Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Qualified , by Joe Krown Trio +1 featuring Papa Mali and it's strong. Opening with Dr. John's , Qualified , Joe Krown on piano with Papa Mali on guitar and lead vocals really create a ruckus. Casandra Faulconer on bass nicely augments the excellent rhythm work of Eric Bolivar on drums. Excellent opener. Driving piano blues, Mess Around , anchored by Krown on piano also features some super work by Jason Mingledorff on bari sax and Mali wails on guitar giving the track a nice edge. Allen Toussant's funky, Going Down , has a great back beat emphasized by Bolivar on drums and Krown rides high on organ. Another funky treat is Papa Mali's Neckbone with a super funky guitar rhythm with a killer warm organ saturation and a snappy bottom by Faulconer and Bolivar. Mali original, Honey Bee , has a cool, bluesy feel with great trombone work by Mark Mullins and a strong piano solo by Krown. Wrapping the releas...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (July 14, 2018), Endangered Species: The Essential Recordings , from Cyril Neville and it's chocked full of New Orleans fused funk. This release is actually one of two releases, the first being a 5 disc retrospective (The Complete Recordings) and the finely distilled 1 disc compilation (The Essential Recordings) which I am reviewing.  Opening with Love Has Got To Win Cyril has a great pumping bass line and with tight rhythms, smart backing vocals and a solid melody, the track is super. Second Line Soca is a polished look at second line rhythms having a bit more sophistication than street music but all of the energy. Very cool. With a funky hip hop rhythm and a floating sax riff, Funkaliscious really moves. One of my favorite tracks on the release is soulful, Calling All Souls with warm lead vocals, a great bass line, super melody and excellent vocal backing.  Running With The Secord Line really has that str...

I just received the newest release, The Royal Gospel , from Royal Southern Brotherhood , and it's their best yet! Opening with Where's There's Smoke There's Fire , this band is hot. Tyrone Vaughan "smokes" the guitar strings with a vicious guitar solo and Norman Caesar's B3 ride is very effective. Darrell Phillips bass work, Bart Walker on guitar and Cyril Neville on percussion with Yonrico Scott on drums makes this a spectacular opener. I've Seen Enough To Know is a cool R&B style track with light funky guitar work and a great bass line. Blood Is Thicker Than Water has a super slinky, funky groove with reggae like vocals. An infectious percussion groove and slick guitar tips this one. A really cool track and one of my favorites on the release. R&B/gospel style, I Wonder Why really has a solid bass groove with nicely woven fabric of guitar , percussion, organ and vocals. Excellent! Cyril's fingerprints are on the writing of I'm Com...

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...

Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions Produced by Tom Hambridge and Blessed by FAME founder Rick Hall Cyril Neville’s Royal Southern Brotherhood Eyes May 26 th For Digital Release and June 9th for CDs in Stores! “They are not a band – they are an extravaganza” –   John Hiatt Atlanta, GA – Ruf Records recording group, Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB) preps for their much anticipated third studio album, Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions for two opportunities for fans May 26 th for online stores to download and then June 9 th in the record store bins. This album was recorded at the legendary FAME Studios (est. 1960 - Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Otis Redding) in Muscle Shoals, AL with Grammy award-winning producer Tom Hambridge and the band’s new guitar lineup as Cyril Neville leads the charge forward. Don’t Look Back is a spiritual journey that only Cyril Neville can lead. The elite percussionis...

Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions Produced by Tom Hambridge and Blessed by FAME founder Rick Hall Cyril Neville’s Royal Southern Brotherhood Eyes May 26 th For 3 rd Studio Album “They are not a band – they are an extravaganza” –   John Hiatt Atlanta, GA – Ruf Records recording group, Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB) preps for their much anticipated third studio album, Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions for release on May 26 th . This album was recorded at the legendary FAME Studios (est. 1960 - Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Otis Redding) in Muscle Shoals, AL with Grammy award-winning producer Tom Hambridge and the band’s new guitar line up as Cyril Neville leads the charge forward. Don’t Look Back is a spiritual journey that only Cyril Neville can lead. The elite percussionist’s experiences combined with these talented, energetic players create a new sound that remains reverent to the...

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 ...

“Where Blues Crosses Over” (Pronounced “Roof”) RUF RECORDS HITS THE BLUES CHARTS WITH TWO CDs NEXT WEEK New Records From SAVOY BROWN, ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD & JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR Out Now Label’s “Songs From The Road” CD/DVD Sets Chart With Joanne ...