Victor Wainwright was in the spotlight at
the recent Blues Music Awards show, taking home
the Pinetop Perkins award for best piano player
in the last year. The dude's career has been on
fire in the last few years, with the recent
album by Victor Wainwright And The Train,
Memphis Loud (Ruf Records) continuing a
run of solid and intriguing recordings.
Wainwright packs a wallop of energy into his
music, with plenty of backing musicians adding
to the big sound coming through the speakers.
It's music that will have you tapping your feet
and shaking your legs throughout the dozen
Wainwright originals on Memphis Loud.
Wainwright lays down solid New Orleans
piano in the opening of "Mississippi," a
rollicking blues backed by plenty of horns and
background singers. I like how much conviction
and power there is in Wainwright's voice,
leaving no doubt that he believes every word
he's singing. Even more rambunctious is the next
number, "Walk the Walk," with a wall of horns
providing the introduction before Wainwright
comes in with energetic piano playing and Pat
Harrington adds some rockabilly-like guitar
licks. And those horns just keep a' playin' throughout.
Does
Wainwright ever slow down? Not yet, folks. He
takes it up still another notch on the title
cut, frantically pounding on the keyboards while
horn players Mark Earley and Doug Woolverton
just keep blowing away. Wainwight sings about
that train that's coming through your town, so
safely stand back from the tracks.
Okay, he finally slows it down with "Sing," a jazzy
number that sounds like it could have been
covered by Leon Redbone back in the day. Earley
adds an extra dimension with his clarinet
playing, nicely complementing Woolverton's
trumpet work.
Jumping ahead to later in the album, Wainwright
projects himself as Dr. John-style singer on the
mid-tempo novelty tune, "South End of a North
Bound Mule." Harrington and Greg Gumpel both
chip in some nice guitar work here. Our star
later sings a tribute to his canine companion on
the up-tempo "My Dog Riley," forgiving his pal
for drinking out of the toilet, rolling in the
ground after a bath, and other crazy stuff that
dogs do. While this number isn't really
spiritual in any way, Wainwright puts a little
bit of church in his piano playing on this one.
Wainwright reserves his laid-back, sentimental
side for the end, with an extended version of a
slow, soulful blues, "Reconcile," closing
the set. Gumpel's blues
guitar chords are especially effective as
Wainwright's emotional and inspirational
vocals send out the message that he wants everyone
to hear and believe in.
The
career of Victor Wainwright And The Train has
been moving faster than a runaway locomotive, so
be sure to hop on when you can. Memphis Loud
just reinforces what we've previously heard from
the man.
--- Bill Mitchell
Lessons Learned, an independent release
distributed by CD Baby, was my first time
hearing the music of Southern California band
Jim Gustin & Truth Jones, although I've read
reviews of some of their previous releases.
Overall, I like the sound and repertoire of the
band, but with one big exception --- I don't care
at all for the vocals of bandleader Gustin, a big
voice with a major rasp that comes across as
off-key at times, kind of like a much-less
subtler version of Tom Waits but much more in your
face. On the other hand, I love the sultry,
soulful vocals of Truth Jones (aka Jeri Goldenhar),
and for me the album would be a real
winner if Gustin stuck to playing the guitar,
since he's a very strong blues player, and let
Jones stay at the mic for the entirety. But
other reviewers don't have a problem with
Gustin's voice, so I'll chalk it up to my
personal tastes.
Okay, that's enough about my preference for who
should be singing on every cut. Let's take a
look at what we're hearing on Lessons Learned.
The album starts strong with a jump blues, "I'd
Been Drinking'," showing a solid band with a big
horn sound. Gustin and Jones share vocals, and
Steve Alterman contributes strong piano
accompaniment. Like every other cut here, it's a
band original. Jones is the sole vocalist on the
blues shuffle, "I Heard About You," showing off
plenty of range as her voice soars through the
octaves with Alterman putting out a strong organ solo.
The
slow blues, "When This Ship Sails," gives Jones
another chance to shine with her smoky vocals,
while we hear a killer sax solo, presumably from
Lawrence Tamez, and more nice piano from Alterman.
It perhaps goes without saying the our
aforementioned keyboard man is the unsung hero
of this band, as his playing is consistently
outstanding.
Gustin shows his stellar guitar work on the
up-tempo, soulful blues, "All You Ever Bring Me
Is The Blues," with Jones demonstrating the
power in her voice as she projects over the
great sound we get from the sax section. Oh
yeah, Alternman is at it again with a nice piano
solo, with overtones of gospel and New Orleans
blues playing. For a different sound, Gustin and
Jones share vocals on the acoustic number, "Never
Too Big For The Blues," singing about their
respective body sizes, with guests Tommy Marsh
(slide guitar) and Chris LeRoi Hansen
(harmonica) both providing the
appropriate back porch sound.
Our
two vocalists duet on the slow, late night
blues, "My Love Is True," with Gustin's voice
more restrained here, sounding a lot like Waits. The piano and sax accompaniment helps to
carry this number.
This
is a very solid band with good original
material, and I especially love the songs when
Jones steps up to the mic. I've already made my
comments about my opinion on Gustin's voice, but
don't let that scare you away from this fine album
as your results may vary. I'm probably the
outlier here, so I won't withhold a
recommendation for Lessons Learned ---
lots of good blues to be found here.
--- Bill Mitchell
Memphis-based harmonica cat
Tony Holiday burst onto the blues scene with
his 2019 album, Porch Sessions, in which he
traveled around sitting in with various other
blues artists in rather informal settings.
Instead of roaming around the country, Holiday
stays in one place to record Soul Service
(VizzTone), recorded recorded at the Zebra Ranch
studios in North Mississippi with Holiday backed by a basic
band of Landon Stone (guitar), Max Kaplan (bass)
and Danny Banks (drums).
Soul Service consists of eight cuts (a
rather short 30 minutes) of basic
blues. Nothing fancy or eyepopping, but just
good blues stuff especially Holiday's
excellent harmonica playing. Our bandleader
takes the first opportunity he can to show off
on the harp, laying down a really nice solo on
the opening cut, the mid-tempo blues "Payin'
Rent on a Broken Home."
For
my money the best cut here is a snaky blues,
"Checkers on the Chessboard," which has Holiday
smoothly sounding kind of Sinatra-ish on vocals.
Also very interesting is "Day Dates (Turn into
Night Dates)," which starts with a subtle jazzy
bass beat before
sounding a bit like an old country song.
A
notable cover tune on Soul Service is a
J.B. Lenioir composition, "Good Advice," a slow
blues shuffle that could use a little more
energy to it. Holiday ends the album with a
train song, "Ol' Number 9," on which he emulates
the appropriate locomotive sounds with his
harmonic, with the tempo and volume ramping up
in the final few chords.
Soul Service is a good album, but not a
great one. I wanted to like it more than I did,
but it needs a bit more oomph to put it over the
top, not to mention the fact that it's a bit
short in playing time. Still, there's some good
blues here and it's worthy of your time.
--- Bill Mitchell
Wolf Records has released a nice set of live
recordings by Archie Edwards & Dr. Ross,
titled Piedmont Blues Meets Mississippi Delta
Blues, the result of a 1988 concert in
Athens, Greece featuring the two solo artists. Isaiah
Ross, who often appeared as a one-man band, was
the better-known performer, resulting from his
early recordings for the Chess and Sun labels,
with his notable recordings including "Boogie
Disease" and "Chicago Breakdown." Edwards'
biggest claim to fame was from his barbershop in
Washington, D.C. that was the site of regular
jam sessions, most notably attended by
Mississippi John Hurt during the time the
Delta blues legend lived in that area.
Piedmont Blues Meets Mississippi Delta Blues
mixes 14 recordings from the concert. Sound
quality is generally good with minimal crowd
noise coming through the mix.
Ross, a left--handed guitarist who also played
harmonica on a rack, does a fine, spirited
version of "Chicago Breakdown," as
well as other
Ross originals, "Got Something To Tell You" and "My
Little Woman."
Among the covers done by Ross, his harmonica
work on John Lee (Sonny Boy I) Williamson's
"Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" stands out,
followed later by an upbeat version of Big Joe
Williams" "Baby Please Don't Go."
Edwards, who was born in Virginia, represents
the Piedmont style of blues, although his guitar
playing always showed the
heavy Delta influences of both Hurt and Skip
James. His renditions of a couple of traditional
numbers, "Meet Me In The Bottom" and "Goin' Up
The Country," nicely show off Edwards' varied
influences. His original "The Road Is Rough And
Rocky" is a song that Edwards wrote upon Hurt's
death in tribute to his mentor, an outstanding
example of Piedmont-style finger picking guitar.
Also
included here are several strong originals that
Edwards had recorded on albums for the L&R, NorthernBlues
and Mapleshade labels, most
notably his own "Pittsburgh Blues," "Baby,
Please Give Me A Break" and "Little Girl," all
featuring Edwards' strong vocals and exquisite
Piedmont guitar.
This
album presents a good introduction to a pair of
outstanding artists that might not be known by
all blues fans, and hopefully will provide the
impetus to dig deeper into their respective blues
catalogs. For others, like me, Piedmont Blues
Meets Mississippi Delta Blues is a good trip
down memory lane of the occasional live
appearances that I saw from both Dr. Ross and
Archie Edwards back in the 1980s.
--- Bill Mitchell
Albert Castiglia plays a style of hard
rockin', in-your-face blues that requires the
listener to have had a recent EKG to make sure
the heart is ready for the energy of this music,
as well as getting a supply of ear plugs in
order to protect the ears from the aural blast
to follow. His latest, Wild At Heart
(Gulf Coast Records), follows the same script as
his previous recordings, with 11 cuts of
big-time blues rock. For those that are into
Castiglia's brand there's plenty of music here,
with lots of long guitar wanks contributing to
multiple songs exceeding eight or nine minutes
in length.
Wild At Heart starts strong, with Castiglia
blasting out Stevie Ray Vaughan-style guitar on "Let The Big Dog Eat," with very nice
B3 from Lewis Stephens adding to the sound. I'm
not real wild about the quality of Castiglia's
voice, but if you're into his music it's
for the guitar work and not for the vocals.
My
favorites on the album are the bluesier numbers,
notably the slower blues original, "Heavy," on
which Castiglia sings, "...If trouble was women,
you know I'd have a bevy, these days aren't
getting hard, they're just getting heavy ..."
Another keeper is Johnny Winter's "Too Much Seconal," a blues shuffle that goes on for more
than eight minutes and stands out for a monster
B3 organ solo from guest Jon Ginty.
Another Castiglia original, "Keep On Swinging,"
is a 12-bar blues with plenty of heavy guitar,
including producer Mike Zito sharing duties with
Castiglia, plus nice piano accompaniment from
Stephens. Zito also contributed one of his
songs, "Hoodoo On Me," an up-tempo blues shuffle
with Castiglia bending the guitar strings on
some monster solos.
There's plenty more on Wild At Heart to
entice fans of this blues rock genre, with Castiglia on fire throughout.
--- Bill Mitchell
As
I’ve mentioned before, I’m a bit behind in
writing reviews for CDs, which explains why I’m
just now getting to a review of one of my
favorite 2019 releases, Junior Watson’s
Nothin’ To It But To Do It (Little
Village Foundation). Watson is a living legend
on the West Coast blues scene, having been a
founding member of the Mighty Flyers, serving as
guitarist for Canned Heat for ten years, later
playing with as Lynwood Slim, as well as backing
Gary Smith, Luther Tucker, Charlie Musselwhite,
William Clarke, Harmonica George Smith, Jimmy
Rogers and countless others.
One
thing Watson has not done very much is record as
a leader, with this set representing his first
effort in a long time. Recorded at Kid
Andersen’s Greaseland Studios (and co-produced
by Watson and Andersen), this sparkling set
features a whopping 15 tracks with an impressive
band in tow --- Sax Gordon on, you guessed it,
sax, Little Village head man Jim Pugh on
keyboards, bassist Kedar Roy, drummer Andrew
Guterman, Gary Smith on harmonica, and guest
vocalists Lisa Leuschner Andersen and Alabama
Mike. All get a chance in the spotlight, but
Watson’s classy and clever guitar work is front
and center.
This
is Lisa Leuschner Andersen’s (Kid’s wife) debut
as a lead singer, and she does a fine job
vocalizing on several tracks, including the
dazzling “Don’t Freeze On Me,” the jump blues
“Whole Lot Of Lovin’,” the soul burner “One Way
Street,” and “I Found You,” a nifty cover of
Yvonne Fair’s version of the James Brown
classic. She saves the best for last with the
dynamite album closer, Chuck Sims’ “You’re Gonna
Need Me Before I Need You.”
The
marvelous Alabama Mike sings on two tracks, the
slow blues “Shot In The Dark,” which he co-wrote
with Watson, and Joe Boot’s rollicking “That’s
Tough.” Alabama Mike, Watson, Pugh, and Gordon
all get ample opportunity to shine on both of
these great tracks. Watson himself sings on the
mid-tempo shuffle “Louella,” “Well, You Know”
(which also features West Coast harmonica master
Gary Smith), and the free-wheeling “So Glad
She’s Mine.”
There are also five wonderful instrumentals that
really show Watson’s versatility and
inventiveness. “Up And Out” kicks off the disc
with a real old school flair, thanks to Gordon’s
sax and Pugh’s old school organ. “Ska-Ra-Van” is
a cool take on Duke Ellington’s “Caravan,” or a
ska version previously done by The Skatalites.
“Summer Love” is a smooth, pretty ballad with
nice understated fret work, and “Space Flight”
is a jazzy romp originally done by organist Sam
Lazar in the early ’60s (with Grant Green on
guitar) that gets a nice update from Watson,
Pugh, and Gordon. The last instrumental, “The
Pee Wee Classic,” is an excellent tribute to
another West Coast guitar legend, Pee Wee
Crayton.
Nothin’ To It But To Do It is a fabulous
set, one of the best I’ve heard in a while, and
further proof that Junior Watson should make his
own albums a lot more often than he does. It
sounds like he’s found a great cast to help him
out, when he decides to do it again.
--- Graham Clarke
The
Mike Duke Project was over 40 years in the
making, hence the most appropriate title ---
... took a
while (Little Village Foundation). Duke has been
active since the ’70s, playing and writing songs
with Wet Willie, The Outlaws, and Delbert McClinton, as well as spending several years as
singer/keyboardist for The Solid Senders, the
house band at Slim’s in San Francisco. But he’s
probably best known as a songwriter for Huey
Lewis & the News, penning a few of the band’s
biggest hits in the ’80s.
In 1998, Bob Brown, former manager of Huey Lewis
& the News who introduced Duke to the band in
the early ’80s, bought an old roadhouse, Rancho Nicasio, and asked Duke to run its general store
and lead the house band. …took a while includes
a battery of tunes recorded by Duke between 1977
and 1998 at various locations, as well as four
songs recorded at Rancho Nicasio in June of
2019, that show the
keyboardist/singer/songwriter’s amazing talent
in all three areas.
The two Lewis hits, “Hope You Love Me Like You
Say” and “Doin’ It All For My Baby,” plus a
third song the band recorded, “Let Her Go And
Start Over,” all appear in their original early
’80s recordings from Duke, though the latter
song has been remixed by Kid Andersen at Greaseland and
added keyboards from Little Village
founder Jimmy Pugh added. These three songs
alone show why Brown saw something special in
Duke. Several members of Wet Willie, Jimmy Hall,
Larry Burwall, Jack Hall, and Bill Stewart lend
Duke a hand on these tracks, which a soulful,
Southern rock feel.
There are several other cool songs included on
the 15-song set. “That’s What’s So Good About
The South” was originally pitched to Dr. John
and one wishes the good doctor had given it a
shot. It’s a smooth, laidback tune that really
captures the essence of the region. It was
produced by Jack Pearson, who also plays guitar
behind Duke’s vocal and piano. “Coming ‘Round
Again” was offered to Gregg Allman shortly after
his break-up with Cher and would have been an
excellent fit in the singer’s repertoire. Duke
recorded his track in 1977 and it’s surprising
that his standout vocal didn’t completely sell
Allman; it’s a truly impressive performance.
Other highlights include the upbeat, funky
“Little Miss Ponytail,” the pop-soul “Ain’t No
Easy Way,” and “Honey I Love You,” which sounds
like a perfect fit for Delbert McClinton’s set
list.
Duke also recorded four new songs for the
set that are all standouts. The Crescent
City-flavored “Let Me Be Your Fool Tonight” was
recorded with the Zydeco Flames and included Angela Strehli on backing vocals.
Guitarist Elvin
Bishop sits in on the reflective “I Can’t Let
You Go.” “I’m Not Sad Tonight” is soulful R&B,
and “Torn & Scarred,” with just Duke’s piano and
pleading vocal backed by Andersen’s bass, is just
superb.
It’s almost criminal that it’s taken over
40
years for Mike Duke to get his voice and his
songs heard by the general public. If anyone
deserved to be heard by a wider audience, it’s
certainly this guy. Fortunately, it looks like
we won’t have to wait 40years for the sequel
to …took a while.
--- Graham Clarke
Belgian blues rocker
Ghalia’s Ruf Records debut,
Let The Demons Out, had a definite New Orleans
blues flair as the singer/songwriter/guitarist
teamed with locals Johnny Maestro & Mama’s Boys.
For her sophomore Ruf release, Mississippi
Blend, Ghalia moves to the Magnolia State in
Coldwater, to the Zebra Ranch studio owned and
operated by the Dickinson brothers. While
bassist/co-producer Dean Zuccharo remains from
Ghalia’s debut, she enlists a host of Hill
Country favorites to collaborate – Cody
Dickinson and Cedric Burnside alternate on
drums, Lightnin’ Malcolm and Smokehouse Brown
play guitars, and Watermelon Slim guests on harp
and vocals.
Ghalia wrote or co-wrote nine of the
11
tracks and they’re a strong set, beginning with
the catchy, crunching rocker “Gypsy Lady,”
featuring Malcolm and Burnside in support. “Meet
You Down The Road” has a slower, swampier vibe
with Watermelon’s mournful harp and Ghalia and
Brown’s lead and slide guitar work, but the
playful “Squeeze” is a sexy, upbeat driver with
Malcolm and Brown alternating lead guitar.
“First Time I Died” is an intense tune with a
passionate vocal from Ghalia and fiery guitar
from Brown.
“Lucky Number” is a restless, hard-charging
rocker with Slim sitting in on harmonica again.
The album’s first cover is next, a sensational
read of “Wade In The Water,” with Ghalia and
Slim sharing lead vocals that’s so earthy it
leaves dust in its wake. Slim adds backing
vocals and harp on “Drag Me Down,” a peppy tune
encouraging listeners not to give up on their
dreams, and Ghalia’s scorching slide guitar
accentuates the potent “Shake & Repeat.”
“Release Me” features Ghalia playing rhythm,
slide, and dobro while turning in a marvelously
soulful vocal. After the politically-charged
boogie rocker, “Why Don’t You Sell Your
Children,” Ghalia closes the disc with a wild
rockabilly version of “I Thought I Told You Not
To Tell Them,” an R&B obscurity originally
recorded by Marie Knight in the late ’50s.
Ghalia is a great songwriter and guitarist, but
I really like her voice. She manages to convey
the right emotions for each song without going
over the top and makes just as strong an
impression. Mississippi Blend is a rock-solid
set of blues and roots from one of the emerging
stars of both genres.
--- Graham Clarke
At this year’s BMAs harmonica master
Giles
Robson became the third UK artist (after Peter
Green and Eric Clapton) to take home an award
for his contributions to the 2019 Alligator
Records release Journeys To The Heart Of The
Blues with Joe Louis Walker and Bruce Katz.
Robson was also the first UK or European artists
to appear on the Chicago record label. Capping
off a busy 2019, Robson found time to release
his debut American recording, Don’t Give Up On
The Blues (American Showplace Music).
Robson penned all
12 tracks and is joined by
keyboardist extraordinaire Katz, along with
Aaron Lieberman (guitar), Antar Goodwin (bass),
and Ray Hangen (drums). The album gets off to a
rocking start with “Land To Land,” before
rolling into the title track, which is a cool
Windy City shuffle. “Damn Fool Way” shifts into
the Bo Diddley beat with highly effective
results, and “Your Dirty Look & Your Sneaky
Grin” is a fine slow blues which gives Robson
room to stretch out on harp.
“Show A Little Mercy” is an excellent mid-tempo
shuffle with a tasty piano break from Katz and
slide guitar from Lieberman, the lively “Boogie
At The Showplace” is the first of three
instrumentals on the album. An energetic
workout between Robson and Katz, and the
political fire of “Fearless Leaders” rings true
given current events. The funky and upbeat “Hey,
Hey Now” lightens the mood a bit, both in tone
and lyrical content, and “Giles Theme,” the
second instrumental, again teams up Robson and
Katz, who plays B3 on this track this time
around.
The shuffle “Life, With All It’s Charms”
revisits the Chicago sound, .well, charmingly,
and the dynamic and celebratory “That Ol’
Heartbreak Sound” keeps it there. The album
closes with the third instrumental, “Way Past
Midnight,” a lovely, gospel-flavored tune with
wonderful musicianship from the entire band.
Don’t Give Up On The Blues has plenty of great
music for fans of traditional and contemporary
blues. It looks like 2019 was a super year for
Giles Robson, but may just be the tip of the
iceberg for this fine harp master.
--- Graham Clarke
Houston guitarist
Sparky Parker has been playing
professionally since high school, fronting the
rock band Bayou Monster and playing in the blues
band Mojofromopolis. Later joining the band
Funky Mustard (a band he still plays with
today), he also backed BMA Award winners Diunna
Greenleaf and Vanessa Collier. He’s also played
in his own Sparky Parker Band since 2012. His
guitar work is influenced by Texas and Chicago
blues, soul, R&B, and rock.
Parker’s latest release,
In The Dark, offers ten
tracks that show his mastery of those
influences, with seven originals and three
covers from The Rolling Stones, Slim Harpo, and
Bobby “Blue” Bland. Parker handles vocals and
guitar and is backed by his powerhouse band
(Phillip Lock – bass, backing vocals and Kevin
Berry – drums) with assistance from William
Gorman (keyboards).
Parker’s wah-wah guitar launches the title
track, which opens the disc. It’s funky and sure
to be a crowd-pleasing rocker. The roadhouse
rocker, “This Old Thing,” has a driving rhythm, and
the upbeat “8 Days In The Doghouse” has a bit of
a country feel via Parker’s guitar work. The ballad, “Games,” borrows musically from the
great Guitar Slim’s “The Things I Used To Do”
with affirmative results, and “Sleepy Town” is
another fine slow burner with more of a
rock-edged attack.
The loping “Good Man” is a solid Lone Star blues
rocker, leading into Bland’s “Treat A Dog,”
deftly mixing soul, blues, and rock.
Parker’s take on The Stones’ “Dead Flowers” hews
pretty closely to the original, which is not a
bad thing. The third cover is a ragged raucous
read of Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips” (is there any
other kind?). The album’s lone instrumental,
“Escape To Quintana,” is a nifty nod to the surf
guitar instrumentals of the ’60s.
Parker’s tasteful guitar work and his confident
vocals, combined with the rock-solid rhythm work
of Lock and Berry, make In The Dark a most
excellent listen that will please fans of
Texas-flavored blues rock.
--- Graham Clarke
Guitariist
Paul Gabriel has been a mainstay on
the Connecticut blues scene for five decades,
sharing the stage with a host of blues legends,
both past and present, appearing on albums by Blue In
The Face, Harry Chapin and Rory Block, and
touring with Michael Bolton, in addition to
leading his own band throughout most of his
career. His latest release, Man Of Many Blues
(Smoke Ring Records), like his previous release,
2013’s What’s The Chance, was produced by his
friend Duke Robillard, who also plays guitar.
The opening track, “I Feel Good,” is a swinging
mid-tempo blues that features Roomful of Blues’
Mark Earley on tenor sax and Roomful alum Doug
James on baritone sax. “Maybe We Can Talk
Awhile” is a jazzy shuffle, “Cold Cold Cold”
combines jazz and pop for a really smooth vibe,
and the country blues, “It Be That Way Sometime,”
features backing vocals from Christine Ohlman
and harmonica from Sugar Ray Norcia. The
funky blues, “No Finance, No Romance,” features
guest vocalist Howard Eldridge.
Gabriel’s guitar chops are on full display on
“Blues For Georgia,” a relaxed instrumental
tribute to Georgia Louis, a gospel and blues
vocalist Gabriel worked with for many years. The
humorous stroll “Second Story Man” features some
nice guitar work from Gabriel and Robillard, who
also join forces on the lovely title track,
which tells the tale of a man overcoming
obstacles without compromising his values.
“Face Full Of Frown” is a jumping blues shuffle
with horns and tasty guitar, and the
gospel-flavored, “On That Train,” features Earley’s sax, Bruce Bears’ B3 and Ohlman’s
backing vocals. “Just A Bitterness” is a
splendid slow blues with wonderful guitar work,
the soulful “Angel” is a tale of an
unforgettable woman, and the closer, “Dear John
Letter,” is a fiery blues rocker.
Gabriel is a talented guitarist in a variety of
styles and he and Robillard complement each
other well. Gabriel wrote or co-wrote all
13 tracks and shows a knack for unique
lyrics covering familiar blues subjects. Man Of
Many Blues is a sharp, classy set of
contemporary blues that will satisfy any blues
fan.
--- Graham Clarke
I’ve enjoyed
Brad Vickers and his Vestapolitans’
good-natured, good-humored approach to
traditional American music – blues, jazz, folk,
ragtime, and rock – for a long time. His
previous five albums never fail to impress with
their musicianship, creativity, and heart, and
their latest release, Twice As Nice (Man Hat
Tone Records) continues to build and improve on
the band’s quality catalog.
As with their previous efforts, this set
consists of choice classic blues covers (four)
and well-crafted originals (seven) from Vickers
(guitars/vocals) and bassist/vocalist Margey
Peters. The rest of the Vestapolitans (Jim Davis
– tenor sax/clarinet, Bill Rankin – drums) are
joined by several guests musicians – Dave Keyes
(piano), Charlie Burnham (violin), Mikey Junior
(harp and vocals), Dave Gross (guitar), Dean
Shot (guitar), and V.D. King (baritone sax,
guitar, tambourine, piano, upright bass,
banjulele, organ, percussion, and co-producer
with Vickers and Peters).
The album kicks off with a languid version of
Big Maceo’s “Worried Life Blues” that swings and
sways at a relaxed pace, and then picks up
significantly with Vickers’ “Mississippi Swamp,”
which borrows the “Rollin’ and Tumblin’ driving
rhythm and features torrid harmonica from Mikey
Junior and Vickers’ bottleneck guitar. Peters
wrote and sings the cheerful mid-tempo “Love Can
Win,” and backs Vickers on Jimmy Reed’s “Close
Together,” which takes its sweet time and is all
the better for doing so.
“Coast To Coast” is an old school rock n’ roller
in the Chuck Berry tradition, and Peters’
seductively delivers the title track, which has
an old timey jazz feel with Vickers’ bottleneck
and Davis’ clarinet. Vickers’ “Red Dust” is a
somber lament for the plight of the American
Indian, with Vickers, Peters, and Little Mikey
vocalizing over sparse musical accompaniment,
and the blues shuffle “Everything I Need,”
though penned by Peters, would have been a solid
fit in Jimmy Reed’s repertoire.
“Stealin’ Stealin’” is from Memphis Jug Band
legend Will Shade, and the Vestapolitans have a
lot of fun with their rendition with Peters’ vocal
delivery being playful and the band followings suit.
Next up is a swinging cover of Tampa Red’s “Look
A There Look A There,” with Vickers on vocal,
that’s just as much fun, and Peters’ reflective
“Brooklyn Evenings” deftly mixes vintage blues
and jazz.
Brad Vickers and his Vestapolitans never
disappoint this fan. I always look forward to
any new release from them because you know
you’ll get a quality set of traditional music
that spans blues, jazz, R&B, and classic rock n’
roll like no one else does at this current point
in time. Twice As Nice is a great place for the
uninitiated to start experiencing this wonderful
music, but you will not want to stop once you
start.
--- Graham Clarke
Duke Robillard met the
Wentus Blues Band in
1987 during a Scandinavian tour while in Kokkola, Finland, where the band opened for his
band. Robillard describes them as being so young
at that time that their parents had to accompany
them to their performances, but he was impressed
with their talent and enthusiasm. A couple of
decades later, the band invited Robillard to
come back to Finland to play with them, and he
was wowed by what a great band they had become
and how much they respected the music and its
history.
Recently, the band asked Robillard to produce an
album for them and invited him to play on it as
well. The result is Too Much Mustard! (Ramasound
Records), recorded in Rhode Island by Jack
Gauthier and produced by Robillard. The set
features 15 tracks, with six songs written
by the band, three by Robillard, and six
wide-ranging covers that show the versatility of
the band (Robban Hagnäs – bass, Nick Riippa –
guitar, Pekka Gröhn – keyboards, Juho Kinaret –
vocals/percussion, Daniel Hjereppe –
drums/percussion).
The band’s original tunes are all solid,
beginning with “She’s A Killer Hot Blonde,” a
rocking rave-up. “Right In Your Arms” is a
smooth slow blues and “Miranda” sounds like
vintage R&B, while “You Got My Love” is a
swinging blues. “Selma” is an old school love
song, and “Where Have All The Songbirds Gone”
has a Southern rock/roots feel. Robillard’s
tunes include a pair he recorded on some of his
early ’90s releases, “She Made Up My Mind” and
“Passionate Kiss,” as well as the title track, a tasty
instrumental.
The covers include a lively read of The Holmes
Brothers’ “Stayed At The Party,” Tom Waits’
“2:19” (with Kinaret emulating Waits’ growl
effectively), an electric reimagining of Robert
Johnson’s “Judgement Day,” a somewhat ominous
take on Leonard Cohen’s “First We Take
Manhattan,” an appropriately swampy version of
“I Hear You Knockin’,” and Chuck Willis’ classic
“Feels So Bad.”
Too Much Mustard! is a fine release from the Wentus Blues Band, who does an excellent job
whether playing traditional blues, R&B, or rock.
Their original songs blend well with their
diverse selection of cover tunes. Duke
Robillard’s contributions as guitarist and
producer (cover artist, too) are superb, and
hopefully, we will get the chance to hear more
from this talented band soon.
--- Graham Clarke
Dusty Streets is a change of pace for
singer/songwriter Jon Spear. The Central
Virginia-based blues man has released three
excellent blues albums in recent years that have
received positive reviews, and finished well in
the end-of-the-year contemporary blues charts.
While those efforts focused on the blues and
soul, Spear has also penned songs in other
genres over the years --- country, folk, rock, and
Americana --- but has never recorded them until
now.
Dusty Streets is a six-song EP teaming Spear
with some of Central Virginia’s finest roots
musicians. On the haunting title track, singer
Jennifer Dodge joins Spear for a duet about lost
love using a ghost town as a metaphor. Jay
Jessup’s pedal steel guitar adds country flavor
to this touching track. “Forever Home” is a
sweet tune taken from the perspective of a
soon-to-be-adopted pet, and “Mr. Bankerman” is a
jumping blues tune that wonders where the money
goes (with harmonica from Dara James and piano
from Marty Metcalfe).
On “Rollin’ On,” a tale of life on the road,
James plays dobro while Spear plays
12-string and baritone. I was thrilled to
hear “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” a retelling
of Robert W. Service’s poem which I had not
heard since my high school literature class.The raucous closer, “Time Machine Weed,” is a
bluegrass delight with The Surreal
Banditos providing musical support.
Dusty Streets is indeed a change of pace for Jon
Spear, but it’s an entertaining one that
certainly deserves to be heard. The musicianship
is wonderful, Spear is a great songwriter in any
genre, and his warm vocals are a perfect fit for
these songs.
--- Graham Clarke
The McNaMarr Project is the creation of
Australians Andrea Marr (vocals) and John
McNamara (vocals/lead guitar). I reviewed
McNamara’s marvelous 2017 release Rollin’ With
It and Marr’s impressive Natural from the same
year. Both artists won multiple Australian Blues
Music Award for their 2017 efforts and are
much-loved in the Land Down Under. Based on
their recent collaboration, Holla & Moan, they
will soon be expanding their fan base
considerably on a worldwide basis.
Recorded at the famed Royal Studios in Memphis,
the duo enlisted an all-star cast of Bluff City
blues and soul icons --- drummer Willie Hall,
keyboardist Lester Snell, guitarist Bobby
Manuel, bassist Ray Griffin, and a pristine horn
section of Scott Thompson (trumpet), Lannie
McMillan (tenor sax), and Jim Spake (baritone
sax). The combination of the musicians and the
ten new songs, all penned by McNamara and Farr,
successfully capture the spirit and groove of
the legendary Stax Records.
The energetic title tune gets the disc off to a
rousing start. McNamara and Farr swap vocals on
this and the other selections and their styles
play off each other very well, a perfect mix of
blues and soul. The deep Southern soul ballad,
“Missing You,” is top notch, and “Throwing Down A
Little Love” simmers along at a slow burn, while
the ballad “History” sounds like a tune right
out of the Stax catalog.
The catchy “Cry With Me” blends a bit of Stax
and Motown, and the horn-fueled “Keep It
Rollin’” leaves a little room for McNamara’s
distinctive guitar work. “Can You Take The Heat”
would have been a solid fit in Sam and Dave’s
repertoire, and the ballad “No More Chains” is
potent. “Something That’s Real” is a beautiful
love ballad. The closer, “Blues Brought Me
Here,” combines blues and soul with gospel,
acknowledging a few blues legends in the
process.
While John McNamara and Andrea Marr are dynamite
individually, their collaboration as The
McNaMarr Project is really something special. If
vintage soul and blues is your bag, you
definitely need to give Holla & Moan a spin.
--- Graham Clarke
Michael Bloom was born in Chicago, so maybe that
accounts for his love of the blues. He’s been
writing and playing the blues for most of his
life, influenced by Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed,
Mississippi John Hurt, Otis Rush and B.B. King,
Muddy Waters and Little Milton. He backed Mary
Lane on guitar during his recent stint in
Chicago, where he also recorded Whisper In The
Wind as Michael Bloom and the Blues Prophecy
(Bloom – vocals/guitar, Jeffery Labon – bass,
and Andrew “Blaze” Thomas – drums).
Whisper In The Wind includes
11 songs,
covers from Furry Lewis, Johnny Copeland, and
Robert Johnson, and eight originals written by
Bloom. Guest musicians include Ms. Lane, who
sings on two tracks, guitarists Minuro Maruyama,
Michael Damani, Tim Arnold, and Jono Manson,
keyboardist Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi, Brant
Leeper, and Michael Damani, and vocalist
Kristina Campbell.
“Time On My Hands” opens the disc, with Bloom
offering scorching slide guitar, and Lane joins
Bloom on vocals on the swampy title track. “Just
Can’t Win” is a sturdy contemporary blues track
with strong, soaring fretwork. “I Remember Love”
is a more traditional blues with some
sterling keyboard work from Leeper, and Furry
Lewis’ “Brownsville” gets a cool, modern update
with more great slide guitar from Bloom.
Copeland’s “Old Man Blues” allows some fine slow
burn soloing.
The love song, “Till I Met You,” has a bit of a
pop flavor, and “No Luck At All” is a solid
blues with a funky edge. The instrumental, “Lisa,”
packs a southern rock wallop, and the clever, “I Ain’t Got The Blues,” shows the blues from a
unique perspective. The closer is the blues
standard, “Dust My Broom,” with vocals from Lane, piano from Damani and splendid slide work
from Bloom.
Whisper In The Wind is a solid set of
traditional and contemporary blues, delivered
with style from Michael Bloom and the Blues
Prophecy. Bloom is a talented tunesmith,
guitarist, and vocalist, and hopefully, we’ll
hear more from him soon.
--- Graham Clarke
Leslie Bixler has had a diverse career,
beginning as a singer/songwriter in her early
20s. She released a smooth jazz album (as
Leslie Letven) that made the charts. She also
released an album with her husband, Bill Bixler
(of the Wild Blue Band). After her son was born
she focused on children’s music, releasing two
albums with Dick Van Dyke and winning a parent’s
choice award. After her son was grown, she fell
in love with the blues, spending time in
Clarksdale, and from there she began
collaborating with Ralph Carter (formerly with
Eddie Money and co-author of “Shakin’”).
Now recording as
Miss Bix & The Blues Fix, Bixler has released
We Don’t Own The Blues, with
Carter serving as co-producer (also playing
guitar, bass, drums, keys on assorted tracks),
and a host of talented musicians contributing –
Franck Goldwasser and John “J.T.” Thomas
(guitar), R.J. Mischo and Brian Calway
(harmonica), and Gary Mallaber (drums). Bixler
wrote all 12 songs, with Carter contributing
to two.
The album opens with “Follow Me Down,” a swampy
blues, followed by “Slave To The Grave,” a
defiant slow burner. The shuffle, “If You’re
Doing What I’m Thinking,” picks up the pace with
stinging lead work from Goldwasser and Mischo’s
harp. Goldwasser’s fret work also shines on the
churning blues, “Gotta Get Off This Ride,” and
the band sets a menacing tone to “Black Widow,”
with Bixler seeking retribution for her
mistreatment.
The ethereal “Voodoo Man” captures the sweaty,
swampy essence of the Mississippi Delta, and
Bixler’s seductive vocal carries the steamy
“Crazy About You.” “You’re A Child” is a driving
blues rocker with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer
Chad Smith (who worked with Bixler on her
children’s albums) sitting in. The title track
is a lively look at love found and lost, and how
everybody’s susceptible to both. Bixler
really pours it on for the heartrending ballad,
“It Wasn’t Me.” Bill Bixler plays sax on the
funky R&B track, “Baby Come Back,” and the album
closes with the pensive “All The Time.”
Miss Bix’s trip to Clarksdale was a very
successful one. We Don’t Own The Blues does a
wonderful job of conveying the sound and feel of
Mississippi blues and roots music. She has a
wonderful voice for this material and is a fine
songwriter, making this album worth checking
out.
--- Graham Clarke
The Starlite Campbell Band recently released
“Stone Cold Crazy,” the first single from their
upcoming album, The Language of Curiosity (due
October, 2020). The band’s previous release,
2017’s Blueberry Pie, married the blues with
undertones of rock, jazz, R&B, soul, and folk
music, similar to the British blues bands of the
late ’60s/early ’70s, and based on the
energetic, driving blues rock qualities of
“Stone Cold Crazy,” the new album should be on
everyone’s 'must buy' list. It’s definitely a
throwback to much simpler times and should
serve as a nice preview for the rest of the
album. You can check out the single (and
pre-order the album) at the band’s
website.
--- Graham Clarke
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