The sound of soul meets the blues could easily be
the title of this surprising CD. Percy Sledge
was one of the great soul voices of the 1960s when
he produced the huge hit “When A Man Loves A Woman,”
amongst other things. Now here he is with a blues
CD, My Old Friend The Blues (Blues Boulevard
Rcords), and it makes me wonder if he should maybe
have been a blues singer all along. If not, then
certainly the grounding in soul music has stood him
in good stead for a re-launch as a blues singer. He
did bring out Blue Night in 1994, but it
wasn’t really a blues album.
This album leans towards soul (more in the backing
than the vocals), so it’s more soul-blues than pure
blues, but it’s still an excellent CD. The voice is
still there after 40 years.
The album opens with “Shining Through The Rain,” and
this track gives the listener a good feel for what’s
to come – and next, things slow down with a nice
ballad, “Lonely Hobo Lullaby.” Track three,
“24-7-365,” is up-tempo soul – plain and simple –
but what a good track it is nevertheless! It takes
you right back to the '60s Atlantic soul era.
Track five, “Misty Morning,” is the bluesiest track
on the CD, closely followed by track seven, “Big
Blue Diamond,” which put me in mind of Fats Domino
with its tinkling piano and brass backing, and track
eight, the title track “My Old Friend The Blues,” a
lovely ballad, and maybe the best track on the CD.
There’s a great mix of music on this CD and it
shouldn’t be dismissed just because it isn’t pure
blues – anyone who was a fan of Percy Sledge way
back when, or who was a fan of '60s soul music will
love it, and anyone with an appreciation of a great
voice will love it to. Absolutely superb late night
listening!
--- Terry Clear
This is the first time that I’ve heard of Kellie
Rucker, and I don’t know why that is. Blues
Is Blues (Blues Boulevard Records) is her fourth
album, and listening to it makes me want to get the
three that I’ve missed! This is a woman who is an
accomplished song writer, vocalist and harmonica
player – how many women with the same talents are
there in the blues world?
Kellie originally hails from Oklahoma, but made her
way gradually to Southern California, via
Connecticut, Denver, Texas, Virginia and Florida –
not necessarily in that order! She obviously has a
wide range of influences in her music, some of them
probably from the people that she’s played with, or
played on the same bill with – people like B.B.
King, Albert Collins, Little Feat, ZZ Top, etc.,
etc.
The first thing that hit me when I listened to this
CD was the song writing; it put me in mind of Bonnie
Raitt without being a copy of her type of material.
Then the vocals impressed – this is a strong voice.
It wasn’t until I read the liner notes that I
realized that she is also the harp player! Even more
impressed!
According to the liner notes, there’s only one track
out of a total of 13 that she didn’t have a hand in
writing, and there isn’t a bad one amongst them. I
think I’d be hard to convince that she had a hand in
writing “Rollin’ & Tumblin’,“ but I love the
arrangement!
The CD opens with the strong, moody “Mississippi
Rain” – well-written, possibly auto-biographical,
superb harmonica and a great backing band with Jon
Butcher laying down some excellent guitar.
Personally, I don’t think she could have picked a
better opening track.
The tempo ups a little for the rocking “Wild Wild
West” before slowing down to walking pace for the
title track “Blues Is Blues” – a good pick for the
title track. “Nothing To Lose” takes it back up a
bit and runs into the compulsive listening “You’re
Leaving me,” certainly one of the best tracks on the
album. The band take a more gentle trip with “In The
Meantime” – and talking of the band, the lineup
changes throughout the album, but it’s very
difficult to pick out who is the best; suffice it to
say that they’re all damn good!
“Life Of Crime” is a slow number, with a good beat
and intriguing lyrics, J.J. Holiday contributing
some great Southern flavour with the slide guitar,
and then WOW! Billy Holiday steps in with the slow
jazzy “Love and War” and takes your ears by
surprise!
“Church Of Texas” is slow, acoustic, full of
atmosphere and it caught my attention to the full.
It’s followed by a real foot-tapper that could have
been written by Bob Dylan in his blues period, “Talk
To Me,” which shows off Kellie’s smoky voice to
perfection. Three more tracks take you to the end of
the album, the slow “Kiss Me” (sexy as hell),
“Rollin’ & Tumblin’,“ and the slow ballad “Had We
Not” which finishes off the CD.
This is one hell of a CD.
--- Terry Clear
I reviewed the last Delta Moon CD (Howling
At The Southern Moon) in
December 2008, so a full year has passed since
then. I said at the time that I expected to hear
more from this band, and here it is, the prophesy
has come true with their latest, Hellbound Train
(Blues Boulevard Records)!
The band has changed its lineup, and if anything
this CD is more bluesy than the last one. Again,
most of the tracks are written, or co-written, by
Tom Gray – the exception being Fred McDowell’s “You
Got To Move.”
The CD opens with the title track “Hellbound Train.”
a medium tempo shuffle that gets your attention
immediately with its catchy lyrics and slide guitar
– the rest of the band supporting Tom Gray to the
full. The other members, by the way, are Mark
Johnson (also appeared on the last CD) on guitar and
banjo, Franher Joseph on the bass, and Darren
Stanley playing the drums.
Track two is a little slower, a story about a girl
in hotel room 429, and that’s what it’s called,
"Room 429, then comes “Lonely,” one of my two
favourite tracks on the album. It reminds me a
little of some of the better ZZ Top material; it has
a great feel to it with a driving beat.
Track four, “Get Gone,” showcases Mark Johnson’s six
string banjo, giving the song a lovely country blues
taste, and it slides into “True Love Lies” whilst
getting the beat going.
Fred McDowell’s “You Got To Move” is up next, and
it’s one of the best cover versions of the song that
I’ve heard for a long time – delicious slide guitar
and simple backing. I’m guessing that Fred McDowell
must have been an important influence on the band as
the last CD also contained one of his tracks.
Then comes my other favourite track, “Stuck In
Carolina.” Slow Southern blues with something about
it that I can’t identify, but it holds me and makes
me want to play the track over and over. Tempo lifts
with “Ain’t No Train,” a real foot tapping track
that I like more each time that I play it!
The next couple of tracks alternate rhythms and
tempos, and lead into the final track of the album,
“Plantation Song,” a song about how things were in
Dixie.
A very good follow up to Howling At The Southern
Moon.
--- Terry Clear
Blues Boulevard Records has been playing Father
Christmas this month, as they sent me a package of
six CDs!!
Here’s another of the package, The Patrick Vining
Band, featuring Mike Bourne, with Atlanta
Boogie. The album has a total of ten tracks, six
of them written by Patrick Vining and Mike Bourne
(the guitarist on this CD).
The covers are tracks by Jimmy Rogers and Jimmy
Witherspoon, and there are two tracks written by
Tommy Brown, who also provides the vocals on the
title track, “Atlanta Boogie.”
The style of the album is mainly rockabilly blues,
and it transports you back to the 1950s when jump
blues was morphing into Rock ‘n Roll, and you could
certainly jive to a lot of these tracks. The Jimmy
Witherspoon track, “Money’s Getting Cheaper,” is a
marvel with excellent organ work provided by Matt
Wauchope.
Track eight, “Late At Night,” is a lovely slow
blues, and it shows just what this band can do –
pure late night blues with honky tonk piano, great
vocals and wonderful atmosphere – by far the best
track on the CD, although the following track, the
blues boogie “Man Of Clay,” comes a very close
second.
The album finishes with the Jimmy Rogers song “Last
Meal,” a track made to make you smile with its story
of a condemned man asking for the most complicated
last meal that he can think of, because he can’t be
executed until he’s had that last meal.
I have to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening
to this CD – there’s so many different aspects to
it.
--- Terry Clear
Chicago born Tino Gonzales brings out his
tenth CD, Funky Tortillas (Blues Boulevard
Recoreds), and it continues to show the many
influences in his music. These influences started in
Chicago with jazz, blues and soul, and he added
Spanish, Gypsy, Arabic and African influences as he
made his musical way around Europe. There’s evidence
here of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and possibly his brother
Jimmy,
The album contains a lot of different styles and
tempos, although the up-tempo numbers are the ones
that appeal to me the most as well as tracks like
“How Lucky Are We?,” “I Ain’t Gonna Pray,” and “Da
Boy Can Play.”
Having said that, there are some excellent pure
blues tracks, too. Have a listen to “We All Lose,”
“The Last Time” (best track on the CD for me with
some of the best piano I’ve heard in a long time on
a blues album, courtesy of Christian Rannenberg),
“We Gonna Paint The Town Red,” and “Trying To Stop
Thinking About You.”
The musicians here are top rate, working well with
each other to produce good music. The CD is a first
rate follow up to the 2006 Latin Gypsy, and I
think it improves on that release by a good margin.
--- Terry Clear
Stevie Cochran has played the Montreux
Festival a total of five times, and Live At
Montreux (Blues Boulevard Records) is a live
recording of his 2003 appearance there. He started
putting records out independently in 1981 and is
obviously an accomplished song writer and guitarist.
He wrote, or co-wrote, 11 out of the 12 tracks on
this CD, with the remaining track a very good cover
of the Led Zeppelin number “No Quarter,” written by
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. For a live album, the
sound quality is excellent, crystal clear and
well-recorded.
The opening track, “I’ve Got A Dream,” is apparently
a track that Stevie Cochran has been playing for a
long time, and it’s obvious from this recording that
he’s more than comfortable with the song. He makes
you think that he’s slowing things down a bit with
“Maybe It’s You,” but after the intro the tempo
picks up a bit and it turns into a real foot-tapper.
There’s a mix of tempos here, from the ballad “You
Amaze Me” to the boogie “Headed For Trouble,” and
the changes hold the listener’s attention all the
way through.
The songs are well-written and the guitar work is
technically excellent, and the album leaves me
wanting to track down a gig that Cochran’s playing
near me.
--- Terry Clear
Bare Bones Boogie Band's self-titled,
self-produced disc is the first 2010 CD that I’ve
received, and it gets the year off to a flying
start. This British band has got their music really
tight and the whole band gel together well, with
great vocals from Helen Turner, who has progressed
enormously since I last heard her sing.
The CD contains ten tracks, six of them written by
guitarist Iain Black, and three of these are the
opening three tracks of the CD – “Baby, Baby Be
Mine,” “Black Cat Strikes Back,” Full Tilt Boogie
Man.” The opening track is a mixed tempo number with
a great bass line, supplied by Trev Turley, pushing
along the drums and guitar of Andy Jones and Iain
Black, the whole thing overlaid by the vocals from
Helen Turner, sounding like a mid-Atlantic Janis
Joplin.
“Black Cat Strikes Back” slows things right down
before “Full Tilt Boogie Man” brings the speed back
up. Using the three original tracks to open the
album was an inspired move as they really confirm
the flavour and skill of this band.
A Janis Joplin track follows – “One Good Man” –
allowing Helen Turner to really let her hair down
and show her vocal range. She has a gritty,
gravelly, voice which really suits this slow and
moody song, and a couple of tracks later there is a
beautiful version of “I’d Rather Go Blind” which
gives her another bite of the cherry. It’s really
difficult to decide which of these tracks suits her
voice better.
The fast paced “Live With Me” is a Mick Jagger/Keith
Richards song, that really works well for this band,
and it seems to echo the type of material that Iain
Black has written.
Bare Bones Boogie Band is a very
well-produced CD and deserves to be listened to –
have a look at the band’s website at
www.myspace.com/barebonesboogieband.
--- Terry Clear
Little Joe McLerran was the winner at last
year’s International Blues Challenge in the Solo/Duo
category. He’s been playing the blues since he was
nine years old, starting out with performances at
the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, with his
brother Jesse, where they mixed songs from old blues
masters like Skip James, Big Bill Broonzy, and
Mississippi John Hurt with selections from the
catalogs of the Beatles and Bob Marley.
Over time, however, McLerran, now 26, has developed
into one of the foremost Piedmont Blues players
currently performing. His latest release, which is
his fourth overall and third on the Roots Blues
Reborn label, is Believe I’ll Make A Change,
a wonderful set of Piedmont Blues, plus a few
excursions into swing, jazz, and the Mississippi
Delta along the way. The disc includes solo
performances plus some song featuring his band.
Most of the 13 tracks are covers, including a pair
of work songs that bookend the disc (“Ratty Section”
and “Mother’s Callin’”). The title track is a mid
’30s song originally done by Casey Bill Weldon that
features McLerran and harmonica player Dexter Payne,
who also plays sax on a few tracks. “Down At The
Village Store” is a lively track originally done by
Washboard Sam.
McLerran does a fine job on a pair of Pre-War Blues
classics (Leroy Carr’s “Blues Before Sunrise” and
Blind Willie McTell’s “B&O Blues”), and shows off
some skillful slide guitar on a sizzling remake of
Homesick James’ “Baby Please Set A Date.” He also
covers the Delmore Brothers (“Blues Railroad Train”)
and tackles the jazz standard, “Duck Yas.”
McLerran’s original compositions are also strong.
“She’s Got Somethin’” is a swinging tribute to his
wife, “Sargent Sunday” is about the trials and
tribulations of policemen, and “Cocktails For Two”
is a sparkling number written for his friend Eden
Brent.
I continue to be amazed at the number of young
artists that are revisiting and revitalizing the
glorious blues, jazz, and country songs of the 1930s
and ’40s. Little Joe McLerran is one of the best of
these young artists and his prodigious talents are
on display on Believe I’ll Make A Change.
--- Graham Clarke
Levee Town is an up-and-coming band based in
Kansas City that specializes in hard-edged
traditional blues mixed with rock influences.
They’ve made it to the IBC finals two different
times (2007 and this year). Their latest
self-titled, self-produced release features 14
tracks of some of the hardest-hitting blues/rock
you’ll run across.
I’m thinking of making the opening cut, “I’m Not
Broke,” my theme song. It’s a fast-paced rockabilly
tune with witty lyrics and a blistering solo from
guitarist/vocalist Brandon Hudspeth. The shuffle
“Three Times” is also a keeper, as is the slow blues
“You Mean,” with some smoking harmonica from Jimmie
Meade and guitar from Hudspeth. “Broken Jar” has
that irresistible Jimmy Reed rhythm going for it,
and “Vegas” is a hard rocker that warns of the
dangers of gambling fever.
“KC Killa” is a smooth mid-tempo track from bass
player Jacque Garoutte, which is completely offset
by the manic boogie “Etta,” which follows.
“Heartless Is The Winter” is a classic slow-burner
featuring Hudspeth and Meade. The disc then closes
out with a set of rockers: “Hullabaloo,” “Rock Me
Baby,” and “Pressures,” before concluding with a
funky instrumental, “Chicken Truck.”
Levee Town consists of Brandon Hudspeth (guitar,
baritone, and vocals), Jimmie Meade (harmonica and
vocals), Jan Faircloth (drums, percussion, and
vocals), and Jacque Garoutte (bass, guitar, and
vocals). While all are great musicians in their own
right, it’s obvious that Levee Town’s popularity and
success is due to their collective efforts as a
unit. Their latest effort sports excellent original
tunes, great musicianship, and most of all,
exuberant performance. Visit their website or check
out this disc at
CDBaby.
--- Graham Clarke
David Gerald was born in Detroit, but his
Mississippi-born and raised parents loved the blues
and R&B, so he grew up listening to the music they
loved. As a teenager, he started playing guitar, at
first influenced by rock guitarists of the ’80s, but
eventually returning to the blues of Albert King,
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Z. Z. Hill, and B. B. King.
Piecing together scraps from old guitars originally,
he eventually was able to start performing in local
clubs. Due to the difficulties of keeping a band
together, he also learned to play bass, keyboards,
and drums, and started writing and recording his own
songs.
Now in his 40s, Gerald has his own band and performs
all over Michigan, playing at numerous festivals and
even opening the Triple Threat of Blues show for
Bobby Rush and Mel Waiters earlier this year in
Jackson, Michigan. He also found time to release his
debut album, the self-produced, self-released
Hell and Back. The disc contains ten tracks,
five self-penned, self-recorded tunes recorded at
Gerald’s studio and five covers recorded live with
his band (Mike Ruppriecht – keyboards, Bob Bennett –
bass, Lou Eurns – drums) at J. Dubs in Riverview,
Michigan.
Gerald’s original tunes are excellent and show blues
and R&B influences equally. The opener, “My Guitar,”
is an autobiographical track that rocks hard, while
“How I Feel” sounds like a ’70s R&B tune done to a
Texas shuffle. “Postman” is a slow blues about a man
who always delivers. The title cut is about a family
suffering through hard times, and echoes issues many
are going through presently, and “Stay” mixes funk
and R&B.
The cover tunes will be familiar to most blues fans
and provide a solid representation of Gerald’s live
show. “I’ll Play The Blues For You” and “Thrill Is
Gone” are tributes to two of Gerald’s major
influences, Albert King and B. B. King. “She Caught
The Katy” is the old Yank Rachell/Taj Mahal number
amped up with horns, and “Cold Shot” and “Red House”
are nods to two other Gerald influences, Stevie Ray
Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix.
Gerald’s guitar work is top notch, showing myriad
influences, most especially Albert King and Stevie
Ray Vaughan. His vocals are equally impressive. He
also shows himself to be a songwriter of
considerable talent. The covers on the disc are done
with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but Gerald’s
original tunes are actually more interesting.
Hopefully, he will give us a few more originals on
his next release.
Hell and Back is an excellent debut release,
made even more amazing by the fact that David Gerald
did most of it single-handed. We’ll be hearing more
from him in the future for sure.
--- Graham Clarke
David Ducharme-Jones is one of Austin’s best
guitarists. The Iowa native originally relocated to
San Francisco to front The Drive, then settled in
the Lone Star State and founded the group Rainravens,
before embarking on a solo career. His latest
release, Weeds (Blissed Out Productions), is
a wide-ranging musical journey that not only
encompasses the blues, but also jazz-fusion, rock,
and R&B. There’s plenty of great music on this disc
to please any discriminating guitar fans.
Weeds has ten tracks, half of which are originals,
including the lovely opener, “Golden,” features a
mellow groove and a smooth vocal by Ducharme-Jones,
and “Left Undone” has a rootsy, Americana feel.
There are also three instrumentals: “Goodnight Roy
B.” is a tribute to the late Roy Buchanan, “Lootin’,”
has a loose jam session quality, and the slow
groover, “Moving Mountains,” was written by bass
player David Evertson.
The diverse set of covers includes a fine reading of
J. B. Lenoir’s “Talk To Your Daughter,” somewhat
reminiscent of Robben Ford’s late ’80s version, a
superb take of Tommy Bolin’s “Savannah Woman,” and
Billy Cobham’s “Red Baron.” Another highlight is the
funky “Say What You Mean,” which was written by Rob
Chaffee, a Des Moines guitarist who served as an
influence to Ducharme-Jones, and Al Green’s “I’m A
Ram” is a hard-rocker that closes the disc in fine
fashion.
Weeds is an excellent listen and has plenty
to offer guitar fans, especially those who enjoy
fusion as well as blues and R&B. Visit DuCharme-Jones
website to find out more about this impressive
guitarist.
--- Graham Clarke
Sixteen-year-old Will Tucker probably looks
like the kid that cuts your yard during the summers,
but don’t let looks fool you. The youngster burst
onto the Memphis music scene in 2008 and has been
playing regular gigs at B. B. King’s Blues Club in
the Bluff City, getting the opportunity to play with
musicians like Charlie Musselwhite and G. Love &
Special Sauce, and even opening for the King of the
Blues on three different occasions.
As if that wasn’t heady enough, Tucker now has his
own CD, called Stealin’ The Soul (Will Tucker
Music), produced by Grammy nominee Paul Speer at
Ardent Studios. The disc is made up almost entirely
of covers from familiar artists like Muddy Waters (“Walkin’
In The Park”), Albert King (“Born Under A Bad
Sign”), and T-Bone Walker (“Stormy Monday”).
The last four songs were recorded during a Will
Tucker Band performance at B. B. King’s Blues Club
in Memphis. They cover a wide area with songs from
Memphis Minnie (“When The Levee Breaks”), Elvis
Presley (“Burning Love”), Chuck Berry (“Johnny B.
Goode”) and Jimi Hendrix (“Little Wing”).
While these fields have been well-harvested many
times before, what’s noteworthy is the passion and
grit that Tucker brings to his performances. He
doesn’t try to cram every note into every solo,
instead playing with tasteful restraint. It’s
obvious from his playing that he has a genuine love
for the music. Vocally, he does really well with the
material. From listening, he sounds like a
confident, mature performer. He’s also a budding
composer, as he contributed the opening cut, “Your
Sacrifice,” showing that even high schoolers get the
blues.
All in all, this is a nice debut recording from a
remarkable young guitarist. We’ll be hearing more
from young Will Tucker on down the line. Stealin’
The Soul gets things off to a fine start.
--- Graham Clarke
