Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues In My Heart, from Fiona Boyes and it's very good. A remaster of her first solo release from 2000 this is just releases by Reference Recordings and a tight mix. Opening with original track, Blues In My Heart , Boyes on acoustic guitar and vocal shows real finesse, a strong voice and clean execution. On Leadbelly's, Pig Meat , Boyes lets loose on it with much less controlled vocals and really fans the guitar with hot clean runs. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is ballad, Have Faith , with it's sensitive melody and quiet vocal and guitar blending. In Memphis Minnie style, Honey You Can Take My Man and joined by Kaz Dalla Rosa on harmonica, Paula Dowse on drums and Gina Woods on piano, Boyes really gets a swing on. Excellent! Boyes does a real nice job on Rev. Gary Davis' Mean Old World . Her guitar fingering, thumped accents and bluesy vocals really come together nicely on this one. ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Voodoo in the Shadows , from Fiona Boyes . Opening with dark, smoky Call Their Name , Boyes, with her swampy guitar rhythms and solid vocals leads the way backed by Tim Neal on keys, Mark Grunden on drums and Johnny Sansone on harp. On What You Put On Me , the band sets a Mississippi hill country pace with Sansone wailing away on harp and Boyes laying out some prime cigar box slide work. Very nice. On Latin flavored, Dark and Dangerous Love shows a different side of Boyes with dark, a seductive melody, steamy vocals and smooth guitar lead. Neal adds some real nice sax backing in addition to a hot organ solo and Grunden's conga playing really spices it up. New Orleans has a nice bluesy feel with great piano work by Neal. R&B roots fuel With A Little Respect . Neal steps up with another nice sax solo and melodic harp work by Sansone adds just the right tough to Boyes vocal efforts. Wrapping the release is another...

THE BLUES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 38TH BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINEES   Awards ceremony to be held May 11, 2017 in Memphis MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Blues Foundation is pleased to announce the nominations for its annual Blues Music Awards , which the international organization will present on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, Tennessee . Universally recognized as the highest accolade afforded blues musicians, The Blues Music Awards upholds its rich cultural tradition by honoring the past year’s superior achievements in blues performance, songwriting, and recording. This annual ceremony represents the premier event for blues professionals, musicians, and fans around the globe.   Sugar Ray Norcia , individually, ...