Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, August Moon , by Allison August and it's funky and sassy. Opening with Afraid of Love , Allison August shows what a great lead vocalist does and with excellent backing vocals by Maxayn Lewis and Jen Caston on, tight drum rhythm by Bryan Head, David J. Carpenter on bass, Sam Meek on guitar, Lenny Castro on percussion, Joe Sublett on sax, Les Lovitt on trumpet and Sam Meek on guitars, this track is tight! Sugaray Rayford joins August on lead vocals on I Won't Say No with a charging drum/percussion line by Tony Braunagel and Castro and a slashing guitar lead by Meek accented by Mike Finnegan on organ. Top radio track selection is Desiree with it's warm, memorable melody and vocal/keyboard interplay between August, Teresa James and Gregg Sutton and  Finnegan. Very nice. I like the cautious confidence on The Cure , and it's funky underbelly. August manages the track masterfully followed by James and Sutton on b...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, With A Little Help From Her Friends , from Teresa James and it's quite good. Everybody knows the Beatles songbook and many of their tracks have been covered but James has really done a nice job in reinterpreting this list of top tracks. Opening with Ticket To Ride , Teresa James shows all of the style that she's known for and with a Texas saunter and with a strong bottom by Terry Wilson on bass and Richard Millsap on drums, super keys by Kevin McKendree and excellent guitar riffs by Wilson. Don't Let Me Down was an excellent choice for this set. James' voice is made for it and McKendree on piano and organ really works nicely with Wilson on slide. Excellent. Oh Darlin' sets itself nicely as a blues ballad and pairing James' vocals with Yates McKendree on lead guitar really is stellar. Beautiful, You Won't See Me , is really an excellent choice with soulful vocals by James and just the right ble...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, 20 Years On The Road, from Tomislav Goluban and it's chocked full of great blues harp. Opening with blues rocker, Express Ride, blues harp wiz Tomislav Goluban really has it cranking, backed by the Tobacco Road Blues Band (Peter Prammerdorfer on guitar, Mike Diwald on guitar, Christian Egger on bass and Klaus Sauli on drums. On shuffle, Searchin' For My Baby features Skylar Rogers on lead vocal and she does a real nice job. With Goluban on harmonica, Hrvoje Funda on guitar, Vid Kotarski on guitar, Jurica Leikauff on keys, Tomislav Kusar on bass and Dragutin Hojsak on drums, a real nice jam. With a twist of country, Ryan Donohue leads the way on No Means No. Mike Sponza and Funda on guitars, Vid Bajevic on trumpet, Mario Sincek on trombone, Damjan Grbac on bass, and Igor Vugrek compliment Goluban on harmonica. Another track with a taste of country is Speedin' Train featuring the super vocals of Teresa James. Golu...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blind Raccoon and NOLA Blue Collection Vol. 4 , and it's a solid mix of blues and rock tracks. Opening with blues rocker, Sorry , Mark Cameron shows solid vocals, slide guitar and harmonica carrying a radio worthy melody. Funky blues rocker, Devil in the Dark is a cool entry by Michele D' Amour & The Love Dealers. With strong organ support and cool guitar and sax solos,  this track has a laid back feel. Trudy Lynn covers a Bluesbusters' track, If Your Phone Don't Ring and with just the right strut, and blues attitude, this is one of my favorites on the release. Wily Bo Walker's I Want To Know has a real nice R&B feel with interwoven bass, guitar and keyboard backing under Walker's infectious lead and backing vocals. Very nice. Super shuffle, Back Door Woman Blues by the Waydown Wailers sets a nice pace with strong vocals and a cool piano/guitar exchange. David Gogo sets up a simple guita...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Crawling Spider: A Tribute To Mike Montgomery Vol.1: The LA Sessions. The release was compiled by Marlon Montgomery, son of Back Street Crawler keyboardist and composer, Mike Montgomery who passed in 1991 of lung cancer. Opening with Survivor ,  featuring Robbie Wyckoff on lead vocal, Billy Watts and Johnny Lee Schell on guitar, Tony Braunagel on drums, Terry Wilson on bass and Adam MacDougall on keys, this is a solid rocker. It's A Long Way Down is a cool British style blues rocker with a strong Bad Company feel. Lead vocals by Wyckoff and great backing vocal by Teresa James and Terry Wilson along with Braunagel make this track a standout. 99 Days is a straight up rocker along the lines of the Stones and Mark Campbell has the mic with cool slide work by Schell and Adam MacDougall on keys. All The Girls Are Crazy (Flood The Engine) has a real swagger with a great guitar vamp by Bill Leverty and lead vocal by Jim...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tennessee Run , from Lloyd Jones and its a cool blend of blues, R&B, funk and pop giving it a bright, energetic feel. Opening with hard driving R&B track, You Got Me Good , Jones on lead vocal and guitar really has the place hopping. Backed by Kevin McKendree on keys, Steve Mackey on bass, Kenneth Blevins on drums, Jim Hoke on sax, Quentin Ware on trumpet and Roy Agee on trombone this is a strong opener. Rock n roller, I Wish I Could   Remember Loving You , has a great rhythm guitar pace with Jones paired with Teresa James on lead vocal and McKendree's piano work is outstanding. One of my favorite tracks on the release is funky swamp track, Bayou Boys with McKendree on organ and cool horn interplay by Hoke, Ware, Agee and with Richard Metz on percussion. Very cool. Hoke lays in a really nice bari solo on another funky swamp track, That's All I Want which also features LaRhonda Steele on vocal. Dilly Dal...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Here In Babylon , from Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps and it got a funky yet soulful sound. Opening with I Know I Ain't Been So Perfect , James on lead vocal and piano really captures the new neo soul feel with a great opener, backed by Jay Bellerose on drums, Billy Watts on guitars, Mike Finnegan on B-3, Terry Wilson on bass. Very cool. Laid back, Head Up, Heart Open has a nice sway (think Doobies) with tight backing vocals by Watts, Wilson, Gregg Sutton, Jessie Wilson and James and the warmth of horns added by Darrell Leonard on trumpet and Joe Sublett on sax. Lumbering, Ground Zero , has a solid bottom, courtesy Wilson and a plucky guitar line by Watts. With it's smoky club feel, You Had To Bring That Up is really the nicest showcase for James on piano and vocal. Relaxed, cool and gritty, a really solid track. Piano boogie, I Gotta Roll is another favorite with a super groove, punched up by Leonard an...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Well, It's About Time, from Andrew Chapman a.k.a JoJo and it's solid. Opening with Louisiana funky, That's The Kind Of Day I Had Today . JoJo on lead vocals slides right into the slot with Terry Wilson on bass, John Herron on piano and featuring excellent slide work from Stephen Bruton and excellent drum work from Tony Braunagel and fine backing vocals by Teresa James and Shake Russell. Very cool! Solid radio track, Still Got The Message has a cool vocal hook, super guitar soloing by Billy Watts, really nicely woven instrumentation and tight rhythms by Braunagel. The Fit & The Feel has a Harry Nilsson feel with and cool underlying pop feel and James on backing vocals. Another funky rocker is She Don't Mess With My Buzz written by bassist Terry Wilson, with nice slide work by Watts, Jeff Paris on keys and James Christie on drums. Cool rocker, Bag of Bones has a cool boogie pace with Braunagel on ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Feet Back In The Door , by Johnny Ray Jones and it's quite good. Opening with title track, Feet Back In The Door , Johnny Ray Jones show strong soul roots with a great rhythm and horn section. His vocals are strong, joined by Mike Finnigan on piano, Hutch Hutchinson on bass, and Tony Braunagel on drums and topped off with Joe Sublett on sax, Darrell Leonard on trumpet and Teresa James on backing vocals. Very nice. I really like the bass work on Come Up And See Me Sometime which really carries Finnigan's organ line and sets a cool stage for Jones to strut. Jones' vocals on High Cost Of Loving and Johnny Lee Schell throws down some stinging blues guitar riffs making this one of my favorites on  the release. Z.Z. Hill's, I'm A Blues Man has a great balance of heavy bass, big brass, snappy drums and warm vocals giving Jones and Schell a wide open slate to sing and play. Very nice. Allen Toussaint'...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Let's Just Be Real , from Laura Tate and it's a light jazzy smooth. Opening with Steve Bruton's Nobody Get's Hurt , vocalist, Laura Tate baits you in with her warm voice, backed by Terry Wilson on bass, Billy Watts on guitar, Jeff Paris on keys, Tony Braunagel on drums, Lee Thornberg on brass, Paulie Cerra on sax and Leslie Smith on percussion. I always like when music is nicely woven like a fine fabric and this track is just that. Original soul track, If That Ain't Love , has a strong radio feel with a catchy melody, nice sax work and an interesting rhythm. Cerra lay out a real nice sax solo on this track and backing vocals add nicely to the mix. lightly salted Latin rhythm on Can't Say No has a great feel and Watts' guitar solo is particularly nice. Thin Lizzy's Boys Are Back In Town gets a balladeer's rework and I find it quite nice. I feel that it will appeal strongly to the pop...

I just received the newest release, Bonafide from Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps and it's a rocking blast! Opening with R&B track, I Like It Like That , James leads the way on vocal and over the top piano with super bass work by Terry Wilson, Guitar by Billy Watts and drums by Tony Braunagel. Excellent opener. On Spit It Out , James really hits her stride with Al Green like pace. This track really makes you want to dance with hot vocals and nice horn work by Darnell Leonard and with Mike Finnigan's excellent B3 additions. Funky, Hollywood Way has a super groove with Wilson crafting a nice bass line and real nice slide work by Billy Watts. Backing vocals by Wilson and Watts really add to the richness of this track and James' phrasing is tight! A cool soul track, You Always Pick Me Up , is right down the slot with warm vocals and all of the poise of the queen of soul herself. With a spiritual warmth and the addition of trumpet by Lee Thornburg and sax by Ron...

I just received the newest release, Someone Like You , from Albert Cummings and it rocks! Opening with hot rocker, No Doubt , Cummings sets up a great groove with Reggie McBride on bass, Tony Braunagel on drums and Mike Finnigan on organ. Cummings vocals, blended with Teresa James are prime and his guitar riffs are tight and clean. Excellent! Pop rocker, I Found You has more of a tame sound but Cummings puts his trademark guitar riffs on the track giving it just the right amount of spank. Up Your Sleeve is a real cool shuffle track with fluid guitar riffs and nice double stops. Finnigan has such a great touch on organ just playing a note here and there...but it's the right note at just the right time... not an easy thing to do. A swinging guitar solo ensues and the track really does move. Very nice! So Strong is a quiet ballad with a sweet melodic guitar solo making it a clear radio track. Finally In Love is a clean rocker with a 2 step rhythm. Cummings really has a pretty...