Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Outside The Lines , by Misty Blues and I really like it. Opening with Where The Blues Come From , MB lays down a heavy bottomed blues rocker with thumping bass lines and vocal by Bill Patriquin, and heavy drum work and vocals by Rob Tatten, and rabble rousing organ by David Vittone with solid contributions by Gina Coleman on cigar box guitar and vocal, Diego Monque on guitar and vocal, Seth Fleischmann on guitar and vocals and  Benny Kohn on keys. On One Of These Days , Matt Cusson on keys and vocals gives the track a cool, Latin feel with Fleischmann soaring on lead guitar, strong sax work by Aaron Dean, and snappy drumming by Tatten. Coleman really shines on lead vocal on funky, Grip Your Soul . Her deep vocal attack, along with excellent guitar work by Fleischmann and screaming sax work by Aaron Dean make this one of my favorites on the release. Kat Riggins and Justin Johnson guest vocal with Coleman on The Hat...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blood On My Hands , by Emanual Casablanca and it's solid rocker with a blues base. Opening with Afraid of Blood , a dark rocker with heavy overtones, Emanual Casablanca on vocal and guitar sets the tone joined by Paul Howells on guitar, Julian Chobot on bass, Teddy Sideropolous on drums and Paul Gilbert on guitar. Title track, Blood On My Hands is really a cool track with a strong, lumbering blues bottom, emphasized by Maximillian Sebastian on bass, Theodore Augustine on drums, Brother Dave on guitar and some of Casablanca's best vocals on the release. I really like blues based, Bloodshot Eyes with it's relentless thumping bass line by Chobot and solid guitar riffs by Albert Castiglia. Driving boogie, Testify is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a grinding guitar riff by Howells and it's simple blues feel. Wrapping the release is Rottenpockets with a heavily distorted guitar vamp by Sebastia...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cry Out, by Kat Riggins and it's a cool mix of blues, R&B, pop and soul. Opening with funky, Son of a Gun , Riggins leads the band with attitude. With Doug Byrkit on bass, Brian Zielie on drums, Louis Stevens on keys and Mike Zito on guitar, this is a solid opener. R&B track Meet Your Maker , has a great bass line by Byrkit and a great overall flow with the addition of cool sax work  by Eric Demmer and Fernando Castillo on trumpet, making it one of my favorites on the release. Soul tune, Heavy , has a really nice feel with strong vocals, a warm undercarriage of keys by Stevens and slide guitar by Zito making this an easy selection for radio track on the release. Wicked Tongue is a great showcase for Albert Castiglia who throws down a great flurry of hot riffs in support of Riggins' sassy lead vocals. I love the crunch on Zito's guitar on Burn It All Down , a solid shuffle. Riggins's vocals are ...

I just had the opportunity to review the ost recent release, In The Boys Club , from Kat Riggins , and its a dark, R&B soaked rocker. Opening with Try Try Again , Riggins blends a high stepping rhythm with repeating vocal theme to create a cool opener with slick guitar riffs by Josh Bowand. Traditional delta style blues, Troubles Away features some of the best vocals on the release complimented with solid slide resonator work by Bowand. Soul track, Hear Me is a smooth track with warm keyboard work by Darrell Raines, bass by George Caldwell and drums by Johnnie Hicks. I like the tension of this track and Haines' guitar solo is solid. Uptempo 2 stepper, Kitty Won't Scratch features vocal pairing with Albert Castiglia who also contributes a fleet fingered guitar solo. Very nice. Riggins and Hicks team up with Clay Goldstein on harp on rocker, Johnnie Walker creating a modern day Led Zep sound. Cool rocker. Funky, Live On , has a nice R&B flavor and solid vocal blen...

I just received the newest release, Blues Revival , from Kat Riggins and she has pure soul. Opening with Now I See (Ooh Wee) , a R&B number with a bit of a James Brown feel, Riggins balances nicely on vocals with Darrell Raines on keys and guitar, some really sweet bass lines from George Caldwell and Doc Allison on drums. Soulful, Good Girl Blue s, has a swampy, lumbering feel with a sensitive bass line and expressive guitar riffs. Riggins' vocal pharsing is smooth and rich. Slow blues number, Wail Away , opens with a nice guitar intro by Raines and Riggins really opens up vocally encouraging Raines to lay it out. Very nice. Shuffle track, Queen Bee , is a solid blues with a cool, low key solo by Raines on guitar. R&B track, Murphy's Law has the hook and melody to be a pop or blues radio track. With it's walking bass line, Music Fiend , has a real nice pace. With just a touch of jazz, this track kicks a groove. After the traditional Let It Shine in simple verse...