well-known blues standards like “Worried Life
Blues” and a slick pair of T-Bone Walker covers
(“I’m Still In Love With You,” “I Got A Break”) to a
solid list of R&B tunes (Jimmy McCracklin’s “Think”
coupled with Kent’s “Countdown,” serving as an
opening vamp, Percy Mayfield’s “Stranger In My Own
Hometown,” and Little Johnny Taylor’s “If You Love
Me Like You Say.”). King handles these covers very
well, especially the Mayfield number.
King also offers up several of his own compositions,
including “Go Out And Get It,” “My Pretty Baby,” the
timely title track, and “The Story.” “Go Out And Get
It,” punctuated nicely by Ben Paterson’s keyboards,
has a pop feel to it. “My Pretty Baby” is a slow
burning blues number, as is “Alone In The City,” one
of several tracks featuring horns (tenor saxophone
from Aaron T. Getsug and Kevin Nabors, and trumpet
from Zaid McKie Krisberg). “The Story” is a tight
funk number that closes the disc in fine fashion.
If you’re familiar with Kent’s later work on disc,
you’ll recognize King’s stinging lead guitar.
Vocally, he has a smooth, pleasing style that is
perfect for the material. The band, including
Paterson, Krisberg, Nabors, and Getsug, along with
Patrick William (bass), Isaiah Spencer (drums) and
background vocals from Johnaye Kendrick, Valarie
Kent, and Keri Johnsrud, provides first-rate
support.
Overall, this is a well-crafted debut release from
an artist who promises to become a major player on
the Chicago blues scene. Guy King seems to have all
the tools in place for an outstanding career.
---
Graham Clarke
Bob Corritore has played a very active role in the
development and promotion of the blues over the past
couple of decades. He’s promoted blues shows in the
Phoenix area and produced blues records that have
been nominated for Grammys, Handys, and BMA awards.
He’s also a highly acclaimed musician, ranking as
one of the finest harmonica players in the blues
today.
For the past 25 years (beginning in February,
1984), Corritore has also hosted "Those Lowdown Blues"
on KJZZ, 91.5 FM in Phoenix. The show won the
“Keeping the Blues Alive” award from the Blues
Foundation in 2007, and has featured a playlist of
traditional blues (most from Corritore’s massive
personal library of recordings) as well as
interviews with many of the major players in the
blues world during that time span. Most of those
guests were persuaded to perform while on the show
and Corritore has collected 20 of the best
performances on Broadcasting The Blues!, released on
Southwest Musical Arts Foundation Records.
Broadcasting The Blues captures a varied set of
artists in an intimate setting, similar to the
1950s origins of most of the tracks. It’s a pretty
fair mix of those who are no longer with us (Lowell Fulson does a sensitive reading of “Sinner’s
Prayer,” while Willie Dixon does a spoken word
tribute to Corritore for continuing to bring the
world the blues), living legends still going strong
(Lazy Lester with two numbers: the swampy “Out On
The Road” and a guitar track called “O.J. Shuffle"; Billy Boy Arnold with a lively version of “Shake
Your Boogie”; Henry Gray, and the ever-reliable
Louisiana Red on a trio of tracks.), and artists who
recently surfaced on the national scene (Dave Riley
with a typically intense “My Baby’s Gone,” and
Tomcat Courtney).
Besides the blues tracks, there’s a healthy dose of
gospel, including a nice track by Otis Clay and
Johnny Rawls (“I Want To Be At The Meeting”),
Louisiana Red (“Home In The Rock”), and the moving
closing track, “Eye On The Sparrow,” featuring Margo
Reed. Lending valuable support on many of the tracks
are guitarists Chris James and Billy Flynn.
For fans of the vintage sound of 1950s era blues
and gospel, Broadcasting The Blues does an
outstanding job of presenting them as close as
possible to the way they actually were. Here’s
hoping that Corritore and "These Lowdown Blues" are
successful for another quarter of a century in their
effort to keep the blues alive.
---
Graham Clarke
Ricky Gene Hall & The Goods’ self-titled debut
recording was one of 2007’s most surprising
releases. It was a taut mix of fresh originals and
well-done blues classics and was one of those
recordings that you could go back to time after time
and find that it held up remarkably well…..not bad
for a debut release. Their sophomore release, Bam!
(Yard Dawg Records), finds the band stretching out
with more emphasis on their original compositions.
The originals are a solid set of tunes, with traces
of country, rock, blues, and even some blue-eyed
soul mixed in. Highlights include the funky opener,
“Way I Feel,” “Noth’n at All,” which features some
sharp guitar work from Hall, the slow burner “Real
Fine Woman,” the country-rocker “Just My Luck,” and
the magnificent closer, “Blues Leave Me, Too,”
featuring Hall’s best vocal and guitar work.
The three covers are choice selections as well.
There’s a scorching cover of Jerry Reed’s “Amos
Moses.” Delbert McClinton’s “Read Me My Rights” gets
a slow groove country makeover, with some great
slide work from Hall. Finally, there’s a great
reading of Huey Lewis’ “Bad Is Bad.”
The Goods consists of Tom Martin (bass, harmony
vocals) and Rocky Evans (drums, percussion, and
harmony vocals). You’ll be hard-pressed to find a
stronger rhythm team. They work together like a
well-oiled machine.
Bam! is another strong, versatile set from Ricky
Gene Hall & the Goods that will please fans of
roadhouse blues and rock.
---
Graham Clarke
Yank Rachell was referred to as the “Blues Mandolin
Man.” He was one of only a handful of bluesmen who
played the mandolin, though he also sang and played
guitar, harmonica, and violin. He learned to play
the mandolin before he was ten and was working as
part of a jug band trio with Sleepy John Estes while
in his teens and began recording for Victor in the
late 1920s.
He later teamed up with harmonica player Hammie
Nixon in Chicago for a few years, but ended up
recording with guitarist Dan Smith in New York for
ARC Records in the early ’30s and discovered a young
harmonica player in the meantime named John Lee
“Sonny Boy” Williamson. Rachell later recorded with
Williamson for Bluebird and also recorded some sides
of his own in the late ’30s and early ’40s. After
Williamson’s murder in 1948, Rachell dropped off the
musical scene until the early ’60s, when he rejoined
Nixon and Estes and ended up recording for Delmark.
When Estes passed away in 1977, Rachell worked as a
solo act and recorded periodically until his death
in 1997 at age 87.
Rachell’s style influenced many different musicians
and not just in the blues genre. Recently, a group
including John Sebastian, David Grisman, Tim
O’Brien, David Grier, Andra Faye, Rich DelGrosso,
and Mike Seeger collaborated on A Tribute To The
Legendary Blues Mandolin Man James “Yank” Rachell (Yanksville
Records), which presents 20 songs either written by
Rachell or associated with him during his career,
plus a spoken-word reminiscence from Sebastian.
If you’re not familiar with Rachell’s music, some of
these tunes may jog your memory a bit as they were
recorded by other artists. “She Caught The Katy,”
familiar to fans of Taj Mahal and the Blues Brothers
is present, with a strong vocal by Karen Irwin.
“Tappin’ That Thing” is given an excellent treatment
by Sebastian and Grisman, and Estes’ standard
“Brownsville Blues” is rejuvenated by Jim Richter
and Gordon Bonham.
Some other highlights include Seegar’s take on “Deep
Elum Blues,” “Depression Blues,” featuring Steve
Brown on vocals and guitar and Mike Butler playing
Rachell’s Harmony mandolin, and Orville Johnson’s
interpretation of “Let Me Tangle In Your Potato
Vines.” But truly, there’s not a bad song in the
bunch, including “Bluesy Little Tune,” an original
composition done by Stanley Smith. Rachell’s
daughters and granddaughter also contribute a lovely
gospel tune, Rachell’s favorite, called “Freedom,”
and his granddaughter Sheena sings on “Lake Michigan
Blues.” Sheena Rachell was recently diagnosed with a
rare lung disease, Wegener’s Granulomatosis, and net
proceeds from the sale of this disc will be used to
help her offset some of her medical expenses.
Blues mandolin is a style that few fans are familiar
with, but A Tribute To The Legendary Blues Mandolin
Man James “Yank” Rachell is an impressive and
rewarding collection that should put listeners in
search of more from these artists as well as Yank Rachell.
---
Graham Clarke
Dave Fields’ latest release,
All Wound Up (FMI
Records), features more of the same eclectic,
guitar-driven blues that Fields did so well in last
year’s Time’s A Wastin’. Fields’ music takes in rock
& roll, rockabilly, and even jazz, in addition to
the blues. If anything, this set burns with more
fire and energy than his previous release.
The opening cut, “Train To My Heart,” is a
hard-rocking tribute to one of Fields’ (and many
other guitarists’) heroes, Jimi Hendrix. Next comes
a pair of R&B tracks: “Ain’t No Crime,” a hot slice
of funk featuring Billy Gibson on harmonica, and the
Crescent City-flavored title track. The
appropriately titled “Let’s Have a Ball” continues
the New Orleans flavor for one more track. “Still Itchin’” is another blues rocker that features
Fields ripping it up on slide along with Gibson, who
probably had to stick his harp in a bucket of water
after this track.
“Cold Wind Blowin’” is a slow blues track that
features Fields on piano instead of guitar. “Big Fat
Ludus” is a novelty track in the best tradition of
Louis Jordan and the instrumental, “Screamin’,” is a
nice piece of rocking R&B. “Wanna Be Your Man” is a
slow soulful number and segues to the ’50s rocker,
“Baby Come Back.” “Blue Ballad” is just that, with
Fields playing all the instruments except drums. The
closer is “Guide Me To The Light,” and shows Fields’
spiritual side.
Blues-rock fans will enjoy
All Wound Up. It’s got
plenty of great catchy lyrics, powerful guitar and
vocals. Dave Fields continues to impress with each
release.
---
Graham Clarke
I
owe a lot to The Nighthawks. These guys were
part of my early blues education, dating back to the
first time I saw them 1976. The many live shows I
witnessed, whether it was at The Bayou, Desperados
or Tthe Psyche Delly, prompted me to dig deeper into
the history of the blues. In part because of the
Nighthawks, I soon started listening to Muddy
Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howllin' Wolf and
others. I was hooked on the blues.
The
Nighthawks have always straddled the line between
Chicago blues, roots rock and hip shakin' rhythms.
They don't tread on any new ground on their latest
disc, American Landscape (Powerhouse
Records), but that doesn't matter because they are
still so damn good. A new Nighthawks CD is like a
heaping helping of comfort food --- familiar and
tasty, and it makes you feel just right.
Two
longtime Nighthawks, Mark Wenner (harmonica) and
Pete Ragusa (drums) are still around, and they're
complimented nicely by Paul Bell (guitar) and Johnny
Castle (bass). This lineup has been together for
nearly five years and it shows in the tightness of
their sound.
American Landscape kicks off with a mid-tempo
shuffle, "Big Boy," that showcases Wenner's great
harmonica work and raspy vocals, mixed in with nice
slide guitar work from Bell. Wenner later does some
of his best harmonica work on the Bob Dylan-penned
12-bar blues, "She Belongs To Me."
One of
my favorite numbers is the cover of Ike Turner's
"Matchbox," an uptempo shuffle that showcases Bell's
bluesy guitar work and Ragusa's shouting vocals
along with a monster harp solo from Wenner.
"Where
Do You Go," written by Castle, is vintage
Nighthawks, with the entire band joining in on the
chorus. The raucousness of this tune leads into the
more sophisticated, jazzy sound of "Try It Baby," a
Berry Gordy song recorded by Marvin Gaye.
This
band can do more than just rock out. They've never
been hesitant to tackle soul chestnuts, usually with
Ragusa handling vocals, as heard here on Sam &
Dave's "Don't Turn Your Heater Down" and Dan Penn's
"Standing in the Way."
Where
Ragusa's voice is more uptown, Wenner's vocal work
takes the band deep into blues territory as heard on
Lazy Lester's "Made Up My Mind." This Louisiana
blues number is a perfect vehicle for Wenner's
procrastinating vocals and swampy harmonica.
This
fine CD ends with another trip back to our
respective childhoods with The Nighthawks
collaborating on an acoustic instrumental number, "Fishin'
Hole Theme," which most of us will recognize as the
theme song to the Andy Griffith Show. Mayberry redux,
indeed!
American Landscape shows that The Nighthawks
still bring their "A" game to the studio and to the
stage. It's a worthy addition to their vast
discography.
---
Bill Mitchell