Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Legacy , by Hollywood Paul Litteral and it's light and has a great groove. Opening with Fathead Newman's, Hard Times , Paul Litteral on trumpet is surround by talent including Bill Bodine on bass, Michael Rosen on drums, Rocky Davis on keys, Sam Morgan on bari sax, and Colin Kupka on alto sax. Strong opener. On Harry Warren's There Will Never Be Another You , Litteral sets the lead on trumpet joined by Davis on keys. Angela Mae O'Neill is featured on lead vocal and does a great job. I particularly like Davis' piano improve on this track, backed by Bodine and Tony Pia on drums. The Eagles, Desparado , gets a real nice rework with Litteral on trumpet melody. With Marcy Vaj on violin and viola, Kevan Torfeh on cello, Bodine on bass, and Davis on keys, this is a new track rather than a stale remake. Wrapping the release is Billy Cobham's The Moon Ain't Made of Cheese which really has a nice feel. W...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Legacy , from A Band Called Sam . Built around the vocals of Sandra Taylor, the stylized guitar lead of Gary Sellers and hard working Richie Cannata on sax these guys are really pumping. With Danny Kean on keys, Lawrence Worrell on rhythm guitar, Mario Staiano on drums and Gary Grob on bass, this is a tight unit. On opener, Voice of the Blues , a slick shuffle, with Kean and Cannata working hand in hand with Sellers pushing the energy and Taylor's powerful vocals, a solid opener. On funky R&B number, Good To Ya, Worrell has the mic and really does a nice job. The track really moves and with strong key likes and interesting guitar work, this is one of my favorites on the release. Slow blues track, Papa Blues has a smooth, T Bone Walker kind of feel and really showcases Taylor's vocals. Clocking in at over 7 minutes with excellent keyboard soloing, and a powerful instrumental punch, this is a super track. With a...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Prayer For Peace , North Mississippi Allstars and it's terrific! Opening with title track, Prayer for Peace , brothers Luther (guitar and vocal) and Cody (drums, piano, synth bass, programming and vocals) Dickinson are back and stronger than ever. Joined by Oteil Burbridge, Graeme Lesh, Sharisse Norman, Danielle Nicole, Dominic Davis and Sharde Thomas this track has honest roots. Need To Be Free is an intense track with a heavy bass line and wild, frantic guitar riffs. One of my favorites! RL Burnside track, Miss Maybelle is a stripped down Juke Joint kind of blues track with simple drum and razor sharp slide work. Very strong! Run Red Rooster is a super blues rocker with a great driving guitar riff and tight drums. Dickinson's vocals are concise and his guitar playing ruthless. Sit still during this one! Twenties folk track, Stealin' is covered here with a slight rock overtone and slick slide work. J...

I just received the newest release (October 28, 2014) Legacy , from Dave Ray and I have to say the intensity of these recordings is staggering. I've been listening to the raw blues since I was a kid and am really only familiar with Ray's work in passing. This is a 3 disc collection of blues tunes with roots in the 20's, 30's and 40's which for the most part has never been widely available. Disc one is primarily solo work, recorded between 1962 and 1987. 16 tracks beginning with Leroy Carr's Alabama Women and you would swear that this is a clean recording of an original artist from the time. Excellent! Included on this disc are a number of tracks written by Ledbelly, Brownie McGhee, Skip James, Sleepy John, Muddy, Blind Blake, originals by Ray and concluding with an incredible version of Fenton Robinson's Loan Me A Dime . Outstanding! The second disc covers 1988 to 1994 and the Ray and Tony Glover Years. 21 tracks on this disc are a little more polished...

Here is another "must have" release from the Rory Gallagher archives. This set of recordings documents the best of four live performances at Montreux (1975, 1977, 1979 and 1985). This release includes Laundromat, Tore Down, I Take What I Want, Bought And Sold, Do You Read Me, Last Of The Independents, Off The Handle, Mississippi Sheiks, Out On The Western Plain, Too Much Alcohol, Shin Kicker and Philby . There isn't one throw away track on the cd and it is full throttle from the second the first track starts. This great live compilation release clearly demonstrated why Gallagher is a legend and his reputation has remained as a superstar even years after his demise. His guitar tone is terrific throughout and the recording quality is terrific one end to the other. On Too Much Alcohol Gallagher lets up for a few moments on his Strat and plays a great fleeting solo on his dobro. If you want to hear Gallagher torture his guitar relentlessly... look no further! Doesn't he...

This is one that you don't want to miss! This is a lost Rory Gallagher album from 1978. After some internal distress after the end of his 1977 tour Gallagher shelved this album which he was recording at the time and broke up the band. Disc one is made up of 12 songs kicked off by Rue The Day which shows Gallagher's intensity was still up from the tour. Mississippi Sheiks highlights Gallagher's great guitar tone an presence on his soloing. Wheels Within Wheels is a much calmer Gallagher than I'm used to with a guitar playing in more of an ethereal manner. Overnight Bag is a great blues tune of course with strong guitars. You can actually hear Gallagher's inspiration for Brian May on this tune. Cruise On Out is uptempo and a real ripper! Fuel To The Fire is a modern style blues with a great guitar interlude. Cut A Dash is a great rock tune with great guitar and drums throughout. Out On The Tiles is a hard driven track almost literally paving the way for Stevie Ray Vau...

Third in the review of re - issue Rory Gallagher... Irish Tour. This is a recording that should be in every blues rock lovers library. It sounds as fresh as recorded yesterday and easily one of Gallagher's strongest recordings. This album came about as a result of the massive appeal of a concert filmed for television. It soon became apparent that the film deserved a larger audience and was released for the theater. This all came about during incredible turmoil in Belfast and most musicians wouldn't venture there. As this is a live recording, most of the songs have been released in studio form on other releases but never with such vigor! The recording opens with Cradle Rock and a series of pinched harmonics which have become synonymous with this recording. This track was first heard on the Tattoo'd Lady release but in a much more tame form. Rory is blazing with the slide right out of the chute! Next up is a Muddy Waters track, I Wonder Who and again Rory doesn't hold b...

I have been listening to the newly re - issued and remastered recording of Rory Gallagher's Deuce .“Deuce” became Rory's third self-penned album in a row - having written all of Taste's second album “On The Boards” as well as the debut solo album “Rory Gallagher”. “Deuce” was recorded at Tangerine Studios in Dalston, East London, which had been built by the legendary British record producer Joe Meek.This is a 10 track recording that covers a lot of Rory's musical interests at the time. The opening track, I'm Not Yet Awake , has a bit of a folk style to it and is followed up by Used To Be which is an early example of Blues rock at it's best. Don't Know Where I'm Going has a strong country Piedmont style to it and Maybe I Will comes back out swinging in Rory's UK rockin' style. Whole Lot Of People sends Rory finger picking on his strat and pushing the blues rock style that he is to develop. It also has a great little slide solo that is sure to ...

Well, I've got them! The re issue recordings by Rory Gallagher and I'm going to review them like they're new as many readers weren't alive when these were cut and the music is as fresh today as it was when cut in 1971. After releasing two critically acclaimed albums with his first band, Taste, and playing the Isle of Wight in 1970, Rory left the band to pursue a solo career. The original release had 10 tracks. This one has 2 bonus tracks originally recorded during the original sessions and they are great additions. The recording opens with Laundromat Blues which came to be a trademark rocker for Gallagher. As I Fall Apart in retrospect appears to be the stimulus for a later song by American Band "the Outlaws" (Green Grass and High Times)... I can hear it anyway). Wave Myself Goodbye is a very cool straight forward delta style blues track. Hands Up gives you an idea where Thin Lizzy got their sound. Sinner Boy , one of the signature tracks on this recor...