Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, May Be The Last Time , from John Nemeth and it's really cool. Opening with traditional The Last Time and John Nemeth putting a strong gospel/R&B spin on it. With excellent lead vocal by Nemeth, Elvin Bishop on guitar, Kid Andersen on bass, Bob Welsh on guitar, Willy Jordan on drums and excellent vocal backing by Alabama Mike, Jordan, Andersen and Welsh, this is a terrific opener. With Elvin Bishop on this release it's great to see a resurrection of one of his great tracks, Rockbottom , from the Jo Baker era and featuring Nemeth on harmonica and lead vocal. Bishop steps up with his signature playing style and this release is two and 0. Very nice. Bishop gets the mic on his classic, Stealing Watermelons and with his fat guitar sound coupled with Andersen on guitar and Welsh on baritone guitar, this track is FUNKY. Wilson Pickett's, I Found A Love , works so nicely in this set with both Nemeth and Bishop fav...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Just Gettin' Good , by Mighty Mike Schermer , and I really like it. Opening with title track, Just Gettin' Good , this release is off to a hot start. With Mighty Mike and Ms. Kimmy Pickens on lead vocal and the stinging guitar work of Mike out front, this track struts. With the fat bari sax work of Aaron Lington, and joined by Dmar on drums, Steve Ehrmann on bass, Tony Snead on organ, Eric Spaulding on tenor, Jeff Lewis on trumpet and Mike Rinta on trombone, this track is smokin'. On slow, soulful This Is Where My Love Is , Schermer sings a solid ballad and keeps the instrumentation to a minimum with Paul Revelli on drums, Steve Ehrmann on bass and Austin DeLone on organ.  On island track, The Hungry Dog , Schermer gets a calypso rhythm and the guys really get into the swing. June Core on drums, Kid Andersen on bass and vocal, Chris Burns on piano, Kimmy on percussion and Wally Pickins on vocal, this track is ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Leave The light On, from The Love Light Orchestra and it's quite good. Opening with soul track, Time Is fading Fast, front man, John Nemeth on lead vocal sounds great. With it's Memphis sound, dominated by horns by Marc Franklin and Scott Thompson on trumpet, Jason Yasinsky on trombone, Art Edmaiston on tenor sax and with some outrageous alto sax by Kirk Smothers and including Joe Restivo on guitar, Gerald Stephens on piano, Tim Goodwin on bass, and Earl Lowe on drums, this is a great opener. Blues shuffle, Come On Moon has a really great feel with excellent guitar work by Restivo and warm horn backing by Franklin, Yasinsky, Edmaiston, Smothers and Paul McKinney on trumpet. On Lowell Fulson's 3 O'Clock Blues, Restivo really steps out on one of my favorite tracks on the release. His paced guitar soloing, and of course the excellent vocals of Nemeth accented by Thompson and Franklin really push this track ove...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (July 16, 2021), Bayou Liberty , from Tiffany Pollack & Co. and it's a cool blend of New Orleans blues and country. Opening with Spit on Your Grave , a solid shuffle, Tiffany Pollack on lead vocal shows her power, backed by John Nemeth on harmonica, Brandon Brinious on guitar, Stoo Odom on bass, Christopher on sax and Ian Petillo on drums. The track has just the right amout of grit to make it different. Very cool. Colors has a real nice sway to it with Pollack riding the wave and nicely stylized guitar lead by Brunious. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Sassy Bitch , a funky blues rocker with it's obvious hook and some real lnice sax work by Johnson. With a light country flavor, Baby Boys is a cool ballad with strong lead vocals and with nice steel guitar highlights by Eric Lewis. With a bit of R&B worked into it's country roots, Livin' For Me has a funky bottom and Johnson shines on sa...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Volume 3  from Blind Racoon Nola Blue Collection and it's chocked full of tasty tracks. Opening with Time To Forget You , from Willie Bo Walker and Danny Flam , a slow paced blues track with screaming slide and fat horns is always a great start. John Nemeth 's contribution, I Can See Your Love Shine , has a cool modified reggae beat with some tasty guitar and harp work with a poppy feel. Clarence Spady 's, Surrender is a warm, slow blues with cool, soulful vocals, tight, nicely phrased guitar riffs and crystal clear piano. Laura Tate 's I Need A Man , features solid vocals and with punchy horns and snappy drums, and really nice piano work, commands attention. CD Woodbury performs classic, Can't Eat That Stuff No More , with plenty of humor and spunk. Dudley Taft blends blues and rock for The End Of The Blues , with his own stylistic boogie rock and rock guitar styling. Rocker, Memphis Hotline , is Bri...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Stronger Than Strong , from John Nemeth and it's tasty. Opening with Chicago bluesy, Come On And Take It , with Nemeth on vocal and harmonica, Danny Banks on drums, Matthew Wilson on bass and Jon Hay on guitar. With it's tight rhythm and classic styling, it's a solid opener.  With darker overtones and Nemeth's soulful vocals, Sometimes is a strong player that is a great showcase for Nemeth's vocal strength and harmonica reinforcement. Throw Me In The Water is a great rocker with a rockin beat and a moving bass line by Wilson, potent vocals by Nemeth and some flashy guitar work by Hay on guitar. Very nice. I really like Chain Breaker with it's blues vamp driven by Wilson and plenty of room for Nemeth and Hay to cruise. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Work For Love with it's infectious bass line and Nemeth's soulful vocals. Adding a little bounce to a classic blues pat...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Get Here Quick , by The Texas Horns and it's smokin'! Opening with Guitar Town , a real Texas style blues, cooked up with  Anson Funderburgh and Johnny Moeller on guitars and Gary Forsyth on lead vocals. Kaz Kazanoff on tenor, John Mills on bari and Al Gomez on trumpet and this track is hot. With a bit of New Orleans flavor, Instrumental, Feelin' No Pain is all horns to the floor with excellent piano work by Red Young, bass by Russell Jackson and Tommy Taylor on drums. Mills lays out and excellent sax solo and Moeller shows why he is regarded as one of the top bluesmen in Texas today. Title track, Better Get Here Quick is another instrumental with rich tandem sax lead and excellent guitar accents by Moeller. Gomez steps up with some crisp lead work of his own and Youngs takes a nice few bars of his own. Very cool. An excellent New Orleans style instrumental, 2018 , has a super march style snare lead by John ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tony Holiday's Porch Sessions and I really like it. Vocalist and harmonica player, Tony Holiday has put together a great release here with a who's who of the blues business. Opening with Pick-Pocket Fingers a cool shuffle track Holiday on lead vocal is joined by James Harman on harmonica, Kid Ramos on guitar, Landon Stone on guitar and Kid Andersen on bass, this is a cool opener. John Primer steps in on lead vocal and guitar on They Call Me John Primer with featured harp work by Bob Corritore and Holiday and Joel Meza Jr. on drums. I always love Primer's slide style and Corritore has beautiful tone. Very nice. An easy, funky track, A Woman Named Trouble , showcases John Nemeth and Jake Friel with Holiday on vocal and harmonica. This is a funky funky track with a great bass line by Anderson. Excellent! Mitch Kashmar and Ronnie Shellist join Holiday for Three Way Party and slower but soulful guitar and ha...

    13TH ANNUAL VENTURA COUNTY BLUES FESTIVAL, SOCAL'S LONGEST-RUNNING YEARLY BIG BLUES EVENT RETURNS TO LOVELY CAMARILLO; EARL THOMAS, JOHN NEMETH HEADLINE THIS YEAR'S STRONG LINEUP  **Festival Also Dedicated to the Late Actor/Musician, Mickey Jones**                                   Saturday, April 28, 2018 - Gates Open 10am...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Love Light Orchestra featuring John Nemeth and it's a super R&B show. Opening with See Why I Love You super vocalist John Nemeth leads this super group of Marc Franklin on trumpet, Scott Thompson on trumpet, Jason Yasinsky on trumpet, Art Edmalston on tenor sax, Kirk Smothers on bari sax, Jon Restino on guitar, Gerald Stephens on piano, Tim Goodwin on bass and Earl Lowe on drums. Edmalston cranks out a real nice solo on this one punched up by the tight trumpet work making it a terrific opener. Blues shuffle, Bad Breaks has terrific swagger with excellent guitar lead by Restivo and a nice tenor solo by Edmalston. Excellent! Nemeth's vocals are really nice on every track but none better than bluesy ballad, I've Been Wrong So Long , really enriched by warm sax work and punchy trumpet. Very nice.  Another shuffle, Sometimes plays Nemeth's vocals in call and response with Restino's slick guitar...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Feelin' Freaky , by John Nemeth and it quite cool. Opening with pop tune, Under the Gun , John Nemeth is joined by Danny Banks on drums, Matthew Wilson on bass and Johnny Rhodes on guitar. S.T.O.N.E.D . is a really cool track with a earthy, thick bass line and Nemeth on vocal and harp. Very cool. Title track, Feelin' Freaky , is a high steppin' R&B track showcasing Nemeth's vocal and harmonica work over a snappy beat. Rainy Day is a strong, soul track and a really nice vocal track. Nemeth's vocals on this track push him high in the line of modern soul singers, nicely backed by Marc Franklin on trumpet, Art Edmaiston on sax, J Kirkscey, B Luscombe, J Munson and P Tsai on strings and Charles Hodges on organ. Very nice. Funky, You Really Do Want That Woman , had a cool R&B feel and the bass lines couples with the horn punctuation really hits the groove. Gave Up On You is a cool bluesy track wi...

14TH ANNUAL BLUES FROM THE TOP FESTIVAL FEATURES SPECIAL  TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT REUNION, AND FINEST MUSIC LINEUP YET! Two Big Days - Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26 At Winter Park, CO PRESENTED BY THE GRAND COUNTY BLUES SOCIETY; PORTION OF PROCEEDS BENEFIT BLUE STAR CONNECTION     (WINTER PARK, CO) - This year's 14th Annual Blues From The Top Festiva l features its finest music lineup yet, with a reunion by renowned Blues...