Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release by Blues People and it's smoking. Opening with Amnesia , Kelton Cooper on lead vocal and guitar really makes a lot of smoke. With deep bluesy vocals and sting lead guitar, joined by Gene Lake on drums, Mike Griot on bass and Ron Thompson on organ, this is an excellent opener. Hendrix's Hey Joe gets a rework with solid piano intro by Thompson, joined by Lake and Griot. Cooper's vocals are soulful and his guitar work heavy and forceful. Very cool. Troubled Times is sure to be a crowd and radio favorite with it's bluesy ballad feel. Cooper really gets that soul fell vocally and his melodic guitar phrasing is stellar. Smoke and Mirrors is a definite standout track on the release with it's aggressive guitar intro and rocky pace. Wrapping the release is Knee Off My Neck , a funky track with important social commentary. Strong vocals, warm organ and punctuation by Cooper on guitar make this a tig...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dark Encounters , from Prog Collective , a project founded and helmed by Billy Sherwood of Yes note. Opening with Darkest Hour , longtime Billy Idol guitarist, Steve Stevens is featured with soaring guitar riffs over Sherwood's bass, keyboard and drum composition. Atmospheric and intense, this is a strong opener. Steve Morse (Dregs/Deep Purple) adds his own virtuosity to Ominous Signs with a more structured composition allowing more freedom for Sherwood's own exploration. Dark Days is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Bumblefoot (GNR) contributing some real nice guitar and vocals, Patrick Moraz (Moody Blues) on keys, Omar Hakim (Weather Report) on drums and Sherwood on bass. Soft Machine's John Etheridge lays down some nicely phrased guitar lead on The Fifth Hour , paired with Sherwood on bass, keys and drums. Very cool. Another of my favorite tracks, Between Two Worlds features Steve Hillage (Gon...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tears In My Eyes , from Anthony Geraci and it's great mix of rhythm and blues. Opening with slow blues, Broken Mirror, Broken Mirror Anthony Geraci is back with his powerful blues piano style, joined by Sugar Ray Norcia on super lead vocal. With Barrett Anderson on Muddy style slide guitar, Paul Loranger on bass and Marty Richards on drums, this is a strong opener. On jump track, Owl's Nest , Geraci pounds out the melody on piano and Drew Davies steps up with some terrific sax work. Excellent track. On Judge Oh Judge , Norcia really sings the blues with warm sax soloing by Mario Perrett nicely complimenting Geraci's piano structure with Loranger on bass and Kurt Kalker on drums. On piano boogie, Ooeee , Geraci really rolls it, accompanying his lead vocal on piano and with Drew Davies on sax wailing away. Very nice. Norcia is back on lead vocal on bluesy ballad, Now What . With a strong melody, excellent piano ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Treasures of the Heart, by Jacqui Naylor , and I really like it. Opening with Rodgers and Hart's I Didn't Know What Time It Was , and it's got a super complex drum rhythm by Ele Howell. Jacqui Naylor on lead vocal has a lush voice and strong presence, complimented by Art Khu on keys and Richie Goods on bass. This is a super track. Original track, Walk Out In The Sun , really showcases Naylor's soulful style and Khu on piano over brushed snare by Howell and lead bass by Goods. Adding some funk to the mix on Love's Around , excellent bass lines by Goods, strong percussion by Howell and excellent piano improvisation by Khu make this a cool addition to the mix. With world rhythms, Picture Book of You has a really nice feel. Howell really created an interesting weave of rhythm working nicely as a background for Naylor and Khu. Wrapping the release is We'll Shine Through with a lot of R&B / funk f...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Deacon Speaks , from Steve Hunter , and it's a cool rocker. Opening with a laid back rework of Willie Dixon's Back Door Man , with all instruments played by Hunter. With a keyboard rhythm, and light drum reinforcement, Hunter uses his gravelly vocals and strong guitar phrasing to craft a totally new approach to this track. Very nice. Independent Soul is very laid back with a jazzy rhythm, cool backing vocals and nice drum sizzle. Hendrix's Up From The Skies has a beatnik club sound with Hunter's vocals over bongos, light keys and bass. Hunter lays down some easy going blues bases phrases giving the track just that light edge. My favorite track on the release is Hunter's take on Bill Withers' Who Is He and What Is He To You. Using keys/synth, guitar, percussion and generated effects, this track has the essence of cool. Hunter's guitar solo on this track has just the right amount of bluesy s...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Red, Hot and Blue , from Glenn Marais and the Mojo Train and it's a solid blues rocker. Opening with That's Where My Mojo's At , Glenn Marais on lead vocal and guitar set a great driving pace complimented by Manny DeGrandis on bass and vocal, Jesse Karwat on keys and vocals and Jeff Saulnier on drums and vocal. Solid opener. Love Denied , has really good form with a strolling approach under the intense vocals of Marais. Classic rock refrain by the Mojo Train and well stated guitar riffs by Marais add real dynamics to this radio ready track. Marais slips on his slide on It All Went Down , and with a stiff foot drum by Saulnier and well blended back vocals by MT, this track is sure to be a crowd favorite in concert. Wrapping the release is funk rocker, Professor Day , with an aggressive, bass/drum/guitar rhythm and hot sax work by Nick Begoeff. Marais and Karwat set out some tasty solo lines making this a hot clo...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Kell's Kitchen , from Shawn Kellerman and it's an aggressive rocker with a lot of bite. Opening with hard driving, SKB , Shawn  Kellerman on lead vocal, and guitar, this track is really humming. With Carlton Campbell on drums, Terry Richardson on bass, Lance Anderson on Wurlitzer, and with the addition of Miku Graham, Saidah Baba Talibah, Emily Fennell and Meghan Parnell on vocal, this track is cranking! Excellent opener. Funky, Show Me What You Got , features Kellerman on lead vocal and playing some pretty tight guitar. Richardson on bass really funks it up and Van Romaine knows how to hold down the drums. Fennell and Parnell on backing vocal are joined by Jon Knight for a real party.  Bad Mamma Jamma is a great mix of funk and rock with Kellerman doing the lyrics and Anderson on B3 and Romaine on drums really kicking it up. Kellerman lays down a real nice guitar solo showing his complete ability to morph f...

 I just had the opportunity to review the debut release, Prime Vintage , from Steve Synder Trio and it's quite enjoyable. Opening with Legacy , a solid shuffle with a great walking bass line by Synder on organ. Joel Tucker on guitar lays out an excellent, fluid guitar solo with all of the feel you could want. Synder on organ sets his own solo keeping the excitement at a near boil, grounded by Kenny Phelps on drums. Great opener. High energy, Sharp Left , is really tight with a great intro by Phelps and Synder leading to a phrenzy of guitar work by Tucker. Synder again shores up with another solo of his own. Very nice. Latin flavored, Thank You , has real radio appeal with it's flashy rhythm and meaty exchange between Synder's warm organ and Tucker's fleet fingered guitar soloing. Wrapping the release is deep groove, So That's What This Is All About , with Synder creating a nice shuffle and warm feel on his organ. Tucker is on top of it with light touch, blues influ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Genesis , from The Black Gold Orchestra and it's exciting. Opening with Gyau (Walton's Call)/On The Move , with Melvin Jones, Michael Cruse, Terrence Harper and Steven Fowller on trumpet and Mike Walton, Frank Houston, Mike Burton, Derrick James, Jamel Mitchell and Fareed Maluhli on trumpets and Wilbert Williams, Derrick  White, Herman Spearman, Wilbert Neal and Christopher Burns on trombone. What a powerhouse horn section. Walton and Jones really crank up the heat with dynamic solos and Larry Wilson really nails with spectacular drum and percussion work making this an exceptional opener. Midnight Oil is a really cool track with a driving bass line by Joel Powell and featuring great work by Cruse on trumpet, Rod Harris Jr. on guitar and Banks Jr on piano. Intoxicating Beauty has a really nice melody line laid out by Houston on sax and full orchestral compliment. I really like the trombone solo by Herman Spearman...