Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, Hit It Hard , from Georgie Bonds and it's a mover! Opening with Pickin' Your Bones ,the band is hitting it hard with Buddy Cleveland on harp, Andy Haley on drums, Walter Runge on organ and Neil Taylor on guitar, Bond is leading the way on lead vocal. Great opener. Funky, Let's Get Down , has a great groove with Runge on piano backing Bonds' lead vocal and Vanessa Collier and Dave Renz trading sax solos. Corey Paternoster and Haley jazz it up a bit with some jazzy rhythms as well. Sentenced To The Blues is a solid down the middle slow blues and has the best of Bonds' vocals. Runge's organ work creates tension in the track, Cleveland lays out a really nice harp solo and Taylor hits a stiff guitar solo of his own. Very nice! Shuffle track, Not Tired Of Living , has an almost Elvin Bishop strut. Bonds has a cool swing and Taylor's guitar work, coupled with Cleveland's harp highlights leads to a full group chorus by Cl...

I just received the newest release, Getaway , from Wendy DeWitt with Kirk Harwood and it swings. Opening with Sonoma County , Wendy DeWitt really gets the piano rolling and Kirk Harwood creates a New Orleans rhythm. Super horn backing from Mike Rinta (trombone), Tom Poole (trumpet) and Keith Crossan (tenor sax) really punches up the track. With an easy night club swing, the horn section opens up the floor for DeWitt on vocal and smooth piano. Crossan rips a nice sax solo capping the track. On bluesy ballad, Sometimes I Wonder , DeWitt really digs in on piano giving it a cool feel. Built To Last has super piano work over a cool blues line. Steve Freund adds some really tasty guitar work on this track giving it an additional dimension. Chuck Willis' Feel So Bad gets an easy swing with Freund laying in some tasty blues riff, paired with DeWitt's piano work and Steve Evans on bass for a nice overall sound. Big Joe Turner's 29 Ways has a light poppy funk and Freund plays ...

I just received a super release of women harp players, Blues Harp Women , and it shows talent across opening with Harmonica Girl , Paula Rangell leads a lively shuffle track with crisp harp playing and her band the Pontiacs. Roxy Perry is up next with Roadmaster . Backed by a cool horn section and cool harmonies this track has real punch. Stacy Jones Band grinds down with Heavy Water , a swampy lumbering track. With strong vocals and warm guitar tones, Jones plays a real nice complimentary harp part over the track. Very nice. Big Mama Thornton blows a real nice Down Home Shakedown reinforcing that she was as much a harper as a singer. Lynnann Hyde plays harp and sings, accompanied by acoustic guitar on 30-20 Blues in vert traditional style. Down To The Hollow by Trina Hamlin is really interesting with nice breathing techniques and rich vocals. Tracy K performs Stop! Wait A Minute with a rocky attack on the blues. Her harp techniques are slick and driving. Very cool! Slow ...

I just received a cool 2 cd release, A Double Dose Of Blues from Cleopatra Records and it boasts a who's who of blues and guitar giants. Opening the first disc (From Clarksdale To Heaven - Remembering John lee Hooker) is blues giant John Lee Hookers daughter and blues star, Zakiya Hooker on I Want To Hug You , supported is a stately manner by Johnnie Johnson on piano, Bobby Murray on guitar, Tony Cook on synth guitar, David Daniel on bass, Marlon Gren on drums and Victor Puebla on percussion. This shuffle track is really nicely balanced between the power of Hooker's vocals and Johnnie Johnson's key work. Jack Bruce and Gary Moore team up on I'm In The Mood backed by Gary Husband. Gary Moore really lays out a nice solo on this track with Bruce thumping away behind him. Very nice! Vince Converse leads I'm Bad Like Jesse James on guitar and vocal, backed by Leo Lyons and Ric Lee from Ten Years After. Converse really rips some hot riffs under the track , the ba...

I just received the newest release, Population Unknown , from Mississippi Bigfoot and it's quite good. Opening with southern blues rocker, Burn That Woman Down , a heavily blues tasting rocker with a heavy swagger, Christina Vierra on lead vocal is joined by Johnny Holiday and Ashley Bishop on slide and electric guitars with a funky swagger. Doug McMinn on drums and Cade Moore round out the group for a super rock start. Mighty River has a much more contemporary sound but retaining the tasty vocal sting of Vierra and cocky guitar riffs from Holiday (think Warren Haynes). Very nice! Open road rocker, Wag The Dog, is a fast driver with cool harp highlights by McMinn. No Flesh In Outerspace gets mighty funky and I like it! With a strong tasty guitar solo on this one and without going over the top, Holiday really gets the job done. Who's Gonna Run This Town has strong Jimi (Hey Joe) feel and solid metal bass lines giving it a real heavy rock sound but the bluesy vocals of Vi...

I just received the newest release, Tengo Blues , from Jonn Del Toro Richardson and it's great! Opening with Behind The Curtain , a high stepping R&B style track with the Texas Horns blazing you know that you're in for something special. Richardson sings behind the beat which I really like and his sense for blues phrasing is very strong. Like Willie Dixon's Wang Dang Doodle, I'm Her Man has a super groove reinforced by the tight bass lines of Nathan Rowe and drums by Wes Starr. I really like Richardson's guitar expressions with trem bends and frequent short guitar riffs as accents. Excellent! Texas shuffle, Love If You Want It has a real grinding lope, and shows a nice interplay between Nick Connoly on piano and Richardson on guitar. Triple Lindig is an excellent instrumental shuffle with an easy jazz overtone but with great blues lines. Richardson leads the way with solid riffs, followed by Connoly on organ and Kaz on sax. Excellent! The Moment is a terr...

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We are delighted to announce that Buddy Guy's "Born To Play Guitar" is nominated for two Grammy's - "Best American Roots Performance" and "Best Blues Album" - in the 58th Annual GRAMMY awards. The complete nomination slate is at  http://www.grammy.com/nominees.

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