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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Monday, June 10, 2019

Provogue Records artist: Robin Trower - Coming Closer To The Day - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Coming Closer To The Day, from Robin Trower and I quite like it. The unearthly soaring riffs of Trower are missing but a soulful, nicely phrased blues player with continued sensitivity is here. Opening with Diving Bell, a lumbering blues rocker, Trower handles bass, guitar and vocal and does it with style. His rhythm guitar is chorded and distorted and his lead work, slicing and overdriven. His sense for the blues is strong. On title track, Coming Closer To The Day, has a light Latin rhythm and airy guitar lead and with upper and lower fretboard contrast, this is a really solid track. The Perfect Wrong is a gritty blues track with cool vocals and a strong drum lead and signature blues riffs by Trower giving it a good blast of steam. Little Girl Blue is one of my favorite tracks on the release is a quiet, ballad like structure but with excellent guitar lead over warm chords throughout. Very, very nice. Don't Ever Change is another real nice track with a calming but bouncing rhythm. Trower is a master of floating interesting lead work on the chords and this track is a prime example. His vocals are solid and unobtrusive. Wrapping the release is funky, Take Me With You. Trower lays down an excellent bass line and a wealth of rich chords leaving a wide open hole to fill with lead. This guy is a master at layering lead over chord over rhythm and this track is a super closer for a really nice release.


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Friday, June 7, 2019

The Last Music Co. artist: Jimmie Vaughan - Please Come Home - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Please Come Home, from Jimmie Vaughan and it's solid. Opening with Lloyd Price's R&B track, Baby, Please Come Home Vaughan has the mic and joined by George Rains on drums, Ronnie James on bass, Billy Pitman on rhythm guitar, Doug James on bari sax, Greg Piccolo on tenor sax, this band is rockin. On Lefty Frizzell's shuffle No One To Talk To (But The Blues), Vaughan's vocals are stellar and his guitar playing low slung and meaningful. Chuck Willis' What's Your Name? has a real great tempo and the steady drumming by Rains sets the tempo and James' sax work is fat and meaty. Very nice. Low slung, It's Love Baby (24 Hours A Day) has a real nice off beat pace and Vaughan's guitar lead answers the response nicely and his soloing with James' bari work is really nice. Fats Domino's So Glad has a great feel with hot sax work by James and Piccolo and I really like Vaughans unusual soloing techniques here setting the track off nicely. Wrapping the release is Jimmy Reed's Baby, What's Wrong with classic Reed tempo and sound. T. Jarrod Bonta joins on piano and randy Zimmerman is on trombone with Kaz Kazanoff on tenor sax, Al Gomez on trumpet, Jimmy Shortell on trumpet. Vaughan rocks this release and is pure to his style. 

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Thursday, June 6, 2019

Rip Cat Records artist: John Clifton - In The Middle of Nowhere - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, In The Middle Of Nowhere, from John Clifton and it's quite good. Opening with the excellent, I'm Leaving You Baby, with it's firm Chicago romp style. John Clifton, former leader of MoFo Party Band, has his own gig and on lead vocal and harp, this gig is hopping. Backed by Scott Abeyta on guitar, Jake Finney on bass, Edward Fritz on drums, Bartek Szopinski on piano and John Shafer on tambourine and cowbell this band is tight. On shuffle track, If It Ain't Me, Clifton is howling on harp and his vocals are vibrant. I particularly like Szopinski's piano work and the fluid guitar soloing of Abeyta on this track. Very cool. Cool Spot In Hell is a good name for a laid back jazzy track in the middle of a hot set. Abeyta lays in some really nice lead runs and Szopinski's phrasing is terrific leading up to Clifton's own lush harp scape. Very nice. Four Years Ago is a great driving blues track with a heavy bottom. The contrast between Clifton's vocals and the bass work of Finney really adds raw tension. To really boost the mix, Clifton's relentless harp work sends this track over the top and Abeyta adds heat of his own making this one of my favorites on the release. Breaking way down on a slower blues track, So Tired I Could Cry, the band really gets a chance to wring every drop of blues from the release. Szopinski, Abeyta and Clifton each have their turn upfront and they make me sweat just listening. Wrapping the release is country fused, Honky Tonk Night Time Man with train like running rhythms by Fritz and genuine chickin pickin by Abeyta. 

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Dr John has passed - Our prayers are with his family and friends

 DR John, the flamboyant New Orleans singer-pianist whose hoodoo-drenched music made him the summarizing figure of the grand Crescent City R&B/rock ‘n’ roll tradition, died Thursday of a heart attack at age 77.

“Towards the break of day June 6, iconic music legend Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., known as Dr. John, passed away of a heart attack,” a statement on his social media pages said. “The family thanks all whom shared his unique musical journey & requests privacy at this time. Memorial arrangements will be announced in due course.”
Rebennack had already tallied more than a decade of experience as a session musician in his hometown and Los Angeles when he rose to solo fame in the late ‘60s after concocting his voodoo-influenced, patois-laced persona of “the Night Tripper.”
In their history of postwar New Orleans music “Up From the Cradle of Jazz,” Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose and Tad Jones wrote richly of the artist they called “a true original
The writers described him exclamatorily: “Dr. John! – sunglasses and radiant colors, feathers and plumes, bones and beads around his neck, the crusty blues voice rich in dialect cadences, and then the man himself in motion: scattering glitter to the crowds, pumping the keyboard, a human carnival to behold.”
After flashing his fantastical character on a quartet of early albums that garnered him an enthusiastic underground following, Dr. John settled in to become New Orleans’ great latter-day exponent of bayou funk and jazz, playing in a style that reconciled the diverse streams of the city’s music.
His early ‘70s work was distinguished by a collection of historic New Orleans favorites, “Gumbo,” and a pair of albums with famed New Orleans producer-arranger-songwriter Allen Toussaint and funk quartet the Meters – the first of which, “In the Right Place,” spawned a top-10 hit.
He memorably branched into traditional pop with his 1989 album “Sentimental Journey”; the album spawned the first of his six Grammy Awards, for “Makin’ Whoopee,” a duet with Ricki Lee Jones.
Dr. John would delve deeper into jazz terrain later in his peripatetic career with Bluesiana Triangle, a collaboration with saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman and drummer Art Blakey, and homages to Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. But the earthy R&B of his hometown served as his main stylistic and emotional propellant.
In 2008, his Grammy-winning collection “City That Care Forgot” dwelled movingly on the havoc wreaked on his city by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.
As an in-demand sideman, he recorded with Levon Helm, Gregg Allman, Van Morrison, Harry Connick, Jr., Ringo Starr and B.B. King, among others.  He released “Triumvirate,” a “super session” date with guitarists Mike Bloomfield and John Hammond, Jr., in 1973.
His turns on the big screen ranged from a memorable performance in Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the Band’s farewell performance “The Last Waltz” (1978) to an appearance as a member of the fictional “Louisiana Gator Boys” in “Blues Brothers 2000” (1998). He guested regularly on the New Orleans-set HBO dramatic series “Treme” in 2010-13.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
He was born Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr., in New Orleans on Nov. 21, 1940, and raised in the city’s Third Ward. He grew up in a musical environment, and began playing the family piano early. He acquired a guitar as an adolescent, and it became his principal instrument during his early professional career.
Fats Domino’s guitarist Walter “Papoose” Nelson became an inspiration and mentor. In his early teens, and his father introduced him to Cosimo Matassa, whose studio J&M Music spawned major R&B hits by Domino and other local R&B stars.
By the time he dropped out of Jesuit High School in the 11th grade, he had already acquired a taste for heroin and the chops to work as a session guitarist at J&M, where he played his first date behind singer Paul Gayten.
During this period, he got to know some of the city’s most influential keyboardists, including Professor Longhair and the eccentric virtuoso James Booker (who taught him to play organ and later joined Dr. John’s touring band).
He recorded steadily, appearing on local hits by Jerry Byrne (“Lights Out”) and Roland Stone (“Down the Road,” aka “Junko Partner”) and as a leader (including the 1959 instrumental “Storm Warning”). He also worked as an A&R man and sideman for Johnny Vincent’s Ace Records.
On Christmas Eve 1961 on a tour stop in Jacksonville, Fla., Rebennack and pianist Ronnie Barron got involved in a scuffle with a motel owner, and the guitarist was shot in his fretting hand, nearly severing the ring finger on his fretting hand. During a slow recovery, he moved first to bass, and later to keyboards.
The studio scene in New Orleans was beginning to dry up in the early ‘60s when Rebennack was busted for heroin possession, drawing a two-year sentence in federal prison in Texas.
On his release from jail in 1965, he headed to Los Angeles, where a group of New Orleans expatriates that included producer-arranger Harold Battiste had set up shop as studio musicians. He worked with, among others, Canned Heat, the Mothers of Invention and Sonny & Cher.
In L.A., Rebennack moved to fulfill a lingering musical concept grounded in New Orleans history that he had originally developed for the reluctant Ronnie Barron.
In his 1994 autobiography “Under a Hoodoo Moon,” he wrote, “In the 1840s and 1850s, one New Orleans root doctor was preeminent in the city for the awe in which he was held by the poor and the fear and notoriety he inspired among the rich. Known variously as John Montaigne, Bayou John, and most often Dr. John, he was a figure larger than life.”
Using studio time left over from a Sonny & Cher session, Rebennack and Battiste cut an album of hazy, incantatory songs steeped in Crescent City voodoo imagery. Issued by Atlantic Records’ Atco subsidiary as “Gris-Gris,” the collection failed to chart, but it inaugurated several years of extroverted live shows that established Dr. John as a unique under-the-radar performer.
Three more similarly styled albums – “Babylon” (1969), “Remedies” (1970) and “The Sun Moon and Herbs” (1971) – deepened the Dr. John image; the latter album, recorded in London, included guest appearances by Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger.
However, he turned away from his original swampy style for an album he described in the notes as “More Gumbo, Less Gris Gris.” Co-produced by Battiste and Jerry Wexler, “Gumbo” (1972) was devoted to covers of New Orleans roots music by Longhair, Huey “Piano” Smith, Sugarboy Crawford and others; its good-time Mardi Gras atmosphere lifted it to No. 112 on the charts.
His first set with Toussaint and the Meters became his biggest commercial success: “In the Right Place” (No. 24, 1973) included the No. 9 single “Right Place Wrong Time.” While the follow-up LP “Desitively Bonnaroo” (1974) failed to duplicate its predecessor’s popularity, its title inspired the name of the popular Bonaroo Festival.
A schism with Atlantic – possibly prompted by Wexler’s daughter Anita’s introduction to heroin by Dr. John – led to a period of label-jumping by the musician.
In 1989, he landed at Warner Bros. Records with “In a Sentimental Mood,” a well-received set of standards elegantly produced by Tommy LiPuma that included the Grammy-winning duet with Jones. That year, he finally kicked his more than three-decade addiction to heroin. Another Grammy winner, the self-descriptive “Goin’ Back to New Orleans,” followed in 1992.
He abided as an “eminence gris-gris” for the remainder of his career. He settled in for a long stay at Blue Note Records in the new millennium; his five-album sojourn for the imprint was inaugurated the Ellington tribute “Duke Elegant” in 2000. (His homage to trumpeter Armstrong, “Ske-Dat-De-Dat,” was released by Concord in 2014.
The intensely felt “City That Care Forgot” was succeeded by the atypical “Locked Down” for Nonesuch Records in 2012; the album, produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and eschewing pianistics for a tough hard rock-based sound, also collected a Grammy as best blues album.

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

NOLA Blue Records artist: Meg Williams - Take Me As I Am: The Muscle Shoals Sessions - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Take Me As I Am, by Meg Williams and it's a solid R&B/rock entry. Opening with radio track, Come On Over To Me, a slide guitar infused (Dan Wecht) R&B track, Williams leads the way on vocal and guitar, backed by Clayton Ivey on organ, Bob Wray on bass, Justin Holder on drums and Sara Rogers on backing vocals. Solid opener. Funky, Shame, is a bit sassy with Will McFarlane joining Wecht on guitar. With a snappy rhythm this track us upbeat and catchy. Little Bit Of The Devil is another radio strong track with a solid beat, and flashy slide work giving Williams a solid base to show her vocals over. Title track, Take Me As I Am, paired with What About Me are a great pop duo with super melody and nice vocal delivery by Williams. I like the additional complexity of Make A Move with it's vocal duet with Rogers and rock style guitar soloing giving it just a bit more textural bite. Wrapping the release is country flavored ballad, Take A Chance On My Love with it's smooth, easy tempo and warm vocal melody. A real nice melodic guitar solo by McFarlane gives this final track just that little kick making it a super closer for a real nice release.



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Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Terry Robb - Confessin' My Dues - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Confessin' My Dues, by Terry Robb, and I really like it. Opening with Butch Holler Stomp, a smoking hot finger pickers delight, Robb, regarded as one of the top finger picking blues guitarists shows why! Excellent opener! On, It Might Get Sweaty, Robb is joined by Dave Captein on bass and Gary Hobbs on drums for a funkier blues number with a definite jazzy edge. Robb literally smokes the fretboard with Captein and Hobbs holding the bottom solid. Very nice. In the pure blues vein, Darkest Road I'm Told, has strong blues runs and solid vocals by Robb. My favorite track on the release, Three Times The Blues explores the T Bone Walker style of blues with deep feeling, excellent runs and solid phrasing, backed by Captein on bass and Hobbs on drums. Very nice.  Title track, Confessin' My Dues has a great country blues feel with a springy rhythm and confident phrases. In Rev Gary Davis style, Death Of Blind Arthur, is a cool blues floating between traditional Davis country style and rag style. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Blood Red Moon with it's blend of modern and traditional styling. Robb is an excellent craftsman and musician and this is an excellent release showcasing his craft.



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Monday, June 3, 2019

Women Of The Blues Records artist: Mary Lane - Travelin' Woman - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Travelin' Woman, from South Side Chicago's Mary Lane and its real nice. Opening with title track, Travelin' Woman, Lane shows why her reputation precedes her large as life. Joined by Travis T. Bernard on drums, Chris Cameron on keys, Jim Trullio on guitar and bass, Terry Ogolini and Gene Barge on sax, Don Tenuto on trumpet and with flaming hot slide work by Louie Zagoras this is a super opener. Up tempo blues track, Leave That Wine Alone, has a great tempo and Lanes vocals are sassy. Johnny Grey on B3, Phil Miller on slide and Paul Mertens bass harmonica work is solid and backing vocals by Simbryt Dortch and Yvonne Gage really add nicely to the bottom. Corky Siegel sits in on harmonica on shuffle track, Some People Say I'm Crazy and with solid piano work by Grey, a very cool track. One of my favorite tracks on the release is soul soaked, Let Me Into Your Heart with it's gripping vocal feel and gospel like piano and B3 reinforcement by Cameron. Lanes phrasing and vocal tension are perfect. Bad Luck And Trouble has a driving shuffle pace with Trullio's bass line leading the way. Cameron on piano and Lane on lead vocal really mesh nicely on this track with a solid guitar solo by Dave Specter. Wrapping the release is acoustic blues, Make Up Your Mind featuring Lane alone with Colin Linden on acoustic slide / dobro. This track is a strong closer for a really cool release.



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Friday, May 31, 2019

Omnivore Recordings artist: Johnny Shines - The Blues Came Falling Down - Live 1973 - New Relese Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Blues Came Falling Down - Live 1973, by Johnny Shines and it's rich in traditional blues. Playing during his career with Robert Johnson as well as Robert jr Lockwood, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Willie Dixon Shines is a lesser publicly known but spectacular blues man. Opening the never before released Live recording from 1973, with Big Boy Boogie shines starts this one man show with fleet fingered blues picking that will make you sit back with wonderment. Seems A Million Years, a strong delta blues track shows Shines is not only an accomplished guitar player but with a terrific voice, transitioning smoothly from his wonderful mid range singing voice to his nearly falsetto wailing as was prominent with James and Johnson among others. Very cool. On classic, Kind Hearted Woman, you find a perfect balance of Shines' singing and guitar work, both smooth as silk and uniquely Shines.  One of my favorite tracks on the release is Freddie King's, Have You Ever Loved A Woman where Shines really steps up his vocal game and using call and response plays his vocal against his guitar soloing. Another favorite is Happy Home with a tight recurring guitar riff and Shines' soulful wail coaxing on his fleet fingered soloing. Excellent! Someday Baby Blues has a special hand on the guitar and classic Shines vocals...yet another demonstration of his rich heritage. A rowdy cover of Sweet Home Chicago really got the crowd hopping. Shines demonstrating once again his fleet fingered picking. Excellent! Tuning his guitar down to a lower register and playing slide on Tell Me Mama, Shines really gets to the gritty part of his vocal range and a more guttural sound. With Elmore James style he slams the slide on the strings. Excellent! Shines starts the wrap up with fast paced, Goodbye Boogie and then the sensitive, How You Want Your Rollin' Done. Shines was a spectacular talent and we are indeed fortunate to have this new release of this live performance.



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Thursday, May 30, 2019

Josh Hyde - Into The Soul - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Into The Soul, by Josh Hyde and it's quite nice. Opening with swampy rocker, Rocking Chair, Josh Hyde sets a mean stage with solid vocals and vicious slide riffs, paired with the fine backing of bass of Ron Eoff, drums of Derrek Phillips and keys of Jimmy Wallace. Cool opener. Painfully soulful, For You I Ache oozes sensitivity and stress with the wailing vocals of Hyde and really nice backing sonic guitar work by Hyde and pedal steel work of Chris Lippincott and contrasting brightness of Wallace's piano. Very nice. Stinging blues guitar work of Hyde on Lover's Curse makes it a standout with a radio style melody and particularly tight drumming by Phillips. One of my personal favorites on the release is Down On Bourbon Street, a stylish ballad with interesting vocal harmonies and a lightly salted Latin beat. Wrapping the release is Reasons Why, a particularly heartfelt ballad highlighting Hyde's vocals over an almost orchestral bed of music. This is a sensitive release with a little something for everyone.


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Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Sean Pinchin - Bad Things - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bad Things, from Sean Pinchin and it's a tasty rocker. Opening with If You're Gonna Leave Me, Sean Pinchin charges for open field with a pumped up sound that could rev up a crowd. Rock style slide work and hand claps/tambourine/bass and foot pedal give you all the drive you need. Title track, Bad Things has a real cool swagger and a real nice slide feel. Bottom compliments of Jane Luvite (drums) and Rob Szabo (bass and keys) give it plenty of oomph and backing vocals by Jamie Grey add texture. Digging down into the delta, Skip James' Devil Got My Woman maintains it's mystery with multiple slide guitar textures but gets a light funky workover giving it a cool radio appeal. Stripping back the skin even more, Blind Willie Johnson's Nobody's Fault But Mine really gives Pinchin the opportunity to play old style blues, old style...vocal and guitar. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Steve Strongman's, River, with articulate finger picked rhythms, great vocals and melodic slide work. This is a cool, release with a blend of rock and real blues tracks, sure to give you a good listen.



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Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Stony Plain Records artist: Manx Marriner Mainline - Hell Bound for Heaven - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Hell Bound for Heaven by Manx Marriner Mainline and it's solid. Opening with Nothing, a cool blues shuffle, Harry Manx has the lead on vocal and banjo with Steve Marriner on harmonica and electric guitar and timed by Moe Duella on drums. This is a real nice opener showcasing some real nice riffs by Marriner on both harp and guitar. Title track, Hell Bound for Heaven, has a darker delta style feel but with a more contemporary Paul Rogers spin. Manx injecting the eccentric sound of the Mohan Veena adds mystery and even more with slide. Marriner's lead vocal and harp is solid. Rattlesnake is a easy rocking two step blues with Marriner on Baritone guitar, harp, drums and vocal and Manx on slide, backed by Clayton Doley on Hammond. This track has really nice changes in addition to a solid melody. With it's Latin beat and some of Pops Staples' original gospel structure, Wish I Had Answered is one of my favorites on the release. All of the vocals on the track are rich and Doley's Hammond work stands out nicely against Mariner's baritone guitar growl. Mariner makes Rev Gary Davis' Death Don't Have No Mercy his own vocally and using Davis' preferred 12 string backing but Manx's slide work really adds a nice texture. Wrapping the release is a strong ballad, Rise and Fall In Love with Manx on vocal, Marriner on electric guitar and Jim Bowskill on viola and violin.  A warm closer for a nice release. 

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Friday, May 24, 2019

MC Records artist: The Lee Boys - Live On The East Coast - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live On The East Coast, from the Lee Boys and it's terrific! Opening with funk laden spiritual track, In The Morning, Derrick and Keith Lee on lead vocal, Alvin Lee on guitar, Chris Johnson on screaming pedal steel, Alvin Cordy Jr, on funky bass and Earl Walker on drums. Excellent opener! On blues shuffle, Don't Let The Devil Ride, the band really gets humming with Johnson really winding it up. This band is tight. On classic R&B track, I'll Take You There, Derrick and Keith really get into a nice groove with a solid bottom by Cordy who also takes a nice walk of his own, leading to an extended guitar jam. Very nice. Alvin lays in some real nice riffs under the nicely harmonizing vocals of Derrick and Keith. Rick Lollar on lead guitar gives Testify a little smoke over a simmering hot vocal lead and driving bass runs of Cordy and of course the ever present pedal soloing of Johnson. Very cool! Wrapping the release is blues classic, You Got To Move done with strong gospel lines over a rock beat. Derrick and Keith sing in harmony and with a driving beat and with a flurry of guitar by Alvin and the addition of Isaac Corbett on harmonica this is a solid closer for a super release. 

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Thursday, May 23, 2019

Aquinnah Records artist: Arlen Roth - Tele Masters - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tele Masters, from Arlen Roth and it's super. Featuring a who's who of telecaster players, this release has it all. Opening with Remington Ride with Steve Wariner and Cindy Cashdollar, this track has a lot of country spice and great picking. Wariner and Roth each take turns showing their chops and Cashdollar's lap steel work is impeccable as always. backed by Tom Hambridge on drums, Tommy MacDonald on bass and Billy Panda on acoustic guitar, this is a super opener. A funky, lumbering arrangement to Big Bill Broonzy's Key To The Highway gives it a fresh new life. Jack Pearson has a great voice on lead and sharing lead guitar  with Roth, this track has really digs in. One of my favorites. A track featuring a great finger picking shoot out is Bunky with Brad Paisley. If you are wondering if this release is a guitar players album...oh yeah! Will Ray and Roth strut tall with Link Wray's Rumble. Keeping the bottom tight and laying blues rock guitar riffs over the meat makes this track soar. Very nice. Albert Lee and Roth do a really nice job of instrumentalizing Paul Simon's Mrs. Robinson. Maintaining it's pop appeal but throwing on a strong sense of country gives the track a super feel. With a bluesy but country ballad style, Vince Gill and Roth work their magic on a beautiful arrangement of Satisfied Mind. Full out country picking with Brent Mason and Roth on Road Worthy gives each tele Master a great opportunity to show their stuff. With crisp pace and tight rhythms, a super job. Sweet and simple Tennessee Waltz features Lexi Roth on lead vocal. Very clean and strong. Joe Bonamassa even makes an appearance here with a stretched out slower blues track, Joe's Blues. Nobody doubts Bonamassa's chops and he lets it all hang out here pairing with Roth. Roth who is no stranger to the blues stands toe to toe with Bonamassa, each showing his own texture. Very cool. Funky Mama features Johnny Hiland with Roth and always a favorite being almost a telecaster standard. Excellent! Roth lays out some really nice blues pyrotechnics on the intro of Ghost Riders In The Sky featuring great contrast and workmanship between his own and Cashdollar's style. Another tele father with great style is Bill Kirchen on Tuff Tele. Working the tele tone and styling and less the speed, this pairing is tops. Wrapping the release is Redd Voikaert on A Minor Thing. With it's slow, shuffle feel and jazz approach, Roth and Voikaert lay in very nicely executed bluesy riffs before breaking into a double paced shoot off. This is a super track and a super closer for a really strong release. 

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Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Ruf Records artist: Big Daddy Wilson - Deep In My Soul - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Deep In My Soul, from Big Daddy Wilson, and it's a solid mix of R&B and blues. Opening with I Know, a super R&B track Big Daddy Wilson (Blount) sounds off with a warm soulful voice, backed by Laura Chavez on guitar, Dave Smith on bass and Steve Potts on drums and the super horn backing of Brad Guin on sax, Ken Waters on trumpet and Trinicia Butler and Kimberlie Helton on backing vocals. Funky, Tripping On You has solid commercial potential with a super melody, a hot bass line, crisp guitar soloing by Chavez and tight backing vocals by Butler and Helton. Another smooth R&B track, Hold On To Our Love, is really nice with warm lead and backing vocal, shimmery lead guitar and cool organ work by Rick Steff. One of my favorite tracks on the release is funky soul track, Deep In My Soul with an excellent beat, a super groove, organ ride, great horn punch by Guin and Waters and edgy guitar work by Chavez. Excellent! Crazy World is a great blues track with sway. Wilson shows some of his best vocal work on this track and Chavez working overtime over the sweet bass lines of Smith really make this track hum. Redhead Stepchild has a smoky, lumbering feel with a deep bass line and solid vocals. Chavez's guitar lines are particularly hot and funky against a deep dark background. Very nice. Wrapping the release is spiritual number, Couldn't Keep it To Myself featuring Wilson, almost acapella backed by Mitch Mann, Brad Guin, and Ken Waters on great vocal harmonies and Will McFarlane on guitar. Excellent closer for a really nice release. 

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Friday, May 17, 2019

VizzTone Label Group artist: Rick Vito - Soulshaker - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Soulshaker, from Rick Vito and  it's really cool. Opening with low slung Texas style blues number, She's Just Too Fine, Vito is hitting on every cylinder right out of the gate. His vocals are strong and his slide work great. Backed by Rick Reed on drums, this is a great opener. I Do Believe has a snappy, revival pace with drums on the 2 and 4. Vito's slide work is contagious with excellent tone and vibrato. Doggin' Around is a cool instrumental ballad with lead slide guitar and Kevin McKendree on organ. This is one of absolute favorites on the track with a smooth style and trademark slide. Very nice. Two stepper, Dancin' Little Sister has a great beat blending early rock and roll with boogie guitar. How can you not love this! Another instrumental ballad, Soul Shadow, features strong drums rhythms by Charlies "Mojo" Johnson playing in beautiful sympathy to Vito's excellent slide playing. Wrapping the release is an excellent remake of Sam Cooke's, A Change Is Going To Come. Vito is known as an excellent slide player and this release not only confirms it again, it shouts it. If you like sensuous and soulful slide guitar … and who doesn't... your going to love this release. Excellent! (Did I say excellent?)

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Thursday, May 16, 2019

VizzTone Label Group artist: Bob Corritore & Friends - Do The Hip-Shake Baby! - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Do The Hip-Shake Baby!, from Bob Corritore & Friends and I really like it. Corritore usually sticks pretty close to traditional Chicago style blues but not on this one. He's mixing it up but the mix is great. Opening with Shake Your Hips, Mighty Joe Milsap is upfront on vocals and they are rich and powerful. With Alan West on drums and percussion this track has a swampy rhythmic feel and Corritore's harp work is used like a sharp knife carving in essential riffs. Very nice. Alabama Mike leads on Gonna Tell Your Mother, a classic R&B track with Johnny Rapp and LA Jones on guitar, Adrianna Marie on bass, Fred Kaplan on keys and Brian Fahey on drums. With sassy backing vocals and a slick guitar solo, this track is swinging. Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry gets down, slow and gritty on You Better Slow Down. Corritore has his harp singing on this one over the classic guitar riffs of Perry and Rapp. Very nice. Up tempo shuffle, Trying To Make A Living features Sugaray Rayford upfront with Junior Watson on flat laid out guitar and Kedar Roy on bass. Corritore tees up another super solo giving this track that extra spark. Jimi "Primetime" Smith  sings I Got The World In A Jug in simple Chicago styling. Corritore stretches a bit on this one but as always, contains not dominating the show. Wrapping the release is Rayford again upfront on Keep The Lord On With You! This song is rich in vocal and meaning with excellent vocal, harp and with the excellent addition of Kid Ramos on guitar joined by Marty Dodson on drums and Blake Watson on bass. This is an excellent closer for a very strong release. 

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Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Acclaimed Guitarist and JUNO Award Nominee KEVIN BREIT to Release New "Stella Bella Strada" Album on May 31 from Stony Plain Records




Acclaimed Guitarist and JUNO Award Nominee KEVIN BREIT to Release New Stella Bella Strada Album on
May 31 from Stony Plain Records



TORONTO, ON -- Stony Plain Records is proud to announce the release of acclaimed guitarist and performer Kevin Breit’s Stella Bella Strada, his second solo album for the label, to be available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and all digital retailers on May 31. Retail CD sales commence June 7.



Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Kevin, himself, Stella Bella Strada marks his fourth release on Canada’s leading folk/roots label, Stony Plain Records (he also recorded two albums with fellow guitar whiz, Harry Manx). “Kevin Breit is one of the most creative and imaginative musician I've ever worked with,” says Holger Petersen, founder and president of the label. “What he brings is far beyond incredible guitar playing. He is a master arranger, composer and soulful visionary, whose tones and phrasing color his music with sophisticated, timeless concepts and good humor. To my ears, Kevin's music includes blues-based slide guitar playing with a heavy dose of Frank Zappa's compositional influence. But Kevin is his own man - there's no one like him!”

Breit has also worked as a touring guitarist and session musician with many greats, including Cassandra Wilson, Norah Jones, k.d.lang, Michael Kaeshammer, Celine Dion, Marc Jordan, Molly Johnson, Holly Cole, Rosanne Cash, Serena Ryder and the Rankins.

Breit has been honored with several awards, including a Maple Blues Award, Gemini Award, National Jazz Award, Canadian Folk Music Award and two Juno Awards for his own recordings; and he has performed on other recordings that have earned a total of 10 Grammy Awards.

His last solo album, Johnny Goldtooth and The Chevy Casanovas, was nominated for instrumental album of the year at the 2019 Juno Awards.

Stella Bella Strada loosely translates to ‘beautiful star of the road’ and is aptly named for a new guitar built by master luthier and grand friend, Joseph Yanuziello,” says Kevin on the album title. “Did I want a one-of-a-kind instrument that could offer a fiery tone and is capable of fitting in many genres? Yes. Did I want an instrument that was lightweight and didn’t require a chiropractor after every show? Yes. Did I want Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren peeking out from under the Mojo pickup grills? Yes. Did I want it to light up when it was in high gear? Yes. Did I want my initials on the tone and volume controls? Why not? So, this is where the road trip starts.”

Breit’s riveting album isn’t just a one-person project, even though he’s always at the helm. The release is enhanced by his staple of band members and special guests. “Andy McNeill, a longtime friend, supplied me with some all-time groovy Chamberlin and Optigan drum loops, which, in themselves, ooze so much character and vibe,” he says. “My fellow travelers would include the quartet I have been a member of for the better part of a quarter century, the Sisters Euclid - Ian DeSouza, Mark Lalama and Gary Taylor. Riding shotgun is drummer, Davide DiRenzo, another longtime friend. My brother Gary was also a big part of the ride, sitting behind the Wurlitzer and AceTone organ to provide that Las Vegas strip feel. The horn section consisted of the ever-fantastic, Rebecca Hennessy, Perry White, Tom Richards and Vincent Henry. William Lamoureux, a young Quebec-born violinist, weaves throughout the recording with much taste and musicality. There are two busloads of my musical friends playing and singing on Stella Bella Strada and it brought me great joy to have them all aboard.”

Breit adds, “On this recording, I wore several hats: producer, engineer, mixing and mastering. What I know of these things is somewhat laughable, but I loved every crazy second of it. I hope when you listen to Stella Bella Strada, at the very least, you will hear me smiling.”

West Texas Band The Iveys Prepares To Release Colors of Honey



West Texas Band The Iveys Prepares To Release Colors of Honey, Tour Dates Announced
Family comes first for El Paso based roots/Americana quintet

EL Paso, TX - The Iveys are gearing up for the release of their fifth studio album titled Colors Of Honey.  The band was formed initially by Arlen Ivey and sister Jessica Ivey Carr, and while that gave them a taste of performing and creating together, it wasn’t until bringing in three more members of their family — sister Jenna Ivey, brother Galen Ivey and brother-in-law Sammy Carr — that The Iveys felt truly complete. According to Arlen, “The music has a different kind of depth; the songwriting and the collaboration of Jenna and I together was something that was missing before. I’ll bring her a song that I think is good and, after adding her input, it improves the story and elevates the song. We have one track that is about following your dreams, knowing there will be tough times, but regardless of that, living life to the fullest and enjoying the adventure. Then there is another song that is about our great-grandparents and their love/journey through life. It’s interesting how the family aspect of the band has unintentionally come through in the songwriting and taken the music to another level.”

The Ivey siblings grew up on the family farm in the Rio Grande valley, the children of three generations of farmers. Their father raised cotton, alfalfa, and pecans, and owned a vast record collection which they often explored. Their influences are far ranging but the siblings can all agree on favorites Bob Dylan and The Beatles as well as modern acts like The Lumineers and First Aid Kit.  “We also get inspired by our personal experiences and the things we have each gone through,” says Jessica. Their influences are apparent in the new songs which are relatable, taking the listener through the joys and heartache of life, and weaving a story that spans the album. While the band identifies most with the Americana genre, it is easy to hear the blues, indie, and rock elements that wind their way into the melodies. The sibling harmonies and pure instrumentalism that make the music of The Iveys their own runs through the album from start to finish.

The release of Colors of Honey is on the horizon, just in time for the start of the summer touring season. The Iveys have the next six months cut out for them. 500 shows into their career, the band has a heavy tour schedule beginning in June, plus upcoming studio time in preparation for their next release in 2020. The band also releases a new live music video of a cover song each week as part of their “Tuesday Tunes” series. Everyone chalks it up to being one of the positive aspects of being in a band with your siblings; family comes first - not only on weekends and holidays but each time they pick up their instruments or load up the van for concerts across the country.



The Iveys 2019 Tour:
5/12- Mueller Farmers Market- Austin TX
6/1- Star City Studios (record release concert)- El Paso TX
6/6- The Ritchey Wine Saloon & Beer Garden- Alpine TX
6/9- The PourHaus- New Braunfels, TX
6/12- Mueller Farmers Market- Austin TX
6/13- Sanchos- San Antonio TX
6/15- Texas Farmers’ Market at Lakeline- Cedar Park TX
6/15- Salt Lick BBQ- Driftwood TX
6/16- Infamous Brewing- Austin TX
6/22- Two Docs Brewing Co.- Lubbock TX
6/27- County Line BBQ- Albuquerque, NM
7/3- State Line Barbecue- El Paso TX

Luca Kiella - Figure It Out - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Figure It Out, from Luca Kiella and it's very entertaining. Opening with piano boogie, Ten O'clock Blues Luca Kiella on piano, Dave Forte on bass, Rick King on drums and Aaron Weistrop on guitar lay down a super jam. Kiella also handles lead vocals and Unnecessary Mercenary has a great radio feel with a pop beat and solid melody. Country classic, I Can't Stop Loving You, gets a total R&B style remake and with a funky guitar riff and drum reinforcement, this may be my favorite track on the release. Kiella shows great vocal styling and Weistrop's riffs are blues fused jazz all the way and Kiella's Hammond work is tops. Very nice. Wrapping the release is nicely crafted ballad, So Many Questions. It has a strong early 70's Elton John feel and with only Kiella on piano and vocal, a super closer. 

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