Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bluesville , from Swingadelic , a small big band formed by Dave Post on bass. Opening with The Late Late Show , the horns are blazing with John Bauers on vocal and Bryan Davis on solo trumpet. Swinging. A full 18 piece big band is together for Harlem Nocturne featuring Audrey Welber on alto and Boo Reiners on lap steel. Very nice. With it's Latin beat, Mary Ann really ramps up with Bauers on lead vocal, Alex Jeun really winding out the trombone and Joe Taino on laying in solid guitar riffs. This is a great track with strong soloing. Mitch Woods sits in or Parchment Farm with strong vocals and really potent piano work. Joined by Andy Riedel on guitar and Jimmy Coleman on drums, another top track. Latin jazz track, El Blues Esa Mijer is light and springy with Taino on lead guitar and Jeun, again playing some really meaty trombone. On  Riff'n On McGriff'n Kyle Koehler on B3 sets the stage with healthy sax work ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Bridges , from Sunnysiders and it's a cool blend of 60's rock and blues. Opening with shuffle track, Crossroads of Your Own , Croation  blues duo, Antonija Vrgoc Rola on vocal and tambourine and Boris Hrepic Hrepa on vocal, acoustic guitar and harp set out on their 4th release. With backing by Manu Lanvin on slide guitar and the Norman Beaker Trio featuring Beaker on bass, Steve Gibson on drums, Nick Steed on keys and Kim Kishikawara on sax to is a solid opener. Blues rocker, Tiny Soul has a real interesting melody highlighting Rola on lead vocal and melodic slide guitar adding very nice dynamics. Blockstop is a real rocker with raging drums and solid sax work by Kishikawara. My favorite track on the release is blues ballad, You're Not That Good For Me To Cry with  melodic electric guitar lead throughout and strong vocals by Rola. Not The One of Those is a solid rocker with a strong rock beat and cool ha...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Legacy , from A Band Called Sam . Built around the vocals of Sandra Taylor, the stylized guitar lead of Gary Sellers and hard working Richie Cannata on sax these guys are really pumping. With Danny Kean on keys, Lawrence Worrell on rhythm guitar, Mario Staiano on drums and Gary Grob on bass, this is a tight unit. On opener, Voice of the Blues , a slick shuffle, with Kean and Cannata working hand in hand with Sellers pushing the energy and Taylor's powerful vocals, a solid opener. On funky R&B number, Good To Ya, Worrell has the mic and really does a nice job. The track really moves and with strong key likes and interesting guitar work, this is one of my favorites on the release. Slow blues track, Papa Blues has a smooth, T Bone Walker kind of feel and really showcases Taylor's vocals. Clocking in at over 7 minutes with excellent keyboard soloing, and a powerful instrumental punch, this is a super track. With a...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Perigon: Full Circle, by Dianne Davidson and it's full of rich, soulful ballads. Opening with Just Out Of Reach , Diane Davidson reaches deep with her strong vocal presentation, backed by Larry Cheney on guitar, Leigh Maples on bass, Nancy Gardner on drums, John Salem on keys, Roger Bissel on trombone, Denis Sole on sax and George Tidwell on trumpet. True Believer is an adventurous track with interesting sonic backing. Davidson's vocals are thick and deep and backing by Chaney on guitars, exotic instrument samples and loops, Maples on bass, Gardner on drums Jim Thistle on percussion and Michael Mishaw and Vickie Carrico on backing vocals make this my favorite on the release. Bob Dylan's, To Make You Feel My Love is another standout track on the release with some of Davidson's best vocals on the release. With minimal instrumental backing by Chaney on guitars, Gideon John Klein on cello, Donny Rels on viola,...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Too Far From The Bar , by Sugar Ray and the Bluetones featuring Little Charlie and it's heaping dose of Chicago style blues. Opening with shuffle track, Don't Give No More Than You Can Take , featuring Sugar Ray Norcia on lead vocal and harmonica and the great Little Charlie Baty on lead guitar. This is one of the last recordings of Baty who passed away in March of this year. Norcia's vocals are always great and his harmonica playing is first class, backed by Anthony Geraci on keys, Michael Mudcat Ward on bass and Neil Gouvin on drums. Swinging piano boogie, and title track, Too Far From The Bar really hits the groove with Geraci leading the way and Norcia on piano. Baty takes a great solo run showing just how tight his riffs were. Excellent! Instrumental. Reel Burner is a super harmonica track with Norcia barely taking a breath. Stilladog take notice. This track hums! Rock and Roller, My Next Door Neighbor ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Friends & Legends of Louisiana, an idea created by Lucas Spinosa and Mike David  and it's a broad swatch of blues featuring a who's who of contemporary artists. Opening with shuffle, Beale Street Blues , Jason Parfait is upfront on lead vocal and wailing on sax, backed by Cranston Clements on guitar, Bob Henderson on guitar, David Hyde on bass, Ian Smith on trumpet, Brian Brignac on drums, Lucas Spinosa on keys and Seth Lecoq on guitar fills. Swinging opener. Wayne Toups has the mic on Belly Of The Beast and featuring Sonny Landreth on guitar. Very nice. Don Rich's lead vocals on Want It To Be are soulfully excellent with strong horn emphasis and a strong sax solo by Parfait. Kenny Neal is upfront on vocal and harmonica on Southern Side of Life . Warm backing vocals by Bob Henderson, Elaine Foster and Taylor Lendo really make this track sail. Rocker, Living In A Fantasy features Ryan Foret on lead vocal...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, I Just Want To be Horizontal , from Samoa Wilson with The Jim Kweskin Band and it's really strong contemporary looks at 20's and 30's  music. Opening with After You've Gone , a Turner Layton composition with crystal clear vocals by Samoa Wilson, musicologist, Jim Kweskin on vocal and guitar leads a great gang of players including Mike Davis on trumpet, Paloma Ohm on alto sax, Sonny Barbato on piano, Dennis Lichtman on clarinet, Matthew Berlin on bass and Jeff Brown on drums. Excellent opener. Bluesy title track, (I Just Want to Be) Horizontal , really milks Wilson's vocal style with a lot of richness, with strong guitar work by Kweskin and Titus Vollmer. Very nice. Muted trumpet work by Davis sets the track off nicely Barbato's piano work. With a Dixieland style interwoven instrumentation, I Cried For You , is a great track with really cool trumpet and clarinet interplay. Made popular by Billie Ho...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Old Girl , from Lisa Mann and it's a solid radio style release with meaty melodies and strong vocals. Opening with title track, Old Girl, a country flavored ballad, Lisa shows real richness backed by Jason Thomas on guitar, Michael Ballash on drums and her own bass work. With an up tempo rockin' beat, It's The Monkey or Me features swinging guitar work by Thomas and really hot drumming by Dave Melyan. Mann's vocals are undeniable with plenty of grit and a lot of polish. With a great blues laden beat and sassy guitar work by Thomas, Mann shows her grit on bluesy, That's All . This is my favorite track on the release with it's extended instrumental work smoky feel. Wrapping the release is Around Here , the definite radio track with a strong melody and well balanced vocals. Super backing vocals by Sonny Hess, Brian Foxworth, Larhonda Steele and Arietta Ward really dress this track in richness.   ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release September 25, 2020, Hanging Tree Guitars , from Music Makers Relief Foundation and it's the real deal, accompanying the release of the book of the same name. Opening with Rufus McKenzie singing Slavery Time Blues , over a wailing harmonica. Very authentic blues. Bishop Dready Manning sings Hard Luck and Troubles with only acoustic guitar and hand claps. His vocals are terrific and the accompaniment solid. Guitar Gabriel is as smooth as they come on Southland Blues , a strong delta style blues. His vocal and guitar work is tight yet not over produced. Excellent. John Lee Zeigler has a really cool voice approaching the falsetto of Skip James. Worked nicely with acoustic slide, John Henry is a really strong track. Spiritual track, Get Ready is potent with The Glory Vine Sisters . Powerful voices and R&B style format makes this one of my favorites on the release. Elder Anderson Johnson does a strong spiritual ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, I Don't Like What's Going On , from Peter Roland and it's a cool contemporary blue release. Opening with Black Cat Bone , Peter Roland wastes no time showing that he can work the fretboard hard. A smooth, slow blues number with only George Caldwell on bass and Jermane Dukes on drums. Midway, the track doubles pace and with JP Soars really smokes it. Very nice. Evil pairs Roland again with strong vocal with Soars on dobro and a stiff foot drum by Dukes setting up a country flavored blues rocker with the swagger of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Trading lead with soars on electric guitar, Roland keeps it clean and articulate. Really grinding in with SRV like rhythm and tempo on Lonely Tonight , Roland's  lead guitar work is vibrant and tight. This band is a tight unit with Roland's vocal and guitar cementing it all together. Wrapping the release is title track and my personal favorite on the release, I Don't Like W...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Two Sides , from Kirsten Thien , and it's a solid rocker. Opening with heavy footed, Shoulda Been, a blues rocker with Thien on vocal and acoustic guitar, Erik Boyd on cool slide bass and rhythm guitar, Arthur Neilson with a nice slide guitar solo, Steve Holley on drums and Tommy Mandel on clavinet. Solid opener. Contemporary blues shout, After I Left Home (Song For Buddy Guy) Thien shows the power of her voice and Neilson lays down a strong guitar solo. Latin flavored Montanas is my favorite track on the release, featuring Fabian Almazan on piano, John Benthal on cuatro and requinto, Boyd on bass and Alex Alexander on drums and percussion. Excellent! Wrapping the release is an up tempo take on Leon Russell's, I'd Rather Be Blind , with a cool R&B feel. Steve Holley on drums plays it light, Neilson lays in a compact but clean guitar solo and the addition of Tommy Mandel on Wurlitzer and organ makes this ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, From The Patio, Live at Poor House Bistro, Volume 1, from Ron Thompson and it's a strong, raw performance. Opening with Willie Dixon's Meet Me In The Bottom , Ron Thompson on vocal and guitar gets a running start with his grinding tempo with Scotty Griffin on drums, Dave Chavez on bass, Sid Morris on piano and Jim Pugh on organ. His solid groove and unpolished but excellent blues vocals are spot on. On Lightning Hopkins' Bring Me My Shotgun , Thompson shows just how close to the "real blues" his work is with excellent vocals, slide work and minimal bass and drums. Excellent! Bob Geddins' Tin Pan Alley, made popular to most by SRV gets a real nice workout by Thompson with not only really soulful vocals and solid piano work by Morris but with some real nice electric guitar work by Thompson. Very nice. Guitar Slim's Done Got Over It is another potent track with Jim Pugh on organ solo and rocka...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Good The Bad and The Bette, from Bette Smith and it's a cool rockin' R&B release. Opening with Fistful of Dollars , a funky rocker, Bette Smith really hits a groove, backed by Matt Patton on bass, Bronson Tew on drums, Eric Carlton on piano, Jimbo Mathus on organ and with Henry Westmoreland on horns. Very cool. Possibly my favorite track on the release is bluesy ballad, Whistle Stop , showing excellent vocal by Smith, and with strings by Jamison Hollister. Punchy rocker, I'm A Sinner , has a driving beat and a cool guitar riff underlying with strong but unflashy guitar lead and backing vocal by Hood, Patton, Tew and Schaefer Llana. Nice. With it's straightforward nature and nice melody, Song for a Friend is my choice for radio track. Dominants bass lines by Patton and tight drum work by Tew and solid backing vocals by Hood, Patton, Tew and Schaefer Llana give this track a certain cool feel. Wrappi...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live At The Toronto Blues Festival , from Downchild (The Downchild Blues Band) and it's packed full of blues and stars. Opening with piano boogie, Can You Hear The Music , with Mike Fonfara on keys,  Chuck Jackson on lead vocal and Donnie Walsh on harmonica, Chuck Jackson and Pat Carey on sax, Gary Kendall on bass and Mike Fitzpatrick on drums, this is a lively opener. David Wilcox joins on shuffle, It's A Matter Of Time adding slide and vocal. With great feel and energy, this is an all out party. I'm Gonna Tell Your Mama is packed with energy featuring Gene Taylor  piano and giving Walsh a great opportunity to really hang out there on harmonica. Very cool. Finland's favorite slide player, Erja Lyytinen joins on harmony vocal and slide guitar on Mississippi Woman, Mississauga Man , a cool blues rocker with Cajun kind of rhythm. Shotgun Blues is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Kenny Neal on ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Starlight and Tall Tales , from Bart Ryan and it's a cool rocker with nice edge. Opening with Wanna Be, a smooth, R&B track featuring Ryan on lead vocal and guitar, Jim Evans on drums, Ted Russell Kamp on bass, Mark Kovaly on keys, and Jeff Byrd and Steve Smartt on horns. Solid opener. Half Way is a really nice ballad with a bluesy edge. With it's strong melody, Ryan's fine vocal work, clean lead guitar soloing and strong arrangement, this is a certain radio track. Nicely blended vocals with Aubrey Richmond and another memorable melody gives Walk Away my vote for one of my favorites on the release. With it's almost Bowie like presentation, Lennon like chord progressions and strong but brief guitar solo, it stands tall. Another bluesy ballad, Bring Out Your Joy , uses the space around the vocal lead nicely with bold, powerful lines, a terrific tune and melodic guitar lead over a well formed bass/drum co...

    Al Basile Brings His New Album to Life with Last Hand 2.0 Audio Play Version, Available on All Streaming and Downloading Platforms   RUMFORD, RI - Eight-time Blues Music Award-nominated singer/songwriter/cornetist Al Basile announces an audio play version of his new album, Last Hand , is being released to all streaming and downloading platforms via The Orchard. Dubbed Last Hand 2.0 , Basile (vocals and cornet) and his sparse trio of Bruce Bears on keyboards, Brad Hallen on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums, are joined by an audio cast of Sharon Coleman as “The Young Woman,” Chuck Goldberg as “The Friend” and John Mailloux as “The Bartender.” Al Basile, himself, plays “The Trumpet Player.”   The combination of the late-night, after-hours musical groove (that falls comfortably between blues and jazz), and the added dialogue creates a film noir-ish feel to the audio play. Listen to the complete Last Hand 2.0 audio play with all the music here: https://www...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (9/18/20), Below Sea Level , from Eric Johanson and I really like it! Johanson, who grew in Louisiana has blues rock in his blood. Opening with Buried Above Ground you hear distinct influences of Free/Humble Pie and the best of the blues rock generation mixed with Luther Dickinson and the best of the southern blues rockers in this totally fresh sound. This may be the best blues rock release of it's kind since Humble Pie's Smokin'! Cody Dickinson on drums lays down a great tom tom beat and with Johanson on gritty guitar and excellent lead vocal and Terrence Grayson on bass, this release is off to a great start. On Down To The Bottom , Johanson slips on his slide and cranks up the heat. This is a modern boogie in the vein of Hooker but with fat fat slide tones and strong vocals. Really excellent! Blues ballad, Changes The Universe , has the potential to rival Gary Moore with better vocals, a sweet melody line and ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Last Hand , from Al Basile , and it's a solid performance showcasing Basile's vocals with only 2 tracks where he contributes cornets work. Opening with It Ain't Broke , a cool, low slung club style blues with Basile on vocal, Bruce Bears on piano, Brad Hallen on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums. With a solid piano line, strong bass work and tight rhythm, a super opener. Smooth shuffle, Don't, has a strong melody and Basile's cornet work paired with bear's cool piano lines is strong. Bears and Basile lay nicely in the groove on After I'm Gone with it's excellent bottom and tight skins. The Problem is Me is one of my favorites on the release with strong piano work from Bears and Basile working the track like a pro. My favorite track on the release and release closer is Time Heals Nothing with it's somber overtone, and minimal backing support. Simple bass line, light brushes, straightforwar...