Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Power , from Grupo Pagan and it's a solid Latin flavored rocker. Opening with title track, Power , Edgar Pagan sets the lead with an excellent Latin bass line complimented with a full compliments of percussion by Emedin Rivera on drums, Joshua Dekaney on percussion, Jimmy Branley on percussion, Bill DiCostimo on keys and featuring Edgar on vocal, Este on hand drum and chants, Aam Fisher on nicely stylized guitar and backing vocals by Rhonda Paduano and Jose Varona . Energetic opener. Another track with strong Latin rhythms is Tito with clean guitar lead by Jeff Richman and Bill DeCosimo on keys, with solid bass work by Pagan, Luis Conte and Rivera on percussion and Joe Driscoll on beatbox . Sol has a cool Brazilian feel led by Daniel Pardo on flute with Pagan on bass and vocal, excellent work by Jimmy Haslip on synth, JoseVarona on drums, and Dave Donley on percussion. Very nice. Wrapping the release i...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, All Natural Cage-Free and Fan-Fed , by Tas Cru Band and it's laid back bluesy fun. Opening with Dat Maybe , Cru on vocal and guitar leads the way on a straight up rocker, with Mia Casale on backing vocals, Tom Terry on bass, Scott Ebner on keys and Phil Diiorio on drums. On up tempo blues rocker, Brown Liquor Woman , Cru on vocal and guitar really gets that Clapton/Cale sound. A cool piano solo by Ebner and solid backing vocals by Casale give the track a solid radio feel. Shuffle, Grizzle n' Bone , is a fun track with a a tight bottom. Cru leads on vocals echoed by Casale and trades guitar riffs with Ebner on keys. One Eyed Jack is my favorite track on the release with a Hill Country undertone and a Tulsa overtone. Cru on vocal plays a rhythmic guitar riff and Ebner on organ warms the bottom. Wrapping the release is Heal My Soul , a country rocker with a strong bottom courtesy of Diiorio and Terry. With cool piano...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Riffin' The Blue , by Tas Cru and it's got a little bit of everything. Opening with title track, Riffin' The Blue , an easy shuffle with Cru on vocal and featuring Mike Zito on lead guitar, backed by Bill Barry on organ, Ron Keck on percussion, Lenny Milano on drums. With a rich piano intro by Katz on One More Time , Cru on guitar sets the stage with lush phrasing and his own soulful singing, cradled by Katz on organ. Backed by Andy Hearn on drums and Bob Purdy, this is a cool track. My favorite track on the release is House of the Blues , with it's slow, deep bluesy feel and Katz's fat organ bottom. Mary Ann Casale adds some really nice backing vocals and this may be Cru's best vocal effort on the release. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Memphis Gone with Cru on vocal, paired with Zito on slide guitar and only the minimal piano by Katz. With the addition of Casale, Keck, Hearn and Purdy, this i...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Jazz Woman, The Reel To Real Sessions , from Nancy Kelly and it's one of a series of singles (two tracks) release from earlier in her career. Opening with Jazz Woman , an original composition with a cool, club feel. Backed by John Di Martino on piano, Ed Howard on bass, Freddie Hendrix on trumpet, Harry Allen on tenor, Carmen Intorre Jr, on drums, Wesley Amorim on guitar and Jimmy Johns on vibes, this track has a cool feel with super, muted trumpet lines by Hendrix. Latin rhythms permeate Move Over featuring Kelly's warm vocals and with light keyboard work by DiMartino and smooth sax lines by Allen. This is a short release but very nice and certainly radio ready.    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 ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Broke Down Busted Up , from Tas Cru and it blends blues, rock and rural styling for a unique sound. Opening with Where Do We Go , Cru, on vocal and acoustic guitar is joined by Anne Harris on fiddle, Mike Lawrence on bass and Andy Hearn on drums for a solid rocker. Title track, Broke Down Busted Up blends a bluesy theme, and a funky beat with a jazz approach for a pretty cool track. With a fiddle solo by Harris, solid piano work by Dave Liddy and a funky bass line by Bob Purdy this track would work nicely on the radio rotation. Cru tips his hand with some clean acoustic guitar work on River of Insanity a jazz influenced rocker. Working in response with Harris on fiddle, this track has a real nice balance. Mary Ann Casale is the featured vocalist on All Stays The Same , a ballad with piano, guitar and club like backing. Latin rhythm permeates Stay Home Blues with strong percussion by Ron Keck, a nice New Orleans styl...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Drive On , from Tas Cru and he just keeps getting better. Opening with cool boogie, That Lovin' Feeling , with a real nice bass line form Colin Beatty, a stiff drum beat by Andy Hearn, power B3 work from Anthony Geraci, solid sax work from Anthony Terry and of course Cru on vocal and lead guitar. On rocker, Money Talks , Youngblood Gabe Stillman throws fuel on the fire with his fat slide work and Cru's own driving guitar rhythms and vocals give this track real zip. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Save Me , has a real nice driving bass rhythm by Beatty and features a real nice guitar interlude by Cru that has a certain clarity and with ringing harmonics gives the track a great feel. Very nice. Another relentless boogie, Kinda Mess , again features the hot slide work of Stillman, along with a driving bottom courtesy of Sonny Rock on drums, punctual sax work by Terry and Cru's vocals makes for a strong...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Memphis Song , by Tas Cru and it's quite good. Opening with blues rocker, Heal My Soul , Cru on vocal and guitar sets the pace with solid vocals and a driving beat, joined by Victor Wainright on piano, Pat Harrington on slide, Mary Ann Casale on backing vocal Bob Purdy on bass, Dick Earl Ericksen on harp, Guy Nirelli on organ and Andy Hearn on drums. Title track, Memphis Song has strong commercial potential with a David Essex feel, easy backing under firm vocals. Swampy funk rocker, Give A Little Up has a cool, laid back feel with Cru bouncing his vocals off Purdy's bass riffs, Ericksen's harp and the backing vocals of Casale, Floyd-Tritico and Parks . I really like the percussion on Daddy Didn't Give You Much , a jazzy ballad with a smooth feel and Cru's vocals and guitar leading the show.  My favorite track on the release is funky country stomper, One Eyed Jack with a plucky bass line, funky vo...