Posts

Showing posts with the label Blue Collar

This Week's Reader's Favorite Post

💿 ALBUM REVIEW: Leigh Pilzer - Keep Holding On

Image
Get ready to groove with Dr. Leigh Pilzer , the Washington, D.C. baritone sax powerhouse who proves that jazz is meant to be a living, breathing party, not a dusty museum piece. Described as a pure force of nature with a gruff, punchy, and assertive sound, Leigh brings a heavy dose of soulful grit to the stage. She has traded licks with the legendary Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and even arranged horns for local legends like Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy , and now she is bringing that deep, soulful swagger front and center with her vibrant new album, Keep Holding On. This record is a masterclass in pure, undeniable groove, packed with plenty of attitude, low-end bark, and raw energy that blues fans will instantly appreciate. Keep Holding On strikes the perfect balance between paying respect to the jazz heritage and absolutely cutting loose, making it an essential, high-energy addition to your playlist.   🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM   Keep Holding On by Leigh ...

Alligator Records artist: Chris O'Leary - Blue Collar - New Release Review

Image
 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...