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 Christmas time is fast approaching, which means
holiday-oriented releases have already started
hitting the stores, both brick and cyber. One
new album that will certainly put a hop in any
blues fan’s step is All I Got For Christmas Is
The Blues (Pretty Good For A Girl Records) from
saxophonist / vocalist extraordinaire Mindi Abair
and the Boneshakers. Ms Abair (lead
vocals/tenor, soprano, and baritone saxes) and
the Boneshakers (Randy Jacobs – guitars, dobro,
vocals, Rodney Lee – keyboards, mouthharp,
vocals, Third Richardson –
drums/percussion/vocals, and Ben White – bass,
vocals) have assembled a nine-song set of
re-imagined Christmas classics and dynamite
original tunes.
The group’s Hill Country transformation of the
Charles Brown standard “Merry Christmas Baby” is
a must-hear with the greasy slide guitar,
irresistible rhythm, and Abair’s tough vocal.
There’s also a terrific take of the Phil Spector
classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” and
a lively read of “Rockin’ Around The Christmas
Tree” that breaths new life into the much-heard
Brenda Lee version. Another standard, “The
Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open
Fire),” gets a spirited instrumental reading
with Abair proving that she’s one of the finest
sax players on the planet. Chuck Berry’s
“Run Run Rudolph” gets seriously funked up.
The four originals are all solid tunes that
measure up well to the classics. The rumbling
title track sounds like a future classic that
blues fans will be hearing in cover versions
from now on. “The Best Part of Christmas” is a
tender ballad with a sweet vocal from Abair, and
the closer is “Christmas Fool,” a back
porch-styled jam with Jacobs on cigar box guitar
and lead vocals. Abair also recreates her
memorable 2004 track, “I Can’t Wait For
Christmas.”
All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues is just
what the doctor ordered for blues fans during
the holidays. Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers
offer up interesting and creative
interpretations of Yuletide classics, plus they
bring a few new tunes to the table that might
reach that lofty status themselves one day.
--- Graham Clarke
 I’ve been a fan of
Boz Scaggs’ music since I was in junior high
school when “Lowdown” and “Lido Shuffle” hit the
airwaves. Like most 13-year-olds at the time, I
was completely unaware that Scaggs had been on
the music scene for over ten years before I even
heard of him, playing on the Steve Miller Band’s
(another junior high school favorite) first two
albums and earning some degree of success before
his mid ’70s breakthrough with a more blues/R&B
oriented approach prior to crossing over to the
more pop-oriented style that caught on with the
public in the mid ’70s.
Over the years, I followed his musical career
and his peaks and valleys, really being
surprised when he showed up at the Memphis
Horns’ 25th Anniversary Celebration in Memphis
in 1992, where he played a pair of sizzling
blues tracks, and again in 1997 when he recorded
Come On Home, a collection of blues and R&B
classics. That was my first clue that there was
more to Scaggs’ music than that five-year period
of chart success.
In recent years, Scaggs has released a pair of
albums that consisted of mostly cover tunes
paying tribute to the music that inspired him as
an artist. 2013’s Memphis acknowledged his debt
to the soul and R&B legends of the Bluff City,
while 2015’s A Fool to Care focuses on soul and
R&B from not only Memphis, but New Orleans.
While both of those albums had clear and
distinct traces of the blues present, Scaggs
jumps into the blues with both feet with Out of
the Blues (Concord Records), a great closing
chapter to the trilogy and arguably the best
album of the three.
The nine-song set includes a pair of tunes from
Don Robey, who is credited with many of Bobby
“Blue” Bland’s hits for Duke Records back in the
day. “I’ve Just Got To Forget You” is a slow
burner with Scaggs really giving this one the
soulful treatment with great support from the
horn section, and “The Feeling Is Gone” is an
outstanding late night after-hours blues. Jimmy
Reed’s influence is also acknowledged with a
cover of “Down In Virginia,” that features that
wonderful lump-de-lump rhythm and guitar and
harmonica from Bramhall.
There’s also a memorable take on Jimmy
McCracklin’s “I’ve Just Got To Know,” with
guitar from Sexton, and a tremendous slow blues
version of Neil Young’s “On The Beach,” where
Scagg’s somber vocal completely transforms the
song from Young’s original.
Scaggs includes four original tunes on
Out of
the Blues, all from his longtime friend and
musical associate Jack “Applejack” Walroth, who
also contributed songs to Memphis and A Fool To
Care. Each of these work perfectly with the
choice cover material. The album opener, “Rock
and Stick,” is a quirky, but funky shuffle, with
guitar from Bramhall and harmonica from Walroth,
and “Radiator 110” is a romping, stomping blues
with Walroth, Freund, and Scaggs playing guitar.
“Little Miss Night and Day” is a dandy slice of
old time rock ‘n roll co-written with Scaggs,
and “Those Lies” would have been a choice album
cut during Scaggs’ ’70s heyday.
Scaggs produced this set with Chris Tabarez and
J. Michael Rodriguez, taking the reins from
Steve Jordan, who produced both Memphis and
A
Fool To Care. Several musicians from the
previous two sets return for Out of the Blues –
Willie Weeks (bass), Ray Parker, Jr. (guitars),
Jim Cox (keyboards) – and they are joined by Jim Keltner (drums), and guitarists Steve Freund,
Charlie Sexton, and Doyle Bramhall II, with Eric
Crystal (tenor sax), Thomas Politzer (tenor
sax), and Stephen “Doc” Kupka (baritone sax)
appearing on several tracks.
Boz Scaggs turned 74 just prior to the release
of Out of the Blues and he sounds as good as
ever. The voice, like the man, has aged over the
years, but the effects of time have added
texture to his vocals, making him more of a
blues singer now than he was when he got his
start in the mid ’60s. Those who stopped
listening to him when the hits stopped in the
’80s have completely missed the boat.
All three of Scaggs’ most recent releases
deserve to be heard, but Out of the Blues is a
must-listen for blues fans.
--- Graham Clarke
 The Proven Ones are definitely that, with a cast
of blues all-stars that include legendary
guitarist Kid Ramos, keyboardist Anthony Geraci,
drummer Jimi Bott, and bassist Willie J.
Campbell, along with Boston blues icon, vocalist
Brian Templeton. Together, these artists have
amassed numerous awards, with over 20 BMA
nominations, while playing with some of the
finest bands of the last 40 years, including
Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, Rod Piazza and the
Mighty Flyers, The James Harman Band, The
Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ronnie Earl and the
Broadcasters, The Mannish Boys, and The Radio
Kings.
Wild Again (Roseleaf Records) is the debut
release for this new blues supergroup, a
dynamite ten-track set. The band really smokes
on this set, and is augmented on most of the
tracks by a horn section (Joe McCarthy –
arrangements/trumpet, Renato Coranto – tenor
sax, Robert Crowell – baritone sax, and Chris
Mercer – tenor sax).
Bott’s composition, “Cheap Thrills,” sets the
pace for the rest of the album. It’s a
hard-charging rocker that previously appeared on
Bott’s 2005 live recording, performed by Kim
Wilson and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Next up is
a nice and greasy version of Dyke and the
Blazers’ “City Dump” that really cooks, and
Templeton really rips into the soulful ballad
“Don’t Leave Me This Way,” penned by Dave
Bartholomew and Fats Domino. “If You Be My
Baby,” a mellow urban blues penned by Peter
Green, is highlighted by some sweet Ramos guitar
work from the B.B. King School.
Ramos also shines on Geraci’s “Why Baby Why,” a
mid-tempo track that shows the band firing on all
cylinders, while Clarence Carter’s “Road Of
Love” gets a sweet soul blues treatment and a
spot-on vocal from Templeton, along with tasty
slide guitar from Ramos. “Right Track Now,”
penned by Kim Wilson, Ramos, and Bott, keeps
that soul-blues vibe going right along before
leading into the title track, a fiery roadhouse
rocker.
The band’s cover of Fenton Robinson’s “Somebody
Loan Me A Dime” follows fairly closely to the
ballad version from Boz Scaggs (featuring Duane
Allman on guitar) recorded in the late ’60s at
Muscle Shoals. Ramos does an outstanding job on
guitar and Geraci is rock solid on Hammond. It’s
11 and a half minutes of splendid slow
blues. The album concludes with a fine take on
The Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down,” one of the Fab
Four’s bluesier efforts.
One can only hope that this wasn’t a one-time
collaboration for The Proven Ones. The band is
like a well-oiled machine and Wild Again is
loaded with powerful, compelling music. Let’s do
this again soon, guys!
--- Graham Clarke
 Ray Bonneville was born in Quebec and moved with
his family to Boston when he was 12. He learned
to speak English and learned to play piano and
guitar. He served in Vietnam and later earned
his commercial pilot license, working in
Colorado, Seattle, Paris, and New Orleans. It
was his six-year stay in the Crescent City that
shaped his musical vision, mostly the laidback
rhythms and grooves. Though he had worked as a
studio musician and played clubs at various
locations, a close call while flying in Canada
encouraged him to begin writing his own songs
and make music his full time occupation.
Bonneville won the 2012 I.B.C. in the solo/duo
category and has released eight previous studio
albums, all of which are highly acclaimed with
one album (Gust Of Wind) winning a Juno Award
and one song (“I Am The Big Easy,” his
post-Katrina elegy) winning the International
Folk Alliance’s song of the year in 2007. His
ninth release, At King Electric (Stonefly
Records), was recorded in Austin, where
Bonneville has resided for the past ten years,
and features 11 original songs that take a
relaxed, groove-filled approach to the blues and
Americana, capturing the essence of the New
Orleans music that so enthralled him years ago.
The opener, “Waiting On The Night,” is a moody
lament about a broken relationship, “Next Card
To Fall” is a midtempo shuffle that features
several down-on-their-luck characters hoping to
catch a break. “Tender Heart” is a ballad about
a heartbroken woman who can’t let the past slip
away, and the greasy “South of the Blues”
searches for a place to escape life’s travails. “It’ll Make a Hole in You” drips with New
Orleans funk as it tells the story of a indigent
drifter, and the somber “Codeine” is a desperate
addict’s sad tale.
“Until Such a Day” picks up the tempo and the
mood a bit as a lover patiently awaits the day
his lady decides to make a commitment to their
relationship, and “Papachulalay” is the story of
a person whose spirits are lifted by a New
Orleans street parade, complete with Second Line
rhythm. “The Day They Let Me Out” is a
conversation between a prison inmate and his
brother as they discuss his approaching release
date. The disc closes with “Forever Gone,” about
leaving a town and hopefully problems behind,
and a nice instrumental, “Riverside Drive.”
Bonneville’s songs are marvelous, telling
stories and painting vivid images of a wide
assortment of characters. Some of these tales
are so personal that they have to come from
personal experience. The sparse arrangements fit
perfectly, and Bonneville’s nimble guitar work
and weathered vocals are as essential as the
songs are to At King Electric, a wonderful
release which should find a place in any music
fan’s collection.
--- Graham Clarke
 The latest release from the
Bruce Katz Band is
Get Your Groove! (American Showplace Music), a
stylish 11-track set that finds keyboardist
extraordinaire Katz teaming with drummer Ray Hangen and guitarist Chris Vitarello, who
provides vocals on a few tracks as on the
band’s previous effort, Out From The Center. The
band is augmented on several tracks by Matt
Raymond (acoustic/electric bass), and drummer Jaimoe, one of the founding members of the
Allman Brothers Band who Katz has played with
while touring with the Allmans and with Jaimoe’s
Jasssez Band.
Four tracks feature Vitarello on vocals as well
as guitar – the traditional “Hesitation Blues,”
plus three other tunes he co-authored with Katz
and others, “Shine Together (Tribe of Lights),”
“Make Things Right,” and the slow blues “Wasn’t
My Time,” where he sings about cheating death
thanks to his guardian angel, anchored by Katz’s
splendid backing and some sweet guitar work of
his own. Vitarello is a talented vocalist and
superb guitarist, complementing Katz perfectly.
Katz wrote the magnificent instrumental “Freight
Train” while playing with Butch Trucks’ Freight
Train Band, and Jaimoe plays drums with Hangen
on this version, which will surely put a smile
and any ABB fan. Though it’s nearly ten minutes
long, listeners will be disappointed when it
concludes. “Beef Jerky” finds Katz on piano for
a shot of Crescent City funk, while “River
Blues” is a nice mix of jazz and blues with Katz
on piano and organ, and the breezy title track,
which also features Jaimoe, revisits New
Orleans.
The ultra cool “Zone 3” has a slick groove
reminiscent of Jimmy Smith, and “Rush Hour”
sounds like a long-lost cut by the Meters. The
disc closes with a funky shuffle, “The Bun.”
The Bruce Katz Band will satisfy any music fan
who digs blues, soul, R&B, and jazz, and Get
Your Groove! stands as strong evidence that Katz
is one of the finest, most versatile keyboard
players currently practicing.
--- Graham Clarke
 Beth McKee has been deeply immersed in the music
of the American South for a long time, working
as a pianist since she was 14 in her hometown of
Jackson, Mississippi, where she learned to play the blues
from session musicians at Malaco Records. She
was recruited by the legendary Fingers Taylor to
play in his band, opening for Jimmy Buffett.
From there, she moved to New Orleans, where she
joined the band Evangeline, one of the region’s
underrated treasures during the ’90s, releasing
a pair of albums with the band before setting
out on a solo career, which has seen her release
four excellent albums.
McKee’s fifth, and latest release,
dreamwood
acres (Swampgirl Music), finds this talented
artist mining the region’s varied musical
veins --- the blues, soul, gospel, country, folk,
pop, and rock --- and forging them into her own
intoxicating style. Trust me when I say this
release is one that you’ll listen to over and
over. Breathtaking in its presentation, the
album brings forth more surprises with each
subsequent listen, whether it’s McKee’s highly
personal, sometimes poignant songwriting, which
brings to life her own experiences as well as
others, or the superb musicianship throughout.
The opening track, “Angus,” looks at taking the
first steps toward independence, whether leaving
home or maybe starting a new career or following
one’s muse, and the questions, doubts, and fears
that accompany it. “Are You Happy Now?” actually
follows the same theme, but focusing on a
midpoint of sorts after success has come, asking
pointed questions as to whether it’s deserved
and appreciated. The forlorn “In Between The
Lines” focuses on one suffering the aftereffects
of a broken relationship.
The haunting rocker “Resurrection Mary” tells
the tale of a murdered woman whose ghost still
haunts the places she once frequented, and “The
Fall” is a moving ballad about the difficulty of
dealing with heartbreak and the aftermath. “You
Make It Look Easy” is an upbeat, glowing tribute
to an inspiration, while “The Balancing Act”
brings to mind a duck on the water, smooth
sailing on the surface, but paddling furiously
underneath, a characteristic no doubt sharded by
many listeners.
If you’re from or have spent any time in the
South, you will recognize the characters
described in the soulful, gospel-flavored “Mercy
Point” and the funky “Mad Potter of Biloxi.” The
closer, “Echo Chamber,” is a frank look at the
current scene and the stubbornness of many in
politics and social media, who choose to look
at one viewpoint without considering the whole
story, something both sides of the spectrum
should take to heart.
To these ears, dreamwood acres is Beth McKee’s
best release without question. It takes the best
qualities of her earlier work and puts them all
into one big pot, painting a fantastic picture
of the music of the American South and
encompassing all of the influences she’s
absorbed over her career. Add this one to your
“Must Hear” list as soon as possible.
--- Graham Clarke
 Since 2008, singer/guitarist
Rory Block has been
working on a Mentor series of recordings for
Stony Plain Records, paying tribute to Son
House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Reverend Gary
Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, and Bukka White for Stony Plain (plus an earlier
Robert Johnson tribute for another label). With
her latest Stony Plain release, Block moves in a
different direction, launching the “Power Women
of the Blues” series with A Woman’s Soul,
dedicated to the music of the legendary Bessie
Smith, “The Empress of the Blues.”
Smith’s recording heyday was in the 1920s and
’30s and she died from injuries suffered in an
auto accident in 1937, so her music might not be
familiar to many newer blues fans. Block covers
ten of Smith’s classic sides, some better known
than others, and plays all the instruments –
guitar, bass, and all percussion, including
guitar bongos, hat boxes, plastic storage tubs,
oatmeal boxes, and wooden spoons.
Some of the more familiar songs include “Gimmie
a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer,” “Need a Little
Sugar in My Bowl,” Empty Bed Blues,” and
“Kitchen Man,” while lesser-known but no less
effective titles include “Jazzbo Brown From
Memphis Town,” “Do Your Duty,” “Black Mountain,”
“On Revival Day,” and “Weeping Willow Blues.”
It’s a good mix of songs that will give
unfamiliar listeners a great sample of Smith’s
catalog, and will give any of fans enough “wild
card” tracks to encourage a listen.
Block does a masterful job converting these
songs, originally presented in band format, to
an acoustic guitar setting. She also doesn’t
attempt to sing them in the same style as Smith.
While Block really doesn’t possess the range and
power of Smith’s original recordings, she adds
plenty of grit and emotion to her vocals and her
guitar playing, especially slide guitar, may not
be in a class by itself, but it surely doesn’t
take long to call the roll.
Rory Block’s ongoing tribute series have
provided blues fans with great opportunities to
hear the music of the genre’s past masters,
while hopefully encouraging them to dig deeper
into their own recordings. This first venture
into the music of iconic female blues artists is
off to a promising start with A Woman’s Soul.
--- Graham Clarke
 One of the things I have always enjoyed about
Al Basile’s recordings is that each new release is
an adventure never before taken. He’s not
content to do the same thing over and
over, always looking to take his music, the
blues itself, into different and intriguing
directions. On his latest effort, Me & the
Originator (Sweetspot Records), Basile tells the
story of a fictional musician who found an old
trunk full of lyrics, set them to music, never
admitting that he didn’t write them himself,
even after they made him famous. He places
narratives between each of the 12 songs to
set the stage for each song.
As with Basile’s previous efforts he’s joined by
producer/guitarist Duke Robillard, Mark Texeira
(drums), Brad Hallen (bass), Bruce Bears
(keyboards), Doug James (tenor/baritone sax) and
Jeff “Doc” Chanonhouse (trumpet). Basile himself
plays cornet and sings in his usual gruff but
warm manner, which is an excellent fit for his
songs, which are presented in a variety of
styles, from the ominous “Poor Boy’s Day” to the
swinging shuffle “My J-O-B,” to the cool
baseball story song “Lefty’s Nine Lessons,” to
the smoldering slow blues of “She Made Me
Believe It.”
“Here Come Your Trouble” leans toward jazz and
features a classy cornet solo from Basile and
understated keyboards from Bears, “I Forgot How
To Care” mixes blues and funk, and “First One To
Go” is a somber look at a relationship’s end.
“What You Got For Me” has a funky New Orleans
feel, with another top notch solo from Basile,
“All Right” is a smooth old school blues, and “A
Go of It” is greasy Memphis soul. The sober “So
Wrong For So Long” finds the narrator lamenting
gaining his fame “by standing on another fella’s
back,” and with the closing song, “If It Goes,
It Goes,” he seems to be grudingly accepting his
fate, however hard it may be.
The narratives are a mix of poetry and prose and
tell an absorbing tale. Robillard’s guitar work
provides tasteful intros to most of these tracks
and Basile’s soothing narrative tone makes the
spoken pieces as entertaining as the music
itself, which is really saying something. Me &
the Originator is a compelling piece of work,
which should be expected if you’ve ever listened
to any Al Basile recordings.
--- Graham Clarke
 Kat Riggins’ third release,
In The Boys’ Club (Bluzpik
Media Group), is her best yet. This time around,
the little lady with the big voice served as
producer and composer of all 12 songs, and
those songs are as powerful as her voice.
Growing up, Ms. Riggins came to love a wide
variety of genres --- gospel, soul, rock, country,
and R&B for sure, but blues most of all. Her
previous release, Blues Revival, was an
indication of that, but this new release even
exceeds the reach of its predecessor.
Riggins is joined by Darrell Raines, who doubles
on lead and rhythm guitar along with keyboards,
and bassist George Caldwell, both of whom
also appeared on Blues Revival. Drummer Johnnie
Hicks joins the fun this time around and Clay
Goldstein contributes harmonica. Guest
guitarists Josh Rowand and Albert Castiglia (who
also provides co-lead vocals) also appear.
Rowland’s contributions are on the two opening
tracks, the determined contemporary blues “Try
Try Again,” and the country blues “Troubles
Away,” while Castiglia shares lead vocals with
Riggins and provides nimble guitar work on the
energetic “Kitty Won’t Scratch.”
The deep soul of “Hear Me” paints a
solemn tale
of a lover who’s fed up with her significant
other’s cheating ways, and “Second To None” is a
freewheeling shot of Stax-flavored R&B, while
“Tightrope” mixes in a healthy dose of funk as
does “Cheat Or Lose.” The roadhouse rocker
“Johnny Walker” is a definite change of pace
with Riggins’ feisty vocal backed by Raines
pulling out all the stops on guitar and
Goldstein wailing away on harp, and “Fistful O’
Water” matches it in rock-edged intensity.
“Don’t Throw Me Away” is a splendid slow blues
punctuated by Raines’ smooth guitar work, and
her opening a capella testimony for the funky
gospel flavored “Live On” will raise goose
bumps. “In The Boys’ Club” closes the disc, a
R&B-charged rocker where Riggins warns listeners
not to take her for granted on account of her
size because she packs a wallop. Indeed she
does, and so does her latest album.
--- Graham Clarke
 NYC-based
Big Apple Blues consists of five
veterans of the city’s blues scene – guitarist
Zack Zunis, drummer Barry “The Baron of the
Blues” Harrison, bassist Admir “Dr. Blues”
Hadzic, harmonica player Anthony Kane, and
keyboardist Jim Alfredson. The quintet issued a
well-received disc of instrumentals in 2015,
Energy, and recently released a superlative
follow-up, Manhattan Alley (Stone Tone Records),
which features ten original instrumentals that
deftly blend blues with soul, rock, and funk.
There’s a very cool retro feel to these tracks.
The opener, “You Gotta Start Somewhere,” is an
energetic funk workout highlighted by some
smooth interplay by the rhythm section, a
dazzling keyboard run from Alfredson, and
saxophone from Chris Eminizer. The
appropriately-entitled “Happy” is an exuberant,
bouncy rocker that strikes a gospel-like groove.
“Take Two” is loaded with Memphis grease, with Alfredson channelling Booker T with his Hammond
B3 and Zunis getting busy on guitar, and the
slow burner “SDW,” has a great after-hours
ambiance with Eminizer’s sax.
“Deep Talkin’” really reminds me of Jimmy
Smith’s ’60s soul-jazz recordings on Blue Note
Records, while “Hudson Breeze” captures the
feeling of riding down the highway in a
convertible on a hot summer afternoon,
“Steamroller” mixes jazz and rock, highlighted
by Zunis’ sparkling guitar work, and “Subway
Rumble” has an irresistible groove. “Love As I
Know It” is a soulful ballad with subtle guitar
work from Zunis which is followed by “Rock On,”
a sizzling blues rocker that closes the discs in
excellent fashion.
Manhattan Alley was a listening pleasure from
beginning to end. Each song was a standout and
offered something different from the one
preceding it. I could listen to this one all
day long, and probably will for a long time.
--- Graham Clarke
 East Texas guitarist
Steve Howell and The Mighty
Men return with another great album of classic
blues and Americana tunes. Good As I Been To You
(Out of the Past Music) features the
guitarist/singer with The Mighty Men (Chris
Michaels – electric guitar/vocals, Dave Hoffpauir – drums/vocals, Jason Weinheimer –
electric bass/organ/vocals) and guest vocalists
Katy Hobgood Ray and Dave Ray. The 11 tracks
range from blues to country, gospel, R&B, roots,
and work songs, all lovingly recreated by
Howell, one of the finest interpreters of
traditional music of the American South.
The disc gets off to a fun start with a funky
version of “Bacon Fat,” a 1957 R&B hit from
Andre Williams complete with a zany chorus from
the Mighty Men and stinging electric guitar from
Michaels. A simmering Lead Belly’s 1933 tune,
“When I Was A Cowboy” is next, with Howell and
Katy Hobgood Ray sharing lead vocals. Ms. Ray
reappears as a solo on the spicy reading of
Memphis Minnie’s “New Dirty Dozens” that
follows, then Howell gives a sensitive reading
of the mid ’60s Gene Pitney pop hit “It Hurts To
Be In Love,” one of two songs here by the Brill
Building songwriters that generated so many pop
hits in the early ’60s.
Walter Davis’ “Come Back Baby” gets a smooth
slow burn reworking, and an easygoing “Blues In
The Bottle,” originally from 1928 by Prince
Albert Hunt’s Texas Ramblers, is a really cool
track with a bit of a country swing. Ms. Ray’s
beautiful, gentle vocal on another song
associated with Lead Belly, “Easy Rider,” is
matched by the band’s performance, one of the
album’s highlights. The second 'Brill Building'
song, The Walker Brothers’ hit “The Sun Ain’t
Gonna Shine Anymore,” gets a slowed-down reading
that effectively brings out the somber tone of
the original even more than the original.
Blind Lemon Jefferson is one of Howell’s musical
heroes and he pays tribute to the legendary
guitarist with a entertaining cover of “Bad Luck
Blues.” The work song “Lining Track” was used
many years ago when workers laid railroad track.
Howell and The Mighty Men recreate it in a
moving a capella setting that will raise goose
bumps. Blind Blake’s “You Gonna Quit Me” brings
this wonderful album to a nice, relaxing
conclusion.
Howell also provides some interesting
information about each of the selections in the
liner notes. Blues fans should be indebted to
him and The Mighty Men for bringing these
classic tunes to life, and for doing it so well.
For me, Howell’s recordings are always something
to look forward to, and Good As I Been To You is
no exception.
--- Graham Clarke
 Whitney Shay might be a name that blues fans are
not yet familiar with, but stay tuned because that may
be about to change. Ms. Shay is a two-time San
Diego Music Award winner for Best Blues Artist
and, trust these ears, this lady can sing! After
starting her music career in the theatre, she
made the transition to blues in 2009, fronting a
band and performing a dynamic mix of blues, soul,
jazz, and swing. Her latest release, via Little
Village Foundation, is A Woman Rules The World,
produced by the ubiquitous Kid Andersen at Greaseland.
Ms. Shay co-wrote four of the ten tracks with
her songwriting partner Adam J. Eros, including
the no-nonsense opener, “Ain’t No Weak Woman,”
which is powered by her defiant vocals and the
jet-fueled horns (Sax Beadle on, yep, sax and
John Halbleib on trumpet), the feisty shuffle
“Don’t You Fool Me No More,” the soulful “Love’s
Creeping Up On You” (a cool duet with Brazilian
blues superstar Igor Prado), and “Empty Hand,”
an outstanding slow burner.
The covers include a swinging cover of Dinah
Washington’s classic “Blues Down Home” (with Aki
Kumar on harmonica), the inspired title track
(penned by Denise LaSalle and recorded by Bill
Coday in the early ’70s, an irresistibly funky
“Get It When I Want It” (from Candi Staton), the
fast-paced rocker “Check Me Out” (from Little
Denise), and a pair from Little Richard: the
slinky, slippery “Freedom Blues” and the rowdy
“Get Down With It” that closes the disc.
Andersen also plays guitar, bass, sitar, and
Wurlitzer on selected tracks. The remaining band
members not previously mentioned include Jim
Pugh (keys), Kedar Roy (bass), Alexander
Pettersen (drums), Lisa Andersen (backing
vocals), and Derrick “D’Mar” Martin
(percussion).
Whitney Shay has a voice for the ages,
effortlessly moving from straight blues to R&B,
soul, and jazz. Blues fans will definitely want
to hear more from the talented young woman after
listening to A Woman Rules The World.
--- Graham Clarke
 In-between producing Grammy and BMA-winning
albums, writing songs for, and performing with a
long list of artists from Buddy Guy to ZZ Top to
Lynyrd Skynyrd to James Cotton, Delbert
McClinton, Kenny Neal, and Joe Bonamassa, Tom Hambridge managed to carve out four whole days a
couple of years ago to record his eighth solo
album in New Orleans at The Parlor Studios. The
NOLA Sessions (Superstar Records) includes
appearances from guests Ivan Neville, slide
guitar monster Sonny Landreth, those wonderful
McCrary Sisters, The Naughty Horns, and a host
of the Crescent City’s finest musicians,
including the late, great Allen Toussaint.
Hambridge wrote or co-wrote all
13 of the
tracks, with contributions on a few from
longtime collaborator Richard Fleming, Jeffrey
Steele, Gary Nicholson, and Derek and the
Dominos alum Bobby Whitlock. Toussaint’s
distinctive piano introduces the Big Easy-going
opener “Blues Been Mighty Good To Me,” and he
shares lead vocals with Hambridge on what was
one of his last recordings before he passed away
in 2015. Meanwhile, the grungy roadhouse rocker
“Bluz Crazy” cranks things up a notch and
Landreth’s signature “Slydeco” guitar make the
first of five appearances on the slippery funky
“This End of The Road.”
The Naughty Horns give “I Love Everything” a
true New Orleans party flavor, along with fellow
New Orleans resident David Torkanowsky’s
dazzling piano, and the reverential “What You
Leave Behind” is a tribute to Hambridge’s friend
John Flynn which also features the Horns, plus
Neville on B3. “Little Things” features Landreth,
an irresistible second line beat, and a message
that we all need to take to heart. If the
haunting Hambridge/Nicholson tune “Whiskey
Ghost” rings a bell, it first appeared on Buddy
Guy’s Rhythm & Blues album a few years ago. Hambridge’s own version includes Landreth’s
guitar with a reggae-like rhythm.
Whitlock’s collaboration with Hambridge, the
rocking gospel raver “Save Me,” also features
The McCrary’s heavenly backing vocals, the
Naughty Horns, Kevin McKendree’s B3, and Shane
Theriot’s sizzling guitar. Neville’s B3 and an
ominous, swampy vibe permeate “A Couple Drops,”
while “Masterpiece” is a moving ballad about a
father-and-son relationship, and “Me And
Charlie” is the story of Charlie McPherson,
Buddy Guy’s longtime bus driver. “Trying To Find
It” is a wistful country ballad, co-written by
Steele, and the acoustic closer, “Faith,”
features guitar from John Fohl, cello from
Nathaniel Smith, and a powerful vocal from
Hambridge.
The NOLA Sessions is an excellent work from
beginning to end, with a great set of songs and
performances from Hambridge, who hopefully will
be inspired to take a few more days off in the
near future to travel down south again.
--- Graham Clarke
 She’s already earned three BMA nominations, a
Blues Blast Award nomination, the Jammingest Pro
Award (given by the Legendary Rhythm & Blues
Cruise), and First Place in the International
Songwriting Competition, but Vanessa Collier is
just getting started. The Berklee College of
Music graduate is hotter than ever on her third
release, Honey Up. Ms Collier produced the disc
and wrote nine of the ten songs featured, which
move effortlessly between blues, funk, and R&B,
and plays alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones,
acoustic guitar, and Resonator guitar.
The opener, “Sweatin’ Like A Pig, Singin’ Like
An Angel,” has a definite New Orleans vibe with
Collier playing tenor, alto, and soprano, “Don’t
Nobody Got Time To Waste” has a soulful gospel
feel, and the feisty title track turns up the
’70s funk. Collier adds a little Memphis grease
to the funk with the appropriately-titled “Percolatin’,”
then picks up the acoustic guitar for the gentle
and breezy “Icarus,” about the youth from Greek
mythology.
The rocking “Fault Line,” features the horns
along with guitarist Laura Chavez, who plays on
eight of the ten tracks. Collier and her
guitarist Sparky Parker play Resonators on the
sassy “Bless Your Heart,” and “You’re A Pill” is
a swinging R&B track, while “You Get What You
Get” revisits the Crescent City groove while
offering some sound advice. The album closes
with the lone cover, Chris Smither’s “Love Me
Like A Man,” and Collier gives a steamy vocal
performance that rivals Bonnie Raitt’s version.
In additon to Chavez and Parker, Collier is
backed by Nick Stevens (drums/percussion/shuitar),
Nick Trautmann (bass), William Gorman
(keyboards), Quinn Carson (trombone), and Doug
Woolverton (trumpet).
Vanessa Collier is the total package
--- a
powerhouse saxophonist, a great songwriter, and
a fantastically versatile vocalist. Honey Up is
her best effort yet and there’s even more to
come with this exciting young artist.
--- Graham Clarke
 Crystal Shawanda was born and raised on the
Wikwemikong reserve in Ontario, where her
parents taught her to sing and play guitar in a
country music vein. However, her brother
introduced her to the blues via his Muddy
Waters, Etta James, and B.B. King records that
he played in the basement of their house while
she would sit at the top of the stairs and try
to listen to them. She embraced both blues and
country, but was signed as a country artist to
RCA-Nashville in 2007, where she recorded a Top
20 single (“You Can Let Go”) and a Top 20 album
in 2008, and also starred on CMT’s six-part
series, Crystal: Living the Dream, the same
year.
While promoting her debut album she decided
that the blues was her first love and that she
wanted to make blues albums, so she formed her
own record label and did just that. Her third
album (first to be issued in the U.S.) since
that revelation is VooDoo Woman on her
own New Sun Records. This
ten-track disc, now on True North Records,
includes eight covers of blues classics plus two
originals co-written by Shawanda) and provides
ample evidence that the young lady was right to
trust her instincts because one listen to
Crystal Shawanda, the blues singer, will knock
you to your knees.
The cover tunes are mostly songs associated with
some of the finest blues singers of any era. The
opener is a storming medley of “Wang Dang
Doodle” and “Smokestack Lightnin’,” where
Shawanda recalls Koko Taylor on the first tune
before shifting into overdrive on the latter, taking
the song into the stratosphere with an intensity
that would surely bring a smile to Howlin’
Wolf’s face. “Ball And Chain,” one of two songs
associated with Big Mama Thornton, follows with
the singer’s passionate approach leaning more
toward Janis Joplin’s ’60s reading of the
classic. The other Thornton side is a rock-edged
read of “Hound Dog.”
Shawanda’s version of Koko Taylor’s title track
is another scorcher, with some ripping slide
guitar from Dewayne Strobel (Shawanda’s husband
and co-producer), while the smoldering “I’d
Rather Go Blind,” originally done by Etta James,
shows the singer’s tender side as does Dorothy
Moore’s ’70s smash, “Misty Blue,” and another
ballad, the Beat Daddys’ “I’ll Always Love You.”
Shawanda’s original tunes include the roadhouse
rocker “Trouble,” “Cry Out For More,” a sexy
mid-tempo blues co-written with her husband, who
also provides some great slide guitar, and the
moody closer “Bluetrain,” which has a dark and
dusty Delta feel.
Based on Crystal Shawanda’s powerful performance
on VooDoo Woman, it’s pretty obvious that the
singer made a wise choice in moving to the
blues. Blues fans will love this one and will be
eagerly awaiting the next one.
--- Graham Clarke
 The Blue & Lonesome Duo consists of Ronnie Owens
(vocals/harmonica/foot drums) and Gordon
Harrower (guitar/vocals), both of whom are
members of Li’l Ronnie & the Grand Dukes, a fine
Virginia-based band that plays blues, roots,
rockabilly, and vintage rock n’ roll and R&B.
Their 2012 release, Gotta Strange Feeling,
reached the Living Blues Radio Top 25 Charts.
Recently, Owens and Harrower (who also fronts
his own band, Rattlesnake Shake) teamed up for Pacin’ The Floor (EllerSoul Records), a fine
14-song set of traditional blues classics and
originals.
Owens and Harrower tackle a diverse set of
standards that include Chicago blues numbers
like Honeyboy Edwards’ “Drop Down Mama,” Muddy
Waters’ “Mean Red Spider,” Eddie Taylor’s
“Country Boy,” and a pair of Jimmy Rogers tunes
(“Act Like You Love Me” and “Out On The Road”).
They also drift down south for songs from
Lightinin’ Hopkins (“Needed Time”) and Slim
Harpo (“Raining In My Heart”), along with James
Brown (“Try Me”) and the oft-covered “Careless
Love.”
The duo’s five originals mesh well with the
standards and include “Wine Headed Woman,” a
rough and tumble rocking blues, “Too Fast For
Conditions,” which showcases Harrower’s slide
guitar work, the title track, which is a
spirited boogie, the driving shuffle “Can’t Buy
My Love,” and the humorous closer “More Than Eye
Candy,” which leaves the listener with a smile.
Owens and Harrower split vocal duties and while
both have distinct styles and approaches, they
both do a fine job and their easy instrumental
interplay reflects their years of playing
together. Pacin’ The Floor is a great, fun set
of traditional blues that will surely please any
discriminating blues fan.
--- Graham Clarke
 Toronto-based blues artist
Sugar Brown was born
Ken Kawashima to a Japanese father and Korean
mother, both of whom immigrated to the U.S. in
the mid ’60s. Brown was raised in Bowling Green,
Ohio, but moved to Chicago to attend college
where he dove into the local blues scene,
playing with Taildragger (who gave him his
nickname) and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Willie
Kent, Johnny B. Moore, and Rockin’ Johnny
Burgin. Currently, Brown is Professor Kawashima
at the University of Toronto, where he works as
an associate professor of East Asian Studies,
but as Sugar Brown he advanced to the finals of
the 2017 I.B.C., representing the Toronto Blues
Society.
Brown’s lastest release, his third, is
It’s a
Blues World (Calling All Blues), an arresting
set of blues presented in a variety of styles.
Brown is joined by Burgin, who plays guitar
throughout, and Michelle Josef (drums), Russ
Boswell (bass), Nichol Robertson (guitar),
Julian Fauth (keys), and Minnie Heart (bass,
guitar, fiddle, sax). Brown himself plays guitar
and harmonica and possesses a strong, gravelly
voice that captures the essence of the blues
perfectly.
The opening track is the rowdy, mildly chaotic
“Hummingbird,” and it sounds like a vintage
recording with a tasty baritone sax break from
Heart (a.k.a. Julia Narveson). “Love Me Twice”
sounds like mid ’60s Dylan via the Chicago West
Side with Fauth contributing Farfisa organ,
while “Lousy Dime” takes a Tom Waits approach to
the lyrics with fiddle from Narveson, and banjo
from Robertson, and the lively “Sure As The
Stars” is classic Chicago West Side blues. The
title track is a slow burning look at current
events and also serves as a tribute to Little
Mack Simmons.
Brown shows his versatility on a fine set of
acoustic blues (“Hard To Love,” the Lonnie
Johnson/Big Bill Broonzy homage “Tide Blues,”
and the humorous closer “Brothers”) and a few
cool variations on rock ‘n roll (“Out of the
Frying Pan,” “Those Things,” and “What I Know”).
The boogie rocker “Searching For Two O’Clock” is
a barrel of fun, too, as is the jump blues of
“Dew On The Grass.”
It’s a Blues World (Calling All Blues) is a
fascinating set of blues from Sugar Brown with a
great vintage sound, great original songs, and a
wide-ranging variety of blues styles that will
appeal to all blues fans, but especially those
who like their blues with a few twists and turns
along the way.
--- Graham Clarke
 Chicago-born singer/harmonica player
Russ Green
was inspired to play music as a young adult
after listening to Jimi Hendrix. Since studying
film at Southern Illinois University in
Carbondale and making films took up most of his
time (and money), he began trying to replicate
Hendrix’s sound on a harmonica he’d bought
several years earlier. When he returned to
Chicago he discovered the music of the
incredible Sugar Blue and began learning from
him, while continuing to work in film and TV as
a production assistant and assistant director.
Sugar Blue and Billy Branch continued to
influence his music and he has performed and
recorded with John Primer and Lurrie Bell.
Green recently released his debut recording,
City Soul (Cleopatra Records), a rock-solid set
of ten original tunes that pays tribute to the
music of his hometown. Backed by Giles Corey
(guitar), Marvin Little (bass), Ricky Nelson
(drums), Vince Agwanda (slide guitar), and Joe
Munroe (B3), Green gets right to work with the
dazzling opener, “First Thing Smokin’,” which
updates the classic John Lee Hooker boogie
sound. The mellow “Believe In Love” mixes blues
themes with a smooth R&B groove, and “The Edge”
opens with a blazing harmonica intro that would
surely make Sugar Blue smile.
Singer/guitarist Eric Bibb joins Green on the
Delta-flavored “Going Down South,” and the
swaggering “Lover Man” mixes blues and funk with
flair, thanks to Munroe’s greasy B3. Green also
addresses the myriad problems that inner city
residents face on a daily basis with the bleak
“Train of Pain.” Meanwhile, Corey’s snaky
fretwork highlights “Up From The Bottom,” while
“Lint In My Pocket” is a tasty mix of funk and
R&B and “Somethin’ New” edges toward blues-rock
compliments of Vince Agwada’s slide guitar. The
closer, “Love To Give,” is a great shot of funky
R&B. Bass player Little really shines on this
one as well as the rest of the disc.
Russ Green shows himself to be an excellent
harmonica player in the tradition of Sugar Blue
and a smooth soulful vocalist, as well as a
talented songwriter who tackles familiar blues
themes, but with a unique, modern twist. City
Soul is a great start to what will hopefully be
a long, successful career.
--- Graham Clarke
 Just Waitin’ (Connor Ray Music), the excellent
recent release from the Steve Krase Band, finds
the Houston-based Krase in great form as the
harmonica master tears through an entertaining,
wide-ranging ten-song set of tunes that span
blues, roots, Americana, and even a wicked shot
of Zydeco where you might least expect it. Krase
is backed by bassist/songwriter/producer Rock
Romano, drummer Tamara Williams, and guitarist
David Carter on all tracks with a few guests on
selected tracks.
Krase leaves very few musical stones unturned on
this set, opening with a rousing read of the
Hank Williams classic “Settin’ The Woods On
Fire,” charging into the Diddleyesque “I Don’t
Mind” and the Windy City-styled shuffle “Just
Waitin’ On My Brand New Baby,” and the mid-tempo
“Irene Irene.” Krase and his friends (especially
Brian Jack on accordion) then deliver a
wonderful zydeco take on “The Ballad of Jed
Clampett” that puts a whole new spin on the
original bluegrass version (Brian Jack’s
accordion accompaniment should help get toes
tapping and booties shaking).
“All In The Mood” is an energetic blues rocker,
and “Dirty Dirty” mixes blues and funk deftly,
while the jumping “Blame It All On Love”
combines blues and country. “Nobody Loves Me” is
a fine slow blues with a strong vocal and
harmonica solo from Krase and lead guitar from
Carter, who does a masterful job throughout. The
closer is a houserockin’ version of Howlin’
Wolf’s “My Baby Walked Off.”
Just Waitin’ is a barrel of fun from start to
finish. This disc will certainly please blues
fans who may not be familiar with Steve Krase.
They definitely be looking for more of his
recordings once they hear this one.
--- Graham Clarke
 Florida-based guitarist
JP Soars won the Band
competition at the 2009 I.B.C. (with his band,
The Red Hots), and also took home the
prestigious Albert King Award for Best Guitarist
that year. Unlike many blues guitarists, Soars
previously played in several metal bands, but
also counts T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Muddy
Waters, Willie Nelson, and jazz guitarists such
as Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt as
influences. His fourth and latest release,
Southbound I-95 (Soars High Productions) allows
the guitarist more-than- adequate space to show
his versatility.
The opening track, “Ain’t No Dania Beach,”
actually leans toward country and rock with
slide guitar from guest Paul DesLauries, while
“Sure As Hell Ain’t Foolin’ Me” mixes blues and
funk, and the exuberant title track is a
careening surf rocker. The freewheeling “Shining
Through The Dark” features tenor saxophonist
Terry Hanck, and fellow tenor Sax Gordon guests
on the rowdy rock n’ roller “The Grass Ain’t
Always Greener,” which also features a
rollicking piano break from Travis Colby.
The gentle acoustic instrumental “Arkansas Porch
Party” is a brief change of pace,” but the
driving soul rocker “Satisfy My Soul,” with
Gordon providing sax again, kicks things back
into high gear. Soars revives his “Born In
California” from his debut recording, providing
tough electric cigar-box guitar, then offers a
couple of dandy cover tunes, a splendid slow
blues reading of Albert King’s “When You Walk
Out That Door” featuring a cool guitar intro
from Jimmy Thackery, and Muddy Waters’ “Deep
Down In Florida,” which teams Soars with Albert
Castiglia on guitar and vocals.
The haunting instrumental “Across The Desert”
has a Latin/gypsy feel with Soars (on Portugeuse
folk guitar) being joined by Lee Oskar on harp,
the spirited “Dog Catcher” has a calypso beat,
and “Troubled Waters” is a call for unity that
features an unusual variety of instruments not
usually heard in the blues. The swinging, jazzy
instrumental “Go With The Flow” is followed by a
radio edit of “Sure As Hell Ain’t Foolin’ Me,”
which closes the album.
Certainly one of the most diverse blues
musicians currently practicing, JP Soars proves
it, and then some, with Southbound I-95, a disc
that will not only please blues fans, but also
fans of other musical genres.
--- Graham Clarke
 Brooks Williams is from a town that should be
familiar to blues fans --- Statesboro, Georgia.
Boasting an acoustic guitar style that combines
blues, roots, jazz, folk, and classical, he’s
recorded for a multitude of record labels over
his career. He’s played festivals and major
theatres all over the world. He’s worked in the
studio with producers like Colin Linden in
Toronto and Phil Madeira in Nashville, hosted
instructional guitar workshops and worked and
music camps and colleges, and he’s ranked in the
Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists.
Lucky Star (Red Guitar Blue Music) is his 28th
album release, and it features a dozen tracks of
originals and covers, plus a pair of bonus
versions that pair him with the legendary Hans Theessink. Recorded in three days at Kyoti
Studio in Glasgow, Scotland, the album was
Williams’ effort to recapture the feel of those
’50s-era recordings at Sun Studios. The sessions
were recorded live in the studio with the
musicians (Williams, Kevin McGuire – bass,
Stuart Brown – drums) cramped into a small
circle, and the tracks have a warm, intimate
feel that comes through the speakers. Several
tracks include Phil Richardson on piano and Paul
Jones plays harmonica on one selection.
The set has a nice,
relaxed feel, and Williams is a superb guitarist
and his warm tenor adds to the good vibes. His
originals include “Bright Side of The Blues,” a perfect tune to kick off
the disc with its breezy melody. “Always The
Same” has a jazzy vibe and “Mama’s Song”
ventures to the tropics with a delightful Carribbean beat. “Gambling Man” sounds
like an old ragtime number in the album version,
but sounds like an old school blues from the
’30s in the bonus cut with Theessink. The
soulful “Here Comes The Blues” is a sobering
observation of current affairs, and “No Easy Way
Back” describes a friend who’s fallen on hard
times. The jaunty “Jump That Train” is a fun
track that works really well, and “Whatever It
Takes is a tender ballad.
Williams covers Chris Kenner’s “Something You
Got,” giving it an acoustic reading but
retaining the sunny feel of the original. He
also covers Henry Creamer’s “After You’ve Gone,”
a popular tune from the early part of the 20th
century. Thomas Dorsey’s “Rock Me” gets a lively
treatment with Jones on harmonica, then is
revisited as a bonus track with Theessink
backing Williams on mandolin. The last album
track is a toe-tapping cover of Walter Hyatt’s
“Going To New Orleans.”
Listening to Lucky Star was a lot of fun.
Brooks Williams is an engaging performer with
his mad acoustic guitar skills and his amiable
vocals, which sounded really well with Theessink’s rumbling backing vocals on the two
bonus tracks. There’s a lot of great music here
that will satisfy fans of blues and Americana.
--- Graham Clarke
 Wily Bo Walker is a 40-plus year vet of the music
scene and a member of the U.S. Blues Hall of
Fame (since 2016), one of the few blues artists
from the U.K. (Glasgow-born, London-based to be
specific) to have that honor and has mastered a
variety of music styles over the years with blues,
gospel, soul, R&B, rock, jazz, and Americana.
All of those styles are represented in Walker’s
latest release, Almost Transparent Blues (Mescal
Canyon Records), an 11-song set that mixes
Walker originals with a few canny cover tunes.
The opening track is the memorably-titled
“Chattahoochie Coochee Man,” a horn-fueled
southern rock rave-up that sets the bar high for
the rest of the album. Walker also covers Fenton
Robinson’s “Somebody Loan Me A Dime,” though
this reading is closer to the Boz Scaggs
ballad-styled reading than Robinson’s original,
with a smoking guitar solo from E.D. Brayshaw
blasting through at the midpoint. Brayshaw also
plays on the next pair of tunes, “I Want To
Know,” which has a greasy, sultry feel, and
“Storm Warning,” a scorching blues rocker.
“Motel Blues,” from Loudon Wainwright III, is a
spare Americana track with resonator, mandolin,
and acoustic guitar, while “Did I Forget” is a
New Orleans-flavored swinger with honking
baritone sax from Ron Bertolet. Another sizzling
guitar solo from Brayshaw kicks off the bluesy
“Fool For You,” and “Walking With The Devil”
joins the muggy swamps of Louisiana (via the
funky rhythm section) with the dusty Mississippi
Delta (courtesy of Graham Hine’s slide guitar).
“Long Way To Heaven” is a sweet, soulful number
with Walker’s weathered vocal blending perfectly
with the harmonies of the Brown Sisters of
Chicago Gospel Choir). Walker also does a fine
job on the terrific jazzy ballad “Moon Over
Indigo,” before closing with the somber “Light
At The End of The Tunnel.”
Walker’s gravelly, craggy vocals are
surprisingly flexible and work very well in this
diverse selection of songs. He makes the covers
as much his own as he does the originals. Almost
Transparent Blues is an extremely interesting
release that should appeal to a variety of music
fans.
--- Graham Clarke
 The New York-based quartet
Waydown Wailers
continue to develop their intriguing brand of
blues called “Outlaw Jam” with their third
release, Backland Blues (Woodstock Records),
which mixes blues with rock, jam, pop,
Americana, and country. The lineup remains
intact with David Parker providing vocals and
guitar and his brother Christian on guitar with
Connor Pelkey on bass and Michael Scriminger on
drums, along with returning guests Professor
Louie (producer, keys, backing vocals) and Miss
Marie (backing vocals).
Backland Blues consists of
11 tracks, three
covers with eight originals penned by the band.
The opener, “Back Door Woman Blues,” is a
roadhouse rocking blues that features the good
Professor on piano. Christian Parker provides
some ripping slide work for the crunching rocker
“I Want Your Soul,” which is followed by a
rumbling cover of Elmore James’ “Done Somebody
Wrong, the lively countrified shuffle “Another
Bump In The Road,” and “No Mercy,” a funky jam
which will certainly strike the right note with
Grateful Dead fans.
The group’s cover of Larry Williams’ 1958 rock
classic “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” is reminiscent of the
Beatles’ mid ’60s cover, which is not a bad
thing, and the stomper “Every Passing Mile”
leans toward the country side of the aisle.
“Somewhere In The Middle” revisits the Dead with
its mix of rock, country, and folk with lyrics
that reflect on the current political strife in
the country, and “I’m On The Hunt” is a frenzied
blues rocker. The politically-charged romper
“State Of The Union” previously appeared as the
title track on the band’s 2013 debut, but is
presented here in a remixed version. The disc’s
final track is a cover of The Byrds’ “Lover Of
The Bayou,” and all the band members share the
spotlight on this swampy jam.
The Waydown Wailers manage to incorporate a
variety of influences into their musical
gumbo --- a dash of Allman Brothers, a bit of the
Grateful Dead, a little Elmore James here, and a
dollop of the Fab Four there. It makes for a
very tasty album that will appeal to fans of
multiple genres beyond the blues.
--- Graham Clarke
 The Little Red Rooster Blues Band has been
entertaining East Coast blues fans for 30 years
with their brand of traditional blues (Chicago
and West Coast) covering a variety of both
familiar and unique topics that bring a smile or
knowing nod to their fans’ faces. The band
(Kevin McCann – guitar/vocals, Dave Holtzman –
harmonica/vocals, Jeff Michael – bass, Bob
Holden – drums) recently released their seventh
album, Lock Up The Liquor, which features
15 original tunes written by the band.
The opener, “Pitchin’ Woo,” is a cool
instrumental shuffle driven by Holtzman’s
harmonica, and it’s followed by the clever and
upbeat “Drinkin’ Wine On My Dime” and the
hard-changing “Rather Be Lonesome.” “Cotton
Mouth” is a raucous instrumental tribute to the
late James Cotton that features some stellar
harp from Holtzman, and McCann turns in a tender
vocal performance on the old school ballad
“Ready For Goodbye.” Meanwhile, the amusing
“Thrift Shop Rubbers” will open a few ears with
its double entendre lyrics, McCann’s smooth
guitar and knowing vocals, and Holtzman’s
chromatic.
“Nothin’ Left Between Us” is a great slow
burning blues with nice instrumental work from
McCann, Holtzman, and guest Anthony Geraci, who
plays piano on this and six other tracks, while
“Oughta Be A Law” is a swinging shot of West
Coast blues. “Trouble In The Jungle” rolls
along with that classic Bo Diddley beat and lead
vocals from Holtzman, who also sings on the
gospel-styled lament, “Six Strong Men.”
The
instrumental “Livin’ At Jerry’s House” is a
Latin-flavored shuffle. Harmonica ace Steve Guyger appears on vocals
here and also joins Holtzman on
harmonica on the after-hours jazzy blues “4
O’Clock In The Morning. “Can’t Believe She’s
Mine” is a swinging shuffle, and the disc closes
with the rowdy title track which features more
great instrumental work from McCann, Holtzman,
and Geraci.
Lock Up The Liquor is an excellent set of
traditional blues with some highly original
songwriting and spirited performances. Looks
like these guys will be going strong for the
next 30 years as well.
--- Graham Clarke
 The Bennett Brothers (Jimmy Bennett –
guitar/vocals, Peter Bennett – bass/vocals) were
born and raised in New York, but they sound like
they might have been from the
south with their two-fisted musical approach
that combines blues, Americana, and southern
rock influences. The duo frequently participated
in Levon Helm’s “Midnight Rambles” at Helm’s
home in upstate New York, opening many of the
shows which featured artists like Hubert Sumlin,
Johnnie Johnson, Little Sammy Davis, Luther
“Guitar” Johnson, Amy Helm, and Alexis P. Suter.
Later, the brothers formed the band that backed
Ms. Suter on her first seven albums.
More recently, the brothers have appeared on and
contributed songs to a pair of Bruce Katz
albums, three John Ginty releases, and the new
Sean Chambers album. They’ve also found time to
release their own album, Not Made For Hire
(American Showplace Music), an impressive
11-song set of original tunes written by
Jimmy Bennett, with musical contributions from Ginty (keyboards), Lee Falco (drums), and Linda
Pino (backing vocals).
The fun starts with the
hard-charging rocker opener, “Junkyard Dog,”
the sauntering “Hold On
Tight,” which has more of a country feel, and
the slow-burning “I Just Don’t Want The Blues
Today.” The instrumental “Blues #9” showcases
Jimmy Bennett on guitar and Ginty on B3, and
“What’d I Do” is a funky blues rocker. “Rocking
Chair” starts out a slow driving pace, but soon
transforms into a rocking slide-fest with Ginty
adding rollicking piano to the mix.
The guitar work has a Carlos Santana-like
quality on the Latin-tinged “How Long,” while
“The Only Way To Be” mixes funk and rock with a
touch of pop. The Latin influence returns on the
ominous “Walk With The Devil,” and the title
track channels classic southern rock with some
tasty slide guitar from Jimmy Bennett. The disc
closes with “I Got A Woman,” which drives the
disc to a hard rocking conclusion.
Not Made For Hire is so good that it will make
you wonder why The Bennett Brothers took so long
to release an album of their own. Hopefully,
they will add to their catalog very soon.
--- Graham Clarke
 James House is a singer/songwriter based in
Nashville who has penned several million sellers
on the country charts – “A Broken Wing” for
Martina McBride, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet” for
Dwight Yoakum, and “In A Week Or Two” for
Diamond Rio – and he’s also written songs
recorded by Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Olivia
Newton-John, Bonnie Tyler, and blues artists Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart and Joanne Shaw Taylor.
Recently, House released
James House and The
Blues Cowboys (Victor House Records), a most
excellent mix of blues and Americana that
consists of ten original songs from House, backed by some of Nashville’s finest
musicians. The album is split into “Side A” and
“Side B,” with each side featuring a different
set of musicians backing House. On “Side A,”
House plays B3 and splits guitar duties with
Will Kimbrough and the backing musicians are
Mike Brignardello (bass), Crash Jones (drums),
and Eamon McLoughlin (fiddle).
The haunting opener, “Jail House Blues,” is a
stellar blues rocker that sets the bar pretty
high for the rest of the set, while “Arkansas
Woman” is a strong mid-tempo blues that features
a fine vocal from House and Kimbrough’s soaring
slide guitar. House and Kimbrough battle it
out on the rocking “Ain’t No Way.” The
melancholy “Long Way Down” and the yearning
“Good Love” close out “Side A” in fine fashion.
House’s tortured vocals are a hightlight on both
of these tracks.
For “Side B,” House mans the B3 and is joined on
guitar by Nashville studio ace Kenny Greenberg,
Lou Toomey, and Todd Sharp. Uncle Cracker
bassist Michael Bradford and drummer Jones man
the rhythm section. “Moving On Over” is a
country-flavored rocker that strikes a hard
groove and “Well Run Dry” is a guitar-driven
shuffle. “Gone Again” has a folk-rock feel,
“Boomerang,” the album’s blueiest track, is a
funky boogie rambler, and the closer, “Ballad of
The Tkings,” is a driving rocker.
James House has produced an excellent blues
album with this self-titled effort. His powerful
songwriting is matched by his incredibly soulful
vocals and superlative musicianship from all
involved.
--- Graham Clarke
 Travis Bowlin’s first chart success came in 2014
with his single, “Bad, Bad Man,” which received
a lot of airplay and led to him performing
another of his songs, “Traveling Man,” on the
TLC series 19 Kids and Counting. His song “See
You Again” made an impact on the blues/rock
charts in 2015 for nearly six month. Bowlin’s
second album release, Secundus (Moonbeam
Records), features a dozen original tracks
penned by Bowlin and associates, and should
generate even more attention for the talented
Indiana native.
Opening with the funky rocker “Strange Vibes,”
Bowlin shows that he’s got a lot of soul with
his powerful vocals, while “In The Worst Way”
is a simmering mid-tempo blues, “Dancin’ With The
Devil” is a barn-burning rocker, “All Over
Again” a splendid soul burner, and the kinetic
“Don’t Lead Me On” rocks hard. One of the
album’s finer moments, at least to these ears,
is “Vicksburg Blues,” a strong mid-tempo track
that mixes roots and the Delta blues.
“Got To Girl” has a bit of a pop vibe with the
rhythm guitar, but the harmonica adds a rootsy
feel, and the catchy “You Know You Are” mixes
pop and soul while “Casaurina Sand” blends jazz
and soul. The acoustic “I Can Let Go” is a
heartfelt ballad and “Record Shop” is an old
school rocker that make longtime music
collectors wistfully recall days gone by. The
closer, “Slow Cooker Man,” is a feisty electric
blues shuffle with lots of swagger and it wraps
the disc up nicely.
Secundus is a strong sophomore effort from
Travis Bowlin and shows him to be a great singer
and guitarist as well as a rapidly-developing
songwriter. Blues fans can expect to hear more
from this gifted artist in the near future.
--- Graham Clarke
 The Seattle rock band
The Refusers recently
issued their third album, Disobey, a strong
nine-song set of fire and fury aimed at
government, social injustice, corruption, and
poverty. The band consists of Michael Belkin
(guitars/vocals/songwriting), Eric Robert
(keyboards), Joe Doria (keyboards), Brendan Hill
(drums), and Steve Newton (bass).
No entity is safe from Belkin’s scathing lyrics,
be it the the government (“Playing With Fire,”
the incendiary title track, the funky rocker
“Eruption,” “Government Slaves”), Big Pharma
(“Why Do They Lie”), the poverty gap (“Free The
Captives”), and the media (“Fake News”).
However, there are a few moments of respite
mixed in, such as “My Baby Loves Rock And Roll,”
a fun romp where the group jibes rap music while
singing the praises of rock and roll, and the
hopeful “Emancipation” which closes the disc.
While the lyrics may capture most fans’
attention, The Refusers make some mighty fine
music that is definitely rock and roll for the
ages. I especially dig the keyboards that blend
so well with the two-fisted rock approach that
the band uses. This is not only music that makes
you think, it’s music that makes you move, too.
In its beginnings rock and roll was considered
a form of protest music, mostly against the
older generations, but it’s important to
remember that the roots of rock and roll are
buried deep in the soil of the blues which is
pretty close to being the original protest
music. Despite the issues our country faces
today, at the end of the day we are all still
free to speak our mind against things that we
disagree with, and that’s the most enduring
feature of Disobey. Hopefully, that will never
change.
-- Graham Clarke
 Little Victor plays distorted electric guitar,
harmonica thru an invented contraption looking
like an electrified shell that mounts to a neck
rack, and sings with a voice rougher than Joe
Cocker and Tom Waits combined, as if he’d just
ingested Armagnac acid with a bleach-back.
European blues musicians do two things Americans
musicians don’t: A) The innate sense of
performing blues as a FEELING (with the same
motive as past southern African-American
masters), and B) an integrated attitude blurring
lines between musical categories and not taking
sides. The energy and rebellion of rockabilly is
combined with the brand of blues described
above. Congregating in musical cliques seems to
happen less across the pond. Vocally, Europeans
share the same challenge as American
blues-rockers: sure, they might be able to
replicate a slide guitar of Muddy, but no one
will ever sing like he did. The merit of the
European singers is they still develop their own
style out of the opportunity, sometimes
outrageously, while their American counterparts
only imitate out of necessity. Instead of asking
“how did this happen,” let’s instead enjoy the
party.
Deluxe Lo-Fi
(Rhythm Bomb) is a mixture of sessions and guests,
sometimes in a minor key, other times with a
surf beat, but it’s a blues disc all the way
thru. That vocal and good guitar is evident thru
the program. Lo fi is right, mono too. Hear
controlled swing with a backbeat. Victor delays
and extends or shortens bars and measures like
an old Mississippi blues man. His voice begins
to feel like a one-trick pony until track six
where it’s so bad it’s good, severe agony.
Continuing are nods to the slide guitar style of
Elmore James, swinging barrelhouse piano, slow
guitar tremolo tempo, calypsos or bossas, and he
really doesn’t play that much of his own
harmonica. Individual track guests like Harpdog
Brown and Kim Wilson fill those slots. A really
good assortment of deep grooves. Fans of
old-time harmonica, electric guitar and blues
piano will especially like.
--- Tom Coulson
 RC and the Moonpie Band supplies more groove
than most American blues bands. There is a little
more substance to the arrangements than usual
and the frontman is a good vocalist. One problem
however is the lead guitarist sounds like a
VAUGHN-A-BE, a common trap that many young,
especially American, musicians live in. This
single dimension totally negates any other
guitar feeling like a John Lee Hooker, or any
solid example directly from R & B which is all
the inspiration you need really need to play R &
R.
After a couple enjoyable numbers on
All This (Houndsounds), including respect to Ruth Brown, suddenly
track three is delivered in noticeably bad taste
and the sequence goes downhill from there. An
attractive jazz selection is ruined by the vocal
(which I can’t believe is the same individual),
a funk potential is ruined by the wrong drum
figure zapping the groove. By track six an
acoustic slide guitar feature may redeem this
disc, at least three selections from the second
half sound good on blues radio. One unsolicited
comment from a listener hearing only one track
garnered “this band needs horns.” In the band’s
defense, those horns are there and especially
nice during the closing number.
--- Tom Coulson
 Joe Filisko is the harmonica player,
Eric Noden
the guitarist on Destination Unknown (RootsDuo). They share vocals and double on
other instruments, they are original. Favorite
tracks: "Path you Choose," "Four Letter “F” Word."
The music has good harmonies and is folky. The
kazoo or accordion don’t do it for me but
combined they give the music an an old-timy
feel, very rural. On "Louisiana Song" it might
be accordion with rack-mounted harmonica in
unison. Un-amplified harmonica is appealing and
attractive. When electrified the tone brings
back rare memories of ALAN BLIND OWL WILSON!
(Quite different from Kim Wilson). The disc
contains present-day serious lyrics, the minimal
instrumentation and good tempo equal groove if
you will. Other moments are suspended and
introspective in emotion. Track four is simply
excellent, track five sounds like a Piedmont
picking style.
These guys have no inflated sense of who they
are, just being themselves makes the results
very genuine. The recording is warm, it’s just
the duo and no other musicians throughout. No
frills, honest. Once a while on a blues track
the vocal (alternated between the two) just
doesn’t fit the material, but despite that
comment, this is one of the few five-star
ratings I give for a 2018 blues release.
---
Tom Coulson
(I play all discs I review on radio. Search for
Hacksaw Jazz.
https://www.facebook.com/Fhacksaw/
@FHacksaw)
Snapshots of new release jazz albums we are
playing on-air:
Yellowjackets with Luciana Souza. The group has
matured into an intuitive jazz unit beautifully
thru the decades, here typically busy and a
little Brazilian. If not for Souza’s presence I
still might hear it as mechanical fusion.
Lucia Jackson. I like her, something appealing
and original about that innocent wavering vocal
pitch and despite predictable choice of
standards nothing wrong with her taste in
material, excellent backing musicians.
Pianist Justin Kauflin. The first background
impression sounded pretty fluffy with titles
defying truth, like a lot of stuff today. But we
liked “Country Fried” and soon became
open-minded to hyperactive behavior. The good
piano sound and playing in what first felt like
a shallow setting soon changed our minds, upon
careful consideration the music is quite
happening, utilizing fairly standard
instrumentation. The caliber of talent,
especially the bassist, makes it stand out. We
still don’t like all tracks.
Vocalist Cecile McLoran Salvant,
The Window.
We already liked Cecile’s voice from a previous
release, needed no further authentication there.
The treat of this release is the piano
accompanist who we catch playing Bud Powell to
Willie The Lion Smith to George Shearing….in
just a few bars.
Pianist Yelena Eckemoff. This material has
impact just from an instrumental standpoint.
It’s more than technique or talent, it’s a
philosophy and positive attitude applied thru
playing styles. We don’t know who’s rising to
the occasion here, soloists, horns or rhythm
section parts, but suspect the pianist is the
ringleader. Vocals of the Psalms are simply
icing on the cake. Studious progression is
obvious, noticed and appreciated.
Pianist Christian Sands. His EP was a drastic
sweep between studio fireworks and live extended
technical calisthenics. The only useable tracks
off this latest disc for us are 3, 5, 6 and 7.
Mr. Sands is not showing his promise. We’re out
with the tricky time signatures, pseudo-smooth
jazz, this guy is talented and we’ve heard him
really play with fire. All we have here is
kindling. We rate because In past offerings he’s
been Tyner and Jamal, here he’s Hancock. The
concluding track deals with meditation, just how
deep we can’t yet say.
Myriad 3, obviously a jazz trio. Any such thing
as “Contemporary Out?” This would be it, piano
the strongest link, percussion a bit predictable
and limited, perhaps less dimensional. This is
not Corea’s and Holland’s and Altschul’s
Circulus, nor do we claim those are the
intensions, times or conditions here. We only
know which we’d cue up next if given the choice.
Paul Simon,
In the Blue Light. Paul can do no
wrong, at any time in his career. The
overproduction of recent releases, such as
sampling sweetening here and say since 2000, can
be a bit irritating. We feel that could date the
material in just a few years, whereas even his
‘70s/‘80s production remains timeless.
Vocalist Kandace Springs,
Indigo (Blue Note).
Admirable combination of covers and originals.
We’d been warned of her voice by those who’ve
heard her live. Bits and pieces of audio, tracks
that are only preludes, interludes or epilogues
are frustrating as only teases (We also detected
the same thing on this year’s earlier EP from Kandace). Bad news? A good track is “Love Sucks”
but is in bad taste, is she a millennial! Good
news: “Unsophisticated” is simply excellent,
(the late) Roy Hargrove as guest on trumpet is
really nice.
Pianist Xavier Davis,
Rise Up Detroit. This
release may be the most substantive of what
we’ve reviewed lately but still not a TKO. It
has a very good vibe which we attribute to its
title. We like the leader’s playing. After
calling Regina Carter “overrated” all these
years, recognizing her success as leader and
guest everywhere, this album might highlight her
most aggressive playing yet on record? We will
play most tracks, favorites are "Exodus" which is
Elvin-Tyner-like, and "Oh Henry" with good energy.
"Great Migration" reminds us of Tony Williams’
composing side, another track deals with
meditation, just how deep we can’t yet say.
Saxophonist Greg Fishman. A rare 5 stars for
rising to the occasion. No obligation to cut new
ground or look forward at expense of being less
than the masters of whom he fits alongside
simply perfectly. Perpetuating and respecting
tradition, two qualities very much lacking among
new musicians.
--- Tom Coulson
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