Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Back To The Blues , by Beyond 1969 and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with I'm Never Gonna Leave You , a cool rocker with a funky backbeat, Tom Forst on lead vocal and guitar sets the pace with active bass work by Tony Delisio , Jeff Bousfield on keys and Bryan Caudle on drums. Bluesy ballad, Consolation Man is a real cool track in the vein of the Thrill Is Gone with soulful vocals and tasty, overdriven guitar lead by Forst, backing vocals and bass by Delisio, saturated organ work by Bousfield and a tight rhythm by Caudle. Very nice. Caudle opens Darkest Before The Dawn with a funky drum rhythm, supported by a complimentary bass line by Delisio. This may be my favorite track on the release when Forst gets into the groove with his vocal and melodic guitar soloing, surrounded by Bousfield's saturated organ and keyboard soloing. Very cool. Blues soaked, It's My Own Damn Fault, really gives Forst a c...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Night Sky , from Robert Jospe' Quartet and it's quite good. Opening with Latin flavored, Crooked Mile , Daniel Clarke on piano and Robert Jospe' set a terrific, rhythmic tempo and Chris Whiteman on guitar cruises the melody with the smoothness of Benson . With Paul Langosch on bass and extended piano work by Clarke, this is a super opener.  Pyramids is another track with a heavily rhythmic feel follows a great melodic phrase set by Clarke on piano and Whiteman's guitar work really is quite nice with excellent percussion by Jospe' holding it all together. Flashback is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a funky keyboard, bass and drum setup. Clarke on piano and Whiteman on guitar solo out with tight phrasing pushed by Langosch on bass and Jospe' o drums. Super. Billy Strahorn's classic, Take The A Train ,  is reworked with Clarke and Whiteman working the melody. Whitehorn'...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Plaid Pants , by Cyger & Butterworth and it's cool. Opening with Latin soaked, Pequena Diabla , Ron Cyger on sax has the lead with a smooth and moving melody, supported by Brent Butterworth on bass, guitar and ukulele. Solid opener. Clunky has a cool, suspenseful melody with Butterworth creating a framework for melody on guitar, joined by Cyger on flute and Dimitris Terzpiis on drums. Cyger takes the first solo on flute followed by Butterworth on guitar. Returning to sax, Cyger blows a soulful solo and Butterworth a solo on bass. This track is unusual and interesting. Poydras St. has a springy rhythm and Butterworth on guitar and Cyger on sax are tight on a unified melody, chased by Terzpiis on drums with a New Orleans flavor. Cyger takes an extended solo on sax expanding the melody and Butterworth on bass takes it a few steps further before rejoining for a melodic reunion. Bye-Bye Blue Whale opens with Butte...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Best of Sandy Atkinson , by Sandy Atkinson , and it saturated with soulful vocals and hot guitar blues. Opening with Sweet Little Pieces , Ben Sudano on bass  Tom Bell on drums lay down a super SB Williams/Hooker boogie line with Cannon Quinn on guitars and Sandy Atkinson on vocal and guitar. Solid opener. Got The Wrong Number has a western/bluesy feel with Atkinson on acoustic guitar and vocal pairing with Quinn on guitars and nice piano work by Dean Germain. Boogie, Cook In Your Kitchen showcases Tomcat Blake on guitars with Atkinson's vocals, Richard Price on bass, Dan Degregory on drums, Henry Burke on keys and Wayne Beardwoods on sax. I like the slower, acoustic blues of Back To The Livin (live) featuring solid vocal and guitar work of Atkinson and Quinn. Very nice. Talkin To The Animals is a cool blues rocker with a springy rhythm. With saucy vocals by Atkinson, Quinn on guitar, Germain on keys, Suda...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bulldog , from The CD Woodbury Tri , and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with Wicked Grin , CD Woodbury sets the pacd with a strong hammer on riff with Robert Baker thumping a single not bass line and Bill Ray on drums. Woodbury tells the story on lead vocals adds in guitar soloing that adds just the right amount of pepper. Solid opener. Doc Pomus' Little Sister stays simple with it's pop roots with Woodbury laying down a guitar riff and including Davis soloing on harmonica. Blues rocker, Gaslight Road , has a deep bass/drums groove and Woodbury, on guitar, creates a Green's Fleetwood Mac feel adding gritty vocals. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks by Jack Bruce , Politician , is up next with Woodbury bringing on the suspenseful melody on guitar. He doesn't have Bruce's voice, but he really does a great job on this track Overdubbing clean chords with eccentric slide riffs and tight picked ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Just Stay Live Recorded Live At The Falcon by The Alexis P Suter Band , and it's terrific! Alexis P. Suter is one of those vocalists that come along once in a lifetime and her take on Blind Willie Johnson 's John The Revelator is powerful .With her deep rich vocals backed by Vicki Bell, and pushed by the stirring slide work of  Jimmy Bennett, this track is off the hook. Joining Suter on the set is The Band's Garth Hudson who lays out an epic piano improvisation. One of Gregg Allman 's best tracks, It's Not My Cross To Bear , really works nicely with this set. Suter's deep, rich voice is perfect for this track with Benny Harrison on organ and Bennett really laying down the blues on guitar and Hudson on piano. A monumental blues by a monumental vocalist.  Hole That I'm In has a super Latin rhythm and the band is really moving. Bennett gets a Santana-esque guitar solo going and Harrison's o...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dear Ms. Dearie , from Dawn Clement , and its really quite good. Opening with The Gentleman Is A Dope , Dawn Clement on piano and vocal leads the way, supported by John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Steve Kovalcheck on guitar really gives the track a workout with bright guitar soloing. Super opener. With it's waltz feel, Dance Only With Me is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Clement, first laying down the base melody and clean and articulate soloing by Kovalcheck on guitar. Clement's improvisation on piano is quite nice and her vocals are clean and sweet. Clement's cover of Blossom Dearie 's I Like You , You're Nice is quite nice with smooth vocals over piano by Clement. Latin rhythm under Dearie's, I Know The Moon is cool with light, almost breathy vocals and firm, percussive piano over an easy but firm bass and drums bottom. Another favorite on the release, Our Day ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Thunder In The House , by Eliza Neals and I think that it's her best yet. Opening with Speedy Beady , a blues rocker, with a potent bottom, by Steve Lacross on drums and Doug Woem on bass give Eliza Neals a great stage to showcase her stellar vocals. Adding in Micheal Puwal on guitars, this is a potent opener. Lumbering, Blues Bombshell takes the form of a standard 8 bar with Neals wailing and Puwal playing dual slide lead guitars and adding Detroit Mike Hepner on B3 and grand piano and Justin Headley on drums. Unoriginal Bitch is a broke down blues rocker. Keep it simple, and with Neals on vocal and piano, Puwal on guitar, Woem on bass, Mark Leach on B3 and Headley on drums this is right up the middle. Wrapping the release is title track,  Thunder In The House , with a dark, swampy feel. Neals both on lead and backing vocals creates a strong vocal platform, added to by Puwal who is really effective on slid...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Soul Gone Blu' , from Paul Boddy and it's a rocking blues party. Opening with One Hundred Years , Paul Boddy on vocal and guitar sets a cool rhythm with Jack Daley on bass, Aaron Comess on drums, Rob Clores on keys and warm backing vocals by Jessie Wagner and Lynn Lockamy . Chonnie-On-Chon is a great boogie blues with Mikey Jr. wailing on harmonica and slick slide work by Boddy. Funky, Cussin', Cryin' & Carryin' On , is a real cool track featuring Jessie on lead vocal and she really brings it and Boddy's slide work is fat toned and rich giving it a retro Elvin Bishop /Johnny V feel. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Little Willie John 's Need Your Love So Bad excellent vocals by Boddy and rich slide work by Sonny Landreth . Warm backing vocals by Wagner and Lockamy adds a great feel to the overall track and Landreth takes it home with extremely nice slide soloing. Excellent closer.  ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Fight On! True Blues Vol 2 , by Corey Harris , Alvin Youngblood Hart , and Guy Davis and it's pure roots blues. Opening with We Are Almost Down To The Shore (Fight On) is written by Jimmy Strother and originally on banjo but adapted by Cory Harris to guitar, presented in a Piedmont finger style accompanying Harris on vocals. Solid opener. See Me When You Can is performed in Delta style by Guy Davis on vocal and acoustic guitar. His finger work is strong and confident and his vocals rich and sincere. Very nice. Harris wrote clever rag, What's That I Smell , with cool, laid back finger work on acoustic guitar and great vocal delivery by Harris. Alvin Youngblood Hart takes over on original composition, If The Blues Was Money . The track has just the right texture with authentic delta style guitar work and Hart's own vocals. Very cool. On Rev Gary Davis ', I Belong To The Band , Harris' very strong voc...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ernestine Blues , from Bob Corritore & Friends and it's a big solid scoop of pure blues. Opening with Tony Coleman on vocal and guitar on How'd You Learn To Shake It Like That , Coleman has a great feel for Chicago style blues and Corritore is one of the best on harp on old Chicago style. Joined by Jimi Primetime Smith on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass, and Anthony Geraci on piano, this is a solid opener. Pat Thomas is featured on vocal and guitar on Big Fat Mama with Corritore adding choice harp riffs. This is a particularly strong track with authentic delta styling and Hooker like meter with no exact number of beats in a measure. Pure! Tia Carroll has the mic on Sam Cooke's Ernestine . With solid R&B styling and warm backing vocals by Eboni McDonald, Diamond Porter and Yolanda Tharrington, Doug James on sax, Geraci on piano, Bob Margolin on guitar, Stroger on bass, and Wes Starr on drums, this...

 I just had the opportunity to review the latest release, My Voice , by Laura Chavez , and it's a super blues rocker. Opening with a driving cover of CCR 's Born On The Bayou , With Chavez grinding out the melody, Lea Worms playing over the top organ, Tomek Germann on bass and Explosive drumming by Marty Dodson, this is a powerful opener. Shot-Zee is a full on R&B track in the vein of Booker T ... a 70's rocker with heavy drums and bass, saturated organ and fiery guitars.  One of my favorite tracks on the release is sensitive blues, Wanderer . With Worms forming the melody on warm organ and Chavez literally screaming out a melodic interpretation on electric guitar with hints of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac , this track is explosive. Excellent! Covering El Cascabel is a natural for Chavez who grew up in San Diego just minutes from the Mexican border, her father being a first generation Mexican American. El Cascabel is a Mariachi standard and Chavez picks up a nylon...

 I just had the opportunity to review  the most recent release, In The Wee Hours , by George Cotsirilos , and it's refreshingly beautiful. Opening with lush, A Nameless Poet , George Cotsirilos on nylon string, acoustic guitar flawlessly executes a super opener. Richie Beirach 's, Gale , is a nice ballad with a smart, call and response between his single lined statements and chorded responses. With rich tones and and quiet background, very nice. Ellington 's, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me , has classic framing and a minor swing, giving the track a clean approach. Jimmy Van Heusen 's Like Someone In Love has a cool, bop feel, with clean articulation and vibrant chords. The track seems to just hang in the air. Matt Dennis ' The Night We Called It A Day really nicely showcases Cotsirilos' ability to present the melody on a platter with creative, harmonica garnish . A  genuine pleasure to listen to. Wrapping the release is Gordon Jenkins ' classic, This Is...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Welcome To Sunderland , from The Wildcat O'Halloran Ban d and Wildcat is back rocking and ripping on guitar. Opening with Welcome Wagon , Wildcat on vocal and guitar leads the way with Jopey Fitzpatrick on drums, Angelo Mursey on bass and Paul Provost on keys. Johnny Winter 's Check Her Mama has a cool Latin rhythm and Wildcat has those pickups fattened up with rich tone for his blistering riffs joined by Ottomatic Slim on harp. Big Maceo 's Worried Life Blues is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a deep blues feel and soulful vocal and guitar work by Wildcat. Provost's electric keys tell the story nicely and Wildcat digs in with some really nice riffs of his own. Dan Penn 's blues rocker, Blues Of The Month Club , has a great feel with it's lightly funky rhythm, Provost's piano work and Wildcat's saturated blues riffs. Wilson Pickett 's, Don't Knock My Love , keeps it...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release,  Picc Pocket , rom  Erica von Kleist , and it's super. Opening with  We Know how To Picc 'Em , a bright poppy number with a Latin beat, Eric von Kleist lays out the melody on piccolo with precision and soul. Backed by Yago Vazquez on piano, Noriko Ueda on bass and Anton Kot on drums, this is a strong track. Vazquez maintains the rhythm as Ueda solos on bass creating a strong opener. On  Bone 2 Picc , von Kleist teams up with Jennifer Krupa on trombone for a perfect melody. Krupa really handles the trombone with a terrific, muted horn solo, backed by Kot, Ueda and Vazquez for one of my favorites on the release.  Picc & Choose  is another strong composition, with von Kleist presenting the melody over a very light backing. Slowly building with  Vazquez on piano, and Ueda on bass quietly building with more cymbal and snare by Kot as Vazquez solos. Lively movement and a bright me...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Temple of Blues II , from Cactus and it's strong blues rock...old school! Opening with Back Door Man Pt 1&2 , Eric Gales leads the way on vocal and guitr with Artie Dillon on rhythm guitar, Billy Sheehan on bass and featuring the driving drum work of Carmine Appice . Super. Pat Travers is featured on lead and slide guitar on Moanin' At Midnight with Ed Terry on vocal, Dillon on rhythm guitar, Jim Caputo on bass and Appice on organ and drums. Travers style really give the track a great bluesy feel, really grinding in. Very cool. Ron Bumblefoot Thal on guitar leads the way on Tokin Chokin' , a fun, country pop rocker with edge. Terry handles vocals and with plenty of splash cymbals by Appice, and Johnny Rod on bass, Bumblefoot really sails on slide. Tail Dragger has a Brit blues rock feel with Terry on vocal and Rockin Jake on harp. Appice's driving drum line with Rudy Sarzo on bass, gives guitarist ...