Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Love You Bleed , from Danielle Nicole and it's a solid, radio oriented release. Opening with Love On My Brain , a cool rocker with a strong melody. With Danielle Nicole Schnebelen on lead vocal and bass, Go Go Ray on drums, Damon Parker on keys and Tony Braunagel on percussion, the track has super vocal and a stiff guitar lead by Brandon Miller. Strong opener. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Right By Your Side with it's bluesy feel. Solid soul format with nice backing vocals and crisp melodic guitar lead work by Miller, and rich organ work by Parker really make this track a strong seller. Another one of my favorites is a more acapella A Lover Is Forever featuring Danielle on vocal with Miller on guitar. With it's memorable melody and lush vocal styling, another top track. F ools Gold with it's heavy bottom is another standout with a great bass line lead and vocal response by Danielle. I ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Thank You, Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers and it's great! Opening with Who Is He (And What Is He To You)? , Kevin Burt on guitar, harmonica and lead vocal sets up a funky groove. With Scot Sutherland laying down a deep bass groove, Kevin Valdez with a perfect funky rhythm track on guitar and Eric Douglas really punching on drums, this track is strong. I really love Douglas' snappy work on Kissing My Love and Sutherland really sets the bottom on fire with his bass work. Burt really demonstrates what a great vocalist can do and his harmonica playing is top notch as well. Excellent! I'm Her Daddy is another vocal showcase for Burt but it's the slick guitar work on this track that caught my attention. Sure, he covers Ain't No Sunshine and Lean On Me and both tracks are great... but you already know that. Grandma's Hands is definitely one of Withers' masterpieces and Burt really does it n...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Wolves are Coming , from Philip Sayce , and it's a powerful blues rocker. Opening with Oh! That Bitches Brew , this release is explosive from the first note. With Philip Sayce on vocal, guitar and bass, and Michael Leasure on drums, this track is a powerhouse. Sayce and Leasure really drive a heavy rhythm and Sayce plays stinging lead guitar giving the track plenty bite. Excellent opener. Another hard driver is Babylon Is Burning with the addition of Fred Mandel on organ. Blues based guitar riffs permeate the mix but this is honest to God rock! Your Love has a real swagger with a a lead bottom by Aaron Sterling on drums and Bernice Barlow joins Sayce on vocal. Sayce really knows how to light up the place on electric guitar and he certainly does it. Very cool. Soulful, It's Over Now , is definitely the most likely radio track with it's sweet melody and fuller arrangement including backing vocals, Joel Got...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Miracles In The Nothingness , by Anyone , Riz Story's latest project and it is notably adventurous. Opening in epic fashion, Story, who writes, arranges and performs most everything uses thunderous drums, guitar, keys and his own vocals to create a sensational opener, Dawning Of The Miracle . Children of the Void has a haunting melody, sung by Story, with a really cool drum rhythm, absorbed by keys and piano. Soaring guitar lead propels this track. Very nice. Transcending , with it's jagged time signature and tightly anchored percussion and rock hard drum accents, floats with gain filled guitar lead, lightly distorted vocal and sensitive key strokes. Daylight opens cd two with boxed vocals surrounded by keys and intense bursts of drum and guitar work. Jon Davison has lead vocal duty on Symptoms Of The Miracle , with harmonic vocal blending by Story who of course creates a sonic atmosphere using drums, keys, guitar...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Phoenix Blues Rumble , from Bob Corritore and Friends and it's a great blues rumble. Opening with Big Fat Woman 489 LBS. a blues rocker featuring Chico Chism on vocal and drums, Henry Gray on piano, Paul Thomas on bass and Bob Corritore on harmonica. This is a solid opener with plenty of harmonica by Corritore. With a deep, New Orleans, R&B feel King Karl has the microphone on Mathilda , wailing some really soulful lines. With Johnny Rapp on guitar, S.E. Willis on piano Thomas on bass and Doug James on horns, this is a real standout. George Bowman has the mic for slow blues, I Was A Fool and it's one of my favorites on the release with Jon Atkinson on guitar, Danny Michel on rhythm guitar, Troy Sandow on bass and Brian Fahey on drums. Corritore is a standout on this track with thick, heavily hooded harmonica and Atkinson lays in a tasty guitar of his own to tie down the track. Shuffle, Nine Times Out Of Ten ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Get Goin' , from Katie Henry and it's a solid release of female vocal oriented music with hints of blues, country, pop, rock and soul. Opening with Scott Sharrard's, Love Like Kerosene , Katie Henry opens her latest release with a country flavored rocker on lead vocal and guitar. Joined by George Moye on bass, Matt Kimathi on drums and guitars, Eric Cannavaro on organ and keys, Richard Pappik on percussion and Michael Murauer on guitar, this is a solid radio worthy opener. Ballad, A Doll's Heart , has a strong melody, with firm support by Cannavaro on organ and keys and Kimathi on drums. Bernard Allison's shuffle, Clear Vision is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a really nice melody, lush key solo by Cannavaro, and tight drums by Kimathi. Wake Up Time is likely the top radio candidate on the release with it's sweet, unassuming melody and mellow vocals and forward yet unobtrusive guita...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Evergreen , from Jun Iida and I like it's upbeat attack. Opening with Gooey Butter Cake a real nice track, Jun Iida on trumpet has the melody, with a adventurous bass line by Jonathan Richards. Josh Nelson on piano lays in a really nice, New Orleans flavored solo complimented heavily by Xavier Le Couturier on drums and Masami Kuroki on guitar follows with a spicy guitar solo of his own making this a really ice opener. Title track, Evergreen is a really solid track and one that should command airplay with Aubrey Johnson singing the melody along with Iida on trumpet. With bright piano work by Nelson, aggressive bass work by Richards, clean melodic soloing by Kuroki on guitar and excellent fusion style drumming by Le Couturier, this is certainly one of my favorites on the release. Love Theme From Spartacus is a really nice track with a floating melody by Iida, strongly supported by Nelson on guitar and sparce bass work...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hey, Can you Guys Play..., from The Hitman Blues Band and it's a lot of fun. Opening with Muddy Waters' Hoochie Coochie Man , The Hitman Blues Band takes a driving boogie approach. "Hitman" Alexander on lead vocal and guitar leads the way with a droning bass line by Mike Porter, drums by Guy LaFountaine, Mikey Vitale wailing on tenor sax, Kevin Rymer on keys, Nick Clifford on bari sax and Nancy Hampton and Joanne Alexander on backing vocals. Hitman takes his guitar for a ride making this a solid opener. Robert Johnson's Come On In My Kitchen is a real nice cover with Hitman on dobro and vocal. John The Revelator gets a real nice, funky makeover which I think is the best track on the release. The band really meshes and with excellent vocal by Hitman and the addition of electric slide, trumpet by Eric Altarac, Vitale on alto sax, and a key solo by Mike Katzman, very nice. Wrapping the release is JL H...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Silver Rain , by Desolation Sound and it's cool rocker with strong writing. Opening with a sonic loop of sound, the mood is set almost as a palate cleanser for what is to come. Title track, Silver Rain has a fairly straight up rock format with a tight Bonham like drum opening by Scott Sluis but it's clear pretty quickly that this music is meant to be listened to with plenty of attention to melody and guitar soloing attended to by Daniel DeShon, with Blake Night on guitar and Darvis Taylor on bass. A strong rocker that caught my attention was Find A Way . Sluis on drums and Taylor on bass really control this track giving DeShon just the right amount of space to slip the vocals in. Tight and cool. Miasma Theory scratched my "Pixies" itch and anyone who likes the Pixies is tops in my book. With it's chord driven melody and understated guitar soloing, this track is spot on. Another sonic creation, Canno...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Roof Is On Fire , from Mitch Ryder and it's a great rocker. Opening with Betty's Too Tight, recorded in Berlin in 2020, Mitch Ryder demonstrates without a doubt that his work is still vital. This track hits the gates hard and will have you head banging in no time. Featuring Mitch on lead vocal, Gisbert "Pitti" Piakowski and Heiner Witte on guitar, Manne Pokrandt on bass, Tobias Ridder on drums and Rene Decker on keys, this track will have you breathing hard. Excellent opener. Taking it up about 20 notches on All The Fools It Sees,   Ryder really does get your blood flowing on this one with the addition of Decker on harp and Piatkowski really rips a hot guitar solo making this one of my favorites on the release. Ain't Nobody White is another really strong track on the release with potent lyrics and vocals by Ryder, complimented by Witte on slide guitar. The Stones, Heart of Stone is always a ple...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release from Texas Scratch and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Texas Trio , TS finds a great groove. Featuring Jim Suhler (Thorogood), Buddy Wittington (Mayall) and Vince Converse (Sunset Heights) on guitars, these guys know how to cut a groove. With the drums of Jeff Simon (Thorogood) and Nathaniel Peterson (Savoy Brown) and Kirk Yano (Miles Davis, Savoy Brown) on bass, this is a strong opener. Led footed, What The Devil Loves , really has a snarling guitar lead and excellent lead vocal. John Nitzinger's (Texas Jellyroll Blues)  Louisiana Cock Fight makes a cool appearance here with blazing guitars and well blended vocals. Thumping drum work by Simon, this track is a solid addition. Do  Right By You is a cool, somewhat funky track with rugged lead vocals and some real nice slide by Suhler. Wrapping the release is Showdown , a light jazzy, boogie with fluid guitar runs and driving rhythm guitar. Solid closer...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Fiesta At Caroga , from The Afro - Caribbean Jazz Collective and it's quite cool. Opening with Descarga , Brian Stark on sax, Ben Weisiger on trombone, Eric Devey on trumpet and Jose Guzman on guitar really lay it all out there over a beautiful weave of percussion supplied by Stephen Busath, Sebastian Nassar, and Brian Shank. Ian Stewart sets a hard bass line giving the track a super anchor and his soloing is tight. Excellent opener. Opening with a complex rhythm on El Canaveral , Busath, Nassar and Shank really dig in deep. Stark solos first on sax with rich deep tones, underscored by the bass lines of Stewart and light rhythm by Guzman. Warm blending by Devey, and Weisiger enrich the overall sound and a fluid guitar solo by Guzman really is nicely presented. Wrapping the release is Baile Bailekita with a great rhythm and brass infused melody. Stark on sax rips a few really nice melodic solos, really fueling the ex...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (June 30, 2024), Brick By Brick by JP Soars and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with title track, Brick By Brick , JP Soars on vocal and guitar, hits the road running with a potent melody and a great hook. Chris Peet on drums hits it hard and heavy under signature guitar riffs by Soars, joined by Raul Hernandez on percussion. Solid opener. Keep Good Company is a cool rocker with a a somewhat funky rhythm and radio feel, with Peet on drums and bass, Jeremy Staska on percussion, Bob Taylor on Hammond and Annika Chambers on backing vocals. Little Milton's, That's What Love Will Make You Do , has a cool back beat and Soars double on bass with a hot bass line under his excellent lead guitar work. Terry Hanck really adds some great sax work doubling down on this track. Wrapping the release is Baton Rouge meets Tex Mex on Down by The Water . Soars knows how to articulate it both on vocal and guitar and with the pr...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Finyl Vinyl, from Canned Heat and it's really enjoyable. Opening with a rowdy rocking boogie, One Last Boogie, Canned Heat blows the roof off of this newest release. Featuring Jimmy Vivino on lead vocal and guitar Heat is packing with Dale Spalding ramping it up on harmonica, Fiti De La Parra on drums and Rick Reed on bass. Strong opener. Dave Alvin guests on Blind Owl singing lead and playing guitar. With it's droning bass line by Reed and tight drum line by De La Parra, this is a hot track. Wicked guitar soloing by Alvin and Vivino and solid harmonica by Spalding playing really take this track higher. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Tease Me with it's bluesy feel. Spalding has the mic and does a real nice job on vocal and harmonica. Spalding's up again on A Hot Ole Time but it's the fleet fingered work of Vivino that makes this track in my eyes. Very nice. Slow blues, When You're 69, fe...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Back In Time , by The Hillbilly Moon Explosion and it's a strong blend of retro, country and punk infused rock. Opening with Sometimes Late At Night , Emanuela Hutter on lead vocal and rhythm guitar leads the way in fine style. Duncan James on lead guitar drives the boat with slashing punk like lead and Dick Dale riffs, backed by Oliver Baroni on bass and Sylvain Petite on drums. Solid opener. Knocked Down has a great bass lead with Baroni on lead vocal and James again showing nods to Dale with echo and cool underplayed rockabilly lead. Petite keeps the rhythm with rim shots. Very cool. Moody, A Sudden Ring , is really nice with traces of Hope Sandoval in the vocal and the addition of tremolo guitar work, James mixing in a cool baritone guitar and Baroni adds piano to the mix. Country flavored, Always Just You , is a really nice track with simple vocal lead by Hutter's voice isolated over clean guitar, bass, and d...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent double release, Luther's Blues , from Bernard Allison and it's a driving blues rocker. Opening with fiery, Hang On , this track oozes blues with it's rocking rhythm section and blues based rock soloing. Excellent opener. With a funky, Johnny Guitar or WW Washington feel, T oo Many Women really hangs it out there. with an excellent trombone solo and plucky bass work, this is one of my favorites on the release. Serious , is a bluesy ballad with solid vocals and strong, melodic, lead guitar work and warm backing vocals. Excellent! Opening disc 2 is rocking shuffle, Back Down South with it's excellent bottom. This track will definitely get your head bobbing while Bernard rips an excellent solo.  Let's Try It Again is an excellent track with soulful vocals and tight drums and well placed piano work, accenting Allison's vocal. A potent sax solo electrifies the track which is an excellent soulful blues allowing ...