Bman's Blues Report

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Occupied , from Eric Jerardi and it's sopping with sweet soul sound. Opening with Do Right By Him , a super soulful track, Eric Jerardi shows his vocal chops over the solid horn work of the Muscle Shoals Horn section (Charles Rose - Trombone, Steve Herman - Trumpet, Doug Moffet - sax) and his own tasteful bluesy guitar riffs. Marie Lewey & Cindy Walker add vital, rich backing vocals over a solid bass by David Hood, piano by Clayton Ivey, Kelvin Holley on rhythm guitar and Milton Sledge on drums. Excellent opener. Jeff Healey's Don't Take It Personally maintains the R&B feel but leaning more to the blues rock styling, Jerardi shows a funky, wah wah guitar edge with soaring delivery. Very nice. Title track, Occupied , really has great bones with soulful vocals, a solid melody and great backing vocals, dressed with warm organ work and excellent blues guitar lead. Ultra funky, Never Let The Old Man In ,...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tin Can Tunes , from Tony & Joe (Tony Cuchetti and Joe Flip) and it's a cool retro blues rocker. Opening with stripped down, Mess Around , Tony has the lead vocal, acoustic guitar, and percussion and Joe holds tight on his famous Hayburner oil can guitar. Good opener. With a laid back tempo somewhat like JJ Cale, IJ has a cool melody and super underlying guitar lead. Six Feet Underground has a cool jazzy rhythm and is a nice showcase for Tony's pop vocals. Down Home Girl is a sultry ballad with warm vocals and bluesy electric guitar lead. Wrapping the release is real nice Hayburner guitar/harmonica (guest harmonica Indiana Sfair) cover of Amazing Grace . This is a very nice 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 ta...

I just had the opportunity to review the debut release, Live at Electric Andyland , from Dennis Brennan & the White Owls and I really like it. Opening with Johnny Guitar Watson's Cuttin' In , the band has a real strong sense of direction with Brennan on lead vocal backed by Tim Gearan on guitar, Andrew Plaisted on drums, Stephen Sadler on lapsteel guitar, Jim Haggerty on bass and David Westner on organ. Bobo Jenkins' shuffle, Nothin' But Love is up next and Brennan's vocals are solid with crisp harp accents. Original track, End of the Blues , has really cool feel a bluesy R&B feel. Underlying guitar riffs, answering the call of Brennan's vocals really gives the track a super feel and unleashed guitar soloing near the end of the track gives it a great kick in the pants reminiscent of the horsepower given Muscle Shoals tracks in the late 60's by Duane Allman. Cool lapsteel wail by Sadler opens The (New) Call of the Freaks and Brennan digs in dee...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Crazy All By Myself , from Nick Schnebelen , and it's quite good. Opening with blues rocker, Lil' Death , Schnebelen creates a strong bar on lead vocal and guitar, backed by Melodye Perry on vocal, Tony Braunagel on drums, Mike Finningan on keys, Hutch Hutchinson on bass, and Lionel Young and Ada Pasternak  on violin. Piano boogie rocker, Ain't Got Time For The Blues is a full on mid west rocker with vocal harmonies and super piano work by Finnigan. Slow shuffle track and title track, Crazy All By Myself has a perfect blues pace highlighting Schnebelen's vocal and guitar work making it one of my favorites on the release. Up tempo. Altar Of Love , has a super driving drum lead by Braunagel and nice slide work by Schnebelen and hot harp work by Jason Ricci give this track real traction. With it's heavy kick and snare work on 2, Bad Disposition With The Blues is a really cool track bundling great vocal...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Jackpot , from Vegas Strip Kings , and it's a gutsy blues rocker. Opening with driving boogie, Rotgut Run , Rob Edwards on bass and Justin Truitt on drums set the pace. Jimmy Carpenter on sax adds fat sax work over his own solid vocal and Al Ek on guitar and harmonica. Strong opener.  Tex Mex track, Jesus on the Dash has a great feel with Truitt on accordion and a great melody. Blues ballad, Lately has real nice soulful vocals and Carpenter's sax work, complimented by cool rhythm and steel guitar by Ek and nice key soloing by Billy Truitt makes this a solid radio contender. Latin flavored, Screeching Halt really highlights Billy's excellent percussion work and nice sax work by Carpenter. Willie Love's V8 Ford has old school blues roots with cool slide guitar work by Ek. A musical gumbo forms when  Billy adds accordion and Carpenter sax but the solid blues spine is supported by rich slide work by Ek. Ve...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blues In  My Blood , from Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson and I really like it. Opening with title track, Blues In My Blood with it's fat acoustic slide work, courtesy of Eric Johanson, this track sets a smoky stage for the powerful vocal lead of Tiffany Pollack. With Jack Miele on bass and percussion, Brentt Arcement on drums, organ and piano this is a super opener. Memories To Forget has a chilling guitar solo laid over a warm melody, lead vocal primarily by Johanson, haunting harmonica by Johnny Sansone and excellent drum accent by Acrement. Pollack demonstrated over and again the richness of her voice and her excellent blues phrasing. On ballad, Michael , she is rock solid and Johanson's amplified resonator body guitar work is really nice. A cover of Keith and Mick's No Expectations really flows nicely with Johanson back at the helm with ample harmony by Pollack. Very nice.  Shuffle track, Do I Mo...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Amour , from Colin Linden & Luther Dickinson with the Tennessee Valentines and it's not only musically cool but a lot of fun. Opening with traditional instrumental, Careless Love , Linden on electric dobro and Dickinson on electric guitar, and only a minimal amount of percussion, a beautiful sound emerges with the thickness of a Mississippi swamp and the depth of morning fog. Excellent! On Jesse Stone's Don't Let Go , Rachael Davis and Ruby Amanfu join on vocal giving this popular track real spunk. Jimmy Reed's Honest I Do features Davis again on vocals, has a super blues swagger and reverb saturated guitar. Very cool. I really like the Sam Palladio lead/ Rachael Davis harmony on Ralph Mooney's Crazy Arms and Linden and Dickinson' guitar mix over Dominic Davis on bass, Bryan Owings on drums and Kevin McKendree on piano is pure gold. Billy Swan original, Lover Please , features Swan on lead ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Clean Up The Blood , from Atomic Road Kings and it's killer. Opening with I've Got Time , Big Jon Atkinson is upfront on vocal joined by Eric Von Herzen on harp and Danny Michel on lead guitar, backed by Bill Stuve on bass, and Malachi Johnson on drums. With it's quiet, suspenseful pace and full bodied guitar work from Michel, this is a great start. With the heaviness of Dazed and Confused by Michel on guitar and hot lead by Tony Delgado, under the smoky riffs of Von Herzen,  Rumors will have you gasping for breath. Excellent! With it's Latin styling and surf like guitar riffs by Atkinson, Have Your Way is a cool track. The solid bass line and cool cymbal work is perfect. Atkinson's echo saturated wailing on guitar on title track,  Clean Up The Blood , supporting his own solid vocal and eerie harp work by Von Herzen makes this an excellent lead track for the release. Vibrations is a slinky track w...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rockhouse Party , from Big Joe and the Dynaflows and it's super. Opening with super shuffle, Driving Wheel , Big Joe Maher on lead vocal and drums sets the pace with Tom Mookie Brill on bass, Kevin McKendree on keys, and Yates McKendree and Robert Frahm on guitars. A low slung blues rocker, this track is an excellent opener. Excellent guitar phrasing, coupled with powerful lead vocals on So Mean To Me makes it a real standout. Brill takes the lead vocal on slot on Eight Men and Four Women and his vocals are out of sight. This track, with warm key backing by Kevin, and vocal backing by Erin Coburn is excellent! Guitar shuffle, Overdrive is an excellent showcase for the McKendrees with nice phrasing and great pace. Uptempo Go With The Flow , is a real toe tapper with hot riffs and solid vocals. On Vibrate , a rockabilly romp, guitar flurry and stylized  vocals give this track high power. Wrapping the release is eas...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release from Gail Gunnis & The Dirty Roosters and it is a mix of classic blues artists with the bands cool personal arrangements. Opening with Freddie King's I Love You More Everyday , Gail Gunnis leads the way on vocal, backed by Fabio Parovel on guitar, Paul Kidd on sax, Chris Rooney on bass and Duncan McBain on drums. Solomon Burke's Cry To Me is up next with a great R&B feel. Pat Carey steps up with a rich sax solo and McBain's tight drums give the track just the right snap. Ann Peebles' I Can't Stand The Rain is one of my favorite tracks on the release with some of Gunnis' best vocals and a thumping bass line by Rooney. Another cool sax solo by Carey sets the track off nicely. Hot R&B track,  I Know , is a great track to pull out of the hopper with a super beat. again Carey is featured on sax and again, nice job. Since I Fell For You , another classic soul track written by B...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Survivor Blues , from Walter Trout and it's his most mature and cohesive release to date. Opening with powerful slow blues number, Me, My Guitar and the Blues Trout is back locked and loaded. I love his command of the volume swell, using it like an old master, making his guitar cry like a baby and his prasing is magical. With Michael Leasure on drums, Johnny Griparic on bass and Skip Edwards on keys, this is a terrific opener. On Woman Don't Lie , it's a slink funky beat that gives this track traction.Trading lead vocal with Sugaray Rayford and adding Teddy Andreadis on Wurlitzer really sets this one up or a guitar slam and Trout is all over it. Gone are the days of cramming every note into one measure and real feel and biting riffs carry this track high. Shuffle track, Please Love Me has great feel and tension with relaxed riffs with excellent punctuation work on a heavily pumped up BB King like style. Re...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Judas Goat from Big Daddy T and it's interesting. Opening with Let It Burn , a contemporary take on Chicago blues, finds Tony (Big Daddy) Wisler on bass and lead vocal with nicely expressed harmonica work by Johnny Pie, electric guitar by Billy Burke, Hector Herrera and K.C. Igler, and drums by Joe Chellman. Cool opener. With a more traditional look on the blues Burke pulls out the slide and strokes some really nice work on Nothing Left To Do But Cry with Big Daddy on lead vocal. Very nice. A sultry Latin rhythm drives Jockey Full Of Bourbon with full organ support by Stan Harrison, solid vocals and snappy guitar lead. With New Orleans overtones, God's Not Dead features tight drum rhythms, piano lead by Crystal Chavez and nice clarinet soloing by Joe Di Fiore. Rocker, Good Time Jake has a quick pace and slick, country like guitar picking giving this track that special something. One of my favorites on the rele...

Stony Plain Records Sets May 17 Release Date for Ear Worms , the New Album from Award-Winning Guitarist Duke Robillard WATERDOWN, ON – Stony Plain Records announces a May 17 release date for Ear Worms , the new album from two-time Grammy nominee and multi-Blues Music Award winning guitarist Duke Robillard, which will be available in both CD and vinyl formats. Here’s a link to pre-order the album, which also includes a special advance listen to “Don’t Bother to Steal Her Love:” http://smarturl.it/earworms .  “ Ear Worms was conceived as an album of songs that I heard and was attracted to growing up,” says Duke Robillard about the new disc’s genesis. “They are not of one particular genre or style, but rather songs I heard in my pre-teens to my later teens, with the exception of a few songs which I threw into the mix to round out the overall album vibe; sounds that stuck in my head, in many cases before I knew what the blues was. I guess you could call...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, You Tell Me , from Glen Clark , and it's a solid set of low key country fused R&B style tracks. Opening with title track, You Tell Me , Glen Clark leads the way on guitar and vocal, backed by John Bryant on drums and vocals, Jim Milan on bass and vocal and Sam Swank on guitar for a solid radio bound country style track. Cool opener. Kicking into real R&B flavor, Accept My Love pulls in Jim Foster on trumpet and Ron Jones on sax with a cool melody and nice electric keys by Clark. Walk On has a definite radio feel with a great melody and strong vocals, supported by Clark on keys, James Pennebaker on guitar and Pat Peterson and Benita Aterberry providing rich backing vocals. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks, When The Time Is Right , has a funky blues feel with stinging guitar riffs and a great beat. Wrapping the release is up tempo pop track, That's Where You Come In with Clark out front on vocal and o...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Over Under Through , from Paul Nelson and it's interesting. Opening with Go Down Ezekiel , a floating track with solid but JJ Cale like vocals by Nelson, seductive slide work by Kevin Barry and tom tom by John Sands, this is a real nice opener. My choice for radio track on the release is Secret with a really nice melody and vocals and nicely interwoven guitar and steel guitar parts over light snare drum. My favorite track on the release is an interpretation of Johnny Cash's I Walk The Line with a remarkable arrangement, nice vocal harmonies with Kristin Cifelli, Ellis Paul and Nickie Fuller and reverb saturated guitar. Excellent! Lumbering rocker, Silent Majority , has a really nice feel with solid vocals and a super arrangement. This track, again with superior vocal qualities and rich guitar backing make it an ideal radio track. Wrapping the release is somber ballad, There Is Weeping , with Nelson singing upf...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, I'm Still Here- Big Jay Sings The Blues from Big Jay McNeely and it's solid old school blues. Opening with shuffle track, You Never Miss The Water with Big Jay on lead vocal and sax. Yep... Big Jay got the blues. On blues standard, Baby Please Don't Go , Big Jay sets a super groove on vocal followed by honking sax and tight guitar riffs. I really like boogie track, Once I Had A Woman , with John Lee like form and style and slide in the back. I Love To Feel Free has a real nice swing to it with Big Jay on lead vocal. Ringing slide and prime lead guitar riffs really set this track off nicely and Big Jays sax is fat and solid. Wrapping the release is Still Got A Long Way To Go with a solid bass line and real nice slide and lead guitar work behind Jay's vocals. This is an excellent closer for a real nice posthumous release of McNelly's work.    If you support live Blues acts, up and coming ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Texas Queens 5 , from Bloodest Saxophone and it's powerful. Bloodest Saxophone has been playing old school sounds since 1998. Opening with I've Got A Feeling and Diunna Greenleaf on lead vocals these guys show that they mean business. With Koda Shintaro on tenor sax, Coh on trombone, Osikawa Yukimasa on bari sax, Shuji on guitar, The Takeo on upright bass, and Kiminori on drums and percussion this track has real punch. Lead vocalist Crystal Thompson really pounds out the blues on Losing Battle with really nicely presented guitar by Johnny Moeller on guitars over strong brass and sax work. Excellent! Instrumental, Pork Chop Chick is a terrific jump track with super horn solos, driving rhythm and a real nice guitar exchange between Moeller and Shuji. Very nice. Lauren Cervantes is upfront on Latin track, Run Joe . Masterful rhythms, authentic vocals, tight percussion and wild powerful horns give this track real...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Chicago Rambler , from Tomislav Goluban and it's quite entertaining. Opening with barn burner, Pigeon Swing , Croatian harp player, Goluban, blows the doors off. If there's any question if the blues is alive and living in Croatia, there shouldn't be now. Excellent jam with Eric Noden on guitar, E.G. McDaniel on bass, and Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith on drums. Bag Full Of Troubles is a cool shuffle track with Goluban on lead vocal and joined by Filisko on harp. Catching a Latin trade wind, Jerry Ricks On My Mind is a really cool track. I like it's unconventional melody and both Goluban and slide player Noden step up with interesting solos. Surf rocker, Home Made Honey , has a really cool beat and Noden's guitar riffs nicely accent Beedy Eyes' tight drum riffs leading into Goluban's ending solo. BoDiddley tom tom beat on Do The Right Thing really makes for a great showcase for Smith. Al...