Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Brown Eyed Blues , from Jeff Pitchell and it's a lot of fun. Opening with thumping rocker, Now You Know , Jeff Pitchell on lead guitar and vocal sets a finite reference. With grinding guitar tone and solid bass line from John O'Boyle and Ephraim Lowell on drums, this is a powerful opener. Boogie, Wait , is driven by an aggressive bass line by Mike Nunno and Mike Levesque on drums. Pitchell really gets the track rocking with strong vocal lead and great guitar riffs, backed by Colin Tilton on sax, Dan Fontanella on piano, and John Robinson, Theresa Wright and Linda Ransom on backing vocals. Pop rocker, When We Kiss , has a light finky beat and features Duane Betts on guitar, adding the twin lead guitar closely associated with the famous Allman Brothers band. Jay Vernali on piano and organ, Tommy MacDonald on bass and Tom Hambridge on drums make this the radio choice for the release. Latin flavored, Stay While The Nig...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Chasing The Sun, by Colin James  and it's chocked full of great tracks and guest talent. Opening with Protection , Lucinda Williams is up front on vocal with Colin James on vocal and lead guitar. Colin Linden on guitar adds rea nice riffs joined by Darryl Jones on bass, Charley Drayton on drums and Ann & Regina McCrary on backing vocals. This track has a strong melody with a Keith Richards feel. Excellent opener. Devilment has a really cool, New Orleans style drum rhythm by Drayton and with the addition of Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica crafting some sweet lead work, this is a strong track. Soulful radio track, How It Feels To Be Loved , really has that warm universal radio play feel featuring James on guitar and vocal, a paced, walking bass line by Jones and warm B3 contributions by Michael Hicks and Jim Hoke on sax. Very nice. Another track that has a great rock feel is This Song Kills Hate with it's guit...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Life Is Hard , from Mike Zito and it's a solid release. Opening with driving blues rocker, Little Milton's, Lonely Man , Mike Zito on excellent lead vocal and guitar sets a great groove. With Reese Wynans setting a solid keyboard, Calvin Turner on bass, Lemar Carter on drums, and Paulie Cerra on sax, this is a strong opener. Fred James' Life Is Hard is a terrific blues track and Zito knows how to milk every drop of blues out of it. Soulful vocals and stinging guitar riffs really makes this track soar. Excellent! Zito original, Forever My Love , is a bluesy ballad with a great melody, setting up for Zito to take that standout guitar solo and his nails it. Tab Benoit's Darkness , is a good selection for this set working nicely with heave drum accents by Carter, and super guitar work by Zito and guest Joe Bonamassa. Walter Trout's, Nobody Moves Me Like You Do , enhances the set really well with it's f...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tales of Time , by Joe Bonamassa and he is really pulling it together. A performance of his new solo release, Time Clocks, Tales of Time opens with Notches , and Bonamassa has a solid riff going with a heavy footed kick drum by Lemar Carter and full bass by Calvin Turner. Building a full blown blues rocker with Reese Wynans on keys,and Josh Smith on guitar Bonamassa on lead vocal and fluid guitar solos ans backing vocals by Jade MacRae, Dannielle DeAndrea and Mahalia Barnes makes this a terrific opener. The deeper you get into the release the more you see that it is built as a continuous piece of art somewhat like a Pink Floyd release. All of the songs relate and one is as powerful as the next. Mind's Eye starts off light with a ballad style, Bonamassa on guitar and vocal but slowly builds to epic proportions with full band and rich backing vocals. Very strong. Throwing in a bit of R&B construction, Known Unknow...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Trouble Is...25 , from Kenny Wayne Shepherd and it's great to hear. A release and reinterpretation of his second release, Trouble Is, Trouble Is ...25 sounds pretty fresh. Opening with Slow Ride , KWS really gets the program started with great vocals,  high energy blues riffs, and excellent sustain. With Chris Layton on drums, Kevin McCormick on bass and Reese Wynans on keys, this is a strong opener. Laid back, Everything Is Broken , anchored by Layton, has great drive and KWS shows all of the southern guitar spunk he has accumulated during his career. (Long) Gone has terrific Texas style swagger with hot guitar riffs and the addition of harmonica on this track really pumps it up. Classic, Somehow, Somewhere, Someday is just slow (fast) enough to really hit the groove. Wynans keyboard adds real tension and KWS's guitar work is stinging. Wrapping the release is Bob Dylan's fabulous Ballad of a Thin Man and KWS...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ain't Ready For The Grave , from Hurricane Ruth , and it's powerful. Opening with Barrelhouse Joe's , a solid boogie, Hurricane Ruth on lead vocal is joined by Reese Wynans on piano, Tom Hambridge on drums, Michael Rhodes on bass, Pat Buchanan and Rob Mc Nelley or guitars. Taking it down, Far From The Cradle , has great blues bones with expressive vocals, excellent piano work by Wynans and super guitar work under the lead. Southern style blues rocker, Estilene , has a great beat and smoking guitar riffs.  A really hot drum riff by Hambridge and Rhodes bass lines really set the pace on Beekeeper . It's cool rhythmic flow makes this one of my favorites on the release. A funky bass/drum line set a super beat for Cheating Blues , a cool track with expressive vocal phrasing and a real nice guitar solo. Very cool. Shuffle track, Let Me Be The One has a cool pace, cool vocals and flashy guitar riffs giving it ...

I just received the newest release, Sugar Me , from Sammy Eubanks , and it's got a definite southern link. Opening with It's All Blues To Me , Sammy Eubanks, singer/guitarist, leads the charge with a track that is of Charlie Daniels and Tinsley Ellis. Country styling and rock overtones, this is a cool opener. Stop That Grinnin has a super blues drive, Elmore James style, with particularly cool work from Eubanks, Matt Hauer and Bob Britt and strong piano riffs from Reese Wynans. Darren Theriault handles the bass and Chris Kimmerer the drums. Very cool. Blues All Mornin' has a real cool bass line and really sweet lead guitar work by Eubanks. Wynans' organ work is nicely saturated giving the track nice girth. Willie Dixon's I Just Wanna Make Love To You has a great boogie beat, sounding more like contemporary Foghat than original Dixon but I really like it... I mean...who doesn't love a boogie. Eubanks' vocals and slide work both shine on this track, making...

I just received the newest release, Rich In Love , from Colin Linden and it's very entertaining. Opening with Knob & Tube , an easy paced blues pop track featuring Linden on mandolin and vocal and backed by Amy Helm on vocal, the release is off to a good start. R&B slanted, I Need Water has a slick, Boz Scaggs style. Linden delivers nicely on this track with quiet but really interesting slide riffs, backed by John Dymond on bass, Gary Craig on drums and Tim Laur on organ. Very nice! Delia Come For Me is a strong ballad with Linden on vocal accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and overdubbing a really sweet slide guitar track. Solid writing and performance. Harp master, Charlie Musselwhite adds his signature harp styling on The Hurt , a bluesy ballad. Linden opens the electric slide up a bit on this track giving it a nice contrast and Reese Wynans dances on piano giving the track a certain sparkle. Everybody Ought To Be Loved is a soulful ballad and one that should ...

I just received the newest release by Johnny I. All Star Blues Revival . This release is star packed featuring the works of Jaimoe , Billy Cox , Bruce Katz and Reese Wynans . Opening with Life Is Better , a funky groove and Billy Cox on bass, Ingrassia leads the way on vocals. Wynans carries a lot of the load on B3 and Layton cements the bottom on drums. After a nice B3 solo from Wynans, Johnny I. steps up with a fat, high gain guitar solo making for a cool jam. Late Night has more of a jazzy ballad featuring Jaimoe on drums and Katz on B3. Katz steps up on this track and plays a mean solo opening the door for Johnny I. to step up again with a burst of fat guitar riff. An easy going track reminding me quite a bit of an early Isley Brothers track. Interesting listing and a decent start to a concept release. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page!...

Guitar Master Dudley Taft Is Screaming in the Wind on Latest CD, Coming May 20 from American Blues Artist Group New Album of Blues-Rock Produced by Grammy-Winner Tom Hambridge Features Special Guest Reese Wynans on Keyboards CINCINNATI, OH – Blues-rock guitarist Dudley Taft announces a May 20 release date for his new CD, Screaming in the Wind , on his American Blues Artist Group label. The new album was produced by Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge, best-known for his work with Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi, George Thorogood and Johnny Winter, and recorded at The Switchyard and Rendering Plant in Nashville, as well as Taft’s new Muchmore Studio in Cincinnati. The new recording facility is part of the house and property Dudley recently purchased from legendary guitarist Peter Frampton.      The new CD features a dozen songs, most of which are originals penned by Dudley Taft, including several co-written with Tom Hambridge (who also plays drums on ...

Been waiting a while for the opportunity to review this utterly spectacular release. Yes, I know it's been out for some time, but it's terrific and under appreciated. Opening with Twisted Blues , Noy is joined by a who's crew of unbelievable musicians. Oz plays a tele on this first outrageous funky track and is joined by Jeff Beck pal Vinnie Colaluta on drums, Will Lee on Bass, Jerry Z on Organ and John Medeski on organ. This is such a great groove and features spectacular bass, drums and guitar work difficult to describe. On O h Really , Noy and gang is joined by Alan Toussaint for a little twist of New Orleans. Maintaining incredible musicianship, the band takes you on an incredible trip through the quarter like you've never seen. Noy is relentless on guitar and Colaluta punctuates the day like only he can. Touyssaint plays a really nice classic piano solo snugged up to these musical madmen. Unbelievable! You Are The State has a different line up and a different fe...

JIMMY HALL - REESE WYNANS - SAMANTHA FISH DANIELLE & KRIS SCHNEBELEN - KATE MOSS The Blue Star Connection mission is to provide access and ownership of musical instruments for children and young adults with cancer and other serious life challenges. To date we have reached hundreds of kids and have donated musical gear to over 25 Children’s Hospital Music Therapy programs, as well as several other community programs. Please help us continue this mission.  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

I just received the debut release, Raise Your Hands, by Long Tall Deb (Deb Landolt). Deb opens the release with What Would a Good Woman Do, a soul strut featuring a vocal duet with Phil Pemberton and guitar work from Sean Carney. Hush Your Mouth gets a funk groove going with backing vocals by Nikki Scott and Melvin Powe sets the stage with some smooth bass lines. Let's Get Lost is a strong radio track and one that should fir well with strong vocals. Married To The Blues, a track talking about independence, features Jimmy Thackery on guitar along with Bart Walker and Matt O'Ree with a R&B style track and featuring vocals by Big Llou. Finally Forgot Your Name, a solid soul track sets up nicely as a blues ballad, with guests the Roomful Of Blues Horns (Mark Earley, Rich Lataille and Doug Woolverton). Raise Your Hands blends gospel, soul and rock for another airplay geared track. There is quite a bit of guitar work on this track courtesy of Sean Carney, Dave Clo and Brent Penne...