Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Welcome To The Party , from Big Pacific and it's a pretty cool rocker. Opening with title track, Welcome To The Party , Roly Sandoval on guitar and vocal, Nick Dokter on drums and vocals, Wayne Veillet on bass and vocals and John Hannah on keys set a solid groove. Sandoval's slide work gives the track a fun feel and Dokter's drumming keeps it tight. Slip Away is a strong pop rocker that reminds me of early Kinks or Who. With it's strong melody, blended male vocals, primarily piano accompaniment and slide guitar, it's a cool radio track. Hard Road is another radio track but with a smoother "Eagles" type approach. With it's "sweet" melody, clean guitar solo and warm vocal harmonies, the track is on good footings. Run To The Night is another firm track with influences of Tom Petty or Don Henley with isolated lead vocal and well placed keyboards and guitar lead. My favorite trac...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Southern Son , from Jeff Fetterman , and it's a cool blues rocker with some really hot guitar. Opening with I Don't Want To , Fetterman on lead guitar and vocal, backed by Kid Andersen on guitar, Ralph Retinger III on bass, John McGuire on drums, Kid Andersen on B3 and keys, John Halbleib on trumpet, Ric Feliciano on trombone and Doug Rowan on sax, this is a solid opener with a number of time changes. Living With the Blues is a strong, slow blues number with super vocals and explosive guitar soloing by Fetterman. Feels Like Rain is a straight up rocker with a southern flair almost like Outlaws or Skynyrd but without the tell tale signature riffs. Pretty cool actually. Blues For Charlie is my favorite track on the release with it's melancholy melody, easy pace, glistening chords and clean lead guitar not unlike the approach that SRV took with Riviera Paradise. Very nice! Another interesting track on the r...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Deep Dark Demon , by Mark May Band and it's solid. Opening with Harvey's Dirty Side , a dark blues rocker with a bumping bass (Darrell Lacy), steady drum (Brandon Jackson) and wide open guitar by May and Billy Wells and Barry Seelan on B3. Cool opener. Back has a strong Latin influence with Al Pagliuso on percussion and Jackson on drums and excellent stylized guitar lead by May under nicely blended vocal by May and Wells. Excellent! With a New Orleans beat and paired lead slide, this is a real cool track. Solo slide work by May is strong and warm leading nicely into a nice piano roll by Seelan. Certain radio track, Something Good, has a strong melody and warm vocals over a simple R&B style ballad format. A nicely crafted slide solo by May anchors this track like Bishop's trademark slide solo in Fooled Around and Fell In Love giving it staying power. Wrapping the release is Invisible Man , another R...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Make It Right! , from Shawn Pittman and it's terrific! Opening with a great blues track, Done Tole You So! and it's raunchy, grinding guitar tone sets the groundwork for this, one of the best blues cds I've heard this year. A droning, Mississippi Hill country style saturates this track with Pittman on lead guitar and vocal, Erkan Ozdemir on bass and Levent Ozdemir on drums. Really hot! Lumbering, Finger On The Trigger blends Albert King style guitar riffs with a heavy foot and plenty of grit. Super! Slow blues, How Long has great bones with strong vocals, over driven chords and saturated lead guitar showing excellent phrasing and poise. James Brown's Cold Sweat get's an Albert King style rework showing that Pittman isn't all grime and grit but fleet fingered finesse. Excellent instrumental! Settling back into a more traditional Chicago shuffle on Bobby Bland's Woke Up Screaming , Pittman r...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Simmer Me Down , by Scott Weis Band and it's a great blues rocker. Opening with Pride And Soul , a strong foot stomper with country and gospel influences, SWB sounds great. With Weis on lead vocal and guitar and Cindy Mizelle on backing vocals this track is smoking. Backed by Robert Kopee on bass, Roger Voss on drums and John Ginty on keys this track is tight. All Over Again is a great blues track with a bouncy beat but lots of grit. Weis' guitar playing isn't highly technical but it is high octane and emotional. Excellent track. Issac Hayes' soul track, When Something Is Wrong With My Baby gets just a little more blues heat giving Weis a great venue to solo on guitar  and his style and emotion is terrific. Saved is a super blues rocker with loose guitar work that works really nicely over a complex drum and percussion (Bashiri Johnson) work. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Transcendence has more of ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sonic Departures, from JW-Jones and it hits solid on the radio track styling with great guitar soloing. Opening with Blue Jean Jacket , a pop rocker with a shuffle beat, JW-Jones is up front with solid vocals and joined by Jesse Whiteley on keys, Will Lauin on drums, Jacob Clarke on bass Brendan Cassidy, Jim John, Daniel Koelsch and Rolf Rogde on sax, Scott McGonigal, Rob Williams, Rob Mee and Rob Scott on trombone, and Bob Clegg, Noel Methven, Jim Shea and Brad Harrison on trumpet. Jones does a funky overlay on classic blues number, Drowning on Dry Land and I like it. Whiteley's organ work, along with the tight rhythm work of Laurin really make this track move. Jones stabs in some real nice guitar riffs, working really well with sax and trumpet accents. Very cool! Big swing track, It's Obdacious has great feel and dynamics with harmonies by Brit Wynne-Jones. Jeff Pighin really wails on sax on this one giving...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hot Coffee and Pain , from Crooked Eye Tommy and I think it's a kicker. Opening with Son House's Death Letter Blues Crooked Eye Tommy opens this release with all of the attitude of Ronnie Van Zant in 1973 (think... I Ain't The One). With Tommy Marsh on lead vocal and guitar and paired with Paddy Marsh on guitar, Samuel Corea on bass, Charlie McClure on drums and Jimmy Calire on keys, this track has real swagger! Paddy takes the mic on Sittin in a Driveway, and it's a scorcher. Nicely paced with a great blues feel, one of my favorites on the release. Another standout track is Baby Where You Been pairing Tommy with Teresa James on lead vocal. This is a great R&B flavored track with strong sax work by Craig Williams. Contemporary blues rocker, Time It Takes To Live has a real strong melody and pairs Tommy and Paddy on guitar and vocal for an appealing radio track. Moving even further into the southern ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live at Caffe Lena , from Mark (Tolstrup) and Jill (Burnham) and it's a solid dose of old school blues. Opening with Come Here Baby , Mark on vocal and guitar, Jill on vocal and complimented nicely by Frank Orsini on fiddle and backing vocal, you feel the ambiance of a small club in America nearly a century ago. Mark's slide and acoustic guitar playing is cool and Frank's fiddle playing tight. One of my favorites on the release is Elmore James track, Held My Baby . Lead vocal and nicely articulated slide guitar work by Mark, with Orsini taking a nice fiddle solo and lead vocals by Jill really gives this track a great feel. One of the tracks that really stands out for me is What You Gonna Do? with it's gospel roots. The vocal blending of Mark and Jill is solid and with Orsini on fiddle and nice guitar work by Mark, just really works. Wrapping the release is Blind Willie Johnson's Keep Your Lamp Trimm...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Elmore's Blues , from Wayne Nicholson & John Campbelljohn and it's a tight blues rock package. Opening with I May Be Wrong, a cool blues rocker, Nicholson has the mic with strong partnership with Campbelljohn on guitar, Bruce Dixon on bass, Neil Robertson on drums, Barry Cooke on piano and Kim Dunn on organ. Cool opener. On Elmore James classic, Standing at the Crossroads , Campbelljohn really digs in with his slide giving this track a great feel. If I Was Blue is a cool, original, bluesy, ballad showcasing Nicholson's vocals and showing a more bluesy side of Campbelljohn's guitar style. No Love In My Heart has a great Latin flavor with snappy percussion work from Robertson and great swing work by Campbelljohn. Another Elmore James track, Sinful Woman is one of my favorites on the release with just the right pace and nicely formed guitar runs. Shake Your Money Maker is a classic Elmore James song ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Godless Land , from the Lucky Losers and I think it's their best effort so far. Opening with R&B track, Half a Nothing , Cathy (Lemons) and Phil (Berkowitz) are back at it but this time with a different spin. With nicely placed harmonica by Phil and joined by Ian Lamson on guitars, Chris Burns on keys, Endre Tarczy on bass and DMar on drums, this is a super opener. Dr John composition, Be You has real radio appeal with a great melody and vocals , a solid rhythm and a strong rhythm. My favorite track on the release is Lemons' composition, My One Good Eye with some of Lemon's best vocal work, cool slide work by Lamson, nicely inserted harmonica phrasing by Phil and with the addition of Kid Andersen on mellotron and percussion. Very cool. Rich horn work by Michael Peloquin (sax) and Mike Rose (trumpet) sets a solid stage for Phil on lead vocals on bluesy ballad, The Good Fight . Wrapping the release is co...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Coldwater Sessions ,   from JD Taylor and I really like it. Opening with shuffle track, Got Me Where You Want Me , JD Taylor on lead vocal and harmonica teams up with Jon Hay on guitar for a super opener. Joined by Landon Stone on guitar, Matthew Wilson on bass Danny Banks on drums, Rev. Charles Hodges on B3 and Tierini Jackson and Tikyra Khamiir Jackson on backing vocal, strong start. R&B track, Nothing Left To Say is definitely one of my favorites with super vocals, the addition of Marc Franklin on trumpet, Art Edmaiston on sax,  and strong R&B guitar lines. Excellent! I think that Taylor's best vocal showcase is on At First Glance with the warm backing of Franklin and Edmaiston performing an excellent soul track, topped off with melodic blues harmonica. Really nice! Funky, If It Ain't Good , has a really cool driving bass line by Wilson and punchy horns by Franklin. John Holiday really a...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, John The Revelator , from John Fusco and the X-Road Riders and it's an interesting mix of country folk blues. Opening with traditional blues track, and title track, John The Revelator , with a modern yet raw spin. With leader Fusco on lead vocal and keys, Cody Dickinson on drums, bass and dobro, Risse Norman on vocal and Sarah Morrow on trombone, a solid opener. Shuffle track, Bone Deep opens up with a bit more rock, featuring Magic Mark Lavoie on harp, Dickinson on guitar and some cool Hammond work from Fusco. Ophelia (Oh, I Feel Ya) is one of my favorite tracks on the release. A curious little ballad mostly Fusco on lead vocal, accompanying himself on keys. A radio designed track that could easily be Harry Nilsson or Randy Newman. Very nice. Slow Blues, Bad Dog , showcases some of Fusco's best vocals on the release with Dennis Diego laying down a solid bass line and Spencer Perry on drums. Lavoie's soulfu...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Wrecked , from Mandalyn and it's powerful and soulful. Opening with bluesy ballad and title track, Wrecked , Mandalyn wastes no time in showing that she's got plenty of horsepower vocally. Backed by Tony TC Coleman on drums, Bart Walker on guitar, Brian Allen on bass and Frank Ray Jr. on keys, this is a strong opener. Funky blue classic, Feel Like Breakin' Up Somebody's Home , has great pace and swagger. Mandalyn sounds like she could get the job done and with slashing riffs by Walker, excellent bass lines by Allen and with the addition of Varney Green on trombone, Joshua Harner on trumpet and Mickey Guitierrez on sax, this is a hot track. Wrapping the release is Lieber and Stoller's classic ballad, I Who Have Nothing . Mandalyn's vocals are clear and powerful, with a solid bottom and piano work by Ray and with the addition of Walker on banjo. Solid closer.     If you support live Blues ac...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Good Life , from Hurricane Ruth and it's a charging blues rocker. Opening with driving, Like Wildfire , Ruth La Master is upfront and on fire with her dominant vocal style, backed by Scot Holt on guitar, Calvin Johnson on bass, Bruce Katz on B3 and Tony Braunagel on drums. Good Life is a slower ballad with deep soulful roots. Katz's B3 work on this track adds real depth and I love Holt's guitar phrasing punctuating the track nicely. Kicking in the rock bottom, Ruth shows her rocking edge with some of her grittiest vocals on the release. My favorite track on the release, Late Night Red Wine has a super traditional rock beat with a solid melody. Holt steps up with a stinging guitar solo with a blues edge and Katz's organ work pulls it all together. Very cool. Wrapping the release is ballad, I've Got Your Back , with Ruth bringing on her sensitive soul vocals. Nicely balanced with Katz on piano and organ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ain't No Man A Good Man , from Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam and it's a cool mix of rock, R&B and soul. Opening with title track, Ain't No Man A Good Man , Wily Bo Walker on lead vocal and guitar is upfront and wailing. His vocals are raw and his guitar lead bluesy. Backed by Danny Flam on trombone, trumpet, sousaphone, Hammond and vocal this is a cool opener. Did I Forget , has a real nice 60's R&B swing with sax and trumpet reeling. Cool sax work by Ron Bertolet and solid trumpet work by Flam really caps the track. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Velvet Windows (Treme Trippin') has a great New Orleans funky feel with tight trumpet and Hammond work, with great bari sax work giving it a terrific woven mix. Ain't Hungry No More is another really cool track with it's reggae beat and super trumpet accents, snappy snare drum, and guitar lead. Blues shuffle, Time to Forget You...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Force of Will , from Dave Fields and it's quite good. Opening with modern boogie, I Love My Baby , multi instrumentalist Fields on vocal and guitar (among other things) is joined by Bill Ferns on harp. A solid melody and rhythm and always tight vocals make this opener a natural radio track. Big Block is a hard driving blues rocker with tight drum beat by Van Romaine and metal influenced blues guitar riffs that will curl your hair. Very cool. Hunger is a bit more of an abstract rocker with a solid foundation and Jeff Beck influenced guitar riffs with Buddy Allen on bass and Lee Jeffryes on drums. Very nice. Straightforward blues ballad, Why Can't You Ever Treat Me Right is really strong with excellent modern blues soloing by Fields and excellent vocals. Joined by Bjorn Hagset on bass and Kare Andersen on drums, this is my favorite blues track on the release. Another solid blues ballad, It's Not Ok with Fie...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Way Down The Alley - Live at Blind Willies , from Eddie 9Volt and it's packed with live, authentic blues. Opening with 36th & Main Eddie continues where he left off on his studio opener with great blues delivery. Joined by Lane Kelly on bass, Colin Dean on drums, Jackson Allen on harmonica and Chad Mason on piano, this is a super opener. On a lumbering, Look Over Yonder Wall , Eddie has a unique vocal style that I like and excellent guitar lead inserts. Mason takes the first extended lead on piano and Allen gets a nice opening as well. On slow blues, Bottle And The Blues , Eddie takes the intro with his beautifully phrased lead work and Mason's piano creates the scene. With very nice call and response with his on vocal and lead guitar, Eddie shows you why he's one of the new hot guns to watch. His soloing is gripping and clean but not over played. Very nice. With a low slung pace, Cod's Song is one...