Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, High Desert Heat , from Too Slim and the Tail Draggers , and it's quite good. Opening with Chambers Brothers' classic, Time Has Come Today , with it's driving beat and memorable guitar riff, led by Tim "Too Slim" Langford on guitar and vocal. . Cool opener. Breaking into Trouble , Langford sets up a cool boogie, joined by Sheldon "Bent Reed" Ziro on harmonica, Jeff "Shakey" Fowlkes on drums and Zach Kasik on bass. Stories To Tell has a classic "Jimi" rock styling with a strong guitar solo with great bends and squealing pinched harmonics. Very cool. With it's low slung Texas swagger distorted "fuzz" guitar and tandem vocals, One Step At A Time, sounds like early ZZ Top. Very nice. Wrapping the release is instrumental title track, High Desert Heat , with it's western undertones, low range guitar riffs and shimmery guitar lead. Langford's solid slide ...

I just received the newest release, Sugar Me , from Sammy Eubanks , and it's got a definite southern link. Opening with It's All Blues To Me , Sammy Eubanks, singer/guitarist, leads the charge with a track that is of Charlie Daniels and Tinsley Ellis. Country styling and rock overtones, this is a cool opener. Stop That Grinnin has a super blues drive, Elmore James style, with particularly cool work from Eubanks, Matt Hauer and Bob Britt and strong piano riffs from Reese Wynans. Darren Theriault handles the bass and Chris Kimmerer the drums. Very cool. Blues All Mornin' has a real cool bass line and really sweet lead guitar work by Eubanks. Wynans' organ work is nicely saturated giving the track nice girth. Willie Dixon's I Just Wanna Make Love To You has a great boogie beat, sounding more like contemporary Foghat than original Dixon but I really like it... I mean...who doesn't love a boogie. Eubanks' vocals and slide work both shine on this track, making...

I just received the newest release, Blood Moon , from Too Slim & the Taildraggers and it's gritty, bluesy and a modern guitar stiff arm in the chest. Opening with Evil Mind , a funky rocker, lead vocalist and guitar man, Tim "Too Slim" Langford, sets the track on fire with ripping pace backed by Jeff "Shakey" Fowlkes on drums and Robert Kearns on bass. Title track, Blood Moon , has a really nice drone bass line and a early Robin Trower feel with spacial guitar qualities and timing. A real cool track with serious guitar phrasing, this is one of my favorites on the release. Twisted Rails has a Jimi Hendrix kind of vibe but with modern delivery and adaptation and cool vocal harmonies. Guitar variations on the central theme give the track a varied texture and crisp drumming by Fowlkes drives the track home. Get Your Goin' Out On has traces of southern rock and Keith Richards. I know that this sounds like an odd pair, but in reality it's a really c...

I just received the newest release, Anthology , from Too Slim and the Taildraggers and it's really a great selection of tracks including 3 new songs. Opening with Wishing Well , a pure contemporary blues rocker, Langford not only shows his capability as a songwriter but also as a really tasty guitar player. Last Train has a twinge of country and cool feel with nice splashes of guitar... a feel of Dire Straits. Tim Langford handles vocals and guitar; Tom Hambridge, drums and backing vocal; Bob Britt, guitar; Tommy MacDonald, bass and Jon Coleman, keys. Stoned Again , a cool rocker along the lines of "Are You Ready For The Country" is awash with fat slide work. Cool track. Wash My Hands , a fast boogie rocker, has really cool double plucked guitar lead. Possibly my favorite track on the release. All out piano boogie driven by Langford on rippin guitar is a solid rocker and tough to beat. Excellent! Walk On Water is a country funk track with some cool changes and again ...

I just received the newest release (February 18, 2014), Panther Burn, from Jim Suhler and it's a keeper. Opening with title track, Panther Burn , Suhler blends that rare swamp sound with rock and blues to create his own unique sound. With Tim Alexander on organ and Beau Chadwell on drums, Shuler creates a really cool story line and super guitar riffs. I Declare is more of an uptempo shuffle with Kim Wilson backing Suhlers vocals on harp. Alexander plays nice piano riffs over a basic shuffle rhythm, Wilson get a nice opportunity to stretch out and does so nicely. Across The Brazo s is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a modified blues vamp. Understated guitar riffs going on throughout the track as well as nicely developed piano riffs make this one a definite listen. Leave My Blues Behind is a quick paced jazz/blues style track. A lot of swing is included in the DNA of this track and Suhler really rips some tasty guitar work on this track. Shawn Phares joins on org...

I just received the newest release (June 18, 2013), Blue Heart , from Too Slim and the Taildraggers and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Wash My Hands is a rockin' Texas Style blues rocker that could easily be by "That Little Ole Band From Texas". I really like the drive and droning note guitar work on this track! Minutes Seem Like Hours , a slow bluesy ballad is up next. I really like Langford's vocals in particular on this track and the bass by Tommy MacDonald and complimentary B3 by Reese Wynans are a great pedestal for guitar work by Langford and McNelley. Celebrity Jimmy Hall adds sweet harp on the title track, Blue Heart, a uptempo boogie and Tom Hambridge always leads the way with ultra-tight drumming. Hot blues number, Good To See You Smile Again , features stellar vocals from Jimmy Hall and crisp guitar work from Langford and McNelley. This is a track that has everything ... great feel, vocals, instrumentation and searing guitar work. If You Bro...