Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Make Them Dance , from Johnny Rawls and it's full of R&B, blues and soul. Opening with rocker, So Cold , Johnny Rawls on lead vocal leads the attack with the style early Clapton/Bramlett collaboration with Will McFarlane on guitar, Steve Potts on drums, Bob Trenchard on bass and Dan Ferguson on keys, beefed up by Mike Middleton on trumpet, Andy Roman on sax, Nick Flood on bari sax, Frank Otero on trombone, Kimberly Horton and Trinecia Butler on backing vocals. Latin flavored rocker, Make Them Dance is the title track with rich backing vocals, warm keys by Ferguson, a real nice sax solo by Roman, and hot percussion by Potts. Give It To Me has cool R&B roots with a hi stepping rhythm and solid horn backing. Rawls works the vocals and McFarlane adds cool bluesy guitar riffs making the track just that much bluesier. My favorite track on the release, Say That You Love Me , has a distinct Curtis Mayfield feel, giv...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Floreada's Boy , from Zac Harmon and it's a solid blues release. Opening with Babe & Ricky's Inn , Zac Harmon on lead vocal and guitar created a cool, R&B blues sound with terrific blues phrasing, joined by Corey Lacy on keys, Nate Robinson on bass, Gino Iglehart on drums and Kingston Livingston on guitars. Strong opener. Funky blues rocker, Glass Ceiling , has a hot rhythm guitar riff by Livingston and Harmon's lead work is augmented by Lacy's keyboards and snappy drum work by Iglehart. Soulful, That's The Way I Feel About Cha , is a nice showcase for Harmon's rich vocal styling and nice backing vocals by SueAnn Carwell, Carly Thomas Smith and Derrick Procell. Very nice. Big Dog Blues is one of my favorites on the release with strong vocal lead and some of the best guitar work on the release. Christopher Troy's organ work adds a nice weight to the track and the LA Horns (Les Kepics...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Walking Heart Attack , from Johnny Rawls , and it's a full helping of soulful blues. Opening with title track, Walking Heart Attack , Johnny Rawls is wading in James Brown territory with sweaty funk. Joined by Dan Ferguson on keys, Richy Puga on drums, Johnny McGhee on guitar, Bob Trenchard on bass, Andy Roman on sax, Nick Flood on Baari sax, Mike Middleton on trumpet and Frank Otero on trombone, this is a solid opener. Tell Me The Truth is pumped up bluesy guitar riffs by McGhee and great horn punctuation by Flood, Middleton and Otero. My favorite track on the release is Johnny Copeland's soulful, Born All Over , featuring Rawls vocals and nicely complimented by Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston on backing vocals. Wrapping the release is radio focused, Mississippi Dreams with it's supple melody and warm instrumentation. Ferguson on keys, Puga on drums, McGhee on guitar, Trenchard on bass, a solid sax solo b...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hello Mojo! , from Derrick Procell , and it's a solid contemporary blues release. Opening with Skin In The Game , Derrick Procell who covers lead vocal does a real nice job, supported by featuring Zac Harmon on guitar, Johnny McGhee on guitar, Richy Puga on drums, Dan Ferguson on keys, Bob Tenchard on bass, and a full horn section of Andy Roman on tenor and alto sax, Nick Flood on baritone and tenor sax, Mike Middleton on trumpet and Frank Otero on trombone. Strong opener. On Broken Promise with it's Latin rhythm, Procell adds in some real nice harmonica lead, sounding influenced by Lee Oscar. With backing vocal by Sueann Carwell, Meredith Colby and Jessica Ivey, this has a smooth radio styling. Baby I'm Lost , with it's cool rhythm has a cool, relaxed feel. Procell on lead and harmonica with his rich backing vocalists and with the addition of Munyungo Jackson on percussion makes for another cool radio tra...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Mississippi BarBQ , by Zac Harmon and it's a cool contemporary blues release. Opening with Gypsy Road, a R&B style blues number with Harmon's trademark silky smooth vocals and stinging guitar work, he's got another winner. Backed by Bob Trenchard on bass, Richy Puga on drums, Johnny McGhee on guitar, Dan Ferguson on keys, Mike Middleton on trumpet, Andy Roman on sax, Nick Flood on sax and Drake Domingue on trombone, this is a solid opener. Blues rocker, Smoke and Mirrors has a cool hook, punctuated by slick guitar riffs and nice backing vocals by Janelle Thompson, Shakara Weston, SueAnn Carwell and Corey Carmichael. Crossing over to a smooth soul radio groove and title track, Mississippi BarBQ , Harmon really lays it back nice and easy. Backing vocals by Thompson, Weston, Carwell and Carmichael and a sweet melodic guitar solo by Harmon make this an ideal radio track. One of my favorite tracks on the release ...

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...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Every Soul's A Star , from Dave Keller and it's a solid R&B entry. Opening with Don't Let Them Take Your Joy , a poppy R&B track, Dave Keller leads a super band on vocal and guitar with excellent backing from Bob Trenchard on bass, Johnny McGhee on guitar, Dan Ferguson on keys, Richy Puga on drums, Mike Middleton on trumpet and Nick Flood on sax. Solid opener. On title track, Every Soul's A Star , a warm horn intro leads the way for Keller's soulful vocals and nice backing vocals by Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston. Digging down into the funk, Ronnie Shannon's Baby, I Love You has a great sound. I really love Aretha's version of this, but I really like this one as well with a slower, more powerful bottom and bluesy guitar riffs. Very cool. Another solid R&B track, Freedom Is Ours is another solid vocal track which benefits nicely from the horn work of Middleton and Flood. Up-...

Every Soul’s a Star on New Dave Keller CD, Due from Catfood Records on October 19 Label Debut CD Produced by Grammy-Winner Jim Gaines EL PASO, TX – Catfood Records announces the October 19 release of Every Soul’s a Star, the label debut from acclaimed soul/blues singer and guitarist Dave Keller. Produced by Grammy-winner Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Luther Allison) and recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, Every Soul’s a Star showcases 10 original songs, plus a scintillating cover of the Aretha Franklin classic, “Baby, I Love You.” Keller’s soulful vocals are beautifully supported by The Rays, which includes not only legendary Motown guitarist Johnny McGee, but also Bob Trenchard – bass; Dan Ferguson - Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, keyboards; Richy Puga – drums; Mike Middleton – trumpet; Nick Flood - tenor and baritone sax, plus the heavenly voices of Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston - background vocals; and Christopher Serrano – percussion....

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Been Good To Me , from James Armstrong and it's quite enjoyable. Opening with title track, Blues Been Good To Me , James Armstrong has a great rolling rhythm going leading the way on vocal and guitar. John Kattke on B3 adds a real nice feel joined by Matt Murdick on keys and Darryl Wright on bass. Second Time Around has a nice slide sound by Armstrong and with his smooth vocals and a modified rock beat. Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love gets a cool, loping swing and Armstrong makes it his own, backed by Amy Slack and Kimberlie Helton as well as the horns of Bryan Fritz, Corey Fritz and Kasimu Taylor. Early Grave is a real nice R&B track and has not only a great feel but premium guitar soloing, vocals and additional vocals by Johnny Rawls and Mary Jo Curry. Very nice! Funky, Old Man In The Morning (Young Man At Night) has a great JGW /WWW R&B/blues feel and clever hook making it one of my favorite...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Waiting For The Train , from Johnny Rawls and it's solid. Opening with pumped up R&B track, Rain Keep Falling ("Till I'm Free) with Rawls on lead vocals backed by Johnny McGhee on guitar, Bob Trenchard on bass, Richy Puga on drums, Dan Ferguson on keys, and the super horn section of Andy Roman on sax, Mike Middleton on trumpet, Nick Flood on sax and Joel Chavarria on trombone. Las Vegas has a slick groove and tight trumpet accents. Rawls vocals are pure backed by Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston on vocals. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Bobby Womack's I'm In Love with it's warm melody, smooth guitar solo and nicely blended backing vocals. Bob Dylan's I Shall Be Released gets a fine makeover with smooth lead vocals and beautiful backing vocals over a polished and nicely orchestrated melody. Very nice. We Did It is a bright R&B track with a super feel and a feel t...

Blues Been Good to Me Declares James Armstrong on New Catfood Records CD, Coming October 20 EL PASO, TX – Catfood Records announces an October 20 release date for Blues Been Good to Me , the new CD from James Armstrong, which he produced with Blues Music Award-winner Johnny Rawls. This is his third album for Catfood, following Blues at the Border (2011) and Guitar Angels (2014). Recorded primarily at Sawhorse Studios in St. Louis, as well as at associate producer Jim Gaines’ Bessie Blue Studio in Tennessee, Blues Been Good to Me showcases the vocals and guitar of James Armstrong, backed by a hand-picked group of musicians who have played with him on numerous live shows, which made for a very comfortable fit. The band includes Matt Murdick - keyboards, vocals (who has worked with Buddy Guy, John Primer, Little Melton, and Johnny Johnson); Johnny McGhee - rhythm guitar (one of the founding members of LTD and has worked/recorded with Marvin Gaye, Natalie Cole and...

Singer Johnny Rawls Boards the Soul-Blues Express on New CD, Waiting for the Train , Coming September 15 from Catfood Records EL PASO, TX – Catfood Records announces a September 15 release date for Waiting for the Train, the new CD from Blues Music Award-winning singer Johnny Rawls. Produced by multi-Grammy-winning producer Jim Gaines, Waiting for the Train was recorded at the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, with additional recording at Bessie Blue Studio in Stantonville, Tennessee. On the new disc, Rawls is backed by his long-standing recording unit, The Rays: Johnny McGhee – guitar; Bob Trenchard – bass; Richy Puga – drums; Dan Ferguson – keyboards; Andy Roman – alto/tenor sax; Mike Middleton – trumpet; Nick Flood – baritone/tenor sax; Joel Chavarria – trombone; with Jon Olazabal – percussion; and backing vocals by Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston.  Waiting for the Train features six originals (five co-written by Rawls and one by labelmate James Armstrong and...

I just received the newest release, Tiger In A Cage , from Johnny Rawls and I really like it. Opening with title track, Tiger In A Cage which has a lot of the characteristics of Curtis Mayfield, smooth with a super groove via Bob Trenchard on bass and an added treat, Mike Middleton playing a loose jazzy trumpet lead. Excellent! Born To The Blues has a more bluesy rolling sound courtesy of the Rays featuring Andy Roman on sax, Middleton on trumpet, Robert Claiborne on trombone and Nick Flood on bari sax. A nice bass groove by Trenchard, slick guitar riffs by Johnny McGhee and tight drums from Richy Puga give this track strong radio appeal. Rawls' vocals throughout this release are very solid and Red Cadillac is no exception. With a cool R&B feel, and Trenchard driving the train, this track is just flat out cool! Every Woman Needs A Working Man has a chugging train feel and McGhee's guitar riffs punctuate the phrasing nicely. Reckless Heart is an easy soul ballad and ...

Sandy Carroll Takes a Musical Journey on New CD , Last Southern Belle , Coming February 19 on Catfood Records Produced by Multi-Grammy-Winner Jim Gaines and Recorded in Tennessee & Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Songs Reflect Carroll’s Experiences as a Southern Woman EL PASO, TX – Catfood Records announces a February 19, 2016, release date for Last Southern Belle , the new album from celebrated singer/songwriting Sandy Carroll. Produced by Sandy’s husband, multi-Grammy-winner Jim Gaines, Last Southern Belle was recorded primarily at Bessie Blue Studio in West Tennessee, with additional recording done at Nutthouse Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The CD includes backing from a host of all-star musicians, including legendary bassist David Hood, guitarist Will McFarlane and drummer Steve Potts.  S everal songs on the new CD were co-written with Mark Narmore who is in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and has penned several big hits (“That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “M...