Bman's Blues Report

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (August 20, 2021), Beautiful Things , by Keny Shanker and it's a warm blend of cool bop and jazzy pop. Opening with original composition, Cool Mint , Kenny Shanker is upfront on sax carrying the melody. Blowing solid bebop riffs and paired with Mike Eckroth on piano, and Daisuke Abe on guitar, this is a strong opener with a solid bottom by Yoshi Waki on bass and Brian Fishler on drums. Another original track, Prestissimo , is excellent with aggressive sax runs by Shanker and fine trumpet lead by  Bill Mobley and crisp piano soloing by Eckroth. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Mirth with it's searching sax lead lines and classic piano/bass/drum backing. Mobley pops in again with some really solid trumpet lead and again, Eckroth follows with a great piano lead. Really nice. With a great play on and original classic, Without A Song , has a great bottom and Shanker really hangs it out there with...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (July 9, 2021), That's What I'm Talkin About , from Sean Chambers and I really like it. Chambers put together this release as a tribute to Hubert Sumlin who he played with  for over 4 years, in fact the title of the release is due to it being a phrase that Hubert used frequently. Opening with blues rocker, Hubert Sumlin's Chunky , a funky instrumental, features Chambers on lead guitr, Bruce Katz on B3, Andrei Koribanics on drums and Antar Goodwin on bass.  With strong blues rock guitar lead and solid phrasing, this is a super instrumental opener. Howling Wolf's Rockin' Daddy gets a really hnice Wolf like vocal lead and Chambers' guitar lead is nothing short of electrifying. On St' Loius Jimmy Oden's Goin' Down Slow , Chambers works the space with excellent phrasing and his attack has fire that I've rarely heard from contemporary blues players except SRV. Excellent! On Willie Dixon...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Relish , from Dave Kalz , and it's a strong retro blues rocker. Opening with Mexico with it's drum heavy rhythm, hits the road running right from the start with Kalz on guitar and vocal, Greg Hulub on bass, Lewis Stephens on organ and Kevin McDonald on drums. Kalz of course brings experience from being a founder of Honeytribe with Devon Allman, as well as other high profile groups. On title track, Relish , with it's British blues influences, Kalz stretches a little on guitar with it's continuous guitar runs. Very cool. Werewolf Blues is one of my favorites with it's sauntering shuffle beat and realy cool electric and slide guitar riffs from Kalz and Mike Zito. Stone Cold Stuck is a hot rocker with laid out rock n roll riffs and a driving bottom. Texas style blues rocker, Route 666 not only has a great rock form but excellent guitar riffs and tone and traces of RBG. Surf rocker, She's Got A Hemi i...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (July 16, 2021), Resurrection , from Mike Zito, and it's a cool blues rocker with a lot of snap. Opening with JJ Cale's, I'll Make Love To You , Zito works this blues rocker with real radio appeal. His slide work and vocals are solid, backed by Zach Zito on vocal and guitar, Matthew Johnson on drums, Doug Byrkit on bass, Lewis Stephens on keys, Eric Demmer on sax and Fernando Castillo on trumpet. Lain back, country flavored, In My Blood is a real nice track with sparkling guitar riffs and solid lead vocal, backed nicely by Lisa Leuschner Andersen. A rework of Clapton's Presence of the Lord works nicely with this set and Zito's vocals work nicely with his Clapton like guitar riffs, expanded to his own, more wide open jamming style giving the track more bite. Very nice. Blues ballad, Damned If I Do , has strong radio appeal with Zito showing both soulful vocals and nicely phrased guitr phrasing. Very nic...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (July 16, 2021), Bayou Liberty , from Tiffany Pollack & Co. and it's a cool blend of New Orleans blues and country. Opening with Spit on Your Grave , a solid shuffle, Tiffany Pollack on lead vocal shows her power, backed by John Nemeth on harmonica, Brandon Brinious on guitar, Stoo Odom on bass, Christopher on sax and Ian Petillo on drums. The track has just the right amout of grit to make it different. Very cool. Colors has a real nice sway to it with Pollack riding the wave and nicely stylized guitar lead by Brunious. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Sassy Bitch , a funky blues rocker with it's obvious hook and some real lnice sax work by Johnson. With a light country flavor, Baby Boys is a cool ballad with strong lead vocals and with nice steel guitar highlights by Eric Lewis. With a bit of R&B worked into it's country roots, Livin' For Me has a funky bottom and Johnson shines on sa...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Back From The Edge , from Mark Cameron and it uses blues roots to explore mostly pop branches of the rock tree. Opening with funky salted, It's Alright , with Mark Cameron on guitar and vocal, backed by Sheri Cameron on percussion, Scott Lundberg on bass, Rick Miller on harmonica and Dan Schroeder on drums, this opener has a great beat and some real nice guitar riffs. Blues shuffle, 2nd Job has a cool guitar riff and just the right harmonica tone to give the track a nice edge. Blues rocker, All There Is To It, has a solid bet and with a memorable melody, bluesy guitar runs. sax work by Sheri and fat harmonica tone by Miller, a likely radio track. Blues rooted Dollar For Liquor, has a cool bass line, nice slide by Cameron, subtle sax work by Sheri and relentless harmonica work by Miller. Wrapping the release is popp rocker, Lost and Found with nicely blended vocal harmonies and a cool melodic guitar lead. Solid clo...

 I just had the opportunity t oreview the most recent release, Hope Dies Last , from Steve Marriner and it's a  blues fuzed rocker. Opening with Take Me To The City , Daniel Neill sets a stiff snare beat, Joined by Jim Bowskill on lead guitar and Ian McKeown on bass and of course Marriner on lead vocal, guitar and harmonica. Strong opener. High energy rocker, How High is one of my favorites on the release with Glenn Milchem on the drum kit and Bowskill again on lead guitar. Marriner has a markledly more rocking sound and it's tight. Samantha Martin guests with Marriner  on lead vocal on Enough with Jesse O'Brien on piano and B3, Darcy yates on bass, Boswkill on steel guitar and Milchen on drums. This is the definite radio track on the release with a solid melody and smooth presentation. Another really cool track is Uptown Lockdown with it's funky bottom courtesy Yates and Milchen and fat lead guitar work by Boswkill. Very cool. Petite Danse has a definite French/New...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Stop, from Robert Billard, and it's a pop rocker wiith some edgy guitar. Opening with Road To NoWhere, Robert Billard shows his traditional ballad vocal style with side guitar vamps, and thumping kick drum. JW-Jones lays down some real nice melodic guitar lead on Waiting For The land To Dry, joined by A-Train Boynton on bass and Clayton Hill on drums. No Shape For Talking is a cool radio hit with aggressive rock guitar soloing by Wild T Springer and Murray Peter on keys. Groove is a modified boogie with a lot of that George T. vibe. With JW-Jones grinding the guitar lead, Tobin Frank on bass, Porter on keys and Hill on drums, a cool blues number. Nothing Can Stop Me Now is an upbeat jazzy number featuring Jones on guitar, Kenny Blues Boss Wayne on keys, A Train on bass and Hill on drums. With over 6 minutes, these guys get a chance to jam a bit with nice piano passages from Wayne. Wrapping the release is Home, featuring...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blood On The Strings , by John D'Amato and it's a cool mix of blues and rock. Opening with slick rocker, Working Girl , John D'Amato really shows a good had on guitar and lead vocal, backed by Carl Brenner on drums, Hottube Willie Scruggs on bass,and Dan Nadassi on keys. Cool opener. Swinging shuffle, Break Your Heart features Lauren D'Amato on lead vocal, and a cool lead guitar demo by John. With John Green on bass and Brenner on drums, a cool track. Title track, Blood On The Strings is a driving boogie with a a solid bass line by Scruggs and John on lead vocal and guitar. Slow R&B style ballad , What Happened , features John and Lauren on lead vocal duet, balanced by John's stinging guitar riffs. Using a classic blues vamp and ripping blues riffs on Walk on Water , D'Amato on lead vocal and guitar sets up a real nice blues track with a strong rhythm guitar line and bottom. Very cool. Wrappi...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Let's Have A Party , from Gerald McClendon , and it's a cool R&B/Blues release. Opening with Keep On Keepin' On , Gerald McClendon sets the bar high with a strong soul track, backed by Joe Burba on guitar, Tony Llorens on Fender Rhodes,  Jim Pugh on B3, Skinny Williams on sax, Johnny B. Grayden on bass,  and Twist Turner on drums. Very nice. On blues track, If That Ain't The Blues , McClendon's lead vocal balances perfectly with Rico McFarland's response on guitar. Harlan Terson's bass line sets a perfect bottom for the fluid soloing of McFarland. Pack Your Bags and Go has classic soul styling with real nice sax work by Williams. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Throw This Dog A Bone with its bluesy vocals and gripping, "BB King" like guitar phrasing by Joe Burba and McFarland. Another of my favorites on the release is I Just Can't Take Anymore , with McClendon in t...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Soulful Distancing , from Adam Schultz and it's a cool release with a strong soulful base. Opening with Johnny Guitar Watson's massive hit, A Real Mother For Ya , featuring Clarence Spady on lead vocal and guitar, Adam Schultz on guitar, Dan Cohen on bass, Sharon O'Connell on drums, Robert O'Connell on organ and Scott Brown on piano. Schultz phrasing is natural and "Watson like' making for a fun opener. Spady's lead vocal continues on Louis Jordan's Early In The Morning with it's Latin beat and BB King lke guitar phrasing by Schultz. Adding cool sax solo work by Tom Hamilton, another cool entry. Original R&B track, Good Conversation , features Michael Angelo on lead vocal and George Benson like lead guitar phrasng by Schultz and really nice bass work by Jon Ventre.  Ekat Pereyra has the mic on soul track, Have Some Faith , a real nice track with solid radio appeal. With a twist of ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sunny Soul , from Endrick & the Sandwiches and it's an interesting blend of folk, and pop/rock tunes with a number of twists and bends. Opening with Mambo Intro , Endrick Tremblay sets up dialog over what sounds like electronic durms... rolling into Cheeseburger Blues, a blues shaped pop tune featurning Endrick on vocal and guitar, Mandela Coupal Dalgleish on drums, Simon Ethier on bass and Anne Lauziere on backing vocals. Mama's Rollerblade is a cool pop rocker with a tight rock edge, along the lines of The Eagles of Death Metal. Another tight little rocker is My Money with a a cool guitar riff by Endrick and a solid bass line by Ethier. Possibly my favorite on the release. Soul based, You Don't Need A Crowd To Be A Star , is short but cool with nicely worked vocals. The Party has a blues rocky feel with minimal guitar lead and cool harmonica by Endrick and blended vocal backing. Crossing over into a fu...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Storyteller , from Irish blues-rock sensation, Eamonn McCormack and it touches on many faces of european rock. Opening with The Great Famine , a folky rock tune with atmospheric backing and tight rock guitar riffs, Eamonn (pronounced A-min) McCormack  leads on vocal and guitar, backed by Edgar Karg on bass, Max Jung-Poppe on drumsand Arne Weigand on keys. Sounding a bit like David Bowie with the Beatles, Help Me To Understand is a sool, low key rocker with a solid bass line by Karg and powerful vocals by Eamonn. Jacking up the rock side of the business, Tie One On sounds like it's heavily influenced by Thin Lizzy with it's snappy drum rhythm and super Rory Gallagher like slide work. Very cool. One of my favorite tracks on the release is hard driving, Cowboy Blues , with it's tight bottom and slashing slide work. Very cool. On blues ballad, In A Dream, McCormack is up front on vocal with solid support from We...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Montreux Years , from Etta James and it's dynamite. Opening with Breakin' Up Somebody's Home , Etta James hits like a truck on lead vocal, supported by Herman Roscoe Ernest III on drums, Ronnie Buttacavoli on trumpet, Bobby Murray on guitar, Josh Sklair on guitar, Bobby Vega on bass, Kraig Kilby on trombone, Richard Howell on sax, David Matthew on keyboards, Donto James on percussion and Claude Nobs on harmonica. Great opener. Emotionally charged, A Lover Is Forever , is a quiet contrast to the opener with James wooing the mic over the electro acoustic guitar work of Murray and Sklair. Very nice. Rockin, Tell Mama , has great drive, with hot vocal by James, backed by Klaus Doldinger on sax, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Rick Wakeman on keys, David Fathead Newman on sax, Brian Ray on guitar, Richard Tee on keys, Steve Ferrone on drums and David Lowrey on bass. R&B track, Something's Got A Hold On Me gets a...

  Clay Melton To Open For Grand Funk Railroad State Fair Of Texas Chevrolet Main Stage    Houston, TX (June 15 2021) - Just Announced ! Blues Rocker Clay Melton "Say That You Love Me" will bring his over the top blues rock sound to the Texas State Fair.  This will be Clay's third annual appearance on the Chevrolet Main Stage and this year he will open for the internationally world famous Grand Funk Railroad. Clay's Watchtower Entertainment Management Company in cooperation with Glenn Smith Presents Incorporated is thrilled to present this latest news to blues rock fans around the world.  Clay shares, "T...