Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Preach To My Soul , by Spencer Mackenzie , and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Baptized By Cold Water , Spencer Mackenzie on guitar and lead vocal hits the road running with a solid composition, strong vocals and cool riffs. Backed by Miles Evans on keys, Steve Pelletier on bass, Adam Cannon on drums, this is a real nice opener. Title track, Preach To My Soul , is a soulful radio oriented track with warm Hammond backing and a catchy melody by Mackenzie. Up tempo driving rocker, Test Drive, definitely has a lot of radio flash with cool vocals, prominent rhythm guitar and Evans contributing heavily on Hammond. R&B drenched, Your Turn To Cry , is one of my favorites on the release with a great melody and perfect horn support by Julian Nalli on sax and Stephan Dyte on trumpet. Ballad, Two Doves is a definite radio track showcasing Mackenzie's vocal skills and featuring Ross Hayes Citrullo on guitar. Wrap...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Cold November , from Spencer MacKenzie and it's solid. Opening with light funk rocker, Fine Place To Start , Mackenzie shows real promise on lead vocal and guitar. Joined by Miles Evans on piano, Al Duffy on bass, Sean O'Grady on drums, Brant Parker on lead guitar, Dave Dunlop on trumpet, Peter Hysen on trombone, Jay Davidson on sax this is a polished opener. On Move On Down The Track , MacKenzie blends in a bit of country drive and Parker on slide enriches the sound even further. The title track, Cold November is a bluesy ballad with soulful vocals, a nice melody and strong guitar riffs. Very nice. One of my release favorites is Voices Echoing with a funky jazz feel and boppy keyboard by Evans reminiscent of Brian Auger. Haunt Me is a cool shuffle track with real radio appeal. Backing vocals by Rochelle Harrison and Camille Harrison add yet another dimension to this smooth jazzy approach with light and breez...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Infected With The Blues by Spencer Mackenzie . Mackenzie is a 16 year old gun slinger with an aim to make a mark on the blues scene and this is a good start. Opening with title track, Infected With The Blues , a contemporary shuffle track featuring Mackenzie onlead vocal and guitar. David "Groove Doctor" McMorrow provides solid piano solos and support with Alan Duffy on bass and Sean O'Grady on drums. A cool track with some clean guitar work by Mackenzie. Chicago style, Mess Around , has great horn support by Bill Holinaty on sax, Ryan Baker on trumpet, and Mike Polci on trombone. A high energy track gives Holinaty a great opening for a super sax solo and Mackenzie shows his cards as well. Very nice. Opening in old delta style, Devil Under Her Skin , fills out in modern style with warm bass lines and additional vocals by Sharon Riley, Rochelle Harrison, Camille Harrison and Dean Malton. Nicely blended lead vocal...