Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rise Above , from Billy J and it's a solid rocker. Opening with She's Mine, a cool 60's style rocker features Billy J on vocal and guitar, Yonrico Scott on drums, Charlie Wooton on bass, and Jeremy Baum on keys, this track could have turned up on an early Englisher metal rocker. Cool opener. Shuffle, Line Em Up is a slick blues rocker with a tight bass line and solid guitar riffs. Slow blues ballad, New Car , gives Billy a strong opportunity to step up and show his stuff soloing. With a play on words with the lyrics and a plenty of space to move, Billy sets a great table. She is a simple, mostly acoustic ballad that would seem to be a direct tune for the radio. With the melody of a Lindsay Buckingham composition, this track is mellow and tight with a nice melodic guitar solo. Wrapping the release is Boomerang , a strong rocker with a driving beat and ripping guitar lead. This is likely my favorite track on t...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (August 23, 2019), Blue Basso , from Charlie Wooton Project and it's really good. Opening with funky rocker, Jaceaux , Wooton sets a terrific bass line with Keiko Komaki heating up the keys, Doug Winbish on bass and Jermal Watson on drums. Excellent opener. Rolling into a cool radio style R&B number, Arsene Delay has lead vocal on Reflections. Her vocals are sweet and float on the tune with glistening key work and jazzy guitar riffs by Daniel Groover. Come On Come Over has a great funky bottom, and instrumental style vocals, an aggressive bass line and a snappy drum line. One Night is a bluesy ballad with my favorite vocals by Delay. Anders Osborne sits in with a real nice guitar solo giving the track a bit more sting. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Fulton Alley with really funky bass and guitar lines. This track, which really crosses over into fusion really humps. Excellent! Guitar wiz S...

I just received the newest release, Don't Look Back , from the Royal Southern Brotherhood and it's a funky, reggae, soul and blues jam. Opening with I Wanna Be Free , a hot rocker with white hot guitar riffs from new members, Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan, and a solid bottom from Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott. Reach My Goal adds just a little funk and some cool B3 from Ivan Neville with an almost Doobies sound. Cyrille Neville, Walker and Vaughan blend nice vocally and Walker plays a fluid guitar solo making this an ideal radio track. A real nice bass intro by Wooten opens reggae infused title track, Don't Look Back , with Walker on banjo and nice percussion work from Neville and Scott. Hit Me Once has a light funky jazz sound with an R&B vocal style. This is a cool track and Neville's vocals hit! Walker and Vaughan trade some slashing riffs on this track enforcing this as one of my favorites on the release. The Big Greasy has a slippery funk style with a c...

Royal Southern Brotherhood Takes the Sonic Highway to Muscle Shoals’ FAME Studios With New Guitarists Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan ATLANTA, GA - Ruf Recording artists, Royal Southern Brotherhood, are raising the ante as they roll into the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The band has added fiery guitar slingers Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan to breathe new energy into their third studio release. The new blood is there to help the venerable Cyril Neville and powerhouse rhythm section Yonrico Scott and Charlie Wooton up the funk while maintaining the blues and rock that has brought Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB) a growing, worldwide audience. Click on photo to watch footage from the new line up! http://youtu.be/sVVc2oeFcDg The Brotherhood has toured incessantly over the last four years, canvassing the USA, Europe and Australia. The hard work paid off as RSB watched their fan base and notoriety swell. 2014 also saw...

I just received the newest release, HeartSoulBlood from Royal Southern Brotherhood and it's smooth! Opening with World Blues , a swampy, funky rocker with underlying hot slide and guitar work from Mike Zito and Devon Allman. Cyril Neville adds a super percussion track giving the track tht extra spark. Rock And Roll is a classic rocker with driving guitar riffs and drum work by Yonrico Scott. Groove On has a jazzy feel and hints of Steely Dan. Warm vocal harmonies and a distinctive rhythm are the keys to this track. Nice twin guitar leads to cap the track add a bit of bite. Here It Is is built over a cool funky bass riff from Charlie Wooton. A very funky jam track to get you moving. Callous has a slow slinky bluesy feel and is likely my favorite track on the release. A romping bass line and raw guitar soloing really make this a standout track. Lead vocals on this track are also particularly effective. Ritual had a grinding rhythm guitar part and actually reminds me a bit of ...

I just received the newest release (November 19, 2013), a self titled EP by Billy J and it's pretty cool. Billy is joined on the release by Yonrico Scott (Derek Trucks Band) on drums, Charlie Wooton (Royal Southern Brotherhood) on bass Jeremy Baum (Shemeka Copeland) on keys and Stephen "Buzzy" Krist on percussion. Opening with She's Mine , a country funk with a strong lean to Deep Purple's and Golden Earring, Billy J wastes no time in showing his guitar chops and arrangements by Dave Fields guarantee a tight package. On My Baby's Blue , a straight forward blues rocker, Billy styles a track that should easily fit into many playlists with a solid melody and contagious hook. She , a quiet ballad, sounds like it could have been written by Stevie Nicks and the articulated acoustic guitar work by Buckingham. This is another clever pop like track and again shows strong commercial potential. New Car takes a different street altogether showing flashes of Big Brothe...