Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Songs From The Road , by Mitch Ryder and it's a solid rocker. Opening with Lilli May , Mitch Ryder fronts the band on vocal with Laura Chavez and Sean Athens on guitars, Tomek Germann on bass, Denis Palatin on drums and Lea Worms on keys. On bluesy, All The Fools It Sees , Ryder digs deep with nicely phrased soul vocals with glistening keyboards by Worms and Athens on acoustic guitar lays in some real tasty riffs. Latin flavored, Oh What A Night has really great movement focused by Palatin and Germann and a sweet piano solo by Worms really works nicely. Chavez dishes up a blistering guitar solo and Worms' backing vocals with Ryder make this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Chavez and Athens pair up nicely for dual guitar leads on War and the texture of this track really suits Ryder's vocal style. Athens steps up with a real nice guitar solo on this one and Worms ramps up the heat on organ. Country ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, With Love , by Mitch Ryder and it's an interesting mix of rock and R&B tracks. Opening with Lilli May , an up tempo rocker featuring Ryder on lead vocal, Dave McMurray on sax, Luis Resto on keys, Roscoe White on guitars, Jeff Canady on drums, Mahindi Masai on percussion and Chuck Bartels on bass. Solid opener. Sanguine is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's lightly salted Latin influence and super guitar soloing by Laura Chavez. Another Latin flavored track, Oh What A Night , really has a great rhythm featuring Masai on percussion and Resto on keys. Ryder's vocals, backed by Hershel Boone and Terena Boone give it just the right flavor and McMurray's sax solo really tops it off. Fly is on of my favorite tracks on the release with it's funky rhythm and solid vocals by Ryder and Boone. McMurray steps up again on sax and Canady's drum work really shines on this track. Wrapping the r...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Roof Is On Fire , from Mitch Ryder and it's a great rocker. Opening with Betty's Too Tight, recorded in Berlin in 2020, Mitch Ryder demonstrates without a doubt that his work is still vital. This track hits the gates hard and will have you head banging in no time. Featuring Mitch on lead vocal, Gisbert "Pitti" Piakowski and Heiner Witte on guitar, Manne Pokrandt on bass, Tobias Ridder on drums and Rene Decker on keys, this track will have you breathing hard. Excellent opener. Taking it up about 20 notches on All The Fools It Sees,   Ryder really does get your blood flowing on this one with the addition of Decker on harp and Piatkowski really rips a hot guitar solo making this one of my favorites on the release. Ain't Nobody White is another really strong track on the release with potent lyrics and vocals by Ryder, complimented by Witte on slide guitar. The Stones, Heart of Stone is always a ple...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Comin' On, by Joe Louis Walker, and it's a great blend of Blues, Soul, R&B and Rock musical styles. Opening with Feed The Poor , a funky blues rocker, Walker joins with legendary Jorma Kaukonen on lead guitar who brings a ragged edge to this otherwise soulful track. With John Bradford on bass, Dorian Randolph on bass, Juma Sultan on percussion and Bruce Katz on organ this is a strong opener. Carla Cooke contributes lead vocal on Someday, Someway, a real nice soulful blues ballad. Her vocals, backed by Walker, on guitar and vocal, and with Lee Oskar on harmonica, Eric Finland on piano, Randolph on drums and John Bradford, this is definitely one of my favorites on the release. Keb' Mo on slide guitar and John Sebastian on harp join Walker on 12 string laying down a real nice shuffle, Old Time Used To Be . Backed by Katz on piano, Scott Petito on bass, Randolph on drums and Sultan on percussion thi...

THE YARDBIRDS, MITCH RYDER, ROBBY KREIGER, JO-EL SONNIER, BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY, LAZY LESTER, DWAYNE DOPSIE, BIG CHIEF MONK BOUDREAUX & THE GOLDEN EAGLES DOUG KERSHAW AND MICHAEL DOUCET, HEADLINE 28th ANNUAL SIMI VALLEY CAJUN & BLUES MUSIC FESTIVAL , SATURDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 27-28 Los Angeles area’s largest Cajun, Zydeco, Blues and Roots music festival, featuring two stages, a Mardi Gras parade, crafts and dozens of food booths, takes place Memorial Day weekend. The Yardbirds Lazy Lester Miitch Ryd...

Yes. Mitch Ryder of the Detroit Wheels Mitch Ryder has a new release... his first in the US in nearly 30 years!! The recordings are all original tracks but one, a great remake of Motown hit What Becomes of The Broken Hearted ... 12 tracks in all. The recording starts off with Thank You Mama , a straight forward Detroit style rocker. You can hear the Motown influence but it is a rocker. Track 2,the title track (The Promise) has a bit of that nawlans voodooo sound but again a strong soul background. Track 3, One Hair breaks out a little with the movement of the Tempt's or the Tops. This thing is groovin'! Track 4, Everybody Loses , has a real latin jazz flair that almost sounds like early Steely Dan. Track 5, My Heart Belongs To Me , has the soul rock fusion sound that had been so popular in the late 60's. Track 6, Crazy Beautiful is a real haunting ballad ... possibly my favorite (almost reminiscent of a Paul McCartney style). Track 7, Let's Keep Dancing another lat...