Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Kingdom , from Amanda Fish and I really like it! Opening with Mockingbird , a cool blues rocker, Amanda Fish on vocal and guitar gets this thing moving with solid vocals and a hot rhythm by Terry Midkiff on guitar and slide and Paul Niehaus IV on bass and guitar lays in a real nice guitar solo of his own joined by Billie Baumann on percussion, Glen James on drums and Mama Moo on backing vocals. Excellent opener. With a twist of R&B, The Hard Way is a cool radio track with a great melody and tight vocal harmonies between Fish and MM. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Country flavored, Broke Ass Blues with Dylan Farrell on guitar and Niehaus on bass. Really potent slide work by Midkiff and soulful vocals by Fish give this track just the right edge. Another favorite track is Work , featuring Richard Rosenblatt on harmonica. His riffs and tone play perfectly on this track really complimenting Fish's powerful...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hi-Fi Drive By , by Jeremiah Johnson and it's a cool blues rocker. Opening with rocking boogie, '68 Coupe Deville , with Johnson on lead guitar and vocal, backed by Allie Vogler, Emily Wallas and Mattie Schell on backing vocal and excellent piano by Victor Wainwright. Rounding out the mix is Joe Meyer on drums, Tom Maloney on guitar and piano, Paul Niehaus IV on bass and super sax by Frank Bauer. Excellent opener. With a super lope, Skippin' School , uses a solid mix of Meyer on drums and Niehaus IV on bass to set the pace. Strong vocal and lead guitars by Johnson makes this one of my favorite tracks which also features Kasimi Taylor on trumpet, Bauer on sax, Kevin O'Connor on bari sax and John Covelli and Dave Dickey on trombone. Very cool. Slinky blues, The Squeeze has a super bottom line by Niehaus IV giving Johnson a super bed to rip on guitar and he takes it. With full backing by Taylor, Bauer, O...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Unemployed Highly Annoyed from Jeremiah Johnson and it presents a fresh take on southern rock. Opening with Burn Down the Garden , Johnson on lead vocal and guitar leads the way with his tight knit crew, Paul Niehaus IV on bass and keys and Tony Antonelli on drums. Nicely crafted melody and some heavy tom tom work makes this track a solid opener. One of my favorite tracks on the release is bluesy, Cherry Red Wine with it low slung feel and call and response interaction between Johnson's guitar soloing and the the key organ work by Niehaus on a strong bass line. Very nice. Title track, Unemployed Highly Annoyed has a funky rock beat and a thumping bass line. A strong rocker with plenty of space gives Johnson room to lay out some nice guitar solos. Another of my favorite tracks on the release is Different Plan For Me , with it's soulful lead guitar work and warm backing. Johnson sings sparingly but his jazzy appro...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Heavens To Betsy , from Jeremiah Johnson , and it's a full mix of rock, country, pop, and blues with plenty of guitar. Opening with southern rock flavored, White Lightning , Jeremiah Johnson explores a firm American tradition but, bypassing the dual guitar lead and inserting tight, expressive riffs with plenty of sting. Backed by Tony Anthonis on bass, and Benet Schaeffer on drums, a solid opener. Power blues rocker, Soul Crush has definite Led Zep swagger with guitar, bass and Frank Bauer on sax all reinforcing the lead. Johnson steps up with his pinched harmonic lead and hits it square on the nuts. His vocals are right on and this track rocks. Another solid rocker is American Steel with a driving beat and just a little back beat. Always with that country vein and stinging guitar riffs, this is another strong entry. Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign has the tempo kicked up a little and with the addition of Bauer ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Straitjacket , from Jeremiah Johnson and it's quite good. Opening with title track, Straitjacket, Jeremiah Johnson has a hot one on his hands. With a driving beat, a rolling bass line by Tom Maloney, Benet Schaeffer on drums Frank Bauer on sax and Mike Zito on rhythm guitar, Johnson on guitar and lead vocal this is a solid opener. Blues fused but with a great R&B style back beat, Getting Tired is one of my favorites on the release with a hot sax/bass lead and strong guitar fronting. another really cool track is Blues In Her Eyes with a great melody, solid vocals and crisp guitar lead. Rock and roller, Keep on Sailing has a strong boogie underpinning and slick slide work by Zito. Slow blues number, King & Queen , has some of the best vocals by Johnson on the release and an extended guitar solo on this 6 plus minute track is gold. Excellent! Zito move upfront on 9th and Russell , a slower country rocker wit...