Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Soul Doctor , from Jimmy Carpenter and it's cool mix of blues, rock, soul and R&B. Opening with blues rocker and title track, Soul Rocker , Jimmy Carpenter on lead vocal and sax sets the pace with hot guitar work by Nick Schnebelen, Red Young on keys, Jason Langley on bass and Cameron Tyler on drums. Shuffle, Wild Streak has a cool swing and features a real solid sax solo by Carpenter and so great slide by Trevor Johnson. New Orleans flavored, Love It So Much is one of my favorites on the release with hot drum work by Tyler, a great bass line by Langley, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, Mark Earley on Bari sax and of course strong vocal and sax work by Carpenter. Slower blues track, Need Your Love So Bad really gives Carpenter a chance to shine on vocal and sax and Johnson's lead guitar work is very nice. Funky, Wanna Be Right is a solid radio entry with excellent key work by Young, super vocals by Carpenter,...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues Tools , from Kathryn Grimm and it is a pop driven blues rocker. Opening with shuffle track, You Make Me So Happy I Can't Sing The Blues , backed by Kelly Swift on bass, Charlie Swift on drums and featuring Fenix Sanders on sax. With a quiet Latin influence, Gone is a cool rocker with nice guitar soloing by Grimm and a hot sax solo by Kelly. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Talking To The Wind with it's mode deliberate Latin rhythms, solid vocal blending and bass work by Michael Sunday and Robin James on drums. Bluesy, Miss Celie's Blues is a solid shuffle featuring Fenix Sanders on sax with a good workout and a more sensual side of Kathryn's vocals. Wrapping the release is quiet ballad, Empty Space , featuring Kathryn on lead vocals and Johny Powel on flute over Grimm's own acoustic guitar accompaniment. Very nice.    If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues ta...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Sweet Thing , from Moonshine Society and it's rich in blues. Opening with title track, Sweet Thing , lead singer, Black Betty uses her heavy, Big Mama styling to throw this track around like a rag doll with support from the likes of Jason Ricci with Joe Poppen on guitar, Wes Lanich on keys, Tod Ellsworth on bass and Rodney Dunton on drums. R&B ballad, Come On Home has great depth with the addition of Ron Holloway on tenor sax, Vince McCool on trumpet, Ken Wenzel on Bari sax and Billy Mayfield on backing vocals. Very nice. Funky, Southern Roads is one of my favorites with a super back beat and Ricci back on harp pushing Betty vocally and the excellent drum and guitar combo of Dunton and Poppen. Use Me On Guilded Splinters takes Bill Withers' classic Use Me, reinforces the funky rock bottom and hits it with a really hard dash of guitar, then rolls it all up in gumbo … Dr John style with I Walk On Guilded Sp...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, As Live As It Gets , from Polly O'Keary and the Rhythm Method and it's a solid performance. Opening with high stepper, Red Light with it's romping bass line by O'Keary under her powerful vocal lead, backed by David Miller on guitar and Tommy Cook on drums. Funky blues, In My Father's House has a really great bottom with cool lead guitar by Miller and ever tight drum snap by Cook. O'Keary's bass line is relentless and her vocals full and heavy. Slow blues, Black Crow Callin' is my favorite track on the release with O'keary digging deep on her best vocal effort on the release and Miller really takes it to the next level with excellent lead phrasing volume swells and trem bends. Very nice. Blues rocker, I Don't Understand is another track that will get your heals high and people on the dance floor. O'Keary's vocals are solid and commanding and Cook's use of snare is p...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ten Thousand Watts , from Altered Five Blues Band and it's a scorcher. Opening with hard driving boogie, Right On, Right On , Jeff Taylor's gritty vocals lead the way over the thumping bass line of Mark Solveson and solid drum work of Alan Arber. Steve Cohen screams on harp and Jeff Schroedl on guitar really makes you want to put this on your main system and crank it up...Excellent! With an Albert King like swagger, Schroedl leads off on title track, Ten Thousand Watts and with an already powerful bottom cranks off an a head slapping lead solo keeping Taylor company right up front. Wow! Balance between Raymond Tevich on keys and Schroedl's rhythm guitar give Taylor a strong platform to continue the onslaught on Great Minds Drink Alike ... a rowdy shuffle. Keep it coming boys! Dollars & Demon s is a super dark blues number with super vocal phrasing and excellent guitar tone. Schroedl really pulls out the...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Solo Ride , from Bruce Katz and it's a cool blues piano extravaganza. Opening with piano boogie, Down At The Barrelhouse , Katz is really rolling with a great boogie line on the bottom and solid great lead on top. Excellent opener. Tampa Red's It Hurts Me Too on piano has a totally different dynamic and Katz works it hard. Maintaining it's shuffle structure, Katz's hands are gold. With poise and elegance, Katz plays ballad, Dreams of Yesterday , with it's serene melody with a touch of gospel balance. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Easy Livng with it's early jazz/blues roots. Katz sets it up nicely and then hits the solo opening trill. Maintaining a slow but sure pace, his phrasing is strong. Very nice. Another piano boogie, Watermelon Thump really grinds out the blues in barrelhouse style. Very nice. Closing the release is Redemption with the structure of a movie soundtrack. Katz...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Yours Truly, Me , from Alex Lopez and it's a smooth and polished radio blues rocker. Opening with Woe Is Me, a pop rocker featuring Lopez's on lead vocal, backed by Kenny Hoye on keys, Steve Roberts on bass and David Nunez on drums with some particularly nice light jazz runs on guitar. I'm A Working Man shows cool guitar form over a somewhat funky drum and bass bottom. Blues ballad, I Love You Blues (Redux) has a sweet melody and melodic guitar soloing, backed by solid organ and piano work byKenny Hoye and with Steve Pagano on bass and Michael Maxim on drums.  Sinful is a cool bluesy ballad with some of Lopez's best vocals on the release. His guitar playing has great style and adventure. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Cheating Blues (redux) with it's rock n roll styling. Pagano's bass work and the tight drums riffs of Maxin give solid bottom to Hoye for his organ solo.    If you sup...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Simple Life, from Dudley Taft and it's a solid blues rocker with a modern rock edge. Opening with Give Me A Song , a strong radio style track with a catchy melody and a solid beat, Taft's vocals are solid and his guitar lead straight on. Backed by Kasey Williams on bass, and Chris Ellison on drums, a strong opener. With a more aggressive edge, In Your Way has a strong bottom via Walfredo Reyes Jr on drums and Taft's rhythm guitar. His lead work is clean and tight. One of my favorite tracks on the release is Bombs Away with it's bright rock feel and Taft's electrifying guitar lead. Warren Haynes' If Heartaches Were Nickels gives Taft the perfect venue to show his blues chops. With an extended lead guitar solo he grinds deep in the fretboard and soars over the rhythm of John Kessler on bass and Reyes Jr. on drums. Very nice. Wrapping the release is driving rocker, Back To You with Mike Tapogna ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release , Good Life , from Seth James and it's quite good. Not since the early inception of Little Feat have I heard anything quite this strong in this vein. Opening with Brother , a funky, swampy blues number, James on lead vocal and guitar has heavy backing by Bob Britt and his sweet Lowell George like slide style, Kevin McKendree on keys, Lynn Williams on drums and excellent backing vocals by Windy Moten. A solid compliment of horn work by Jim Hoke on sax, Roy Agee on trombone and Vinnie Ciesielski on trumpet. Excellent opener. Continuing is that funky blues vein, title track, Good Life , has a strong woven instrumental feel with thick slide work by Britt. James' vocals are solid and tuneful Very cool. Yates McKendree steps up with a real nice guitar solo and some of James' best vocals on the release on easy R&B ballad, From Way Behind .  Radio track, I'm Coming Home is dripping with soul with excellent l...