Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Viva Las Vegas Live from Joe Louis Walker and it's really great! Opening with I'm Not Messing Around , a rolling blues rocker, Walker has lead vocal and guitar with the super Bruce Bears on piano, Lenny Bradford on bass Dorian Randolph on drums. Walkers guitar riffs are scorching and crisp and Bears' piano tight and precise. Excellent opener. Into low slung shuffle, Young Girls Blues ,  Walker's vocals are rich and Bears' piano work is grand. I have admired Bears' work for a long time and it's always super to hear him live where he can stretch a bit. Very nice. Ok...you want Walker. You want guitar and here it is! Sugar Mama , a slower blues number with extended guitar soloing. Walker has excellent chops and most of you already know and this track gives him the opportunity to let it all hang out... or should I say, he's more than 6 minute into the track before he starts to sing...think ab...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release from Sunday Wilde & the 1 Eyed Jacks and she hasn't missed a beat. Opening with Willie Dixon's Evil, a slinky, bluesy number with glistening guitar riffs by Ari, and Wilde's trademark vocals, the band is rolling with Wilde on piano, Arek Chamski on bass and Collin Craig on drums. Dead Man's Clothes is an interesting number with a predominant modified walking base line, percussive rim shot rhythm and cool soaring guitar riffs. Sure to be a crowd favorite, Dead Presidents is a quirky boogie and the inference that everybody loves money... yes they do. Slow blues take on London's It Hurt's Me Too , is a dynamic vocal showcase for Wilde who accompanies herself on piano with only a basic bottom and a really nice guitar solo by Ari. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Spirits up My Friend with it's somber melody and Wilde's vocals paired nicely with her stark piano accompaniment...

I just had the opportunity to preview the most recent release, Blues Power , by Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners , and it's different. As I listen to it I think... the blues meets Captain Beefheart (Willie the Pimp). Opening with Toxic Stew , a cool, unassuming Jeff Dale leads on vocal and slide guitar and there's that deep tone of Pat Zicari's bari sax...woah. Derek Phillips on keyboards, Charlie love on guitar, Orlando Wright on bass and Tim Austin on drums makes up a solid band. Title track, Blues Power has a "revival" sound with handclaps and acapella vocals. Winding up, Wright's bass line and Austin's drums provide an excellent bottom for Dale's slide work. Another cool, swampy track is Middle Class Moan with it's unwieldy swagger, funky vocals, and the great mix of instrumental players with the add of Glen Doll on sensuous harp and the trumpet riffs of Lee Loughnane and group backing vocals. Very cool. With a Bo Diddley beat complimen...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, That's How I Roll , from Debra Power and it's a full boat of piano laden blues. Opening with All Night Playing The Blues , Debra Power knocks down the door with her powerhouse singing and terrific piano playing. Backed by Chris Byrne on bass and Lyle Molzan on drums, this track is rolling. Title track, That's How I Roll is a slick shuffle with Power way up front on vocal and punchy horns on the top with Mike Clark on tenor sax, Pat Bellveau on bari and Ian David Hartley on trumpet and featuring Tim Williams on slide guitar. Bluesy ballad, Don't Ever Leave Me , shows the richness of Power's vocals with my closest comparison being Rod Stewart. Her piano playing is solid and complimentary and Mike F. Little's B3 work  making this one of my favorite tracks on the release. I'm Comin' Around is a cool piano boogie that really shows off Power's piano prowess and Joey Landreth adds real fla...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release by Michael Lee and it's terrific! Opening with Heart of Stone , a rumbling blues rocker, guitarist/lead vocalist, Michael Lee sets a great pace. With a strong swagger, anchored by Scott Lee on bass, Colin Campbell on B3 and Blaine Crews, Michael has it going here, backed by Preston Lewis on sax, and Evan Templeton and Jordan Carr on trumpet. Super opener. On soulful ballad, Don't Leave Me , Lee really gets the chance to show how great a vocalist he is with warm backing and Charley Wiles' blues guitar riffs topping it off. very nice. My absolutely favorite track on the track is deep drenched soul track, This Is with great vocal phrasing and harmonies and electrifying guitar work by Lee. I really like this release, but this track alone could carry a release. Excellent! Can't Kick You is a super radio track with a strong story line and a definite radio (shuffle) beat. Lee's rework of BB Ki...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Go Cat Go , by the Jersey Swamp Cats and it's a lot of fun. Opening with classic, Jump Jive and Wail , The Swamp Cats are running hard right out of the chute. With Gerry Gladston on lead vocal and piano, Don Leich on vocal and guitar, Larry Ghiorsi on bass and Chris Reardon on vocal and drums this group is really humming. With a hot guitar solo by Leich and a hot piano solo by Gladston, this track is a great opener.  Boogie track, Cupcake! has a super swagger and call and response between Gladston and the band on backing vocals and Leich's guitar work is tasty and stinging. Very nice. Too Tired is a cool driving shuffle with a great loping bass line by Ghiorsi and strong vocals. I really like Leich's guitar lead on this track with a lot of movement and crisp riffs and again, Gladston is hot on the keys with excellent piano soloing. Very nice. With a great New Orleans feel, Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing , h...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (October 30, 2019), Burn It Up , by Cheyenne James and she's a vocal powerhouse. Opening with classic blues track, Grits Ain't Groceries , James establishes a firm footing and pounds it out, backed by Rock Romano on bass, Dave Carter on guitar, Randy Wall on keys, and Jim Brady on drums. In Chicago, Muddy Waters style James rolls into Gypsy Mama with great energy and featuring Steve Krase on harp. I Didn't Know has a bit of two step country flavor with Krase on harp and with Eric Demmer on sax and Lamar Boulet on Trumpet and Flugelhorn. Wall's keyboard work stands tall on this track highlighting James' vocals. On Latin rhythmed track, Lay Me Down , Mark May adds some real nice guitar riffs, paired with Wall's piano work and Krase on harmonica making it one of my favorites on the release. Pouring on the soul, a cover of Ashford and Simpson's Let's Go Get Stoned has great presence. I thin...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Blues From Another Planet , from Jim Zeller and it's cool. Opening with blues rocker, I Grew Up In Black And White , Jim Zeller is back with his latest and most interesting release. With it's slightly funky, almost David Bowie like feel, the track has a great rhythm and Zeller's harp playing is very cool. Backed by Jimmy James on guitar, Carl Dutremble on guitar, Marc Deschenes on bass and Bernard Deslauriers on drums, solid opener. On shuffle, Life is Good , Zeller is solid on vocal and harmonica with cool guitar riffs by James and Dutremble and Zeller's harp work is hot. Very nice. Slower blues number, Violins Began to Play , is one of my favorites on the release with some of Zeller's best vocals and nice piano work by Larry Cohen. Featuring tasteful harmonica playing by Paqquale Cerascuolo, a real nice track. The man With The Harmonica is a real nice ballad with harmonica lead. A smooth, movie theme ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hell To Pay , from Billie Williams and it's deep. Opening with Damn , a dark, lumbering blues rocker, Williams leads this tempest of a storm on vocal with strong guitar support from Stew Cutler, Jeremy Mage on power keys, Double Z on heavy bass and Tony Allen on tight drums. On radio track, Start All Over , Williams fleshes out the track with the addition of Rob Sussman and Dan Levin on trombone, Seneca Black and Jim Hynes on trumpet, Stan Killian and Chriz Eminizer on sax Manuel Quintana and Jeff Lipstein on percussion and a full round of backing vocalists. Drink From My Cup has a cool backbeat and a cool pace. Mage lays down some real nice piano lines and the snappy drumming by Allen and the punchy trombone work by Levine and Sussman really sets a great foundation for Williams. Wrapping the release is my favorite track, Ten Million Sisters , a modern plantation style track with rich vocals and stomping percussion...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (August 23, 2019), Blue Basso , from Charlie Wooton Project and it's really good. Opening with funky rocker, Jaceaux , Wooton sets a terrific bass line with Keiko Komaki heating up the keys, Doug Winbish on bass and Jermal Watson on drums. Excellent opener. Rolling into a cool radio style R&B number, Arsene Delay has lead vocal on Reflections. Her vocals are sweet and float on the tune with glistening key work and jazzy guitar riffs by Daniel Groover. Come On Come Over has a great funky bottom, and instrumental style vocals, an aggressive bass line and a snappy drum line. One Night is a bluesy ballad with my favorite vocals by Delay. Anders Osborne sits in with a real nice guitar solo giving the track a bit more sting. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Fulton Alley with really funky bass and guitar lines. This track, which really crosses over into fusion really humps. Excellent! Guitar wiz S...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, On A Roll , from Mark Cameron and it's a flavorful slice of contemporary blues rock. Opening with Trouble Brewin ' an upbeat shuffle, Cameron on lead vocal and guitar, leads the way with Rick Miller on harp, Scott Lundberg on bass, Dan Schroeder on drums and Sheri Cameron on woodwinds. Title track, On A Roll is a solid rocker with definite radio appeal. I like Cameron's guitar phrasing and the trim beat of this track. Dicey is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a walking bass line and suspenseful feel. With it spoken lead vocal and cool backing vocals by Rick and Scott, topped by the reverb saturated guitar...very cool. A strong bass line by Lundberg and punchy horn work by Sheri really Next Stop Is The Blues off nicely. Another lively blues rocker, Movin Out has a great driving rhythm with real nice harp work by Miller and simple but tight guitar work by Cameron. Mojo Shuffle is another real...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rise From The Flames , by Heather Newman, and it's got style. Opening with blues thumper, I'm Coming For You , Heather Newman picks up where she left off on her VizzTone debut release, Burn Me Alive. A powerful, slashing vocal style, coupled with the relentless guitar lead of Keith Ladd, and solid backing by Ryan Matthew keys, and Adam Watson on drums. On gutsy shuffle, She Sure Looks Like Me , it's Newman's bass line that sets the pace and her vocals are really effective with some harmonic paring. Lonely on Beale is a cool track with a cool backbeat. Newman really works the vocal lines and Ladd gives his guitar a nice workout making one of my favorite tracks on the release. With it's James Brown bottom, compliments of Watson and with the addition of sax by Michael Lefever and trumpet of Teddy Krulewich Coming Home has real snap. Again, Ladd steps up with some tasty guitar lead and Newman's ric...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Nobody But You , from Cliff Stevens and it's smooth radio style rock with solid guitar riffs. Opening with How Long , Cliff Stevens hits the road running with a solid entry checking all the boxes. A cool blues rocker with solid vocals and a low key, understated boogie beat. Title track, Nobody But You , has a cool, swinging pace with a nice walking bass line courtesy of Domenic Romanelli, joined by Eric Suave on keys, and Sam Harrisson on drums. Stevens steps out pretty nicely on guitar on tis one in a Robbin Ford style. Very nice. Little By Little is a smooth paced bluesy ballad with solid vocals, a nice melody, nicely paired backing vocals by Kim Feeney and a flowing guitar solo by Stevens. My favorite track on the release is instrumental, Cry Baby with it's walking bass line, aggressive lead guitar and fat organ solo. Very nice. Come Back is a real nice rocker with a straight up bottom and features Stevens...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Queen of My Castle , from Diana Rein and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with Yes I Sing The Blues , a cool shuffle, Rein is up front on vocal and lays down solid blues drenched rock riffs. Backed by Michael Leisure on drums, Dave Osti on bass, and Drake Munkihald Shining on keys, a solid opener. Title track, Queen of My Castle is Rein's best vocal track with clean bluesy guitar riffs as accents. One Foot In is a lumbering rocker with a funky rhythm guitar line, solid vocals and a nice blues guitar lead. One of my favorite tracks on the release is driving rocker, It's You , with a springy guitar rhythm and a real nice bass line. Slick lead guitar riffs and nice backing vocals by Steve Polacek, Vaughn Polacek, Lincoln Clapp, Melissa Bonning, Julia Clapp and Mackenzie Clapp give the track just the right texture. R&B track, Chill of the Night is the definite radio track with it's perfect melody and...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Alive & Blue from Nancy Wright and it's electrifying. Opening with Bugalu , a honky sax instrumental number with a James Brown kind of rhythm, Nancy Wright shows she really knows how to fill the pipes with air. With distinguishable fat sax tone and phrasing, Wright is backed by Paul Revelli on drums, Tony Lufrano on keys, Jeff Tamelier on guitar and Karl Sevareid on bass. Super jam opening. Jo-Jo has a cool walking bass line and a cool 50's jazz feel. Wright really takes flight on this track with excellent lower register work, slick trills and octave jumps. Lufrano grinds in solid on the organ followed by a sick guitar solo by timelier as well. Great track. Funky pop number Warranty has a really nice bass line by Sevaried accentuated by Tamelier with his wah wah fused guitar work. Wright's lead vocals on this track are her best on the release and her sax work really wailing.  Bernie's Blues is a reall...

I just had the opportunity to pose the newest release, All Blues , from Peter Frampton and I think it's his best effort in years. Frampton Comes Alive was great in it's time but this release shows maturity and poise. Opening with Willie Dixon's I Just Want To Make Love To You , Frampton reworks this classic track without adding a lot of fluff. With Rob Arthur on keys, Adam Lester on guitar, David Labruyere on bass, and Dan Wojciechowski on drums this is a great basic core. Kim Wilson adds strong harp riffs throughout and Frampton shows that he knows more than the basics about blues with his more traditional based guitar riffs. Very nice. On Taj Mahal's She Caught the Katy , Frampton adds even a little more of a funky bottom than Mahal used and the track feels really good. The firm bass work by Glenn Worf and stiff woodblock by  Wojciechowski give this track legs and Frampton uses them nicely to propel fluid guitar riffs. Very nice. Instrumental cover of Carmichael...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Originals , by The Togs , a pair of musicians from France. Togs is Peter Callate on lead vocal and guitar and Stag Augagmeur on rhythm guitar. Opening with Migrant's Song , Callate leads off with clean acoustic guitar accompaniment  and his own unique voice. Following a basic folk blues format he and Augagneur really set a clean pace. On Someday , addition of piano adds dimensionality and clever additional guitar fingering shows solid instrumentation. With it's quick pace, Hold Me Tight is one of my favorites on the release. It has solid vocals and clear, almost Jimmy Page like acoustic guitar strumming. Second Chance has a particularly strong melody and composition with emotional vocals by Callate almost bringing to mind one of my favorite contemporary singers, Frank Black. Wrapping the release is Lonely Hearts with a strong acoustic punky rock feel and an interesting electric guitar solo. This is a solid cl...