Bman's Blues Report

When Ledbetter Heights was first released, it quickly became a breakout success, going Gold within months and earning Platinum certification by early 1996 . The album spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, and Guitar World ranked Shepherd the No. 3 blues artist in the worl d, behind only B.B. King and Eric Clapton . He wrote or co-wrote the majority of the material, an uncommon accomplishment for a teenage blues guitarist at the time, and named the album in honor of a historic neighborhood in his hometown that pays tribute to blues legend Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter. 🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM ▶ Listen to Album Samples (Click to Expand) Add this Record to Your Collection Available on CD and in Digital Formats. 🛒 Buy Album on Amazon Store As an Amazon Associate, Bman earns from qualifying purchases. < The Deep Dive Ke...

  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, Behind The Veil , from Jason Ricci and The Bad Kind , and as always it's a feast for the ears. Opening with Casco Bay with it's waltz tempo has a really cool swagger. Ricci on lead vocal and dynamic harmonica tone sets the pace with Kaitlin Dibble on backing vocal, Brent Johnson on guitar and backing vocal, Jack Joshua on bass and vocal and John Perkins on backing vocal makes this a really interesting opener. Switching to New Orleans R&B sound on 5-10-15 , Dibble has the lead on vocal, a really strong harmonica solo by Ricci and Kid Andersen's guitar work really set this track apart. Very nice. Bobby Rush's Ain't She Fine is a great track with an aggressive, funky rock beat. I love the lead vocal lines and Johnson's guitar work in concert with Joshua on bass and Perkins on drums, all wrapped by Ricci on harp is terrific. Classic, St James Infirmary is a smart pick for this band giving Ricci a ...

  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...