Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Back From The Edge , from Mark Cameron and it uses blues roots to explore mostly pop branches of the rock tree. Opening with funky salted, It's Alright , with Mark Cameron on guitar and vocal, backed by Sheri Cameron on percussion, Scott Lundberg on bass, Rick Miller on harmonica and Dan Schroeder on drums, this opener has a great beat and some real nice guitar riffs. Blues shuffle, 2nd Job has a cool guitar riff and just the right harmonica tone to give the track a nice edge. Blues rocker, All There Is To It, has a solid bet and with a memorable melody, bluesy guitar runs. sax work by Sheri and fat harmonica tone by Miller, a likely radio track. Blues rooted Dollar For Liquor, has a cool bass line, nice slide by Cameron, subtle sax work by Sheri and relentless harmonica work by Miller. Wrapping the release is popp rocker, Lost and Found with nicely blended vocal harmonies and a cool melodic guitar lead. Solid clo...

 I just had the opportunity t oreview the most recent release, Hope Dies Last , from Steve Marriner and it's a  blues fuzed rocker. Opening with Take Me To The City , Daniel Neill sets a stiff snare beat, Joined by Jim Bowskill on lead guitar and Ian McKeown on bass and of course Marriner on lead vocal, guitar and harmonica. Strong opener. High energy rocker, How High is one of my favorites on the release with Glenn Milchem on the drum kit and Bowskill again on lead guitar. Marriner has a markledly more rocking sound and it's tight. Samantha Martin guests with Marriner  on lead vocal on Enough with Jesse O'Brien on piano and B3, Darcy yates on bass, Boswkill on steel guitar and Milchen on drums. This is the definite radio track on the release with a solid melody and smooth presentation. Another really cool track is Uptown Lockdown with it's funky bottom courtesy Yates and Milchen and fat lead guitar work by Boswkill. Very cool. Petite Danse has a definite French/New...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Stop, from Robert Billard, and it's a pop rocker wiith some edgy guitar. Opening with Road To NoWhere, Robert Billard shows his traditional ballad vocal style with side guitar vamps, and thumping kick drum. JW-Jones lays down some real nice melodic guitar lead on Waiting For The land To Dry, joined by A-Train Boynton on bass and Clayton Hill on drums. No Shape For Talking is a cool radio hit with aggressive rock guitar soloing by Wild T Springer and Murray Peter on keys. Groove is a modified boogie with a lot of that George T. vibe. With JW-Jones grinding the guitar lead, Tobin Frank on bass, Porter on keys and Hill on drums, a cool blues number. Nothing Can Stop Me Now is an upbeat jazzy number featuring Jones on guitar, Kenny Blues Boss Wayne on keys, A Train on bass and Hill on drums. With over 6 minutes, these guys get a chance to jam a bit with nice piano passages from Wayne. Wrapping the release is Home, featuring...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blood On The Strings , by John D'Amato and it's a cool mix of blues and rock. Opening with slick rocker, Working Girl , John D'Amato really shows a good had on guitar and lead vocal, backed by Carl Brenner on drums, Hottube Willie Scruggs on bass,and Dan Nadassi on keys. Cool opener. Swinging shuffle, Break Your Heart features Lauren D'Amato on lead vocal, and a cool lead guitar demo by John. With John Green on bass and Brenner on drums, a cool track. Title track, Blood On The Strings is a driving boogie with a a solid bass line by Scruggs and John on lead vocal and guitar. Slow R&B style ballad , What Happened , features John and Lauren on lead vocal duet, balanced by John's stinging guitar riffs. Using a classic blues vamp and ripping blues riffs on Walk on Water , D'Amato on lead vocal and guitar sets up a real nice blues track with a strong rhythm guitar line and bottom. Very cool. Wrappi...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Let's Have A Party , from Gerald McClendon , and it's a cool R&B/Blues release. Opening with Keep On Keepin' On , Gerald McClendon sets the bar high with a strong soul track, backed by Joe Burba on guitar, Tony Llorens on Fender Rhodes,  Jim Pugh on B3, Skinny Williams on sax, Johnny B. Grayden on bass,  and Twist Turner on drums. Very nice. On blues track, If That Ain't The Blues , McClendon's lead vocal balances perfectly with Rico McFarland's response on guitar. Harlan Terson's bass line sets a perfect bottom for the fluid soloing of McFarland. Pack Your Bags and Go has classic soul styling with real nice sax work by Williams. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Throw This Dog A Bone with its bluesy vocals and gripping, "BB King" like guitar phrasing by Joe Burba and McFarland. Another of my favorites on the release is I Just Can't Take Anymore , with McClendon in t...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Soulful Distancing , from Adam Schultz and it's a cool release with a strong soulful base. Opening with Johnny Guitar Watson's massive hit, A Real Mother For Ya , featuring Clarence Spady on lead vocal and guitar, Adam Schultz on guitar, Dan Cohen on bass, Sharon O'Connell on drums, Robert O'Connell on organ and Scott Brown on piano. Schultz phrasing is natural and "Watson like' making for a fun opener. Spady's lead vocal continues on Louis Jordan's Early In The Morning with it's Latin beat and BB King lke guitar phrasing by Schultz. Adding cool sax solo work by Tom Hamilton, another cool entry. Original R&B track, Good Conversation , features Michael Angelo on lead vocal and George Benson like lead guitar phrasng by Schultz and really nice bass work by Jon Ventre.  Ekat Pereyra has the mic on soul track, Have Some Faith , a real nice track with solid radio appeal. With a twist of ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sunny Soul , from Endrick & the Sandwiches and it's an interesting blend of folk, and pop/rock tunes with a number of twists and bends. Opening with Mambo Intro , Endrick Tremblay sets up dialog over what sounds like electronic durms... rolling into Cheeseburger Blues, a blues shaped pop tune featurning Endrick on vocal and guitar, Mandela Coupal Dalgleish on drums, Simon Ethier on bass and Anne Lauziere on backing vocals. Mama's Rollerblade is a cool pop rocker with a tight rock edge, along the lines of The Eagles of Death Metal. Another tight little rocker is My Money with a a cool guitar riff by Endrick and a solid bass line by Ethier. Possibly my favorite on the release. Soul based, You Don't Need A Crowd To Be A Star , is short but cool with nicely worked vocals. The Party has a blues rocky feel with minimal guitar lead and cool harmonica by Endrick and blended vocal backing. Crossing over into a fu...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Storyteller , from Irish blues-rock sensation, Eamonn McCormack and it touches on many faces of european rock. Opening with The Great Famine , a folky rock tune with atmospheric backing and tight rock guitar riffs, Eamonn (pronounced A-min) McCormack  leads on vocal and guitar, backed by Edgar Karg on bass, Max Jung-Poppe on drumsand Arne Weigand on keys. Sounding a bit like David Bowie with the Beatles, Help Me To Understand is a sool, low key rocker with a solid bass line by Karg and powerful vocals by Eamonn. Jacking up the rock side of the business, Tie One On sounds like it's heavily influenced by Thin Lizzy with it's snappy drum rhythm and super Rory Gallagher like slide work. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is hard driving, Cowboy Blues , with it's tight bottom and slashing slide work. Very cool. On blues ballad, In A Dream, McCormack is up front on vocal with solid support from We...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Montreux Years , from Etta James and it's dynamite. Opening with Breakin' Up Somebody's Home , Etta James hits like a truck on lead vocal, supported by Herman Roscoe Ernest III on drums, Ronnie Buttacavoli on trumpet, Bobby Murray on guitar, Josh Sklair on guitar, Bobby Vega on bass, Kraig Kilby on trombone, Richard Howell on sax, David Matthew on keyboards, Donto James on percussion and Claude Nobs on harmonica. Great opener. Emotionally charged, A Lover Is Forever , is a quiet contrast to the opener with James wooing the mic over the electro acoustic guitar work of Murray and Sklair. Very nice. Rockin, Tell Mama , has great drive, with hot vocal by James, backed by Klaus Doldinger on sax, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Rick Wakeman on keys, David Fathead Newman on sax, Brian Ray on guitar, Richard Tee on keys, Steve Ferrone on drums and David Lowrey on bass. R&B track, Something's Got A Hold On Me gets a...

  Clay Melton To Open For Grand Funk Railroad State Fair Of Texas Chevrolet Main Stage    Houston, TX (June 15 2021) - Just Announced ! Blues Rocker Clay Melton "Say That You Love Me" will bring his over the top blues rock sound to the Texas State Fair.  This will be Clay's third annual appearance on the Chevrolet Main Stage and this year he will open for the internationally world famous Grand Funk Railroad. Clay's Watchtower Entertainment Management Company in cooperation with Glenn Smith Presents Incorporated is thrilled to present this latest news to blues rock fans around the world.  Clay shares, "T...