Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Howl , from Howell Devine and it's quite cool. Recorded at the acclaimed Greaseland Studios by Kid Andersen, this release has a great old style yet current vibe. Opening with Sonny Boy Williamson's The Key , Joshua Howell on vocal, guitar and harp melds nicely with Pete Devine on drums and Joe Kyle Jr. on bass. With it's lumbering pace, the track has deep blues roots. RL Burnside's Going Down South develops a rumble with solid bass lines and super vocals by Howell. Kickin it up a notch, Howell drives his guitar hard without breaking Burnside's basic monumental style. Very nice. Sookie Sookie has that great Booker T feel complimented by Kid Andersen on organ but this track is really a showcase for Howell's harp work. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is original composition, Sirenic Woman with raw slide playing and tom tom heavy drums and exaggerated bass lines by Kyle. Excelle...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Maybe Someday , from Meg Wilson and it's a straight up rocker. Opening with Not My Problem , Meg Williams leads on vocal and guitar with funky bass lines from Greggory Garner steady drum rhythm by Kyle Law and backing vocals by Sara Rogers. Shuffle track, Bad Lovin' has a catchy melody and slick guitar riffs by Williams with backing vocals by Sam Gonzales and Chase Walker. Blues rocker, Little Bit Of The Devil blends Charlie Daniels, The Allmans, JJ Cale, and Pat Benetar to come up with a flashy country rock radio track. Title track, Maybe Someday has a bouncy rhythm and slide guitar by Dan Wecht with a lot of the grease characteristic of Derek Trucks. With a solid melody and certain pace, this is definitely my pick for best track on the release. You Let Me Down is a straight ahead rocker with a cool melody but it's the fiery guitar lead that sets this track apart. Wrapping the release is pop rocker, I Fee...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Irreverent Dissident , from J.J. Vicars and it's solid rocker. Opening with Los Vatos in A ,  a sympathetic guitar interlude, this release is off to a good start. Long Way From Home is a ragged garage rocker with Vicars on vocal and guitar, Anthony Lumpp on bass and Danny Lumpp on drums. With the swagger of early Stones, Vicars charges right into Dixon's Wang Dang Doodle . Excellent! Slow blues, Outskirts of Town , has rich guitar chords with Robert Johnson on piano and drums and Denny Wright on bass. Vicars' guitar soloing is full of tension and feeling. Stinky Twinky is a super piano boogie instrumental featuring Big Jay McNeely on sax, Doug Oscard on drums and tasty guitar riffs from Vicars. Instrumental, Downhome stays in the boogie groove with Vicars leading the way on guitar. Excellent! Deguello is an interesting quasi classical composition with cool electric guitar over arpeggiated chords. Very ni...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Roughmax and the Steamrollers from Max Pieri and it's different. Opening with Candy Ass Blues (what a great name for a song) is a pop rocker with overdriven vocals and bass by Max, Luciano Lucky Pesce on piano, and Corrado D' Amato on drums. I Am Too Loose (I Want To Stand) is an interesting rocker with over the top drums and aggressive organ work by Pesce giving Max a strong top for his bass and vocals. Sebastiano Lillo adds an additional dimension on jazz rocker, Junk with his cool slide work. One of my favorite tracks on the release is somber ballad, Guilty with a subtle bass line, piano and lead vocal. This track is simple, yet strong. Very nice. High stepping instrumental, The Second Bite is lead by Pesce's electric keys and features strong bass lines by Max and drums by Amato. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Little Stone In My Pocket , a pop rocker with a driving beat. This release has characte...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Gas Station Guru , from Ted Hefko And The Thousandaires , and it's quite entertaining. Opening with Two Vices , Ted Hefko leads his own flavor of New Orleans jazz on lead vocal and sax with Elliot Slater and Mem Shannon on guitar, Justin Carlo Davi on bass Jasmine Butler on drums, and Beck Berger on organ. With the easy stride of the Night Tripper himself, cool opener. Funky, The Roofer, has a super groove with horns by Hefko on vocal and sax, Antonio Gambrell on trumpet and Carolyn Brussard and Arsene DeLay on backing vocal. Excellent. Billy Joe Shaver's Ride Me Down Easy sits nicely in country waltz style. Smooth vocals by Hefko and solid backing vocals give this track that something special. My favorite track on the release is Clarence and Spencer William's Ain't Gonna Give You Non O' My Jellyrol l. Now I can't listen to this track without thinking of Sweet Emma Barrett and her perfect deliv...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hard To Love , from Joyann Parker and it's solid. Opening with soulful rocker, Memphis , Parker shows a super vocal style and Mark Lamoine on slide guitar has great, fat, tone backed by Tim Wick on keys, Michael Carvale on bass and Alec Tackmann on drums. R&B track Envy is smooth with rich vocals and perfect organ backing by Wick. Another nice R&B track, Home , has a slight gospel taste to it with ideal organ backing. Parker's vocals are excellent and the song writing is super. Lamoine lays in a nicely tailored melodic guitar solo making this my choice for radio track on the release. Jigsaw Heart is nicely blended with wah wah guitar, a solid radio melody and tight vocals. New Orleans influenced Ray , has a super rhythm and of course Parker's vocals are spot on. Carvale's bass line on this track, augmented by Wick's piano lines and some western flavored guitar riffs give this track real spu...

    Electric Hot Tuna 's music is unique, an expression of Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady 's individual personalities who forge their improvisational sounds with a feeling of significance into a dynamic event. Their electric sound is complete with the addition of drummer Justin Guip ,* whose "emphatic yet fluid timekeeping is a true complement." Starting August 25, Steve Kimock , the blazing psychedelic guitarist versatile enough to touch almost all aspects of American music, will join Hot Tuna on tour.    ...

Harmonica Ace Steve Krase Expands His Blues Roots on New CD, Just Waitin’ , Coming June 15 from Connor Ray Music HOUSTON, TX – World-class harmonica player Steve Krase expands his blues music into new territory on his fourth CD, Just Waitin’ , coming June 15 on Connor Ray Music. Produced by Rock Romano (who also played bass and sang backing vocals), Just Waitin’ features Steve Krase (vocals and harmonica), backed by a solid cast of additional notables, including David Carter (guitars and backing vocals); Tamara Williams (drums, percussion and backing vocals); James Gilmer (percussion); Brian Jack (accordion); Mike Vee (rubboard); and Kenan Ozdemir (lead guitar). Steve Krase will celebrate the new album with a special CD pre-release show at Houston’s famed Big Easy Club on Friday, May 18th (5731 Kirby Dr., Houston), where he’ll be joined by several special guests including the legendary singer Trudy Lynn, plus James Gilmer on percussion and Brian Jack on accordion. ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dial It In , from Reverend Freakchild and it interesting. Opening with Opus Earth , with it's early delta sound, Freakchild plays National Steel guitar, organ and bass and performs what is described as a chant but really sounds like Yoko Ono, joined by Chris Parker on drums. Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus gets a solid blues rock remake and it's strong, featuring Hugh Pool on harp. Cool. Original track, Hippie Bluesman Blues , has some country overtones and featuring the rev on national Steel guitar and lead vocal, Pool on guitar, Parker on drums, Robin Sylvester on bass and Mark Karan on lead guitar and vocal. With a light funky edge and distortion, Roadtrance is an simple interesting jam with Rev on vocal and NSG, Pool on guitar, banjo and electronic sounds, and parker on drums. Actually fairly cool. 15 Going on 50 is a driving rocker strongly led by Brian Mitchell on piano and featuring Pool on lead guit...