Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, Requiem for a Heavy-Weight A tribute to Odetta by Sista Jean & CB and it's deep. Opening with Ledbelly track, Alabama Bound , Jean and CB have a very contemporary sound with super resonator slide work by Mark Goldenberg. Another Ledbelly track, Easy Rider , has a much warmer feel with Jean digging in on vocal backed by Vincent Henry & Big Willie B on drums. Very cool! On traditional folk track, House Of The Rising Sun , Jean really shows the richness of her voice paired with nicely articulated guitar work of CB (Carlyle Barriteau). Very nice! Another traditional track, Jack of Diamonds , has a super modern bluesy sound with Jean's vocals right up front and solid drum and bass as well as harp soloing adding texture. With a jazzy approach and a very laid back delivery, traditional track, Deep River , is smooth, supple and rich. Alan Lomax track, Another Man Done Gone , stays the solid blues course acapella with hand claps. Very ni...

I just received the newest release, West of Flushing South of Frisco , from Supersonic Blues Machine and it's a smokin' cool release. Featuring the leadership of Lance Lopez (guitar and vocal), Kenny Aronoff (drums and percussion) and Fabrizzio Grossi (bass, Hammond and vocals) this band is cooking. Opening with Miracle Man , a southern influenced blues rocker, the band is really off to a great start complimented by Jimmy Z Zavala on harp, Serge Simic on acoustic guitar, Garrett Hollbrock on lap steel and Francis Bentez and Andrea Grossi on backing vocals. Next up is I Ain't Fallin Again , a sophisticated rocker with a cool back beat and a solid drive. Billy F Gibbons leads the way on vocal and guitar on Running Whiskey a straight up rocker with a definite Gibbons flavor. Remedy , features Warren Haynes and his influence is immediately noticed with a warm, laid back feel. Trading lead riffs and vocals with Lopez, Haynes doesn't dominate the track at all and it...

I just received the newest release (March 1, 2016), The Arson's Match (live In NYC with Mick Taylor) , from Peter Karp and it's hot! This was originally recorded live at a sold-out performance in NYC and broadcast on Sirius XM. All proceeds of sales of this CD go to Ovarian Cancer Research. Opening with the title track, Arson's Match, Karp takes the lead on vocal and and Elmore James style slide guitar, with Dennis Gruenling on harp and Mick Taylor with his blues style making this a smoking opener. With a lighter hand and an almost Van Morrison feel, Gee Chee Gee Chee Wawa , is a pop rocker with Jim Ehinger on keys, Daniel Pagdon on bass and Paul "Hernandez" Unsworth on drums. Y'All Be Lookin' is a cool track with a great driving bass line. Karp rips the slide on this one and the crowd is definitely revved. The Turning Point starts as an acoustic ballad building throughout with a solid melody and a funky southern rhythm. Rocker, The Nietsche Lounge ,...

I just received the newest release, Sing Your Own Song , from Blue Largo and it covers the gamut from Louisiana swamp grooves to acoustic country. Opening with Walkin' On A Tightrope , vocalist, Alicia Aragon takes the lead with solos by Eric Lieberman on guitar, Taryn Donath on keys and solid bass work from Joey Jazdzewski and drums from Marcus Bashore. A smooth sax solo by Dave Castel de Oro on Kindness Love and Understanding hits the target and provides a nice bridge to solo guitar work from Eric L. Title track, Sing Your Own Song , has that gospel revival sound reinforced by Dave on sax and Rafael Salmon on organ. On Latin infused R&B track, Tears of Joy , the familiar feel of an old Ben E King track with tight percussion work by Ron Felton. Earl Hooker's Guitar Rhumba is one of my favorites on the release with Lieberman taking the lead with authentic Cuban style piano rhythms from Donath and Johny Viau on percussion. With a break into a more swinging beat the tr...

I just received the newest release, Ten Miles of Bad Road , from Karen Lovely and I think it's her best yet! Opening with Low Road , a mix of blues, country,R&B and pop, is a great showcase of Lovely's voice. With Alan Mirikitani throwing down some sweet guitar riffs, Tony Braunagel on drums, James Hutchinson on bass and Jim Pugh on B3 are joined by Julie Delgado and Kenna Ramsey on backing vocals making a solid opener. Company Graveyard has a more driving rock beat along the lines of Radar Love but with a boogie twist and again featuring a hot guitar riffs from Mirikitani. A Better Place is really stripped down like a primitive blues with Johnny Lee Schell on guitar and bass. Very cool! Ignorance (It Ain't Bliss) is a solid pop rocker with a bluesier approach but similar approach to rock as China Girl with smooth organ work and a flashy guitar solo. Cross The Water is a really nice ballad with country influences. This is a track that could easily make cross ra...

I just received the newest release, The Avenue , from Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats and it's raw and fun. Opening with a Bo Diddley style track, The Vivone Song (pronounced Viv O Nee) , a musical chant with heavy tom tom rhythm and thick warm lower octave guitar melody on vibrato, a cool opener. Jim Jackson's, Kansas City Blues , is a rumbler with Vivone on wild slide guitar and lead vocal, Matt Bustamante on drums, Rick Maclvor on piano and Jeremy Clark on bass, topped off by Joanna Berkebile, Ben Hoppes and Paula Crawford on backing vocal. A solid boogie woogie and absolutely camaraderie among the band makes this a great track. Title track, The Avenue , tells the story of the gritty part of town where the dirt goes down. With the band in common vocal style and with very cool vibrato glistened guitar work, this track shimmers. Very nice. Hello Mrs Radzinsky is a driving boogie with a great walking bass line complimented nicely by MacIver on keys and featuring Vivone on ...

I just received the newest release, 21st Century Blues , by Van Wilks and it's quite good. Opening with Strange Girl you immediately hear strong,Texas blues rock framing and pop styling. Singer, songwriter, guitarist, Van Wilks is joined by Tommy Taylor on drums, Reggie Witty on bass and Billy Mason on keys for a clever opener. Billy Gibbons penned, Drive By Lover , has a lot of the drive of ZZ Top and there is actually quite a bit of similarity between Wilks' and Gibbon's voices. With a driving bass line and fluid blues guitar riffs, Wilks shows his stuff. On Golddigger , the band has a strong swagger and warm guitar rhythm. This is a super track and sans a few hot pinched harmonics and other stylistic guitar tricks, this could be ZZ Top. Very nice! One of my favorite tracks on the release, Just Walk Away , is a bluesy ballad with a lush melodic melody and nice guitar underpinnings. There's A Sin In There Somewhere has a much more primitive feel on the intro with ...

TOM WAITS STREAMS SOUL OF A MAN FROM NEW COMPILATION GOD DON'T NEVER CHANGE: THE SONGS OF BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON AT HIS FACEBOOK PAGE   Legendary artist Tom Waits is streaming his new recording of Soul Of A Man from the forthcoming album God Don't Never Change: The Songs Of Blind Willie Johnson at his Facebook page . Waits also recorded John The Revelator for the album. The album -- to be issued on CD on February 26 and soon after on vinyl -- features newly recorded versions of the iconic slide guitarist/vocalist's most seminal material. In addition to Waits, Lucinda Williams, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Cowboy Junkies, Blind Boys Of Alabama (with Jason Isbell on guitar), Sinéad O'Connor, Luther Dickinson featuring The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band, Maria McKee, and Rickie Lee Jones all deliver deeply moving interpretations of Johnson's otherworldly "gospel blues" music. Produced by Jeffrey Gaskill (pr...

11TH ANNUAL VENTURA COUNTY BLUES FESTIVAL FEATURES NEW LOCATION; ALL-DAY HEADLINING ACTS; FESTIVAL-ENDING ALL-STAR "JAM SESSION" DEDICATED TO MEMORY OF THE LATE BB CHUNG KING                                Saturday, April 30, 2016      (Camarillo, CA)  - An exciting, new location; all-day headlining acts; festival-closing All-Star Jam dedicated to the late BB Chung King; en...