Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Trial By Fire , by Fran Drew and the Lucky Strikes and it's packed with energy. Opening with flamboyant music producer, Huey Meaux's Neighbor Neighbor featuring Fran Drew on lead vocal and the powerful sax work of Sax Gordon. Gene Donaldson and Steve Isherwood lay down a sassy blues guitar solo backed by Dennis Cotton on drums, and Max Samson on bass, making for a solid opener. Potent blues classic, Breakin' Up Somebody's Home , really a staple for Albert King is a solid addition here with Jeff Bousfield on keys holding down the potatoes as Isherwood and Donaldson put up the meat backing Drews vocals. Hank Ballard's track, Roll With Me Henry is set to a grounded boogie beat anchored by Samson and Cotton and features some slashing guitar riffs by Isherwood under the lead vocals of Drew. Dayna Kurtz's, I Look Good In Bad , may be my favorite track on the release with healthy piano and organ work by ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Nightwalk , from Dave Weld & the Imperial Flames and the man knows how to boogie. Opening with Mary Who , Weld on lead vocal and guitar gets into a cool JL Hooker groove, backed by Harry Yaseen on piano, Kenny Pickens on bass, and Jeff Taylor on drums. One of favorite tracks on the release is slide guitar loaded, Red Hot Tabasco featuring Weld on lead vocal and slide over a Latin beat. With Tom Hambridge on drums and Tony Carpenter on percussion this track is caliente. I really like Now She's Gone with Graham Guest on B3, and featuring Bill Branch on harp and Weld with some of the wildest slide work on the release. Very cool! Donde Vas is another Latin flavored track featuring Monica Myhre on lead vocal and with Weld adding some key lead guitar work and a fat sax solo by Rogers Randle, Jr. backed by spicy brass work by Kenny Anderson on trumpet and Bill McFarland on trombone. Uptempo, Loving You is another soli...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, I Ain't Playin' (May 20, 2022), from Diunna Greenleaf and it's chocked full of R&B, blues and soul. Opening with Koko Taylor's Never Trust A Man , Diunna Greenleaf on lead vocal slips into a funky blues, Albert King style, With Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys, Kid Andersen on guitar and Dmar Martin on drums with Mike Rinta on trombone, Aaron Lington on sax and Jeff Lewis on trumpet. Power opener. In Big James Montgomery's If It Wasn't For The Blues , Greenleaf really shows powerful phrasing and excellent command for that funky blues that we all love so much. With a great bass line by Andersen, Lington on flute, Rinta on trombone and Lewis on trumpet, and Igor prado on lead guitar, this is a really strong track. Original shuffle, Sunny Day Friends has a loose feel and Greenleaf really slides into the pocket. Jemmott's bass line is terrific, Andersen's guitar lead is strong and  P...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Bash , by Duke Robillard & Friends and it may be his best recent release. Opening with Do You Mean It , Chris Cote is up front on lead vocal with Robillard on guitar, Bruce Bears on piano and Hammond, Mark Teixeira on drums and Jesse Williams on bass. With it's up tempo shuffle feel and super lead work by Robillard, super opener. Piano boogie, What Can I Do showcases strong piano by Bears and super sax by Greg Piccolo, Rich Lataille and Doug James and again. With Cote on lead vocal again and some really hot guitar riffs by Robillard, this track spins. With it's bluesy lope, Rock Alley is a great track to show Robillard at his best. His guitar phrasing is terrific and his feel is soulful. A bluesy sax solo by Lataille really adds great spice on this track. Very nice. Michelle Willson steps up on lead vocal on swing track, You Played On My Piano giving it a great feel and a rich, fat, sax solo by James r...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Nothin' To It But To Do It , by Junior Watson and I really like it. It's become a theme, but I like most of what comes out of Greaseland, Kid Andersen's shop. Opening with Up and Out , an up tempo blazer led by Sax Gordon, Junior Watson opens this release like a showman with horns blazing. Gordon really has it humming with great underpinning by Kedar Roy on bass, Andrew Guterman on drums and Jim Pugh on keys, swinging the door open and letting Junior Watson run on guitar. Excellent! On swing boogie, Louella , Watson has lead vocal and guitar with big time sax work by Gordon. This track really has presence and Gordon shares the spotlight with Watson who shows why he's one of the best loved contemporary guitar players on the circuit. A Shot In The Dark is a terrific slower blues with Alabama Mike really working vocals upfront and giving Watson the space to work over his fretboard and he really does give i...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Complicated Mess , from Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones and it's really strong. Opening with title track, Complicated Mes s, guitar man and vocalist, Doug Deming sets the table for a blues feast. His vocals are solid as always and using machine gun and trem bend, his riffs are hot! Joining are Andrew Gohman on bass and Marty Dodson on drums. Super opener. Kim Wilson's harp work adds great depth and Demings riffs are rich and jazzy on Sweet Poison , a cool bluesy ballad. Sam Theard's classic, You Rascal You , has great wings with Little Charlie Baty on guitar, joining Deming with clever lyrics and an extremely active rhythm section. Excellent! Shuffle, Need My Baby has a great lope and Madison Slim's harp work is strong giving the track a nice edge. My favorite track on the release is slow blues, Deep Blue Sea , with soulful vocal by Deming and smoldering guitar riffs, playing against Bon Welsh's pi...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Why Did You Have To Go , from Anthony Geraci , and it's rich. Opening with R&B title track, Why Did You Have To Go , Sugar Ray Norcia is upfront on lead vocal backed by Michael Mudcat Ward on bass, Marty Richards on drums, Sax Gordon on sax, Doug Woolverton on trumpet and with stellar guitar styling by Monster Mike Welch and piano wizardry by Anthony Geraci. Excellent opener. Bluesy ballad, Angelina, Angelina is really strong with really nice piano work by Geraci and lead vocals by Sugaray Rayford. Welch is back again with signature tone, backed by Willie J Campbell on bass and Jimi Bott on drums. Very nice. Soul track, Two Steps Away From The Blues , features Michelle "Evil Gal" Willson on lead vocal with warm piano and B3 work by Geraci. Norcia is back on vocal and harp on Time's Running Out , an easy shuffle, joined by nice pace piano work by Geraci and the strong guitar accents by Ronnie Earl. ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Southbound I-95 , from JP Soars and it's really cool. Opening with Ain't No Dania Beach , there's a country flavor but still folky/rock along the lines of the Band...you know...just right. Joined by Travis Colby on organ, Paul DesLauries on ultra cool slide, Greg Morency on bass, and Sam Harrison on percussion, this is a stylin' opener. Swamp funky, Sure As Hell Ain't Foolin' Me , is a great track with a solid bass line and vocal delivery by Soars. His guitar playing is really nice as well, backed by Teresa James on vocals, Oscar Santiago on percussion and Scott Ankrom on trumpet, this is my favorite track on the release.  Title track, Southbound I-95 has great Dale/surf feel with dancing guitar work and a great rocking bass line by Jason Newstead. Excellent! Rock n Roller, The Grass Ain't Always Greener , will really get you moving with a tight piano solo by Colby and a ripping sax solo by ...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Cab Driving Man , from Mississippi Heat and it's a cornucopia of blues. Opening with R&B track, Cupid Bound , Pierre Lacocque is on the harp with sweet tone. Inetta Visor has the lead vocals. Chris "Hambone" Cameron sets up the keys backed by Brian Quinn on bass, Kenny Smith on drums with excellent guitar riffs by Michael Dotson and Sax Gordon on sax. Nice opener. Title track, Cab Driving Man , has great pace with Terrence Williams on drums and sweltering bari sax by Gordon. Visor's vocals are solid and Ruben Alvarez's percussion is tight. Boogie track, That Late Night Stuff features Dotson on lead vocal and his lead guitar work really hits the spot. On delta style blues, Flowers On My Tombstone , Visor lays in some of the best vocals on the release, backed by Sumito Aruyo on piano, Lacocque on harp and Dotson on guitar. Very nice. Icy Blue has a real nice funky bottom to it thanks to Quinn and...

I just received the newest release, Slip Into A Dream , from Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames and it's nothing short of outrageous! Opening with title track, Slip Into A Dream , Weld leads with solid vocals and confident guitar work. Backed by Monica Myhre on vocal, Dave Kaye on bass, Jeff Taylor on drums, Graham Guest on organ and Harry Yaseen on piano, this track is slinky and pendulous. Dave doesn't wait too long to unleash the dogs and his guitar work is off the hook. Simply terrific! Sweet Rockin' Soul is a rock n' roller with Yaseen driving the train. Weld and Myhre harmonize on this track but yes... he's hammering on the guitar again. Yaseen plays a cool piano solo illiciting a hot drum response from Taylor. Cool! Lookin' For A Man features Myhre on lead vocals and Weld slips on the slide. Joined by Bobby Rush on extended harp this shuffle track lets Dave get into full slide mode...right off the fret board. Very nice! Add a little funk and some hor...

Doug James had for over 25 years been one of the key ingredients in "Roomful of Blues". Nicknamed Mr. Low (Baritone Sax), Doug was the anchorman of their great horn section which included Greg Piccolo, Porky Cohen, Rich Latille, Bob Enos, and others. Doug James can be heard on "Roomful of Blues" many albums beginning with "Roomful of Blues: The First Album". When Greg Piccolo left "Roomful of Blues" in 1995, he was replaced with Gordon Beadle (Tenor Sax). Doug James and Gordon Beadle appear together on the 1996 release "Porky Cohen (with Roomful of Blues): Rhythm and Bones". Gordon's stay was short however as he left to join "The Duke Robillard Band", Duke being the original founder of "Roomful of Blues". Two years later Doug James also left "Roomful", he and Sax Gordon are together again on "The Duke Robillard Band: Explorer". Doug James has since become Gordon's replacement in Duke'...