Hurricane Ruth : Live At 3rd and Lindsley - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live At 3rd and Lindsley from Hurricane Ruth and it's got real swagger. Opening with Roll Little Sister, Ruth shows "her take no prisoners" attack with her raw, energetic vocals, joined by Scott Holt on slide and Nick Nguyen guitars, Calvin Johnson on bass, Lewis Stephens on keys and drum master Tom Hambridge driving the train. Strong opener. Dirty Blues really has enough grime on it to be a Keith Richards deal. Ruth knows how to work it and Holt's slide work combined with Hambridge's drum work makes this a firm contender. Slow blues, Faith in Me takes Ruth out of her classic blues rocker stance and into a more soulful mode. Holt steps up with a solid guitar solo, with some real nice phrasing, joined by Stephens on piano. Cool track and obviously a crowd pleaser. Fenton Robinson's (Peppermint Harris) As the Years Go Passing By is up next and features Ruth teaming up with ex Wet Willie and Jeff Beck featured vocalist, Jimmy Hall on vocal who also adds harmonica. This track has some great tension with Hall and Ruth on vocal setting up Hall and Holt for soloing. Very cool. Johnson really leads the way with a thumping bass line on I've Got To Use My Imagination. Ruth takes this high stepper by the throat and handles it like a pro. Holt lays in some real nice guitar lead making this another crowd favorite. Wrapping the release is Dance Dance Norma Jean, a romping boogie with plenty of bottom. Holt steps up with a cool solo but this track is really Ruth leading the party making this a great closer. 

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American Showplace Music artist: Hurricane Ruth -Good Life - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Good Life, from Hurricane Ruth and it's a charging blues rocker. Opening with driving, Like Wildfire, Ruth La Master is upfront and on fire with her dominant vocal style, backed by Scot Holt on guitar, Calvin Johnson on bass, Bruce Katz on B3 and Tony Braunagel on drums. Good Life is a slower ballad with deep soulful roots. Katz's B3 work on this track adds real depth and I love Holt's guitar phrasing punctuating the track nicely. Kicking in the rock bottom, Ruth shows her rocking edge with some of her grittiest vocals on the release. My favorite track on the release, Late Night Red Wine has a super traditional rock beat with a solid melody. Holt steps up with a stinging guitar solo with a blues edge and Katz's organ work pulls it all together. Very cool. Wrapping the release is ballad, I've Got Your Back, with Ruth bringing on her sensitive soul vocals. Nicely balanced with Katz on piano and organ this is a real nice closer for a solid 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! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Damn Right, I Got The Blues - Scott Holt Band

Holt made his first step toward musical apprenticeship when his father took him to Chicago to hear bluesman Buddy Guy. “I had never been in a club before or heard a really great guitar player like Buddy live,” Holt recounts. After a backstage meeting, the young student and venerable master stayed in touch. Over the next year or so Holt was invited on stage to jam with Guy, and then one day Guy called to invite Holt into his band. “I’d never even been in a band before,” Holt says. “I tried to get bands together in my parents’ basement in Tennessee, but it never worked out. So all of a sudden at 18 I was leaving home for Chicago with my guitar, my amp, a suitcase and my passport.”

Holt played at Guy’s side for a decade. “Buddy taught me everything, from how to order at a restaurant to how to run a band and win over a crowd. He is my hero and one of my best friends. To this day, what he can do never ceases to amaze me.” And Guy remains an enthusiastic supporter of Holt. “He heard Kudzu and told me, ‘Man, I’m really proud of you. You gotta move it around!’ ”

There is no question Holt has diversified his pure talent within the album Kudzu. While blues remains a significant part of the core of his being, he is evolving as an artist. His music is a reflection of his own character as both a man and an artist, growing every day. He reflects, “I am a bluesman through and through, and it is always a part of who I am when recording or performing. It has been an affirmation over the past year as I play these songs for audiences who love them. I believe in them with all my heart, and I have never been more confident or honest lyrically. It really has been a special experience to be sharing them with audiences for the first time and getting the strong response from audiences night in and night out.”

Holt credits his Kudzu co-producers Tim O’Brien and Doug ‘Truth’ Smith with helping him achieve the fearless quality that makes for great performances. “It was obvious they believed in my songs and the direction I was heading in every inch of the way. It’s the first time I’ve really experienced that in the studio,” he explains. “If you listen,” Holt continues, “you can always hear the blues in the foundation of my playing, but the greatest bluesmen, like Buddy and Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, were always changing, experimenting and evolving. Now that I’ve been able to do the same, I feel that with Kudzu I’ve found the key to not only my own musical future, but something bigger than myself.”

Damn Right I Got the Blues - Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy... what else is there to say... see him while you can!!