Bman's Blues Report

The Chris Duarte Group, Austin, Texas The Chris Duarte Group heads to South Central Florida to kick off 2017 with a five-show run including the opening night headliner for the Suncoast Blues Festival  at the Sarasota Fairgrounds!  Other shows will be hosted by Ray Lewis at the Mudville Music Room in Jacksonville, a return to The Alley in Sanford, a stop at Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach, and finishing at The Barrel Room in Fort Myers. The Chris Duarte Group had a banner year in 2016, highlighted by Chris Duarte being inducted into the Canadian Blues Hall of Fame while touring in Windsor, spending two weeks in the Sturgis, South Dakota area up to and during Bike Week and introducing his power-trio style of Blues to new fans at several new stops across our great Nation. Another highlight was a three-show sell-out in Joplin, M...

I just received the newest release, Lucky 13 , from the Chris Duarte Group and it cooks! Opening with free wheelin' You Know You're Wrong, Duarte, backed by John McKnight on drums and Kevin Vecchione on bass, this tracks rocks. A relentless drive on the bottom and Duarte's fluid guitar riffs make this a grand opener. Think SRV on an experimental, progressive trip. Angry Man is a cool rock n roller with a nice hook. A simple beat and flashy riffs make this a very appealing track. Crazy For Your Love is a strong blues track with a solid Texas lope. You want a heavy dose of Texas blues...here it is! Excellent! Who Loves You is Chris Duarte meets Clarence Brown. With a definite swing and beautiful Gatemouth like guitar riffs, this track is a winner. Here I Come is a lighter pop style blues track with slick guitar riffs and a definite hook. Let It Go is an intense slow blues track with incredibly inspired guitar soloing. This track is over 9 minutes but believe me, it s...

Chris Duarte Group Lucky 13 Blues Bureau International 14 October 2014   Chris Duarte Group emerged on the scene out of Austin, Texas, in the early 90’s and gained notoriety after wowing a packed room of industry insiders at the South X Southwest convention. In the wake of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s passing, Duarte quickly gained a national reputation as a young m...

I just received, My Soul Alone , the new Chris Duarte Group release and it's interestingly different. I've been Listening to Duarte for quite some time and one thing that is consistent is quality music that is predictably unpredictable. The CD opens with Show Me That You Want It , a loping Texas style blues with smokin hot guitar riffs... what i typically associate with Duarte. Duarte's music has similarities to SRV but you know, SRV had style similarities to others so it is unfair to make a comparison. This sounds like Duarte... nice and hot! Yes, It's You takes has more of a pop flavor on a Texas contemporary country rock track. Definitely radio time. Take Me Now starts a stronger veer toward jazz/rock with a very light touch on guitar and a Latin rhythm. Duarte shows a strong command of his craft and versatility in guitar style sounding more like Steely Dan. A Dollar Down And Feeling Low is a deep electric blues and one which is destined to be one of the big call...