Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Young Rell , by Harrell Davenport , and it's hot! Opening with Chicago Style shuffle , Tomorrow , Harrell Davenport on harmonica, guitar and vocal evokes early Muddy Waters with plenty of grit and spunk. With Jim Pugh on piano, Daquantre "Q" Johnson on bass, and June Core on drums this is a super opener. R&B flavored, Spinning , shows Davenports roots with soulful vocals, Pugh on organ, Endre Tarczy on bass, Kid Andersen on rhythm guitar, and Core on drums with Larry Batiste on backing vocals, Aaron Lington on sax and Niel Levonius on trumpet giving an authentic 60's R&B feel. Very nice. Richland Swing is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Davenport really showcasing his guitar mastery ala Gatemouth Brown style , Pugh really pushing on organ, Lington wailing on bari sax, Levonius on trumpet and with Tarcyz on bass and Core on drums. Smoking!! I Be Tryin' is a great blues trac...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, God Bless the USA , from Aki Kumar and it's cool. Opening with a Chicago style take on Joe Strummer's Should I Stay made popular by the British punk band, The Clash. With a low slung guitar rhythm by Bob Welsh, June Core on drums, and Kedar Roy on bass this track takes form. Aki Kumar on vocal and harmonica really fleshes out the track with Welsh on piano and Julia JD on backing vocals. Very cool. Willie Dixon's I Just Want To Make Love gets an incredibly out of the box rework with Jim Santi Owen on tabla, Welsh on guitar, Will Marsh on sitar, and Kumar on vocal, harmonica and vocal. Really interesting barely touches it. A reggae/funk workover on Neville Brothers' Sissy Strut now remade as  Desi Strut is great with Kumar taking the lead on harmonica and Owens and Marsh providing the basics of the backing with Welsh on guitar and Core on drums. Oh Yeah...it's cool! One of my favorite tracks on the rele...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Grease To Gravy , from Terry Hanck and it really swings. Opening with Wilson Pickett's Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You , Terry Hanck has got another hot one on the griddle. Singing and playing tenor sax, Hanck has great feel, backed by Kid Andersen who is everybody's not so secret weapon on guitar, Jim Pugh on B3, and Jon Otis on drums. Great opener. Andersen really steps up on slide guitar on 2nd line track, If A Politician Was A Doctor , with Chris Peet on drums and Hanck really working the sax and pure vocals. Very nice. Ray Charles' Come Back Baby has a great feel and Hanck's soulful vocals and King Curtis like sax work are featured along with June Core on drums, Chris Burns on piano, Pugh on B3 and Andersen on bass. Albert King's Overall Junction features Hanck really honking on sax, great rhythm and lead guitar by Johnny Cat Soubrand, Andersen on B3 and D'Mar on drums. Strong instrume...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues For Breakfast , by The Phantom Blues Band and it's a solid party. Originally formed as Taj Mahal's backing band, PBB began performing on their own and released their first release back in 2006. With a few changes in the lineup most significantly Les Lovitt replacing Darrell Leonard on trumpet and Jim Pugh replacing the nearly irreplaceable Mike Finnigan after his fight with cancer ending in 2021. This newest rendition of the band opens with a roaring  cover of I Take What I Want with Larry Fulcher on bass and lead vocals paired with Johnny Lee Schell on lead vocal and guitar. Backed by Tony Braunagel on drums, Joe Sublett on sax, Les Lovitt on trumpet and Jim Pugh on piano and organ this track has real juice. New Orleans flavored, She's Into Something has strong percussion by  Braunagel and the horn work of Joe Sublett and Les Lovitt really spices things up. Schell drops into a nice Texas style guita...

 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, From The Patio, Live at Poor House Bistro, Volume 1, from Ron Thompson and it's a strong, raw performance. Opening with Willie Dixon's Meet Me In The Bottom , Ron Thompson on vocal and guitar gets a running start with his grinding tempo with Scotty Griffin on drums, Dave Chavez on bass, Sid Morris on piano and Jim Pugh on organ. His solid groove and unpolished but excellent blues vocals are spot on. On Lightning Hopkins' Bring Me My Shotgun , Thompson shows just how close to the "real blues" his work is with excellent vocals, slide work and minimal bass and drums. Excellent! Bob Geddins' Tin Pan Alley, made popular to most by SRV gets a real nice workout by Thompson with not only really soulful vocals and solid piano work by Morris but with some real nice electric guitar work by Thompson. Very nice. Guitar Slim's Done Got Over It is another potent track with Jim Pugh on organ solo and rocka...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, ...Took A While , from The Mike Duke Project and it's a soulful southern style release packed with musical elite. Opening with Little Miss Ponytail , a certain radio track, Mike Duke on lead vocal and piano leads the way with Bill Stewart on drums, Phil Yeager on bass, Ronnie Brown on guitar and Rick Kurtz on guitar. Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do features Duke with Jimmy Hall and the vocals are not only warm and solid but this is really a strong track. Let Me Be Your Fool Tonight is a real cool track with the addition of Lloyd Meadows, Angela Strehi  and Lisa Lueschner Andersen on backing vocal and featuring super accordion work by Bruce Gordon. I'm Not Sad Tonight sounds like it could be pulled right out of Van Morrison's songbook with distinct vocal phrasing and poise and the addition on Jim Pugh on B3. Very nice. Gospel flavored Torn & Scarred is Duke, accompanying his vocal lead on piano wit...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Heartland & Soul from Kevin Burt and it's quite entertaining. Opening with Day Day , a funky R&B track with really nice vocals by Kevin Burt . backed by Jerry Jemmott on bass, Derrick DMar Martin on drums, Kid Andersen on guitar, Jon Otis on percussion, Jim Pugh on keys and with Lisa Leuschner on backing vocals, this is a great opener. Thank You is a solid soul track with a great set up. Rhythmic rim shots and a warm bass line set the pace on this one that does a sideward salute to Sly's Thank You ( Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). Working this track over and over, Burt really milks the soul out of it. Very nice. I really like the soulful movement of Real Love and it's traditional R&B vocal phrasing with solid harp work by Burt. A slower, almost folksy take on Lennon & McCartney's Eleanor Rigby reminds me of Richey Havens and that's good. Unsung vocal hero. Never is a super bluesy ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Howl , from Howell Devine and it's quite cool. Recorded at the acclaimed Greaseland Studios by Kid Andersen, this release has a great old style yet current vibe. Opening with Sonny Boy Williamson's The Key , Joshua Howell on vocal, guitar and harp melds nicely with Pete Devine on drums and Joe Kyle Jr. on bass. With it's lumbering pace, the track has deep blues roots. RL Burnside's Going Down South develops a rumble with solid bass lines and super vocals by Howell. Kickin it up a notch, Howell drives his guitar hard without breaking Burnside's basic monumental style. Very nice. Sookie Sookie has that great Booker T feel complimented by Kid Andersen on organ but this track is really a showcase for Howell's harp work. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is original composition, Sirenic Woman with raw slide playing and tom tom heavy drums and exaggerated bass lines by Kyle. Excelle...