Bman's Blues Report

I was going through some of my old reviews and wondered what happened to Ursula as I have seen anything from her in a long time. I really loved this release. Well, I found out that Ursula is now in a good way and needs our help. HELP IF YOU CAN I just received the newest release (October 15, 2013), My Streets , from Ursula Ricks and it's super! Opening with Tobacco Road , a laid back R&B track with great bones. Harp master Kim Wilson adds some nice riffs blending and nicely complimenting Ricks rich voice. Sweet Tenderness has a really nice flow nicely showcasing Ricks' amazing feel for her music. Backed by strings and Christal Rheams and Caleb Green, this track has a solid radio sound. Mary Jane has an infectious groove and Ricks plants herself firmly in the back beat. Full key work from Kevin Anker and unusually rhythm guitar work from Johnny Moeller add to the interest of this track. Title track, My Street , has a really interesting rhythm led by Robb Stupka o...

  I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Tales of the Soul , by Devin B. Thompson and it's super. Opening with Love To See You Smile , Devin B. Thompson sets up a great groove. Leading on vocal with top notch help from Steve Gomes on bass, Robb Stupka on drums, Johnny Moeller on guitar, Kevin Anker on piano, Benjie Porecki on organ, Mark Morella on percussion Kenny Rittenhouse and Joe Donegan on trumpet, Antonia Orta on sax, Bill Holmes on trombone and backing vocals by Thompson, Caleb Green, Christal Rheams and Kennedy Thompson, hold onto your hat! One of my favorite tracks on the release is gospel influenced, Something You Can Do Today , written by Gamble and Huff, the leaders of the Philly Sound has such a super feel and Thompson really capitalizes vocally with warm backing organ, key trumpet punctuation and great backing vocals. Excellent! With a super bottom by Stupka and Jimmy Earl on bass, and great horn work by Rittenhouse and Donegan, this track will rea...

  I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Blues Woman , from Nora Jean Wallace and it's packed full of soul. Opening with shuffle, Martell , Nora Jean Wallace (formerly Bruso) means business with her thick rooted voice. Backed by Johnny Moeller on guitar, Steve Gomes on bass, Kevin Anker on organ, Steve Guyger on harmonica, Stanley Banks on keys and Robb Stupka on drums, this track is a strong opener. With a strong dash or R&B, I Can't Stop has a great feel a romping bass line and with David Earl on guitar. Victim is a bluesy ballad featuring Wallace's vocal up front with super soulful feel and some real nice guitar work by David Earl. I've Been Watching You is a real cool track with a funky kind of bas line. Wallace really works this track, making it one of my favorites on the release. Wrapping the release is I Don't Have to Beg You to Love Me with it's lumbering bass line and floating Wallace's rich vocals is the lush guitar lead o...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Too Far From The Bar , by Sugar Ray and the Bluetones featuring Little Charlie and it's heaping dose of Chicago style blues. Opening with shuffle track, Don't Give No More Than You Can Take , featuring Sugar Ray Norcia on lead vocal and harmonica and the great Little Charlie Baty on lead guitar. This is one of the last recordings of Baty who passed away in March of this year. Norcia's vocals are always great and his harmonica playing is first class, backed by Anthony Geraci on keys, Michael Mudcat Ward on bass and Neil Gouvin on drums. Swinging piano boogie, and title track, Too Far From The Bar really hits the groove with Geraci leading the way and Norcia on piano. Baty takes a great solo run showing just how tight his riffs were. Excellent! Instrumental. Reel Burner is a super harmonica track with Norcia barely taking a breath. Stilladog take notice. This track hums! Rock and Roller, My Next Door Neighbor ...

Singer Nora Jean Wallace Deals Straight Chicago Blues on New Blueswoman CD Coming October 30 from Severn Records ANNAPOLIS, MD – Severn Records announces an October 30 release date for Blueswoman , the new CD from Blues Music Award-nominated singer Nora Jean Wallace. The new album was produced by Severn label head David Earl (who also plays guitar on four tracks) and recorded at Severn Studios in Annapolis. Backing Wallace’s powerhouse vocals are Severn’s A-list team of musicians, including Johnny Moeller – guitars; Steve Gomes – bass; Kevin Anker – organ; Steve Guyger – harmonica; Stanley Banks – keyboards; and Robb Stupka – drums. Multi-Blues Music Award-winner Kim Wilson is a special guest on harmonica on one track. Nora Jean Wallace (formally Bruso) returns after 16 years since her 2004 BMA-nominated and critically-acclaimed release, Going Back to Mississippi . Blueswoman shows why Nora was born to sing the blues. A staple of the Chicago Blues scene, Nora Jean...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Real Street, from Tad Robinson and it's jam packed with R&B soul music. Opening with Changes , a real nice "Al Green" flavored track, Tad Robinson shows what much of the world already knows... he's a great singer with poise and style. Backed by Charles Hodges on Hammond, Leroy Hodges on bass, Howard Grimes on drums, Joe Restivo on guitar, Kevin Anker on piano, Mark Franklin on trumpet, and Kirk Smothers on sax, this is a great opener. Bluesy ballad, Search Your Heart is really strong and Robinson's exceptionally smooth vocals, backed by Devin Thompson on vocals and the warm Hammond work of Hodges and with a crisp guitar solo by Restivo make this one of my favorites on the release. Excellent! Another really bluesy track, Love In The Neighborhood has a great R&B style but checks off the blues box nicely with soulful vocals and harmonica by Robinson and solid guitar lead by Restivo. My favo...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Get Here Quick , by The Texas Horns and it's smokin'! Opening with Guitar Town , a real Texas style blues, cooked up with  Anson Funderburgh and Johnny Moeller on guitars and Gary Forsyth on lead vocals. Kaz Kazanoff on tenor, John Mills on bari and Al Gomez on trumpet and this track is hot. With a bit of New Orleans flavor, Instrumental, Feelin' No Pain is all horns to the floor with excellent piano work by Red Young, bass by Russell Jackson and Tommy Taylor on drums. Mills lays out and excellent sax solo and Moeller shows why he is regarded as one of the top bluesmen in Texas today. Title track, Better Get Here Quick is another instrumental with rich tandem sax lead and excellent guitar accents by Moeller. Gomez steps up with some crisp lead work of his own and Youngs takes a nice few bars of his own. Very cool. An excellent New Orleans style instrumental, 2018 , has a super march style snare lead by John ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rockhouse Party , from Big Joe and the Dynaflows and it's super. Opening with super shuffle, Driving Wheel , Big Joe Maher on lead vocal and drums sets the pace with Tom Mookie Brill on bass, Kevin McKendree on keys, and Yates McKendree and Robert Frahm on guitars. A low slung blues rocker, this track is an excellent opener. Excellent guitar phrasing, coupled with powerful lead vocals on So Mean To Me makes it a real standout. Brill takes the lead vocal on slot on Eight Men and Four Women and his vocals are out of sight. This track, with warm key backing by Kevin, and vocal backing by Erin Coburn is excellent! Guitar shuffle, Overdrive is an excellent showcase for the McKendrees with nice phrasing and great pace. Uptempo Go With The Flow , is a real toe tapper with hot riffs and solid vocals. On Vibrate , a rockabilly romp, guitar flurry and stylized  vocals give this track high power. Wrapping the release is eas...

Big Joe and the Dynaflows Are Throwing a Rockhouse Party and Everyone Is Invited! New Blues/Roots Album Set for February 15 Release on Severn Records ANNAPOLIS, MD - Severn Records announces a February 15, 2019, release date for Big Joe and the Dynaflows’s new album, Rockhouse Party , featuring acclaimed blues singer/drummer Big Joe Maher. With distribution by MRI/The Orchard/Sony , Rockhouse Party will be released on both CD and vinyl formats. The colorful album cover graphics were designed by Big Joe’s good friend, Marty Baumann, who works for Disney-Pixar Films. The new album was produced by Big Joe and Kevin McKendree, who also contributed piano and organ on the sessions, which were recorded at McKendree’s Rockhouse Studio in Franklin, Tennessee (hence the album’s title). The rest of the players on Rockhouse Party included three-time Blues Music Award bassist “Mookie” Brill (who also sings lead vocals for the first time on record), plus the talente...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, They Call Me Mud , from Mud Morganfield and it's got deep soul roots. Opening with title track, They Call Me Mud , Mud Morganfield, son of the great Muddy Waters shows his own take on the blues with a funky R&B twist. A high stepper with punchy horns by Phil Perkins on trumpet and Michael Jackson on sax this is a cool opener. On 48 Days , a soulful blues number Muds vocals are compelling and stylistic guitar riffs by Billy Flynn add real pepper. Mud's vocals on Cheatin' is Cheatin' coupled with E.G. McDaniel's bass work puts one in mind of the great Curtis Mayfield and his quiet soul wailing. Very nice. Muddy's Howling Wolf is definitely straight out of dad's catalog with traditional vocal styling, strong harp from Studebaker John and super Muddy slide emulation by Billy Flynn. Excellent! Another smooth R&B track and one of my favorites on the release is Who Loves You with Lashunda...

They Call Me Mud CD Coming from Mud Morganfield on March 9 via Severn Records Blues Singer and Son of Legendary Muddy Waters Steps Out on New Album Recorded in Chicago with All-Star Cast ANNAPOLIS, MD – Severn Records announces a March 9 release date for They Call Me Mud , the new CD from singer Mud Morganfield, son of the legendary blues icon, Muddy Waters. Produced by Mud Morganfield and Rick Kreher (who also plays guitar on the CD), They Call Me Mud was recorded at Joyride Studios in in Mud’s Chicago hometown. Mud penned 10 of the album’s 12 songs, with two others coming from his illustrious father’s catalog, “Howling Wolf” and “Can’t Get No Grinding.” A stellar cast of Chicago area musicians adds some authentic, downhome blues touches to the recording, including Billy Flynn on guitar, Studebaker John on harmonica and backing vocals, Sumito Ariyo Ariyoshi on piano, E.G. McDaniel on bass and Melvin “Pookie Stix” Carlisle on drums.  Special guests...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Last Shade Of Blue Before Black , by The Original Blues Brothers Band and it's great! Opening with Jimmy Reed's Baby What You Want Me To D o, Bobby "Sweet Soul" Harden with Tommy "Pipes" McDonnell on harp and vocals and Rob "The Honeydripper" Paparozzi on harp and vocals take center stage with super harmony and John Tropea plays terrific guitar soloing backed by Tom Malone on trumpet, Baron Raymonde on alto sax, Eric "The Red" Udel on bass, Lee "Funkytime" Finkelstein on drums, Leon "The Lion" Pendarvis on organ, Rusty "Cloudmeister" Cloud on clav, Wurlitzer and piano. High stepping, Cherry Street , features McDonnell on lead vocals, Birch Johnson on trombone and Raymonde really rips on alto sax. Eddie Floyd is up on lead vocals on slinky, On Saturday A Night , and guest Tom Malone on bari sax  and with tight, warm horn backing. Harden ta...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues and Boogie, Vol. 1 , from Kim Wilson and it's a heavy dose of old style Chicago blues. Opening with harp instrumental Bonus Boogie , Wilson is hitting on all cylinders, backed by Big Jon Atkinson on guitar, Bob Welsh on guitar, Troy Sandow on bass and Malachi Johnson on drums. Excellent! Sonny Boy Williamson's, Ninety-Nine features Wilson on lead vocal and harp and it's one of my favorites on the release. Pure Chicago style and Wilson's tight harp tone is the ticket here. Big Maceo's Worried Life Blues is up next with a solid slower pace highlighted by the keen piano work of Barrellhouse Chuck. John Lee Hooker's Same Old Blues has a swinging blues feel a la BB King or T Bone Walker. Billy Flynn steps in with some choice riffs on guitar, complimented by Larry Taylor on bass, Richard Innes on drums and Jonny Viau on horns. Very nice! Magic Sam's Look Whatcha Done has a great groove wi...

Kim Wilson Gets Back to Basics on Blues and Boogie, Vol. 1 CD, Coming October 20 from Severn Records ANNAPOLIS, MD – Legendary singer/harmonica master Kim Wilson has gone back to the basics and old school Chicago blues for his exciting new CD, Blues and Boogie, Vol. 1 , coming October 20 from Severn Records. Blues and Boogie, Vol. 1 was produced by Kim Wilson, with most tracks  recorded and mixed by Nathan James at Sacred Cat Studios, Oceanside, California; except tracks 4 and 15 recorded by Big Jon at Big Tone Recording Studios, Hayward, California. “I want to tell all of the real blues fans out there what a labor of love this project has been,” Wilson writes in the album’s liner notes. “I’ve been recording many, many tracks for a couple of years now and time has just flown by! A couple of the greatest musicians that ever lived, Richard Innes and Barrelhouse Chuck, have passed away during the process of making this CD. One of their dreams was to see this stuff c...

Severn Records Announces October 6 Release Date for New CD from The Original Blues Brothers Band featuring Steve Cropper & “Blue Lou” Marini, The Last Shade of Blue Before Black Special Guests Include Eddie Floyd, Joe Louis Walker, Paul Shaffer, Dr. John, Matt “Guitar”Murphy and Joe Morton ANNAPOLIS, MD – Severn Records announces an October 6 release date for The Last Shade of Blue Before Black , the new album from the legendary Original Blues Brothers Band, featuring guitarist Steve Cropper and sax player “Blue Lou” Marini, with special guests Eddie Floyd, Joe Louis Walker, Paul Shaffer, Dr. John, Matt “Guitar” Murphy and Joe Morton. “Had anyone told me in 1978 that in 2017 I would still be traveling around the world and playing with the Blues Brothers’ Band, I would have said they were out of their minds,” says “Blue Lou” Marini. “But, amazingly here we are with a new CD and still playing all over the world. This album is a true labor of love and I’m so pr...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Seeing Is Believing , from Sugar Ray & The Bluetones and I love it! Opening with Sweet Baby , Sugar Ray Norcia are dynamic and his harp playing fat. Anthony Geraci's piano work is tight and Monster Mike Welch sets a great groove, backed by Michael Mudcat Ward on bass and Neil Gouvin on drums. Great opener. Title track, Seeing Is Believing brings down the pace a bit and Monster Mike's guitar work is outrageously rich. Norcia's vocals are smooth as silk and the band is super. Absolutely excellent! With a cool lope, Noontime Bell strolls along giving Norcia the opportunity to set the bar on harp. Geraci's piano work is always solid and this track plays right into his hands with Welch laying back and watching...very nice. Keep On Sailing is another terrific track with a Muddy Waters feel. Norcia's vocals are super and his harp work solid. Geraci really digs in on this one and Monster Mike a giant. Exce...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Strong Like That , from The Fabulous Thunderbirds and I really like it. Opening with Temptations classic, (I Know) I'm Losing You , TFT have melded a track that has been done by everyone from Rare Earth to Rod Stewart and with spicy steel guitar work of Roosevelt Collier and the funky beat of Wes Watkins created a cool new sound. Kim Wilson is upfront on vocal and harp and Steve Gomes lays down a solid bass riff along with Kevin Anker on keys. Very cool! Stepping off like Curtis Mayfield on Don't Burn Me , Wilson delivers a really soulful vocal line. Anson Funderburgh lends an artful hand to this soulful mix with tasty guitar riffs and with Christal Rheams and Caleb Green on backing vocals, Gomes on bass and Robb Stupka on drums. Excellent! Funky blues soul on You're Gonna Miss Me has a super groove that makes you want to bounce in your seat if not outright get up and dance. Wilson's harp work on this tr...

Severn Records Sets October 7 Release Date for Seeing Is Believing , New CD from Acclaimed Sugar Ray & the Bluetones ANNAPOLIS, MD – Severn Records announces an October 7 release date for Seeing Is Believing , the new CD from the acclaimed Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. Seeing Is Believing is the band’s seventh album for Severn Records and follows their highly-successful 2014 CD, Living Tear to Tear , which garnered them seven Blues Music Award nominations, including “Best Band,” plus individual nominations for Sugar Ray as “Traditional Male Blues Artist” and “Instrumentalist – Harmonica,” and a song nomination for “Things Could Be Worse.” At the most-recent Blues Music Awards in May, the group was again nominated for “Band of the Year,” as well as individual nominations for keyboardist Anthony Geraci, guitarist Monster Mike Welch and bassist Michael Mudcat Ward. Anthony Geraci’s album with The Boston Blues-All-Stars, Fifty Shades of Blue , received three additiona...