Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, Hair Of The Dog , from Sleepy Eyes Nelson and it's a selection of live tracks from his 2015 American tour. Opening with John Lee Granderson's Watch Out Girl , Nelson's vocals are clear and his guitar is strong. Billy Bizor's, She Stays Drunk , is a great foot stomper with classic lyrics and driving riffs. Unemployment Blues is a cool track written by Nelson. A bit more contemporary sounding but with all of the trace items to the original, I like it. Nappy Brown's Night Time Is The Right Time , continues in the finger picked theme and nicely articulated tracks. Lil' Son Jackson track, Young Woman's Blues has always been on the favorite list and Nelson does a real nice job with it using a sliding techniques that I particularly like. I Spent It All has the sounds of rain in the background giving it a particularly nice ambiance. Continuing into Salad Dodger which is uptempo and certainly a blues but almost a rocker. Cool!...

I sometimes get backed up with the number of CD's that I have to review and this is one that fell through the cracks. A new release, Twenty First Century Problems , by Lauren Desberg is totally unlike anything that I typically review but it has a clean simple and bright sound and certainly warrants note. With it's light breezy jazz opening track, Can't Stop The Show , it displays cool rhythmic patterns and a really nice sax part under Desberg's clear vocals. With a touch of hip hop in a pop jazz mix, He Loves She Loves is simply nice with terrific drums and piano. Emotive ballad, Lie To Me , digs back to earlier jazz times and a more serious texture. An interesting cover of well worn out Bee Gee's, How Deep Is Your Love , has a fresh face and with nice vocal blending and enough nice instrumental work to totally make you forget that you are listening to one of the most boring songs ever written ... and not mind it at all. Lullaby Of The Leaves is a really intere...

BUDDY GUY REVEALS ‘BORN TO PLAY GUITAR’ ALBUM COVER & TRACK LISTING NEW STUDIO ALBUM FEATURES GUEST APPEARANCES BY VAN MORRISON, JOSS STONE AND MORE PLUS SONGS DEDICATED TO B.B. KING AND MUDDY WATERS ALBUM AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON JUNE 29   Grammy Award winning blues icon Buddy Guy has revealed the album cover and track listing for his brand new studio album Born To Play Guitar.  Set for release July 31 on Silvertone/RCA Records, Born to Play Guitar features guest appearances by Van Morrison, Joss Stone, Kim Wilson and Billy Gibbons.  Morrison joins Buddy on the heartfelt “Flesh & Bone,” a song dedicated to the late great B.B. King.  On “Come Back Muddy” Guy reminisces about...

The Incredible, Irrepressible Trudy Lynn The Incredible, Irrepressible, One of a Kind Trudy Lynn   Currently nominated for a 2015 Living Blues Award If you have ever attended a Trudy Lynn performance then you know from experience that the blues lives within this woman's soul.  As you watched and listened you may have recognized that what you were experiencing was not some kind of contrived, elaborate put on stage show.  Oh no there was ...

I just received the newest release, Don't Look Back , from the Royal Southern Brotherhood and it's a funky, reggae, soul and blues jam. Opening with I Wanna Be Free , a hot rocker with white hot guitar riffs from new members, Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan, and a solid bottom from Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott. Reach My Goal adds just a little funk and some cool B3 from Ivan Neville with an almost Doobies sound. Cyrille Neville, Walker and Vaughan blend nice vocally and Walker plays a fluid guitar solo making this an ideal radio track. A real nice bass intro by Wooten opens reggae infused title track, Don't Look Back , with Walker on banjo and nice percussion work from Neville and Scott. Hit Me Once has a light funky jazz sound with an R&B vocal style. This is a cool track and Neville's vocals hit! Walker and Vaughan trade some slashing riffs on this track enforcing this as one of my favorites on the release. The Big Greasy has a slippery funk style with a c...

I just received the newest release, Born & Raised , by Omar Coleman and this guy can sing! Opening with Shuffle track, Tryin' To Do Right, Coleman exhibits his solid vocals and harp work complimented by Pete Galanis on guitar, Neal O'Hara on keys, Ari Seder on bass ad Marty Binder on drums. Man Like Me has a pure Chicago sound with nice harp work from Coleman and a tasty guitar solo from Toronzo Cannon. Funky Sit Down Baby is anchored by O'Hara's organ work and nicely driven by Seder and Binder. Coleman rides the top with great vocal style and Galanis pops off some stinging riffs along with Colemans harp work pulling the track together. Soulful, I Was A Fool , blends a light funk and soul into the blues for a really strong track. Guest guitarist Mike Wheeler plays some really soulful riffs on this track, making it one of my favorites on the release. A bit more funky, Wishing Well , has a down right limp. It gets so funky you may need an air freshner and Wheele...

I just received the newest self titled release from Bo & the Bluesdrivers and it's quite entertaining. Opening with Out On The Streets , a straight ahead blues rocker, Bo takes total command on vocals and guitar. His stinging guitar tone and slashing riffs give the track a nice bite. Ass, Gas or Grass , a boogie track with cool double stops and a smooth driving bass line from Brian "Chewy" James and tight drumming from J J Garcia really digs a nice groove. Easy paced, Sea Song , is an interesting guitar exploration on a simple theme, not unlike some of the Dickie Betts runs of days gone. Very nice. Walkin' In The Park has a very distinctive contemporary Allman Brothers sound with a jazz rock feel. It's an interesting play on a familiar theme that should bode well for the Bluesdrivers. Chillin' also has a southern rock feel but a little jazzier, say Les Dudek. This is a cool track with fluid guitar riffs and a breezy melody. This is a cool first outing ...

I just received the newest release, Honey For My Queen , from the Josh Garrett Band and it's deceptively hot! Opening with title track, Honey For My Queen , Garrett crafts a smooth southern pop track with a dash of country. Accompanied by Clay White on harp, and CR Gruver on keys, this track will make a solid radio track. Memphis has a laid back feel and continues with a rural easiness. Same Boat gets moving into a R&B slot and features James Johnson on guitar. With the fluidity and unpredictability of Mark Knopfler, intelligent guitar riffs flow nicely. Goodnight, Goodnight is a nice acoustic number with a blues flavor featuring Garrett on vocal and resonator and White on harp. Instrumental track, Slide in "G" , starts the avalanche with it's driving beat and White's harping playing off of Garrett on slide and Gruver on keys. Easy Chair is a modern day "Help Me" blues with a nice groove and B3 cushion. Garrett really turns on the guitar heat ...