If you have a Fred’s in your town, I strongly
encourage you to stop by and pick up one of the most
enjoyable blues CDs of the year. That’s
right…..Fred’s has copies on hand of Chikadelic
(Bluestown Records), the latest CD by the one and
only Super Chikan. Obviously, the reason for
this unlikely partnership is due to Chikan’s latest
masterwork, “Fred’s Dollar Store.” The Fred’s
franchise was so tickled about the free pub that
they reached a licensing agreement where Chikan
serves as their spokesman. How’s that for a nice
story.
As mentioned above, Chikadelic is a
rollicking good time, which is to be expected on any
Super Chikan release. The disc was recorded in
Norway at Notodden’s Juke Joint Studios, a studio
used previously by artists like Louisiana Red,
Pinetop Perkins, and Jeremy Spencer. Produced by
Norwegian harmonica ace Jostein Forsberg (who also
contributes some delta-flavored harp) the disc still
sounds like it was recorded deep in the Mississippi
Delta. The band includes Morten Omlid on guitar,
Jens Haugen on bass, and Eskild Aasland on drums.
If you’re familiar with Super Chikan, you know that
not only can he write a song about anything; he can
also make it fun to listen to. His blues is typical
of most Mississippi Delta Blues these days in that
it incorporates soul and funk as well. “Ain’t
Nobody” is a funky, crowd-pleasing opening cut,
while “Hey Super Chikan” brings the Bo Diddley beat
into the 21st Century. “Juke Joint Saturday Night”
is a mix of the delta with a slick Memphis groove,
and “Front Porch Boogie” is a rocker that belies its
downhomey title.
“Hello Mississippi” relates the joy of returning
home from the road. “Bad Ass Bass” is a hilarious
variation of the classic “Catfish Blues” theme, and
“School In The Field” is also pretty funny, too,
talking about the “school of life” that most Delta
musicians get most of their education. “Eyeball
Blues” and “Dance, Rock, & Sway” are two clever
originals that close out the disc in upbeat fashion.
There are also a couple of remakes, the Chikan
standards, “Down In The Delta,” and “Shoot That
Thing.”
If you’re a Super Chikan fan, you already have this
or want it. For those blues fans unfamiliar with the
man and his music, this is a great place to start.
You can even stop by your local Fred’s and pick it
up…..for a discount price, of course.
--- Graham Clarke
Last fall, Larry Garner recorded an
appearance at the Tivoli Theatre in the U.K. with
British blues mainstay Norman Beaker. Blues Bytes
readers are familiar with Garner, but maybe not so
much with Beaker, who has been deeply involved in
the British blues scene since the late ’60s as a
performer and producer. Joined by a first-rate band
(Dave Baldwin – keyboards; John Price – bass; Steve
Gibson – drums; Kim Nishikawara – saxes; Stephen
“Howie” Hallworth – trumpet/flugel horn) on Live
at the Tivoli, Garner and
Beaker have themselves a good old time playing some
of their favorites to an appreciative audience.
The set actually serves as a “greatest hits” of
sorts for Garner, who reaches back to some tunes
from his earlier JSP recordings (“No Free Rides,”
Scared of You,” “Shak Bully”), a few from his mid
’90s period with Verve and Evidence (“Jook Joint
Woman,” “The Road of Life,” “Had To Quit Drinking,”
“Kleptomaniac,”), and a couple from his newer
material (Henry Gray’s “Cold Chills,” “Heavy
Pieces,” Raised In The Country”). He gives a smooth,
relaxed performance. He’s perfectly at home in front
of this audience, even sharing a few amusing stories
with them along the way.
Beaker provides excellent support, contributes some
solid guitar work, and even takes the microphone for
a couple of his own songs (“Option On You Baby” and
“Lies Like A River”). He and Garner work
exceptionally well together. The band also does a
fine job, complementing each of the front men
equally well.
This is a well-recorded performance that will
definitely please fans of Garner and Beaker. For
newcomers, it’s a nice introduction to the music of
Larry Garner. The only thing better would have been
a DVD of the proceedings. Oh well, maybe next time.
The CD can be purchased from Beaker’s
website.
--- Graham Clarke
Eddie Turner has been playing the blues since
the ’70s, including stints with Tracy Nelson, Mother
Earth, the 4-nikators, and, most memorably, with the
Otis Taylor Band. Since 2005, he has released a pair
of memorable and well-received albums for
NorthernBlues Music. His third, and latest, release
for the label, the much-anticipated Miracles &
Demons, continues his hot streak.
The disc is split up into “Side One” and “Side Two.”
Side One highlight tracks include “Booty Bumpin’,”
the opening cut, which is a funky shuffle that gets
things off to a fine start. The slow blues, “I’m A
Good Man,” is next, with Turner making his case
backed by his sharp guitar fills and sparse
instrumentation. “Say” mixes funk, psychedelic, and
some raw slide guitar, and the swampy blues of “Ride
A Painted Pony” sounds like an imaginary Jimi
Hendrix session for Excello Records. The title cut
(Part One) ends the first half of the disc with what
can best be described as psychedelic Hill Country
groove.
Side Two (resist the urge to take the disc out of
your stereo and flip it over) kicks off with “I
Remember,” a mournful R&B track with a soaring
guitar break from Turner. “Blues Fall Down Like
Rain” is another highlight, with its insistent
groove, and “Monkey See, Monkey Do” is an
entertaining tune that Turner plays up to the hilt
with an exaggerated vocal and swagger. “Mr. Blues”
is a menacing slow track, with Turner’s guitar
starting out acoustic and turning into furious,
unbridled electric rage at the end of each verse.
Part Two of the title track wraps things up, much
longer and more intense on the second run with some
hair-raising guitar that threatens to blow out your
speakers.
It’s been over four years since Turner’s last
release, so the arrival of Miracles & Demons
is a welcome sight to his ever-growing fan base. It
should also draw a lot of new listeners as well with
its eclectic mix of blues, rock, psychedelia, and
funky R&B. Eddie Turner waited a while to get
started on the solo track, but the results, so far,
have been rewarding.
--- Graham Clarke
Cee Cee James has turned some heads recently
with her release on Blue Skunk Records, Low Down
Where The Snakes Crawl, which charted on both
the Living Blues Charts and the Roots Music
Report and is still being played quite a bit.
Striking while the iron is hot, James has released
Seriously Raw (FWG Records), an electrifying
live set recorded at the Sunbanks R&B Festival in
2009.
James starts the set with “Crossroad Blues,” which
is punctuated with some smooth slide guitar by Rob
“Slide Boy” Andrews, and a funky version of Willie
Dixon’s “I Ain’t Superstitious.” Next up is a pair
of her own songs, “Make It To The Other Side,” from
her recent album, and “I Got A Right To Sing The
Blues,” where the intensity really starts to build
with her performance. “Give Me Back My Wig” is taken
at a breakneck pace and probably had the audience
moving, and “Done Love Wrong,” another James
composition, is an intense eight minute slow burner.
James’ vocal style is similar at times to Janis
Joplin, so it’s only appropriate that she tackles a
couple of Joplin tracks (“Mercedes Benz” and “Me and
Bobby McGee”).
The rest of the set consists of classic blues tunes.
Muddy Waters’ “I Just Want To Make Love To You” gets
a funky reworking, and the B. B. King standard,
“Rock Me Baby,” gets a feral makeover. The remaining
tracks are Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits,”
Luther Allison’s “Living In The House of The Blues,”
and “Going Down,” which closes things out strongly
with James encouraging the audience to sing along.
Don’t push that stop button, because there’s a bonus
track included….about seven minutes of James’
conversations with the audience between songs. It’s
pretty neat to hear and shows that James has a great
rapport with her audience. She also has an
impressive band, with Andrews and Jason Childs both
dazzling on guitar, and a rock-solid rhythm section
of Chris Leighton on drums and Dan Mohler on bass.
Seriously Raw is a fitting title for this
disc. Cee Cee James gives a stunning performance in
front of an appreciative crowd. Visit her
website to check out song clips and to purchase
the disc. You’ll be glad you did.
--- Graham Clarke
Albert Castiglia’s fifth album, Keepin’ On
(Blue Leaf Records), is a high-energy set of blues
in the tradition of his previous releases that shows
the Miami native continuing to develop as a
top-of-the-line composer, guitarist, and singer. His
solo career is now in its eighth year after a stint
as Junior Wells’ lead guitarist and with Sandra
Hall. He was nominated for a Blues Music Award for
2008’s Song of the Year for his “Bad Year Blues,”
from his previous release, These Are The Days.
Castiglia opens with a powerful version of Albert
King’s “Cadillac Assembly Line,” then launches into
a blistering version of Bob Dylan’s “Till I Fell In
Love With You.” Among the other cover tunes are a
fine acoustic take on Robert Nighthawk’s “Murderin’
Blues,” that features Toby Walker on dobro, Peter
Green’s “I Could Not Ask For More,” a slow burner
with Sandy Mack guesting on harmonica, T-Bone
Walker’s “My Baby Is Now On My Mind,” which gets a
funky reworking, and John Lee Hooker’s Delta boogie
workout “Goin’ Upstairs” gets an amped-up reworking.
Castiglia also contributed five original
compositions, which include the swampy “Keep On
Keepin’ On,” “Sweet Southern Angel,” another
acoustic track with Walker on dobro, the smooth
instrumental, “Mojo 305,” and the mournful “Closing
Time,” which closes the disc.
The rhythm section of AJ Kelly (bass) and Bob Amsel
(drums) are steady and dependable and allow
Castiglia plenty of room to shine on guitar. In
addition to Walker and Mack, other contributors
include Bill “Mighty” Quinn (B3 and piano), Emedin
Rivera (congas, cyclone shaker), and Nicole Hart
(background vocals).
Keepin’ On is an appropriate title for Albert
Castiglia’s latest disc. He’s maintaining his path
to the upper echelon of blues performers, continuing
to improve with each release. This is his best
effort so far.
--- Graham Clarke
Beth McKee got her start in music playing
piano in church in her native Mississippi. She honed
her craft playing the blues on the chitlin’ circuit
and eventually ended up a member of the country-cajun
group Evangeline. Her first solo project, I’m
That Way (Solo2 Productions), focuses on the
music of a Louisiana music icon, Bobby Charles, who
wrote such classic hits as “See You Later
Alligator,” “But I Do,” and “Walking To New
Orleans.”
Listening to McKee sing these songs, it’s obvious
that she really has an affinity for this type of
music. She has an easy, but exuberant style that
really grabs your attention. She really tears
through Charles’ catalog, too. “See You Later,
Alligator” is a fun romp with a delightful piano
break from McKee. Her vocal on “But I Do” is
somewhat melancholy, but still hopeful, and her
interpretation of “Tennessee Blues” is achingly
beautiful.
The title cut sounds like a ’60s swamp rocker with
the cool background vocals and McKee’s lusty vocal.
“Small Town Talk” has a country-soul feel to it, and
“Walking To New Orleans” has an easy Crescent City
groove, punctuated by some soulful sax. “Last Train
To Memphis” brings things back to the blues, and the
closer, “I Don’t See Me,” is a sad ballad that
features a heartfelt vocal by McKee (who also plays
accordion on the track).
McKee is supported by a stellar group of musicians,
including husband and co-producer Juan Perez
(drums/percussion), Tommy Calton (guitars), Tony
Battaglia (electric and slide guitar/bass), Tim
Kelliher (guitars/ukulele), Gery Wilhelm (bass,
backing vocals), Barry Dean (bass), Charles DeChant
(sax/harmonica), Jerry Embree (sax), Bill Delk (B3),
and Abdias Garcia (backing vocals).
I’m That Way was released in 2009, so Charles
had an opportunity to hear it before his death in
early 2010. He and McKee became good friends. McKee
sang with Charles on the track, “You Will Always
Live Inside of Me,” for his last album, released in
February. I’m That Way is a terrific album of
Louisiana R&B that is done with passion and love
that you will find yourself listening to over and
over again.
--- Graham Clarke
Ron Hacker didn’t start playing guitar until
he was 27 years old, but he has certainly made up
for lost time during the ensuing few decades. A
slide guitarist extraordinaire, his influences
include Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell, Lightnin’
Hopkins, Elmore James, Yank Rachell, and R.L.
Burnside. Hacker has played all the major festivals
in Northern California and several festivals in
Europe. Teaming with his powerhouse rhythm section,
the Hacksaws (Artis Joyce – bass, Ronnie Smith),
Hacker has unleashed a winner with his latest disc,
Burnin’, (Blue Skunk Music).
Burnin’ is a tantalizing mix of covers
(sometimes obscure) that Hacker has been playing for
years, along with some strong original compositions.
The common factor in each tune is Hacker’s scorching
slide guitar and his weathered vocals. Highlights
include tracks like the rough and rowdy opening
cover of Robert Johnson’s “32/20,” Yank Rachell’s
“Peach Tree Blues,” Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Welfare
Store,” Leadbelly’s “Keep Your Hands Off Her,”
Sleepy John Estes’ “Broke and Hungry,” and a spot-on
version of ZZ Top’s “Fool For Your Stockings” that
takes the blues-rock original deep into the Delta.
The original compositions are a smooth fit with the
diverse set of covers. “Prison Blues” and “Mailman
Blues” are Delta-flavored tracks, one mid-tempo and
the other a slow burner. The title track closes the
disc and is a slide guitar tour de force that
grooves hard, thanks to Joyce and Smith’s stellar
support.
Burnin’ is a super set of blues showcasing
some dynamite slide guitar work. With their highly
original interpretations of older blues songs and
some clever original tracks, Ron Hacker and the
Hacksaws deserve to be heard and this disc is well
worth tracking down.
--- Graham Clarke
Bluestopia, the fourth and latest release by
Chaz DePaolo on Blue Skunk Music, offers a
wide-ranging mix blues styles, ranging from New York
to Chicago all the way down to the Mississippi
Delta. DePaolo is an acclaimed New York-based
singer/guitarist who has toured extensively in the
U.S., Canada, and Europe.
The opening cut, Albert King’s “Down So Long,” gets
a upbeat treatment, with some great sax work from
Robert Chaseman and inspired guitar work from
DePaolo. Other standout tracks include the slow
blues, “Woman In A Black Dress,” the jumping blues
instrumental, “Look At That Girl,” and Rosco
Gordon’s classic “No More Doggin’.”
“Pearly Gates” allows DePaolo to show off his
acoustic slide guitar work, and ranks with “It’s Not
You It’s Me” as the best of the original
compositions on the disc. The title cut is the final
track on the disc, an instrumental that features
some fantastic interplay between DePaolo’s liquid
slide guitar and Jason Ricci’s harmonica.
Bluestopia is an excellent disc that shows
Chaz DePaolo is adept at several different blues
styles. His guitar work and singing is first-rate
and he’s developing into a solid songwriter. You’ll
be hearing more from him in the coming years.
--- Graham Clarke
Stuck With The Blues (ManHatTone Records),
the second release by Brad Vickers & His
Vestapolitans, finds the band expanding on the
foundation established with their first release,
Le Blues Hot. Like that earlier release, the new
disc features some fine vintage blues and roots
music, but expands into Chicago blues, Mississippi
Delta blues, ragtime, and even Hill Country blues
with satisfying results.
The Vestapolitans are a versatile, talented crew of
multi-instrumentalists. They include Margey Peters
(bass, fiddle, vocals), Jim Davis (clarinet, tenor
sax), Matt Cowan (baritone sax), Arne Englund
(electric/acoustic guitars, piano), Bill Rankin
(drums), V.D. King (guitar, percussion, vocals), and
producer/guitarist Dave Gross, who plays upright
bass on several tracks.
The title cut, an old timey Chicago blues shuffle,
opens the disc. One of Vickers’ musical idols is
Tampa Red and the group does a lively version of
Red’s “I’m Betting On You.” The next cut, “Cold
Fish,” features guitarist Bobby Radcliff laying down
some sharp Hubert Sumlin-flavored licks. The Chicago
influence continues with a couple of Jimmy Reed
tracks (“Can’t Stand To See You Go” and “I’m A Love
You”), and the Reed-influenced “Coming And Going,”
with Radcliff channeling Magic Sam on guitar.
Other highlights include “Vestapol Rag,” a cool
instrumental with some nice acoustic guitar from
Vickers, and a couple of tracks that pay tribute to
Chuck Berry (“What About Me,” penned by Vickers, and
Berry’s own, “Jaguar And The Thunderbird”), and a
dandy pair of Crescent City-flavored tracks (Jelly
Roll Morton’s “Winding Boy” and “I Want To Tell You
Right Now,” a slice of New Orleans R&B in the Fats
Domino tradition).
Vickers and band tackle a diverse set of musical
styles on this release, but it all fits together
seamlessly. Stuck With The Blues is another
winner that will be welcome in any blues fan’s
collection.
--- Graham Clarke
For a rousing set of good time piano-based blues,
look no further than The Steve Wiggins Band’s
newest CD, Precious Cargo (Roosterfish
Records). Recorded live at the Marina Civic Center
in Panama City, FL, the band is in excellent form
and offers up a crowd-pleasing set of original
compositions, instrumentals and some choice
standards.
Steve Wiggins has been making music since the mid
’70s, inspired by keyboardists like Gregg Allman,
Chuck Leavell, and Jimmy Smith. He’s played with
Allman, John Lee Hooker, and Tab Benoit, among
others, and has recorded three discs of easy
listening music.
Precious Cargo is his first official blues
release. With an inspired band consisting of lead
singer/drummer Lenwood Cherry, Jr., bass player
Bruce Hebert, and saxman Wally Tirado providing
strong support, Wiggins kicks things off with
“Steve’s Boogie,” a rocking instrumental that really
starts things off with a bang. Wiggins shines on two
other instrumentals, the soul/jazz workout,
“Roosterfish,” and Herbie Hancock’s classic,
“Watermelon Man.”
Hebert handles lead vocals on two tracks, which
include an interesting cover of “Cold Shot” (sans
electric guitar) and James Taylor’s “Steam Roller.”
Drummer Cherry sings on six of the 11 tracks, which
include a trio of strong originals (the funky “Doin’
My Thing,” “Black Cat Woman,” and “My Last Tear”),
and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
Closing things out is a studio version of “Doin’ My
Thing,” which adds former Allman Brothers bass
player David Goldflies and Ted Shumate on electric
guitar.
Precious Cargo is sure to please fans of
high-energy blues and boogie. Check out the disc at
CDBaby and the band at their
website.
--- Graham Clarke
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Small Blues Trap never ceases to amaze me
with their feel for the blues – they might be from
Greece, rather than Mississippi, but they know what
the blues is all about – they play it and they write
it.
The band was formed in 2004, led by
guitarist/vocalist Paul Karapiperis. On Red
Snakes & Cave Bats (Home Studio Records), their
fifth CD by my count, they show that they are
continuing to progress in the blues. The 13 original
tracks on this album go to prove that point.
The CD opens with “Mr.Jack,” a medium tempo driving
blues with Paul Karapiperis playing some inspired
harmonica along with the vocals on the track that he
wrote in conjunction with bass player Lefteris
Besios. “The Sky Will Always Be Blue” follows, with
a very subtle hint of backing riff on “Don’t Fear
The Reaper,” this one written by Karapiperis with
talented guitarist Panagiotis Daras. Karapiperis
again picks up his harmonica to add some depth to
the track.
All of Small Blues Trap’s CDs contain an odd track,
sometimes strange sound effects, sometimes strange
vocals, and track three, “This Train Is Full Of
Madness,” fulfills this task on Red Snakes & Cave
Bats. It’s a track with some very accomplished
guitar work by Panagiotis Daras, and some strange
lyrics about people going out of their minds on a
train – weird, but it works!
“Strange Melody” is a slow ballad with Karapiperis
playing keyboards and drummer Stathis Evangellou
laying down a nice relaxed backing behind the bass
of Besios and guitar of Daras. The tempo then picks
up a bit with Karapiperis on harmonica again on
“It’s True.”
The CD moves through different tempos and styles
from there on, a great mix of blues, from the boogie
beat of “It Took Me A Long Time” through the slow
and moody “Roy B” to the acoustic “Surely My Body
Gets The Message” and the slide guitar led “Buy A
Dog,” the latter which closes the album.
If you want to listen to some different blues, or
proof that the blues is alive in Europe, then have a
listen to this CD.
--- Terry Clear
Jose
Alvarez is a native of Mexico City whose
formative blues years were spent on the Syracuse,
New York blues scene. While his more recent work has
been with Terrance Simien's zydeco ensemble, Alvarez
returned to the Syracuse area to record his first
solo release, Diggin In (Toluca Rocket
Music), and is backed by one of his former bands,
Los Blancos, as well as guest stars by Simien,
Kingsnakes harmonica player Pete McMahon, and
others.
Alvarez is a talented guitarist versatile in a wide
range of styles. He shows off his licks on the
opening instrumental, "Fennel St. Frost," a blues
shuffle done originally by Albert Collins, and on
his own "Kaffe," a Latin jazzy thing.
One of my favorites on Diggin In is the nice
rendition of Taj Mahal's "Queen Bee," with Colin
Aberdeen on vocals. At first it sounds a little too
much like Taj's version to invite comparison to the
original, but then Simien's accordion, Will Terry's
tenor sax and Mark Nanni's Hammond B-3 accompaniment
put an original spin on the number.
Aberdeen's original "I'll Be Your Man" starts with
Alvarez playing a bit of a "Stairway to Heaven"
guitar lick before turning into a slow, lounge-y
blues that, at over eight minutes, goes on too long.
Despite Alvarez's tasteful guitar licks, Aberdeen's
vocals aren't strong enough to maintain interest
over this span of time.
Terry is featured with on "Down at Turner's Lounge,"
a jazzy shuffle written by Alvarez that also gives
Aberdeen a good piano solo.
McMahon steps to the front of the bandstand,
handling both vocals and harmonica, on Joe Beard's
downhome blues, "Lay For Me Sometime." This is one
of the better cuts on the CD.
Diggin In closes with a mid-tempo jazzy
instrumental, "503 Beacon Street," that gives
Alvarez one more chance to show off his guitar work.
He's skilled in wide range of styles, which actually
works against him on this disc. I enjoyed most of
the cuts on the album. But with the constant jump
from jazz to Chicago blues to New Orleans blues to
country blues and back again, there's not the
cohesive flow to the album that allows the listener
to get into a steady groove.
Still, Alvarez is a talented artist with a good
future ahead of him, and Diggin In is worth
the search.
--- Bill Mitchell
Billy
Price traveled to France in 2009 to team up with
local guitarist Fred Chapellier, with the
results of their collaboration being the fine album
Night Work (reviewed in the
September 2009 issue). In addition to hitting
the studio to record Night Work, the pair
also did a concert at Espace Manuréva in
Charleville-Mézières. The result of that evening of
music is a CD/DVD combo, Live On Stage - Night
Work Tour (DixieFrog Records).
There's some overlap with the prior studio album,
but it's good to have "live" versions of standards
like "Don't Let My Baby Ride" and "Love And
Happiness," and of course the title cut, "Night
Work," shows up again. Bottom line is that there is
enough different material between the studio and
live albums that shouldn't discourage fans of these
artists to own both sets. The live CD has 11 cuts
while the concert DVD is longer at 16 songs.
As I documented in the review of the studio album,
Price and Chapellier work very well together. It
came across in the studio album, and is now more
evident in this live set.
Price is always at his best when reprising hits from
the Duke/Peacock Records catalog. Here he includes
his obligatory O.V. Wright tributes with "Don't Let
My Baby Ride" and "A Nickel And A Nail," plus
versions of Bobby Bland hits "Good Time Charlie" and
"Further On Up The Road" (the latter on DVD only).
They also bring back Al Green's classic "Love And
Happiness" from the studio disc. It's a great
version and different enough from the original that
they won't get labeled as mere imitators.
While Price is the front man on this live recording,
Chapellier gets plenty of face time by showing off
his guitar expertise throughout the session,
especially on "She Left Me With These Blues," "I'll
Take Care Of You" and "Under The Influence." Price's
always top-notch vocals are especially powerful on
the latter cut.
The sound quality on both discs is excellent. While
I'm only an armchair film critic, the camera work on
the DVD and the effective use of lighting is good.
In concluding my review of the studio CD last year,
I expressed the hope that we would soon hear more
from the combination of Price and Chapellier. Little
did I know that they would get something out this
quickly. This set is a keeper --- a treat for both
the eyes and ears.
--- Bill Mitchell
