Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest self titled release from The Apocalypse Blues Review and they have style. Opening with Evil Is As Evil Does , Ray "Rafer" Cerbone on lead vocal has a great rock voice backed by Tony "Big Tone" Rombola on guitar, Shannon "Apocalypse" Larkin on drums and Brian "Bassgod" Carpenter on bass. Junkie Hell is a smoking blues rocker with a solid bass lead and scorching guitar riffs. Devil Plays Stra t has a great bass undertone which sets up nicely with Rafer's Morrison like vocal phrasing, excellent drum work from Larkin and rowdy guitar work from Rombola. Possibly my favorite track on the release. With a cool driving bass line, Whiskey In My Coffee has a strong sense of I Been Down So Long with nicely peppered guitar riffs. With traces of Trower's ethereal guitar work and a bit of more contemporary rock, The Tower is a cool track with strong rock roots. Crossed Over seems to be based on Robert Johnson's Out...

I just received the newest release (September 23, 2016), Blues Immigrant , from Matthew Skoller and it's a solid heaping cup of Chicago blues. Opening with Big Box Store Blues , Matthew Skoller takes the lead on vocal and harp backed by Johnny Iguana on keys, Giles Corey on guitars, Eddie Taylor Jr. on guitar, Felton Crews on bass,and Marc Wilson on drums. A smooth shuffle track, Skoller sets a solid line on vocal and has nice tone on harp. With of a rhumba beat, On The Devil Ain't Got No Music, Crews sets a real nice bass line and Skoller gives the harp a nice workout. Title track, Blues Immigrant , has a definite hook for radio play and Iguana's keyboard work along with the standard blues guitar rhythm keeps the instrumentation low key but nicely highlights Skoller's vocals with warm backing by Mike Avery and Stevie Robinson. Another Latin influenced track, Only In The Blues , is really smooth with stylized guitar work and blended vocals ultimately highlighting t...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, How Long? , from Little Mike and the Tornadoes and it's hot! Opening with Cotton Mouth , a red hot blues stomper, Little Mike is cooking. (Head's up Stilladog) A screaming hot harp off, this track is a terrific opener featuring Mike on harp, Cam Robb on drums, Dave Sweet on drums, Troy Nahumko on guitar, John Edelman on guitar, Joe Fontenot on bass, Ken Stearns on bass and guitar and Mitch Margold on B3. Title track, J.B. Lenoir's How Long? , is up next with a super groove. With it's stylistic guitar solo, tight piano lines and solid vocals this track is great. Quick paced, Smokin' , is right down the Chicago blues lane. Bobby Timmons, Moanin' , is a classic with great swing. With call by Nahumko on guitar this track opens strong and Mike takes the reins with really nice harp riffs, punctuated by snappy drum work. Cool shuffle track, When My Baby Left Me , is good solid blues music. Mike, Troy, John an...

I just received the newest release, a self titled debut from Ina Forsman and it's terrific! Opening with Hanging Loose , Ina Forsman hits the road running with a solid and powerful, almost indescribable voice. Joined by Laura Chavez and Derek O'Brien on guitars, stellar piano work by Nick Connolly on keys, Russell Jackson on bass Tommy Taylor on drums and Mark Kazanoff on sax, John Mills on bari, Al Gomez on trumpet and Aaron Kazanoff on trumpet this is a solid opener. On Pretty Messed Up you hear solid sounds of the 60's R&B scene and Forsman sings like a star. Showing total confidence and composure, this girl can perform. With a cool piano opening by Connolly, Bubbly Kisses , eases up with a bit of 40' style mystery. Forsman's voice is intoxicating and with subtle nuance and outright power she commands your attention. Backing vocals by Alice Spencer, Tommy Taylor, Nick Connolly and Mark Kazanoff with sassy trumpet work by Al Gomez sets this track up nicel...

I just received the newest release, An Evening With Todd Rundgren , from Todd Rundgren and it captures the master of blue eyed soul in concert at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT on December 15, 2015. Todd opens with one of his best know tracks, I Saw The Light , from early in his career and it is a fine opener. Blasting right into Love Of The Common Man with John Ferenzik on keys, Jesse Gress on guitar, Prairie Prince on drums and Kasim Sulton on bass. Early rocker, Open My Eyes really gets the crowd rocking and Todd rips a hot solo to conclude the track. Todd and the crew hit a lot of the top tracks from his 25 release career including titles from at least 15 releases. Something/Everything I Saw The Light Black Maria Couldn't I Just Tell You Faithful Love Of The Common Man Black and White  Nazz Open My Eyes Hello It's Me A Wizard A True Star Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel Soul Medley: I'm So Proud, Ooh Baby Baby, I Want You S...

I just received the newest release, Raw Sugar, from JJ Thames and it's rich. Following on the coattails of her spectacular release Tell You What I Know Thames keeps it rolling. Opening with Oh Lord , a simple spiritual blues, the instrumentation is kept to a minimum with Joe Seamons on acoustic guitar and backing vocal and Ben Hunter on mandolin surrounded by a wealth of warm vocals. Hattie Pearl kicks into high gear with Darryl Sanford on rockin piano and with Kimble Funchess on trumpet, Jessie Primer III on sax and Robert Lamkin on trombone. Shuffle track, I'm Leavin' features Eddie Cotton Jr. on guitar and Thames is really moving with Anthony Daniels on bass, John Blackmon on drums and Sanford on keys. Leftovers is a funky, jazz pop track with a strong bass line by Daniels. Thames' vocals are well blended and the melody is radio bound. Bluesy, Woman Scorned , sets a real nice stage with Cotton playing a smoking opener. Thames's delivery is powerful and...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 9, 2016), Maxwell Street , from Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and it's a scorcher! Opening with Mother Angel , a tight jazz influenced number featuring Ronnie Earl and Nicholas Tabarias on guitar, Lorne Entress on drums, Dave Limina on keys and Jim Mouradian on bass. Slow blues, Elegy For A Bluesman is one of many beautifully executed tracks on this release. With subtle bottom and really nice piano and B3 by Limina, Earl takes it front and center with lush melodic guitar lead. Excellent! In Memory of T-Bone is a strong, T-Bone Walker "modeled" blues track with Earl interpreting T-Bone Walker's style and phrasing. With just a wisp of bass and drums and a carrier tune of keys, Earl just flat out plays the melody in fine style. Excellent! Diane Blue joins the mix for original track, Kismet , showing why she is the go to girl on many blues release. Her vocals are clean and powerful and a good...

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Way Back Home , from the Backtrack Blues Band and it's solid. Opening with Going to Eleuthera , a snappy shuffle, Sonny Charles leads the way on lead vocals and Kid Royal is hot on his heels on lead guitar. Rounding out the troupe is Little Johnny Walter on rhythm guitar, Joe Bencomo on drums and Stick Davis on bass. Victor Wainwright is featured on piano and does a real nice job and Charles really makes his harp sing. Nice opener. On Tell Your Daddy , the band sets a funky dance groove with a boogaloo bass line. Breaking into a smooth shuffle Royal plays it like a stud and the deal is on. Breaking back, Charles brings his harp to the forefront with great tone. Shoot My Rooster has a real nice blues lope with Charles' harp on call and Royal's guitar on response. One of my favorite tracks on the release, this track features super piano work by Wainwright in the mix with Royal and Charles. Excellent. Sonny Boy Wi...

I just received the newest release, Age Don't Mean A Thing , from Robert Finley and it's a powerful new soul release. Opening with high stepping Memphis groove, I Just Want To Tell You , Robert Finley wastes no time establishing that his talent far exceeds his professional experience. An extremely soulful vocalist, Finley traveled north to Memphis to work with members of the Bo-Keys. Players include a who’s who of the Memphis soul scene including drummer Howard Grimes (Al Green, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, OV Wright), Marc Franklin (Bobby “Blue” Bland), Jimbo Mathus (Elvis Costello), Al Gamble (St. Paul & The Broken Bones, the Hold Steady, Alex Chilton), Kirk Smothers (Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Guy), Reba Russell (U2, BB King), Harold Thomas (James Carr) and Daunielle Hill (Solomon Burke). With full soul backing vocals and Al Gamble's B3 rolling this is a great opener. On title track, Age Don't Mean A Thing , Finley really sings with gut wrenching authority. This track...