Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, On A Roll , from Mark Cameron and it's a flavorful slice of contemporary blues rock. Opening with Trouble Brewin ' an upbeat shuffle, Cameron on lead vocal and guitar, leads the way with Rick Miller on harp, Scott Lundberg on bass, Dan Schroeder on drums and Sheri Cameron on woodwinds. Title track, On A Roll is a solid rocker with definite radio appeal. I like Cameron's guitar phrasing and the trim beat of this track. Dicey is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a walking bass line and suspenseful feel. With it spoken lead vocal and cool backing vocals by Rick and Scott, topped by the reverb saturated guitar...very cool. A strong bass line by Lundberg and punchy horn work by Sheri really Next Stop Is The Blues off nicely. Another lively blues rocker, Movin Out has a great driving rhythm with real nice harp work by Miller and simple but tight guitar work by Cameron. Mojo Shuffle is another real...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Live at Blues On The Chippewa , by the Mark Cameron Band and it's rough and tumble. Opening with boogie track, Doctor In The House , Mark Cameron has the lead on vocal and guitar with Bill Keyes on harp, Scott Lundberg on bass, Dan Schroeder on drums and Sheri Cameron on flute and percussion. Willie Mabon styling on Dicey makes it a really cool track with mostly spoken lyrics and double stopped guitar and harp work. Borrowed Time is a slower ballad with nice blues bones. Nicely highlighting Mark's vocals and with nice flute work by Sheri, the solemn guitar soloing by Mark is particularly cool... like James Gurley on Summertime. With a slice of two step, Mojo Shuffle cruises nicely with it's tight bass line and harp riff. Willie Dixon's Killin' Floor is up next in the slot between the original and Led Zep's take. With raw vocals and a rock beat, Keyes lays on the harp giving the track a cool blues e...