Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Slow Burn , by Kim Wilson and it may be his best. Opening with Little Milton 's, I'm Trying , Kim Wilson is up front on lead vocal with Nathan James really shining on guitar. Barrelhouse Chuck has the piano rolling and Richard Innes on drums rounds out the band. Strong opener. BB King 's classic, Sweet Little Angel is up next with smoking lead guitar work by Billy Flynn . Wilson soulful vocals are perfect for these tracks and Chuck adds vibrant piano lead backed by Innes, Larry Taylor on bass and Johnny Viau on horns. Wilson breaks loose on harmonica on Boogie in E with tight backing by James, Marty Dodson on drums, and Troy Sandow on bass. Excellent! Robert Nighthawk's, The Time Has Come, features Flynn on slide and Wilson on lead vocal. Signature piano work by Chuck and Taylor and Innes working the bottom makes this another standout track. Magic Sam 's Easy Baby is a cool showcase for Wilson on v...

I just received the newest release, Hear Me Calling (November 28, 2014), from Nathan James and it has a real nice feel. This release is actually two separate releases in one, the first, Hear Me Calling , was inspired by field recordings by Alan Lomax. The second, Natural Born This Way , more New Orleans, Swamp Pop and Down Home blues. Opening disc one is title track, Hear Me Calling , a stripped down blues track with harp and resonator guitar. Look Before I Leap puts me in mind of Brickyard Blues, an old track made popular by James Montgomery. Clean articulate resonator playing brings a nice life to this track. Piedmont style track, Still I Wanna Know , is a bright finger style acoustic guitar track with James on lead vocal. Very nice! A boogie track with a twist, Doing The Same To You , has a Latin flavor and a finger style break. Interesting mix. Baby Where Did You Go has very classic delta blues styling and honesty. Possibly my favorite track on disc one. Curley Weaver's No...