Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, One At A Time , from Eddie Cotton and it's a great followup to his first release, Here I Come which was on my favorites list from last year! This release is off and running from the start with title track, One At A Time , a soulful blues track with Cotton on vocal and hot guitar riffs. James "Hotdog" Lewis , who passed away only a week ago today adds some real nice keyboard work on this release.With Myron Scott laying down a nice bass line and Samuel Scott Jr. on drums this track is moving, nicely complimented by Kimble Funchess on trumpet, Jessie Primer III on sax and Mike Weidick on trombone. Very nice! With it's super walking bass line by Bennett, Be Careful has a classic blues sound but with a definite R&B overtone. Cotton has a great voice and Carlos Russell adds harp giving it a cool contemporary feel. People keep commenting that we have to keep the blues alive. This is positive proof that all you got to d...

I just received the newest release, Battle Scars , from Walter Trout , and if has a definite mellowing and maturation but keeps the fire. Opening with Almost Gone , a blues based rocker with a feel of Led Zep blended with Aerosmith. Rock solid drumming from Michael Leasure and rich vocal harmonies along with harp overtones balance out Trouts flaming hot guitar riffs. Great opener! Omaha opens with romping tom tom work and Trout singing almost in a field of smoke. An onslaught of guitar enters with high dynamic quality and then disappears as quickly as it came. Nice rocker. Throw out some funk and Trout is doing the boogaloo on Tomorrow Seems So Far Away. I really can't describe how it's different but I like Trout's vocals more than earlier seeming more smooth and hearty. A real nice harp solo grounded by Sammy Avila on keys and Johnny Griparic on bass creates a solid mix. Ballad, Please Take Me Home , is so creamy it could be the Eagles. Nicely blended vocals and solid...

I just received the newest release, Clinch! by The Blues Overdrive and I really like it! Opening with suspenseful track, Pistol Blues , this Danish band really understands it's craft. With a feel of North Mississippi and easy instrumentation by Martin Olsen on guitar and vocal, Andreas Andersen on guitar, Thomas Birck on bass and Lars Heiberg on drums these guys create an invite to their cool blues interpretation. Rolling Thunder steps up the rock feel but maintains the stripped down feel with cool double stopped guitar riffs. Cool! Shuffle track, Three Time Lover, starts to show more of the richness of Olsen's vocals and Olsen and Andersen compliment each other nicely as they trade lead/rhythm guitar riffs. Duke Robillard steps up with a signature solo of his own blending right in. Very cool! A little twist of Latin in the rhythm give Woman Of Love a more pop blues feel. Simple guitar riffs and overtones of JJ Cale make the track smooth and breezy. John Nemeth's Dau...

James "Hot Dog" Lewis: Bobby Rush's longtime keyboardist LONGTIME BOBBY RUSH KEYBOARDIST  JAMES “HOT DOG” LEWIS DIES Burial fund established for 27-year veteran of ...

I just received the newest release, Please Save Your Love For Me , from Ebony Jo-Ann and it's super. Opening with Ashford and Simpson's, Just Rain , a driving R&B track, Jo-Ann on lead vocal, enlists a super lineup of backing artists including Danny Kean on Keys, Phil Bloom on drums, Tinkr on bass, Gerald Rampersad on sax Forrest "Frosty" Lawson on trumpet and trombone and Azza Miller on backing vocals. Mark Bowers really lays some nice guitar riffs out there perfectly accenting Jo-Ann's lead vocals. Great opener! On Sly Johnson's, Is It Because I'm Black , Jo-Ann takes you on a beautiful soul tour with woven sax, trumpet, Rhodes, and plucky bass. Mario Staiano adds congas and Bowers again steps up with a really hot solo. Excellent...I mean Really Excellent! Easy slung blues track, Yo Love , has a smooth Steeley Dan feel with Kean's Rhodes work Jo-Ann's solid vocals. Guy Davis steps up with an interesting harmonica solo giving it an earth...

I just received the newest release, Fifty Shades of Blue , from Anthony Geraci and the Boston Blues All-Stars and it's great! Opening with deep R&B track, Everything I Do Is Wrong , Darrell Nullisch takes the lead on vocals and it''s terrific. Geraci is strong support on piano and Monster Mike Welch knocks it out of the park on guitar. Excellent! On title track, Fifty Shades of Blue , Sugar Ray Nocia shares the mic with Michelle Evil Gal Willson. This is a cool swing track and Geraci blasts off with a rolling piano solo. Monster Mike is on top of his game and really lays into it on this track giving it a hard kick backed by Michael Mudcat Ward on bass and Nevil Gouvin on drums. Sad But True has a cool Ray Charles feel led by Sugar Ray on vocal and harp. Monster Mike slips on the slide on this one revving it up and Sugar Ray breaks loose on harp. On slow blues number, Heard That Tutwiler Whistle Blow , Sugar Ray does a real nice job vocally digging in the Chicago gri...

I just received the newest release, Slip Into A Dream , from Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames and it's nothing short of outrageous! Opening with title track, Slip Into A Dream , Weld leads with solid vocals and confident guitar work. Backed by Monica Myhre on vocal, Dave Kaye on bass, Jeff Taylor on drums, Graham Guest on organ and Harry Yaseen on piano, this track is slinky and pendulous. Dave doesn't wait too long to unleash the dogs and his guitar work is off the hook. Simply terrific! Sweet Rockin' Soul is a rock n' roller with Yaseen driving the train. Weld and Myhre harmonize on this track but yes... he's hammering on the guitar again. Yaseen plays a cool piano solo illiciting a hot drum response from Taylor. Cool! Lookin' For A Man features Myhre on lead vocals and Weld slips on the slide. Joined by Bobby Rush on extended harp this shuffle track lets Dave get into full slide mode...right off the fret board. Very nice! Add a little funk and some hor...

I just received the newest release, Don't Bring Me Daylight , from Reggie Wayne Morris and it's flavorful. Opening with Blues rocker, Son Of A Blues Fan , featuring Reggie Wayne Morris on lead vocal, and guitar, Ezell Jones on drums, Chris Sellman on bass and Mark Stevens on organ. Laid back shuffle track, Used To Have A Woman , shows a different lineup with Chuck Fuerte on drums, Pete Kanaras on bass and Stevens on piano. Morris opens Used To Sign My Check with a slick little guitar intro with a BB King style. Nice vocal phrasing and respondent guitar riffs makes this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Another Can Of Worms has a cool uptempo feel and Morris lays out a nice guitar solo backed by Stevens on piano. Very nice! Title track, Don't Bring Me Daylight , has a cool walking bass line from Kanaras and Stevens lays down a real nice piano lead highlighted by Morris' lead vocals and stinging guitar riffs. Excelent blues track, Ball and Chain , has really ...

I just received the newest release (October 27, 2015), That's What They Say , from Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans and it's a lot of fun! Opening with Tampa Red's Seminole Blues with it's rockin boogie style. Vickers on lead vocal and bottleneck slide, Margey Peters on bass and Bill Rankin on drums this is a cool opener. Ledbelly's Don't You Love Your Daddy No More? has a super Bourbon Street feel. Vickers again on lead vocal and slide and Dave Gross on bass and mandolin, this track features real nice clarinet work by Jim Davis and bari sax work from Matt Cowan. If You Leave Me Now is a crisp rag track with Vickers on lead vocal and guitar with Charles Burnham on fiddle and Margey Peters on 2nd fiddle. Very cool! Shuffle track, Everything About You Is Blue features Vickers on lead vocal and Burnham with fiddle lead and soloing, backed by Peters on vocal and bass and Rankin on drums. Country rocker, Another Lonesome Road , blends Vickers lead with ...

I just received the newest release, B's Expression , from Al Basile and it has a nice groove. Opening with Whole Lot of Good Good Lovin' , a smooth blues with a laid back cornet and vocal lead from Basile and Duke Robillard setting on a real nice guitar lead. Mark Teixeira on drums, Bruce bears on keys and Brad Hallen on bass hold down the bottom. On swinging, It Wasn't That Good , Bears on keys, Doug James on sax and Carl Querfurth form a warm bed for Basile's vocals. Bears takes a melodic key solo and Robillard lays down a sporty jazz/rock solo of his own. R&B based, Not Like I Do , has a cool bass line from Hallen. With a bit of a funky hitch, Basile steps up with a really nice cornet solo. Very cool. Hi steppin, Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Being Right really rides on the solid trombone work of Querfurth. Soulful vocals from Basile are tops and Bears lays out a nice piano solo. Basile sets in a short cornet solo of his own but this track is really about t...

GET THE NEW CD! www.kevinselfe.com Excited to announce the October 16 release of “Buy My Soul Back” on the VizzTone Label. The recording consists of 13 tunes, 12 of them originals, and features Jimi Bott, Allen Markel, Sugaray Rayford, Mitch Kashmar, Willie J Campbell, Gene Taylor, James Pace, Lisa Mann, Steve Kerin, Joe McCarthy, Brad Ulrich, Chris Mercer, Don Shultz, and Peter Moss. Get more info and tour dates at www.kevinselfe.com .  CONNECT WITH US! ...