Cream to reissue deluxe edition of debut album 'Fresh Cream' / Due out 27th January 2017

Cream to reissue deluxe edition of debut album 'Fresh Cream' Due out 27th January 2017   Pack shot here Late January 2017 sees the deluxe edition release of Fresh Cream, the debut album by British, blues boom, power trio, Cream. The 3-CD + 1 Blu-Ray Audio disc come housed in a gatefold sleeve within a rigid slipcase and includes a 64-page hardback book, featuring new sleeve notes by respected Rolling Stone writer, David Fricke. The set comprises various alternate and new stereo mixes plus several, previously unreleased BBC sessions. A special 6LP 180g Vinyl edition of Fresh Cream will also be released in April 2017. Originally released in 1966, at the height of the UK blues bloom, Fresh Cream showcased the not inconsiderable talents of three of the then music scene’s brightest lights: Eric Clapton fresh from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers; drummer, Ginger Baker straight from the Graham Bond Organisation and versatile bassist and musician, Jack Bruce who, at the time, had just left Manfred Mann. Collectively the three had decided to give up their roles as much sought after sidemen to form their own super group. Coming together as Cream in the early summer of 1966, the trio moved at impressive speed to make the release of Fresh Cream in December of the same year. Highlights include the racing harmonica work-out and the call and response excitements on Muddy Waters’ Rollin’ and Tumblin’, a spine-tingling vocal on the Willie Dixon classic, Spoonful, as well as the self-penned Sleepy Time Time, which gave Clapton a free hand to wake up all and sundry. Their rousing treatment of the traditional standard, Cat’s Squirrel alerted listeners to just how well Clapton, Baker and Bruce musically complemented each other. Fresh Cream is available to order now: 3CD + 1 Blu-Ray Audio: https://cream.lnk.to/FreshCreamCD 6LP 180g Vinyl: https://cream.lnk.to/FreshCreamVinyl

CREAM FRESH CREAM Disc One:          FRESH CREAM Mono Album 1.      N.S.U. 2:44 2.      SLEEPY TIME TIME  4:20 3.      DREAMING  2:00 4.      SWEET WINE  3:19 5.      SPOONFUL  6:30 6.      CAT’S SQUIRREL  3:01 7.      FOUR UNTIL LATE  2:09 8.      ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’  4:46 9.      I’M SO GLAD  3:59 10.    TOAD  5:14          Session recording - mono mix: 11.    THE COFFEE SONG  2:56          The Mono Singles: 12.    WRAPPING PAPER  2:29 13.    CAT’S SQUIRREL  3:01          A-side & B-side of Cream’s 1st UK single, Reaction 591007, released 7          October 1966. 14:    I FEEL FREE  2:49 15:    N.S.U.  2:45          A-side & B-side of Cream’s 2nd UK single, Reaction 591011, released 9          December 1966. 16.    SPOONFUL Part I  2:26 17.    SPOONFUL Part II  2:31          A-side & B-side of Cream’s 3rd  US single, ATCO 45-6522, released                  September 1967.          The Mono French EPs: 18.    WRAPPING PAPER alternate mix  2:25 19.    SWEET WINE alternate mix  3:18 20.    I’M SO GLAD  3:57 21.    CAT’S SQUIRREL alternate master  3:01          FRENCH EP, Polydor 27 791, released November 1966. 22.    I FEEL FREE  alternate mix  2:48 23.    ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’  alternate master  1:50 24.    N.S.U.  2:4425.      FOUR UNTIL LATE  2:06          FRENCH EP, Polydor 27 798, released November 1966. Disc Two:          FRESH CREAM Stereo Album 1.      N.S.U. 2:45 2.      SLEEPY TIME TIME  4:23 3.      DREAMING  2:01 4.      SWEET WINE  3:20 5.      SPOONFUL  6:31 6.      CAT’S SQUIRREL  3:08 7.      FOUR UNTIL LATE  2:08 8.      ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’  4:43 9.      I’M SO GLAD  3:59 10.    TOAD  5:12          Session recordings - stereo mixes: 11.    I FEEL FREE  2:52 12.    WRAPPING PAPER  2:25 13.    THE COFFEE SONG  2:48          New stereo mixes: 14.    I'M SO GLAD (NEW STEREO MIX)  3:59 15.    N.S.U. (NEW STEREO MIX)  2:48 16.    WRAPPING PAPER (NEW STEREO MIX)  2:43 17.    THE COFFEE SONG (NEW STEREO MIX)  3:06 18.    ROLLIN' AND TUMBLIN’ (FIRST VERSION - NEW STEREO MIX)  4:53 19.    SPOONFUL (FIRST VERSION - NEW STEREO MIX)  5:57 20.    TOAD (NEW STEREO MIX)  5:12          All new stereo mixes previously unreleased. Disc Three: FRESH CREAM Early versions, outtakes and alternate mixes: 1.        THE COFFEE SONG early version  2:54 2.        YOU MAKE ME FEEL session outtake  2:41 3.        BEAUTY QUEEN session outtake  2:38 4.        WRAPPING PAPER  early version  1:05 5.        CAT’S SQUIRREL early version  2:27 6.        I FEEL FREE early version  3:08 7.        I FEEL FREE mono mix with no lead vocal 2:51 8.        I FEEL FREE alternate mono mix  2:50 9.        SWEET WINE early version  3:07 10.      ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’ early version  4:35 11.      TOAD early version  4:19            All tracks previously unreleased except “You Make Me Feel” which was            first released on the box set   Those Where The Days, Polydor 314 539            000-2, in September 1997.  THE BBC SESSIONS (November 1966 – January 1967):                    BBC Light Programme “Saturday Club” session            Recorded at the Playhouse Theatre, London, 8th November 1966: 12.      SWEET WINE      3:28 13       ERIC CLAPTON INTERVIEW  0:54  14.      WRAPPING PAPER  2:31 15.      ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’  3:04 16.      SLEEPY TIME TIME  3:16  previously unreleased 17.      STEPPIN’ OUT  1:50            BBC Home Service “Guitar Club” session. Recorded at BBC Studio 2,              Aeolian Hall, London, 28th November 1966: 18.      CROSSROADS   1:55 19.      STEPPIN’ OUT  2:34  previously unreleased            BBC World Service "R & B Club" session. Recorded at BBC Maida Vale            Studio 4, London, 9th December 1966: 20.      CAT’S SQUIRREL  3:43 21.      TRAINTIME  2:56 22.      I’M SO GLAD  4:24 23.      LAWDY MAMA  1:54            BBC Light Programme “Saturday Club” session. Recorded at the                      Playhouse Theatre, London, 10th January 1967: 24.      ERIC CLAPTON INTERVIEW 2  0:48 25.      I FEEL FREE  2:55 26.      N.S.U.  2:57 27.      FOUR UNTIL LATE  1:54 Disc Four (Blu-Ray Audio Disc)          FRESH CREAM US Stereo Album in 24/96 Hi Resolution Audio: 1       I FEEL FREE  2:52 2.      N.S.U. 2:45 3.      SLEEPY TIME TIME  4:23 4.      DREAMING  2:01 5.      SWEET WINE  3:19 6.      CAT’S SQUIRREL  3:08 7.      FOUR UNTIL LATE  2:08 8.      ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’  4:43 9.      I’M SO GLAD  3:59 10.    TOAD  5:12          Stereo bonus tracks: 11.    SPOONFUL  6:32 12     WRAPPING PAPER  2:25 13     THE COFFEE SONG  2:49 FRESH CREAM US Mono Album in 24/96 Hi Resolution Audio: 14.      I FEEL FREE  2:48 15.      N.S.U. 2:44 16.      SLEEPY TIME TIME  4:20 17.      DREAMING  2:00 18.      SWEET WINE  3:19 19.      CAT’S SQUIRREL  3:00 20.      FOUR UNTIL LATE  2:08 21.      ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’  4:45 22.      I’M SO GLAD  3:58 23.      TOAD  5:13            Mono bonus tracks: 24.      SPOONFUL  6:33 25       WRAPPING PAPER  2:28 26       THE COFFEE SONG  2:54

Guitar Legend & Johnny Winter Protege Paul Nelson Releases New Album “Badass Generation”

Guitar Legend & Johnny Winter Protege Paul Nelson Releases New Album “Badass Generation”

Los Angeles – Much to the excitement of guitarists worldwide, guitar legend Paul Nelson has released his new album “Badass Generation” to critical acclaim! Grammy winning guitarist Paul Nelson was Johnny Winter's protege guitarist in the Johnny Winter Band.

Paul has toured with countless worldwide touring artists and performed live and or on recordings along side major artists such as Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper, Leslie West, Robben Ford, Joe Perry, Mark Knofler, Brian Setzer, Dr. John, Slash, Vince Gill, Warren Haynes, Sonny Landreth, Los Lobos, Kim Wilson, Elvin Bishop, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Reb Beach, Steve Morse, John Popper, Debbie Davies, Los Lobos, Quin Sullivan, Tinsley Ellis, Lucky Peterson, Joe Louis Walker, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, John Medeski, Joe Walsh, Larry Carlton, Steve Vai, Earl Slick, Hubert Sumlin, Pete Rivera, Rick Derringer, Harvey Brooks, Bill Evans, James Cotton, Magic Slim, Coco Montoya, Uptown Horns, Blues Brother Horns, Reese Wynans, Edgar Winter, Ray Davis, George Lynch, James Cotton, Anthony Jackson, Dickey Betts, Junior Brown, Pat Travers, Jimmy Vivino and La Bamba of Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Paul Schaefer's CBS Orchestra to name a few. With appearances on David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel programs.

Paul Nelson has been featured in every major guitar magazine and news publication from Guitar World to Rolling Stone and is credited as being a composer/performer for music heard on international and national television broadcasts such as NBC, TNN, UPN, for the WWE. He has conducted his successful “Master Class” Clinics and written guitar columns all over the world.

Paul has had the distinction of appearing as both guitarist and songwriter on Rock/Blues legend Johnny Winter's Grammy-nominated Virgin/EMI release “I'm A Bluesman” as well as producer/performer on his releases “Roots” and the Grammy winning “Step Back” on Megaforce/Sony. He performed as a musical guest with Johnny Winter on the Late Night with David Letterman Show to promote the “Roots” album and on Jimmy Kimmel on ABC TV to promote the “Step Back” CD and Johnny Winter's “Down and Dirty Movie,” which he also appeared in and was the Executive Producer.

Nelson, who studied with Steve Vai in his Berklee days, jazz fusion great Steve Khan and Mike Stern has created a tour de force with his last all-instrumental rock/fusion solo release, “A very diverse package that takes the listener on a sophisticated journey through the musical mind of Paul Nelson. Boundless energy, and displays ferocious solo sections at the same time showing us his control over an emotional side of playing all the while holding it together with a tasteful melodic sense which comes through on each cut.”

Paul's latest CD on Sony Music Group entitled “Badass Generation” has received rave reviews worldwide; calling Nelson “One of today's Top Guitarists”!

“What else can we say about Paul Nelson except - Chops Deluxe.” - Guitar World Magazine 

“An A-List guitar player who is undeniably one of the most technically dazzling players the world has ever known.” - Guitar One Magazine 

“He's a soulful player who has chops to burn. The word 'ferocious' comes to mind, or 'take no prisoners'” - Vintage Guitar Magazine 

“Love this album - the sound and the energy. Gorgeous, searing guitar work. Like a blow torch!” – Wall Street Journal

Recognized as one of music's top guitarist/songwriter/producers Paul Nelson continues his musical journey recording and touring the world over. Nelson was not only guitarist to legendary rock/blues icon Johnny Winter but is recognized in his own right as one of today's premier guitarists. “Johnny definitely took me under his wing,” Nelson remembers his late friend and mentor. “The blues world does that. One musician hands another the torch, and then you run with it. Johnny took pride in turning me on to the likes of Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters Delta, Texas and Chicago blues - all the music that he loved. I knew what he was doing for me, and I am really appreciative of that.”

Nelson performed on and produced “Step Back,” a posthumous, star-studded affair, pairing him on recordings with Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, Ben Harper and many others, earning both Nelson and Winter Grammy Awards for “Best Blues Album” in 2015. Nelson still feels the loss of his friend and mentor. But he also recognizes that new creative endeavors are ahead.

The formation of The Paul Nelson Band and the “Badass Generation” album marked the next step in that evolution. Nelson's new project still maintains an unmistakable connection to the blues, but it also finds the guitarist showing his other musical dimensions, from hard-edged, uncompromising rock and blues to acoustic-driven singer-songwriter fare.

“The Paul Nelson Band rocks. Period. Like the debut albums of Aerosmith or Van Halen, this self-titled debut is hot with licks that are in service to the song. That, right there, puts it a cut above. Nelson's sparkling electricity spills out of his guitar like Blues/Rock on Steroids. Singer Morten Fredheim is a find! Paul Rodgers ain't got nothin' on this guy! Nelson is razor-sharp, crystal-clear and punctuates the proceedings with a kick and a grin. This band can’t help but be huge.” - Goldmine Magazine

On this album Nelson and his newly formed band skillfully incorporate an array of sounds and styles, with what Nelson's fans know to be his calling card: remarkable, world-class virtuosity on the guitar - what you might expect of someone who was also taught by six-string master Steve Vai. “This project has so much input from all of the different styles of music that have influenced me and my band, from blues to classic rock to jam band, pop rock and more. I wanted to play the guitar to serve the songs – and not the other way around. Everything I create has to fit in with the music,” says Nelson.

Nelson's handpicked co-conspirators include vocalist Morten Fredheim, who turned heads topping the European edition of “The Voice”, bassist Christopher Alexander; and Chris Reddan on drums. Gov't Mule keyboardist Danny Louis also makes a cameo appearance. The collective result is something that’s musically rooted in the classic era of Led Zeppelin, Free, Bad Company, Skynyrd, Tom Petty, Allman Brothers, Aerosmith and ZZ Top – but right at home with a fresh new take in the 21st century. “We got together and painstakingly worked out these songs before we recorded them. The caliber of the musicians in this band is inspiring” Nelson explains.

Nelson is eager to begin this new stage of his career with his band mates. Songs such as “Keep It All Together” with Fredheim's soaring vocals, and Nelson's classic guitar sounds to “Goodbye Forever”, with it's infectious groove and chorus and “Please Come Home” displaying emotional melodies and soulful slide guitar work, all which are among the few future stand out classics found on this album. “I want our music to touch many people in the same way it did us in the making and performing of this album,” says Nelson. His only regret? That his old friend wasn't able to sit in on a few of the tunes. “Johnny Winter's influence will always be a part of me,” he says. “There are many times when I pick up my guitar, and I feel his music. I know he's with me in a way, but I also have influences from so many other places. Have I now spread my wings? Absolutely. I'm a musician. I have to keep on writing and performing and never stop.”

The album's title “Badass Generation” says it all! The music on this latest recording speaks to today’s generation's quest for something new and this band's music does just that, through great song writing and musicianship making for one great musical ride!

Blues Hall of Famer, GRAMMY Award winner, and Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award winner Taj Mahal's new album 'Labor Of Love' comes out December 16 on Acoustic Sounds

TWO-TIME GRAMMY WINNER, BLUES HALL OF FAMER & AMERICANA MUSIC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER TAJ MAHAL’S STRIPPED DOWN ALBUM ‘LABOR OF LOVE’ OUT DECEMBER 16 ON ACOUSTIC SOUNDS

FIRST RELEASE IN FOUR YEARS SET FOR LP, FEATURES SOLO FAVORITES FROM 1998 PLUS COLLABORATIONS WITH MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION ARTISTS

Two-time GRAMMY Award winner, Blues Hall of Famer, and Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Taj Mahal’s 47th album ‘Labor of Love’ will come out December 16on Acoustic Sounds.

‘Labor of Love’ features some of his most beloved materials such as the murder ballad “Stack-O-Lee,” Mississippi John Hurt’s “My Creole Belle,” the Delta standard “Walking Blues,” and the longtime live favorite “Fishing Blues.” Taj also collaborates with one armed harmonica player Neal Pattman, blind singer Cootie Stark, guitar master Cool John Ferguson (profiled in a recent issue of Premier Guitar), and Piedmont blueswoman Algia Mae Hinton. Pattman, Stark, and Baker have since passed on. Full liner notes by UNC writer Will Boone paint the full picture. All songs are previously unreleased while four of the songs have not been recorded in any other version by Taj.

Enraptured by the mission of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, Taj Mahal met MMRF head Tim Duffy in 1993 and introduced him to the Rolling Stones, BB King, Dan Ackroyd, and others; he is on the Advisory Board and has been a staunch MMRF ally and friend to Tim ever since. On a 42-date tour in 1998, Music Maker Relief Foundation head Tim Duffy set up recording equipment in whatever hotels Taj and the Music Makers were staying. Finally, in Houston, TX, Taj and the Music Makers got to playing after hours; six solo tracks were recorded along with seven tracks of Taj with Music Maker Relief Foundation artists such as National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship winners Etta Baker and John Dee Holeman. ‘Labor of Love’ is Taj’s first release in four years. Of working with those musicians, Taj says that he most enjoyed “getting to know their lives and how they made things work” while getting “closer to the source.”

In the past half decade alone, Mahal has opened for Bob Dylan, Wynton Marsalis, and Eric Clapton; performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with the Roots; guested on new Clapton recordings; joined the Rolling Stones onstage; performed at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, CA; joined a Bonnaroo jam with Susan Tedeschi, Anthony Hamilton, Derek Trucks, Chaka Khan; and performed on the Americana Music Awards.

Raised in a West Indian-American and African-American family, Taj Mahal signed to Columbia Records and began his recording career in 1968. Since then, he has played the music of the African diaspora, drawing connections between African, Carribean, South Pacific, and Southern American culture. Bonnie Raitt said of him, "Taj is probably the most important bridge we have between blues and rock-n-roll. He's as bad as they get." Mick Jagger has called him “a living link to the old blues tradition.”

'Labor of Love' Track List:

1. Stagger Lee
2. Shortnin' Bread (with Neal Pattman)
3. My Creole Belle
4. I Ain't The One You Love (with Alga Mae Hinton)
5. Fishin’ Blues
6. Mistreated Blues (with John Dee Holeman)
7. Zanzibar
8. So Sweet (with Cootie Stark)
9. Spike Drivers Blues
10. Hambone (with John Dee Holeman)
11. Walkin’ Blues
12. John Henry (with Etta Baker)
13. Song For Brenda (with Cool John Ferguson)

"Listen"

Azuretone Records artist: Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers - Long Black Train - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Long Black Train, from Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers and it's a solid blues infused rockin romp. Opening with boogie, Burn Me Up, Ray Fuller on vocal and guitar leads the way with Myke Rock on bass, Darrell Jumper on drums, and Doc Malone on harp. This is an excellent opener with a lot of drive. Voodoo Mama is a modern day rocker with deep roots and contemporary links to CCR and ZZ Top. On hot rockin, Hip Shakin' Mama, Fuller kicks it up a few notches and with his slide blazing, has the essence of Hound Dog Taylor going. Very cool! Title track, Long Black Train, has a hard driving Chuck Berry flair and Fuller kicks it nice. Something' Shakin' is a solid 12 bar number with cool harp work by Malone. Fuller steps up big on this one with hot slide work in the flavor of Elmore James or Billy Gibbons. Very nice. Whiskey Drinkin' Woman has the strong foundation of Muddy and with it's Chicago sensibility and tight instrumental sensitivity, this track is a solid blues machine. Along the lines of Robert Johnson's Walking Blues, Pipeline Blues maintains a lot of the fundamentals that made Johnson on of the best blues men ever and with solid vocals, raw slide work and integral harp work, this track is hot. Wrapping the release is a flaming hot rocker, You've Got The Blues. This is my favorite track on the release with a hard driving beat, blues harp and sizzling guitar riffs. Excellent!



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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New track from Country Lips - 'Grizzly Bear Billboard'

Hailing from Seattle, this 8-piece powerhouse of a band are putting the fire back into country music, forcing you to re-evaluate what you already know about the genre. Recorded in Seattle and produced by Randall Dunn (Master Musicians Of Bukkake, Sunn O))), Cave Singers) the new album ‘Til The Daylight Comes’ (out January 6th) is pretty much an ode to all things alcohol, small-town romance and kicked-over bar stalls making for a pretty interesting listen!



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Black Hen Music artist: Big Dave McLean - Better The Devil You Know - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Better The Devil You Know, from Big Dave McLean and it's quite good! Opening with Life On The Road, Big Dave McLean has a casual, JJ Cale meets "Little Feat" easy blues feel joined by Steve Dawson on lead guitar, Gary Craig on drums, Jon Dymond on bass, and Kevin McKendree with cleverly stylistic piano. On Muddy Waters' You Can't Lose What You Never Had, McLean opens with fiery slide riffs and his vocals are raw. McKendree's piano really gives the track a Chicago sound with his piano work and acoustic guitar work by McLean and Dawson's eccentric slide work carries the track nicely. The traditional, You'll Need Somebody On Your Bond, gets a country two step remake with a warm intro by Ann and Regina McCrary. Dawson's dobro work and Fats Kaplin on fiddle add even further to the country / bluegrass edge. Uptempo, I Need You, is a cool country blues number and McClean pulls out the harp adding a more bluesy flavor to Dawson's dobro slide work. One of my favorites on the release is a remake of Old Time Religion which has a cool dark western sound. With Dawson on pedal steel and also contributing a sweet electric guitar solo, along with the McCrary sisters warm backing vocals, this track is way cool. With a country waltz sound, Swingin On Heaven's Gate is another real nice track with Dawson on mandolin and particularly nice vocal blending. Deliver Me has a really nice "Little Feat" funk. With the McCrarys on backing vocal and Dawson on slide, this track is really excellent. Wrapping the release is is a stripped down blues, Pet Rabbit, with McLean on vocal and and resonator. The track is raw and alive and a real cool closer for a cool release.



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Lady "A" - Loved, Blessed & Blues - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Loved, Blessed & Blues from Lady "A" and it's quite good! Opening with the title track, Loved, Blessed & Blues Lady "A" (Anita White) is joined by Dexter Allen on guitar, bass and piano and Joey Robinson on keys and drums for a cool bluesy swing with nice harmonies. With a bit of James Brown push on guitar, Honey Hush (A Tribute to Elnora) has a real nice groove with a strong bass line. On blues ballad, Don't Let Your Blues Become A Crime, Lady "A" really steps up with a lot of tension. Warm organ work really coaxes Lady "A" out and her lead vocals paired with Allen's vocals are super. Excellent! Another of my favorite tracks on the release is Love Calling with a strong radio hook. It's lyrics are clever and it's melody and harmonies are smooth. Allen's guitar work is clean and inciting. Getting down in the Texas style blues, Happy, is a cool track with horn backing and some guitar swat. Lady "A" grinds on the blues vocally really hitting her stride. Allen joins on lead vocal and in duet making this another of my favorites on the release. Dance track, Take Me Back To Seattle, has a great strut and interesting melodic blending, dressed by funky keys and bass. A dynamic Somebody Here Needs You Lord, is the final track on the release and I really like it! Pure vocal lead and pure gospel styling sets an incredible stage for this one and mixed harmonies complimented by just the right amount of keys and guitars and strong bass and drums makes this a killer closer. Excellent!



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Outside Music Label artist: Tami Neilson - Don't Be Afraid - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Don't Be Afraid, from Tami Neilson and it's got bite. Opening with Don't Be Afraid, the last song written by her father, Ron Neilson, this album is off on a great foot. A powerful, gospel blues style number, shows the absolute power of Tami Neilson's vocals accompanied by the wildly cool guitar work of Dave Khan and Delaney Davidson, bass by Ben Woolley and drums of Joe McCallum. WOW! With a blend of punk, pop, gospel and country, Holy Moses is a mover. Lonely is a solid country pop track in the vein of Patsy Cline. No questions that Neilson has the pipes to pull it off. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Bury My Body, has a dark, southern gospel blues feel. With only basic instrumentation of drum and rim shot, slide guitar and vocals, this track is hot! Latin influenced, Loco Mama really shows the flexibility of the band with it's Rhumba beat, flashy guitar and sassy vocal style of Neilson. Very cool. Another of the top radio tracks on the release, Only Tears, pairs Neilson with Woolley for a terrific country pop duet and features Red McKelvie on pedal steel. Wrapping the release is a raw demo by Ron singing Don't Be Afraid. A very cool conclusion to a strong release.



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Sharon Jones has passed - Our prayers are with her family

Sharon Jones, the soul and funk singer in Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, has died after long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 60. Her representative Judy Miller Silverman says she died Friday at a Cooperstown hospital surrounded by her band, the Dap-Kings. Silverman says in a statement, “Thank you for your prayers and thoughts during this difficult time.”

Jones was diagnosed with Stage 2 pancreatic cancer in 2013.

Her story was told this year in a Barbara Kopple documentary called “Miss Sharon Jones!” The film documents her transformation into cancer patient and back into a full-throated force. 

Jones started her career in the 1970s as a soul singer, but she spent decades in obscurity before her debut album, Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, came out in 2002. In 2014, Jones was nominated for her first Grammy, for the album Give the People What They Want. 

Severn Records artist: Sugar Ray & The Bluetones - Seeing Is Believing - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Seeing Is Believing, from Sugar Ray & The Bluetones and I love it! Opening with Sweet Baby, Sugar Ray Norcia are dynamic and his harp playing fat. Anthony Geraci's piano work is tight and Monster Mike Welch sets a great groove, backed by Michael Mudcat Ward on bass and Neil Gouvin on drums. Great opener. Title track, Seeing Is Believing brings down the pace a bit and Monster Mike's guitar work is outrageously rich. Norcia's vocals are smooth as silk and the band is super. Absolutely excellent! With a cool lope, Noontime Bell strolls along giving Norcia the opportunity to set the bar on harp. Geraci's piano work is always solid and this track plays right into his hands with Welch laying back and watching...very nice. Keep On Sailing is another terrific track with a Muddy Waters feel. Norcia's vocals are super and his harp work solid. Geraci really digs in on this one and Monster Mike a giant. Excellent! Jumper, Blind Date, is just smoking! Norcia cranks it up from the first note and with strong support overall, Monster Mike cranks it up Texas style. Wow! Bringing down the pace a bit, BB King's You Know I Love You is a great opportunity for Monster Mike to play lead and just turn the phrase over and again. Terrific! With a bit of New Orleans blues, Misses Blues, has an almost falling down the stairs drum beat that really makes me like it. Light on instrumentation, Norcia tells the story backed by the crew and heavily saturated harp. Bluesy ballad, Not Me, has the cleanest vocals on the release with chorded guitar work and melodic, Stevie Wonder like harp styling. Got A Gal has a solid lope and Welch really pulls out the round guitar tones giving the track a very human sound. Norcia continues to confirm his vocal prowess cemented by his harp work. Sounding like it's right out of the Morganfield archives, Two Hundred Dollars Too Long, has a great feel. Norcia not only sets the vocal tone but his harp is very Chicago and Monster Mike has the slide tone cooked to a T. Excellent! Wrapping the release is It's Been A Long Time with continuous riffs from Welch and Geraci under the vocals. This is a continuous Chicago blues p[arty and one you wish would never end. Excellent release!



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Peach and the Almost Blues Band - A Night In Copenhagen - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, A Night In Copenhagen, by Peach and the Almost Blues Band and it's cool. Opening with a great Bob Dylan track, Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You, the band uses an arrangement very similar to Jeff Becks arrangement which I like quite well. Opening with a warm harp intro by Ken Strange, Peach on vocal and guitar is joined by Michael Engman Ronnow on guitar, Helge Solberg on bass, Niclas Campagnol on drums and Strange on keys. Country rocker, Never Make Your Move Too Soon, has the strut of Bob Seeger with Campagnol and Strange setting the pace. Shuffle track, Little By Little, has a cool roll. Peaches' vocals are spot on and Ronnow's guitar sowk sets the track off nicely. Rocker, Love-itis, has a super beat and tight rhythm. Come Up And See My Sometime has a cool rockin' sound that I associate with J Geils. Peach's vocal phrasing is super and Strange and Peach meld nicely on the solos. Paulie Cerra's blues, Same As I'm Over You, is possibly the best track on the release with it's soulful melody and Peach's vocals, dressed nicely by Strange on piano. Wrapping the release is Frankie Miller's cocky rocker, Ain't Got No Money, with it's tight bottom and the brilliant piano work by Strange.



  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Quinn Sullivan Cruises Midnight Highway In The Studio And On The Road

QUINN SULLIVAN CRUISES ‘MIDNIGHT HIGHWAY’ IN

THE STUDIO AND ON THE ROAD

Provogue / Mascot Label Group Debut Hits Retail January 27, 2017

EPK:  https://youtu.be/08ujABkiLOA

Provogue / Mascot Label Group has announced the release of Quinn Sullivan’s Midnight Highway on January 27, 2017.  Sullivan has been a music professional for more than 75 percent of his life. He’s shared the stage with Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Los Lobos, The Roots, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi and Joe Bonamassa, and he opened for B.B. King, who later invited him to play his treasured “Lucille” guitar. He has performed on concert and festival dates throughout the United States – including at storied venues like Hollywood Bowl, RFK Stadium and Madison Square Garden – traveled overseas – performing at both the Montreux Jazz Festival and India’s Mahindra Blues Festival – and played several editions of the Experience Hendrix Tour, backed by Jimi’s original bassist Billy Cox.  He’s also appeared on national TV, with guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Oprah, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan and twice on The Ellen DeGeneres show.

  

Yes, Sullivan has packed some extraordinary experience into his decade-long career, and that’s even more remarkable when you consider that he’s only 17. His third studio album, Midnight Highway, was produced by multi GRAMMY® winner Tom Hambridge - who also does double duty as Quinn’s studio and road drummer - and will be released on January 27th in North America, and on March 24th in the rest of the world.  The album is yet another milestone in Quinn's extraordinary journey, which began with him jamming with the kids music combo Toe Jam Puppet Band at age three, appearing on Ellen when he was six, and being taken under the wing of blues legend Buddy Guy at age eight, whose protégé he remains to this day.

Quinn’s age and enduring relationship with Buddy Guy is certainly notable, but so too is his total dedication to his craft. “I wanted to see how far we could get musically on this album. I had a lot more creative input on this one and was more active in writing, so it’s something of a mixture.  I didn’t want to completely break away from the blues - that’ll always be my home ground - but I just wanted to stretch out. Mastering the vocals was important too and was the result of a lot of playing and touring, and studying with a vocal coach.  I’ll admit I hit an awkward stage with my voice when it was changing a few years ago, but I like the way things have worked out so far.”

Quinn confides, “My major goal as an artist is to get into songwriting more,” and he’s well on his way with Midnight Highway, for which he had a hand in writing three of the stand-out tracks, “Eyes For You”, “Lifting Off” and “Going.”  One of the other songs that Quinn tackled is George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”  While Quinn will forever be rooted in the blues, he’s extremely passionate about The Beatles, so every effort was made to replicate the Harrison classic as faithfully as possible.  Producer Tom Hambridge remarked, “We really tried to make it sound like it was off the White Album, so we researched everything about the track, where the mic placement should be, how to get the organ to sound like the original. Quinn is such a huge Beatles fan so, of course, he really loved the process.”

The album was recorded primarily at Nashville’s prestigious Blackbird Studio with some of the greatest players in Nashville, including many of the same musicians who played on the Buddy Guy albums that Hambridge produced. These include bassists Michael Rhodes and Tom Macdonald, guitarist Rob McNelley, and keyboard player Reese Wynans, a veteran of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble.  Hambridge notes, “Quinn was anxious to make an album the way I make those Buddy Guy albums, and he did, in fact, tear it up.  Quinn felt the mojo and he ‘brought it’ in a big way.”

As a young child, Quinn was brought to numerous festivals and concerts by his music-loving parents.  He was the “kid with the guitar “ in the audience, who would strum along with what was happening on stage.  Through videos, Quinn became enamored with Buddy Guy, so his  Dad made arrangements for him to meet his idol when Guy came to his hometown.  Backstage before the show, he asked Buddy to autograph his guitar which, of course, he did — but on condition that the boy play it for him.  That led to Buddy calling Quinn onstage to join him during his set and an unlikely, though solid bond was then formed between the great Chicago bluesman and the eager youngster from Massachusetts.

Tom Hambridge calls Quinn “a sponge who soaks up everything that’s around him,” adding, “he’s listening all the time and he just so happens to be around great artists.  Every time he plays, it’s a little deeper. Buddy Guy is, of course, his mentor, so he channels Buddy’s over-the-top reckless abandon.” That’s completely understandable, as Buddy has, more than once, advised Quinn, “Just go out there and show them why you’re here… make them remember you.”

Off stage, Quinn is well aware of the unique opportunity he’s been afforded and is focused on music as an ongoing pursuit.  He contrasts his experience with many of his contemporaries’ - “They’re struggling to come up with what they’re going to do when they’re out of school, but I’ve decided this is what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life."

The track listing is: “Something For Me,” “Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming,” “Midnight Highway,” “Crazy Into You,” “Eyes For You,” “Lifting Up,” “She Gets Me,” “Rocks,” “Going,” “Graveyard Stone,” “Big Sky,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Buffalo Nickel.”

Blues Foundation announces 32nd Annual Int'l Blues Challenge, Keeping the Blues Alive event

RISING BLUES STARS BATTLE IT OUT IN MEMPHIS THIS FEBRUARY AT THE BLUES FOUNDATION’S 33rd ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE  The Blues Foundation will also bestow 16 individuals and organizations with its prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive Awards

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis’ claim as the “Home of the Blues” will be indisputably evident the first week of February when The Blues Foundation hosts its 33rd Annual International Blues Challenge. Musicians from around the globe will convene in Memphis to compete for cash, prizes, and bookings as they are judged the best in IBC categories, among them Band, Solo/Duo, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica Player, and Self-Produced CD. The Challenge’s alumni include such acclaimed musicians as Susan Tedeschi, Tommy Castro, Delta Moon, Trampled Under Foot, Sean Costello and Grady Champion. Historic Beale Street will be the site for each of the challenge rounds, opening with the International Showcase on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, quarter-finals on Wednesday, February 1 and Thursday, February 2, and the Youth Showcase and semi-finals on Friday, February 3. The finals round of the world’s largest and most prestigious blues music competition will be held at Memphis’ grand Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, February 4 beginning at noon. Besides the amazing live blues performances, the five-day-long IBC will also present a variety of lectures, seminars, workshops, film, networking events, a silent auction, and affiliated blues society receptions that will appeal to blues professionals and fans alike.  While the International Blues Challenge looks to the future, The Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive Awards honor those individuals and institutions that have helped to keep the blues going strong. As Blues Foundation President and CEO Barbara Newman proclaimed, “Our 2017 Keeping the Blues Alive recipients are all wonderful examples of blues flame keepers, each working in their own sphere of influence to move the genre forward while honoring its past.”   The 2017 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recipients are: 1.     Baltimore Blues Society 2.     Blues and Soul Records 3.     Kathy Bolmer 4.     Briggs Farm Blues Festival 5.     Kyle Deibler 6.     Greaseland Studios 7.     Highway 99 Blues Club 8.     Jay Miller 9.     Jacques Morgantini 10.   James Nagel 11.   Porretta Soul Festival 12.   Steve Salter 13.   Eddie Stout 14.   Suzanne Swanson 15.   WGLT radio 16.   Wolf Records These honorees, who will be recognized during a luncheon on February 3, represent a broad spectrum of the music world: record labels, music festivals, recording studios, clubs, radio stations, publications, and individuals with an undying passion to preserve and sustain the blues. They include grassroots blues heroes like Steve Salter, who created the nonprofit Killer Blues Headstone Project so that blues musicians wouldn’t be buried in unmarked graves, and Eddie Stout, who is known as the “Ambassador of Texas Blues” for his work single-handedly running Dialtone Records. The KBA’s spotlight also shines on events like the Briggs Farm Blues Festival, which has been bringing the Mississippi Delta to eastern Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, and Greaseland Studios, the San Jose recording studio where Kim Wilson, Maria Muldaur, Elvin Bishop, and Charlie Musselwhite have laid down tracks. 2017’s KBA recipients not only cover America coast-to-coast — from the Baltimore Blues Society to Seattle’s Highway 99 Blues Club — but also reveal blues’ international popularity. Wolf Records has been promoting Magic Slim and other Chicago blues acts for over 30 years, and they aren’t doing it from Illinois, but Austria. The Chicago blues were also very important to 92-year-old Jacques Morgantini, known as the Alan Lomax of Europe, who brought many American bluesmen to play in France. The Porretta Soul Festival, meanwhile, has turned a small Northern Italian town into a mecca of soul music, particularly the Memphis variety. The International Blues Challenge is sponsored in significant part by ArtsMemphis, AutoZone, Beale Street Merchants Association, BMI, First Tennessee Foundation, Gibson, Lee Oskar Harmonicas, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau, Saint Blues Guitar Workshop, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Tennessee Arts Commission, and VividPix & Design Media sponsors include Beale Street Caravan, Big City Rhythm and Blues, Blues Festival Guide, Blues Matters!, Downtowner, Elwood’s Bluesmobile, and Living Blues More information on the International Blues Challenge can be found at http://blues.org/international-blues-challenge/. Passes to the IBC for the entire week’s events are just $100 and add-on tickets for the Keeping the Blues Alive luncheon are available online at www.blues.org or by calling 901-527-2583, ext. 10 About The Blues Foundation: This world-renowned, Memphis-based organization holds a mission to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation has approximately 4,000 individual members and 200 affiliated blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world. Its signature honors and events — the Blues Music Awards, Blues Hall of Fame, International Blues Challenge, and Keeping the Blues Alive Awards — make it the international hub of blues music. Its HART Fund provides the blues community with medical assistance for musicians in need, while Blues in the Schools programs and Generation Blues Scholarships expose new generations to blues music. The recent opening of the Blues Hall of Fame Museum, in Memphis, now adds the opportunity for music lovers of all ages to interact with the music and the history. Throughout the year, the Foundation staff serves the global blues community with answers, information, and news. http://blues.org

Joanna Connor On The Exorcist Friday

Joanna Connor To Perform On Fox TV show THE EXORCIST This Friday! More Right On Reviews From Vintage Guitar and More Northport N.Y. - It's great when we get our music on TV shows but it's even better when the artist is on the actual show! The Queen of Blues/Rock Guitar, Joanna Connor will perform a song for the Fox drama "The Exorcist." The date of broadcast is Friday November 18th, 9PM Eastern. Click the photo of Joanna Connor and one of the stars of the show Ben Daniels for more.                                                                                                          Joanna Connor & Ben Daniels on the set of "The Exorcist" Since our last update Joanna Connor's Six String Stories has received even more right on reviews! Since it's release on August 26, it has become one of the most celebrated roots releases of the year. This album mirrors her live shows crammed with soul, virtuosity, blues and eclecticism!  Vintage Guitar M.C. Records delivers Connor and her band in all of their upfront presence with an excellent recording containing rock solid imaging and a layered and resonant stage in which Connor’s guitar is free to leap and growl in all its twisted, raw and dynamic force.  Nelson Brill -  Boston Concert Reviews Connors sings and plays with relentless intensity and virtuosity - Lively-Arts.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Click the cover to listen to the entire recording The ability of Joanna’s guitar playing to pull back from the edge is a constant on the album….it is searing, paint peeling, sky writing fretwork from the guitar of Joanna Connor. The Alternate Root With her dazzling skills on full display 'Six String Stories' should win her an even wider audience. Living Blues 'Six String Stories' is her first studio album in 14 years, but thousands of gigs in the interim have only enriched Chicago-based Joanna Connor's fierce guitar skills and expressive, bluesy vocals. The Associated Press She’s one powerhouse of a slide blues guitarist, someone who attacks frets with a beautiful fury and doesn’t let go. Joanna Connor just put out her first release in 14 years and, wow, it’s a keeper. The Toledo Blade                                                  'Six String Stories' is well recorded with good songs and copious guitar wizardry. Chicago Blues Guide Once people hear Joanna’s new disc, no one is going to classify her as as anything other than first-rate. Blues Blast Magazine Her incendiary slide playing is absolutely breath-taking. - Elmore Magazine We're also very excited to release Joanna's first video from the new record. Check out "It's A Woman's Way." Joanna pays tribute all her sheroes in this one. Click the photo to view!                                                             We're also thrilled that for seven weeks that Joanna has been on  the Roots Music Report's Electric Blues Albums. She is currently no. 2, click the logo to see the entire list.                                                                                                                     Six String Stories is the one that the fans who pack her hometown gigs have been waiting for. You’ll still hear the scorching solos-- but there’s more to Joanna Connor than that. The disc’s ten tracks include tastes of gospel, rock, soul and funk; all with the gutsy singing and heartfelt playing that have always been her trademarks. Connor wrote eight tracks on Six String Stories with Marion Lance Lewis, a mainstay of her live band.                                                              Joanna Connor might be the best—or most original—blues-based slide guitar player you're likely to come across today. Or tomorrow. - Guitar World Since 2002 Joanna's focus has been on her family and playing in the Chicago area. Joanna picks up the story there, I was ready to lay down some new tracks in the studio.  I turned my focus toward exploring recording again. I'm at a point in my life where I feel in touch with who I am as a woman and a musician. Mark Carpentieri and his label were the first that came to my mind to contact. His good energy and knowing when to guide an artist and when to let them fly was important to me. I respect his labels catalog and his work and I am proud and happy to be back. The feeling is mutual Joanna!   Joanna Connor is celebrating 30 years of being in Chicago. Since her arrival she has toured in 25 countries and 49 states. Joanna was the first artist not on a major label to be signed to an endorsement deal by Gibson Guitars and Victoria Amps and has been featured in every major city newspaper and guitar magazine. Connor composed the soundtrack for Australian documentary "Being Dad,” and has shared stages with the likes of Jimmy Page, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, BB King, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Son Seals, The Neville Bros and a host of others. Click here for her complete bio: http://joannaconnor.com/bio/ Complete dates can be found at her website - http://joannaconnor.com/shows/ November Wed.  Nov. 16 - HOB- Chicago, IL 60601 Thur.-Sat Nov. 17-19th - Kingston Mines  - Chicago, IL 60614 Sun.  Nov. 20 - HOB- Chicago, IL 60601 Sat. Nov. 26 - Kingston Mines  - Chicago, IL 60614 Fri. and Sat. Dec 2 and 3 - Kingston Mines  - Chicago, IL 60614 Wed. Dec. 7th - Langunista Brewing Company - Chicago IL 60608 Thur. and Fri.  Dec 8th and 9th - Kingston Mines  - Chicago, IL 60614   ***