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, Ain't Done With The Blues , by Buddy Guy coinciding with his 89th birthday and it's jammed with over an hour of blues and rock. Opening with Hooker Thing , Buddy lays down a classic John Lee Hooker acoustic guitar riff and sings Buddy style. This really captures the playful guitar finesse of Guy. Blues rocker, Been There Done That is a great opener with a kick ass beat and shows Buddy singing like he's a kid and with aggressive guitar riffs, joined by Chuck Leavell on B3. Rob McNelley on rhythm guitar, Kevin McKendree on piano and Tom Hambridge really hangs tight on the drums. I just saw Kingfish last week and he really knows how to put things right. He's featured on funky, Where U At with his funky blues guitar styling under Buddy's silky smooth vocals. The addition of horns on this track add nicely to the richness and Hambridge's drumming works great with McKendree on piano. Excellent! Buddy ta...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Gonna Be 2 of Those Days , and it's a super contemporary blues rocker. Opening with Blues In The 21st Century , Jimmy Vivino on lead vocal and guitar is joined by Joe Bonamassa for a straight up blues rocker with a driving rhythm and super slide work. Joined by Rich Pagano on drums, Mark Teixeira on percussion, and Scott Healy on piano, this is a strong opener. Title track, Gonna Be 2 Of Those Days , has a real nice groove with excellent vocals by Vivino, With Jesse Williams on bass, Scott Healy on piano Rich Pagano on drums and some real tasty guitar work by Vivino, this track is smoking. Slow blues, Fool's Gold is my favorite track on the release with soulful vocals, deep full B3 work and excellent guitar work by Vivino. With Pagano on drums and Williams on bass, this track is tops. Another standout track is Shady Side Of The Street with it's Howlin' Wolf like story telling and daunting bass line by Will...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Righteous Souls , from Albert Castiglia and it's chocked full of great music and heavy talent. Opening with Centerline , a rocker with a cool backbeat, Albert Castiglia is upfront on lead vocal and guitar, joined by Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys, D'man Martin on drums, Kid Andersen on guitars, Lisa Andersen on backing vocals, and features a great twin guitar duel with Popa Chubby. Great opener. Kevin Burt has the mic on R&B track, Mama, I Love You featuring a strong bass line by Jemmott, tight rhythm by D'Mar and really nice guitar work by Castiglia. Rick Estrin is upfront with Castiglia on Jr Wells' Come On In This House . Estrin's contribution is terrific and Castiglia milks all of the juice from his guitar, complimented by Pugh on piano making this one of my favorites on the release. Buddy Guy's funky, The Dollar Done Fell , features Josh Smith and Castiglia working the guitars and...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Person of Interest , by Billy Price and it's got style. Opening with funky, Inside The Box , Billy Price is back with his next chapter. Notable for a leading vocal style for more than 25 years, Price is joined by Larry Fulfher on bass, Josh Sklair on guitar, Jim Pugh on keys, Tony Braunagel on drums and backing vocals by Masayn Lewis, Fred White and Will Wheaton. Of course there's a great horn section behind him including Ron Dziubla on sax, Eric Spaulding, and Mark Pender on trumpet. Great opener.  Bluesy ballad, Mercy , gives Price a chance to belt one out and warm keys by Pugh under the solid lead guitar work of Fulcher, and a sultry sax solo by Spaulding make this a solid radio contender. Title track, Person Of Interest , really has a funky pop sound in the vein of Steely Dan. Reggie McBride on bass lays in a great vibe and Pugh is killer on keys. Price's vocals are loose and free and Dziubla and Pender do ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Life Is Hard , from Mike Zito and it's a solid release. Opening with driving blues rocker, Little Milton's, Lonely Man , Mike Zito on excellent lead vocal and guitar sets a great groove. With Reese Wynans setting a solid keyboard, Calvin Turner on bass, Lemar Carter on drums, and Paulie Cerra on sax, this is a strong opener. Fred James' Life Is Hard is a terrific blues track and Zito knows how to milk every drop of blues out of it. Soulful vocals and stinging guitar riffs really makes this track soar. Excellent! Zito original, Forever My Love , is a bluesy ballad with a great melody, setting up for Zito to take that standout guitar solo and his nails it. Tab Benoit's Darkness , is a good selection for this set working nicely with heave drum accents by Carter, and super guitar work by Zito and guest Joe Bonamassa. Walter Trout's, Nobody Moves Me Like You Do , enhances the set really well with it's f...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Heavenly Cream - An Acoustic Tribute To Cream and it's a solid cover of much of Cream's catalog by top name artists. Opening with I Feel Free , Deborah Bonham, John's sister has the lead vocals, backed by Bernie Marsden on guitar, Malcolm Bruce (Jack's son) on piano, Neil Murray on bass and Frank Tontoh on drums. Solid opener. Theme For An Imaginary Western , written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown is fronted by Brown on vocal and backed by Clem Clemson  (Humble Pie) and Malcolm Bruce on guitars, John Donaldson on piano, Mo Foster on piano, and Cheryl Alleyne on drums. This is a great track and always one of my favorites with Jacks vocals and played by Leslie West of Mountain. Ginger Baker penned, Sweet Wine , is a standout with Baker on drums Nathan James on vocal, Marsden on guitar, Mo Nazam on guitar, Bruce on bass, Pee Wee Ellis on sax, Henry Lowther on trumpet, and Abass Dodoo on percussion. Take It Back ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blu Ja Vu , from Tom Hambridge , and it's potent set of blues rock tracks with plenty of gusto. Opening with Ain't It Just Like Love , Tom Hambridge joins up with Buddy Guy on vocal, (Hambridge on drums and Guy on guitar) with bass by Tommy MacDonald, Kevin McKendree on on keys and featuring an explosive guitar solo by Guy. Strong opener. Rob McNelley on lead guitar really gets things cranking on Wear You Out with a driving beat and solid vocals by Hambridge. Shuffle, Blues Don't Care , features Kingfish on guitar and vocal and this track has great style. Hi power Brother John Boogie features harmonica superman, James Cotton with Glenn Worf on bass, Chuck Leavell on keys, and of course Hambridge on drums. Excellent! Another great boogie, Get Out Of Town features McKendree on vicious keys and Hambridge on vocal. Very cool. Stripped down blues, Johnny Winter , features excellent slide work by McNelley, Hambridg...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Best of Me , by Joanna Connor and it's wild. Opening with funky blues number, House Rules , Connor dons her notorious slide guitar, accompanying herself on lead vocal, also featuring Josh Smith on guitar, and backed by a serious horn section of Fernando Castillo on trumpet and flugelhorn, Carlos Sosa on sax and flute, Raul Vallejo on trombone, together the Grooveline horns, Shaun Gotti Calloway on bass, Jason Edwards on drums, and Curtis Moore Jr on organ. Super opener. Title track, Best of Me , is a smooth, soulful, ballad featuring really nice vocal by Conner and nicely articulated lead work making hits an ideal radio track. I Lost You is another slow blues with excellent vocal and guitar lead by Conner, complimented by Dan Souvigny on rhythm and keys. Blues driver, Mercury Blues, really gets rolling with Conner pushing on vocal and letting the slide fly, joined by David Abbruzzese on drums. Very cool. Wrapping the r...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blood Brothers , from Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia and it's pure blues music. Opening with Hey Sweet Mama , a romping blues rocker, Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia share the mike for nicely blended lead vocals and Chuck Berry influenced guitar work makes this an excellent opener. With Zito and Castiglia on guitars, Douglas Byrkit on bass, Matthew Johnson on drums, Ephraim Lowell on drums and Lewis Stephens on keys this is a tight band. Over a classic blues vamp, Fool Never Learns is a driving rocker. Castiglia on lead vocal and Zito and Castiglia trading hot riffs, makes this a strong contender for radio airplay. My favorite track on the release is You're Gonna Burn with really strong, soulful lead vocal and excellent lead guitar work. Thumping tom tom work by Johnson compliments the track nicely and Stephens' keyboard work gives hit just the right edge. Jazzy, Hill Country Jam has a slinky rhythm and twin ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tales of Time , by Joe Bonamassa and he is really pulling it together. A performance of his new solo release, Time Clocks, Tales of Time opens with Notches , and Bonamassa has a solid riff going with a heavy footed kick drum by Lemar Carter and full bass by Calvin Turner. Building a full blown blues rocker with Reese Wynans on keys,and Josh Smith on guitar Bonamassa on lead vocal and fluid guitar solos ans backing vocals by Jade MacRae, Dannielle DeAndrea and Mahalia Barnes makes this a terrific opener. The deeper you get into the release the more you see that it is built as a continuous piece of art somewhat like a Pink Floyd release. All of the songs relate and one is as powerful as the next. Mind's Eye starts off light with a ballad style, Bonamassa on guitar and vocal but slowly builds to epic proportions with full band and rich backing vocals. Very strong. Throwing in a bit of R&B construction, Known Unknow...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blooz , from Grant Geissman and it a solid fusion of blues and jazz. Opening with Preach , with it's Latin spun gospel approach, Geissman on guitar plays fluid lead lines punctuated by Randy Brecker on trumpet and backed by Jim Cox on B3, Trey Henry on bass and Ray Brinker on drums. Brecker takes a nice long interlude, followed by Cox for a really nice opener. Santana influenced, Carlos En Siete has a great Latin beat and ceratinly has Santana's Mesa Boogie tone. With a lot more intricate percussive rhythm pattern and excellent phrasing, Geissman sets a high bar for this release. Strong piano work by David Garfield, complimented by Russell Ferrante on Rhodes, Trey Henry on bass, Tiki Pasillas on percussion and Ray Brinker on drums, this is a great number. Sax master Tom Scott is featured on Fat Back with Cox on Wurlitzer, Henry on bass and Brinker on drums. Rage Cage is a really nice uptempo romp with Geissman...

 I had the pleasure to attend the Joe Bonamassa concert at the Arizona Financial Theatre (Previously Dodge Theater) in Phoenix Arizona on November 18, 2022, in support of his most recent release, Time Clocks ,  and the house was packed. I was fortunate enough to have brilliant seats not far from the stage and very near the middle of the floor. I started listening to Joe Bonamassa around 2000 when I caught an earful of his music on Pandora. Wasn't long before I had his new release, A New Day Yesterday , and Bonamassa had a new fan. I saw him shortly thereafter in a small club in Scottsdale and then at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix. He didn't have the repertoire of songs that he has now but it was amazing to see this unassuming kid with his long hair and his jeans dragging on the ground, step up on the stage and blow through his own book and quickly show how easily he could cruise from one guitar icon phrasing to another, playing their riffs and blowing back the crowd. His own big...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Crown , from Eric Gales and it's powerful. Opening with Death of Me , a solid blues rocker with metal overtones. With a heavy drum stamped bottom by Greg Morrow and Lemar Carter this track has real swagger. Gales has never been bashful about throwing heavy guitar riffs out there and this track is no exception. His Jimi influence is ever present but not overtelling, backed by Joe Bonamassa on rhythm guitar, Josh Smith on rhythm guitar and Michael Rhodes on bass and backing vocals by LaDonna Gales. Very cool. I really like soul track, Stand Up with it's radio quality. Gales really shines on vocals on this track with it's super melody and with it's rich bass work and backing vocals by Jade McCrae, this track is strong. Another track with a heavy bottom is Survivor and it's lumbering feel lays open a grand floor for ultra fluid soloing by Gales. A lush guitar chord laden intro on Too Close To The Fire rea...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (August 6, 2021), Under Your Spell , by Tito Jackson and it blends modern funk, blues, pop and rock for his own style. Opening with Wheels Keep Turning, Jackson on lead vocal and guitar sets a pop pace joined by Michael Harris on drums, Michael K Jackson and Brandon Adams on keys, Darnell Neal on bass, Jason Parfait and Ian Smith on horns. I really like the horn work and slide guitar efforts by Jackson on this track. Heavy footed, Under Your Spell, has a great foot drum thump and with strong addition by Joe Bonamassa on guitar, Robert King on bass and sassy horn work by Parfait and Smith, this track has a great groove. R&B track, Big Leg Woman has a strong sax intro by Parfait, and gives Jackson a great chance to shine on lead vocal, features Kenny Neal on guitar with Jackson and keeps with the theme of ballsey horn throughout. My favorite track on the release is You're Gonna Push Me To Far with some really nicel...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rock 'N' Roll - A Tribute to Chuck Berry , by Mike Zito and this disc is loaded. Opening with St. Louis Blues and Charlie Berry II, Mike Zito handles guitar and lead vocals, backed by Matthew Johnson on drums, Terry Dry bass and Lewis Stephens on keys. Joanna Conner joins on Rock and Roll Music and there is just no match for that dynamo on slide guitar. Powerhouse player, Walter Trout steps in on Johnny B Goode , a long time favorite of blues and rock players alike. Trout's fluid, high intensity attack is well suited for this classic. Very nice. On Wee Wee Hours , master showman, Joe Bonamassa is featured and he lays out a full tour of the fretboard hitting about every fret on every string, making it seem totally effortless and with great feel. Clocking in at almost 5 and a half minutes, Bonamassa gives you the grand tour. Smoking. Robben Ford takes more of a country flavored approach to You Never Can Tell...