Bman's Blues Report

Boston Blues Guitarist Seth Rosenbloom to Release New CD ‘Keep on Turning’ out January 18th “For me, playing the blues is all about expressing emotions,” guitarist and vocalist Seth Rosenbloom insists. “What’s always drawn me to the genre is the fact that it allows for an extraordinarily wide range of emotion. That, I think, is the key to making great music overall, and great blues in particular.” Rosenbloom knows of what he speaks. Hailed by The Boston Globe as “a searing blues-rock guitarist,” and The Noise Boston as a musician who “makes his guitar growl and has a voice to match,” he’s been compared to “a slightly younger and rawer version of Matt Schofield ,” by the Blues PowR blog, which also praised him for “his gravelly, forceful vocals and stinging guitar work.” Those assessments were affirmed this past year, when Rosenbloom made his bow with his debut self-titled EP. Now, with the release of his first full length effort, Keep On Turning (January 2019), that...

Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes Ring in the Holidays With Their Best Christmas Party Ever! Spector’s definitive versions of “Frosty” and “Sleigh Ride” dominate the airwaves at Christmas time Exclusive People Magazine Interview on Newsstands Soon Now a beloved holiday tradition, Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes’ Best Christmas Party Ever! kicks off in late November, and this year’s tour will coincide with an exclusive profile in People Magazine . The iconic singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee absolutely loves Christmas, and she’ll ring in the holiday season once again when her spirited multi-media show tours the U.S.  – Confirmed dates are here: 11/24              Madison Theatre                    Rockville Centre, NY 11/30            ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Into The Blue , from Ron Spencer Band and it's got a great feel. Opening with rocker, Closer To The Bone , Mark Gibson has the lead vocal spot and Ron Spencer revs up his guitar with great tone on guitar. Bob Purdy on bass set a solid foundation with Ross Moe on drums and Dan "Cato" Eaton does a real nice job on piano. Addicted To You is a cool, laid back swamp rocker with low slung vocal lines. This track has a great feel. One of my favorite tracks on the release is So Wrong with its tight Latin rhythms and warm guitar tones. Very nice. It's Time , has a cool T-Bone Walker feel and Gibson's vocals are really nice. Spencer shows his had at blues guitar -" T-Bone style" and he does a really nice job. Eaton gets a real chance to show off on rock 'n roller, Fine Fine Woman with it boogie beat and Gibson of course leads the charge with excellent vocals. Wrapping the release is another L...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Before The Devil Steals Your Soul , from Blue Largo and it's a blues rocker with a dose of swing. Opening with Wash Away with it's spiritual roots. With warm vocal chorus by Alicia Aragon, Eric Lieberman, Nena Anderson, Missy Anderson, Diane McCalester, Jacquelene Haynes, Nathaniel Greene Jr., Andre Buck and Nathan Jones, this is really nice. Opening into a an early sixties style rocker with Eddie Croft on sax, Lieberman on guitar, Marcus P. Boshore on bass, Tanya "T-Bird" Donath on piano and Rafeal Solomon on Hammond, it's a cool opener. Latin rhythm carries Monrovia with cool percussion by Mike Tempo, stylistic trumpet by Steve Ebner and cool solo's by Lieberman and Donath. Instrumental, Bodas De Oro , is a terrific track featuring Lieberman on baritone guitar and really nice percussion and piano. Excellent! Vocal ballad, The Long Ballad has a great melody and is a solid showcase for Arago...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Wish The World Away , from Ben Rice and it's light and airy with great guitar riffs and cool melodies. Opening with Dirt Road Home , a driving understated boogie, Rice shows just how much music can be played with just vocal, guitar and drums by Jimi Bott. Cool opener. Peace Will Overcome has a really nice rhythm set up by Bott, Julio Appling on bass and Dave Fleschner on piano, topped by excellent slide work by Rice. Very nice. Mojo Hand feels like hill country with a lot of rag tag and a lot of rockin blues. Rice's vocals are perfect for this track and his resonator guitar work is tight and clean with highlights drawn by Mitch Kashmar on harp and Dave Melyan on percussion. Very nice. Soulful track, Hardtimes is one of my favorites on the release with the best vocals on the release and rich organ tones of Dave Fleschner. Very nice. Stevie Wonder's HigherGround get an acoustic rework and retains a lot of ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Miles To Go , from Colin James and it's really good! Opening with Muddy Water's, One More Mile , Colin James puts a funky spin on it and it is a contemporary as they come. With Geoff Hicks on drums, Steve Pelletier on bass, Simon Kendall on Hammond, Chris Caddell on rhythm guitar and Steve mariner on harp, this track is a super opener. Another Waters track, Still A Fool maintains the basic Waters outline but with a solid bass line and fiery guitar riffs, another super addition. Very nice. Big Boy Crudup's Dig Myself a Hole has a super Little Feat, swampy funky feel with real nice slide by James and perfect backing vocals by The Sojourners. James original. I Will Remain , is really solid with a real nice drum track, glistening rhythm guitar, a soulful melody and excellent blues guitar lines bringing to mind BB King or Robert Cray. Excellent! Jessie Mae Robinson's Black Night is my favorite on the releas...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, All This , from RC and the Moonpie Band and it's a lot of fun.  Opening with boogie rocker and title track, All This , RC (Robert Christian) has lead vocals backed by Robert Marlowe on funky guitar, T Bone Betourney on drums,  Mike Logiovino on bass and Russell Pleasants on backing vocals. With Latin styling and tongue in cheek lyrics, Cheated on Me is a cool, clever track with interesting guitar work and a tight rhythm. Wild primitive delta styling and acoustic slide guitar make Big Ass Jug  O' Wine a favorite entry on the release. Older Women has a Screamin Jay Hawking kind of feel with dramatic wailing, solid soul vocals and powerful keyboard soloing. With fundamental blues structure, Take Off Your Shoes follows a T Bone Walker lead but with less flamboyant soloing and more curious vocals. The Buddy Guy Up is a super shuffle with a super groove. Potent vocals, dancing piano, hot guitar and a radical...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blink , from Rachelle Coba and it's an soulful understated rocker. Opening with High and Dry , a rocker with a driving beat, Coba on guitar and vocal is teamed with Paul Kuzik on bass, Andrei Koricanics on drums and featuring John Ginty on piano. Dance These Blues Away has a cool funky back beat that really gives Coba a chance to showcase her bluesy vocals and soulful guitar riffs. Very nice. Good Ole Heartbreak is a soul ballad with a great melody. Another strong track, this could easily be the top radio track on the release. A solid rocker with a light country flavor (think Stones or Mellencamp) title track, Blink , had a strong (rock) dance groove and just the right guitar tone to push it over the edge. Solid! Another track that deserves a particular note is Shuffle Ya with an almost spoken vocal line but with a heavy footed bottom and guitar punctuation over the warm organ ride of Ginty. Very nice. Wrapping ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live , from JW- Jones and it's terrific. Opening with A Memo , a cool, well written rocker with a solid melody. Jones' band is Laura Greenberg on bass and vocal, Will Laurin on drums and vocals and Don Cummings on Hammond and vocals. Jones gets the opportunity to stretch a bit and with nicely phrased blues riffs, punctuates this fine opener. On BB King's Need You So Bad , Jones' vocals are firm and his guitar playing sure footed. I have heard each of his previous releases and this one really shines. Howlin' Wolf's Moanin' At Midnight has a steady rolling tempo with aggressive blues stance, breaking into a Hendrix "Voodoo Chile" posture and letting the pyrotechnics fly. Very nice. Dylan's Tonight I'll be Staying Here With You has an approach that blends Dylan, Beck and Garcia styles. Another BB King track, Early Every Morning , has a hard driving bass line putting Jones int...