Bman's Blues Report

 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 ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Highs & Lows from Bernard Allison and I really like it. Opening with So Excited , Bernard Allison is back with heat. This opening track is a potent blues rocker with Allison on lead vocal and guitar, backed by Dylan Saifer on bass, Steve Potts on rhythm guitar and Jose Ned James on drums. A romping rhythm and Allison on slide guitar gives this track real spunk. With a laid back, "Steely Dan" jazzy feel, Allison for sure set Strain on My Heart up as the radio track with it's solid melody, Toby Lee Marshall on B3 and Wurlitzer and a fat sax solo by Toby Lee Marshall. Colin James guests on My Way or the Highway , a cool shuffle, giving James and Allison a nice opportunity to trade riffs including Allison on an organ guitar. One of my favorite tracks on the release is I Gave It All with a funky bottom and soulful vocals by Allison. With the addition of Marshall on B3 and James on sax, Allison lays down som...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Brothers by Junior Wells and featuring many contemporary blues players. Opening with low slung, Blues Hit Big Town , Colin James weighs in on lead guitar with Wells on Harp. Good Morning Little School Girl lines up Pat Travers on guitar and James Montgomery on harp. I really like Montgomery's work and his interweaving with Travers on this track is tight. One of Well's most loved classics, Messin' With the Kid gets a rework with Tyler Bryant on guitar and his open tone with just the right amount of reverb works really nicely. Baby, Scratch My Back features Albert Castiglia and I always like his style. He doesn't overplay but his notes all count. Very nice. Eric Gales is featured on Lovey Dovey, Lovey One and his confident attack on this shuffle really works nicely. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Snatch It Back And Hold It, featuring Joe Louis Walker. His guitar work is fluid and fleet...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues & Angels , from Sandy Carroll and it's got something special. Opening with Soak Me In The Spirit, a gospel soaked shuffle, Carroll has lead vocal backed by Rick Steff on keys, Steve Potts on drums, David Smith on bass and Will MacFarlane on guitar. Soulful ballad, Wrapped In An Angel , has a really nice melody, with Mark Narmore on keys, Smith on bass, Potts on drums and MacFarlane on guitars. Sassy shuffle, Mama Don't Like It is one of my favorite tracks with a cool shuffle feel clean bluesy riff by MacFarlane and some of Carroll's best vocals on the release. Funky, Headin' Home is another of my favorite tracks with snappy drum work by Mario Dawson, bass by George Moye and featuring Bernard Allison on guitar. Very cool. Wrapping the release is ballad, Mississippi Me featuring only her vocal and Narmore on piano. A fitting closer for a nice release.    If you support live Blues act...

Mike Zito, Bernard Allsion, Vanja Sky Blues Caravan 2018 Release: 19.10.2018 Format: CD + DVD Video Label: Ruf Records GmbH EAN: 0710347126027 This was no ordinary club tour. This was the Blues Caravan 2018. If you’ve followed Ruf’s rolling revue since it started life in 2005, you’ll already know that these shows are must-see events, throwing together three stellar artists on one bill – then letting the chemistry do the rest. Traditionally, the Blues Caravan lineup has showcased the...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (August 17, 2018), Bad Penny from Vanja Sky and it's a pop rocker with zip. Opening with title track, Bad Penny , Vanja Sky wastes no time in demonstrating her no prisoners attitude with a swaggering track that could easily be from the Lynyrd Skynyrd songbook. Leading the band on guitar and vocal Sky is backed by Mike Zito on guitar, Terry Day on bass, Matthew Johnson on drums and Lewis Stephens on keys. Low Down And Dirty is my favorite track on the release with what to me sounds like Mike Zito on vocal and slide guitar. This track has a gritty two step feel with cool guitar lead and vocals by Sky making this track hot hot hot! All Night has a poppy/rock feel with firm rhythm guitar and polished vocals by Sky. Ballad, Inside Pain has a smooth Mark Knopfler guitar feel and a solid radio melody. Another of my favorites is Give Me Back My Sou l with a great SRV /Texas lope with Dave Smith on bass and Yonrico Scott ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, First Class Life , by Mike Zito and I really like it. This is an excellent follow-up to Zito's 2017 release, Make Blues Not War that I reviewed last year and I think that he's on a great run! Opening with Mississippi Nights , a country blues flavored rocker, Zito leads on guitar and vocals, backed by Lewis Stephens on keys, Matthew Johnson on drums and Terry Dry on bass. Winding his slide out he really gets it cranking. What an opener! Title track, First Class Life not only has great style and feel, it has a real story and excellent slide work making it one of the top tracks on the release (and a super radio track to boot). Slower blues ballad, The World We Live In , has a strong melody and Zito's vocals are spot on. His guitar work, in response to his lead vocal is nicely punctuated. With the country funk of a Dickey Betts composition, Mama Don't Like No Wah Wah , has a real moving groove with Zito, j...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (February 2, 2018), Let It Go , from Bernard Allison and it's quite good. Opening with Cruisin For A Bluesin , Allison is strutting tall with solid vocals, tight guitar riffs and a solid back up band featuring John T. McGhee on rhythm guitar, George Moye on bass, and Mario Dawson on drums. With a funky feel, Backdoor Man is a cool track. Allison has great vocal phrasing and his slide work if fresh and greasy. Another track with a springy beat is Night Train with super tight drums from Dawson and a super groove. Well paced vocals by Allison and nicely stylized blues riffs give the track a strong overall presence. With a low slung jazz vibe, Jose Ned James on sax and Allison on vocal and guitar balance nicely on a cool cross radio track. Sure footed and lumbering, Leave Your Ego has a heavy bottom and smart guitar reinforcement. Allison really gets to grips with his guitar on this one laying down some real nice fier...

I just received the newest release (March 17, 2015), In The Mix , from Bernard Allison and it's tight. Opening with Colin James track Five Long Years , Allison kicks out a top notch rocker featuring George Moye on bass, Mario Dawson on drums, Bruce McCabe on keys and a real nice sax solo from Jose Ned James. Allison gnashes his blues guitar teeth on a reprise setting the track on afterburners. Easy blues rocker Call Me Momma has a bit of the New Orleans funky groove and Allison's vocals are smooth. Luther Allison's Move From The Hood has a great blues groove set by Moye and Allison's vocals are perfect. Allison lays into the guitar for some swinging blues solos making this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Tell Me Who , a sweet soul ballad, again shows the strength of Allison's vocals and sets up nicely for smokin solo riffs from James and Allison. Very nice! Something's Wrong has a real hot 12 bar Elmore James feel with hot slide work complimented...

Bluesman Bernard Allison Is In the Mix on First New Studio Album in Six Years, Coming March 17 on Jazzhaus Records FREIBURG, GERMANY – Blues guitarist and singer Bernard Allison will release his first new studio album in six years, In the Mix , on March 17 from the Germany-based label, Jazzhaus Records. Produced and arranged by Bernard Allison, In the Mix features 10 tracks, including five originals, as well as covers of two songs from his legendary father, Luther Allison (“Move from the Hood” and “Moving On Up”), plus tunes from Colin James (“Five Long Years”), Freddie King (“I’d Rather Be Blind”) and Tyrone Davis (“I Had It All the Time”). Although firmly rooted in the blues, the music on In the Mix shows Bernard’s myriad of influences, including soul, rock and R&B. Allison says about the recording sessions: “ I was very excited to record with my reformed group. We went into this recording with the mindset to not make a recording flooded with screamin...

Bernard Allison (born November 26, 1965, Chicago, Illinois) is a blues guitarist based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father, Luther Allison was a Chicago blues musician. Bernard Allison is the youngest of nine children, and had many different musical influences while growing up, including Albert King, Muddy Waters and Freddie King, and later, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter. “Like” Bman’s Facebook page (available in over 50 languages). I will not relay senseless nonsense. In this way I can get out the word on new talent, venues and blues happenings! - click Here

Bernard Allison (born November 26, 1965, Chicago, Illinois) is a blues guitarist based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father, Luther Allison was a Chicago blues musician. Bernard Allison is the youngest of nine children, and had many different musical influences while growing up, including Albert King, Muddy Waters and Freddie King, and later, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Winter. Allison accompanied his father to blues festivals in the early 1970s. There he was introduced to Muddy Waters, Hound Dog Taylor and Albert King, amongst others. After graduating from high school, Allison began playing with Koko Taylor in her touring band. He stayed with her until 1985, when he appeared at his own gigs as Bernard Allison and Back Talk. Allison spent time in Canada with his first band, but later rejoined Taylor and her Blues Machine for another two years in the late 1980s. After joining his father in Europe for a live recording, Allison was asked to join his father's touring band ...