Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Soul In Blue , from Tad Robinson and it's terrific! Opening with R&B flavored track, Keep It In The Vault , Tad Robinson on vocal sets up a solid groove with Brian Yarde on drums and Dave Murray on bass and Kevin Anker on keys and Tommy Leino on guitar lays down some real bluesy riffs. Soulful, Out Of Sight and Out Of Mind really illustrated what I really love about Robinson. His vocals are silky smooth and dripping with soul. Clean piano backing by Alberto Marisco and meaty guitar work by Paul Holdman backed by Chris Vitarello on rhythm creates real tension, soothed by the lush vocals of Devin B Thompson and Lorie Smith . Excellent. Another soulful track, Deeper Than You Think really is deep in the soul with a throbbing bass line by Steve Gomes and features Mark Buselli   on trumpet, Rich Cohen on tenor sax, and Anker on organ really pushing Robinson's rich vocals. Forgive and Forget features so...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Major League Blues , from Jose Ramirez , and it's solid contemporary blues. Opening with title track, Major League Blues is a cool shuffle featuring Jose Ramirez on lead vocal and guitar and with Jimmy Johnson sitting in on guitar as well. Bob Stroger on bass, Willie Hayes on drums, Roosevelt Purifoy on B3 and Billy Flynn round out the band for this solid opener. On soulful ballad, I Saw It Coming , Ramirez is really out front on vocal with Purifoy creating a warm B3 envelope for his vocals. Flynn and Ramirez really do a nice job on lead guitar with solid melodic lead soloing. Here In The Delta is a cool contemporary blend between Hill Country flavored music and solid BB King styling. I really like the heavy tom tom work by Antonio Reyes, working nicely with Purifoy on B3 and the nice guitar work by Flynn and Ramirez, his own solid vocals and cool backing vocals. Kenny Watson Jr on bass adds to the heavy bottom makin...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Can't Nobody Stop Me Now , from Gerald McClendon and it's a solid dose of old school soul and R&B. Opening with title track, Can't Nobody Stop Me Now, Gerald McClendon sets a real nice soul groove featuring Herb Walker, Joe Burba and Mark Wydra on guitar, Roosevelt Purifoy on keys, Art Love on bass and Twist Turner on drums. With punchy horns by John Brumbach and Skinny Williams on sax, this is a super opener. Soulful, Where Do We Go From Here , is one of my favorite tracks on the release with strong vocals and wailing sax by Williams. Runnin' Wild has swagger with cool trumpet work and some of McClendon's best vocal work on the release. Another of my favorites is It's Over Now , a bluesy ballad with a great melody and nicely defined guitar work. Slow blues number, You Can't Take My Love , has a really sassy sax solo by Williams further accenting it's overall soulful melody and nice...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live From Rosa's , from Linsey Alexander , and it really captures Alexander in his element. Opening with cool shuffle track, Please Love Me , Alexander on lead vocal and guitar starts electrifying the audience right from the first note. Joined by Sergei Androshin on guitar, Roosevelt Purifoy on keys, Ron Simmons on bass and "Big" Ray Stewart on drums, they set a tight groove. On blues classic made popular by Freddie King and later Eric Clapton, Have You Ever Loved A Woman , Alexander really digs in on guitar and with essential organ work by Purifoy, lays down my favorite track on the release. Alexander's vocals are real and his soloing inspired. Another cool shuffle is Goin' Out Walkin' and Alexander works his guitar against his vocals nicely. Hi steppin' Snowing In Chicago has a cool driving beat with fluid guitar lines and energized organ soloing by Purifoy. Wrapping the release is funky...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Every Day of Your Life , by Jimmy Johnson and it got real feel. Opening with swamp funky, title track, Every Day of Your Life, old school Chicago bluesman, Jimmy Johnson on lead vocal and lead guitar shows his unique style. I high pitched, almost howl is how I'd describe it lending to a real bluesy feel. Joined by Rico McFarland on guitar, Roosevelt Purifoy on piano and B3, JR Fuller on bass, Pooky Stix on drums and Tymphanie Monique on backing vocal, this is a super opener. Rattlesnake is a really nice high stepping blues track with an excellent mix of jazz and blues guitar riffs. With Brother John Rattke on piano, B3 and guitar, Curt Bley on bass, Ernie Adams on drums, and Julia A Miller and Elbio Barilari on backing vocals, this is a real cool track. Fenton Robinson's classic, Somebody Loan Me A Dime is always a great showcase both vocally and on lead guitar and Johnson's particular fluid guitar burst s...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Light of Day , by Vince Agwada and I really like it! Opening with hard driving boogie track, Two Tons of Fun , Agwada lays it down hard and heavy with a track that will appeal to most anyone who loves blues music. I mean blazing slide guitar and great vocals by Agwada, pushed along by Brian Jones on drums and with Terri Lane on backing vocals, this track is excellent! Hard Headed Woman takes a basic blues and funks it up with a great bass line by Andre Howard, and drums by Brady Williams, keys by Roosevelt Purifoy, horns by Game Changer Horns and adding excellent blues guitar soloing throughout just killing it. Blues 99 has a heavy footed funk feel and it's grittiness maintains a blues rock framework with Agwada on guitar and bass, Steven Gillis on drums and Agwada's vocals are perfect. This may be the best opening 3 tracks on a blues rock release is many years.  If you lean more toward a Gary Moore 'ballad...

I just received the most recent release, Can't Shake This Feeling , from Lurrie Bell and it's a big helping of Chicago blues. Opening with Blues Is Trying To Keep Up With Me , Lurrie Bell opens with a flash. Handling lead vocal and guitar, he is joined by Roosevelt Purifoy on keys, Matthew Skoller on harp, Melvin Smith on bass and Willie Hayes on drums. A cool shuffle track, Bell airs our his guitar and Purifoy dazzles as well on piano leading up to Skoller who takes it home. On upbeat, Drifting , Bell really gets a great groove going. His vocals are powerful and Purifoy's harp work is tight. Slowing it down a bit, I Get So Weary , shows Bell on some of his most expressive guitar riffs on the release. This track is smoking! On stripped down, One Eyed Woman , Bell and Skoller pretty much handle the instrumentation making it a real simple and effective track. Very nice. Excellent blues track, The Worrisome Feeling In My Heart , is propelled by really soulful vocals by Bel...