Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, BB King's Blues Summit 100 , by Joe Bonamassa and it's terrific! Opening with Paying The Cost To Be The Boss , Kingfish Ingram is featured on vocal and guitar and he really gets it done. With it's laid back BB King style and with the help of Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Lemar Carter on drums, Travis Carlton on bass, Jeff Babko on keys, Steve Patrick and Tyler Jaeger on trumpet, Marc Douthit and Jimmy Bowland on sax and Barry Green on trombone, this is a strong opener. Marcus King does an incredible job on vocal and guitar delivering Don't Answer The Door . (I've bought entire albums based on 1 track that doesn't stack up well against this track). King, Bonamassa and Josh Smith really work the guitar on this track and support from Carter, Carlton, Babko, Patrick, Jaeger, Douthit, Bowland and Green are icing on this very nice cake. Buddy Guy gets Sweet Little Angel and he digs in giving it pure Guy trea...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, BadNews Travels Fast , from Chris BadNews Barnes and it's solid set of rock and blues rock. Opening with radio style rocker, and title track, BadNews Travels Fast , BadNews Barns on lead vocal leads the way with a tight guitar lead by Kenny Greenberg, driving bass lines by Tommy MacDonald, and Tom Hambridge snapping tight on drums. Ace harmonica player, Jimmy Hall who led his own band, Wet Willie and worked quite a bit with the honorable Jeff Beck really makes a nice contribution here. Excellent opener. True Blues is a cool, upbeat blues track along the lines of Thrill Is Gone. Not sure most would pick up on it, but it really does have some searing guitar riffs by Walter Trout. Driving rocker, BluesBaller Baby calls on Mike Rojas on keys to do the heavy lifting with Barnes on this one and he really does a fine job. Kenny Greenberg rips hot guitar solo on this one and Max Abrams sails on sax making it a definite hot s...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Let It Be Revisited: An Ovation From Nashville , by The Rock House All Stars and it's a cool cover of the Stones tenth US album. Opening with Gimme Shelter , Jimmy Hall (Ex Wet Willie, Jeff Beck, etc) is upfront on vocal joined by Bekka Bramlett and they do a terrific job. Kevin McKendree on guitar really does a nice job covering the guitar lead and Yates McKendree is tight on drums with John Heithaus on bass with added harmonica by Hall. Lee Roy Parnell adds some real country to Honky Tonk Women called Country Honk here. Not at all trying to replicate Jagger and with Rob McNelley on guitar and Luke Bulla on harmonica, this is a great track. Rick Huckaby is up front on Midnight Rambler joined by Stephen Hanner on harmonica and solid guitar work by Kevin and McNelley. Nalani Rothrock on lead vocal and James Pennebaker on steel adds a real nice contrast to the release on You Got The Silver and it's authentic R&B...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live At 3rd and Lindsley from Hurricane Ruth and it's got real swagger. Opening with Roll Little Sister , Ruth shows "her take no prisoners" attack with her raw, energetic vocals, joined by Scott Holt on slide and Nick Nguyen guitars, Calvin Johnson on bass, Lewis Stephens on keys and drum master Tom Hambridge driving the train. Strong opener. Dirty Blues really has enough grime on it to be a Keith Richards deal. Ruth knows how to work it and Holt's slide work combined with Hambridge's drum work makes this a firm contender. Slow blues, Faith in Me takes Ruth out of her classic blues rocker stance and into a more soulful mode. Holt steps up with a solid guitar solo, with some real nice phrasing, joined by Stephens on piano. Cool track and obviously a crowd pleaser. Fenton Robinson's (Peppermint Harris) As the Years Go Passing By is up next and features Ruth teaming up with ex Wet Willie and Je...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, ...Took A While , from The Mike Duke Project and it's a soulful southern style release packed with musical elite. Opening with Little Miss Ponytail , a certain radio track, Mike Duke on lead vocal and piano leads the way with Bill Stewart on drums, Phil Yeager on bass, Ronnie Brown on guitar and Rick Kurtz on guitar. Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do features Duke with Jimmy Hall and the vocals are not only warm and solid but this is really a strong track. Let Me Be Your Fool Tonight is a real cool track with the addition of Lloyd Meadows, Angela Strehi  and Lisa Lueschner Andersen on backing vocal and featuring super accordion work by Bruce Gordon. I'm Not Sad Tonight sounds like it could be pulled right out of Van Morrison's songbook with distinct vocal phrasing and poise and the addition on Jim Pugh on B3. Very nice. Gospel flavored Torn & Scarred is Duke, accompanying his vocal lead on piano wit...

The Bender is Sept 7.8.9.10, 2017 Big Blues Bender Announces Fabulous Lineup for Sept! LAS VEGAS, NV. – The Big Blues Bender, one of the most talked about Blues events in the country, has announced an impressive 2017 lineup. The Big Blues Bender offers what could be their best artist lineup to date, offering a wide variety of first-class music and entertainment including, Mavis Staples, Dr. John, Tab Benoit, Walter Trout, and many more. This four-night all-inclusive music experience delivers eighteen hours of live music, daily, on three indoor stages and a fabulous pool stage all under one roof, featuring the most talented and sought after Blues artists to...