Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, New Paradigm , from Zen Zadravec , and it's strong! Opening with driving, First Impressions , John Douglas on trumpet, Dominic Bierenga on tenor sax and Todd Bashore on alto sax really rip the melody with firm punctuation by Zan Zadravec on piano, Mike Pope on bass and David Alverez. Zen cruises into an easy, laid back take on the melody before blowing the doors open with a super expansion with terrific percussion soloing and detailing by Alvarez . Excellent opener. Rebirth is a cool Brazilian/ Chick Corea influence with Bierenga on sax joining with Dylan Bell on vocal, articulating the melody. Elaborating on the theme, joined by Zen who expands the track with brightness and an almost joyous feel, anchored by Alvarez on drums. Very nice. In Memoriam (In Memory of Irene Zadravec) has a beautiful melody illustrated by Bierenga on soprano with counterpoint by Zen on piano and excellent drumming by Alvarez. A lush bas...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Into Thin Air , from Dar Stellabotta and it's earthy. Opening with Many Miles To Go , I'm immediately attracted to this release. A thumping, droning bass line, under electric cigar box guitar and solitary vocal with hill country purity, what's not to like. Dar is authentic, and confident with a solid melody and foot stomp and going it alone. Transparent orange vinyl is cool on the eyes and the purity of her work is evident plastered directly in the center of the listening room. Strong opener. Living on the River is a bit rockier with a pinch of White Stripes . Dar's vocals are smoother than Whites and her guitar work more rudimentary but it's perfect for this sound. Deep, rich and cleanly recorded into total darkness. Never Heard has a bit more of a stripped down primitive sound (seems like a track waiting to be picked up by another rocker with a few pals) but I like this original form. Dar's s...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Young Rell , by Harrell Davenport , and it's hot! Opening with Chicago Style shuffle , Tomorrow , Harrell Davenport on harmonica, guitar and vocal evokes early Muddy Waters with plenty of grit and spunk. With Jim Pugh on piano, Daquantre "Q" Johnson on bass, and June Core on drums this is a super opener. R&B flavored, Spinning , shows Davenports roots with soulful vocals, Pugh on organ, Endre Tarczy on bass, Kid Andersen on rhythm guitar, and Core on drums with Larry Batiste on backing vocals, Aaron Lington on sax and Niel Levonius on trumpet giving an authentic 60's R&B feel. Very nice. Richland Swing is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Davenport really showcasing his guitar mastery ala Gatemouth Brown style , Pugh really pushing on organ, Lington wailing on bari sax, Levonius on trumpet and with Tarcyz on bass and Core on drums. Smoking!! I Be Tryin' is a great blues trac...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Man Who Would Be King , from Adam De Lucia and it's quite interesting. Opening with Cycle One , guitarist Adam De Luca and Oz Noy   open with clean, melodic, phrasing with Henry Hey on Rhodes piano sounding somewhat like a Jeff Beck/Max Middleton sequence before breaking into an excellent Cody McCorry bass solo pushed by Jordan Perlson on drums. Rocker, Store On The Corner, has a driving bottom courtesy of Tim Lefebvre on bass and Perlson on drums. Brian Lawlor on keys sets a melodic floor and Michael Ghegan on sax leads the way. De Lucia flexes his strat with some muscular riffs but keeping it to a solid jam. Will You Follow has an Asian feel with a modern Latin rhythm led by Hey on Hammond and Rhodes, light vocal melody by Chrissi Poland and Ghegan, and De Lucia on strat with an attack resembling classical Spanish acoustic. Lefeebvre and Perlson anchor the track on bass and drums. Quite different. Wr...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Collar , by Chris O'Leary and it's a huge bite of Chicago style blues . Opening with shuffle, Bad Decisions , Chris O'Leary on vocal and harmonica sets a  romping pace with crisp piano work by Bronson Hoover , Chuck Cotton on drums, Rodgigo Mantovani on bass and Pat O'Shea on guitar. Solid opener. Funky, Am I the Only Fool? , features super horn backing by Shane Kirsch, Andy Stahl and Ron Knittle on sax giving it a cool Memphis sound and O'Shea's guitar is stinging under O'Leary's vocals with Hoover on keys, Cotton on drums and Shiela Klinefelter on bass. Slower paced track, Nothing But A Memory not only features O'Leary's strong vocals but smoky harmonica and Morganfield like slide guitar work by Rollin Bob Margolin really adds great flavor and further guitar work by Chris Vitarello, piano by Jesse O'Brien, Mike Law on bass and Mike Bram on drums makes for a tight trac...

 I jut had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Stretch , from Ben Patterson and it's cooking. Opening with Unbridled , Ben Patterson on trombone leads off on this slamming adventure. Backed by Shawn Purcell on guitar, Harry Appelman on keys, Miles Brown on bass and Todd Harrison on drums, this track is energetic. Patterson stretches out with a real nice elaboration of the melody, chased by Appelman on piano and Purcell really kicks it with a vibrant guitar solo making this a super opener. In swiftly paced 6/8 time, Ship of Fools is perfectly coordinated with Patterson, Purcell, and Appelman trading phrases every four bars making for quite an exciting exchange, anchored and augmented by Brown on bass and vibrant drums by Harrison. Very cool. My favorite track on the release may be David and Francis a hot bottom and a driving rhythm. Patterson really kicks in on trombone setting the pace and Appleman on B3 rolls up behind him and adds the funk. Of course everyone...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ain't Wasting Time , from Nicky T And The Snake Charmers and it's dripping blues, soul and R&B music. Opening with Magic Sam 's, That's All I Need , Nicky T with soulful vocals and groomed guitar riffs gets into that Impressions groove. With Todd Glass on drums, Alex Lyon on bass, Chris Codish on keys, and Greg Nagy on backing vocals, this is a solid opener. Rock n Roller, Feel Like A Hundred , features a driving guitar lead with vocals by Nicky and super piano work by Andy Szymanski on piano. Pete Berg on drums and Frank Greenhalgh round out the band and this track is really moving. Gritty blues, The Glass really gets down featuring guitarist extraordinaire, Ronnie Earl on lead guitar and excellent vocals by Greg Nagy. This tracks really sails with the addition of Jon Johnson on drums, Mike Marshall on bass, Jason Bone on rhythm guitar, John Gavin on piano and warm organ work by Szymanski. Excell...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bridge Street Blues , from Dave Thomas , and it's a solid blues rocker in the vein of Mayall or JJ Cale . Opening with Go To Legends , an easy flowing Cale like track Dave Thomas on vocal and guitar sits down in a groove, with nice guitar riffs that really work, and Declan Sinnott on drums holds it tight.  Gone For Good is a broken down country rocker that has super style. A trace of Neil Young with cool acoustic slide gives this track a memorable melody. Honey is a smooth as silk with some of Thomas' best vocals on the release in traditional blues style. Light acoustic guitar work by Thomas really works on this track. One of my favorite tracks on the release is blues rocker, I Know You Through and Through with a snappy drum rhythm by Sinnott. Thomas balances his soft spoken vocals with nice, round guitar tone solos, overlaid on his own guitar rhythm. Very cool. Wrapping the release is title track, Bridge Stre...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Stone Cold , from Russ Green , and it's a driving blues rocker. Opening with Lint Redux , you are immediately in the middle of a swampy blues with modern effects. With a firm foot stomp by Felix Pollard on drums and Vic Jackson on bass Russ Green on harmonica and vocals really has the earthy feel. Giles Corey on slide gives the track great grease and Green's harp work is strong. Excellent opener. 12 Feet of Water opens with a terrific harmonica aria before grinding into a super drum driven romp. With the feel that I can only describe as Hill Country , Green delivers such soulful vocals, comforted by Joe Monroe on keys, this track just grabs you. Green's harmonica is like a shuddering wind blowing through you with the thumping bass of Vic Jackson and Vince Agwada on guitar. Excellent! Easy going shuffle, Nobody Knows has a smooth, supple melody with backing acoustic guitar, minimal drum work and melodic ha...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Call Me Mr. Blues , by The Scott O'Neal Band and it's a good mix of rocking blues. Opening with Nothin' To Gain , Scott O'Neal on lead vocal and guitar gets the track rocking with Carl Dalgren on keys, Mike Hutchenson on drums,  Mark Winley on bass and Brian Waterbury on guitars. Solid opener. Just Another Day has strong radio play bones with a cool melody and solid backing vocals by Casandra Long, Mary Kelley and Merri McKee on backing vocals and Dalgren on keys. Shuffle, Givin' me The Blues , has a real nice feel with solid vocals by O'Neal, warm organ work by Dalgren and vital guitar riffs by Waterbury. Rocker, Cash Is King is one of my favorites on the release with a driving guitar rhythm, piano and bottom and the addition of Max Bouchard on trombone, Brad Moors on trumpet and Alex Holland on sax. Trading guitar riffs with Dalgren on piano, and a standout sax solo by Holland, this is a super...