Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Playing With Fire , from Liz Mandeville , and it's a solid blues entry. Opening with smooth shuffle, Bailing the Titanic , Mandeville on lead vocal and guitar is backed by Dario Lombardo on lead guitar, Andy Sutton on drums, and Steve Hart. Comfort Food Blues is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's Chatmon like sound and excellent slide work from Minoru Maruyama and Darryl Wright on bass. On Chicago style track, I Just Cry , Philippe Fernandez rips some great guitar riffs pushing Mandeville into a great vocal zone. With Gilles Gabisson on harp,  and Andre Howard on bass this track is smokin.  He Loves My Biscuits is a great swing track with my favorite vocals on the release. A smooth delivery, accented by the vocal and violin contributions of Ilana Katz Katz and additional vocals by Carl Uchiyama and real nice guitar runs by Mandeville, makes this another of the top tracks on the release. Peter St...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, The Stars Motel , from Liz Mandeville and it has a real nice flow. Opening with Too Hot For Love , Liz Mandeville is up front on lead vocals with Scott Ellison on lead guitar, Matt Kohl on bass, Robbie Armstrong on drums and Joan Gand on B3. With a more relaxed BB King kind of feel, Blues Is My Boss features Dario Lombardo on lead guitar with Mandeville handling lead guitar and lead vocal. Matt Cartwright sets a deliberate bass line and Andy Sutton is tight on drums. With a New Orleans feel, Everybody Knew But Me , has a great rhythm with Heather Tackett Faludo on bass, Steve Hart on tuba n Alex Leong on trombone and Jim Godsey on percussion. Very cool! Quiet ballad, One Dance , is soulful and has great horn bass featuring Jeannie Tannec on trumpet, Johnny Cotton on sax Charlie Kimble on sax. Gand's B3 work really beefs up the middle and Minoru Maruyama, guitar work gives the track sting almost sounding like a Muscle Shoa...

I just received the newest release, Angels Sing The Blues featuring performances by Liz Mandeville, Mary Lane, Al Short, Shirley Johnson and Johnny Drummer and it's cool! Opening with Al "Guitar" Short on the Johnny Guitar Watson track, A Real Mother For Ya , backed by Johnny Drummer on keys, Walter Scott on rhythm guitar, Anthony Palmer on lead guitar, Kenny Hampton on bass, Tino Cortes on drums this release starts off with a kicking funk. Danny O'Connor takes the mic on Cold Women With Warm Hearts and a rolling James Brown rhythm driven by O'Connor's own bass lead. Very nice! Johnny Drummer is up next and a slick guitar intro by Palmer opens Gonna Sell My Cadillac, Buy Myself A Mule . This track has a great feel with extended guitar work by Palmer and Drummers vocals are tight, complimented by his own harp work. Slowing it down a bit, Drummer leads a low slung groove in easy style. Palmer steps up with some real nice riffs on this track giving it a rea...

I just received the newest release. Heart 'O' Chicago from Liz Mandeville and it's quite cool! Opening with Cloud Of Love , a blend of soul, R&B, funk and gospel; I really like the feel! Featuring sax solo's from Oz Landessberg and Eddie Campbell as well as a cool trombone work from Eric Campbell and hot bass from Darryl Wright, this smokes. On These Blues , the band falls back into a calm swing and Mandeville goes from a hot spiritual vocal style to more of a club jazz style. Minoru Wright on guitar and Joan Gand share the instrumental spotlight backed by Wade baker on trumpet, Eric campbell on trombone and Oz Landessberg on sax and the slick stick work of Jeremiah Thomas on drums. Don't Doubt My Love finds Charlie Love in a vocal duet with Mandeville on an easy R&B track. Maruyama lays down a nicely stylized guitar solo on this track which nicely dresses it. So Called Best Friend has a cool groove set by Wright and Thomas and featuring Mandeville on ...

I have been listening to the new recording, Clarksdale , by Liz Mandeville . Stylistically strong, blues singer Mandeville has assembled a star studded group of players here including Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Nick Moss to play a mixture of swing/boogie, ballads, roots and blues tracks. The recording starts off with Roadside Produce Stand , a swingin boogie with Big Eyes featured on harp. No Fear/Everything is an a capella spiritual style song showing the breadth of Mandeville's singing style. Donna Herula add some sensitive slide work to the ballad A Soldier's Wife . Leandro Lopez-Varady contributes some really interesting piano riffs to Clarksdale/Riverside Hotel Blues . The recording is wrapped up with the strongest composition, more of a country style foot stomper called My Mama Wears (Combat Boots) which should receive strong airplay. Mandeville is a sassy singer with strong conviction and will certainly attract a strong following of listeners looking for fema...