Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Parish Blues , from Josh Hyde and it presents a cool interpretation of modern blues. Opening with Where To Start , Josh Hyde on vocal and guitar shows his natural writing abilities with a strong melody and cool blues guitar riffs. Joined by  Jamey Bell on drums, Jimmy Wallace on keys, Rockin Jake on harmonica, Shawn Stroope on bass and Derrek Phillips on percussion, this is a great opener. In a more traditional delta style, I Can't Leave The Night is very cool with a John Lee Hooker like approach to the blues. I really like this track. With a James Brown rhythm, Stuck In A Rut really shows ingenuity, blending that trademark sound with blues underpinnings. With keyboards, bass and drums under the vocal and tight guitar riffs, this is a very solid track. Wrapping the release is easy, radio track, So Sweet , with Hyde on lead vocal and guitar over light drums, bass and keys. This is a cool release with a taste of ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Into The Soul , by Josh Hyde and it's quite nice. Opening with swampy rocker, Rocking Chair , Josh Hyde sets a mean stage with solid vocals and vicious slide riffs, paired with the fine backing of bass of Ron Eoff, drums of Derrek Phillips and keys of Jimmy Wallace. Cool opener. Painfully soulful, For You I Ache oozes sensitivity and stress with the wailing vocals of Hyde and really nice backing sonic guitar work by Hyde and pedal steel work of Chris Lippincott and contrasting brightness of Wallace's piano. Very nice. Stinging blues guitar work of Hyde on Lover's Curse makes it a standout with a radio style melody and particularly tight drumming by Phillips. One of my personal favorites on the release is Down On Bourbon Street , a stylish ballad with interesting vocal harmonies and a lightly salted Latin beat. Wrapping the release is Reasons Why , a particularly heartfelt ballad highlighting Hyde's vo...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Call Of The Night , from Josh Hyde and it's super. Opening with title track, The Call of The Night , Josh White lays out a bluesy track that is ready for the radio with a great melody, nice vocal harmonies, nice organ support by John Gros, smooth vocals by Hyde paired with a stylized guitar solo that maintains compactness while expressive feeling, Jamey Bell on drums and Joe V. McMahan on guitar. The Truth is a really hot swampy funk rocker in the style of Little Feat with great pace and beautifully woven instrumentation. This really is an excellent track with nicely crafted guitar work, a moving bass line and tight organ work giving it a lot of spunk. Close is a quiet ballad with a sweet melody and expressive slide guitar work by Buddy Flett. Sonny Landreth joins the mix on Offshore adding his distinctive slide styling to this bluesy funk rocker. On acoustic, It's Not Too Late , Hyde shows some of his bes...

"A gifted native son, Josh Hyde is one of my favorite artists from Louisiana. Funky, atmospheric and soulful, his new album, "The Call of the Night", was a pleasure to work on."  (Sonny Landreth) https://soundcloud.com/user-45065947/sets/josh-hyde-the-call-of-the/s-CTNFD Recorded at the iconic Dockside Studio in Maurice, LA, on the banks of the Vermillion Bayou in the heart of Cajun Country, "The Call of the Night" was produced by Joe V. McMahan (who has helmed projects by Webb Wilder, Mike Farris, Kevin Gordon and Sarah Potenza, among many others). Hyde (guitars & vocals) was joined in the studio by Joe V. McMahan (guitar), Ron Eoff (bass), Jamey Bell (drums), Bryan Owings (percussion) and John Gros (keyboards). Special guests on "The Call of the Night" include Sonny Landreth, Buddy Flett, Tony Daigle, James Westfall and Laura Mayo. From the slippery title track with its indelible image of "a slow heart attack, your smile...