Delmark Records artist: Breezy Rodio - Sometimes The Blues Got Me - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sometimes The Blues Got Me, from Breezy Rodio and it's quite good. Opening with Lee Hazelwood's, Don't Look Now, But I've Got the Blues, Breezy Rodio on lead vocal and guitar sets off on the right foot, with a power play, backed by Ariyo Ariyoshi on piano, Ian Letts on sax, Chief McGarrie on sax, Constantine Alexander and Art Davis on trumpet, Chris Foreman on organ, Greg Essig  on drums,  and John Lauler on bass. Shuffle track, Change Your Ways exhibits a particularly nice blend of Rodio's vocals and Ariyo's piano work, complimented by Simon Noble on harp. With Rodio's stinging guitar styling in the style of the great Albert King and even a bit of funk, Albert King's Wrapped Up In Love Again has a great feel with tight trumpet punctuation by Davis and Alexander. Jump track, I Walked Away has a great T-Bone Walker feel with over a smooth horn saturated bottom and featuring a super solo from The Chief. another cool shuffle, BB King's Make Me Blue, gives Rodio a nice chance to show his feel and along with his solid vocals and Ariyo's piano work, another super track. One of my favorite tracks on the release, The Power Of The Blues has a really cool OV Right soul sound coupled with the guitar fluidity of BB and Wolfman mixed together. Very cool. Soulful shuffle, Blues Stay Away From Me, lays nicely in the groove with the tight piano work of Ariyo and excellent guitar riffs of Rodio. Very nice!  One Of A Kind has a tight bottom led by the power bass lines of Light Palone and leads to some of the snappiest guitar lead on the release. Chris Foreman's organ work punches just in the right spot giving the track a nice reinforcement of the groove. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Chicago Is Loaded With The Blues with it's traditional Chicago sound, highlighted by Billy Branch on harp. Joining on this track are Brian Burke on bass, Luca Chiellini on piano and Rick King. A cool closer for a solid release.

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306 Records artist: Ten Second Pistol - You Have No Power Over Me - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, You Have No Hold Over Me by Ten Second Pistol and it's quite interesting. opening with slow blues number, Hold My Hand with Benny Chang leading the way on lead guitar and vocal, backed by Davis Alexander on bass and Manny Ayala drums. Chang's guitar riffs are fluid and constant, making this a great opener. On soul track, Hold On, the band shifts gears a bit and Chang's emphasis is on soulful vocals and lush chords. His stinging lead guitar soloing is crisp and nicely adorned. Very nice. Slow blues number, Get To Steppin' is really nicely formed wailing vocals and well placed guitar accents. Ayala really tips the cart on drums giving the track just the right heaviness and machine gun guitar riffs by Chang give it a nice flair. Bluesy ballad, Like A Bird is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's haunting melody and warm, nicely executed guitar solos. Burn Baby Burn incorporates a reggae beat by Ayala and cool bass line by Alexander to the rocking delivery by Chang. A laid back, yet wound out guitar lead gives this track real smoke. Freedom shows a strong influence by Hendrix and a powerful under cut by Alexander and Ayala and distorted guitar lead by Chang. Wrapping the release is She Left Me featuring Chang on vocal and guitar into distortion with early blues simplicity. This is a cool closer for a super introduction to Ten Second Pistol (love the name by the way).

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Fat Possum: Memphis Rent Party - Soundtrack to Robert Gordon's Book - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review Memphis Rent Party, the soundtrack to Robert Gordon's 6th book, and it's excellent. Opening with a ragged but remarkable rendition of Guy Clark's Desparados Waiting On A Train by Jerry McGill. Backed by Mud Boy and the Neutrons, this is subtly terrific with excellent piano and slide work under McGill's haunting vocals.  On Chevrolet Luther Dickinson and Sharde Thomas exchanging lead vocals and playing fife vs slide backed by snappy marching like snare drums and powerful bass drums strokes.  Junior Kimbrough is up next with his trademark sound on All Night Long, recorded in Kimbrough's living room in the middle of a cotton field in 1986. Very cool. Another unmistakable sound is the sound of Furry Lewis' vocals with his own slide guitar on Why Don't You Come Home Blues, recorded in his living room in the 60's. How does it get any better than this? The surprise track for me was Calvin Newborn on Frame for the Blues, a sophisticated jazzy blues entry. Newborn's blues guitar phrasing is subtle but innovative coupled with flute and a solid backing. Very very nice!   Jerry Lee Lewis rolls out Harbor Lights with his unmatched rocking piano work. The Fieldstones, live at Green's Lounge in South Memphis, grind out Little Bluebird, a slow gripping blues number. Mose Vinson does a real nice barrelhouse piano boogie, Same Thing On My Mind, with clarity and real feel. Very cool. Charlie Feathers contributes Cajun flavored country track, Defrost Your Heart with pure style and grace. Wrapping the release is Jim Dickinson on I'd Love to be a Hippie, a lumbering blues track with a rock edge. This is a super closer to a powerful release.

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Guitar Jack Wargo - Keepin' It Real - New release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Keepin' It Real, by Guitar Jack Wargo and it's a soulful mix of R&B, Blues, Pop and Jazz. Opening with solid blues number, You Don't Feel The Same, AD Beal leads on vocal and Wargo shows his guitar prowess with stiff in you face guitar riffs that will have you nodding your head. Backed by Edoardo Tancredi on drums, Matt Bragg on bass and Arlan Oscar Shierbaum on Hammond, this is a super opener. On Power of Love, the band gets more into an easy, Donald Fagan style groove with it's swaying rhythm and smooth melodic feel. Turning up the funk a bit, Keep On Keepin' On is a bright jazz rock track with nice bluesy guitar riffs and a strong melody. Another track that really slides in the Steely Dan groove is Inventory Blues. Bragg gets the bass popping on Shipwrecked giving the track a particularly funky feel, highlighted by Shierbaum keyboard work and super vocals by Beal. This gives a really nice opening for Wargo to slash nicely with super tone on his guitar solo. Ballad, Only-est One has a warm, soul feel and Beal really steps up taking the lead. This is a really ideal radio track. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Mayfield like, Blues Holiday. Backing vocals by Willie Chambers, Sweet Inspiration, Jacqui Walker Adamcik and James Whitney give the track even more warmth. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Sending Out A Message, a solid closer with rich backing vocals a strong melody and some of Tancredi's snappiest riffs on the release .

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Suzie Vinnick - Shake The love Around - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Shake The Love Around, from Suzie Vinnick and it's light rocker with fine vocals and a poppy feel. Opening with Happy As Hell, Vinnick lays down a cool funky guitar line and with Gary Craig on drums, Johnny Johnson on sax and Dean McTaggart they really set up a tight foundation to support her strong vocal lines. Another track with a nice back beat, Lean Into The Light has a real infectious feel with nicely harmonized vocals courtesy David Leask and slick guitar work by Vinnick. A particularly cool track is Danger Zone with Vinnick accompanying herself on bass. Excellent job. My favorite track on the release is Creaking Pines with a haunting melody and some of Vinnick's best vocals and nicely stylized blues guitar riffs. Excellent. Wrapping the release is Drift Away, a strong ballad with a smart melody. With only light electric and acoustic guitar, drums and Hammond by Mark lalama, this is a sweet closer for a solid release. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Gretchen and the Pickpockets Are "Falling Rising" on New CD of Soul/Jazz/Rock Sounds, Due April 25

Gretchen and the Pickpockets Are

Falling Rising on New CD of Soul/Jazz/Rock Sounds, Due April 25

BOSTON, MA – Gretchen and the Pickpockets announce an April 25 release date for their new full-length album, Falling Rising, on their Pickpocket Records imprint. The new disc, which showcases 10 all-original songs, was recorded in Boston at Dimension Sounds Studio, with engineering by Dan Cardinal (Darlingside, Ballroom Thieves), mixing by Nick Nagurka (Vulfpeck) and mastering by Grammy-nominated Emily Lazar (Foo Fighters).

Gretchen and the Pickpockets is a six-piece soul/jazz/rock band featuring heavy horn lines and improvisation that started with siblings Gretchen and Mike Klempa. Besides Gretchen on vocals and Mike on bass, the rest of the band consists of Ryan O’Connell on trumpet and guitar; Tom O’Connell on drums and percussion; Richie Smith on guitar; and Diego Tunjano on saxophone. Named after a hometown road with a history for larceny, the group has become known for their unique blend of genres and their energetic live shows.

“Working with Dan Cardinal at Dimension Sounds Studios was truly a dream,” says lead singer Gretchen Klempa about the recording sessions. “Being able to take ideas for sounds and textures we’ve had in our heads and give them life through recording is an incredibly difficult yet rewarding endeavor,” adds her brother Mike. “We decided as a group to track as much of the music as we could live, together, and in full takes so that the listener can hear the communication emotion, and exchange of ideas that happens between us. So much of our music is based on jazz — we love incorporating improvisation and flexibility of interpretation. We even recorded some upright bass on this album on songs like ‘Back and Forth’ and ‘Devil’s Due’ for a warm, booming, and intimate feel.”

Watch a video about the making of Falling Rising here:

Based out of Boston, Gretchen and the Pickpockets have been active in the New England area since 2013, and recognitions include multiple Iguana Music Fund grants from Club Passim, Best in State: New Hampshire 2015 from the New England Music Awards and Best Rock Band 2015 from the Seacoast NH Spotlight Awards. They have supported bands such as Houndmouth, Marco Benevento, Haley Jane & The Primates, Kat Wright and Will Dailey.

“We won a grant to help fund this album, from the iconic Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts,” states Gretchen, “furthering our gratitude that the Boston community is behind this project.”

“We also had the awesome opportunity to track some live horns as well,” recalls Ryan O’Connell. “We are very thankful to Converse (the shoe brand), who let us track our horn section for free at their Rubber Tracks Studio in Boston.”

Past Gretchen & the Pickpockets live shows thus far have included dates in New York City, Chicago, Milwaukee, Raleigh, Nashville, Asheville, Durham, Portland, Maine, and Portsmouth New Hampshire. The band will tour in support of Falling Rising with shows planned for New York City and Western New York in late April; and a July tour that includes Nashville, Raleigh, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and several other markets.

“This album was a really unique experience for us in a number of ways,” adds Richie Smith, “and I think for the first time the title of the album finally fits the story behind it. ‘Falling Rising’ is actually the name of a song we used to play and recorded for the album, but didn’t make the cut. We spent such a long time discussing that tune and trying to figure out where it could go, but in the end we decided to leave it off. And from there, Falling and Rising seemed to become more and more pertinent.”

“Over the two-year process of releasing this album, we always felt like we took a step forwards and a step back,” says Mike Klempa. “Some collaborations we hoped for didn’t come through; some that we always dreamed of ended up happening.  However, I think the most subversive example of “falling and rising” was actually our session at Converse Rubber Tracks. The day we went in to the studio was the day right after the 2016 presidential election. It was a day that began with such excitement, but was met with such caution and tension. The air was thick with unease. And yet, as soon as we got our headphones on, the click track came in, and I raised my hands to conduct the horn section, we put all our thoughts and fears aside and just made something happen. And from that fear came something that we were really proud of; it ended up being such a beautiful experience. I don’t think the horns would have sounded as good under any other circumstances. We gave all we had in that studio that day. It was all we could do, and I think that is what’s really behind this album and our experiences here. Things happen. Life pushes onward forever. We fall. We rise.”

Guitarist Steve Dawson Draws "Lucky Hand" On Instrumental Acoustic Album Coming June 15 from Black Hen Music

Guitarist Steve Dawson Draws Lucky Hand On Instrumental Acoustic Album Coming

June 15 from Black Hen Music

Special Guests Include a String Quartet Arranged by Jesse Zubot, and Appearances by Charlie McCoy and John Reischman

“It is inspiring to hear modern instrumental music for guitar that is articulated within true song form. Steve Dawson’s new album conjures the ghost of John Fahey for me – not in imitation, but by way of joining a tradition and then extending its range. I find this song cycle to be intelligent and challenging; joyful and deeply romantic; both earthy and untethered. It is affirming – and music to which I shall soon be returning.” – Grammy-Winning Artist and Producer Joe Henry

NASHVILLE, TN – Black Hen Music announces a June 15 release date for multiple Juno-award-winning musician/producer Steve Dawson’s new instrumental acoustic album, Lucky Hand. The new recording showcases Dawson’s brilliant fingerstyle work on a variety of instruments, accompanied by special guests Jesse Zubot on violin, harmonica legend Charlie McCoy and mandolinist John Reischman, as well as the presence of a string quartet on a number of tracks. The album will be available on both CD and vinyl LP formats.

Lucky Hand is Steve Dawson’s 8^th album and his first record of instrumental music since Rattlesnake Cage in 2014. The scope of his musical voice broadens to take on a cinematic quality, as he sketches aural paintings and creates tapestries of sound with his guitar. Recorded live off the floor, with up to 12 microphones in various positions throughout the large studio space to capture the guitar and orchestration, Lucky Hand represents the perfect intersection of the primitive and the modern that has fascinated Dawson for so long.

“I wanted to re-explore the acoustic fingerstyle and slide guitar pieces that I’d started with my Rattlesnake Cage album in 2014,” says Dawson, “but this time I thought it would be fun to augment that with something special; so I hooked up with my old musical partner Jesse Zubot, who created some string arrangements around the music that were meant to augment them and push the pieces along, rather than just be passive accompaniment.”

Lucky Hand represents a high point of more than two decades of musical searching for Steve Dawson.  Comprised of ten instrumental tracks of solo, duo and full-bodied string quartet works, Dawson has never released music as sweeping, dynamic and visually suggestive as this. Enlisting Jesse Zubot in the project to create complementary and adventurous arrangements for his guitar excursions, these completely realized compositions – with Zubot’s orchestration adding color to the sepia tinged melodies - represent Dawson’s finest recordings yet. 2018 marks 20 years since the debut of Zubot and Dawson, and their collaborations never cease to inspire.

“I’m interested in guitar music as a way to express song-form rather than guitar pyrotechnics,” Dawson proclaims. “I don’t really relate to modern fingerstyle music that much, although players from the 1920s up through the 1970s are what originally and still inspire me. But I still wanted to do something modern and different, which is where the duo ideas with John Reischman and Charlie McCoy, as well as the more intense string arrangement concepts all came from.

“We recorded this album in Vancouver, with all of us playing together live, using vintage mics in a big room. It was me facing the quartet, which was in a semi-circle in front of me. I’ve never done anything like that before. We just played the pieces until we got it. The challenge was to get a good performance from me while the strings were getting through their intricate parts. Everyone was sweating a little!”

All of Dawson’s records feature a wide array of stringed instruments, and Lucky Hand is no exception. His artistry on the six and twelve string guitars shimmers throughout, while the track “Bugscuffle” showcases his unique tuning and voice on the Weissenborn lap guitar. “Bentonia Blues” features a thrilling duet between Dawson’s National Steel Guitar and roots legend Charlie McCoy’s harmonica. Gorgeous interplay abounds as his guitar converses with John Reischman’s mandolin on “Little Harpeth.”  At times it’s hard to tell where Dawson’s guitar begins and Reischman’s mandolin ends. A truly masterful performance, it’s just one of the many breathless, transcendent moments to be heard on Lucky Hand.

With song titles like “Lonesome Ace” and “Lucky Hand,” a person could be forgiven for thinking that Dawson attributes his creativity to chance and caprice. In truth, each of these songs is named for the inspiration of places he’s encountered around his Nashville hometown. Music like this has nothing to do with good fortune, unless you’re talking about his listeners. For them, Lucky Hand is a royal flush of a record.

Ramasound Records artist: Wentus Blues Band - Throwback - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Throwback, from Wentus Blues Band and I really like it. Opening with Carey Bell's Wrapped Up In Love, lead vocalist, Juho Kinaret has a super voice for the blues with excellent riffs from Niko Riipa on guitar, Robban Hagnas on bass, Pekka Grohn on keys and Daniel Hjerppe on drums. Very nice. Eddie Kirkland's Rainbow is very soulful with definite flavors of Robert Cray. Kinaret's voice is spot on and Grohn's organ work adds a real nice texture. Another Kirkland track, Done Somebody Wrong, really rides nicely in the groove with excellent vocals from Kinaret and stinging guitar riffs from Riipa... possibly my favorite track on the release. Hungry John's Feel So Young is a great boogie in the vein of Slim Harpo. With driving bottom work by Hagnas and Hjerppe; overflowing organ by Grohn and Kinaret, coaxing the whole set along, this is another of the top tracks. Another Carey Bell track, Hard Working Woman, has a mysterious looming feel and some of Kinaret's best vocals on the release. Excellent! With a driving boogie sound, Eric Bibb's Don't Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down is a really cool track with elongated fluid guitar riffs. Sven Zetterberg's I Think You Need A Shrink has a terrific R&B blues feel again really showing the strength of Kinaret's vocals. Riipa gets the opportunity to stretch on this one and it isn't wasted. Excellent! Phil Guy's Fixin' To Die is a real barn burner of a slow blues and Rippa tears it up quite nicely. His lead guitar work is hot, interesting and nicely phrased. Excellent! Wrapping the release is Louisiana Red's, Red's Dream showing nice balance of the entire band. This is a truly solid blues release and one that I think most blues listeners will love. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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VizzTone Label Group artist: Katy Guillen & The Girls - Remember What You Knew Before - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Remember What You Knew Before, from Katy Guillen & The Girls and it's a solid country, pop, rock release. Opening with Slingshot, a Buckingham Nicks style track with Katy Guillen on guitar and lead vocal, Claire Adams on bass and vocal and Stephanie Williams on drums these ladies know how to blend vocals on a strong melody. Waiting Till The Day is a really nice ballad with only acoustic guitar and electric guitars, bass and drums accompanying  smooth vocals. Very nice. Grabbing a stripped down blues rock feel, Humbucker is one of my favorite tracks on the release with resonator slide and tight vocal blending matching some of the super work of Veruca Salt and Sleater-Kinney . Another cool rocker is Can't Live Here Anymore with a great pop rock feel and just the right edge. Showing her Spanish guitar styling on Quiver, Guillen changes gears but maintains her signature pure blended vocal styling. This really is solid! Wrapping the release is If You Were Gone with it's light touches of country and Jack White. Featuring straight up finger picking by Guillen and rich vocals by the band, this is a super closer. This isn't your traditional blues release, but it is a good release and one that goes by really fast.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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NEW RELEASE RUF 1253: Mike Zito - First Class Life

Mike Zito First Class Blues-rock is a tightrope – and Mike Zito has never lost his footing. At times in his storied two-decade career, the Texas bandleader has rolled up the amps and rocked as hard as anyone. Yet his lifelong fascination with the blues has always reeled him back in. And now, having shaken the rafters with 2016’s acclaimed Make Blues Not War, First Class Life finds Mike diving deep into the only genre that can do justice to his hard-won true stories of hardship and redemption. “Make Blues was pretty extreme and rocking,” he reflects. “This time, I was definitely thinking more blues.” Released in 2018 on Ruf Records, First Class Life is a fitting album title from a man who remembers the hard times. “The title track is a nod to where I’ve come from and where I’m at,” explains the songwriter whose promising early career was almost destroyed by addiction. “It’s a rags-to-riches story, and it’s certainly true. I grew up poor in St. Louis, and now I'm travelling the world to sing my songs. In the world of excess America, I may not look ‘rich’, but in my world, I most certainly am. I have a beautiful family, I’m clean and sober, and I get to play music.” And what music. Since Mike’s debut album, Blue Room (1997), there have been countless creative peaks, from 2011’s confessional Greyhound, through his world-conquering contributions to US supergroup the Royal Southern Brotherhood, right up to recent solo triumphs like Gone To Texas (2013), Keep Coming Back (2015) and Make Blues Not War (2016). Last November, as the band tracked live at Mike’s new backyard recording facility – dubbed Marz Studios – there was an unspoken mission to raise the bar. “We planned three days for the session,” he reflects, “but had all the tracks finished the first day. The band was really on fire and it just had this really fun vibe that we were in my backyard making a first class record.” On his 14th album release, Mike’s socially charged observations and candid soul-searching have never been sharper. There’s the punchy call-to-arms of Time For A Change and the exquisite ‘one-note’ slow-blues, The World We Live In. The electrified blues bounce of Dying Day swears lifelong allegiance to his wife, while the sinister Old Black Graveyard growls with Hendrix-esque flourishes as it salutes the fallen. “That’s about a forgotten cemetery of poor black Americans that has not been kept up near my home in Beaumont, Texas,” he says. “Blind Willie Johnson is buried there. It’s a sure sign of racism in America and how the poor aren’t treated with dignity. That song is a ghost story that those buried there wreak havoc in the night.” Yet the record’s darker moments are offset by cuts like Mama Don't Like No Wah Wah, the crash-bang-wallop gem written with Bernard Allison. “Bernard told me about his first gig as guitarist for Koko Taylor,” laughs Mike. “Koko didn’t like any effects on the guitar, she wanted it to sound natural. She also didn't know what effects were, she just called them ‘wah wah’. So when Bernard made an attempt to use an effect on his guitar after playing with her for months, he got caught. ‘Mama don't like no wah wah’ is what he was told. That’s a song to me!” Of course, the most captivating story of all is the dazzling upward curve of Mike Zito’s unfolding career. In 2018, First Class Life doesn’t just capture the past glories and setbacks – it points a signpost at the peaks to come. “With this album,” he concludes, “I had this idea of ‘stepping up’. I want the world to know I can play this music with conviction and style. I think it’s really the next step…”

NEW RELEASE RUF 1247: Big Daddy Wilson - Songs From The Road

Big Daddy Wilson Songs From The Road

No matter where Big Daddy Wilson travels on this big, beautiful, mixed-up planet of ours, he takes the South with him. Listening to the soulful storytelling of the man born Wilson Blount in a small town in the Inner Banks region of North Carolina, it's impossible not to conjure images of dusty back roads, cypress groves, a Saturday night juke joint or Sunday morning revival meeting. It's a nostalgic and – some might say – glorified image of rural America. Yet in an age of ruthless demagogues and divisive politics, Big Daddy Wilson chooses to celebrate the simple things that bond us as human beings – a smile, a shared meal, a helping hand – along with cherished values like faith, perseverance and devotion to family. For more than two decades, he has been carrying his message of hope and unity to each and every show, whether in New York, Paris, Auckland or – in the case of his new live album Songs From The Road – the village of Rubigen in central Switzerland. The concert recorded at the Mühle Hunziken exemplifies Wilson's uncanny ability to connect with an audience. The key ingredients are honesty, his natural charisma and the sheer power of his voice. This performance from the fall of 2017 is a testament to just how far the American ex-pat and former soldier has come since answering a newspaper ad and summoning the courage to sing "Stormy Monday" for a group of young German blues musicians way back in the 1980s. He's ably supported by a tight and versatile four-piece unit comprising Cesare "Smokestack" Nolli (g), Paolo Legramandi (b), Nik Taccori (dr) and Enzo Messina (k). A band that backs Big Daddy Wilson always has to be at the top of its game, because his music isn't any one thing. From song to song, it may transform into something hard-driving or laid-back, funky or bluesy, joyful or brooding, stripped down or supercharged. "I tried to give my listener a small view of the journey, the good, the bad, the highs and the lows," explains Wilson in the liner notes to the album. He and the band open the set sounding figuratively uptown: "Wake Up" is a steady grooving call to action, "Drop Down Here" a reggae-tinged plea for help from the man upstairs, "Miss Dorothy Lee" a guitar-fueled tribute transported on a Bo Diddley-like rhythm. The bawdy blues of "Texas Boogie" gives way to the dead serious testifying of "Ain't No Slave." Then it's time for a little side trip to the countryside: "Anna Mae" and, later, "Cross Creek Road," are sun-drenched and pastoral. The band picks up steam again on "Neckbone Stew," ultimately climaxing with the earthy "Baby Don't Like." The twelve-song live CD closes with the eloquent simplicity of "I Just Need A Smile." As usual with the long-running Songs From The Road series, there are visuals as well. The accompanying DVD in the two-disc set includes 15 songs in all and offers a good long look at Big Daddy Wilson in action. It opens with the familiar gospel blues of "John The Revelator" and closes with something he revealingly calls his "Country Boy Medley." But don't expect to see him standing onstage in overalls and work boots. As always, Wilson is nattily attired in fine threads, a short-brimmed hat and the ubiquitous pair of dark shades. Some years ago, Big Daddy Wilson told an interviewer that the main reason he wears sunglasses onstage is his inherently shy nature. "I'm no entertainer," he claimed at the time. Songs From The Road delivers some pretty strong evidence to the contrary. And yet, in a certain way, he's right. Wilson's music – like Wilson himself – is real. It's honest. At no point is this man ever putting on a show. "I’m just interested in singing, getting my message out and feeling the people – and hoping I can make them feel me."

VizzTone Label Group artist: Long Tall Deb and Colin John - Dragonfly - New release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dragonfly, from Long Tall Deb and Colin John and I really like it. Opening with On The Way Down, an eerie blues track, Deb and Colin John sing in duet over cool, thick, slide guitar breaking into a driving "brick" like anthem. John really winds up on electric guitar under Deb's vocals making for an exceptional opener. Title track, Dragonfly, is a cool Duane Eddy, western surf  style track with fanned chords, vibrato and tom toms. Excellent! Slinky ballad, I'll Be The One, features some of Deb's best vocals on the release with a soulful style and a nice rhythm. This is the radio track for the release with a strong melodic line, nice guitar work by John and complimented by Jimmy Castoe on drums, Nate Hofman on organ, and Melvin Powe on bass. Another track with a western twist is Remember Why, with great baritone guitar work by John and snappy drum work by Jo El. Horizontal Lightning is a particularly seductive track with a Spanish flair. The track has a dark, smoky feel and Deb's vocals, coupled with nicely stylized guitar work by John certainly make this really pop. Very nice. Wrapping the release is a return on Dragonfly, with the guitar really popping and the Spanish overtones really dressed. This is a really special release and one you should definitely check out.




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Myles Goodwyn And Friends of the Blues - New release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues, from Myles Goodwyn and it's a lot of fun. Opening with I Hate To See You Go ( But I Love To Watch You Walk Away) Goodwyn shows super feel on lead vocal and keys with Shaun Verreault on slide guitar, Eric Khayt on sax. Blues ballad, It'll Take Time To Get Used To, has a super melody and Amos Garret's lush guitar work really hits the nail on the head, backed by Emily Lamarche on vocal. Very nice. Western styling on Tell Me Where I've Been (So I Don't Go There Anymore) is really nice with excellent piano work by Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne and twangy blues guitar riffs from Steve Segal. I'll Hate You (Till Death Do Us Part) shows continued story telling and tongue in cheek soulful tracks. Wayne really works the keys on this one as well (I mean he really works them) and Frank Marino cooks the strings on guitar with precise blues riffs giving the track added sting. very nice! Shuffle track, Good Man In A Bad Place, has a real nice feel and Garret lays in some really tasty guitar riffs under Goodwyn's always tight vocals. Rick Derringer adds real heat on Last Time I'll Ever Sing The Blues, an easy loaded shuffle with some warm returns and articulate lead guitar work. Jack De Keyser has the lead on guitar on Nobody Lies (About Having The Blues), another track with particularly smooth vocals and cool electric piano work by Goodwyn. Wrapping the release is You Never Got The Best Of Me featuring Steve Segal and Amos Garret on guitar and Dewey Reeds on harmonica. This is a cool package with good tunes, solid guitar and real nice vocals. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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33 Records artist: Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion - The Blues And I Should Have A Party - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Blues And I Should Have A  Party, from Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion and it a cool blues rocker. Opening with Please Don't Cheat On Me, lead singer and band leader Schwarz continues where she left off on This Is The Life I Choose, with strong guitar riffs by Rob Koral, Pete Whittaker on Hammond and Paul Robinson on drums. Title track, The Blues And I Should Have A Party, has a super slow pace with excellent guitar riffs by Koral under the melody. Rich Hammond organ work by Whittaker really sets a soothing stage for an excellent solo line by Koral and the soulful vocals of Schwarz. Excellent! Don't Worry Blues is another 12 bar entry with a cool groove. A firm bass line and Hammond work establishes the mood and Schwarz and Koral trading the lead is the standard. Whittaker lays down a nice organ solo and Koral is back with firm soloing of his own. Very nice. An up tempo jazz fused track, My Handsome Man, changes the pace up nicely and with a catchy melody and snappy beat making it the likely radio track for the release.  Another of my favorites on the release is Don't Hold Back with a strong melody, and some of Schwarz's strongest vocals on the release. I also really like the attack of both Whittaker and Koral on this track giving it a bit of edge. Wrapping the release is Thank You a cool soul jazz feel. Light and breezy, yet with stinging guitar riffs from Koral, Robinson mixing up the rhythms and solid organ work from Whittaker making this a super closer for a solid release.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Tommy DarDar - Big Daddy Gumbo - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Big Daddy Gumbo, from Tommy DarDar and it's a healthy helping of swampy gumbo music. Very nice to get this release after DarDar's death in July of 2017. Opening with Johnny Lee Schell's It's Good To Be King, with DarDar on vocal and featuring Johnny Lee Schell on some exciting slide, backed by Hutch Hutchinson on bass, Jon Cleary on piano, Mike Finnigan on keys and DarDar on harp. Great opener. Baby I Can Tell has a great Chicago blues feel with solid bass lines and DarDar's vocals and harp up front. This has a great SB Williamson feel. C'mon Second Line really shows off Braunagel's excellent New Orleans drum styling with solid bass lines by Hutch. Very nice. With pure New Orleans R&B style, Jon Cleary's Let's Both Go Back To New Orleans is a nice showcase for DarDar on vocal, anchored by Cleary's piano rhythm and Hutch's bass. Very nice. The absolute radio track on the release is Dangerous Woman with it's Latin fused R&B feel and strong melodic lyrics, strongly supported by Teresa James, Tommy Lee Bradley, Larry Fulcher and Terry Wilson on backing vocals and a smooth harp solo by DarDar. Shake A Leg is a cool countrified blues rocker with bright piano and bouncy rhythm. Schell snaps in with some real nice country style riffs and DarDar's own harp work is super. Wrapping the release is my favorite track on the release, funky title track, Big Daddy Gumbo with it's infectious rhythm, a super sax vamp by Joe Sublett, excellent slide work by Schell. It's rich backing vocals, big bass lines, funky organ and tight drums make it almost impossible to sit still. Excellent closer! 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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For The Sake Of Song artist: Patrick Coman - Tree Of Life - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tree Of Life, from Patrick Coman and I really like it! Opening with Heartbeat, a rangy, bluesy, somber song Patrick Coman, singer/songwriter/guitarist sets a certain mood. Joined by Peter Parcek on lead guitar, Marco Giovino on drums, Tom West on keys and Joe Klompus on bass, a great opener. Good advice on stripped down rocker, Don't Reach, Coman blends early British, punk, rock, folk and a lot of other sounds to get this really cool sound. A loose but fluid guitar solo by Parcek kicks the track nicely. With a twist of cha cha and a real nice bari guitar solo and cool female vocal harmonies by Abbie Barrett and Kylie Harris. The Judge has a real Johnny Cash spank. Coman's vocals are loose and cool and Parcek's guitar work is perfect. Super! Another track with a cool country rock twang is 9-5ers with a real country style guitar solo and drums ... and get this...tuba (nice job Neal Pawley). One of my favorite tracks on the release is title track, Tree of Life with an underlying country flavor, surreal guitar sounds and nice tom tom style. Excellent! Another cool rocker, Chelsea Street has just the right rock vibe with a solid guitar riff, strong vocals and prominent snare beat up front. This is a great track. An interesting interpretation of Leon Russell's, Magic Mirror with a monotone vocal line is surprisingly refreshing. Changing the melody pretty much in entirety is really a bold move and quite successful with glistening guitar soloing crowning this work. Excellent! Keep My Soul is another strong track with what I can only call lazy vocals which are really effective. Parcek's guitar work does a lot to give the track just the right cohesion and Pawley, Klompus and Giovino are spotless. Wrapping the release is a folksy kind of track, Let It Ring. Basically Coman on vocal and acoustic guitar with basic keyboard backing this spartan track is an excellent closer for an excellent release! 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Powerful Soul Ensemble Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar Set to Release Sophomore Recording

Powerful Soul Ensemble Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar Set to Release Sophomore Recording

Run To Me out April 27 followed by hometown CD launch party April 28 at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto Watch/Share new live video for "All Night Long" here

For Immediate Release: March 29, 2018 (Toronto,ON) - Toronto-based Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar’s latest recording, entitled Run to Me, is scheduled for release on April 27, 2018. Produced by Darcy Yates (bassist for Bahamas), the new album explores the full range of the vicissitudes of love: desire, betrayal and, at times, emotional and sexual satisfaction. The lyrics are incisive, the melodies are constantly arresting and the harmonies and arrangements call up the best of the soul sounds of Stax Records and such contemporary artists as Leon Bridges, Sharon Jones, and Lee Fields. Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar’s debut release, 2015’s Send the Nightingale, was a stripped- down affair consisting of Martin, her two co-singers Sherie and Stacie, and guitarist Mikey McCallum. For Run to Me, Martin elected to record her emotionally wrought material with an expanded band, augmenting the core of Delta Sugar’s gospel-infused harmonies with a full rhythm section, piano, organ and an ever-so-soulful horn section. Send the Nightingale was a stunning achievement which garnered four Maple Blues nominations in 2016, was regularly featured on the CBC, topped the blues charts on Stingray radio and propelled the group onto the stages of all the major Canadian festivals and clubs coast to coast. Subsequent to the album’s release, Martin has been nominated three years in a row as Female Vocalist of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards. Continuing to build on the group’s steamrolling momentum, in the fall of 2017, Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar were selected by a panel of blues experts to represent Toronto at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, a platform that has served to launch any number of careers in both Europe and the United States. While Martin is a powerhouse unto herself, the vocal alchemy of Delta Sugar is not the work of a single talent. In combination with what she likes to term her “co-vocalists,” Sherie Marshall and newest full-time member Mwansa Mwansa, the vocal blend Delta Sugar produces is pure, unadulterated gospel-tinged, neuron-tingling magic where the sum is even richer than the already soul-melting parts. After performing 130 high energy “soul revue” style shows in the US and Canada in 2017, and buzz-worthy showcases at both Americana (Sept. 2017) and at The International Blues Challenge in Memphis (Jan. 2018) – Samantha is now building her European fan base with two full-length European tours scheduled before February 2019. The live show is a torrid force of nature, taking audiences to emotional peaks while leaving them stunned with pin-you-against-the-wall power.   samanthamartinmusic.com | gypsysoulentertainment.com   Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar CD Release Party Saturday, April 28 The Horseshoe Tavern 370 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON Doors at 8:00 p.m. Show at 9:00 p.m. with Dani Nash and The Honeyrunners  Advance tickets $15 available at ticketfly.com / $20 at the door

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO HIT THE ROAD FOR U.S. TOUR | NEW LP #1 ALBUM ON BILLBOARD'S CONTEMPORARY JAZZ CHART!

INSTRUMENTAL SOUL/JAZZ ACT DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO KICK-OFF THEIR 2018 U.S. TOUR DATES IN APRIL IN SUPPORT OF THEIR RECENTLY RELEASED ALBUM "CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR”

DLO3'S "CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR” JUST DEBUTED AT #1 LAST WEEK ON BILLBOARD’S CONTEMPORARY JAZZ CHART, AS WELL AS LANDING AT #3 ON THEIR JAZZ CHART AND #20 ON THEIR HEATSEEKERS CHART!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO'S "CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR" VIA SPOTIFY

COLEMINE RECORDS TO RELEASE A VERY LIMITED RED VINYL PRESSING OF "DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO LIVE AT KEXP!" ON RECORD STORE DAY!

DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO 2018 TOUR DATES

Apr 02 Earshot Jazz Festival - Seattle, WA

Apr 12 Sonic Boom Records - Seattle, WA

Apr 14 Dakota Jazz Club - Minneapolis, MN

Apr 15 Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA

Apr 16 Reggie’s, Chicago, IL

Apr 18 Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 - New York, NY

Apr 19 Funk N Waffles - Syracuse, NY

Apr 20 Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH

Apr 21 Plaid Room Records - Loveland, OH

May 18 Blue Note Napa - Napa, CA

May 20 Joshua Tree Music Festival - Joshua Tree, CA

Jun 07 River Fest - Wichita, KS

Jun 22 Vancouver International Jazz Festival - Vancouver, Canada

Jul 05 High Sierra Festival - Quincy, CA

Jul 06 High Sierra Festival - Quincy, CA

Jul 14 Saint Paul Soul Jazz Festival - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, France

Aug 02 Battery Park City’s River & Blues Series - New York, NY

Aug 03 Shalin Liu Performance Center - Rockport, MA

Aug 11 San Jose Summer Jazz Festival - Downtown San Jose, CA

Aug 30 The Refectory - Columbus, OH

Sep 02 Detroit Jazz Festival - Harper Woods, MI

Sep 23 Monterey Jazz Festival - Monterey, CA

(additional dates to be announced soon)

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (photo credit: Jean-Paul Builes)

  

After years of playing in bands that inevitably fell apart, as bands so often do, keyboard player Delvon Lamarr landed in a different kind of group: one founded by his wife and manager, Amy Novo. She created the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio so her husband could fully focus on the things he does best: writing and playing music.

With a deep soul backbone augmented by jazz, rhythm & blues and rock ’n’ roll, the Seattle trio — Lamarr on B-3 organ, Jimmy James on guitar and David McGraw on drums — evokes a classic instrumental sound with a fresh, virtuosic sensibility all its own on debut LP Close But No Cigar. The band put out the album independently in 2016, and Colemine Records gives it a wide release in March.

All three musicians knew each other from the local soul scene. When Novo founded the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio in 2015, Lamarr asked McGraw if he was interested in joining the band. After playing for a year with another guitarist in the group, Lamarr invited James to sit in as a substitute one night at the trio’s regular Tuesday gig, and he never left. That’s when the band truly found its sound. “We had chemistry right out of the gate, and that doesn’t always happen,” Lamarr says.

In fact, the keyboardist and guitarist say they’re constantly engaged in a game of name-that-tune, throwing in licks from obscure soul or rhythm & blues tunes and seeing where the other takes it, while McGraw sits back in the pocket and keeps things moving. “It puts you on the edge of your seat, like, I don’t know what’s going to happen here,” James says. “It’s like going out into the middle of the forest with nothing, and there’s bears and wolves all around, and seeing if you can make it out.”

Their chemistry stems from each musician’s unique abilities. James describes McGraw as having “that rare soul sound. He’s got this light touch, but it still tells you, ‘I’m here.’ You feel it.” Meanwhile, Lamarr holds down basslines on the organ that are so vivid that audience members sometimes ask where the bass player is. “His left hand is second to none,” James says. “He’s got that, but he’s also got this wild approach. He goes for it, and he’s fearless about it.”

Though James is more modest about his own abilities — “I mostly just go for what I feel,” he says — his bandmates complete the picture. “When Jimmy joined the band, everybody who was a regular at that club said, ‘That’s it: that’s the band right there,’” Lamarr says.

Lineup thus complete, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio spent those Tuesday night sets honing its sound, often creating songs onstage in the middle of gigs. “It gave us a lot of freedom to explore,” says McGraw, who also plays with James in the local soul band the True Loves. “So much of the songwriting, and our ability to improv together, came from those live shows.”

The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio recorded Close But No Cigar soon after James joined the band. “Those originals came together pretty quickly, and we were still kind of learning them when we went in to record the record,” McGraw says. While Novo handles the business end of the group (and others that Lamarr plays in), the musicians have logged countless hours onstage together, resulting in a trio that’s tighter than ever. In addition to the tunes on Close But No Cigar, they have a stockpile of new material they’re looking forward to taking on the road and, by the end of the year, recording for a second album.

“It means a lot to me that people dig what we do,” Lamarr says. “I just want people to feel it, basically. So far, it seems to be going pretty well.”

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio’s Close But No Cigar is out now on vinyl, CD, cassette, digital and streaming formats via Colemine Records. Click here to order. 

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Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
Live at KEXP!
(red vinyl limited to 1750 copies for Record Store Day)

"I've got to give credit where credit is due on this one," admits Colemine Records co-owner Terry Cole. "Pressing this up for RSD was my brother Bob's idea. We had just signed the group for their first LP and he called me one night and said, 'I think I just had my one good idea for the year.' This fiery live performance at KEXP of this Seattle organ trio is right on the heels on their debut LP. Channeling groups like Booker T & The MGs, The Meters, and Soulive, this is straight up funky organ soul jazz here! Mastered for vinyl by JJ Golden, this set will set your turntable on fire!! We should also note this is the first full KEXP session to be pressed on vinyl." Here are the YouTube videos you can check out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhicDUgXyNg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNO71hgto7c