Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Let The Gods Sing , from Herman Hitson , and I like it! Opening with title track, Let The Gods Sing , with it's rich, soulful, anthem like feel, Hitson really has a great start. With chant like vocals, eccentric rhythm guitar work (which I really like) by Hitson and Will Sexton on lead guitar, a firm bass line by Mark Edgar Stuart, Will McCarley on drums and full organ attack by Al Gamble, this is a terrific opening track. A cool change up is Ain't No Other Way with it's full "James Brown" on including horn pumping...great groove. A driving, somewhat psychedelic take on Willie Dixon's Backdoor Man is really cool with wowing vocals and backing organ. Wrapping the release is an upbeat funky track, Yampertown Funk with a cool bari/tenor sax horn mix and heavy organ work over a cool drum beat and guitar rhythm. This is a cool release and if you like your stuff funky, this could be your deal!    ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Incinerator , from Jimbo Mathus and it's really good. if you've been reading my reviews and commentary for a while, you know that I really like the work of Mathus. His output varies from deep blues (Buddy Guy) and 30's jazz (Squirrel Nut Zippers) to Mississippi hill country music and flat out rock (and many things in between). I wasn't sure what to expect from Mathus on this outing after his multi year hiatus touring with the SNZ but it is seems to be an unsorted mixture of everything he's been working on for the past few years. Opening with You Are Like A Song , a cool natural country song featuring Mathus on piano and lead vocal, backed by Matt Patton on bass and Bronson Tew on guitar this track is an instant radio track. The melody will stick in your head and Patton and Tew's backing vocals are all country. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Really Hurt Someone is a strong so...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 29, 2017), Jetlagger , by Bette Smith and I really like it. Opening with original track, I Will Feed You , a dynamic "Macy Gray" styled ballad with a really strong melody, Smith lays out what I think it a sure fire radio track. With Jimbo Mathus on guitar and keys, Bronson Tew on drums, Matt Patton on bass, Scott Goolsby on guitar, Jamison Hollister on violin, Marc Franklin & Kirk Smothers on horns, and Susan Marshall on backing vocals, the music is thick. Excellent! R&B track, Flying Sweet Angel of Joy has rich gospel like backing vocals giving this track a super richness. Jimbo Mathus' Dirty Hustlin' gets a super funk treatment and it really is strong. This track is perfect for Smith and deep backing vocals, paired with the bass/drum work and a clever guitar solo by Mathus makes it one of my favorites as well. Another Mathus penned track, Moaning Bench , has strong R&B drive w...

I just received the newest release, Age Don't Mean A Thing , from Robert Finley and it's a powerful new soul release. Opening with high stepping Memphis groove, I Just Want To Tell You , Robert Finley wastes no time establishing that his talent far exceeds his professional experience. An extremely soulful vocalist, Finley traveled north to Memphis to work with members of the Bo-Keys. Players include a who’s who of the Memphis soul scene including drummer Howard Grimes (Al Green, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, OV Wright), Marc Franklin (Bobby “Blue” Bland), Jimbo Mathus (Elvis Costello), Al Gamble (St. Paul & The Broken Bones, the Hold Steady, Alex Chilton), Kirk Smothers (Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Guy), Reba Russell (U2, BB King), Harold Thomas (James Carr) and Daunielle Hill (Solomon Burke). With full soul backing vocals and Al Gamble's B3 rolling this is a great opener. On title track, Age Don't Mean A Thing , Finley really sings with gut wrenching authority. This track...

Seratones -  Get Gone LP / CD / Digital Out Today Buy Now (FP Store) Get Gone , the debut album from Shreveport, LA's Seratones is available worldwide today.  Led by powerhouse frontwoman A.J. Haynes whose thunderous vocals recall the grit of Janis Joplin and gospel of Mavis Staples, Seratones’ debut is one of the best rock records you will hear in 2016. Haynes’s powerful singing voice, first honed at Brownsville Baptist Church in Columbia, Louisiana at age 6, rings across every track. Adam Davis’s bass and Jesse Gabriel’s playing propel every song with the grit, energy, ...