Bman's Blues Report

 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, Wooden Music , from Mick Kolassa and it's chocked full of of blues talent. Opening with shuffle, Educated By The Blues , Mick Kolassa on vocal and guitar lays down a cool melody, with Doug MacLeod and Jeff Jensen on guitar, Carl Casperson on bass, Tom Lonardo on drums, Rick Steff on piano and featuring Eric Hughes on harmonica. Up-tempo, If I Told You , has a swampy rhythm with Jensen on guitar, Casperson on bass, Lonardo on drums and Vince Johnson on harmonica. Very nice. Over My Shoulder is a cool little tune with a saunter. With solid vocals by Kolassa and tight guitar melody by Jensen, this track has a great feel. Wrapping the release is country flavored, Gas Station Sushi , with Kolassa on vocal, kazoo and guitar, with straight up slide from Jensen and Lonardo on drums. This is a cool closer for a characteristic Kolassa release.   If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to lea...

 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, 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...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Double Standards , from Mick Kolassa and it's packed full of stars and blues standards. Opening with Willie Dixon's 600 Pounds of Heavenly Joy , Kolassa is joined by Sugaray Rayford on vocal with solid Latin rhythm by James Cunningham on drums. With Kolassa on guitar and vocal, Bill Ruffino on bass, Chis Stephenson on organ, and Colin John on guitar, very solid opener. H eather Crosse joins on lead vocal for another Dixon hit, I Just Want To Make Love To You . With her sultry vocals and Eric Hughes on harp, this is a real cool track. With it's jazzy club feel, Annika Chambers really shows on Fever . Her vocals are rich and deep caressed in a warm bed of Jensen's guitar tone. Alice Hasan's violin contributions to Tas Cru and Kolassa's rework of Jimmie Cox's Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out is really nice. Another particularly warm spot is Erica Brown 's vocal lead on Dix...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Simmered & Stewed by Tas Cru and it's a cool blues rocker. Opening with snappy revival rocker, Dat Maybe , Tas Cru is grooving his own tune on vocal and guitar with Ron Keck on percussion, Mike Lawrence on bass, Chip Lamson on piano and Guy Nirelli on organ. Boogie track, Grizzle N' Bone is up next with cool backing vocals by Mary Ann Casale and Andy Hearn on drums, Bob Purdy on bass, Jeremy Walz on guitar, and Nirelli on organ. Somber ballad, Time and Time is a real nice track with super bluesy guitar work from Cru and warm backing vocals by Casale and Alice "Honeybea" Ericksen. Excellent! R&B track, Road To My Obsession has a really cool rhythm along the lines of Tony Joe White. With harp work by Dick Earl Ericksen and stylistic guitar work by Cru, this may be my favorite track on the release. Cover My Love is a cool ramblin song with cool resonator work by Cru, nice harp work by Ericksen and ...

I just received the newest release from Tas Cru and it builds nicely on the foundation of his last release. Opening with You Keep The Money , a Latin flavored rocker with a blues twist, Cru on vocal and guitar is accompanied by Dick Earl Ericksen on harp, Ron Keck on percussion, Dave Olson on drums and Bob Purdy on bass. Next up is A Month of Somedays , a nicely executed blues ballad. Cru shows his patience on a nicely executed guitar intro and Guy Nirelli warms the bottom with smooth organ work. A really nicely executed guitar solo caps the track. Very nice! Half The Time is a country rock fused blues track (think Jimmy Rogers). Snappy guitar riffs and cool backing vocals by Mary Ann Casale and Alice "Honeybea" Ericksen give this track that extra kick. La Belle Poutine is a really nicely executed blues ballad a la Gary Moore. Clean and nicely articulated guitar lead by Cru and nice electric piano work from Chip Lamson and again Nirelli on organ makes this my favorite on...

The Blues Foundation, Memphis TN has just announced that TAS CRU will present a Blues in the Schools program as part of its International Blues Challenge (IBC) events in Memphis, TN this coming January/February. I will present to 4th graders at Downtown Elementary School of Memphis City Schools on Friday morning, February 1st. "It is well known that I firmly believe that blues education must be a vital part of the blues performer’s overall efforts and mission. I am honored to be chosen to lead this program as part of the 2013 IBC." 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 favorite band!

I just received and have had a chance to listen to Tas Cru 's newest release, Tired Of Bluesmen Cryin' . The recording opens with the title track, I'm Tired Of Bluesmen Cryin' , which starts as a solo slide guitar and vocal wail. Influenced by an aspiring blues singer/songwriter, Cru wrote this track and determined to make an upbeat blues recording. This track quickly transitions from a swampy wail to a full blown blues rocker with lots of sliding. This track has the hook that could win it national recognition. Cru is an accomplished slide player and that is evident from this track. Changin' My Ways is an uptempo blues rocker with resonator used in a way that you often hear an electric slide played. This is the kind of track track that will have the crowd dancing in the isles. One More Time opens with a very cool piano intro by Chip Lamson and Cru joining on electric guitar. This blues follows that T-Bone Walker/Elmore James pattern for slow blues and is bound ...