Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live , from Chris "Bad News" Barnes it's  a full blown boogie rocker. Opening with Back In A Cadillac , Barnes leads with his vocal power, joined by Gary Hoey on lead guitar, Steve Guyger onharp and backed by Sandy MacDonald on piano, AJ Pappas on bass, Matt Scurfield on drums, Mark Earley on sax, Doug Woolverton on trumpet and Gracie Curran on backing vocal. Little Walter's Boom Boom, Out Go The Lights gets a faster rockier pace and a strong harmonica solo by Guyger, nice sax solo by Earley, wicked guitar work by Hoey and full trumpet work by Woolverton give the track real oomph. Gravelly vocals by Barnes on a lumbering version of Morganfield's Hoochie Coochie Man is real nice with a humping bass line by Pappas and greasy solos by both Hoey and Guyger give the track a real grind. With it's Bo Diddley beat, It's Tight Like Tha t, has Curran echoing Barnes lead vocals and wicked slide by ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Come Undone , from Gracie Curran and it's meaty. Opening with title track, Come Undone , Gracie Curran is back with her newest release and a lot of soul. This is old school styling with Damon Fowler on guitar, Matt Walker on guitar and bass, Justin Headley on drums, Pat Harrington on drums, Victor Wainwright on keys, Doug Woolverton on trumpet and Mark Earley on sax really delivers the goods. Curran's vocal phrasing and style, with a touch of reggae is just right for an excellent opener! High energy swing track, Stay Up! , shows Curran is not only happy digging in deep but very light on her feet. Fowler's fleet fingered guitar work is nicely backed by Jeremy Powell on keys and New Orleans style horn work by Woolverton and Earley give this track extra zip. On shuffle track, Sweet Sativa , Fowler pulls out the slide giving the track a down home feel and playing off backing vocals, Curran has this track right...

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...

Here's the latest VizzTone news blast.  There's been a lot happening, so it's a long one!  To make it easier to navigate, here's a little Table of Contents. Read on for: BLUES MUSIC AWARDS BLUES PARTY ON BEALE AWARD SEASON AGAIN!    COMING SOON SNEAK PEEK - NEW VIZZTONE ARTISTS! ARTIST NOTES VIZZABLE MUSIC WELCOME TO THE VIZZTONE ROOM   BLUES MUSIC AWARDS     We had a natural ball in Memphis last month, as expected.  We were proud to root for all our nominees at the Blues Music Awards, and thrilled to see Diunna Greenleaf accept the Koko Taylor Award , Traditional Blues Female Artist .  We watched great performances by Little G Weevil , Gracie Curran , and Bob Margolin (performing on the eve of his birthday with Ronnie Earl.) Here are a few pics. Diunna Greenleaf accepting her long-overdue Koko Taylor Award!  (photo by Louis Blackwell) Bob Margol...