Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Brothers by Junior Wells and featuring many contemporary blues players. Opening with low slung, Blues Hit Big Town , Colin James weighs in on lead guitar with Wells on Harp. Good Morning Little School Girl lines up Pat Travers on guitar and James Montgomery on harp. I really like Montgomery's work and his interweaving with Travers on this track is tight. One of Well's most loved classics, Messin' With the Kid gets a rework with Tyler Bryant on guitar and his open tone with just the right amount of reverb works really nicely. Baby, Scratch My Back features Albert Castiglia and I always like his style. He doesn't overplay but his notes all count. Very nice. Eric Gales is featured on Lovey Dovey, Lovey One and his confident attack on this shuffle really works nicely. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Snatch It Back And Hold It, featuring Joe Louis Walker. His guitar work is fluid and fleet...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Blues , from William Shatner, yes that William Shatner. What's it like...you'll have to see for yourself.  Opening with blues classic, Sweet Home Chicago , Shatner teams up with Brad Paisley who throws down some cool blues and country riffs along with Jurgen Engler on guitar, bass and banjo, Chris Lentz on keys and Adam Hamilton on drums, bass, guitar and harmonica. Shatners vocals are freeform and emotional. Otis Rush's I Can't Quit You Baby , features Kirk Fletcher who runs some real nice glues riffs of his own and manages Shatner's freeform vocals nicely. Cream's Sunshine of Your Love is up next, mostly in spoken word and I gotta say that Hamilton's work on drums is exceptional and Landreth wails on slide. Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore takes BB King's, The Thrill Is Gone to the next level and Shatner's vocals are as relaxed as I've ever heard on this track. Pat Travers ...

I just received the newest release, Snake Box , from Harvey Mandel and it's very adventurous. For those of you unfamiliar with Mandel's work, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, John Mayall, Rolling Stones, Love and the Ventures. This 6 disc set, 5 studio releases packaged in original covers and one live jam set make up a good cross section of Mandel's early work. Also in the box are 4 pages of liner notes, poster photos and track info. Disc One, Cristo Redentor was released in 1968 and shows a strong slice of the musical experimentation that was happening at the time. Before Six with it's Latin rhythm and horns is not unlike things that Butterfield was experimenting with. Musselwhite adds his distinctive harp tones on the Lark . The Snake has a lot of the sounds that you would expect from a San Francisco band of the late 60's. Long Wait shows true signs of blues roots with interesting interweaving of guitar, keys and percussion. A long experime...

Legendary Blues Guitarist Harvey “The Snake” Mandel   Releases Early Solo Albums In 6CD Box Set! Los Angeles, CA - Innovative blues guitarist Harvey Mandel, has had the kind of career that musicians dream about. Most known for his pivotal work with blues rock institution Canned Heat in 1969 & 70 including their legendary performance at Woodstock, Mandel has over the course of his 6 decade career collaborated with music luminaries such as John Mayall, The Rolling Stones, Love, The Ventures and many more! But Mandel’s genius playing truly shines on his solo efforts, which he began releasing in 1968, and continues to release to this day. Now, some of these early solo albums are being made available in a deluxe 6CD box set from Purple Pyramid Records on January 20. The limited edition Snake Box includes 5 classic solo albums each packaged in its own sleeve with original artwork plus a bonus 1968 concert recording and a full-color booklet with in-de...

I just received the newest release (April 29, 2014), Primitive Son , from Eli Cook and it's a rockin, snarling blues guitar release. Opening with War Horse , Cook and gang (Wade Warfield on drums and Rob Richmond on bass) crank up a Led Zep feel with a southern twist. It has a mesmerizing groove and cool guitar riffs. Revelator has a bit more pop to it adding Vinny Appice (drums), Jorgen Carlsson (bass and B3) and Steffen Presley and Greg Hampton on backing vocals. Sweet Thang has a slinky sound and features Tinsley Ellis on additional guitar. High In The Morning , a southern influenced track features Sonny Landreth on some slick slide work. Reese Wynans adds some Vocals remind me quite a bit of Black Label Society. Won't Be Long is a real nice little acoustic ballad featuring Cook on acoustic slide and vocal. Motor Queen steps out with real attitude... a club swingin blues rocker with Leslie West joining on guitar. This track has a lot of attitude and is one of my favorit...

Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, USA)[1] is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career. Mandel is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping. Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan but grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and his first record was the album Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band in 1966 with Charlie Musselwhite. Described in 1997's Legends of Rock Guitar as a "legendary" album, it was influential in bridging the gap between blues and rock and roll, with Mandel's "relentless fuzztone, feedback-edged solos, and unusual syncopated phrasing."[3] He relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, performing often at a club called The Matrix, where local favorites like Jerry Garcia or...