Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Do It My Own Way , by Vanessa Collier and it's full of funk, soul and Latin sounds. Opening with Elbow Grease , Collier leads on vocal with a hot, funky, Latin rhythm, fueled by Laura Chavez on guitar, Scot Sutherland on bass, Byron Cage on drums, a hot solo by Doug Woolverton on trumpet and Collier on sax and Maureen Murphy on backing vocals. Powerful opener. Blues rocker, Take Me Back has a strong, memorable melody making it a likely radio track with a warm sax solo by Collier and real nice drum and percussion work by Trey Macias and Cage. Funky, boogaloo rhythm laid down by Chavez and Cage gives Shoulda Known Better a real hot sound. With Collier letting the sax fly on this one and punchy trumpet work by Woolverton, followed by a tight solo by Chavez, this is one of my favorite tracks on the release. Latin flavored balled, Just One More , highlights Collier on lead vocal with shimmery guitar work by Chavez. Sultry...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live at Power Station , from Vanessa Collier and it's energetic. Opening with The Run Around , Collier has the mic vocally and on sax on a driving rocker. With the incredible Laura Chavez on guitar, William Gorman on keys, Andrew Crane on bass, and Byron Cage on drums, this is a bright opener. Rolling, Whiskey and Women has a really nice feel and is a grat showcase for Collier's voice. Chavez lays in a solid solo and Collier caps on the track with a nasty solo of her own. Sweatin' Like A Pig, Singin'' Like An Angel has a cool, swampy New Orleans styling and I really like the interplay between Chavez and Collier instrumentall over the tight bottom provided by Cage and Crane. Excellent track. On Chris Smither's, Love Me Like A Man   Chavez really shines and Collier not only really rips it vocally but gets a great groove going on her sax. Excellent track. Pulling out her James Brown funkiness on Tong...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Heart On The Line , from Vanessa Collier , and it's quite good. Opening with James Brown's, Super Bad Collier is off to a strong start morphing a quick tempo driver into a slow, funky instant hit. This track has it all with movement, great vocal, a great bottom, and saxy solo by Collier. Backed by Nick Stevens on drums, Scott Sutherland on bass, Laura Chavez on guitar, William Gorman on keys, Quinn Carson on Trombone, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, this track is hot! With a delta feel on Bloodhound , Chavez lays down a cool slide riff and Colliers vocals really take over. With CC Ellis on bass and Stevens on drums, this track has oomph. Randy Newman's You Can Leave Your Hat On gets a really nice rework with plenty of spunk. I really like the horn work on this one pushing it along and Chavez's guitar solo just just right in the groove. Excellent! Original track, Weep and Moan has a really great feel with a slo...