Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Fantasizing About Being Black , by Otis Taylor and it is his most interesting, innovative and creative release to date. Opening with Twelve String Mile , Taylor is joined by Jerry Douglas on lap guitar, Larry Thompson on drums, Todd Edmunds and Ron Miles on cornet to create a fusion of Mali blues and jazz. This is a really cool woven tapestry of sounds and colors that has a familiarity yet a uniqueness. Another track with free fusion feel, Walk On Water has a driving folk groove but a loose jazziness creating mystery. Very cool. With a mystical overtone, Hands On Your Stomach is a driving rocker with vocal phrasing like John Lee Hooker. Brandon Niederauer creates a terrific electric wall in balance with Taylor's unsettling vocals. With a really cool groove, Jump Jelly Belly tells the tale of General Jack Watson and his cargo load. Just wild. Flat out in your face blues, Tripping On This , features Taylor on elect...

March 30, 2015 ROOTS MUSIC VISIONARY OTIS TAYLOR CREATES A TIMELESSS PSYCHEDELIC ALBUM AND DEBUTS HIS  TRANCE BLUES FESTIVAL LABEL Hey Joe Opus/Red Meat seamlessly blends hypnotic songs and instrumentals; features guests Warren Haynes, Langhorne Slim and String Cheese Incident’s Bill Nershi, out May 5 BOULDER, Colo. — Hey Joe Opus/Red Meat , the new album from visionary roots music songwriter and bandleader Otis Taylor , is a psychedelic masterpiece. Blending his uniquely poetic songwriting and the compelling musical approach that he calls “trance blues,” the recording — due on May 5, 2015 on Taylor’s new Trance Blues Festival label — cuts to the core of the human spirit with its mix of vocal and instrumental performances, letting its hypnotic sound as well as Taylor’s lyrics tell its story. The artist explains that his 14th album is “about decisions and their consequences. ...