Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Strip It Down , by Casey James and it's quite good. Opening with blues rocker, All I Need , Tommy MacDonald sets a Ray Manzarek style bass groove and Casey James on lead vocal and guitar takes the bait. His vocals are gritty and his guitar tone is warm and rich. Backed by Kevin McKendree on Wurlitzer, Tom Hambridge on drums and Ron McNelley on rhythm guitars, this is a band made in heaven. Two stepper, Bulletproof, has a great feel and Delbert McClinton joins on vocal giving it great style and screaming harp work gives it great edge. Hurt Me More has a real nice Texas lope where McKendree's dancing key work nicely compliments James' vocals and guitar riffs. Very nice. Pat Buchanan's harp work sets the tone for Latin flavored blues number, I Got To Go with a great sound. Hambridge's tight rhythm patterns drive this track, McKendree's B3 solo adds color and James guitar soloing and vocals are to...

Former “American Idol” Finalist Casey James Returns to His Texas Blues Roots on Latest Album, Strip It Down Singer/Guitarist’s Album Produced by Grammy-Winner Tom Hambridge & Features Guest Duet with Delbert McClinton NASHVILLE, TN – “All I want to do is play music,” says singer/guitarist, Casey James. “Stripping it back to just me making a record of music that I love was a huge stepping stone in my life.” Released June 9, Strip It Down , his new album produced by Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge and featuring a guest duet with the legendary Delbert McClinton, does just that. It’s titled Strip It Down because it’s exactly what Casey James did – shed off the layers of stylized artistic clothing that he’d been given in those other public ventures to find the real artist underneath, a guy with a convincing, smokey vocal quality and a burning, lyrical skill with a guitar. Recorded at Sound Stage Studio and The Switchyard in Nashville, Strip It Down is a glori...

Concert Schedule: 10/20 Boston, MA Ned Devine’s, Boston, MA, 8:00 PM. 10/22 Lakeside, CA Lakeside Rodeo Grounds, in Lakeside, CA, 3:00 PM. 10/26 Modesto, CA The Fat Cat Music House and Lounge in Modesto, CA, 6:0o PM. 10/28 Sacramento, CA DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento, CA, 9:00 PM. 11/14 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore at the NC Music Factory in Charlotte, NC, 8:00 PM. 11/15 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel, in Asheville, NC, 7:30 PM. 11/16 Chattanooga, TN The Chattanooga Billiards Club, in Chattanooga, TN, 7:00 PM. Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click Here

Casey Everett James (born May 31, 1982) is an American singer and guitarist from Fort Worth, Texas, who was the third-place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol. Before American Idol, he played with his band, The Casey James Band, consisting of James, his brother, Bills Cole (bass), and Jacy McCann (drums). They recorded four songs, including the first song that James ever wrote, "Freezing," back in 2002. James cites blues guitarist Doyle Bramhall II as a major musical influence and whom he would most like to perform with in his Idol Q&A. Another major influence is Stevie Ray Vaughan; James named Vaughn's In the Beginning (1992) as a formative album in his early years. I got an album called “In the Beginning” and I learned every note on it, which was easier to do because it was early on in his career [it was recorded in 1980]. I learned all those notes and it opened me up to the blues. When you look what he was doing, a lot of it was covers, and then you...