Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Borderlands , from John Fusco and I really like it. Opening with Coyote Man , filmmaker/singer/songwriter/musician, John Fusco starts off on this modern, country western, story telling adventure. Accompanying himself on piano and backed by George Walker Petit with some really expressive guitar and bass and Russ Lawton on drums, and backing trumpet by Conner Young, this is a real cool opener. With blues and tex-mex overtones, I really love Dance of the Seven Veils . Fusco's vocals have just the right amount of grit and with Spanish flavored acoustic guitars and percussion by Petit, this track is really tasty. Matthew Backer features some really nice slide work on Bad Luck Rides Shotgun making it a standout track with strong blues roots and solid vocals by Fusco. Very nice. Backer plays dobro on Cyanide Whiskey , a western flavored blues with a warm B3 bottom by Fusco under his vocal. Painting pictures with his words and...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, John The Revelator , from John Fusco and the X-Road Riders and it's an interesting mix of country folk blues. Opening with traditional blues track, and title track, John The Revelator , with a modern yet raw spin. With leader Fusco on lead vocal and keys, Cody Dickinson on drums, bass and dobro, Risse Norman on vocal and Sarah Morrow on trombone, a solid opener. Shuffle track, Bone Deep opens up with a bit more rock, featuring Magic Mark Lavoie on harp, Dickinson on guitar and some cool Hammond work from Fusco. Ophelia (Oh, I Feel Ya) is one of my favorite tracks on the release. A curious little ballad mostly Fusco on lead vocal, accompanying himself on keys. A radio designed track that could easily be Harry Nilsson or Randy Newman. Very nice. Slow Blues, Bad Dog , showcases some of Fusco's best vocals on the release with Dennis Diego laying down a solid bass line and Spencer Perry on drums. Lavoie's soulfu...