Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Double Standards , from Mick Kolassa and it's packed full of stars and blues standards. Opening with Willie Dixon's 600 Pounds of Heavenly Joy , Kolassa is joined by Sugaray Rayford on vocal with solid Latin rhythm by James Cunningham on drums. With Kolassa on guitar and vocal, Bill Ruffino on bass, Chis Stephenson on organ, and Colin John on guitar, very solid opener. H eather Crosse joins on lead vocal for another Dixon hit, I Just Want To Make Love To You . With her sultry vocals and Eric Hughes on harp, this is a real cool track. With it's jazzy club feel, Annika Chambers really shows on Fever . Her vocals are rich and deep caressed in a warm bed of Jensen's guitar tone. Alice Hasan's violin contributions to Tas Cru and Kolassa's rework of Jimmie Cox's Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out is really nice. Another particularly warm spot is Erica Brown 's vocal lead on Dix...

I just received the newest release, Born To Love the Blues, from Dan Treanor's Afrosippi Band and it's a lot of fun. Opening with a cool boogaloo track, Can You Hear Me , featuring Erica Brown on lead vocals and a solid boogaloo bottom from Scott Headley (drums), Jack Erwin (bass) and Dan Treanor who also lays out a pretty smooth solo on guitar. On Done Got Old , the Afrosippi gets a strong rework and i really like it. Brown's vocals and Treanor's harp work are hot on the top and a driving rhythm section makes this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Funky track, Who Knows Who , has a real nice strut and Treanor displays a smokey taste on harp nicely complimenting Brown's vocals and a cool bass line from Erwin. Hurt Like Mine is a modern blues with deep roots. Traces of Black Keys are evident with raw guitar riffs and Treanor's harp lead and Brown's vocals are top notch. Excellent! The classic, A Change Is Gonna Come , features Merrian Johnson on...