Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, James Rivah , from The Bush League and it's a powerhouse. Opening with River's Edge , JohnJayson Cecil really digs deep for a rawthentic blues experience driven by Royce Folks on bass, Wynton Davis on drums and Brad Moss on guitar. Excellent! Mississippi Fred McDowell's Kokomo Me Baby is a romping boogie with rocking vocals, drums and guitar with a solid bass line. Neo soul track,  Say Yes has a soulful pace and vocals with solid bass and Jeremy Powell on keys. Very nice. Muddy Water's Catfish Blues gets a real nice work over maintaining the original blues feel but with modern vocals and a rockier rhythm line. Stinging guitar work by Moss gives it a crisp edge. Hearse has a powerful blues/neo soul feel with sounds reminiscent of Living Color, D'Angelo and more primitive blues which is really becoming a trademark for The Bush League. Very nice. Stretched boogie, Moonshine , has an unusual gait wit...

I just received the newest release, Didn't See This Coming , by The Bush League and it's another smoker! Like their first release, ”Can of Gas and a Match” this release is gritty, raw and bluesy. This release is live and gives The Bush League a chance to stretch out a bit and I think that it pays off in spades. Opening with Hearse , a rambling blues with trace clues to Govt Mule, this track has a really nice underlying bass line by Royce Folks, super vocals by JohnJay Cecil and wild frenzied guitar work by Michael Burgess and Brad Moss over a stiff drum rhythm by Wynton Davis. Real nice! Bringing the pace (but not the heat) down, Show You Off has has a real nice swagger with a woven tapestry of guitar, drums and bass carrying the vocals on a chariot. With an increase in intensity as the track grows, the band is really getting the crowd sweaty. Lowell Folsom's Tramp , one of the great underrated tracks of our time fits nicely into the set. Shelly Thiss joins the band ...

I just received a copy of the newest release, Can Of Gas & A Match by The Bush League and it's killer. The recording opens with the title track, Can Of Gas & A Match which has a solid base like Brush With The Blues from Royce Folks on bass and Debbie Flood on drums. JohnJason "Sleepy Eyed Jay" Cecil carries the track with an incredible modern swamp blues voice and Shane "Chicago Slim" Parch plays simple over driven rhythm guitar and excellent raw guitar punctuation throughout this track...think modern blues meets RL Burnside. This is a great track. Devil Cryin' In The Churchyard has a lighter feel with Parch painting lightly on the guitar as Cecil has a more modern delivery on vocal. The rhythm section is particularly tight on this track. Another track that I really like is Don't Touch My Liquor . This is a driving swamp boogie with wide open distortion on guitar and swingin' vocals. Drumming by Flood is really notable and crisp. Parch l...