Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release (September 16, 2016), The Long Journey Home , from Vaneese Thomas and it's soul is dripping. Opening with Sweet Talk Me , a soulful pop track, Vaneese Thomas plants her feet and delivers. With solid radio melody, tight guitar riffs by Al Orlo, Paul Mariconda on piano, Paul Adamy on bass and Joe Bonadio on drums and ultra rich back vocals by Lisa Fisher, Erin Pellnat and Sergio Cocchi I like this opener. Another favorite on the release is the R&B track, Mystified . Adamy sets up a nice bass line and Thomas' vocals are gripping. Bryan Davis on trumpet, and Ed Palermo on sax give the track a rich warmness and Orlo and Wayne Warnecke lay down some tasty guitar riffs. On The More Things Change , Adamy uses a single bass line to control the track, changing up for a nice vocal opening and Thomas' strong vocals saturate the track with stinging guitar riffs by Orlo. Prince of Fools has a really nice groove with tight vocals and a real swee...

I just received the newest release (June 17, 2014), Blues For My Father , from Vaneese Thomas and it really hits the spot. Thomas, daughter of Mr. Rufus Thomas has put together 12 cool tracks opening with Southern Central Blues , a swinging soul number. Joined by Buddy Williams on drums, Will Lee on bass, Robbie Kondor on piano, Tash Neal on guitars and Wayne Warnecke on percussion its a bright opener. 10 X The Man You Are has a taste of Dixon's Wang Dang Doodle and a dash of Beatles really showing the strength of Thomas' pipes. Neal breaks loose with a slick guitar solo on this track adding just that dash of flash. Great track. On Wrong Turn , a duet with her sister, Carla Thomas, the girls present a light and airy R&B track that is likely to see good radio reception. Wrap Your Arms Around Me has a slinky, swampy feel with solid rhythms from Shawn Pelton and Neal on dobro. Thomas commands the spotlight with her distinct phrasing on this track and her voice is always sp...