Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Kell's Kitchen , from Shawn Kellerman and it's an aggressive rocker with a lot of bite. Opening with hard driving, SKB , Shawn  Kellerman on lead vocal, and guitar, this track is really humming. With Carlton Campbell on drums, Terry Richardson on bass, Lance Anderson on Wurlitzer, and with the addition of Miku Graham, Saidah Baba Talibah, Emily Fennell and Meghan Parnell on vocal, this track is cranking! Excellent opener. Funky, Show Me What You Got , features Kellerman on lead vocal and playing some pretty tight guitar. Richardson on bass really funks it up and Van Romaine knows how to hold down the drums. Fennell and Parnell on backing vocal are joined by Jon Knight for a real party.  Bad Mamma Jamma is a great mix of funk and rock with Kellerman doing the lyrics and Anderson on B3 and Romaine on drums really kicking it up. Kellerman lays down a real nice guitar solo showing his complete ability to morph f...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Be Cool , from Willie J. Campbell and it's really strong. Opening with You Better Let Go , Sugar Ray Rayford is upfront on lead vocal, with Willie J. Campbell on bass, Brooks Milgate on keys, Kid Ramos on guitar and Jimi Bott on drums. Ramos lays out a really nice guitar solo on this somewhat funky track, nicely complimented by Condron Hampton on congas. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Can't Stay Away , featuring Janiva Magness on lead vocal and Brian Templeton on backing vocal, as well as Anson Funderburgh showing exceptional finesse on guitar. Also appearing on this track are Mike Morgan and Shawn Pittman on guitars.  Excellent! Templeton has the mic on Drone with it's droning bass line and features the harmonica wizardry of Jason Ricci. There's hardly a track that Ricci contributes to that I don't think that he improves substantially so this is another of my favorites. another Texas styl...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tribute , from Joe Krown , and it's a New Orleans soaked release. Opening with Allen Toussaint's, All Of It , renown piano and B3 player player really gets things going, backed by  Mark Brooks on bass, Doug Belote on drums and with some searing guitar riffs by Leo Nocentelli. Powerful opener. Dr. John's Such A Night maintains all of the spirit of the Daytripper's original with Ivan Neville on lead vocal and Kassie Netherland backing, Jack Miele and John Fohl on guitar and of course Krown really  working the piano. On Ode to Mr. Davis , Krown lays back in the slot with cool piano and B3, joined by excellent sax work by Joe Sublett, Belote and Brooks. Very nice. Lightning Hopkins' Feel So Bad , features Wolfman Washington on vocal and guitar. I have always loved his style and his vocal, paired with his own funky guitar riffs makes this my favorite track on the release. wrapping the release is a stirring ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live At The Palladium , by Damon Fowler & Friends and it's a smoking release. Opening with It Came Out Of Nowhere , a cool R&B infused blues track, Fowler on lead vocal and guitar is hot and heavy. I like his style and his voice. Joined by Dan Signor on keys, Justin Headley on drums, and Chuck Riley on bass, Fowler sets this one and lays his solo on the end like a pro. This is a fine opener. On Somethings Change , one of hte best Harmonica players on the planet, Jasson Ricci joins Fowler with some excellent riffs and both contributing to a energetic instrumental frenzy. Breaking into a a stretched reggae beat on Don't Feel Like Going There Today , Ricci, Fowler and Signor each have a turn at the wheel. Very nice. My favorite on the release, Tax Man , has a great blues structure ala Jeff Beck's Blues Deluxe. Fowler's vocals are excellent, coaxed along by Ricci who really lays it out there on harmoni...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Into Your Blues , from Johnny Sansone and it's got great style. Opening with title track, Into Your Blues, Johnny Sansone on harmonica, resonator guitar and lead vocal sets a cool, slinky pace. With Mike Morgan and Johnny Burgin on electric guitar, Jeffrey Bridges on bass, John Milham on drums, Tom Worrell on piano, Chris Spies on B3, Brad Walker on sax, Steve Lands on trumpet and Michael Sinkus on congos, bongos and tambourine, this is a solid opener. On Chicago style blues, Pay For This Song , Sansone gets in the slot with a super low slung lope and guitar riff by Burgin. Sansone blows some of his classic harmonica riffs giving the track a real Chicago feel. Jason Ricci guests on Blowin' Fire , an up tempo blues rocker. With solid vocals by Ricci and his flaming harmonica style, this is a great addition. Little Freddie King is featured on vocal and guitar on Willie's Juke Joint, a simple John Lee Hooker st...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Emotional Gangster , from Popa Chubby and it's a cool, aggressive blues rocker. Opening with driving, Tonight I'm Gonna Be The Man , Popa Chubby rips on slide over a rumbling beat. With tandem vocals he sets the pace and charging drums keep the tension. A cool, bluesy melody and blues rooted slide riffs saturate the track. Solid opener.  On Morganfield's Hoochie Coochie Man , Chubby gives the blues classic his own twist, retaining the bluesy roots but interjecting just a taste or rock. With a droning bass line he never gets to fast but he does take the time to show his chops on Water's original phrasing. Very nice. Harmonica wizard Jason Ricci sits in on Save The Best For Last , a low slung shuffle with a Jimmy Reed feel. Chubby really lays on the beat giving it a pronounced lope and his vocals are prime. Ricci and Chubby trade phrases making this one of my favorites on the release. Elmore James' Dust M...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Love One Another , from Big Al and the Heavyweights and it's a energetic blues rocker. Opening with title track, Love One Another, is a cool track with roots in canned heat and the Allman Brothers band. With  Wayne Lohr on vocal and keys, Marcel Anton on guitar and vocal, Mark Parsons on bass, Big Al Lauro on drums and featuring Luther Dickinson on guitar and Jason Ricci on harmonica, this is super opener. Wild Tchoupitoulas has a cool bass line and the vocal lead and backing is strong. Lohr's piano solo adds a nice a strong Louisiana spice. Soulful ballad, Guardian Angel has a solid melody and with Anton on lead vocal and lead guitar, really showing how much soul this band can conjure. Very nice. Cool blues rocker, What Can I Say has a real nice feel with a heavy bottom thanks to Big Al and Pasons and with cool harmonica work by Jason Ricci and low fret guitar soloing by Anton, this is one of my favorites on t...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (October 22, 2021), City Country City , by Jason Ricci and Joe Krown and it's really meaty. Opening with Jazz /Rock/Soul band, WAR, classic and title track, City Country City , Joe Krown plays a B3 soaked intro working into the lush melody played by Jason Ricci and snappy drum work by Doug Belote. Cool jam over a potent theme. Krown's blues shuffle, Down N' Dirty is a great jam based around a strong B3 framework by Krown giving him sufficient space to grow the concept and giving Ricci all of the room he needs to play his own style of harmonica which I think may be the best around right now. Guy is melodic, creative and emotional. Excellent! Ricci's New Orleans blues, Badger The Witness , give Ricci the opportunity to front on vocals and he does a great job. Krown's keyboard work is strong and Belote's drum work really killer. Joe Sample's funky jazz number, My Mama Told Me So, really works well...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 3, 2021), Holler If You Hear Me , from Altered Five Blues Band, and it's a strong contemporary blues release. Opening with blues rocker and title track, Holler If You Hear Me , Jeff Taylor is authoratative at the mic, backed by Jeff Schroedl on guitar, Mark Solverson on bass, Raymond Tevich on keys and Alan Arber on drums plus some cool harmonica work by Jason Ricci. Great opener. Ricci and Schroedl really hit the road running on If You Go Away (She Might Come Back) , and with a modern take on Chicago style blues, Taylor sets a grat pace. With a great blend of instrumentation and a tight drum rhythm by Arber, this track rocks. Slow blues, Holding on With One Hand, is one of my favorites on the release with excellent guitar lead, and powerful vocal from Taylor. The addition of Ricci on this release I think is a master stroke because everything that he plays on gains substantially from his feel. Another solid ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Magnificent Heart , from Peter Karp and has nicely blends rock, blues and folk throughout the release. Opening with Sitting On The Edge Of The World , Karp on lead vocal and guitar and Kim Wilson on harmonica find a solid balance in contemporary blues with John Ginty on B3, Niles Terrat on bass and Michael Catapano on drums. She Breaks Her Own Heart has a cool, swampy, R&B feel with a cool sax solo by David Kasper and horn work by Jacob Wynne on trumpet. The Grave has a cool, low slung feel with Karp pulling out his slide and Wilson adding some real nice harmonica and Ginty adding real depth on B3. The Cold City Horns really funk up Let It On Out , with a solid bass line by Terrat and nicely woven guitar and horn jamming. Very cool. Going Home is a roots blues style track with ace harmonica work by Jason Ricci, slick resonator slide work by Karp and military style snare drum work by Capano.  Wrapping the rele...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sweet Thing , from Moonshine Society and it's rich in blues. Opening with title track, Sweet Thing , lead singer, Black Betty uses her heavy, Big Mama styling to throw this track around like a rag doll with support from the likes of Jason Ricci with Joe Poppen on guitar, Wes Lanich on keys, Tod Ellsworth on bass and Rodney Dunton on drums. R&B ballad, Come On Home has great depth with the addition of Ron Holloway on tenor sax, Vince McCool on trumpet, Ken Wenzel on Bari sax and Billy Mayfield on backing vocals. Very nice. Funky, Southern Roads is one of my favorites with a super back beat and Ricci back on harp pushing Betty vocally and the excellent drum and guitar combo of Dunton and Poppen. Use Me On Guilded Splinters takes Bill Withers' classic Use Me, reinforces the funky rock bottom and hits it with a really hard dash of guitar, then rolls it all up in gumbo … Dr John style with I Walk On Guilded Sp...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Crazy All By Myself , from Nick Schnebelen , and it's quite good. Opening with blues rocker, Lil' Death , Schnebelen creates a strong bar on lead vocal and guitar, backed by Melodye Perry on vocal, Tony Braunagel on drums, Mike Finningan on keys, Hutch Hutchinson on bass, and Lionel Young and Ada Pasternak  on violin. Piano boogie rocker, Ain't Got Time For The Blues is a full on mid west rocker with vocal harmonies and super piano work by Finnigan. Slow shuffle track and title track, Crazy All By Myself has a perfect blues pace highlighting Schnebelen's vocal and guitar work making it one of my favorites on the release. Up tempo. Altar Of Love , has a super driving drum lead by Braunagel and nice slide work by Schnebelen and hot harp work by Jason Ricci give this track real traction. With it's heavy kick and snare work on 2, Bad Disposition With The Blues is a really cool track bundling great vocal...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent  release, Beautiful Slop , from JJ Appleton and Jason Ricci and it's quite good. Opening with delta style acoustic blues, Don't Take Advantage Of Me , with JJ Appleton on vocal and slide guitar, Jason Ricci on harmonica and vocal and Derek Nievergelt on acoustic bass the band gets the raw efforts of the early blues pioneers down pat. Great opener. With certain tension, Hurt Myself, is a great contemporary blues piece with hoots and hollers by Ricci and tight guitar riffs by Appleton, leading to a real nice harp solo. Certainly my favorite track on the release. Geaux Nuts Kids is a cool, Zydeco style instrumental jam featuring harp and guitar with only vocal punctuation. Very cool. Another of my favorite tracks is Don't Badger The Witness with some of the hottest slide guitar riffs on the release. I like Ricci's rowdy vocal styling and trademark harp work. Wrapping the release is bluesy ballad, Stay, with onl...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Make Blues Not Wa r, from Mike Zito and it's crazy good! Opening with blues rocker, Highway Mama , this track gives you that take no prisoners attitude with a driving beat courtesy of Tom Hambridge who absolutely blows it up on drums and Tommy MacDonald on bass, Mike Zito on lead vocal and guitar, Rob McNelley on guitar and Water Trout on guitar. Trout plays some really hot riffs and Zito absolutely scorches the strings. Excellent opener. Wasted Time is up next with a great lumbering Texas lope, Zito lays down stuff that would make SRV proud, with intensity and feel. Very nice! Redbird is a heavy footed, rocker with strong vocals. Solid bass lines from MacDonald positively drive this bus and it's rolling hard. Talk about intensity, Crazy Legs has it x 10. This track is on fire and running hard with excellent drum work by Hambridge and super guitar tone. Zito really turns on the heat on this one literally setti...

I just received the newest release, Dirty Memory , from JJ Appleton & Jason Ricci and I really like it! Opening with Leaning Blues , JJ Appleton really nails the Elmore James feel on slide resonator and Jason Ricci is wailing on harp for a terrific acoustic blues feel. Blind Willie Johnson's Nobody's Fault But Mine is up next with an uptempo foot stompin' pace. With a more contemporary feel, Appleton delivers Can't Believe It's This Good . A cordial blend of vocal, tight harp riffs and mellow slide resonator, this track should have strong radio appeal. Nicely constructed pop track, New Man , is a really nice showcase for Ricci on vocal and harp. Jason Solo is an understatement but accurate. Rici takes his harp for a nice ride from train harp to the world of Lee Oskar. Very nice! Just Enough is a rambling blues track with a nice melody and harp and slide guitar in unison. Nicely blended, this is a cool track. The Rolling Stones', Black Limousine , has a...

I just received the newest release, I Can't Change from Billy The Kid & The Regulators and it's quite good! Coming out of the gate with title track, I Can't Change , Billy and the Regulators hit the funky groove with Reggie Watkins on trombone, Rick Matt on sax and JD Chasin on trumpet. Billy Evanochko, Jon Vallecorsa and James Dougherty on guitar and vocals lead the way and Yolanda Barber's complimentary backing vocals are excellent! Arnold Stagger on bass and Brian Edwards on drums really anchor the bottom and stylized guitar soloing tops this super opener! On Ain't Gotta Prove Nothing, Billy leads the way vocally and with voracious guitar work. Another track with a serious funky feel driven by Stagger, this track moves! Radio styled, R&B ballad, What Are We Fighting For has a catchy melody and warm horn work, nicely complimented by Dougherty's singing slide work. R&B styling on Story of the Blues suits this band well. This is a tight track ...

Heritage Music Bluesfest 2015 Main Stage Lineup BUY TICKETS HERE FRI 7 ·          11:30am - 1:00pm - Taste of the Blues FREE PREVIEW ·          4:00 pm - GATES OPEN ·          5:00 to 6:00 - Eric Gales ·          6:30 to 7:30 - Nikki Hill ·          8:00 to 9:00 - Albert Cummings ·          9:30 to 11:00 - The Lowrider Band ...