Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release from The Bluesmasters , and it's rich with gospel, soul and blues. Opening with Downward Road , Cassie Taylor fills the air with soulful vocal backed by Larea Edwards , and Chrissy Grant . With the thumping bass line of  Kassidy Kent , and Sally Van Meter on lap steel, this is a strong opener. Slow paced, Sit Down Servant really gives Taylor to sing the blues and with Edwards and Grant on on backing vocals, Van Meter on Lap steel and Christian Teele on drums, another solid entry. With plenty of gospel wealth and sway, You're Gonna Make Me Cry , Taylor leads the way and Eric Moon on keys fleshes out the instrumentation and Teele amps up the bottom. I Wonder Why is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's droning bass line by Tim Tucker and Teele on drums. The interplay between Taylor, Grant and Edwards is lush and Doug Lynn 's harmonica adds a great accent. Wrapping the release is...

I just received a copy of the new release, Out Of My Mind , by Cassie Taylor and she just keeps getting better! This release of 12 original tracks opens with Ol' Mama Dean , a soulful strut with a great pop hook and in addition to sweet vocals from Taylor includes rippin nice slide guitar work from Steve Mignano. Some Spare Love is a particularly cool blues track with soft but rich vocals supported by clean guitar riffs by Mignano and minimal drums by Larry Thompson and bass by Taylor. Mignano really has a nice hand on the fretboard and adds significantly to the overall feel of the track. I really like this. Lay My Head On Your Pillow is a real nice R&B style track done lightly backed by acoustic guitar and drums. Taylor continues to demonstrate her individuality in vocal style, not going over the top with vocal pyrotechnics but singing solid tracks with certain feel. New Orleans shows a definite period style with solid pop style vocals and is strengthened by addition of tr...

  Blind Raccoon & Earwig Music Showcase Friday, May 10, 2 - 8:15 p.m. Purple Haze Night Club, Downtown Memphis, One Block South of B.B. King's on Second Featuring Andy Cohen, Leo Hull, Tommy McCoy, Guitar Mikey RB Stone, Johnny Drummer & Chris James and Patrick Rynn Blues Hall of Fame Tribute Jam Wednesday, May 8, 10 p.m. onwards B.B. King's on Beale, Memphis Yellow Dog Records All Star Showcase Thursday, May 9, 12:45 - 3:45 p.m. B.B. King's on Beale, Memphis VizzTone Label Group's Blues Party On Beale Friday, May 10, 10 p.m. onwards Rum Boogie on Beale, Memphis ...

In dedication to Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin, both who played on this recording, a second volume of The Bluesmasters has been released. Featured are Mickey Thomas (vocals), Cassie Taylor (vocal and bass), hazel Miller (vocal),Eric Gakes (guitar) Rusty Anderson (guitar), Tim Tucker (guitar), Doug Lynn (harmonica), Aynsley Dunbar (drums), Larry Thompson (drums)and Ric Ulsky (Hammond B-3). First up is Sam Cooke's Bring It On Home To Me done jumps style with Taylor on vocals and Tucker kicking out a hot riff on guitar. Elmore James tune Talk To Me Baby gone swing shuffle again finds Taylor and Tucker rocking the joint with a cool harp riff from Lynn pushing Tucker on guitar. Johnnie Johnson standard Tanqueray gets a shuffle feel and Miller leads the way for a totally different feel altogether. Willie Dixon's I Just Want To Make Love To You gets a slinky feel. Don Nix ballad Same Old Blues features Taylor at her best and Tucker lays down a real strong guitar solo. I'...

I just received the newest effort, Blue , by Cassie Taylor and it's really good! Yes, she's Otis Taylor's daughter but her music is in a different universe. This album doesn't fit into the standard "Blues" mold but I actually quite liked the record. Taylor wrote all 10 tracks on the recording and it definitely has a blues root but it has influences in many other directions. Spoken For has the eerie melody of early Fiona Apple and cool harp accompaniment to a relatively stripped down track. Taylor has a great voice for this type of moody blue music. Black Coffee again has the blues phrasing and this time backed with gospel like vocals. The track actually puts me in mind of writing by D'Angelo... another of my contemporary favorite vocalists. Goodbye is an uptempo track again keeping the instrumental very light with drum and rhythm guitar. Taylor's voice is sprinkled lightly across the song like a chef making a fine cuisine. Cool guitar riffs are add...

The name says it all. “Girls with Guitars” – the 2011 Ruf Records Blues Caravan Tour – presents three of the scene’s hottest young female guitar slingers on a single stage. Over the past six years, the Blues Caravan has toured successfully in the UK, USA and throughout continental Europe. This unique triple bill revue has helped introduce bright new stars such as Ana Popovic and Joanne Shaw Taylor to an international audience. Following in their footsteps on the 2011 tour is a trio of dynamic, up-and-coming blues talents: Dani Wilde, Cassie Taylor and Samantha Fish. Hailing from Brighton, England, Dani Wilde sings the blues with the old-school fervor of Aretha Franklin, but also takes a cue from contemporaries like Duffy and Joss Stone. The singer/songwriter/guitarist has just released her second album, Shine, a collaboration with renowned producer Mike Vernon (Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac). She has shared stages with luminaries like Robben Ford, Candye Kane and Koko Taylor. Says Paul J...