Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blind Boy Billy , from Sauce Boss and it's a different recipe from earlier releases with David Davidson featured on strings. A companion to just released memoir entitled The Life and Times of Blind Boy Billy not only tells Wharton's story but includes a songbook and a cookbook. Opening with the title track, Blind Boy Willie , Sauce Boss (Bill Wharton) leads the way on vocal, guitar and one man band, accompanied by Davidson, Joe Murphy on sousaphone, Dennis Holt on snare and Jamie Paul and Jason Eskridge on backing vocals. A bluegrass flavored track, Davidson winds it up Charlie Daniels style. On Jimmy Buffett's I Will Play For Gumbo , Sauce Boss on lead guitar, one man band and guitar parties over cool sousaphone work by Murphy. Foot stompin' blues rocker, Little Driver , is raw and gutsy with cool slide and primitive rhythm. Otis Redding's, Dock Of the Bay , is polished and soulful with acoustic/sli...

Mekons Announce New Album  Deserted, Out on March 29 L-R: Dave Trumfio (bass), Susie Honeyman (violin), Jon Langford (vocals/guitar), Steve Goulding (drums), Rico Bell (accordion/vocals), Tom Greenhalgh (vocals/guitar), Lu Edmonds (saz, cumbus, oud), Sally Timms (vocals). Photo credit: Ricky Malpas ( hi-res ) Plus, RollingStone.com Premieres Video For "Lawrence of California" and Announces New European and U.S. Tour Dates British folk-punk collective the Mekons will release a new album  Deserted  ( PRE-ORDER HERE ) on March 29. It is their first formal studio album since 2011's Ancient & Modern . RollingStone.com announced ...

SERBIAN BLUES PIANIST, KATARINA PEJAK TO RELEASE NEW DISC PRODUCED BY MIKE ZITO ROADS THAT CROSS OUT FEBRUARY 15TH ON RUF RECORDS It takes a brave artist to blaze their own trail. From her birth-city of Belgrade to the Marz Studios in Texas where she recorded her dazzling new album, Katarina Pejak has walked countless roads and stuck a thousand pins in the map. Now, with Roads That Cross , this award-winning performer unveils a fresh set of songs that follow her muse wherever it leads her. Inspired by blues, jazz, country and rock ‘n’ roll – and shaped by all the cities she’s called home – this is music that crosses borders and brings people together. As producer Mike Zito says: “Katarina is one of a kind…” Making her debut on the iconic Ruf Records – and taking part in the label’s famous Blues Caravan tour in 2019 – Roads That Cross is the stone-cold classic that Katarina has promised since the start. Rewind to the post-millennium and this upcoming artist was a...

CRAIG FINN ANNOUNCES NEW SOLO ALBUM  I NEED A NEW WAR   FIRST SONG, BLANKETS , PREMIERES TODAY VIA NPR - LISTEN HERE UK TOUR DATES THROUGH FEB + MARCH I NEED A NEW WAR ARRIVES APRIL 26 ON PARTISAN RECORDS "There's a sensation of instability, but also a spirit of inevitability, and as with so much of what Finn weaves, there's grace through it all." - NPR Photo credit: Shervin Lainez Partisan Records announces the release of Craig Finn’s eagerly awaited new album, I Need A New War arriving Friday, April 26. The third album in a trilogy (following 2015’s Faith in the Future and 2017’s We All Want The Same Things ), I Need A New War once again sees Finn expertly chronicling our complex, often confusing, modern era, drawing deeply felt character studies about regular people trying to respond to extraordinary times, attempting to find connection whilst wondering...

DALE WATSON Dale pens a song for Texas truckin' farmer "David Buxkemper"  CALL ME LUCKY out February 15, 2019 on Red House Records   January 30, 2019: Memphis, TN:  Over his lengthy career, honky-tonk artist  Dale Watson  has found songwriting inspiration in real-life situations and his interractions with fans. A chance email Watson received from Texas fan David Buxkemper led to the aforementioned "truckin' farmer" bein...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tales From The West , from Shaw Davis & The Black Ties , and I really like it. Opening with power blues rocker, Take My Hand , guitarist and lead vocalist, Shaw Davis  sets a signature sound with his Marino / Hendrix / Trower like blues rock style. With a tight rhythm section of Patrick Stevenson on bass and Bobby Van Stone on drums, these guys are hot. On Zappa's classic blues rocker, Willie The Pimp , Stevenson and Van Stone really turn up the heat with heavy, precise bottom and in addition to Davis' great vocals exceptional guitar soloing. Excellent! With a funk rock beat, Mama Told Me gets this train grooving. Excellent drum work by Van Stone set this track off nicely and with a rumbling bass line Shaw just rips the guitar lead.... oh yeah...you know what I mean... step back. Ok... you really got me with Junior Kimbrough's I Gotta Try You Girl and it's hill country style. Taking it's simplist...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tribe Of One , by Ruth Wyand and it's the first "One Woman band" I recall reviewing. Opening with acoustic blues rocker, Bad Mojo , Ruth Wyand shows her solid finger picking riffs and vocals to get things moving. On Break The Curse , a blues boogie, she adds snare and foot drum to electric guitar riffs and her vocal to your foot tapping. Very cool. Whipping out the slide on her resonator on Better Off Alone , Wyand sets a solid blues riff and lays down some of my favorite lines on the release. Her vocals and smooth and slide playing spot on. Blind Willie McTell is a really cool track with strong Piedmont style finger picking straight down blues alley. I really found Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing enchanting with lush finger work totally differently worked from anything I have heard previously. A beautiful song remade in a different way with a more abstract beauty. Very cool. Another Piedmont style track,...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, One Drunken Kiss , from Neal & The Vipers and it's really strong. Opening with Jack Earles' Slow Down , Neal Vitullo on rip roaring rockabilly style guitar and David Howard on lead vocal lead the way backed by Steven Bigelow on bass and Michael LaBelle on drums. Great opener! Cool blues ballad, More Than Ever , has solid vocals, a super melody and a soulful guitar solo making it one of my favorites on the release. One Drunken Kiss has just a touch of country flavor...real country like Hank Thompson with stylized guitar riffs. Very nice. Another really cool track, There's A Ghost In My Room shows Vitullo's grip on the blues with excellent guitar riffs clocking in at over 8 minutes. Howard's vocals are spot on and the bottom is solid as a rock. Excellent! Instrumental, The Hump , is always a great break in a set with a perfect sense of feel and style. Charles Underwood's Ubangi Stomp is up an...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cool Cat , from Paul Oscher and it's tasty. Opening with New Orleans flavored Money Makin Woman , Paul Oscher on lead vocal and piano really sets the pace with Russell Lee on drums, Mick Shermer on guitar, Eric Burnhardt on bari sax, and Tom Robinson on tenor sax. Nice opener. Excellent blues track, Blues and Trouble is one of my favorites on the release with solid vocals, rolling piano and ripping guitar soloing by Schermer.  Muddy Waters' Rollin' and Tumblin' maintains Waters' original tempo and spirit with Oscher on slide and lead vocal backed by Sarah Brown on bass, Mike Keller on guitar, Russell Lee on drums and Sunny Lowdown and Jeremy Dowden on backing vocal. Down and dirty delta style blues, Ain't That A Man , dedicated to James Cotton has great presence. Featuring Russell Lee on vocal, Oscher on guitar, and Mike Keller on bass this is another of my favorites on the release. Cool inst...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blue Room , from Mike Zito and it's terrific! Blue Room was Zito's debut release back in 1998 and it's great that Ruf Records is re releasing and remastering it for the fans. Opening with Hollywood , a funky blues rocker, Zito really has edge on vocal and is guitar work is wild and unbridled with solid bass work by Doug Byrkit and tight rhythms by Brian Zielie. Excellent opener. Another funky rocker is Pull The Trigger again with excellent raw energy on vocal and fluid guitar work by Zito. Very cool. Instrumental, Gravy Jam is a solid instrumental with super funky bass work from Byrkit and snappy beat from Zielie giving Zito a wide open floor to rip ion guitar and he takes full advantage. Excellent! Slow blues, Lovering , takes the uncontained playing feel of Steve Vai, Stevie Ray, Buddy Guy or Jimi Hendrix and plows it into raw blues energy in his own way creating wild free flowing soloing. Excellent! Way...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues , from Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers and it's the "rockingest" Christmas album I've ever heard. Opening with title track, All I Got For Christmas Is the Blues with Ben White's super bass line and Abair's solid vocals. Randy Jacobs of course has his guitar talking, Rodney Lee rides the keys and Third Anderson on drums finishes out the group. On I Can't Wait For Christmas , Abair whips out the sax and blows full tones on sax, over this pop style rock track. Jacobs' fat cigar box slide tones give Merry Christmas Baby a real sting over excellent percussion work by Richardson under the power vocals of Abair. Very nice. Abair gives Mel Tormes' The Christmas Song a bluesy swagger with excellent sax tone melody sans vocals. Excellent! Run Run Rudolph gets a funky, hip hop kind of styling with exceptional guitar punctuation by Jacobs and Abair's ...