Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Best of Sandy Atkinson , by Sandy Atkinson , and it saturated with soulful vocals and hot guitar blues. Opening with Sweet Little Pieces , Ben Sudano on bass  Tom Bell on drums lay down a super SB Williams/Hooker boogie line with Cannon Quinn on guitars and Sandy Atkinson on vocal and guitar. Solid opener. Got The Wrong Number has a western/bluesy feel with Atkinson on acoustic guitar and vocal pairing with Quinn on guitars and nice piano work by Dean Germain. Boogie, Cook In Your Kitchen showcases Tomcat Blake on guitars with Atkinson's vocals, Richard Price on bass, Dan Degregory on drums, Henry Burke on keys and Wayne Beardwoods on sax. I like the slower, acoustic blues of Back To The Livin (live) featuring solid vocal and guitar work of Atkinson and Quinn. Very nice. Talkin To The Animals is a cool blues rocker with a springy rhythm. With saucy vocals by Atkinson, Quinn on guitar, Germain on keys, Suda...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Keep Both Hands On The Wheel , by Babaux and the Peacemakers , and it's a solid mix of rural rock and blues. Opening with Steal Your Love , Babaux (Christian Basso) leads the way on vocals, joined by Eric Martinez on lead guitar, Mike Davidov on bass Ben Waligoske wailing on steel guitar and Jake Herman on drums. With a strong bottom and aggressive lead guitar work, this is a solid opener. Wildflower dials it back a few notches but with particularly cool vocals and resonator by Babaux and CR Gruver on B3, this track is a swampy rocker. Walk The Mile is another track that has just that right taste of Van Zant with plenty of southern swagger, gritty vocals and Martinez playing lead guitar over a warm bed of B3  and a meaty bottom. Title track, Keep Both Hands On The Wheel is a loose rocker with an effectively ragged vocal melody and B3/guitar carrying the load. Martinez plays a bluesy lead solo making this one of m...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Other Side of Blue , by Misty Blues and it's smoking. Opening with slow blues, I've Got Vices , Gina Coleman with her powerful vocals lead the way, joined by the blistering guitar work of Seth Fleischmann and power sax work of  Aaron Dean, Diego Mongue on bass and David Vittone on keys and Rob Tatten on drums. Funky, Trust Ain't Given is a solid mover with snappy drum/guitar rhythm supporting Coleman on vocals. Vittone on organ really thickens up the funk and Tatten's stick work on drums really stiffens up the slam. Very cool. Dark, jazzy, Three Mississippi's , is one of the coolest tracks on the release pairing Coleman's vocals with the backing of Chantel McCullouch, Wendy Lipp, Kathy Ryan, Rebecca Mattson and Sean Bottoms on vocal and the warm guitar work of Fleischmann. Carry On This Way has a swaying blues feel giving Dean a great opportunity to show his sax chops and Coleman's vocal phras...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bring It On Back To Me , from John Brenan and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with Junkyard Blues , John Brennan on vocal, guitar and drums sets his own pace. With a touch of reverb Brennan has the guitar firmly under his fingers and a slide at ready. Singing and playing with real conviction, this is hard not to like. On Elmore James ' It Hurts Me Too , Brennan shows a good hand with the slide and his vocals are strong and steady. Very cool. JJ Cale 's, Call Me The Breeze gets a hybrid cover somewhere between Cale's own arrangement and that of Lynyrd Skynyrd . Hi vocal has more spunk than Cale's own but less than the swagger of Ronnie Van Zant and his guitar playing is more bluesy than Cale's but not as wound out as King/Collins and Rossington... still a lot of fun. Another great original, Ain't Gonna Cry For You No More is a strong blues rocker with a driving beat and sweet slide under ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, One Way Ride , from John Brennan, and it's a real nice set of blues rockers. Opening with Nothin' To Lose , John Brennan on vocal, slide and drums sets a solid blues foundation. With it's traditional sound and, electrified hollow body slide sound and solid vocals, Brennan shows a purity that I rarely hear on contemporary blues releases. On Elmore James', Shake Your Money Maker, I think the track sounds spontaneous along the lines of Hound Dog Taylor. A great cut and hot slide. On Robert Johnson's shuffle Ramblin' On My Mind , Brennan's vocals are highlighted with solid slide, balancing with acoustic rhythm guitar. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Where'd You Stay last Night , a vibrant rocker with a late 50's/early 60's sound. Stripped down with basic guitar, drum and vocal, this track rocks. Slipping in with some real nice lead/slide guitar and a rockabilly feel, this is an excel...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, 106 Miles To Chicago , from The B. Christopher Band and it's a party band deluxe. Opening with Floyd Dickson's Hey Bartender the band is swinging. With Eddie Testa on vocal, B. Christopher on guitar, Anton Fig on drums, Nick Douglas on bass, Bruce Katz on keys, Andy Snizter on sax, Ryan Keberle on trombone, and Tony Kadleck on trumpet, the house is rockin'. Robert Johnson's Sweet Home Chicago has much of the Blues Brother's swagger with blazing horns, cool piano work by Katz, bluesy guitar swagger by Christopher, a sweltering sax solo by Snizter, warm trombone work by Keberle and smooth vocals by Testa. On Taj Mahal's slinky, She Caught The Katy , Testa really delivers on vocal with Kadleck on trumpet and Studebaker John on harmonica pushing the top. Christopher lays in a real nice guitar solo pulling forth strong emotion from Mahal's original arrangement. Wrapping the release is the horn line...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Silver Lining , from Misty Blues , and it's strong. Opening with Seduction By  Blues , Gina Coleman with her deep, thick blues oozing vocals permeate the air. Out of the darkness bursts Seth Fleischmann on guitar backed by Bill Patriquin on bass and Rob Tatten  on drums, driven by David Vittone on keys. Powerful opener.  The Upper Hand had a cool creep about it with atmospheric guitar work woven with Joel Nicolas on keys, Aaron Dean on sax and Patriquin on trumpet. Bluesy rocker, Enough Lovin' For Two and a great sax/bass riff and Fleischmann rips a real nice guitar solo adding nicely to this already cool track. Funky blues rocker, That's My Cross , finds Coleman on vocal over a funky guitar rhythm. I really like the laid out sax solo by Dean and Fleischmann rips a great solo of his making this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Wrapping the release is Blues Never Ends , with the Diego Mongue Band...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Outside The Lines , by Misty Blues and I really like it. Opening with Where The Blues Come From , MB lays down a heavy bottomed blues rocker with thumping bass lines and vocal by Bill Patriquin, and heavy drum work and vocals by Rob Tatten, and rabble rousing organ by David Vittone with solid contributions by Gina Coleman on cigar box guitar and vocal, Diego Monque on guitar and vocal, Seth Fleischmann on guitar and vocals and  Benny Kohn on keys. On One Of These Days , Matt Cusson on keys and vocals gives the track a cool, Latin feel with Fleischmann soaring on lead guitar, strong sax work by Aaron Dean, and snappy drumming by Tatten. Coleman really shines on lead vocal on funky, Grip Your Soul . Her deep vocal attack, along with excellent guitar work by Fleischmann and screaming sax work by Aaron Dean make this one of my favorites on the release. Kat Riggins and Justin Johnson guest vocal with Coleman on The Hat...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Snapshots From The Second Floor , by The B. Christopher Band and is a hot one. Opening with jumping blues instrumental, All Twisted Up , B. Christopher and Studebaker John on harmonica really get your heart pumping from the very start. With Anton Fig on drums and Nick Douglas on bass, this track is terrific. The sauntering bass line by Douglas on Sugar Baby sets a terrific path for Christopher's melodic guitar lead. Very nice. take It Home has a driving boogie rhythm courtesy Douglas and Fig giving a clear runway for Studebaker and Christopher to take off. With it's Latin overtone, Who You Gonna Turn To Now really moves. Featuring Ellard James "Moose" Boles on lead vocal and some really nice slide work by Christopher this track is a solid add to the set. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Late Night Crying , has traditional blues roots with a firm bass line by Eric Collier and strong lead vocals ...