Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Not So Simple , from the Austin Young Band and it's quite good. Opening with Take Me Away , the Austin Young Band establishes firm footing in the blues based rock world. Featuring Alex Goldberg on bass and Forrest Raup on drums Austin Young has the lead guitar and vocal role and handles it readily. With a solid bottom and especially crisp drums, Young's guitar work is fluid and inventive and his vocals nicely done. Barren Road Blues has roots in Hendrix with an edge of Living Colour. Well written and performed, I really like this. Funking it up a little bit and with the addition of horns, Something More , is a real mover. Young's guitar shows rich tone and his lines are clean and clear. Building steam and they roll this track hits hard. Title track, Not So Simple , is a bluesy ballad with a great melody. Destined to be one of the crowd favorites on this release, Young's vocals are gripping and his guita...

I just had the opportunity to review Eric Johnson 's newest release, ej and it's quite special. An all acoustic release with acoustic guitar and piano it is a different side of Johnson. Opening the release is an instrumental cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson . Solid and very ornately adorned, a beautiful track. Somber ballad, Wrapped In A Cloud features Johnson of vocal, piano and acoustic guitar with strings. A very nice track outside of what you would traditionally think of with Johnson. Once Upon A Time In Texas is a curious, adventuresome, guitar interlude with a lot of dynamics and almost Spanish accents. Very nice. Jimi Hendrix's One Rainy Wish has the introspective melody of Hendrix with it's complexity but with a totally new twist. Johnson has successfully take it to a new place with new dynamics. Very nice. One of my favorites on the release is the classically structured, Serinidad , with it's chord bases and jazz like lead. Very speci...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Playdate! , from Nancy Wright and it's smokin! Opening with funky, Why You Wanna Do It , Wee Willie Walker takes the lead on vocal and Nancy Wright really sails on sax. Joe Kyle Jr. sets the pace on bass with some heavy lines and J. Hansen's drum work is tight. Excellent opener! On Willie Dixon's I Got What It Takes , Kyle again sets a strong bass line and Tommy Castro brings a real nice guitar solo. This track is in the groove and Wright delivers a great sound on sax backed by Tom Poole on trumpet and Faris Jarrah on trombone. Yes He Do is a great swinger with Victor Wainwright really taking control on piano. Wright takes it higher and the two hit it out of the park. Super. Eddie Shaw's Blues For The Westside is an absolute screamer with Wright really digging in. Chris Burns' piano work on this track really stands out and Joe Louis Walker stands tall with soulful guitar riffs fluidly added throughout as ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, A Moment In Time , from Isaiah B Brunt and it's refreshing. Opening with Still Waiting , Isaiah Brunt takes the lead on vocal and guitar backed by the cool piano work of Mike Lemmier, bass by George Porter Jr and drums on Doug Belote. The horn section featuring Jeffrey T Watkins on sax and Ian E Smith on trumpet and trombone really give the track a taste of New Orleans. Singing The Blues has a bit more of a contemporary pop track with solid horns and piano backing. Sarah E Burke adds nice backing vocals and the lap steel work of Brunt is very textural. Vocal phrasing by Brunt on That Place On The Road really reminds me a bit of Jim Morrison, the lizard king and Smoky Greenwell adds harmonica work, giving the track more color. Lost Jacket Blues has a straight up 12 bar drive but the horn section pumps it up giving it a hotter feel. A nice sax solo by Watkins gives the track more sparkle. Funky track, May I Dance Wi...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, By My Side , from James "Buddy" Rogers and it's strong! Opening with Come Back To Me , a solid blues number with a super lope, Rogers had the lead on vocal and guitar establishing firm ground. With Freddie king like riffs and with solid backing from Slammin Mike Wedge on bass, James Hollywood Badger on drums and Lewis Stephens on keys, this is a great opener. On title track, By My Side , Rogers shows a smooth R&B style and his vocals are soulful and fitting. Stephens key board work is bright and clear nicely surrounding Rogers vocal phrasing. Very nice. On rocker, Can't Get You Off My Mind , Rogers had the solid drive of Chuck Berry but doesn't use and stereotypical riffs. His charge is direct and tight. Sweet ballad, You Belong , has an almost Eric Clapton feel with fresh, electric guitar riffs playing under the melody. Don Nix's Goin' Down is up next with a mix of Jeff Beck and Freddi...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Shufflin' The Blues , by Holly Hyatt and John Burden and it's polished and precise. Opening with a shiny cover of Muddy Waters' Blow Wind Blow, Holly and Jon trade lead vocals as Holly walks her bass and Jon stretches out on his electric guitar backed by Marvin Walker. Next up is Memphis Slim's Mother Earth Blues with a rich, warm cover. I like this track and the duo does a real nice job making it their own with cool riffs by Jon and solid bass work by Holly. Let's Boogie is a cool rocker with a classic feel. Holly sets a nice groove on bass and Jon's guitar tone is clean and smooth. Steppin' blues, Lowdown Blues , has a clean, almost pop sound with a light drum dusting and and country tweaked guitar riffs. Cool. Robert Johnson's, Come On In My Kitchen , is my favorite track on the releae with really nice slide work and beautiful use of Holly and Jon's voices in call and response wi...

Talk about keepin’ it fresh?  Oh yeah. This album does it.  Popa Chubby (Theodore Horowitz) is a bad man with an axe in his hand! I’ve met the man and I believe this is the album he was always meant to do. At first you will be impressed with solid blues and blues rock songs with a touch of nasty funk.  Tracks 1 & 2, Goin’ Downtown and Good Thing fall into this category.  Next comes an instrumental version of the Buddy Holly classic Bye Bye Love , the first of many tracks where Chubby pays homage to his influential heroes. There are rockers Dirty Diesel (a touch of Stevie Ray?) and Motorhead Saved My Life and the slow gut-bucket Blues For Charlie . Then there’s Slow Down Sugar which throughout includes a muted trumpet paying homage to Miles Davis. Later this track breaks into a primitive rap reminiscent of Miles’ Doo-Bop album that received terrible reviews but which fused jazz and hiphop perfectly way back in the early 90s.   A couple t...

Mitch Kashmar "West Coast Toast" Featuring: Junior Watson, Bill Stuve, Fred Kaplan, and Marty Dodson West Coast Toast heralds the arrival of Mitch Kashmar 's long-awaited third studio album from Delta Groove. Although fans had the live recording Live at Labatt (2008) and a CD reissue of his early '80s era LP 100 Miles to Go (2010) to tide them over, it's been ten years since his last full studio effort, Wake Up ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, One Of A Kind , from Grady Champion , and it has variety. Opening with Bump and Grind , Grady Champion on lead vocal and harp along with Ken Smith on bass, Eddie Cotton on guitar and Carroll McLaughlin on keys set an early groove, not unlike a more polished Jesus Just Left Chicago. Nice opener. With a R&B feel, Heels and Hips floats along with a really cool bass line by Smith and nice backing vocals by Champion, Jewell Bass, Eddie Cotton and Lisa Palmer. Shuffle track, House Party , gets deeper in the groove with the addition of Kimble Funchess on trumpet, Jessie PrimerIII on sax, Sydney Ford II on bari, Robert Lamkin on trombone and champion's harp backed by nice vocals by Bass and Palmer. On Life Support , Champion really gets the band swinging on harp and some of his best vocals on the release. Myron Bennett's bass work is tight and vital giving this track just the right weight. Classic, Chicago style blu...

Connor Ray Music Set to Release New CD from Acclaimed Houston Blues Singer Trudy Lynn, I’ll Sing the Blues for You , on October 21 Trudy Lynn Will Celebrate New Album’s Release with a Special Show at Houston’s Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club on Saturday, October 22 HOUSTON, TX – Connor Ray Music announces an October 21 release date for I’ll Sing the Blues for You, the new CD from acclaimed Houston-based blues singer Trudy Lynn. I’ll Sing the Blues for You features 10 tracks dripping with blues, soul and R&B, and includes her unique takes on songs from Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulsom, Memphis Minnie and Johnny Copeland, among others, as well as the funky original, “Thru Chasin’ You,” destined to be a fan favorite. Backing Trudy on the new album are label president Steve Krase on harmonica, David Carter on guitar, Terry Dry on bass, Randy Wall on keyboards and Matt Johnson on drums.   Trudy Lynn will celebrate the new album with a special CD rele...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Spare Keys , from Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers and it's quite good. Opening with instrumental, Candy Apple Red , this release is on the road with a surf driven track. Thackery's clean mastery of his trade is evident and pure with lower octave riffs setting the track off nicely. Backed by Rick Knapp on bass and Chris Reddan on drums. On Blues All Night , Thackery switches to a straight up 12 bar giving his a super opportunity to play call and response with his vocal and guitar. Jimmy is a certain master of the 6 string and this track is cool and clean. On slow bluesy ballad, No More Than Me , Thackery belts out the blues and plays beautifully melodic guitar lines. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release, I Even Lost The Blues , follows a cool jazzy line...kind of a modified T-Bone Walker track. With nice round guitar tones, Thackery really works up a lather on this one digging deep for soulful lead r...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Brooklyn Bolero from Eric Sommer . Opening with knee slapper, Red Dress , Eric Sommer (guitar, vocal and harmonica), Jim Oakley (percussion, vocal and stomp box) and Zach Smith (bass, vocals and groove accelerator) set a hefty pace for the release. On Cereal Song , Sommer creates something of a country rudimentary rap. With harmonica and rim shots, it's more of a chant. Warm ballad, Best Foot Forward , is nicely constructed with Elvis Costello style. Soothing vocals and clean electric soloing makes for a real nice track. Chord driven, Doin' Wrong , has a country punk style that I could most easily associate with Frank Black / Pixies. Short and sweet, possibly my favorite track on the release. Cover My Soul is an easy going rural style showing solid vocal blending, nice song writing, a cool bass line and interesting finger picking. Rural sounds, blended with contemporary presentation yields What A Day I Had , a cool ...