Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Original Dap King , by Ernie Vincent and it's great mix of R&B, blues, soul and funk. Opening with Body Shop , with it's funky feel, Ernie Vincent on lead vocal and guitar really gets it going. Jimbo Mathus drive the train on piano with Taylor Hollingsworth on guitar, Hank West on horns, Matt Patton on bass, Bronson Tew on drums and with wicked backing vocals by AJ Haynes, Schaefer Llana and Matt Patton. Blues rocker, Jealousy, is a cool, laid back track with super vocals and nicely stylized guitar work. Blues Filler is a funky groove with Vincent singing in what I'd call a Jimi Hendrix style and distorted, blues based rock guitar riffs. Very cool. On Seven Sisters, Vincent really does a nice job of singing and trading vocal lead with his blues rock guitar lead. Mathus' percussive piano rhythm adds nicely to the well poised bass lines of Patton and Tew's excellent drum work. With it's James Br...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Volume 1 , from New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers and it's great stuff. Opening with Blues, Why You Worry Me features Charlie Musselwhite on lead vocal  and harmonica. A strong Chicago style shuffle, also includes Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus on guitars, Jim Dickinson on piano, Luther Dickinson on guitars, mandolin, Cody Dickinson on drums, Chris Chew on bass and Paul Taylor on tub bass. Super opener. Charlie Patton's Pony Blues is a super follow up with it's Hill Country styling and Hart on lead vocal. It's no secret that Mathus is one of my favorite contemporary musicians with his quirky style and super grooves (not to mention his solid country sound). Night Time features Mathus on lead vocal and one of his infectious, funky grooves, driven by Chews' bass line and strong harmonica work from Musselwhite. Very cool. One of those cool party rags, Come On Down To My House , features the late...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Incinerator , from Jimbo Mathus and it's really good. if you've been reading my reviews and commentary for a while, you know that I really like the work of Mathus. His output varies from deep blues (Buddy Guy) and 30's jazz (Squirrel Nut Zippers) to Mississippi hill country music and flat out rock (and many things in between). I wasn't sure what to expect from Mathus on this outing after his multi year hiatus touring with the SNZ but it is seems to be an unsorted mixture of everything he's been working on for the past few years. Opening with You Are Like A Song , a cool natural country song featuring Mathus on piano and lead vocal, backed by Matt Patton on bass and Bronson Tew on guitar this track is an instant radio track. The melody will stick in your head and Patton and Tew's backing vocals are all country. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Really Hurt Someone is a strong so...

I just had the opportunity to review the first full band release from Louis "Gearshifter" Youngblood and I really like it. Opening with driving blues rocker, Juke Joint , Gearshifter has a cool, loose, "Mississippi" delivery, backed by Matt Patton and Larry Morrisey on drums. His own guitar style is loose and cool. On traditional track, Rabbit In A Log , Gearshifter delivers like a pro. His vocals are cool, relaxed and rich, his guitar work has sting and organ backing by Jimbo Mathus is understated and solid. No Working Blues sounds like it's right out of a juke joint with it's crude but SRV like guitar riffs and rhythmic vocals. I really like this track which has a golden groove. A Big Change has a regal feel in almost a Screaming Jay vein. Gearshifters' loose guitar style is super and his vocals are rare. Very cool. Jimmy Olden's Goin' Down Slow has a slick, R&B feel but Gearshifter's vocals are all blues. Although not technical...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Belle Of The West , from Samantha Fish and it may be her best effort yet. Opening with American Dream you have an immediate sense that this isn't a typical Samantha Fish release. Produced by Luther Dickinson, this release is in a whole new strata. Laden with fife and drums by Sharde Thomas, and with Trina Raimey and Tikyra Jackson on drums, this track has a distinct Mississippi feel. Blood In The Water showcases Fish's lead vocal and harmonies with Amy LaVere who also plays bass. A swampy track with sparse but distinct guitar work and eerie violin work by Lillie Mae, this is a cool track. Cowtown has a distinct country sound with a certain blues flavor. Addition of Fender Rhodes by Jimbo Mathus gives a nice texture and Fish sounds more comfortable both vocally and with guitar work in this "new" style. I also really like the heaviness of the drums on this track which really punch it right. Very nice....

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 29, 2017), Jetlagger , by Bette Smith and I really like it. Opening with original track, I Will Feed You , a dynamic "Macy Gray" styled ballad with a really strong melody, Smith lays out what I think it a sure fire radio track. With Jimbo Mathus on guitar and keys, Bronson Tew on drums, Matt Patton on bass, Scott Goolsby on guitar, Jamison Hollister on violin, Marc Franklin & Kirk Smothers on horns, and Susan Marshall on backing vocals, the music is thick. Excellent! R&B track, Flying Sweet Angel of Joy has rich gospel like backing vocals giving this track a super richness. Jimbo Mathus' Dirty Hustlin' gets a super funk treatment and it really is strong. This track is perfect for Smith and deep backing vocals, paired with the bass/drum work and a clever guitar solo by Mathus makes it one of my favorites as well. Another Mathus penned track, Moaning Bench , has strong R&B drive w...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Red Hot: A Memphis Celebration Of Sun Records by the Americana Music Society and it's really cool. This recording, co-produced by singer-guitarist Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars and Tamara Saviano, the Nashville based writer-Producer and author of Without Getting Killed or Caught, with all proceeds to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Opening with swinging R&B track, John Paul Keith sings Red Cadillac and a Black Mustache featuring Jim Spate on soulful sax. Valerie June digs deep on Carl Perkin's Sure To Fall (In Love With You) joined by Jimbo Mathus and Amy laVere on backing vocals showing real American home grown country. Very nice. On Charlie Rich's Lonely Weekends , Shawn Camp takes the lead backed by spate on sax and Lauren Mascitti and John Paul Keith on backing vocals. Bryan Hayes is front and center on Charlie Rich's Ways of a Woman In Love backed by Em...

I just received the newest release, Age Don't Mean A Thing , from Robert Finley and it's a powerful new soul release. Opening with high stepping Memphis groove, I Just Want To Tell You , Robert Finley wastes no time establishing that his talent far exceeds his professional experience. An extremely soulful vocalist, Finley traveled north to Memphis to work with members of the Bo-Keys. Players include a who’s who of the Memphis soul scene including drummer Howard Grimes (Al Green, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, OV Wright), Marc Franklin (Bobby “Blue” Bland), Jimbo Mathus (Elvis Costello), Al Gamble (St. Paul & The Broken Bones, the Hold Steady, Alex Chilton), Kirk Smothers (Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Guy), Reba Russell (U2, BB King), Harold Thomas (James Carr) and Daunielle Hill (Solomon Burke). With full soul backing vocals and Al Gamble's B3 rolling this is a great opener. On title track, Age Don't Mean A Thing , Finley really sings with gut wrenching authority. This track...

SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS ANNOUNCE FALL TOUR 20TH ANNVERSARY REISSUE OF HOT To Be Released On Vinyl and Digitally This Friday July 29 th Album Release Show In New Orleans At Tipitina’s On July 30 th July 25, 2016 – It was about 20 years ago when NPR’s Morning Edition said: “It’s not easy to categorize the music of the  Squirrel Nut Zippers , except that it’s hot.”  2016 marks the 20 th  anniversary of the  Squirrel Nut Zippers  most celebrated and commercially successful album  Hot .  Originally released in the summer of 1996,  Hot  was the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed debut  The Inevitable . By this time the group had already established a substantial live following across the country thanks to early support from NPR, college radio and non-commercial stations.  Hot  wound up selling over 1.3 million copies.  A newly re-mastered version of the album along with a ...

I saw the "New" Squirrel Nut Zippers last night and the show was wild. I had mentioned to a few friends that I was going to see the Squirrel Nut Zippers last night and they either looked at me with a puzzled look or they knew exactly what I was talking about. What the hell is a Squirrel Nut Zipper... well, that I can tell you.       Jimbo says, "Nut Zippers" is a southern term for a variety of old bootleg moonshine, and the band's name comes from a newspaper account which related the story of a highly intoxicated man who climbed a tree one night, refusing to come down even after authorities arrived. The article's headline read: "Squirrel Nut Zipper."     Now what does that have to do with a band and who are they? This band is absolute energy with as much animation as a 30's cartoon and as crazy wild as a drunk squirrel. Mathus is a terrific performer and this band of high level New Orleans style jazz musicians put as much energy into en...

Seratones -  Get Gone LP / CD / Digital Out Today Buy Now (FP Store) Get Gone , the debut album from Shreveport, LA's Seratones is available worldwide today.  Led by powerhouse frontwoman A.J. Haynes whose thunderous vocals recall the grit of Janis Joplin and gospel of Mavis Staples, Seratones’ debut is one of the best rock records you will hear in 2016. Haynes’s powerful singing voice, first honed at Brownsville Baptist Church in Columbia, Louisiana at age 6, rings across every track. Adam Davis’s bass and Jesse Gabriel’s playing propel every song with the grit, energy, ...