Laura
Rain and the Caesars hinted at things to come
with their brilliant debut from last year, Closer.
Gold (LRC Records) pays off on the promise.
With her partner in crime, guitar monster George
Friend, Laura Rain has fashioned a super-charged
blues/rock/soul kinda thing. To call it impressive
is an understatement.
The
opener, "Work So Hard," a working person’s anthem,
could be the theme for the disc. “They look you in
the eye/but they are blind to your smile…you work so
hard, hard, hard every day.” "Hard Times" follows
that same theme. “You got some hard times comin/you
got to pay your dues.” Friend’s shimmering guitar
accents Rain’s aching vocals. Much of her appeal is
that she doesn’t just sing a song, she moves into
and wears it.
"You Can’t Stop" has a fuzzy guitar sound while Rain
wonders “how do I lose you?” Her vocals match the
intensity of the guitar-bass-drums. “Where do I
stop/how does it stop?” And then it stops abruptly.
Clever.
On
the title cut she sings “you stand alone/it’s never
easy but your spirit stands strong.” The horns
(Johnny Evans – tenor, Mark Kierne – baritone, John
Douglas – trumpet) and rhythm (Daryl Pierce – drums,
James Simonson, bass) propel the upbeat number.
"Guilty Me" is a bluesy piece on which Friend and
company compliment the pliable Rain. She sings, “I
don’t think I’m out of this yet,” a tale of an
unfaithful wife. She is emotive and convincing. This
is a woman with a strong voice and writes songs that
help magnify that. Soul music, yes. I hear the
influences – Chaka and Patti LaBelle?
"Lonely Girl" is Detroit-bad. “Why did you lie to
be/feeling alone on the brink of my sanity/why
didn’t you tell me the truth/I didn’t about your
other girl.” This is …just jaw-dropping. "Ring On
The Table," with the great Leonard King on drums,
features an almost recited lyric (“I’m gonna leave
my ring on the table/and walk out of here.”).
"Better Than Me," with a superb baritone accent,
showcases Rains range.
Bluesy, soulful, jazz accents and dipped in a deep
soul batter, this is a monster of a record.
---
Mark E. Gallo
Last summer Zac
Harmon presided over what was the finest Gospel
Review in the history of Blues from the Top and I
was happy to see him at his finest, leading the
congregation with a stage full of amazing artists.
Now bear in mind that my brother does have a touch
of the Devil in him and can sweet talk a woman with
the best of us. Zac brings all that and more to his
latest release on Blind Pig Records, Right Man,
Right Now. With a little help from his friends:
Bobby Rush; Lucky Peterson; Anson Funderburgh and
Kim Wilson; Zac delivers what is arguably his finest
record to date. Let’s hit play and let this
Mississippi Bluesman do his thing.
So of course Zac opens with a song entitled,
“Raising Hell,” and I rest my case. Zac is letting
us all know he’s bringing the band to town and it’s
nothing but a good time. “Now get behind me,
Satan…we’re about to raise some hell.” Zac’s got a
crack band behind him with Cedric Goodman on the
drum kit, Buthel on the bass and Cory Lacy on keys.
It ain’t nothing but a “low down throw down” and it
doesn’t hurt to have Lucky Peterson wielding his
organ on the tune as well. We segue on to “Ball and
Chain,” a tune that finds Zac in a relationship that
just isn’t working for him. It’s not looking good
and Zac doesn’t have a whole lot of options here,
“I’d rather be alone…cause this woman’s
insane…seasons never change…this is my ball and
chain.” She’s definitely caused Zac a tremendous
amount of pain and hopefully this relationship ends
sooner than later for Zac’s sake.
I did mention that Zac
does have a touch of the devil in him, right? Our
next tune proves me right, with an assist from Bobby
Rush, as they tackle “Hump in your Back.” Zac’s playing a mean intro to the tune and Cory’s
keys are working their magic as well. “The doctor
said…I’ve got just what the girls want…to bring them
to their knees…so let me…let me baby, put a hump in
your back.” Whatever I postulate about Zac and Bobby
from here, only gets me into more trouble, so let me
just say this, “the doctor was right about both of
them.”
Buthel’s bass and Zac’s exquisite guitar notes lead
us into “Stand Your Ground,” and here Zac is
wondering why his woman is treating him as badly as
she does. She evidently doesn’t trust Zac and is
taking it out on him, “Tell me why…you shoot me
down...you shoot me down for no reason…just to stand
your ground.” I’m really enjoying Zac’s guitar work
here and the back end is as steady as can be with
Cedric and Buthel in complete control.
The title
track, “Right Man, Right Now,” is next and here we
find Zac pleading his case for the object of his
affections. “You want Mr. Perfect, baby…maybe, I’m
not that close…but right now, baby…I’m the man you
need the most.” You do remember I also said Zac was
a sweet talker as well, right?” Zac may definitely
not be Mr. Right, but he will take good care of you
until Mr. Right comes along. Our next track, “Feet
Back on the Ground,” finds Zac at his soulful best.
“I’ve been out so long…like a ship out on the
sea…looking for love, baby…love that’s eluded
me…thank God I got you around…to put my feet back on
the ground.” ”Feet Back on the Ground” is a really
beautiful ballad and the leading contender for my
favorite tune on Zac’s new disc.
A little funk never hurt anyone and that’s the
feeling we get next from “Long Live the Blues,” a
commentary on Zac’s view of the music business and
how folks distort the industry to their own ends.
Folks can mess with music but they can’t mess with
Zac. “Well…they keep on trying…but I’m
testifying…they can’t make it real…cause it’s in my
blood…the Mississippi mud…now let me tell you how I
feel…long, long live the blues…the blues is here to
stay…long, long lives the blues…they ain’t going to
take it away.” Zac continues his social commentary
with “Back of the Yards,” a tune about the
difficulties growing up in a bad neighborhood. “Back
of the yards…life is hard…back of the yards…you
can’t get no start…you better be on your guard…in
the back of the yards”. It takes real courage and
determination to rise above your life’s
circumstances at times, but the rewards are real and
they’re much better than living in “the back of the
yards.”
Kim Wilson's harp finally makes its appearance with
the intro to our next cut, “I’m Bad Like Jesse
James,” and Zac telling a story of him helping a
friend in need. A friend who stabs him in the back,
of course. As Zac tells it, “About six months went
by…and I found out…he’d been running around telling
everybody…that he got my wife…so I goes to the
cat…like a good man should…now, I’m going to warn
you…just one time…the next time I have to warn
you…I’m going to use my gun…I’m bad…like Jesse
James.” Zac’s the man in charge and whatever he
orders his home boys to do to his friend…they will
do.
Mike Finnegan’s on the keyboards for Zac’s next
tune, a cover of a Little Milton song, “Ain’t No Big
Deal On You.” A relationship went south and Zac
worked his way through it without any help from the
woman in question, “The way I look at it now…ain’t
no big deal on you.”
Hand clapping, Cory’s piano and Zac’s Strat
lead us to the final cut of the disc, “Good Thing
Found.” Zac has managed to find a woman
to love and she’s refusing his advances to a degree.
“Soon we were more than just friends…love was in the
air….I wanted some kind of commitment…but you
didn’t really care…I’m going to tell the world…that
you’re not around…I’m so tired of standing on shaky
ground…when a bad love is lost and it’s gone…that’s
a good thing found.’ Amen, brother Zac! You’re
preaching to the choir here.
Zac Harmon is one of the few artists we have in
Blues today who bridges that gap between Bobby Blue
Bland, Little Milton and others by bringing his
brand of soul blues music to the world. Right Man,
Right Now is a play on a topic of a different
matter, but it also applies to Zac’s position in the
Blues community today. In some respects he really
is the right man at the right time for the Blues he
loves to play. Kudos to Blind Pig Records for
supporting Zac’s project and bringing it to
fruition.
You can find out more about Zac, the band,
their schedule and grab a copy of Right Man, Right
Now by heading over to his website at
www.zacharmon.com. Zac’s disc was produced under the
watchful eye of one Anson Funderburgh, and they
definitely hit a home run here.
--- Kyle Deibler
Hmm. I'm familiar with
The Jimmys as being one of the Midwest's top
bands by virtue of event posters my Blues friends in
Minnesota share with me from time to time. I have to
admit, I was curious to
hear what the fuss was all about when a copy of
their new record, Hot Dish, crossed my path. A 'hot
dish," indeed. Stir in vocalist/keyboard wizard Jimmy Voegeli with guitarist Perry Weber, drummer Mauro
Magellan, bassist Johnny Wartenweiler and add a
touch of the Amateur Horn Stars and you have a might
tasty gumbo. Hot Dish kept me jumping, let's
give it a spin.
The band starts out with the Ray Charles influenced
"Lose That Woman," and we're off to a good start.
This woman is impossible and it seems there's just
no pleasing her. As Jimmy sings, "Got to lose that
woman...before I lose my mind." The horns compliment
Jimmy's keyboard work perfectly, and I'm liking the
way this disc starts. We immediately segue into a
slower number, "You Say You Will," and Jimmy's still
in a state of confusion. "I need a good woman by my
side...now when I'm home...I'm suffering,
baby....well, I just ain't satisfied...you say you
can...then you can't...if your no ain't a yes...then
I say goodbye happiness." This one definitely sounds
like she's more trouble than she's worth, Jimmy, I'd
definitely cut her loose and find one that will
treat you better. Perry adds a blistering guitar
solo to the mix and it's easy to understand the
popularity of The Jimmys.
"Freight Train" starts off
smoothly with the horns leading the way and I can
already tell I like this tune a lot. We still find
Jimmy with woman problems here and I'm beginning to
wonder if it's more him than them. "I know I might
have taken...just a little bit too far...when I seen
you there...in another man's arms...must have been
the whiskey...telling me wrong from right...but it
should been me that's holding you...every single
night." Cut your losses and move on, Jimmy, sooner or
later you'll find a good woman to love. Jimmy's got
a an amazing range and I'm surprised by just high
his vocal register can go on this tune.
Our next track, "I Wonder," takes full advantage of
the entire band's arsenal and I'm really
appreciating the presence of the awesome horn
section the band has. "You're in love with a
man...but he ain't me...but I wonder...where we went
wrong." Mike Boman's trumpet lends just the right
touch to "I Wonder" and I'm appreciating the
definitive musicianship to be found in this band.
The appropriately named "Funk Scway" is an
interesting track and a nice diversion to the
previous cuts I've heard. A diverse instrumental,
the band tastefully explores a number of avenues as
it tackles this arrangement.
Jimmy's keyboards have
us up and running with the next track, "What Gives,"
and Perry Weber is picking some mighty fine notes on
his guitar as well. And it seems that Jimmy's bad
luck continues. "I went to my boss man...he said,
business is bad...I'm going to have to let you go.
What gives?" If it's not one thing it's another and
Jimmy just can't seem to catch a break anytime soon.
Perry's fretwork echoes Jimmy's frustrations and I'm
beginning to wish some good luck would cross his
path soon.
The band segues into the other instrumental on the
disc, "Jacqui Juice," and again I'm finding the band
is very tasteful in its selection of fills and the
cohesiveness in their sound is impressive. Of course
they've received 21 Madison area Music Awards over
the years, so one would begin to think they've got
this music thing down. Perry's guitar provides the
blistering intro for our next track, "What Chur Doin',"
and Jimmy's still unlucky at love. "What Chur Doin'...ain't
doing nothing for me". I'm enjoying the trombone
fills here from Darren Sterud and really hoping
Jimmy gets his act together soon. The drum and
guitar-driven "Wrecking Ball" is the tune the band
tackles next and Jimmy's at least taking a stand
this time. "Girl...you ain't nothing but a
high-fashioned wrecking ball...the destruction that
you leave...is going to tear down our happy
home...please...please...don't you tell me no more
lies." A lying woman is a cheating woman, Jimmy, let
this one go and don't look back.
"Saddest Man" is primarily a piano driven tune and
Jimmy's in his element here, tastefully playing his
keyboards with just a hint of horns behind him. "I'm
the saddest man alive...just watched my girl...walk
out that door...I'm the saddest man alive...won't
see that baby, anymore." In real life Jimmy is
happily married to a beautiful woman, so it's easy to
understand the real agony he would feel should she
ever chose to leave him.
So of course, Jimmy's eager
to please and he explores that in our next cut,
"What My Baby Wants". "Without you baby...I can't
get no rest...what my baby wants...my baby gets."
Now you're cooking with grease, Jimmy. A happy wife
is a happy life and you're getting there. Pete
Ross's sax fill is especially exquisite here and
very well done. Our tempo and attitude pick up with
the next cut, "She's Wild," and the woman in
question is definitely a free spirit. The piano's
banging away, the horns are going wild and Jimmy's
happy to tell us, "She's wild...a wild child...you
don't have to give me all your love...just give me
some...she's wild."
The Jimmys close out
Hot Dish with a reprised
version of "Freight Train," and I'm left satisfied at
the amazing musicianship and versatility of this
band from the Madison, Wisconsin area. Definitely a band on
the rise, Hot Dish, is a disc best served at party
time with lots of volume. The band's website is
thejimmys.net and you can grab your copy of
Hot Dish
while you're there. I enjoyed reading the bios of
the band members as well, and it's rare to find so
much talent in one band like The Jimmys. Keep it up,
guys!
--- Kyle Deibler
I'm the first to admit I don't know much about
JJ
Appleton but when his disc with Jason Ricci,
Dirty Memory, showed up on my doorstep I was intrigued by
the obvious chemistry between two apparent
strangers. So I did some digging on JJ's website and
I loved what he said there: "A what-the-hell series
of phone calls to hire led to a joining of forces
between JJ Appleton and 2015 Grammy nominated Jason
Ricci, a world heavyweight champion harmonica
player. Their new recordings are a rebirth and deep
breath of fresh air for both parties. Recording 100%
unplugged (nary a guitar pick up or bullet mic in
sight), the upcoming release mixes gutbucket-noir
Blues, Roots with dirt still on them, and a sprinkle
of Cajun Americana. The disc is definitely down and
dirty.
First out of the box is a tune written by JJ,
"Leaning Blues," and Jason's harmonica is front and
center with the intro to JJ's tune. JJ's extolling
the virtues of loving him to a woman he desires and
he's more than happy to show her the ropes.
"Now...in this cruel, cruel world...I offer you the
warmth of home....ain't no need to suffer, baby...ain't
no need to be alone." It's not particularly clear
that she took JJ up on his offer but at least he's
trying.
Next up is a cover of
a Blind Willie Jefferson tune, "Nobody's Fault But
Mine." JJ's more
than willing to accept the blame for his actions and
he tells us so here, "Ain't nobody's fault but
mine...if I die and my soul is lost...nobody's fault
but mine." Having heard Jason blow the roof off the
barn before it's nice to hear the subtleties in his
playing as he compliments JJ perfectly. "Can't
Believe It's This Good" is another Appleton tune and
here we find JJ enamored with the woman he obviously
loves. "I like the way you wear your dresses
tight...it's like a roadmap for tonight...I want to
ride all your dangerous curves...I want to touch
every single nerve...I want it funky and I want it
now...I got you and it's understood...I can't
believe it's this good." JJ's definitely got a way
with a lyric and he's not shy when expressing his
desires for this woman.
The first of three tunes Jason wrote, "New Man," is
next and here we find Jason at the microphone for
his first vocal of the record. Definitely a more
somber tone than the first three cuts, Jason's harp
stylings are light and airy as he works to convince
the woman he loves that his intentions are good.
"Well, I'm a new man...feel like a brand new
man...(this time I mean it, baby), baby, I'll find
some kind of way...if they every let me out of this
institution...I'll make it up to you...I'm a new
man...feel like a new man." Jason's story is common
knowledge and the tune is part biographical but the
Jason I saw perform in Greeley this summer at the
Blues Jam is definitely a "new man."
Our next track,
"Jason Solo," is just that --- Jason performing solo
on his harmonica. Jason's in fine form here, blowing
his harp the way only he can and this tune is
definitely a welcome addition to the record. JJ's
guitar and vocals are back as we segue into the next
tune that he wrote, "Just Enough." JJ's road hasn't
always been an easy one either and he's finding
comfort in the small things in life. "I've got just
enough...just enough...to get me between the lows
and the highs." JJ definitely appears to be a
survivor and that's a good characteristic to have.
"At the Wheel Again" finds both JJ
and Jason playing in perfect unison while JJ sings
his tune about moving on. "This road of
fools...chasing stained glass dreams...falling south
to Mississippi...down to Bowling Green...got to get
to New Orleans...I'm at the wheel again." While I
like the starkness of JJ and Jason's playing on
their cover of a Stones tune, "Black Limousine," I'd
be curious to know how they decided to include it
for this record. JJ's still on the microphone and
he's singing about a woman he knows, "You're racked
out now...washed up...high on the beach...well, look
at your face now, baby...look at you...look at me."
Jason's blowing very delicate notes on his harp and
it's pretty clear their limousine riding days are
over with.
Jason's back at the microphone for the
third tune he contributed to the record, "Demon
Lover," and it has a very haunting vibe to it.
"Demon lover is my baby....demon lover is my
baby..." An ode to the days when Jason took heroin,
"Demon Lover," is testament to the power the drug
held over him at one time.
"It Ain't No Use" is a cover of a Gary U.S. Bonds
tune and it fits in with the rest of the selections
on Dirty Memory, perfectly. "There was a time...you
were my pride and joy...woman I loved you...like a
child loves his toy...you done me wrong...now you
want to come back home...it's no use, baby...it ain't no use." JJ's not taking her back and the
shoe's on the other foot this time.
The final track
on the disc, another tune by JJ, feature's some
beautiful slide guitar and is called "Come On Over,
Come On By." "You've got that way...you got a way
about you, baby... I want to see you all the
time....some come on over....come on
by...anytime...anytime."
JJ Appleton and Jason Ricci definitely take me back
in time to an era where life was simpler, our blues
was too and the raw simplicity and expressions of
their instruments are spot on. Dirty Memory caught
me by surprise and I'm sure it will you as well. The
disc is available on both JJ's website, jjappleton.com, and Jason's as well,
mooncat.org. The
plan is to tour behind the record in late 2015 and
2016 and I sincerely hope their touring plans bring
them through here in Colorado. We don't hear a lot
of blues like this anymore, and kudos to both JJ and
Jason for their efforts to keep this music in front
of all of us. Looking forward to the show, JJ &
Jason, looking forward to the show.
--- Kyle Deibler
I became a member of the Blues Cruisers family when
I went on LRBC#19, a cruise through the Caribbean
that included Puerto Rico, Dominica, French
Martinique, Barbados and St. Lucia. While I have
fond memories of that trip for a number of reasons,
it became apparent to me that despite the beauty of
the various locales, the real fun was in those
magical moments you happened to catch by being in
the right place at the right time. So when Mitch
Woods' new record, Jammin' on the High Cs, came
across my desk, it definitely took me back in time.
Victor Wainwright was the main man in the piano bar
on my cruise and there were several nights that
Victor played until the wee hours of the morning, got
back up and did it all over again.
As it turns out, Mitch is the reason the piano bars
have become so popular on the LRBCs over the years.
Roger Naber invited him on Mitch's first cruise over
12 years ago, and back then the piano bar was an
unused location on the ship. Mitch wandered by the
piano bar on his ship one night, sat down to play
and the rest is history. Other late night jammers
and artists began to show up out of the blue and all
clamored to sit in and play with Mitch. After
closing the bar down late one morning, Mitch went to
bed, only to get a call just a few hours later
telling him to wake up and get his ass down to the
piano bar. Mitch showed up in his pajamas, played to
a packed house, and that's how the legend of Mitch
Woods' Club 88 began.
Mitch's new record is part commentary, part
extraordinary performances with guests ranging from
members of the Roomful of Blues, the aforementioned
Victor Wainwright, Tommy Castro, Lucky Peterson,
Dwayne Dopsie, Popa Chubby, Coco Montoya, Billy
Branch and Janiva Magness. All are captured live from
the confines of the piano bar, and I'm transported
back to those nights I was happy to spend in the
piano bar myself.
The songs are familiar:
"Big Mamou," "Tain't Nobody's Business," "Rip It
Up," "Bright Lights Big City," "Jambalaya," "I Want
You to be My Baby," and many others. But what I
enjoyed the most were Mitch's stories ---how he got
the piano bar rocking, the story of Club 88, a
discussion of the nautical 7 Mile Limit, a soliloquy
on the friends of Bill W. and of course, a toast to
the Legendary Blues Cruise.
While everyone should make it a point to go on at
least one Blues Cruise (and Roger Naber and his crew
would tell you several), if you're not on the boat
at least you catch a taste of the flavor of the
goings on in the piano bar on ship and how it's
become a preferred late night venue for a number of
Blues Cruisers. Recorded live, Jammin' on the High
Cs is the next best thing to being a visitor to
Mitch Woods' Club 88.
Kudos to Mitch, Roger
and the LRBC crew as well as
Vizztone for bringing this project to fruition.
Jammin' on the High Cs took me back in time, stirred
up some fond memories and will probably get me back
on the ship here soon. You can grab a copy from
Mitch's website at
mitchwoods.com.
When you do, find a comfortable spot on the couch,
grab a cold beverage, turn it up and enjoy!
--- Kyle Deibler
I had a good time with
Andy T and Nick Nixon the
last time they were on the road here in Colorado.
Considering the success of their record Drink,
Drank, Drunk I good naturedly told them the next one
should be Get Up, Throw Up, Start All Over Again. Of
course, their next record was entitled Livin’ It Up
and earned them a BMA nomination for Best
Traditional Blues Album.
They’re back again with
their third release, Numbers Man, and the record
definitely does their label, Blind Pig Records,
proud. Anson Funderburgh is back at the producer’s
helm and makes a guest appearance as do Kim Wilson,
The Texas Horns, and many others too numerous to
mention. All provide excellent stellar support to
the core band of Andy T on guitar, Larry van Loon on
keyboards, Jim Klingler on drums, Sam Persons on
bass and Nick on the vocals. This is a lively disc.
Larry’s keyboards and Andy T’s guitar provide a brief
intro as Nick begins to tell us his tale of woe over
a failed romance in “Shut The Front Door.” “You know
my baby…left me dry…since then all I’ve been is
high…drinking whiskey…drinking wine….baby that makes
me feel just fine…well you know my baby’s gone for
sure…done gone and left me…shut the front door.”
Well, that didn’t end well but Nick’s a ladies’ man
and I’m sure he’ll recover. We move on to “Devil’s
Wife,” with Jim providing a heavy drum intro to
Nick’s encounter with what seems to be a very evil
woman. “Cause you the meanest woman I’ve ever seen
in my life…why did I ever meet you…why did we ever
wed…rather see me dead, girl…then let me walk
away…cause you’re the meanest woman I’ve ever seen
in my life.” I’d get out now and don’t look back,
Nick.
Larry’s B3 is at the forefront of a change of
pace and attitude that we experience with “Deep Blue
Sea.” Nick is a charmer here and he’s working hard
at it. “I wish I may…I wish I might…I wish I wish…I
wish tonight…I wish you’d give me another chance…to
steal your heart with a little romance.” I told you
Nick was a charmer, but I’m not convinced he’s going
to get his way this time.
Christian Dozzler lends an accordion to the mix on
our next cut, “Tall Drink of Water,” and Nick’s
looking up at the object of his attention this
time. “I like whiskey….I like wine…but I love the
view…up here on cloud nine…she’s a tall drink of
water…I can’t get enough…she’s a tall drink of
water…things are looking up.” All is good in Nick’s
world and I’m happy for him that “things are looking
up.”
The title track, “Numbers Man,” is up next, and
Andy T’s soulful guitar provides us with the intro
to this tune about a numbers runner. “This modern
day Robin Hood is known by everyone….numbers man.”
If only that was the case where he’s robbing from
the rich to give to the poor, but the numbers man is
wanted by the law and they will catch up with him
soon. We’re back to another discussion of Nick’s
wandering eye with our next tune, “Pretty Girls
Everywhere.” “If I make it to the beach…there’s a
pretty girl there…if you knock me off my
feet….you’ll know I’ll see a pretty girl
there…pretty girls…pretty girls…everywhere.” A
little eye candy is good for the soul and trust me
when I tell you that Nick doesn’t miss a thing.
We move on to “Blue Monday” and here Nick is talking
to us about his recovery protocol for missing the
woman he loves. “Well, the first thing Monday
morning…I drink black coffee to clear my head…cause
after every Sunday night without you, baby…it’s Blue
Monday darling…and you know my soul is dead.”
Monday’s aren’t the same without her in his bed and
Nick doesn’t want to go to work…doesn’t want to do
anything at all other than nurse his hangover and
work his way through another Blue Monday.
Andy
provides the intro for our next track, “Hightailin.”
It’s an instrumental and a nice interlude before we
hear Kim Wilson’s harmonica provide the intro for
“Sundown Blues.” Here we find Nick still in the
dumps, his woman has left and he misses her most
when the sun goes down. “Sundown blues…oh, how I
hate the sundown blues…sundown blues…I’ve got
nothing else to lose…the sun goes down when my baby
left me…that’s why I call it the sundown blues.”
Kim’s harp is in high gear and he’s clearly setting
the tone for the sundown blues that Nick is
experiencing.
“Tell Me What’s the Reason” finds Nick back in play,
chasing a woman he loves and not having much success
at it. “Tell me what’s the reason…you do the things
you do…you’re breaking my aching heart…until it
pains me through and through.” Andy’s fretwork is
scintillating and the best thing Nick can do here is
just move on. Larry’s B3 and Andy’s guitar provides
the intro to Nick’s next soliloquy, “Be Somebody
Some Day.” Nick’s ambitious and he’s working hard to
improve his lot in life. John Mills lends some
killer baritone sax to the mix as Nick details his
plan, “This is what I want to do…I want to sing for
me and you…I wanna be somebody…I wanna be somebody
some day.” Nick’s already a living legend and I can
appreciate his desire to remain on top of his game.
Andy T wrote our next tune, “What Went Wrong,” and
Christian’s back with his accordion as Nick ponders
what happened here. “Listen to me…don’t throw this
away….never find a man who loves you this way…what
went wrong, Little darling…what went wrong?”
Unfortunately for Nick, the woman in question isn’t
interested in telling him what went wrong and would
just rather move on.
The band closes with two tracks: “Gate’s
Salty Blues,” by Gatemouth Brown, and another Andy T
track, “This World We Live In.” Nick is still trying
to find love in the first track, “I’m going to get
me another woman…going to treat her like a dirty
dog…until she tells me I’m the only one.” Not sure
that will work, Nick, but good luck with that. The latter is a commentary on our world today.
“Can’t turn your back on anyone you meet…don’t
matter about religion…or the color of our skin…love
is the answer…for this world we live in.” Andy’s
lyrics truly reflect the state of our times, we all
need to get along and love each other without regard
to race, creed or color. Times are hard enough as it
as and all we can truly do is love one another.
I’ve enjoyed following the progress of the band over
its first three releases, and they’ve definitely
found their groove and the message they want to
share with the world. Numbers Man is a clear
indicator of that. Superb musicianship, Nick’s
amazing vocals and a love for the road have all made
the Andy T – Nick Nixon Band what it is today. You
can grab a copy of the new record and check their
touring schedule out on the band’s website,
www.andytband.com.
I’m sure they’re already on the bus, heading to a
town near you, so enjoy the show.
--- Kyle Deibler
I’ve known Tommy Castro for a long time now and it’s
been quite the adventure. Tommy’s band was the
headliner for the first festival I booked as
President of the Phoenix Blues Society and our paths
have crossed numerous times since then. Tommy’s new
CD on Alligator Records, Method to My Madness, takes
me back to that time period before Tommy’s big band
days and I appreciate the intensity and rawness of
both he and the Painkillers on this new disc. Tommy
produced it, the band blew the roof off in recording it,
and I think you’ll like it.
Tommy opens with “Common Ground” and here he shares
the notion that we’re all in this together, looking
for the same thing, a reason to believe. As Tommy
sings, “We’ve got to stand together on common
ground, we’ve got to feel together or we’ll all fall
down…everybody looking for some other way…we’re not
as different as we’re all the same…we’ve got to
stand together…on common ground.” Tommy’s right in
that the only meaningful change we can effect is if
we all stand together and work toward a common goal.
The human condition as we know it will be better off
if we do.
Randy McDonald’s bass is holding down a
ferocious back end with drummer Bowen Brown as Tommy
moves on to our next tune, “Shine the Light.” Here
we find Tommy looking for a light to follow and the
will to do so. “Shine the light…so I can find my
way…give me strength…so I can face the day.” Tommy’s Strat is in its own universe here and I’m
appreciating his decision to record this disc as raw
as possible and just let the Painkillers find their
way through it. Michael Emerson’s keyboards round
out the mix and I hear some definite organ fills
making their way through the wall of sound that is
present for this track.
The title track,
“Method to My Madness,” is next and Bowen sets the
party off with a quick drum intro while Tommy tells us his
strategy for pursing the object of his attentions.
“There’s a method to my madness….a secret I keep
deep down in my brain….I might be crazy…but I’m not
insane.” That’s open to conjecture here but I’ll
give my friend the benefit of the doubt and we’ll
move on from there.
Our tempo slows down significantly for our next cut,
“Died and Gone to Heaven,” and here Tommy is
definitely in love and happy to tell us all about
it. “I walk around all day….wearing a simple
smile…catch myself sometimes…wondering if I’m still
alive….I must have died…and gone to heaven.” Tommy’s
secure in the love he feels for this woman and
whatever the world brings, with her by his side,
he’ll be alright. Sweet, emotional tones emanate
from Tommy’s guitar and it simply serves to accent
the love that Tommy feels for this woman. We’d all
be lucky to find a love that moves us as much as the
one Tommy sings about in this tune.
Up next is “Got
A Lot,” a tune with Zydeco influences and here Tommy
is extolling the virtues he finds attractive in the
woman he’s singing to. “You’ve got a lot of
objects…of my desire…when it comes to love…baby,
you’re on fire…you got a lot…of what I want.”
Tommy’s happy, the band is tight and all is right
with the world. But Tommy doesn’t always get what he
wants and he covers that territory in our next cut,
“No Such Luck.” “Went out to the racetrack…to watch
the horses run…thought I might win some cash
back…lately, I’ve been losing some…the odds were in
my favor…a solid 3-1…I went and laid down all my
dough…the pony didn’t even show…no such luck around
here.” Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, luck
is more the result of hard work and determination…not
a twist of chance.
“Two Hearts” finds Tommy back in a romantic mood and
basking in the joy of the love he feels for his
woman. “So come on…grab a hold…of my heart…and take
a stand…we’ve got nothing to lose…but what we’ve
never had…two hearts are better than one.” You never
know if love will work out or not, but as Tommy
says, “hearts are meant to be broken.” One of the
two cover songs on this disc is “I’m Qualified,”
written by Clarence Carter. “You need someone to play…I’ll be right by
your side…you need someone to play with…I’m
qualified.” We’ll have to take Tommy’s word for but
I’m sure he is indeed, “Qualified.” Bowen and Randy
provide the hard charging intro for our next track,
“Ride”, and here we find Tommy striving to survive
the demons that confront him. “Drove up to the
corner…and popped the trunk…I grabbed my old
guitar…and smelled the funk…it’s coming down from
French Street and all along the
alley….ride…ride…everybody ride.”
Randy’s bass provides the solo intro for the next
track, “Lose Lose,” before being joined by Tommy’s Strat and the keyboard work of Michael Emerson.
“Some people got love…got money too…but when it
comes to you and me baby…I call that Lose…Lose.”
Both Tommy and his woman had lovers on the side and
that helped bring it all to an end, “we did each
other wrong…and I call that…lose…lose.” Better luck
next time, my friend. On “All About the Cash,” Tommy is telling us the rules
that we all play by. “The world’s at war…and all the
people are dying…it’s really not mystifying…if you
read between the lines….it’s all about the cash.” It
would seem that he/she with the most money sets the
rules…after all, “it’s all about the cash.”
Our
final track, “Bad Luck,” is a classic B.B. King tune,
with Tommy paying his respect to his friend and
mentor. Tommy’s picking is clean and sweet as they tackle this classic tune. “Bad luck…is
falling…falling down like rain…no matter what I
do…seem my bad luck will never change.” Sometimes it
goes that way, and Tommy and all any of us can do is try
to ride out the storm.
Method to My Madness focuses on Tommy’s soul and
blues roots while definitively marking the territory
he wanted to explore. The Painkillers are a tight
unit behind him, no doubt honed to a fine edge by
the constant touring that is part of Tommy’s genetic
makeup. I love Tommy’s new tunes and appreciate that
he wanted to make a record that was as raw and
authentic as possible. The band’s schedule can be
found at
www.tommycastro.com,
so make plans to catch a show soon. The Painkillers
will be rocking the house and Tommy will be leading
the way. Whether it’s madness or not is up to you to
decide, but it WILL be fun!
--- Kyle Deibler
It appears that my friend
Anthony Geraci is a
Renaissance man of sorts. He's a founding member of two
of my favorite bands: Sugar Ray Norcia & the Bluetones as well as Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters.
Geraci is also a gourmet cook and the purveyor of Sugar Ray’s Mango Habanero Hot Sauce.
It seems the only thing he can’t do is sing. But to
his credit, he is a good judge of vocal talent, with a
number of his friends agreeing to help him out on his
first recorded disc for Delta Grove Records, Fifty
Shades of Blue. Backed by the Boston Blues All-Stars
(Monster Mike Welch on guitar, Michael “Mudcat” Ward
on bass and Marty Richards on drums with Neil Gouvin
playing the drums for two tracks), Anthony
enlists an array of vocalists including Sugar Ray
Norcia, Toni Lynn Washington, Michelle “Evil Gal”
Wilson and Darrell Nulisch to record one of the best
records I’ve heard all year.
Nulisch takes the microphone for our first track,
“Everything I Do Is Wrong,” and I hear Monster Mike
Welch’s guitar leading the way. As Darrell sings,
“They say…two wrongs never make it right…hoping and
praying….I see you tonight…forget about…all that’s
in the past…look towards tomorrow…no questions
asked…time takes away…and I don’t know what to
say…we used to love and share…but, that’s been laid
bare.” Mike’s fretwork more than highlights the pain
that Darrell is feeling and it’s obvious that no
matter how hard he tries here, “everything I do is
wrong.” I’m not sure he’s going to get a second
chance but his pain is real and his regret here is
heartfelt.
We move on to the title track, “Fifty
Shades of Blue,” and here Michelle joins Sugar Ray on
the vocals. “Well, you bring the blindfolds…I’ll
bring the wine…let’s get together and have a good
time…silk straps on the pillow…handcuffs on the
bureau….every time I think of you…it’s fifty shades
of blue.” Anthony is definitely a clever songwriter
to go with his amazing keyboard talent and both are
front and center here. Anthony explores the pain of
loss in our next tune, “Sad But True,” with Sugar
Ray back on the vocals. “Was a Tuesday morning…sun
shining bright…missed you baby…nothing seemed
right…bye, bye baby…I’m still in love with you.”
Their love was true and while Anthony has Sugar Ray
pining for the love that he lost, the fact remains
that it’s over and she’s gone, “sad but true”.
A tune with Mississippi roots, “Heard That Tutwiler
Whistle Blow,” is next and Sugar Ray continues at the
vocal. Anthony plays a mean piano intro while Sugar
Ray tells us all about the whistle. “I heard that
Tutwiler whistle blow…going to ride a car to
Detroit…to build a car for Mr. Henry Ford. This tune
tells all about the migration of Blacks from the
Delta to the North in search of better paying jobs.
Sugar lends his harp to this tune as well and the
mournful notes emanating from his harp are a perfect
complement to Anthony’s keyboard work on the piano.
Up next is “If You Want to Get to Heaven,”
with
Michelle at the microphone here. The journey
isn’t an easy one and Michelle is more than happy to
tell us about it. “If you want to get to
heaven…you’ve got to go through hell.” Michelle’s
more than happy to be your guide, but I’m thinking
there’s a touch of the Devil in our angelic
Michelle. “We used to be together…through the sun
and rain…since you’ve been gone….I can’t stand the
pain…but since you’ve been gone…there’s no one but
myself to blame…we used to be together…through the
sun and the rain.” Monster Mike Welch’s fretwork
continues to make its presence felt and Michelle’s
sorrow is most definitely real.
Our next track,
“Don’t Keep Me Waiting,” is a beautiful ballad with
Sugar Ray telling us about the woman he loves. “Some
say the morning…comes too soon…but I’d wait a 100
years…to kiss you at noon…don’t keep me crying…I’m
praying with white gloves…don’t turn away…wait
another day…for our love.” Can’t blame a man for
trying but there’s not much more Sugar Ray can do to
win back the love of this woman. Anthony’s piano is
beautiful on this tune and it’s apparent that he’s
an amazing arranger as well.
Sugar Ray’s harp is at the forefront of “The Blues Never Sleeps,” and here Darrell is
still wondering where his woman is. “And if I don’t
find my baby…I might break down and weep…walking the
streets…trying to clear my mind…can’t see no more….I
think I’m going blind…I just want to call her…tell
her that I care…I say the blues…never sleeps.” I
didn’t expect to hear a waltz tempo on this disc, but
it's front and center on our next cut, “Too Late for
Coffee”. “It’s too late for coffee….too early for
beer….I want to hold you tight…it’s been about a
year.” I don’t know that it’s ever too late for
coffee but it definitely sounds like it’s too late
for this romance to ever get back off the ground.
Toni Lynn Washington makes her appearance on our next cut,
“Diamonds and Pearls,” and it appears to me that
she’s setting the terms necessary to maintain her
affections. “You left me standing…out in the
rain…waiting on the tracks…for that southbound
train…I never knew our love was in vain…time for
you…to feel this pain…if you want me to be your
girl…you’ve got to buy me diamonds and pearls.”
Anthony’s piano provides the intro for
a
ballad, “Cry a Million Tears,” and Nulisch
is doing the vocal honors. “If I cried a million
tears…there’d still be tears for you…I want to stay
with you, baby…no more lonesome and blue.” A
passionate tune, Darrell is hoping for forgiveness
and praying for the return of the woman he loves. “I
want to stay with you, baby…no more…will you have to
weep.” The pain is real, they both have cried a
million tears and hopefully it all works out for the
best. But then you start to wonder as the band
breaks out into “In the Quicksand,
Again.” An upbeat instrumental that finds Anthony
and the Boston All-Stars shedding caution to the
wind, I’d like to think that Darrell was able to
work it all out.
The band moves onto another
beautiful ballad, “Your Turn to Cry,” and Sugar Ray
is the one emoting here. “Listen now baby…it’s time
we say goodbye…I’ll remember….the time we used to
be…but I try and I try…yes, I do…but now…it’s your
turn to cry.” Sugar blows a beautiful harp solo that
helps convey the sadness of this relationship ending
and I’m really appreciating Anthony’s fingers on the
keys as well.
The final track on Fifty Shades of
Blue is another instrumental, “Blues for David
Maxwell,” and in my mind’s eye I can see Anthony
playing the piano in tribute to our fallen friend.
As sad as I am for the loss of David Maxwell to our
Blues community, I don’t have the words to convey
just the beauty of this arrangement composed by Anthony
in David’s honor. All I can say is, “Well
done, my friends,” and that doesn’t even begin to do
the composition justice.
There’s no doubt in my mind that
Fifty Shades of
Blue deserves recognition as one of the outstanding
discs of 2015. I’m sure it will be heavily
considered for BMA recognition come next May, and
deservedly so. I don’t know how much touring Anthony
and the Boston Blues All-Stars will be able to in
support of this record, but if you live in the
Northeast and have the chance by all means make it
a point to see them play. You can find out more
about Anthony and Fifty Shades of Blue on his
website,
www.anthonygeraciblue.com.
It seems
fitting that Anthony dedicated this disc to Anthony Geraci Sr., Randy Chortkoff and David Maxwell.
They’re all smiling down on you!
--- Kyle Deibler
Anthony Geraci asked his parents for a piano when he
was four years old and has been playing ever since.
At 16, he heard a Jimmy Rogers record and it
became what he needed to do. He’s played all over
the world, backing such greats as Muddy Waters, Otis
Rush, Big Joe Turner, J.B. Hutto, Big Walter Horton,
as well as Rogers himself. He was a founding member
of Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters and Sugar Ray and
the Bluetones, with whom he’s played for 35 years.
Geraci recently released
Fifty Shades of Blues
(Delta Groove Music), with the Boston Blues
All-Stars, and no group was ever more appropriately
named. In addition to his Bluetones bandmates
(Norcia – vocals, harmonica, flute), “Monster” Mike
Welch – guitar, Michael “Mudcat” Ward – bass, Neil
Gouvin – drums), Geraci has enlisted Marty Richards
(drums) Darrell Nullisch (vocals, harmonica),
Michelle “Evil Gal” Willson (vocals), and Toni Lynn
Washington (vocals). Geraci penned all 13
tracks, 11 vocals and two instrumentals.
Norcia takes vocals on six tracks, including the
title track, a sweaty duet with Willson that
features some dazzling work on the keys from Geraci,
the Windy City shuffle “Sad But True,” the
traditional “Heard That Tutwiler Whistle Blow,” and
a pair of nice blues ballads, “Don’t Keep Me
Waiting” and “Your Turn To Cry.” He also ventures
toward the country side of blues with “Too Late For
Coffee” Nullisch contributes three vocals, the
soulful “Everything I Do Is Wrong,” that opens the
disc, “The Blues Never Sleeps,” and the slow blues
“Cry A Million Tears.” Willson brings her A-game to
“If You Want To Get To Heaven, and Toni sparkles on
the jumping “Diamonds and Pearls.”
Geraci is a talented songwriter as these tracks
cover a wide range of traditional blues topics and
themes, but don’t resort to the standard clichés,
always bringing something fresh to the song. He
alternates between piano and Hammond organ on these
tracks and his keyboard work is always spot-on. He
stretches out on a couple of cool instrumentals near
the end of the disc. “In The Quicksand, Again” rocks
pretty steady and reminds me a bit of Ramsey Lewis.
The closer is “Blues for David Maxwell,” a wonderful
tribute to the last keyboardist that puts Geraci and
piano at center stage with outstanding support from
his fellow Bluetones (including Norcia on Native
American flute).
Blues fans are advised not to miss Anthony Geraci
and the Boston All-Stars’ Fifty Shades of Blues.
This is blues at its finest. We already knew he
could play the keys like a master, but Geraci has
certainly shown himself to be an excellent
songwriter and arranger as well with this release.
---
Graham Clarke
NOTE: Fifty Shades
of Blue was also our Surprise Pick in the
September issue.
All is right with the world once again because
Eddie
Cotton has a new album hitting the airwaves.
Fortunately, there wasn’t a long a wait-time for the
Mississippi blues man’s latest release as has been
the case in previous years. One At A Time comes just
a year and a half after 2014’s Here I Come, and on
the heels of Cotton’s winning turn at the 2015 IBC
in the Band category, where he dazzled the crowds
with his showmanship and his infectious mix of
blues, soul, and funk.
For One At A Time, his second release on Grady
Champion’s DeChamp Records, Cotton brings back his
supporting cast from his previous effort (Myron
Bennett - bass, Samuel Scott, Jr. – drums, Carlos
Russell – harmonica). He also adds a tight horn
section (The Jackson Horns: Kimble Funchess –
trumpet, Jesse Primer III – tenor sax, Mike Weidick
– trombone) and keyboards from James “Hotdog” Lewis.
Champion guests on one track, playing harmonica, and
Cotton’s label mate, the divine Ms. J.J. Thames,
adds background vocals throughout.
Cotton wrote all 14 of the songs on
One At A
Time, and they're some of the best he’s ever done.
While most of them focus on the blues (the sharp
title track, the engaging “Be Careful,” the slow
blues duo “Better Deal” and “Fair Weather Lover,”
“Hard Race To Win,” “My Money,” and “War Is Over”),
he also ventures into that Memphis-styled soul vein
that he does so well. Songs like “Catch I Wanted”
and “Dead End Street” have that loose-limbed greasy
funk backdrop that Hi Records fans will know and
love, and “Ego At Your Door” sounds like a long-lost
Al Green track, thanks to Cotton’s supple vocal
turn.
There are a couple of other standouts as well: the
deliciously funky “Filling Me With Pleasure,” the
soulful “Je Ne Sais Quoi,” and Cotton’s bluesy
tribute to his home state, “Mississippi,” which the
Magnolia State should consider adopting as State
Song. Cotton produced the disc, with Champion
serving as Executive Producer, and there’s a relaxed
feeling that runs throughout the set. On “Better
Deal,” Cotton cracks the band up mid-song with some
of his lyrics.
It would be hard to top Cotton’s live recordings at
the Alamo from the previous decade, but One At A
Time definitely sits among those two discs in the
upper reaches of his catalog and ranks as his best
studio release by far. Fans of down-home Southern
soul and blues will want to have this disc in their
possession.
---
Graham Clarke
Soon to be 82 years old, British blues pioneer
John Mayall is still plugging away playing these blues,
just like he has been doing since the 1950s. His
previous album, 2014’s A Special Life, was his first
in five years and was well-received by fans and
critics. Just over a year later, Mayall has released
a follow-up, Find A Way To Care (Forty Below
Records), which features his keyboard playing, an
aspect of his talents that is often ends up in the
background. He’s also added a horn section on
several of the tracks.
Find A Way To Care has five original tunes and Mayall’s unique interpretations of seven diverse
covers. His choice in covers is always impeccable.
and this time around is no exception with songs from
the Duke/Peacock catalog (“Mother in Law Blues”),
Percy Mayfield (“The River’s Invitation”) , Lightnin’
Hopkins (“I Feel So Bad”), Muddy Waters (“Long
Distance Call”), Lonnie Brooks (“I Want All My Money
Back”), and Charles Brown (“Drifting Blues”).
Mayall’s originals include the reflective title
track, “Ain’t No Guarantees,” the downhome “Ropes
and Chains,” and “Long Summer Days.” There are also
two bonus tracks that close out the disc, “War We
Wage,” a splendid slow blues penned by British
guitarist Matt Schofield and Dorothy Whittick and
“Crazy Lady,” which features some fantastic Crescent
City-styled piano.
Mayall’s bands are always without peer and this
edition, now in its seventh year, certainly fits the
bill. Guitarist Rocky Athas, the latest in a great
line of Mayall band guitarist, gets plenty of room
to play and makes the most of it, and the rhythm
section of bass player Greg Rzab and drummer Jay
Davenport are first-rate. Ron Dziubia adds saxophone
on three of the tracks.
The last year has been a really productive one for
John Mayall, with this outstanding new release and
its predecessor and the accompanying tour, not to
mention the recent release of that wonderful live
performance by the 1967 version of the Bluesbreakers
(featuring Mayall with Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood,
and John McVie). Find A Way To Care shows an artist
who still has plenty to say and blues fans should
take note.
---
Graham Clarke
Duke Robillard has recorded a lot of albums over his
over 50-year career, both with Roomful of Blues (as
one of its founding members) and as a solo artists
since the early ’80s. As far as I can tell, he had
never released a full acoustic album until his
latest for his longtime label, Stony Plain Records.
The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard fills
that gap in the Duke’s catalog most effectively and
finds Robillard going unplugged on guitar, dobro,
mandolin, ukulele, cumbus, and tenor harp on a
whopping 18 tracks that pay tribute not only
to the blues, but also ragtime, early jazz, country,
swing, soul, and any other roots music you can
imagine.
Robillard covers tunes from a wide variety of blues
and roots artists, such as Big Bill Broonzy (“Big
Bill Blues”), the Delmore Brothers (“Nashville
Blues”, with Mary Flower adding guitar and vocals),
Jimmie Rodgers (“Jimmie’s Texas Blues”), Tampa Red
(“What Is It That Tastes Like Gravy”), W.C. Handy
(“St. Louis Blues,” recorded with guitar, bass,
clarinet, and a huge conglomerate of mandolins,
mandocellos, mandolas, and mandobass), Sleepy John
Estes (“Someday Baby”), Robert Lockwood (“Take A
Little Walk With Me”), and Hank Williams (“Let’s
Turn Back The Years”). The guitarist is skilled in
all these genres and handles each with confidence
and ease.
Other recreated classic tunes include the timeless
“My Old Kentucky Home,” the ’30s standard “I’d
Rather Drink Muddy Water,” the classic “Profoundly
Blue,” which teams Robillard with the late Jay
McShann, “Santa Claus Blues” (with Maria Muldaur on
vocals) and Eric “Two Scoops” Moore’s “Left Handed.”
In addition, Sunny Crownower turns in a beautiful
vocal on the lovely “Evangeline,” the Robbie
Robertson tune usually associated with Emmylou
Harris. Robillard also adds a few of his own
compositions to the mix and they are a perfect fit.
In addition to the guest artists mentioned above,
Robillard gets able assistance from Jerry Portnoy
(harmonica), Marty Ballou and John Packer (acoustic
bass), Matt McCabe (piano), Mark Teixeria and Marty
Richards (drums), Billy Novick (clarinet), Doug
James (baritone sax/harmonica), Dave Babcock (tenor
sax), Jon Ross (mandolin), Russell Gusetti
(concertina), and the Providence Mandolin Orchestra.
Based on my 25-plus years of listening, I
don’t think there’s any musical genre that Duke Robillard can’t take and master. I’m sure he has a
hip hop project in the works somewhere down the
line. I wouldn’t put it past him anyway, but in the
meantime, plug in The Acoustic Blues and Roots of
Duke Robillard, take a seat in a rocking chair on
your front porch and just enjoy.
---
Graham Clarke
Since the mid-’80s,
Webb Wilder has been a familiar
name among folks in my neck of the woods. Born in
Mississippi (Hattiesburg), he was raised in the
Magnolia State, but has ended up in Nashville with
a stop in Austin in-between. Wilder absorbed the
mystical musical magic of all three locales and
those components are a vital part of his music, plus
a hint or two of British Invasion era-rock. If that
sounds like a potentially explosive combination,
that’s because it is.
Wilder’s latest release,
Mississippi Mōderne
(Landslide Records) is his first in six years, and
longtime fans will be pleased to hear that all of
his edges are still sharp. Wilder offers up 14
stellar tracks, a mix of original tunes and covers
from all over the place, all infused with that
ragged but right Webb Wilder magic, as he continues
to prove that the line between Robert Johnson, Chuck
Berry, and Buck Owens is a razor-thin one.
The disc is bookended by Wilder
channeling Robert
Johnson on the ominous original “Stones In My
Pathway,” with a 30-second intro and a sizzling
full version that closes things out. Wilder covers a
lot of ground in between, beginning with a trio of
original: the rocking and roaring “Rough and
Tumble Guy” and the twangy “If It Ain’t Broke (Don’t
Fix It)” (both co-written with longtime collaborator
John Hadley), and “Only A Fool,” an intriguing
rocker co-written with Dan Penn that includes
electric sitar and vibraphone. Wilder also wrote the
reflective “Too Much Sugar For A Nickel,” with
Hadley, taking the title from a phrase his mother
used to say.
Wilder’s always been a fan of the Kinks and his
vigorous reading of Ray Davies’ “I Gotta Move”
harkens back to his days with the Hattiesburg band
The Drapes. His Mississippi roots also figure in on
“Yard Dog,” an old school psychedelic rock nugget
from an old garage band from Biloxi, MS (The One Way
Street), and “Lonely Blue Boy,” an early Conway
Twitty pop hit. In addition to the Johnson tune, the
blues is well-represented with tracks from Frankie
Lee Sims (“Lucy Mae Blues”), Otis Rush (“It Takes
Time”), and Jimmy Reed (“I’m Gonna Get My Baby”).
Wilder also covers “I’m Not Just Anybody’s Fool,”
penned by another longtime musical partner, Bobby
Field, and the Charlie Rich classic “Who Will The
Next Fool Be?.” He’s backed on these tracks by his
regular band, the Beatnecks (Tom Comet – bass,
electric sitar, vibraphone, Jimmy Lester – drums,
Bob Williams – guitars, mandolin, electric sitar,
fuzz bass, tambourine) with guests Joe V. McMahan
(guitar), George Bradfute (guitar, bass), Greg
Morrow (drums), Bryan Owings (percussion), Regina
and Ann McCrary (backing vocals), Micha Hulscher
(piano, organ), and Patrick Sweaney (backing vocals,
co-author of “If It Ain’t Broke (Don’t Fix It)”).
If you’ve not experienced Webb Wilder’s brand of
roots-rock, with equal doses of blues, rock,
country, and R&B, you really need to pick up
Mississippi Mōderne at your earliest convenience.
It’s a rewarding listening experience.
---
Graham Clarke
With Rich in Love, Canadian singer/guitarist
Colin
Linden returns to Stony Plain Records, the label
that released his debut album, The Immortals, way
back in 1986. It’s been a while since Linden’s last
trip to the studio (2009’s From The Water), but he
hasn’t exactly been sitting around twiddling his
thumbs. He’s been busy playing on albums from Gregg Allman (Low Country Blues), Rhiannon Giddens
(Tomorrow Is My Turn), and Diana Krall (Glad Rag
Doll), serving as Bob Dylan’s guitarist during his
2013 summer tour, playing guitar on multiple feature
film soundtracks (including "The Hunger Games" and
"Inside Llewyn Davis"), and serving as featured
guitarist on PBS’s “In Performance At The White
House” saluting gospel music.
For his latest, Linden and his band, The Rotting
Matadors (John Dymond – bass, Gary Craig – drums)
welcome guest artists Charlie Musselwhite
(harmonica), Reese Wynans (keyboards), Tim Lauer
(organ), and Amy Helm (background vocals). Linden
wrote or co-wrote (with Dymond, Gary Nicholson, Tom
Hambridge, or his wife, novelist Janice Powers) all
12 of the tracks and produced the disc with his
band.
As always, Linden provides some memorable songs,
such as the clever opener, “Knob and Tube,” the
poignant “I Need Water,” the wistful “Everybody
Ought to be Loved” and “Date with the Stars,” and
the heartbreaker “Delia Come for Me,” which was
inspired in part by the controversial execution of a
Georgia inmate in 2011. Musselwhite’s harmonica
punctuates the bluesy “The Hurt,” and the somber
title track. “And Then You Begin” and “Luck of a
Fool” both have an easy country feel to it, and “No
More Cheap Wine” is a gentle rocker about making the
most of the time you have. Another standout is the
acoustic closer, “Paybacks are Hell.”
Linden plays guitar, ukelele, and mandolins on the
disc and his warm heartfelt vocals are as much a
pleasure to hear as his fretwork. Rich In Love has a
warm, relaxed quality to it and is highly
recommended for blues and roots fans. It’s been a
long time between albums for Colin Linden, but this
disc was definitely worth the wait.
---
Graham Clarke
Guitarist Sam Butler served a lengthy tenure as
guitarist for the Blind Boys of Alabama, and has
also worked with Clarence Fountain, Keith Richards,
and Steely Dan’s Donald Fagan. Presently, he can be
seen in the acclaimed play, "The Gospel at Colonus."
Recently, he released his first solo CD, Raise Your
Hands. (Severn Records), a fiery collection of
spiritual tunes written by some of the most popular
secular artists of the past several decades.
Butler tears through these 12 songs with a strong
and soulful voice and stinging guitar work that’s
influenced by rock and blues in equal measure. He’s
backed by a pristine trio that includes the highly
regarded Sacred Steel lap guitarist Roosevelt
Collier and Nashville’s go-to rhythm section Viktor
Kraus (bass) and Marco Giovino (drums). Butler’s
performances on these tracks prove that he’s more
than capable of being in the spotlight after years
of working in the background.
This is a novel approach to gospel music. Most of
the time, traditional sources are the norm for these
releases, so the set list will be new to most fans
of gospel blues and it also open the eyes (and ears)
of fans new to the genre. Producer Brian Brinkerhoff
and Butler have chosen songs written by familiar
names like Bruce Springsteen (the electrifying
opener, “Heaven’s Wall”), Eric Clapton (“Presence of
the Lord,” from his Blind Faith era), Van Morrison
(a passionate reading of “Full Force Gale”), U2 (the
aptly titled “Magnificent”), the Bee Gees (“The
Lord”), and Johnny Cash (the psychedelic-styled
“Lead Me Father”).
Butler also covers tunes from Tom Waits (“Gospel
Train”) and Curtis Mayfield (“Wherever You Leadeth”).
There’s also a cover from Nick Cave and Paul Kelly
(“God’s Hotel”), Eliza Gilkyson (“Sanctuary”), and
“All His Saints, written by Mindy Smith and
performed by Lee Ann Womack. While Butler is, as
expected, an excellent guitarist, his vocals really
lift these songs higher, in some cases as good or
better than their original versions. Collier’s work
on the lap steel make a great album even better, and
the rhythm section is, not surprisingly top notch as
well.
Full of energy and passion, with a fantastic group
of well-chosen covers and superlative performances
from Butler and the band, Raise Your Hands. will
certainly appeal to fans of gospel blues, but those
who aren’t fans pass up this one at their own peril.
---
Graham Clarke
Angels Sing The Blues (Earwig Records) captures a
live performance from 2007 at Chicago’s Taste
Entertainment Center that featured Windy City Blues
Divas Liz Mandeville, Mary Lane, and Shirley Johnson
backed by Johnny Drummer and his band, the Starliters. This was part of a regular event in
Chicago that’s produced for the American Society on
Aging. The CD contains the 2007 live performance,
plus some studio recordings that were done in 2013.
The three ladies take center stage for most of the
vocals, with Ms. Johnson taking four solo vocals,
“Get Your Lovin’ Where You Spend Your Time” (a
studio track), “I’m Going To Find Me A Lover,”
“Unchain My Heart,” and “You Can Have My Husband But
Please Don’t Mess With My Man.” Ms. Lane, a
seven-decade veteran of the Windy City blues scene,
gets two live tracks, a medley of three classic
tunes (“I Don’t Want No Man,” “He May Be Your Man
But He Comes To See Me Sometimes,” and “Kansas City”
and “Ride In Your Automobile,” plus a tough bonus
studio track, “Run A Red Light.” Ms. Mandeville gets
two solo tracks, “Use What You Got” and “I Just Want
To Make Love To You.”
The three ladies collaborate on another studio
track, John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery.” The
three ladies sound great together and guitarist
Anthony Palmer takes a magnificent solo. Drummer and
his band shine on their tracks, with Al “Guitar”
Short taking the mic for Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “A
Real Mother For Ya,” bass player Danny O’Connor
sings on “Cold Women With Warm Hearts,” and Drummer
is his usual irrepressible self on “Gonna Sell My
Cadillac, Buy Myself a Mule,” “Born In The Delta,”
and “Rockin’ In The Juke Joint.”
The live portion is concluded by an amusing
reenactment from the Blues Brothers film from album
producers Michael Marcus and John Migliaccio.
Despite the mix of live and studio, the album meshes
together really well and the performance is combines
a nice throwback to the old musical revue days with
a pretty vivid glimpse of the active Chicago live
blues scene. This one is highly recommended for fans
of Chicago Blues.
---
Graham Clarke
Zora Young has been a mainstay on the Chicago blues
scene since the late 1960s. A native of West Point,
Mississippi (birthplace of Howlin’ Wolf, to whom she is
related), Young was raised in the church and
continued to sing gospel even after her family moved
to Chicago in the ’50s. She began singing blues and
R&B when she reached adulthood and has performed
with many of the blues giants, including Junior
Wells, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Dawkins, Bobby Rush, B.B.
King, Sunnyland Slim, and Willie Dixon. She played
Bessie Smith in the stage show, The Heart of the
Blues, and has recorded five albums since the early
’90s.
Friday Night (ELROB Records) is Ms. Young’s sixth
album, and vocally, she is in fine form. This is a
great album of vintage-sounding Chicago blues and a
big reason for that is Young’s backing band, the
always-excellent Little Mike & the Tornadoes, who
may hail from NYC, but they most definitely have
roots in Chicago. Young and the Tornadoes work
through an 11-track set that feature five
original tunes written by Mike or guitarist
extraordinaire Tony O Melio and six vintage Windy
City covers.
The originals are pretty distinctive, including the
punchy opener “I’ve Been A Fool Too Long,” the
countrified “A Fool’s Lament,” the easy-going
shuffle “True Love Is Hard To Find,” and the funky
title track. Melio contributes the Windy City homage
“I Love Chicago,” and some fierce stinging lead
guitar throughout the disc. Jim McKaba’s keyboards
throughout the disc are also a plus, and the
Tornadoes (Robert Piazza – drums, Rick Johnson –sax,
Gary Smith – trumpet, and alum Brad Vickers – bass)
are as great as ever.
Covers will be familiar to most Chicago blues fans,
but Ms. Young puts her own spin on each, with a
sassy reading of the Wolf’s “44 Blues” and Little
Walter’s “Just Your Fool.” She also pays tribute to
a couple of her influences on “Country Girl”
(Lucille Spann) and “I’m Good” (Bonnie Lee), and her
interpretation of “Chains of Love” is just
marvelous.
Little Mike and the Tornadoes close the disc with a
version of Otis Spann’s “Spann’s Boogie” that’s sure
to get toes tapping and heads bobbing. I can’t
recommend Friday Night highly enough. This is
classic Chicago blues the way that they used to do
them. Here’s hoping that these folks can get
together again soon.
---
Graham Clarke
Bill Abel’s latest self-released CD is called
Celestial Train. If you’ve attended a blues festival
in the Mississippi Delta over the past couple of
decades, you’ve more than likely seen or heard Abel,
who plays as many instruments as he can get a grip
on in a live setting, switching between electric and
acoustic guitar, dobro, and his own cigar-box
guitars that he makes himself. He’s played with many
of the area’s blues legends, such as Paul “Wine”
Jones, Honeyboy Edwards, Hubert Sumlin, Big George
Brock, Cadillac John Nolden, T-Model Ford, Jimmy
“Duck” Holmes, and many others.
On Abel’s previous CD, 2008’s
One-Man Band, the
Belzoni, Mississippi native played all the instruments
himself. On Celestial Train, he’s accompanied by at
least one other person on all each track, mostly
providing rhythm support, but the guitarist is still
the star of the show with his expressive guitar and
growling vocals. The new disc features 11
tracks, seven originals and four covers of Delta
classics.
The music here is pretty basic, hardcore Mississippi
Blues, a mix of Delta and Hill Country. Abel’s
guitar work, and his vocals are ragged, but
righteous. His original tunes include the relentless
slide fest “Slow Down Easy,” the hypnotic title
track, the raucous “Poboy” and “Down in
Mississippi,” and “No Dog Here” and “On My Way,” a
pair of funky Hill Country workouts.
Abel also covers the traditional tunes “Don’t Laugh”
and “Sick and Dying,” along with an understated and
meditative reading of Skip James’ “Special Rider
Blues,” and a hard-charging take on Mississippi Fred
McDowell’s “Kokomo” that closes the disc.
Fans of both traditional and modern Mississippi
blues need to have a copy of Celestial Train, and
chances are very good that they will be playing it
over and over again. Abel is selling this disc at
his appearances or, if you’re too far away to catch
him in person, you can contact him at
jesswabel@yahoo.com
to purchase a copy.
---
Graham Clarke
On Moon Turn Red,
MonkeyJunk’s latest CD for Stony
Plain Records, the Canadian roots rockers continue
their heady mix of blues, rock, funk, and soul. The
trio (Steve Marriner – vocals/baritone
guitar/harmonica/vibes/keyboards, Tony D – lead
guitar/backing vocals, Matt Sobb –
drums/percussion/backing vocals) continues to be one
of the more innovative groups currently practicing
with this new release, which features ten excellent
tracks that mix traditional blues with modern
flourishes.
If you like red hot rockers, there are plenty to
choose from here, from the superlative opening
track, “Light It Up,” to the insanely catchy “You,”
to a ripping cover of David Wilcox’s “Hot Hot Papa”
(with a guest appearance on vocals and guitar by the
composer), to the fabulous “Live Another Day.” In
the market for a smooth soulful ballad? Just check
out the shimmering “Learn How To Love” or the
understated “Meet Me At Midnight.” “Show Me Yours”
leans toward the funky side of R&B, and “Love
Attack” mixes the funk with a reggae beat.
As on previous releases, the band’s musical
contributions are sterling. Marriner’s vocals are as
good on the ballads as they are on the rockers.
However, the album also benefits from the presence
of Wilcox on “Hot Hot Papa,” and Big Sugar and
Grady’s Gordie Johnson and Steve O’Connor, who add
Hammond B3 to a couple of tracks.
Moon Turn Red is MonkeyJunk’s best release to date and one of the
best blues and roots releases you’ll hear this year.
If you’re not familiar with this great band, this is
a great place to get started.
---
Graham Clarke
The dynamic duo of D’Mar & Gill
(drummer Derrick
Martin and singer/guitarist Chris Gill) made quite
an impression with their 2011 debut release, Real
Good Friend. The combination of Gill’s traditional
approach to the blues combined with Martin’s
irresistible African-based percussion was a highly
unique and original creation and ended up on my Top
Ten list for the year.
Take It Like That is the pair’s follow-up on
Airtight Records, and there are a few changes this
time around, with the presence of additional
musicians Kid Andersen (2nd guitar, bass), Jerry
“Groovemaster” Jemmott (bass), Bob Welsh (keys), Aki
Kumar (harmonica), Frankie Ramos (sax), and Lisa
Andersen (background vocals).
The session was recorded at Andersen’s Greaseland
Studios, and the 13 original tracks lean more
toward the traditional side of blues than its
predecessor. Highlights include “I Fell In Love With
The Blues,” a testimony to the genre, the rambling
and rolling “Song For Honeyboy,” which sings the
praises of the traveling blues man tradition that
Honeyboy Edwards perfected (with nice slide from
Gill), the slow blues lament, “Souvenir of the
Blues,” and the steamy “Dancin’ Girl,” with Gill on
cigar box guitar.
I like the old timey feel of “Three Way Inn” and
“Sweet Tooth,” the latter track channeling
Mississippi John Hurt, and the swampy drone of “Must
Be Love.” The sultry title track has an island feel
to it and “Lonesome for Leavin’” is a perfect tune
for driving down a dirt road on a late Saturday
night with its hypnotic rhythm and Gill’s slide and
gritty vocal. “Tore Down & Blue” has jazz
underpinnings and a mournful vocal from Gill, but
the serene closer, “Since I Saw You,” ends things on
a positive note.
Gill is an engaging performer, with versatility on
guitar, particularly slide, and his warm and amiable
vocals suit this material to a tee. Martin is an
impeccable timekeeper and the additional musical
support is spot on. Take It Like That is a marvelous
look at traditional blues with a few contemporary
twists thrown in. I’m really glad that D’Mar & Gill
became partners because they make beautiful music
together.
---
Graham Clarke
Singer/songwriter/cornetist
Al Basile apparently
enjoyed making his previous release, 2012’s Woke Up
In Memphis, so much that he’s paying another visit
to the Bluff City for musical inspiration on his
12th and latest release for his own Sweetspot
Records. B’s Expression features 13 tracks of
Memphis-styled blues and soul. Produced by longtime
friend and fellow Roomful of Blues alum Duke Robillard, who also contributes guitar, this disc
ranks with Basile’s best recordings to date.
A regular feature on an Al Basile album is creative
and smart songwriting, and his latest is no
exception with songs like the opener, a message to
the ladies called “I’ve Got A Whole Lot Of Good Good
Lovin’,” which moves to the spunky “It Wasn’t That
Good.” “I’m Running Late” is about stumbling into
old, bad habits, and “Never Good Enough” deals with
a frustrating relationship. There’s good humor in
“Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Being Right” and “Not
Like I Do,” about underestimating the benefits of
age and experience.
“Somethin’s Missing” has an irresistible groove,
both musically and lyrically, and songs like “Answer
Me” and “I Didn’t Come Here to Lie” both deal with
serious subject matter (the former about the silence
in a broken relationship and the latter about an
intervention). “That Ain’t Bad” deals with our
nationwide tendency to spend beyond our means.
Basile also touches on spiritual matters on a couple
of tracks – “Have I Given My Best” and “Even Jesus
Fell.”
In addition to Robillard, whose guitar solos and
fills are as consistently fine as they’ve ever been,
Basile enjoys backing from his fine group of regular
musicians (Mark Teixeira – drums, Bruce Bears –
keys, Brad Hallen – bass, Doug James – tenor sax,
Carl Querfurth – trombone). Basile did the horn
arrangements and also contributes with his
distinctive cornet.
B’s Expression is another great effort from Al Basile. You won’t find a more gifted composer in the
blues these days. He puts a fresh face on many
familiar blues subjects and also brings up a few new
ones in the process. If you’ve not experienced his
talents, this is a good place to get started.
---
Graham Clarke
The Reverend Shawn Amos returns to preach his
message of the blues on his latest CD, The Reverend
Shawn Amos Loves You (Put Together). Amos is the son
of cookie magnate Wally “Famous” Amos and singer Shirl-ee May Ellis, and was in A&R at Rhino and at
Shout Factory, producing and recording several
albums that were nominated for Grammys and running
Quincy Jones’ Listen Up Foundation. This is his
sixth album and his second blues album, and is
produced by two-time Grammy nominee saxophonist Mindi Abair (her producing debut).
The disc opens on a high note with Amos with the
haunting “Days of Depression,” which features The
Blind Boys of Alabama providing background vocals.
The frenetic R&B of “Brand New Man” follows, and is
guaranteed to get you moving, and the lusty
“Boogie” is also a standout, with vocal
contributions from Missy Andersen that will leave
you all hot and bothered. The Memphis-based
“Brother’s Keeper” and “You’re Gonna Miss Me (When I
Get Home)” both give up the funk with some nice
fretwork from Chris “Doctor” Roberts.
“Will You Be Mine” is the physical and musical
centerpiece of the album, a catchy mid-tempo burner
with a fiery vocal from Amos. “Outlaw” has a bit of
a country twang to it, and Amos offers up a
swaggering lyric and performance. Other Amos
originals include the scathing “Hollywood Blues”
(co-written with Abair), the smoldering “Put
Together,” and the soul ballad “The Last Day I’m
Loving You.” There are also two dandy covers, a
moving reading of Minnie Lawler’s “Joliet Bound,”
with nice guitar work from Roberts, and the Jimmy
Reed standard “Bright Lights Big City,” with duet
vocals from Abair.
A strong follow-up to his previous blues release,
The Reverend Shawn Amos Loves You is a must-have for
fans of modern blues that nod toward traditional
styles.
---
Graham Clarke
On their second CD,
No Hotel (Yellow Dog Records),
The Claudettes present more of their relentless
powerhouse piano-driven blues. Chicago-based piano
monster Johnny Iguana and percussion master Michael
Caskey. Though their primary focus in on blues, the
duo also dabbles in other styles (pop and soul), and
they’ve added a vocalist this time around,
Nigerian-American singer Yana, who makes a
mesmerizing debut.
Iguana and Caskey continue to play with reckless
abandon, Iguana mixes the best of Chicago and New
Orleans piano played at turbo speed, sometimes
merging the two into the same song. The opener, “Big
Easy Woman,” is a New Orleans romp, and “California
Here I Come,” the popular ’20s tune, is presented at
a dazzling pace that’s quite different from previous
versions. The breakneck pace continues with
subsequent tracks “You’d Have To Be Out of Your Mind
(to Play These Blues),” and the driving “Southbound
Stroll.”
About mid-album, Yana makes her appearance,
performing five tunes of her own, backed by Iguana
and Caskey. She covers a lot of ground in those five
tunes. “She’s So Imaginary” is a dreamy pop
confection, and “Laisee Tomber Les Filles” is a
sumptuous taste of France, as are the rocking
“Mirza,” which sounds like a chase scene in a spy
flick, and “Ne T’en Vas Pas” and “Chez Les Ye-Ye,”
which leads with a Ray Charles-styled piano run.
Yana’s tracks are a fine complement to the piano and
drum pyrotechnics and hopefully, we will hear more
from her on future Claudette recordings.
The Iguana/Caskey duo returns to the spotlight with
“The Swinger Goes Straight,” and an amazing redo of
“There’s No Business Like Show Business.” The
buoyant “Summer Finally Came” is a standout as well,
and it’s a wonder Iguana’s piano didn’t catch fire
on the rousing closer, “Life is Such Fun, and Then
Seems To Disappear.”
No Hotel is another fresh and astounding release of
piano blues. Iguana and Caskey continue to play
their instruments as if their lives were in the
balance, and the addition of Yana as vocalist adds a
whole new intriguing dimension to their musical
recipe. Blues fans are strongly urged to check out
this exciting release.
---
Graham Clarke
Now pushing 20 years of age,
singer/guitarist/songwriter Andy Poxon shows no
signs of slowing down. How he’s able to maintain
this incredible energy and pace at his age is beyond
me. All kidding aside, blues fans should find a lot
to love with the youngster’s newest release, Must Be
Crazy (EllerSoul Records). With the able assistance
of keyboardist/songwriter Kevin McKendree (who also
co-produced), Poxon has come up with another
dazzling set of original tunes that incorporate the
blues, jazz, swing, and R&B in equal measures.
Poxon traveled to Rock House Studios in Franklin, Tennessee
to record with keyboardist/songwriter Kevin McKendree, who served as co-producer with Poxon and
collaborated on four of the 13 songs. Poxon
continues his upward development as a composer,
writing tunes that touch on traditional themes that
will please older fans, while covering topics that
will also appeal to up and coming fans closer to his
age. “Making A Fool” is a classic example of this,
with a subject that younger folks will relate to as
well as older.
The title track opens the disc and Poxon mixes a
little Elmore James and B.B. King into his playing.
“Living Alone” has an almost Crescent City feel,
thanks to McKendree’s stellar work on the keys, and
“Next To You” really swings. Poxon’s tough but
tender vocals work very effectively on the mid-tempo
“Give Me The Chance,” and on the T-Bone-styled “Cold
Weather,” where he also adds some sweet after-hours
guitar. “Harder Everyday” and “Already Gone” are
both standout soul-flavored ballads with nice vocal
turns from Poxon.
“I Want To Know” revisits the New Orleans region
with gently swinging horns and some fine fretwork.
“Don’t Tell Me What To Do” is a defiant and moody
slow blues with an extended guitar break. The
closing instrumental, “Rebound,” channels Booker T.
& the MG’s, with Poxon taking on the role of Steve
Cropper and McKendree’s son Yates taking Booker T.
Jones’ seat behind the B3. It’s a really cool way to
close this outstanding set.
In addition to the McKendrees, Poxon is ably
assisted by Steve Mackey (bass), Kenneth Blevens
(drums), Jim Hoke (saxophones), Chloe Kohanski and
the McCrary Sisters (backing vocals). Andy Poxon has
shown amazing talent and maturity since he burst on
the scene some five years ago and Must Be Crazy
shows that he’s progressing even faster than
expected. Blues fans should find a spot for this
splendid release in their collection.
---
Graham Clarke
The versatile British Columbia guitarist
Les
Copeland has released his second album, To Be in
Your Company (Earwig Records). Copeland’s guitar
work is a unique blend of blues, jazz, classical,
pop, folk, and Spanish flemenco, but he’s been
largely focused on the blues since he first heard
Mississippi Fred McDowell’s “Red Cross Store” as an
11-year-old. Copeland’s debut for Earwig, Don’t
Let the Devil In, featured 14 of 15 original tunes
by the guitarist, but his sophomore effort mixes his
quirky originals with several well-chosen covers
that he makes his own.
There are 18 tracks, with Copeland writing
11 of them. These include the title track, a
tribute to his longtime friend and mentor,
“Honeyboy” Edwards, played very much in Edwards’
distinctive style, “Friend,” about a would-be wife
stealer, “ the menacing “If I Was A Bad Man,” and
“Crosstown,” a blues played in the tradition of
McDowell. Copeland also touches on matters of the
heart with “Stealin’,” one of several love songs to
his wife Sarah (the others are “Something Nice and
Sweet,” “Knucklehead,” and “I’d Be Lonely Too”).
There’s also a moving love song called “Bessie,”
written from Edwards' perspective about his wife.
Copeland’s covers span a wide range of musical
genres, from Jelly Roll Morton (a “cleaned up”
version of “Whinin’ Boy”), to Henry Townsend (“Why
We Love Each Other”), to Jim Stafford (the early
’70s classic “Swamp Witch”), to Gordon Lightfoot
(the lovely “Ribbon of Darkness”) to Bob Dylan
(“Moonshiner”) to Billy Joe Shaver (“I’m Just an Old
Chunk of Coal”) to the Kinks (Ray Davies’ “Sunny
Afternoon”). With this diverse set, Copeland proves
he’s adept at playing a wide range of genres.
Copeland and his guitar are the main attractions
here, but a talented pair of backing vocalists (Cat
Wells and Sari) lend a hand on several songs. I
think Honeyboy Edwards would be pleased with
Copeland’s approach to the blues….keeping one foot
planted in the traditional sounds, but also steering
it into the foreseeable future. This is a
must-listen for fans of blues guitar.
---
Graham Clarke
When you’re called Clarence “The Blues Man” Turner,
you better be pretty doggone good, and this
Washington D.C.-based
singer/guitarist/bassist/drummer/songwriter is more
than ready for the challenge of measuring up.
Turner’s second CD, The Caster Blaster, is more than
ample proof that the moniker is well-deserved, with
11 outstanding tunes, eight originals and three
covers, that mix contemporary blues with just a
touch of soul, R&B, and rock.
Backed by a tight band that includes Sean Graves
(drums), Charles Pearson (keyboards), David
Satterwhite (bass), Gene Meros (saxophones), and
Gary Hendrickson (trumpet), Turner kicks off with
“Fame and Fortune,” providing stinging rock-flavored
lead guitar over a funky backbeat. “Mojo Hand” is an
appropriately swampy original with punchy horns, and
“Nadine” is an upbeat swinger. The Turner original
“Happily Married Man” is another high energy number
in the same vein, and “Pay Day” is a timely remake
of the title track from his debut.
Turner also offers up two classy instrumentals, the
minor key “Sabrena,” which features some excellent
interplay between Turner’s guitar and the horns, and
the hard-charging shuffle “Fender Bender,” with some
high speed string-bending from “The Blues Man.” The
three covers are a swinging version of “C.C. Rider,”
Ray Charles’ splendid slow blues “Black Jack,” and a
rocking version of Willie Dixon’s classic warhorse
“I’m Ready.”
The Caster Blaster
is an impressive set of modern
blues done right, proving that Clarence Turner has
more than earned his nickname. Hopefully, we will be
hearing more from this particular blues man for
years to come.
---
Graham Clarke
Crooked Eye Tommy reached the IBC semifinals in
2014, representing the Santa Barbara Blues Society.
Fronted by the band’s namesake, guitarist/singer
Tommy Marsh, and his brother, guitarist/singer Paddy
Marsh, their sound encompasses traditional blues
with Southern rock undertones. Having made an impact
on the Southern California blues scene, the band
recently released its debut recording, Butterflies &
Snakes, which is comprised of 11 original tunes
written by the brothers.
Tommy Marsh composed and sings eight of the
11
tracks, including the swampy, semi-autobiographical
opener, “Crooked Eye Tommy,” which also features him
playing some splendid slide guitar. “Time Will Tell”
is another standout, a blues rocker with a funky
Southern feel whose lyrics give the album its title.
“Somebody’s Got To Pay” is an excellent blues
shuffle, and “Love Divine” is an upbeat blues, as is
“Mad and Disgusted.” “Over and Over” is a fine slow
blues and “Southern Heart” closes the disc on a
countrified note (nice steel guitar from Jesse Siebenberg).
Paddy Marsh penned and sings on three tunes, the
soulful “Come On In,” the raw “I Stole The Blues,”
and the contemplative “Tide Pool.” The remainder of
the band includes bass player Glade Rasmussen,
drummer Tony Cicero, and Jimmy Calire on sax and
keyboards. Also contributing are Seibenberg, Bill
Bilhou (Hammond B3) and Becca Fuchs and Dan Grimm
(backing vocals).
Butterflies & Snakes is a super debut release from a
band that should definitely be heard by a wider
audience. Crooked Eye Tommy is already on the right
track with their superb musicianship and
songwriting. Expect to hear much more from these
guys in the future.
--- Graham Clarke
Since her last album, 2010’s
Tell It Like It Is,
singer/songwriter Deb Callahan became a mother to
her now 4-year-old son Elijah. This experience
brought about a change in focus in her life and on
her career. Callahan’s latest release is Sweet Soul
(Blue Pearl Records), and her songwriting, she
co-wrote eight of the 13 tracks, reflects her
current state and outlook on life. Callahan traveled
to Los Angeles with guitarist Chris James and
recorded this excellent disc with an elite group of
veteran musicians which included Tony Braunagel
(drums/production), Johnny Lee Schell (slide
guitar/engineering), Reggie McBride (bass), Mike
Finnigan (keys), and Jimmy Powers (harmonica).
No album was more appropriately titled.
Sweet Soul
perfectly describes the vocal charms of Ms.
Callahan. She shines on original tracks like the
funky strutter “Big Love” that opens the disc, and
is appropriately sassy on “I Keep Things Running.”
“Shackin’ Up” is a rocker with some sharp slide work
from Schell, and “I Am Family” is a strong ballad
with background vocals from Teresa James.
“Born To Love You” is a crisp soul burner and one of
the standout tracks on the disc, with some of the
others including “Seven States Away,” which has an
almost country feel, and “Step Back,” a great foray
into southern soul territory. However, Callahan
saves her best for the gripping slow blues “Slow as
Molasses, Sweet as Honey,” pouring every ounce of
her being into this performance (great
guitar/keyboard interplay between James and
Finnigan, too).
Callahan also includes five dandy covers, too.
There’s a groovy redo of Candi Staton’s “Sweet
Feeling,” along with a moody reading of Tom Waits’
“Way Down In The Hole,” and David Egan and Buddy
Flett’s future soul classic “You Don’t Know Your
Mind.” Callahan acquits herself quite well on the
Ike & Tina classic “Crazy ‘Bout You Baby,” and gets
deep into the funk on Dr. John’s “I Been Hoodooed.”
Callahan dedicated the album to her son, and blues
fans should be grateful for his inspiration to his
mother. Sweet Soul is an entertaining journey in the
blues and soul world from one of the best
contemporary vocalist in either genre.
---
Graham Clarke
Tommy McCoy is a 40-year veteran of the Florida
blues scene, playing with The Backdoor Blues Band,
The Screamin’ Bluejays, and the Telephone Kings
during that time, but also meeting and playing with
artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble,
Lucky Peterson (recording the 1998 album Lay My
Demons Down with him), and Mark Hummel. He’s been
playing guitar since he was eight years old, and has
released seven albums over his career. McCoy is the
complete package in blues entertainment, soulful
vocals, smoking lead guitar work, and mad
songwriting skills, so why he isn’t better known is
a mystery. Recently, McCoy released 25 Year
Retrospect (Earwig Records), a two-disc set that
should go a long way toward making him better known.
The collection features 30 songs with tracks
representing each of his previous albums, plus three
impressive new songs recorded this year. There are
two tracks from his 1993 Telephone Kings release,
More Than You’ll Ever Know (the moody “Tropical
Depression” and “Jive Drive”), six tracks from
1995’s Love N’ Money, which included several tracks
with Double Trouble (“No Love Without Any Green,”
the Pink Floyd classic “Money,” a fine cover of
Bobby Bland’s “Poverty,” the funky “The Change Is
In” and “Broke, You’re A Joke” and the instrumental
title track). The six tracks pulled from Lay My
Demons Down show that Peterson made a pretty good
team with McCoy (Jimmy Rogers’ “Ludella,” the greasy
“Blues Thing,” “Bitter Soul To Heal,” “A Man Who
Cried,” the acoustic “They Killed That Man,” and the
title track).
McCoy’s 1999 live effort,
Live in the U.K., is also
represented by the driving rocker “Talkin’ To
Myself.” McCoy’s 2002 album, Angels Serenade,
included contributions from two former members of
The Band, drummer Levon Helm and keyboardist Garth
Hudson. Their influence is felt on several of the
five tracks featured from that disc (“Ace In The
Hole,” Lowell George’s “Spanish Moon,” Ray Charles’
“Hey Now,” “Blue Water Runs Deep,” and the title
track). Kickin’ The Blues, McCoy’s 2006
collaboration with Commander Cody, is
well-represented by a swinging “Black Eldorado Red.”
Six tracks represent McCoy’s excellent 2012 release
for Earwig, Late In The Lonely Night: the guitar
workout “My Guitar Won’t Play Nothin’ But The
Blues,” the amusing “Cars, Bars, And Guitars,” the
smoldering title track, “Angel On My Shoulder, Devil
On My Back,” “Language of Love,” and “Spacemaster.”
The three new songs are pretty cool, too, and
include McCoy’s inventive tribute to B.B. King (“The
King Is Gone”), the R&B-flavored “I Got A Reason,”
and “Sugar Cane,” which features McCoy solo on
acoustic guitar.
25 Year Retrospect will definitely please fans of
Tommy McCoy, who will be glad to get these great
tracks on one collection, and will also serve as a
fantastic introduction to new listeners, who will be
blown away by his talent and versatility.
---
Graham Clarke
When he was 16, Andy Cohen heard the Rev. Gary Davis
perform, and the effect of Davis’ performance
steered him to learn as much about blues and folk
music as possible. In the process, he became one of
the best purveyors of traditional blues and roots
music and a guitarist who is in a class by himself.
He’s played with many of the masters (Davis, John
Jackson, Martin, Bogan and Armstrong, Honeyboy
Edwards, Rev. Dan Smith, Son Thomas, etc…) and he
mentored many younger players over his lengthy
career. He’s been called a “walking, talking
folk-blues-roots music encyclopedia.”
Cohen’s second CD for Earwig Records,
Road Be Kind,
finds the guitarist mixing 16 tunes of traditional
and contemporary styles, with a few surprises thrown
in. He opens with a humorous autobiographical track,
“Five and Ten Cent Blues,” that he says is one of
his oldest and favorite original songs. Cohen also
includes a couple of story songs, Luke Baldwin’s
“Seldom Seen Slim” and Walter Weems Doyle’s
“Mysterious Mose,” and also a couple of tunes from a
historical perspective, “The Goodnight Loving Trail”
(a Utah Phillips tune about the old route from San
Antonio to Cheyenne used to deliver meat to the
army) and “Ten and Nine,” a song about an early
1900’s Scottish women’s right activist.
There are several pretty straight blues tunes as
well, such as Sonny Terry’s “Spread the News
Around,” and Sam McGhee’s “Seaboard Train.” The
title track is a gentle folk tune penned by Scott
Alarik, and songs like “More Wood” and especially
“Talking Hard Blues” will put a smile on your face.
Cohen also does a few instrumentals that showcase
his guitar work, too – the traditional Irish medley
“Blarney Pilgrim/Jig McCoy,” John Loudermilk’s
“Windy and Warm,” and a really nice reading of the
Lennon/McCartney standard “Blackbird.”
Cohen’s fine picking skills and his warm vocals make
Road Be Kind a delightful listening experience. It’s
an entertaining journey through classic American and
European musical styles that sometimes reach beyond
the blues, but never leave them completely behind.
---
Graham Clarke
The Beat Daddys are fast approaching their 30th year
of making outstanding and distinctive music. The
band, which features core members Larry Grisham
(vocals, harmonica) and Tommy Stillwell (guitar,
backing vocals), have nine albums to their credit,
and made it to the Semi-Finals at this year’s IBC.
Their most recent release, hoodoo that we doo
(Melrose Hill Records), is the first studio album in
over 20 years to feature both Grisham and
Stillwell, who left the group in 1995 but reunited
with Grisham in 2007 after Grisham relocated from
New Orleans to Nashville following the devastation
of Hurricane Katrina.
Grisham and Stillwell co-wrote most of the
11
tracks. They didn’t write the opening track, the
gospel-bluesy “These Chains.” This track was penned
by Muscle Shoals singer/songwriter Maxwell Russell.
“Sorry” is one of six Grisham/Stillwell tracks, a
swampy slow blues with ample opportunity for
Stillwell to bend some strings. “You Made Me Cry” is
a tough rock-flavored ballad with a strong vocal
from Grisham.
Grisham and Stillwell team with Malaco tunesmith
A.D. Prestage for the soulful “D.U.I. Love.” “Been
Thinkin’” follows suit in the soul vein with chick
singers and some tasty keyboards from Patrick
Preston, while “Luck’s Got To Change” is a fine
slice of southern blues rock. The Stillwell
composition “The Moment” is a smooth R&B track, with
a crisp guitar solo, and Grisham contributes the old
school shuffle “Pie or Cake.”
The final two tracks are “The Blues Can Heal Ya’,”
Stillwell’s upbeat tribute to the genre that’s
dedicated to B.B. King in the liner notes. The song
would have been a good fit for the late King of the
Blues with it’s upbeat message and spirit. The
closer is “I Need A Woman,” a raw and rocking track
that showcases Stillwell’s slide guitar.
Backing musicians include Preston (organ), David
Parks (drums, percussion, chains), John Gillespie
(bass), and Greg Franzman (percussion). The Beat
Daddys always deliver with their blend of blues,
rock, and roots, and hoodoo that we doo doesn’t
disappoint in that department. Hopefully, we won’t
have to wait so long for their next release.
---
Graham Clarke
Been Around A While (Quest Records) is the debut
album from the Canadian blues duo Dalannah and Owen. Dalannah Gail Bowen is a singer/community
volunteer/activist of African-Canadian/Cherokee
heritage and has sung blues, jazz, and gospel for
nearly 50 years. Bass player Owen Owen Owen (Owen
Veber) is a jazz and classically trained bassist and
performer who has over 40 years of experience
playing multiple genres in the Vancouver area and
all over the world.
The musical arrangement, Veber’s bass combined with
Bowen’s vocals, might seem pretty sparse on paper,
but not so much when listening. Veber’s bass lines
are so nimble and fluid that you don’t really know
anything else is missing. Bowen’s vocals, which
encompass blues, soul, gospel, and jazz are
incredibly so expressive and heartfelt. The results
are positively riveting.
The disc features 11 tracks, five originals
penned by Bowen and Veber and six covers. The
originals include the autobiographical title track,
the funky “That Ain’t It,” the sassy “Already Gone,”
“Queen Bee,” and “Heaven’s Right Here,” a
jazz-flavored slow blues.
The cover tunes will be familiar to blues fans, but
mostly by their titles. Veber and Bowen modify and
electrify old blues chestnuts like “Early In The
Morning,” “Come On In My Kitchen,” and Walkin’
Blues,” along with a classic Billy Eckstine tune,
“Blues, Mother of Sin,” and Marvin Gaye’s “Inner
City Blues.” Bowen’s warm and intimate style makes
her interpretations of these songs sound like her
own songs.
Blues fans will definitely find a lot to like with
Been Around A While. Owen Veber and Dalannah Gail
Bowen may be small in number, but they’re mighty big
in making music and their debut make for compelling
and rewarding listening.
---
Graham Clarke
The Nashville-based
Lara & the Bluz Dawgs boasts a
well-seasoned group of players who hail from all
corners of the country and Canada. Lead singer Lara
Germony has a vocal style that’s ideally suited for
the blues, but is also a comfortable fit in the
rock, jazz, and country genres. She and her husband,
bass player Gregg Germony, co-wrote the 12tracks, with help from various bandmates (Al Rowe –
guitar, Dan Nadasdi – keys, Ray Gonzales – drums,
Reggie Murray – sax), on their second release,
Howlin’ (Lock Alley Music).
The churning boogie track, “Uh Huh,” opens the disc
on a high note. “Flat Line” is nice and funky and
features Rowe’s stinging leads and Murray’s sax, and
“I Wonder” is a slow blues ballad with a smooth and
heartfelt vocal from Ms. Germony. The sizzling
“Wearin’ Me Out” goes into old-school rock & roll
territory, and “T-Dawg Lovin’” showcases Germony’s
sultry vocals with great accompaniment on sax from
Murray. Germony goes from sultry to sassy with the
energetic R&B of “Don’t Mess With My Baby.”
“Love Me Tonight” is a laid-back jazzy slice of
blues, “I’m Over It” is a slick shuffle, and “Say
Goodbye” is a splendid soulful ballad. The swinging
“Love of Mine” is next, followed by the moody
“Shadow Groovin’,” a smoky slow blues. The title
track closes things out with a Crescent City groove
that should get feet to moving.
I really enjoyed Germony’s versatility as a vocalist
and the interplay between Rowe, Murray, and
keyboardist Nadasdi. Lara & the Bluz Dawgs look like
they have a bright future in the business, and
Howlin’ will definitely please fans of high energy
blues rock.
---
Graham Clarke
The Pittsburgh-based band
Billy The Kid & The
Regulators finished third in the 2014 IBC and
finished in the Top Five in 2013 in the Best
Self-Produced Album category. They’ve already won a
couple of blues competitions (2013 Blues Society of
Western Pennsylvania and 2007 West Virginia Blues
Society), and after you’ve heard their latest
self-released CD, I Can’t Change, you’ll be inclined
to think that those awards were well-deserved.
Band leader Billy Evanochko is a triple threat….a
talented songwriter, soulful vocalist, and powerful
guitarist. He’s one of three guitarist in the group
with Jon Vallecorsa and slide guitarist James
Dougherty. The rhythm section (Arnold Stagger –
bass, Brian Edwards – drums, Ublai Bey – keys) are
spot-on as well, and there are a bevy of guest
musicians who participate as well, including Jason
Ricci (harmonica), Damon Fowler (guitar/producer),
and Sean Carney (guitar).
I Can’t Change consists of ten tracks, six originals
written by Evanochko, Vallecorsa, and/or Dougherty,
and four far-ranging cover tunes. The originals pack
a punch, beginning with the soulful title track, one
of three tracks that feature a punchy horn section.
Other standout originals include the greasy “Ain’t
Gotta Prove Nothing,” and the ballad “What Are We
Fighting For” (nice slide guitar from Dougherty). A
couple of the originals, “Story of the Blues” and
“That Darn Cat” lean toward the funkier side of the
blues, and “Saturday Night” is a straightforward
high energy rocker.
The cover tunes are pretty diverse. “Who” is a
contemporary 12-bar blues number that rocks
pretty hard, Dave McKenzie’s “Slender Man Blues” is
a slow blues with some strong guitar from Evanochko,
and Jimmy Reed’s “Can’t Stand To See You Go” is a
nice vehicle for the band and probably goes over big
during their shows. The Robert Johnson classic, “Me
and the Devil Blues,” closes out the disc
effectively, a stripped down arrangement with
Ricci’s harmonica in the mix.
All in all, I Can’t Change is an impressive set of
modern blues. With music this good, Billy The Kid &
The Regulators don’t need to change……not a single,
solitary thing.
---
Graham Clarke
Based in Hollywood, currently serving as resident
band for the House of Blues Sunset, Bo & the Bluesdrivers have a pretty notable
résumé. Lead
guitarist/vocalist Bo is a veteran of the Florida
blues scene who relocated to L.A. in the early
2000s, and the rhythm section of J.J. Garcia
(drums) and Brian “Chewy” James (bass) have
collaborated for nearly 20 years, playing in the
bands Stone and Judge Jackson, as well as doing
soundtrack work with horror movie magnate John
Carpenter.
As a way of introducing themselves to blues rock
fans, the band recently issued a self-titled EP on
GES Music that will give listeners a taste of what
the band is about - high-energy blues rock with a
nod toward funk, jazz, and soul. The EP consists of
five original tracks. Three of these tracks feature
Bo’s gravelly road-tested vocals (“Out On The
Streets,” “Ass, Gas, or Grass,” and “Walkin’ In The
Park”) and muscular guitar work. There are also two
strong instrumentals (“Sea Song” and “Chillin’”)
that showcase his guitar and the rhythm section’s
ESP-like rapport.
This impressive EP will please blues rock fans for
sure and offers just enough to make listeners want
to hear more. Hopefully, Bo & the Bluesdrivers will
comply in the near future.
---
Graham Clarke