Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Between Somewhere and Goodbye by Doug MacLeod , and it's that cool, MacLeod blues rock thing. I've been reviewing Doug's releases for over 10 years and I find him like JJ Cale in that his music is cool, clever and somewhat definable... and that's good. Opening with Memphis In Your Soul , MacLeod sets off with a lightly funky, track with soulful vocals, an easy guitar riff, and with Paul Ossola on bass, Lynn Williams on drums and Cindy Walker , Marie Lewey and Carla Russell on backing vocals. MacLeod lays in one of his understated, single string guitar solos making for  perfect opener. Keep On Walking On is a straight up shuffle with really light instrumental backing almost dominated by a single snare/tambourine snap and MacLeod's vocals, backed by Lewey, Russell and Walker and another traditionally simple yet interesting guitar solo. Very solid melody and performance. I Ain't No Stranger ha...

  I just  had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Brand New Eyes , from Doug MacLeod and it's super. This release on Reference Recordings, Fresh label captures MacLeod alone on acoustic guitar and resonator in a pristine setting. Opening with title track,  Brand New Eyes , MacLeod uses his vocal and finger picking pace to stimulate the track and a foot tap to stabilize the pace. Easing into a John Lee Hooker like trance with resonator and a solid foot stomp, MacLeod really captures the feel of Delta Blues on Something Dark Is Walking . An obvious student of the old masters, this track is spot on. With a traditional rag style and strong finger picking, Zu-Zu Woman is a terrific track and one of my favorites on the release. With raw emotion, I Rolled A Nickel feels delta authentic with the jangle of the resonator and slide, foot stomp and wailing like vocal. Very nice. Story telling country blues, The Nature of the Man has a great tempo and solid vocals ma...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues In My Heart, from Fiona Boyes and it's very good. A remaster of her first solo release from 2000 this is just releases by Reference Recordings and a tight mix. Opening with original track, Blues In My Heart , Boyes on acoustic guitar and vocal shows real finesse, a strong voice and clean execution. On Leadbelly's, Pig Meat , Boyes lets loose on it with much less controlled vocals and really fans the guitar with hot clean runs. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is ballad, Have Faith , with it's sensitive melody and quiet vocal and guitar blending. In Memphis Minnie style, Honey You Can Take My Man and joined by Kaz Dalla Rosa on harmonica, Paula Dowse on drums and Gina Woods on piano, Boyes really gets a swing on. Excellent! Boyes does a real nice job on Rev. Gary Davis' Mean Old World . Her guitar fingering, thumped accents and bluesy vocals really come together nicely on this one. ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Voodoo in the Shadows , from Fiona Boyes . Opening with dark, smoky Call Their Name , Boyes, with her swampy guitar rhythms and solid vocals leads the way backed by Tim Neal on keys, Mark Grunden on drums and Johnny Sansone on harp. On What You Put On Me , the band sets a Mississippi hill country pace with Sansone wailing away on harp and Boyes laying out some prime cigar box slide work. Very nice. On Latin flavored, Dark and Dangerous Love shows a different side of Boyes with dark, a seductive melody, steamy vocals and smooth guitar lead. Neal adds some real nice sax backing in addition to a hot organ solo and Grunden's conga playing really spices it up. New Orleans has a nice bluesy feel with great piano work by Neal. R&B roots fuel With A Little Respect . Neal steps up with another nice sax solo and melodic harp work by Sansone adds just the right tough to Boyes vocal efforts. Wrapping the release is another...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Break The Chain , from Doug MacLeod and it's a cool, textural documentary of contemporary observations. Opening with boogie rocker, Goin' Down To The Roadhouse , Doug gets into a real nice groove with slide on resonator joined by Denny Croy on bass and Jimi Bott on drums. On Lonesome Feeling, Doug really gives his National steel body a rough workout. His wailing and slide work nicely together creating a feeling of solitude and emptiness. Very nice. Another stand out track is One For Tampa Red featuring a solid walking bass line by Croy and Doug sliding out the melody on his National "O". Boogie track, Who's Driving This Bus is another stand out track with a great driving rhythm and clever lyrics. A very nice track, Church Street Serenade has a really sweet melody and strong guitar articulation. One of my favorites. Wrapping the release is title track, Break The Chain , a simple stripped down roc...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Professin' The Blues , by Fiona Boyes and it's pure. This release is stripped down with only Boyes on vocal and guitar/resonator, joined by Jimi Bott on drums and Denny Croy on bass. hand writing 18 pages of liner notes, Boyes does a real nice job of bringing you into the environment with her. Opening with Can't Stay Here No More , Boyes creates the feeling of years of living on the road and resting on a spot. With only acoustic guitar, tambourine and drum this is primitive. Devil You Know maintains the primitive feel but is stepped up in pace. With cool resonator slide Boyes considers the cons of accepting the status quo. With a jangly, rag time sound, Lay Down With Dogs considers fidelity with a touch of humor. With just a touch of country rock, Card Sharp , has a cool cigar box riff that follows the melody. Sliding into the chorus, a cool track with a cool hook. One of my favorite track on the release, O...

I just received the newest release, Box & Dice , from Fiona Boyes and it's a gritty, bluesy guitar fest. Opening with Juke Joint on Moses Lane , Boyes gets a thick, rudimentary sound from a resonator guitar with superior sliding technique. Her voice is raspy and well suited to this polished form of primitive blues. Backed by Mark Grunden on drums and Dean Addision on bass this is tight. I'm A Stranger Here has a pure delta sound played only on a 6 string cigar box and she handles it with authority. Walking Around Money has a bit more rock blended in with an fast rockin beat on baritone guitar with Grunden and Addision. Boyes does a really nice cover of Howlin Wolf's Smokestack Lightning , with a driving electric guitar vamp, a cool loosely slung solo and some of my favorite vocals on the release. Louisiana is a somber blues ballad gently sung and accompanied on 4 string cigar box guitar, bass and percussion. Very nice! JC Johnson's Black Mountain Blues is del...

I just received the newest release (March 10, 2015), Exactly Like This , from Doug MacLeod and it's quite good. Opening with piano boogie, Rock It Til The Cows Come Home , MacLeod on guitar and vocal is joined by Mike Thompson on piano, Jimi Bott on drums and Denny Croy on bass. This track has an acoustic basis but it really does rock. With a solid piano groove and acoustic guitar instrumentation MacLeod's vocals push the track. Too Many Misses For Me has more of a jazzy feel and an acoustic guitar lead. A strong track with nice articulation. Find Your Right Mind has more of a quiet Johnson ballad (Come Into My Kitchen) style but with a more urban twist. MacLeod plays the slide resonator sweetly on this track. Ain't It Rough? has a rag feel but is really more of a story telling track with rhythmic accompaniment. Vaneta , a cool guitar boogie is lead by MacLeod on acoustic guitar and with a real nice blues Hooker like guitar riff. The spirit of John lee lingers in this ...

Please join us in congratulating Doug MacLeod, winner of the  2013 Blues Blast Music Awards  Male Blues Artist of the Year! The gala awards ceremony was held at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago on October 31st , 2013. Awards were given in ten categories, plus Lifetime Achievement honors to Eddie Shaw and Bob Koester. Congratulations to all the nominees and the winners! —Jan Mancuso and the Reference Recordings Team

I just received the Reference Recordings label debut, There's A Time , by Doug MacLeod . This release will be released on March 12, 2013 in both CD and half speed mastered, 200-gram vinyl. The recording opens with Rosa Lee , a light shuffle tune featuring MacLeod on an open D tuned national Reso-Phonic. Next up is Black Nights , a smooth acoustic blues and not only does MacLeod shine on vocal but also really digs in on some nice blues riffs on his Gibby C100FE. The Up Song has a Hawaiian sound to in with vocal qualities and a National El Travador 12 string. The Entitled Few is a track about using the blues handicapped parking card. Played on A National Style O, this sound terrific with vocals delivered more as a spoken shout. A Ticket Out is a Piedmont Style track in open D on the Reso-Phonic. Run With the Devil , again with the spoken track as a story, features some pretty cool slide work on the Style O. St. Elmo's Rooms and Pool is one of my favorite tracks on the releas...

Reference Recordings Signs Blues/Roots Singer-Songwriter Doug MacLeod Label Debut Album, There’s a Time , Set for Release March 12 SAN FRANCISCO, CA -   Reference Recordings announces the signing of blues/roots singer-songwriter Doug MacLeod, and a March 12 release date for his label debut album, There’s a Time . Produced by Doug MacLeod and Janice Mancuso and recorded at Skywalker Sound, the “baker’s dozen” tracks on There’s a Time showcase his soulful vocals and trademark guitar sound backed by Denny Croy on bass and Jimi Bott on drums. Acclaimed for their quality audio recordings, Reference will also release the new album on a 200-gram vinyl two-LP set, half-speed mastered and pressed at Quality Record Pressings (QRP), as well as on CD. “Making this album was different than any other one I’ve done in the past,” recalls MacLeod about the sessions. “They put Jimi, Denny and me on this huge soundstage at Skywalker Sound in Marin Cou...