Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Big Beets , from Martin Goyette , and it's got pure soulful style. Opening with a cool guitar intro courtesy of Jim Bland,  singer, songwriter and harp player, Martin Goyette,  pounces on St. John Morning Blues , like my assistant on a muffin. With an interesting New Orleans style, driven by Jarrod Atkins on bass and really spiced up by the stumble drumming of Louis-Etienne Drouin this is a way nice opener. Night Out flashes a R&B style and Goyette's vocals are nicely suited. Stylistic guitar playing by Bland gives the track balance. Very cool. I really like the undertone of Rolling with it's ominous bass line and punctual key work by Chris Trauchner. I've only heard on guy who successfully pulls off vocals like this and it's Joe Cocker. Very nice. Fusion track, As Long As We're In Town , has a great bass line, accented by Trauchner on keys and tight drum work of Drouin. MaryPier Guilbeault ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live , from Tom Killmer ind it's a straight forward blues rocker with a lot of horsepower. Opening with Danny Kirwin's I Like It This Way , Killner on lead vocal and guitar is backed by Jack Allen on guitar, Oliver Tallent on bass, Jake Ashton on drums and Wesley Brook on keys. This is a powerful opener and a solid sign of what is to come. Slim Harpo's King Bee gets a really heavy driving bottom and a low slung guitar rhythm. Very cool. Freddie King's Have You Ever Loved A Woman (also made popular by Derek and the Dominos) is up next and Killner really digs in with some gritty riffs. A lighter solo on keys by Brooks eases the tension but Killner comes back with heavy firepower blowing your hair back. Very cool. Killner breaks out a few Jimi Hendrix tracks in Crosstown Traffic and Foxy Lady exhibiting the dynamics that Jimi intended. Super tracks. Warren Haynes/Govt Mule's classic Soul Shine is u...

Former “American Idol” Finalist Casey James Returns to His Texas Blues Roots on Latest Album, Strip It Down Singer/Guitarist’s Album Produced by Grammy-Winner Tom Hambridge & Features Guest Duet with Delbert McClinton NASHVILLE, TN – “All I want to do is play music,” says singer/guitarist, Casey James. “Stripping it back to just me making a record of music that I love was a huge stepping stone in my life.” Released June 9, Strip It Down , his new album produced by Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge and featuring a guest duet with the legendary Delbert McClinton, does just that. It’s titled Strip It Down because it’s exactly what Casey James did – shed off the layers of stylized artistic clothing that he’d been given in those other public ventures to find the real artist underneath, a guy with a convincing, smokey vocal quality and a burning, lyrical skill with a guitar. Recorded at Sound Stage Studio and The Switchyard in Nashville, Strip It Down is a glori...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Lost Nights at the Leopard Lounge , from Michele D'Amour and the Love Dealers and it's versatile contemporary blues selection. Opening with shuffle track, No Good , Michele leads the way on vocal backed by Patrick McDanel on bass, Ryan Higgins on guitar and Rennie Bishop on drums. Bringing down the tempo, Trouble is a solid track with some of D'Amour's best vocals on the release. Higgins plays sweet guitar lines over the warm bass lines of McDanel and drums of Rick Bowen. With real nice guitar riffs and trem vibrato by Higgins, a cool Latin rhythm by Bowen and a nice bass line by McDanel, Leopard Lounge has great feel. Another slower blues number, All I Do Is Work , has a pop edge and with the addition of organ, and solid guitar lines by Higgins, makes this track another strong contender on the release. Blue As Blue Can Get has a great bass line and a somewhat Brazilian feel... let's say a bluesy ...

Sherman Holmes of The Holmes Brothers  The Richmond Sessions  Reviewed In AP ​ Performing On Music City Roots Next Week Special Guests Include Joan Osborne,  Rob Ickes & Sammy Shelor Northport N.Y. - We are very excited to share with you that the AP has just published its review of the just released  The Richmond Sessions. Click on the cover to check it out! On Wednesday Aug. 2, Sherman will be bringing his band with Rob Ickes to the syndicated radio program  Music City Roots. The show should air the following week. Click the photo for more info.    This past Friday, Sherman Holmes released his first solo recording in his 50+ year career. The Richmond Sessions by The Sherman Holmes Project carries on the spirit of the Holmes Brothers by re-imagining songs and making them their own. The record maintains a bluesgrass/gospel vibe throughout that surprises and delights...

Prayin' for the Rain is the second studio album from Dry River, recorded and produced by singer/songwriter guitarist Oliver Althoen at his home studio in Orange, California and mastered by Rob Elfaizy at Stage One Studios in Lake Forest. For the second album, Dry River wanted to crank it up a notch and stretch out a bit; so they expanded their ranks with a rhythm section, recruiting bassist Joel Helin and drummer Ruben Ordiano.  Half the songs on the new album are electric and the other half acoustic; all are originals written by Althoen with the exception of "Makin' Biscuits' which was cooked up by harmonica player Dave Forrest. Dry River is a Blues-Rock/Americana band hailing from the banks of the Santa Ana River in Southern California.  It was originally formed as an acoustic duo when Althoen and Forrest got together to share a love of early Blues. They started out playing tunes by vintage Blues giants like Mississippi ...

       (Apple Valley, CA) - The 5th Annual Woodystock Rock 'N' Blues Festival returns, expanding this year to three big days and nights - Friday, October 6; Saturday, October 7; and Sunday, October 8, at Woodardville Ranch, (end of Chicago Road), Apple Valley. 3-day tickets $35.00 in advance, $40.00 day of show. Camping tickets $10.00 per night/per vehicle. Kids 12 and under, free. Tickets/info.: (760) 963-4994 or www.woodystock.info . Music starts Friday night, October 6 at 7pm-12 midnite; Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8, music starts at 11am-9pm each day. Returning as Emcee for all three days again this year: Jay Jamie of High Desert radio station, KJAY Epic! Radio .    In addition to now being three days and nights, bands will perform on a newly-built, enlarged stage. "Our goal since Day One is to bring first-class musicians to the High Desert," says Woodystock founder John Woodard, who's also a Councilman for the City of Adelan...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release (July 28, 2017) by Arthur Alexander and it's chocked full of country, pop and soul. Opening with I'm Comin' Home , Arthur Anderson shows the style he's know for with a bright beat and smooth vocals. One of the standout tracks on the release, Go On Home Girl , has all of the attributes of a Jimmy Buffet track with the catchy melody and an easy going rhythm. Another track that of course grabs a lot of attention is Burning Love which was covered by Elvis only months after this recordings original release. My favorite track on the release is Rainbow Road , a solid ballad with a lot of soul. Steve Cropper's Down The Back Roads is another strong track with warm melody, cool piano and the soulful vocals of Alexander. Original track, Thank God He Came , is a really nice track with a spiritual theme. Alexander's vocals coast nicely on a wave or organ and rich backing vocals. Another original,...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live at the 5 Spot , from the Mark Robinson Band and it shares a healthy dose of blues rock. Opening with Baby's Gone To Memphis , Robinson on lead guitar and vocal sets up a real nice boogie rocker with a cool walking bass line from Daniel Seymour and Rick Schell on drums. Being a live release, Robinson takes a nice long guitar solo on this almost 7 minute track. On The Temptations' I Can't Get Next To You , Robinson sets in a terrific groove reminiscent of Al Green or Savoy Brown. Great track and cool performance with backing vocals by Seymour and Schell. One Way Ticket is a cool blues rocker with some of Robinson's best vocals. The band is tight and Robinson's guitar work is progressive and interesting. With it's Latin flavor, Under Her Spell has a Fleetwood Mac feel ... kind of like Black Magic Woman and even some of the glistening tones with Chip Clarke on drums. This is a cool track with ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Songs of a Renegade from Greg Sover and it's classic arena rock. Opening with Moment , a bluesy ballad, Greg Sover on lead vocals shows real polish, backed by Garry Lee on vocal and bass, Allen James on guitar, Tom Walling on drums and Wally Smith on keys. His guitar solo phrasing is solid and dynamic. With a edgier sound on Heroes , Lee drives the bass and Sover's lead vocal and guitar work is spot on. On Quicksand Sover's Philadelphia roots show blending his rock nature with Philly soul. With blues bones, After Me explores a more pure form of the blues with basic blues riffs and a modified walking bass line. Cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine performed with a slight reggae twist, driving rock drums and flaming guitars. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Cherie , a cool track with Caribbean rhythms. With it's catchy melody and contagious rhythm,...

Reply to this email to enter drawing for an autographed copy of Benny's book!   After more than 60 years performing gospel, R&B, soul and blues everywhere from the Chitlin Circuit to the Apollo Theatre to the far reaches of the globe, Benny Turner shares his captivating life story in his new biography,  Survivor: The Benny Turner Story . Available in hardcover and ...