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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Showing posts with label West Tone Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Tone Records. Show all posts

Friday, March 24, 2017

West Tone Records artist: Rockin' Johnny Burgin - Neoprene Fedora - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Neoprene Fedora, from Rockin' Johnny Burgin and it's spectacular! I've had the pleasure to review a few Rockin' Johnny releases and also to see him in person and I gotta say, there aren't too many players out there right now that I'd rather see. (Check here to see my recent interview with RJB). He is inventive, his guitar work is clean and distinctive, his vocals are cool and he's music is a lot of fun.

Opening with the title track, Neoprene Fedora, Burgin hits the strip running with a 50's style blues surfer with great great vibrato, and cool phrasing. The Latin beat and the shimmery guitar soloing is out of sight and Nancy Wright's sax work is hot and heavy. Excellent! Joining Burgin are Kid Andersen on guitar, Bob Welsh on guitar, June Core on drums and Chris Matheos on bass. On Guitar King Burgin swings back into his Chicago roots and I really like his vocals. Aki Kumar is back on harp and we know what he can do. Burgin's guitar soloing sets the groove and together with Kumar on harp and Stephen Dougherty on drums...this track hits hard. On Won't Get Married Again, Burgin blends a Bloomfield like vocal delivery with an off beat gait. Playing harp himself and with an odd scatter guitar style, this is a track to hear. Unusually cool. With a slower lope, Give Me An Hour In Your Garden, Burgin delivers solid, expressive vocals with Albert King like sting on guitar. Vance Ehkers bass work on this track helps to set off Burgin's masterful guitar riffs giving this track a memorable sting. Steve Willis opens Kinda Wild Woman, a R&B track, with accordion flair and Billy Wilson's rubbing board work adds to the natural texture.  On Please Tell Me, Burgin's vocals are solid and his slide playing very slick but catch Wright blowing the roof off on this one (on sax). With real Cajun feel, Burgin and Willis create the environment and Welsh adds a nice piano riff giving the track even more texture. Another cool blues swinger, (Let Me Be) Your Teddy Bear has a cool BB King like feel with Rockin' Johnny at his most relaxed, just letting it flow over Ehler's bass line. Very nice. Ultra funky blues track, Smoke and Mirrors even has wah wah pedal. I mean...it's funky. Get ready to dance. Burgin steps into new territory on this one and he's channeling Buddy Guy. With Alabama Mike on backing vocals and Kumar on harp, this track is FUNKY! Alabama Mike takes the mic on I Did the Best I Could and Burgin digs in on guitar with Albert King like attack. This guy can really do it all and continues to show that with every note... I mean this guy has feel...excellent! Another Chicago style blues, Self Made Man, features Kumar on lead vocal and Burgin sits back and just stings the strings. You don't have to listen hard to hear this guy. He sticks it in your ear for you. Buddy Guy has to smile listening to this guy!  On shuffle track, You Gotta Work Fast, Burgin is back up front on vocal. With a great walking bass line from Ehlers and Kumar on harp, Burgin steps high with powerful, solid riffs, which seems to pull his vocals even more into the groove. I Ain't Gonna Be A Working Man No More has super Morganfield feel and Burgin reinforces this on guitar (think Rollin' and Tumblin') and playing is straight and simple, this track just moves. Another funky track, My Life's Enough For Me, has a great bass line compliments of Ehler's and nasty, nasty guitar lead. Burgin's vocals really emphasize his work and I'm glad he continues to develop his own voice. Check how he absolutely slays the guitar solo on this one. Ouch...man that's great! Wrapping the release is slow, Willie Dixon like track, Goodbye Chicago with excellent John Lee Hooker like vocal phrasing and Howlin' Wolf like aesthetic by Burgin. Nancy Wright is so excellent every time I hear her and her playing on this track is no exception. The choice to feature her on this release was brilliant. Burgin pays tribute to all the blues kings as he loosely riffs on guitar with Kumar on harp.  This is really is the path of the contemporary blues. I hope that the young players are listening. This is it! Truly amazing release!



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Thursday, July 2, 2015

West Tone Records artist: The Lucky Losers - A Winning Hand - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, A Winning Hand, from The Lucky Losers featuring Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz. Opening with Change In The Weather, a bluesy pop track, with just a touch of funk. Phil and Cathy share lead vocals and Michael Peloquin (sax), Tom Poole (trumpet) and Mike Rinta (trombone) add a nice horn section. Upbeat rocker, I Take What I Want, features a nice harp solo from Phil and drums with Robi Bean. Jimmy Rogers' What Have I Done, is up next with a cool easy swing beat. Cathy and Phil share lead vocals and Chris Burns carries the load on piano. Title track and southern rocker, A Winning Hand, features Steve Freund on lead guitar. This track has a familiar feel like a blend of (Sweet Home Alabama, Werewolf of London and Last Dance with Mary Jane). Suicide By Love has a primary bluesy jazz feel. Joe Kyle on upright bass and Jay Hansen on drums set the stage and Chris Burns lays down a nice sheet of piano. Lemons takes the lead on vocal and this may be the coolest track on the release, featuring a nice solo from Phil on harp and Kid Andersen on guitar. Bob Dylan's What Was It You Wanted gets a funky bottom compliments Steve Hazlewood on bass and Robi Bean on drums. Chris Burns' B3 work on the track adds a nice warmth and Marvin Green hits the note on lead guitar as Cathy and Phil share lead vocals. Allen Toussaint's What Is Success has a nice warm jazzy feel with Ben Rice on slide guitar mimicking the note sliding effect of Cathy and Phil's voices and Burns does a particularly nice job on piano. Long Hard Road is Phil's best vocal effort on a funky jazz number. Marvin Greene is back again laying down some tasty guitar riffs backed by Kevin Zuffi on organ, and Peloquin and Poole on horns. Uptempo blueser Baby You Got What It Takes has a great driving rhythm courtesy of Kid Andersen, Marvin Greene and Steve Hazlewood. Phil steps up with a hot harp solo on this number as well making it one my favorites on the release. Cry No More has a touch of Latin rhythm making for a nice pleasant ride. Zuffi rolls the Nord keyboard for a nice flavorful solo and Bean keeps the bottom tight. Driving blues track, Detroit City Man, gets a nice boogie groove going with Bean on drums, Evans on bass and Berkowitz on harp carrying the load as Lemons has the lead vocals. Wrapping the release is Don't You Lose It, a slow country blues ballad. Burns creates a nice effect with his Wurlitzer piano, the tempo and vocal blending on this track and the guitar work by Andersen make this a great finisher.

  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 favorites band! ”LIKE”

 

Monday, June 1, 2015

West Tone Records artist: Rockin' Johnny Burgin - Greetings from Greaseland, California - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Greetings from Greaseland, California by Rockin' Johnny Burgin and it's spectacular! I received a lot of new releases each month with a lot of blues tracks but these are so fine! Rockin' Johnny, along with Aki Kumar (harp), Kid Andersen, Vance Ehlers (bass) and June Core (drums) have really hit it here. Opening with Love Me Like I Want it features Johnny on lead vocals and guitar with Kumar on harp is an excellent shuffle with Johnny's trademark guitar style out in the front. Did I say this track was super? Hip Linkchain's Cold Chills has that funky blues beat and Ehlers and Core set up the essential groove. Johnny has that raw looseness on guitar that is so lost from blues records today that he owns it. Excellent! She's A Hit, a conventional sauntering 12 bar track, shows Johnny's sure feel for vocal delivery in Chicago style. Sit back and listen to his expressive riffs. This man is flying! Robert Jr Lockwood's The Western Horizon is an easy shuffle with Kumar up front. Does Johnny take a back seat... nah...he just lets Kumar breathe. Then he rips some excellent riffs of his own. If you don't know this guy's work, this is an great place to start. Slow blues track, Telephone Angel, is up next and you know you're in for a hard run. If there is a more exciting "real blues" guitar player on the planet today, tell me who it is (Buddy Guy excepted). An instrumental version of classic, House of the Rising Sun, made popular by the Animals, has a lot of polish and excellent articulation. Another slower blues track, Empty Bed Blues, features vocal on top and tasty guitar and harp riffs under the lead. Johnny shows a much more controlled guitar delivery with dynamic attack on this track. Expressive, gutsy riffs remind me of a young Elvin Bishop who blew my sox off in the Fillmore days. Excellent! Tribute To Big John Wrencher keeps it direct with solid vocals and cool harp work from Johnny. Havana Rock gives Core the chance to really play some fancy riffs supporting Kumar on lead. Turning into a straight ahead boogie, Johnny steps up with jazzy style riffs and swinging blues bends. Shouldn't say ground breaking, but compared to anything I'm hearing on the blues scene today...it is! Perkins/Rush composition Homework, made popular by Fleetwood Mac and J Geils to mention a few has a great rocky feel. There's underlying keys by Kid Andersen who does a real nice job. Johnny settles back to mostly solid vocals but his few guitar riffs hot and stinging! Wrapping the release is Jimmy Reed's Tell The World I Do. Johnny keeps a nice even pace with expressive vocals and harp setting it up for the killer swat  on guitar to slam this release shut. This is a must hear release!  

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 favorites band! ”LIKE”

 

Friday, May 29, 2015

West Tone Records artist: Rockin' Johnny Burgin - Greetings from Greaseland, California - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Greetings from Greaseland, California by Rockin' Johnny Burgin and it's spectacular! I received a lot of new releases each month with a lot of blues tracks but these are so fine! Rockin' Johnny, along with Aki Kumar (harp), Kid Andersen, Vance Ehlers (bass) and June Core (drums) have really hit it here. Opening with Love Me Like I Want it features Johnny on lead vocals and guitar with Kumar on harp is an excellent shuffle with Johnny's trademark guitar style out in the front. Did I say this track was super? Hip Linkchain's Cold Chills has that funky blues beat and Ehlers and Core set up the essential groove. Johnny has that raw looseness on guitar that is so lost from blues records today that he owns it. Excellent! She's A Hit, a conventional sauntering 12 bar track, shows Johnny's sure feel for vocal delivery in Chicago style. Sit back and listen to his expressive riffs. This man is flying! Robert Jr Lockwood's The Western Horizon is an easy shuffle with Kumar up front. Does Johnny take a back seat... nah...he just lets Kumar breathe. Then he rips some excellent riffs of his own. If you don't know this guy's work, this is an great place to start. Slow blues track, Telephone Angel, is up next and you know you're in for a hard run. If there is a more exciting "real blues" guitar player on the planet today, tell me who it is (Buddy Guy excepted). An instrumental version of classic, House of the Rising Sun, made popular by the Animals, has a lot of polish and excellent articulation. Another slower blues track, Empty Bed Blues, features vocal on top and tasty guitar and harp riffs under the lead. Johnny shows a much more controlled guitar delivery with dynamic attack on this track. Expressive, gutsy riffs remind me of a young Elvin Bishop who blew my sox off in the Fillmore days. Excellent! Tribute To Big John Wrencher keeps it direct with solid vocals and cool harp work from Johnny. Havana Rock gives Core the chance to really play some fancy riffs supporting Kumar on lead. Turning into a straight ahead boogie, Johnny steps up with jazzy style riffs and swinging blues bends. Shouldn't say ground breaking, but compared to anything I'm hearing on the blues scene today...it is! Perkins/Rush composition Homework, made popular by Fleetwood Mac and J Geils to mention a few has a great rocky feel. There's underlying keys by Kid Andersen who does a real nice job. Johnny settles back to mostly solid vocals but his few guitar riffs hot and stinging! Wrapping the release is Jimmy Reed's Tell The World I Do. Johnny keeps a nice even pace with expressive vocals and harp setting it up for the killer swat  on guitar to slam this release shut. This is a must hear release!  

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 favorites band! ”LIKE”