Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Where's Joe? , by Joe Restivo and it's really strong. Opening with late 50's jazz styling on T. Monk's Bolivar Blues , guitar player Joe Restivo has put together a really nice selection of tracks and just the right mix of musicians to pull this off. With it's bluesy style, Restivo lays out really articulate guitar soloing over the tight rhythms of Tim Goodwin on bass and Tom Lonardo on drums. art Edmaiston hammers the sax delivering a period master work making this an excellent opener. Title track, Where's Joe is a real nice shuffle led by Edmaiston, paired with Restivo on guitar. His solo break here is excellent and of course Edmaiston's sax work is really nice as well. What an opening duo! Backed down to a whisper, Starlight Motel has a really nice melody framed by Restivo and Edmaiston. Restivo's pure understanding of what this music should feel like causes his guitar runs to float o...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Light of Day , by Vince Agwada and I really like it! Opening with hard driving boogie track, Two Tons of Fun , Agwada lays it down hard and heavy with a track that will appeal to most anyone who loves blues music. I mean blazing slide guitar and great vocals by Agwada, pushed along by Brian Jones on drums and with Terri Lane on backing vocals, this track is excellent! Hard Headed Woman takes a basic blues and funks it up with a great bass line by Andre Howard, and drums by Brady Williams, keys by Roosevelt Purifoy, horns by Game Changer Horns and adding excellent blues guitar soloing throughout just killing it. Blues 99 has a heavy footed funk feel and it's grittiness maintains a blues rock framework with Agwada on guitar and bass, Steven Gillis on drums and Agwada's vocals are perfect. This may be the best opening 3 tracks on a blues rock release is many years.  If you lean more toward a Gary Moore 'ballad...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Got My Back , from Tom Euler and it's solid. Opening with title track, Blues Got My Back , Tom Euler gets the track hopping right away with this up tempo shuffle featuring Lucy Kilpatrick on keys, Michael Behlmar on drums, Von Jose Roberts on bass and leading the way on lead guitar and vocals. Super opener. On funky blues number, Bridge You Ain't Burnt , the band shifts gears with a tight bottom and Euler's strong vocals and powerful lead guitar. On ballad, Forgive Me , Euler steps the pace way back with a strong melody and pure radio track. His vocal, floating on Kilpatrick's keyboard work is soothing and mellow. Snapping back quickly on Tricky Business , Euler has the guitar up front and setting the pace. Trading lead with Kilpatrick this is a high power instrumental of the first degree. My favorite track on the release, Tough Guy , has a cool Texas style swagger, with powerful vocals, fluid guit...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Twist The Knife , from the 44's and it's hot! Opening with excellent, original instrumental track, Cutting Deep , the band holds a tight blues rally while lead guitar player, Johnny Main tears it up. Excellent style and chops makes this one of the coolest new tracks I've heard this year. With Eric Von Herzen on harp, Mike Hightower on bass, Gary Ferguson on drums and Junior Watson on guitar, this is a massive opener. On Howlin' Wollf''s Howlin' , Main sings with a raspy, Wolf like voice and rolls immediately into a nice long guitar solo, also nicely worked over by Von Herzen on harmonica. Very cool. On Morganfield's Champagne and Reefer , Main sings soulfully and Von Herzen really has nice tone with an excellent harp solo. Very cool. Doyle Bramhall II's Rosie is up next with it's swampy drive and droning lower end. Main really takes advantage of this primal feel with wailing guita...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Speakeasy , from Paula Harris , and it has old school pop jazz roots. Opening with Nothing Good Happens After Midnight , Harris shows her deep throaty voice over the sultry piano of Nate Ginsberg, with Rich Girard on bass and D'mar martin on drums. On funky, I Wanna Hate Myself Tomorrow (or Raising Hell Tonight) , Harris shows her vocal versatility and Ginsberg's piano is tops. R&B / jazz track, Good Morning Heartache has a rich melody and with it's bouncy rhythm and sparkling piano is one of my favorites on the release. Something Wicked is another smooth soulful tune with a great feel and the addition of nice trumpet work of Bill Ortiz and spoken word by Big Llou Johnson. Monk's classic, Round Midnight is a pure highlight with dark warm vocals, excellent piano and tasteful trumpet by Ortiz and spot on bass work by Girard. Wrapping the release is jazz classic, Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby ,...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Love At The All Night Café , from Jon Gindick and it's easy, breezy and bluesy. Opening with I Was Born To Wail, harmonica player, guitar player and lead vocalist, Jon Gindick sets the pace with train riffs and a up tempo beat. Backed by Ralph Carter on bass, Frack Goldwasser on guitar and Pete Gallagher on drums, the band hits the ground running. Title track, The All Night Café has a cool, Latin sway, clean guitar riffs, excellent percussion, harmonica and vocal making it one of my favorites on the release. Another of my favorites is blues number, Load Me Up Baby with it's rocking intro and it's swinging refrain with really nice guitar soloing. Very cool. Swing track, Happy Wife, Happy Life, Happy Home is another really cool track with some of Gindick's best vocals and overall great track. I Love The Feminine Girl has a clever story sure to make it a favorite with listeners and a solid beat. Wrappi...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Heart of Memphis , from Michele D'Amour and the Love Dealers and it's got real traction. Opening with Another Sleepless Night , a slick, Latin flavored track along the lines of Black Magic Woman, finds Michele up front on vocal with Jeff Cornell laying down some sweet guitar lead, backed by Patrick McDanel on bass, Dave Delzotto on drums, Brian Olendorf on keys and Noel Barnes on sax. Another breezy, bluesy track with Latin rhythm is Come On Over with Sheila Kelly and Kristi miller singing lush backing vocals. Olendorf's piano solo is smooth and a tasty trumpet insert by Greg Lyons adds just the right iridescence. Title track, Heart of Memphis has rich horns and smooth vocal leads by Michele. With a nice interwoven texture of trumpet, bass, guitar, lead and backing vocal, this is a cool radio track. One of the most fun tracks on the release is funky, Memphis Soul Stew a la James Brown style. Michele direc...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Walk Outside Again , from Leny's Girl and it's a cool rocker with blues and country roots. Opening with Pretend , a wide open country rocker with plenty of twists and turns. Featuring Kasey McKenzie on vocal, Beggsy on guitar, Brownie on drums, Cookie on harp and Tom Raw on bass, it's a solid start.  Devil With A Gun is a real cool rock track with suspense and tension via a simple bass line, tight drum riffs, a vicious harp riff and great vocals by McKenzie. Title track, Walk Outside Again has haunting slide work by Beggsy, nicely isolating the vocals on McKenzie on the softer part of this track and giving the track real dynamics when they open up and pour on the heat. Very nice. Miss Robin Hood is a wide open rocker with a driving beat, fat slide work and McKenzie's most powerful vocals on the release. Wrapping the release is Table with a strong dose of the San Francisco psychedelic blues sound. Th...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Kind of Blues , from Adam Holt and it's solid. Opening with up beat rocker, Mr. Morning Drive featuring Adam Holt on vocals and guitars, Owen Finley on bass, Greg DeLuca on drums and Donnie Sundal on keys. With it's upfront poppy sound, nice melody and lovable tempo, this is a sure radio track. One of my favorite tracks on the release is I'm Still Holdin' On with a melodic slide lead from Lee Yankie and beautifully country style vocal blending, underscored by the pedal steel work of Mark Welborn and real nice electric blues style soloing by Holt. Very nice. Piano rocker, Give The Dog A Bone is a cool stripped down rocker with a definite country twinge. Holt really has a great voice and his sense of lyrics are great. Sundal, piano work on this track set a nice groove and Holt's guitar used as punctuation is perfect. Very cool. Another country flavored track, The Bourgeoisie really is a great track ...

Carolyn Gaines Pays Homage To B.B. King, Buddy Guy & Other Blues Greats   With The Thrill Is Gone Out on August 2 Hand-picked covers convey her vocal prowess Featured players: Grady Gaines, Sr and Grady Gaines, Jr and Ric Jaz “Lady with Soul” – Johnny Rawls “Gaines’ powerful, expressive voice has hints of the languid swing of Billie Holiday” – Blues Blast Last year, fans and critics fell in love with Carolyn Gaines’ debut album, Beware Of My Dog , this year, she continues to sing her backside off, like Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Etta James,   Bessie Smith, and Diana Ross on her new album, The Thrill Is Gone via Polka Dot Records out on August 2, 2019. The collection is colorful and filled with snarls, sneers, growls, and guts all sung with a smile on the singer’s face. Gaines produced the album herself, and she recorded at Leon Haywood’s (“It's Got To Be Mellow,” Guitar Slim, “Bad Mama Jama”) Sunnyside Studio in Los Angeles, CA. The...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hellfire , from Kenny Parker and it's a nice blues rocker. Opening with Chicago style, I've Got My Eye On You , Dan Devins is the lead vocalist and also covers harmonica. Kenny parker with just the right groove lay down strong blues solo phrasing, all backed by Mike Marshall on bass, Dave Marcaccio on drums, Bill Heid on piano and Jim McCarty on guitar. Cool opener. Blind And Paralyzed is strong Muddy Waters flavored track with a strong Waters style guitar riff and a lyric play on Etta James' most popular track. With a firm pace and deliberate lead guitar work by Parker, a strong contemporary blues entry. Rock n Roller, Bye Bye Baby has great feel and tasty piano work by Leonard Moon on piano.  Title track, Hellfire , has a firm, lumbering bottom and great organ work by Chris Codish. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Parker's guitar soloing shows genuine fire and inspiration. Very cool. Bluesy ...

Johnny Burgin Live" on Delmark Records, CD/LP Street Date 8.16!   This live CD/LP offers twelve brand-new originals and two covers, performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Sonoma County, CA on Jan 5 of this year.    The band consisted of my road-tested rhythm section of Steve Dougherty and Chris Matheos in addition to some special guests and friends that I don't get to work together regularly, namely Kid Andersen, Rae Gordon, Aki Kumar, Charlie Musselwhite and Nancy Wright.  We had just one night to nail it, which made this recording a crazy, but thrilling, high wire act!  Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite's driving boogie-woogie harp on L"California Blues" is an absolute highlight.  You ...

Canadian National Treasures and Country Music Legends Ian Tyson and Sylvia Tyson to be Inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Celebration Coincides with Historic Double-Album Release of Ian & Sylvia The Lost Tapes on September 6th, 60 Years After They First Met TORONTO,  – July 1959 was a pivotal month for the history of folk and country music. It was when Ian Tyson met Sylvia Fricker for the first time, which began a musical journey, both as a dynamic duo and with distinguished solo careers, that would help put Canadian country music on the map globally. In honor of the start of this historic musical collaboration, Stony Plain Records will be releasing Ian & Sylvia The Lost Tapes on September 6 th ; the day after their much-anticipated inductions as individual songwriters into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, which will be presented on September 5 th at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, during Country Mu...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Chasing The Kings by O.S.L.U. (really Andy Lewis and Sean Osgood) and it's nicely done. Opening with original composition, Albert named for Albert Ammons and the appreciation of the Albert Hall. A cool piano boogie by Lewis and the release is underway. Shuffle track, JJ Cale's River Boat Song is up next featuring Lewis on guitar and vocal. Clean, dexterous and simple. Very nice. On Janis Joplin's One Good Man , Jade Thunder is featured on lead. She certainly captures the spirit of Joplin and Lewis shows his blues chops on guitar. My favorite track on the release is Engagement Blues , featuring Lewis on vocal and guitar. A simple blues ballad with piano and guitar backing and some real nice guitar soloing, very nice. Jane's Song , sung by Su Kirby-Clarke. Her vocals are brilliant against the sledge like percussion of a work song. Charm Offensive is a multilayered contemporary assemblage with Lewis pla...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hungry for Love , by Carlo Ditta and it's cool. Opening with title track, Hungry For Love , with it's a loose, Lou Reed meets Jr Kimbrough style, this work has a haunting quality. Ditta's vocals are aloof yet emotional and his backers (self on guitar, Anthony Donado on drums, David Hyde on bass, Rick Stelma on keys and Jerry Jumonville on sax) create an essential sound. I think that La Muchacha Chacha is my favorite track with Eric Burdon like vocals, a Latin beat and solid sax work by Jumonville and Andrew Bernard. Pass The Hatchet is an interesting addition with James Brown underpinnings but without all the polish and sophistication. Ditta manages the performance and Johnny Peninno's fat sax work really gives it a welcome lofi feel. Very cool. Traditional track, Just Came To Get My Baby allows Ditta to slide into a fairly comfortable groove with straight up lead vocals and nice backing vocals by Trea ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Get Here Quick , by The Texas Horns and it's smokin'! Opening with Guitar Town , a real Texas style blues, cooked up with  Anson Funderburgh and Johnny Moeller on guitars and Gary Forsyth on lead vocals. Kaz Kazanoff on tenor, John Mills on bari and Al Gomez on trumpet and this track is hot. With a bit of New Orleans flavor, Instrumental, Feelin' No Pain is all horns to the floor with excellent piano work by Red Young, bass by Russell Jackson and Tommy Taylor on drums. Mills lays out and excellent sax solo and Moeller shows why he is regarded as one of the top bluesmen in Texas today. Title track, Better Get Here Quick is another instrumental with rich tandem sax lead and excellent guitar accents by Moeller. Gomez steps up with some crisp lead work of his own and Youngs takes a nice few bars of his own. Very cool. An excellent New Orleans style instrumental, 2018 , has a super march style snare lead by John ...

LEEROY STAGGER ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF HIS NEW  ALBUM, STRANGE PATH, ON SEPTEMBER 13th VIDEO FOR 1ST SINGLE, “ STRANGE ATTRACTOR,” PREMIERES TODAY WATCH/SHARE “ STRANGE ATTRACTOR” HERE To say that Canadian musician Leeroy Stagger’s life journey has followed a strange path would be a bit of an understatement. 17 years as a singer-songwriter and 10 years sober, with two kids, a home in Lethbridge, Alberta, and a world-class recording studio to go with it, he’s far removed from the hard-living twenty-something who started on this musical path. On September 13th, Leeroy Stagger invites us to be a part of his journey with the release of his new album and book, Strange Path , through True North Records. And today marks the release of the video for the glam-rock blissed out first single, “ Strange Attractor.” Directed by Brock Davis Mitchell , the video draws inspiration from films like The Favorite and Marie Antoinette, and weaves ...