Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, August Moon , by Allison August and it's funky and sassy. Opening with Afraid of Love , Allison August shows what a great lead vocalist does and with excellent backing vocals by Maxayn Lewis and Jen Caston on, tight drum rhythm by Bryan Head, David J. Carpenter on bass, Sam Meek on guitar, Lenny Castro on percussion, Joe Sublett on sax, Les Lovitt on trumpet and Sam Meek on guitars, this track is tight! Sugaray Rayford joins August on lead vocals on I Won't Say No with a charging drum/percussion line by Tony Braunagel and Castro and a slashing guitar lead by Meek accented by Mike Finnegan on organ. Top radio track selection is Desiree with it's warm, memorable melody and vocal/keyboard interplay between August, Teresa James and Gregg Sutton and  Finnegan. Very nice. I like the cautious confidence on The Cure , and it's funky underbelly. August manages the track masterfully followed by James and Sutton on b...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live And Havin' Fun , from Deb Ryder and it's a boat load of high steppin fun. Opening with Fun Never Hurt No One , with it's pumping rhythm, Deb Ryder is upfront leading the way on gritty vocals and Lon Price and Joe Sublett on sax. Tony Braunagel lays down a steady drum rhythm with Ric Ryder on bass and Johnny Lee Schell on guitar. Paul Litteral on trumpet and Jim Pugh on trombone really open the track up with brass. Solid Opener. Temporary Insanity has plenty of sway with Schell leading the way on guitar and Pugh, Price and Litteral on horns. Ric's bass work adds a real nice bottom giving Deb a solid footing for her powerful vocals. Albert Lee lays down some real nice guitar riffs on Ma Misere for a strong addition to the set. Braunagel sets up a hot, New Orleans rhythm and Albert Lee picks some real nice riffs under the soulful vocals on Deb. Funky, I'm Coming Home , leads off with Price wailing o...

  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, One Foot In The Groove , by The Boneshakers , and it's a cool blues rocker with a soulful edge. Opening with funky rocker, Mr. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore , Jenny Langer (of Moonshine Society) has total control with her sassy, funky vocals, joined by band leader Randy Jacobs on guitar, Jon Gilutin on keys, Nathan Brown on bass, Sergio Gonzales on drums, Joe Sublett on sax, and Mark Pender on trumpet. Solid opener. I Am The Blues is a real cool blues rocker with a lumbering feel. Langer's vocals are really strong and I love Jacob's guitar approach with wah wah and excellent blues phrasing throughout. Title track, One Foot In The Groove , has a heavy foot by Gonzales giving the track real authority. I think that this track really hits Langer's sweet spot vocally and a sizzling solo by Jacobs and warm organ by Gilutin really hits the spot. Punchy horns by Sublett and Pender on More, More, More and str...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues For Breakfast , by The Phantom Blues Band and it's a solid party. Originally formed as Taj Mahal's backing band, PBB began performing on their own and released their first release back in 2006. With a few changes in the lineup most significantly Les Lovitt replacing Darrell Leonard on trumpet and Jim Pugh replacing the nearly irreplaceable Mike Finnigan after his fight with cancer ending in 2021. This newest rendition of the band opens with a roaring  cover of I Take What I Want with Larry Fulcher on bass and lead vocals paired with Johnny Lee Schell on lead vocal and guitar. Backed by Tony Braunagel on drums, Joe Sublett on sax, Les Lovitt on trumpet and Jim Pugh on piano and organ this track has real juice. New Orleans flavored, She's Into Something has strong percussion by  Braunagel and the horn work of Joe Sublett and Les Lovitt really spices things up. Schell drops into a nice Texas style guita...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Feels Like Freedom, from Sandy Haley , and it's a cool blend of blues, pop and rock. Opening with title track, Feels Like Freedom , vocalist, Sandy Haley gets into a contemporary pop rock groove, with the wailing sax work of Joe Sublett and Teddy Andreadis on keys, backed by pat McClure on guitar, Reggie mcBride on bass and Tony Brunagel on drums.  Bluesy ballad, Love Me Right gives Haley the opportunity to dig in vocally, with tasty guitar riffs by McClure cool trumpet work by Les Lovitt with Nick Lane on trombone and piano by Jeff Paris. Funky, Run For Shelter adds another dimension with Cortes laying in a solid bottom, Andreadis on keys and Braunagel on drums.  Wrapping the release is up tempo shuffle/boogie, Dirty Dog with the band really hitting the groove. With a snappy drum line by Braunagel, rock guitar riffs from McClure and Andreadis on harmonica, and backing vocals by Maxayn Lewis  and Kudi...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Drifting , by Bubba and The Big Bad Blues and it's a great blues rocker. Opening with shuffle, I Want To Make Love To You Baby , Christopher Clerc on lead vocal and guitar has really nicely blended the styles of BB King and SRV to create his own soulful groove. Joined by Mike Barry on bass, Mike Finnigan on organ, Rick Solem on piano, Tony Braunagel on drums, Richard Rosenberg on trombone,  Joe Sublett on sax and Les Lovitt on trumpet, this is a full orchestral rocking sound. Title track, Drifting , is a strong, soulful ballad with excellent vocals and beautiful, shimmering guitar riffs, interwoven into a field of rich horn and key saturated music. Brilliant. Rocking boogie track, She's Your Problem Now , gets a super groove moving with excellent vocal and guitar by Clerc super organ work by Finnigan and tight work by Jason Lozano on drums and Johnny Bazz on bass. I Own The Road has a driving rock and roll beat ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, My Blues Pathway , from Kirk Fletcher and I really like it. Opening with R&B flavored, Ain't No Cure For The Downhearted , Fletcher is front and center on lead guitar and vocal over a pumping bass line by Travis Carlton and drums by Lemar Carter, with Jeff Babko on keys, Joe Sublett on sax and Mark Pender on trumpet. Strong opener. No Place To Go is one of my favorite tracks on the release with is stepping pace, strong vocals and the horn work of Sublett and Pender accenting crisp guitar riffs by Fetcher. Very nice. Slinky blues, Struggle For Grace , is in the vein of King's Thrill is Gone with solid lead vocals and stinging lead guitar by Fletcher, David Kida on drums and warm horn support by Sublett and Pender. Super. Slow blues, Heart So Heavy really finds Fletcher in a nice groove with his trademark soulful guitar bends and fluid runs and his vocals sound as good as ever. Excellent! Sonny Boy Williamson...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, My Blues Pathway , from Kirk Fletcher and it's great. Opening with blues rocker, Ain't No Cure For The Downhearted , Kirk Fletcher opens his newest release with a smooth rolling track. Joined by Travis Carlton on bass, Lemar Carter on drums, Jeff Babko on keys, Joe Sublett on sax and Mark Pender on trumpet, Fletchers vocals are crisp and his guitar riffs fluid. Ballad, Love Is More Than A Word, gives Fletcher a nice chance to play and sing in the soul vein. Reinforced on organ by Babko, and with nice horn work, this is a real nice track also giving Fletcher to scream a bit on guitar. Very nice! In the vein of A Thrill Is Gone, funky, Struggle For Grace is one of my favorite tracks on the release. Fletcher's vocals are perfect and his guitar work fluid and gripping. Switching gear into a rolling blues with a organ vamp by Babko and really strong soloing by Fletcher, this is a great change up. Slow blues, Heart ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Still Cookin' , from Phantom Blues Band , and it's terrific! Opening with a classic R&B track by Wilson Pickett, Don't Fight It (Feel It) , this band knows it's strengths and plays into it. With Mike Finnigan (keys), Larry Fulcher (bass) and Johnny Lee Schell (guitars) on lead vocals, this band lays out one of my R&F favorites with strong horn work by Joe Sublett (sax) and Les Lovitt (trumpet) and great rhythm  and Tony Braunagel on drums. What a lineup! Slipping into a New Orleans funk on Wingin' My Way Johnny takes the lead on a strongly Little Feat influenced track (dedicated to Paul Barrere) with solid slide work and a tight horn line. Slow blues, Blues How They Linger , features Finnigan on lead vocal and piano, with light backing. A strong, somber track keeps it low till about half way through when Sublett cuts loose with a real nice sax solo, punctuated by Lovitts trumpet work. Very n...