Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (October 4, 2021), The Joy of Playing , from the Benjamin Schnake Ensemble and it's really cool. Opening with Marisol, a hot, South American style jazz number featurning multi instrumentalist, composer and arranger, Benjamin Schnake on nylon string guitar. Joined by Dave Pietro on alto sax, Tim Stuven on tenor sax, John Blevins on trumpet, Eric Quinn on trombone, Jennifer Wharton on bass, Santiago on piano, Gui Duvignau on bass and Paul Shaw, this track is an excellent opener. There is no denying the latin influence on this release, it's band leader being born in Santiego de Chile where he started playing guitar at 10. With a lighter touch, Fragment, features beautiful piano work by Santiego Leibson with Schnake on nylon string guitar Sunhyun Yoo on alto sax and Paul Shaw on drums. Beautiful. She's Gone is a bit more quiet yet features a stunning trombone solo by Eric Quinn and complimentary sax solo by Dave ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, B's Testimony , from Al Basile and it's a real cool mix of blues and jazz. Opening with Lucky Man , a lightly funky, New Orleans flavored track with loose drum rhythm by Mark Teixeira, Brad Hallen on bass and Bruce Bears on piano. Adding in a bit of rock to the blues on If All It Took Was Wishing , Basile on cornet works with Doug James and Doc Chanonhouse to get just the right sound. Funky blues, I'm Bad That Way features some real tasty guitar work from Kid Andersen under some of Basile's best vocals on the release as well as a real nice laid back cornet solo that flows perfectly. Horn backing by James and Chanonhouse give it just the right amount of soul. Andersen steps up early on Up Close And Personal Best with some real hot riffs and follows with some absolute stinging solo guitar lead and Basile's muted cornet soloing lays in the slot making this one of my favorites on the release. Shuffle, I ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Down Below , from Ted Hefko & the Thousandaires and it's strong. Opening with alt country track, Lay Your Problems On My Knee, Ted Hefko really comes out hard with a terrific track, sounding like a new formation of The Band. The writing is powerful, the vocals very good and with his own guitar work, Matt Galloway on guitar, Justin Carlo Davi on bass and Isaac Eady on drums, this is a great opener. Another track with strong country threads but in this case more of a rocker (think Dead Flowers), Hurtin' Too , Hefko is hitting on all cylinders. With Lynn Drury on backing vocals, this is quickly becoming a go to release. With a funky blues feel, Please Don't Refuse , is a total change of pace. Solid vocals, smooth organ backing by Beck Burger and solid guitar lines by Alex Mallet over rhythmic percussion by Michael Skinkus and horn work by Kevin Louis on turmpet this track is a sure bullseye. Ella Speed is a ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 24, 2021), Welcome Farewell , from Kris Gruen and it's a cohesive set of well crafted tunes using pop, rock, country, folk and blues attributes to create a interesting mix. Opening with Water Into Wine , a strong country rock tinted track with a straightforward melody, Gruen on guitar and lead vocal is joined by Rob Morse on bass, Randy Schrager on drums and Jack McLoughlin on steel guitar. Skyline Drive is a real nice track with a great melody and well blended vocals with Michael Flynn over the wailing steel guitar of McLoughlin. Very nice. The Painter is a really strong ballad featuring Gruen, accompanied primarily by acoustic guitar but with touches of trumpet by Probyn Gregory and percussion by Butch Norton giving it a Spanish flair. Wrapping the release is ballad, You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory ... a simple but powerful tune with piano and acoustic guitar backing. This is a serene release ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, L et Loose Those Chains , by Hector Anchondo, and I really like it. This is an unusual contemporary blues release in that it walks the line between acoustic, primitive style and modern, electric blues. Opening with title track, Let Loose Those Chains, Hector Anchondo on vocal and guitar, backed by Joe Corley on bass and Khayman Winfield on drums. This has a strong melody with only necessary guitar work, and terrific, sparce percussion. Excellent! Cool shuffle, I'm Going To Missouri presents a forward vocal by Anchondo, a solid bass line by Corley and light touch drumming by Winfield with a crisp electric guitar solo to balance the track. Very cool. Candy Shop really tails back to a more primitive approach with delta style riffs and slide on acoustic guitar over light touch on bass and drums. Anchondo sticks to the blues formula with prominent lead vocal, and well placed guitar soloing and I think it's great. One o...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release (September 10, 2021), from Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers and I really like it. Opening with One Condition , a blues rock n roller with a steady Chuck Berry like rhythm, Lindsay Beaver on drums and Brad Stivers on guitar share the lead vocal, Kirk Fletcher joins on guitar and Barry Cooke plays bass. Excellent opener.  With a strong Texas style lope, I Know What To Do is up next with Beaver really belting out the lead vocal and on drums, joined by Stivers on guitar, and . Joe Murphy on harmonica. The is another potent blues number. Up tempo swing track, Getting Gone , has Stivers up front on lead guitar and vocal. Beaver really holds a tight beat and with Cooke on organ Stivers really makes his guitar talk. Really nice. Another cool rocker, You've Got No Right , features Beaver on lead vocal and really plays to her vocal strength. Joined by Zach Zunis on guitar, this track has plenty of hot riffs to...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Just Say The Word, from Gabe Stillman and it's a solid blues release. Opening with slide exdplosion, Give Me Some Time , Gabe Stillman on guitar and vocal really gets it rockin. With Elmore James like flair, Stillman really ramps it up, backed by Colin Beatty on bass, Ray Hagen on drums, Taylor Streiff on B3 and the Texas Horns doing the rest. Excellent opener. R&B flavored, Let It Go , gives Stillman a chance to not only show his wares vocally but excellent guitar phrasing. No Time For Me has a lumbering pace and Stillman turns up the gain for a saturated tone on his guitar to grind over the full tone of Streiff's B3. This track has more rock but in the tone of a ZZ Top like jam. Very cool. Ballad, Heartbreak Makes A Sound , is a mellow, radio track, with solid vocals and guitar by Stillman, Streiff on piano and with a nice sax solo by Mark Kazanoff. Anson Funderburgh and Sue Foley take turns on shuffle, No ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Music Gets Us Through , by Brad Vickers and His Vestapolitans and it's a mix of blues and rocks styles. Opening with Dumb Like A Fox, brad Vockers on lead guitar and vocal is joined by Margey Peters on bass and vocal, Bill Rankin on drums, Jim Davis on tenor sax and V D King on bari sax. Jimmy Reed's Take It Slow slips into a Chicago style groove with Mikey Junior on harmonica and adding Dean Shot on guitar. With a shift to rag time style, Margey Peters is featured on lead vocal on Big Wind with Dave Gross and Vickers on guitar and with Charlie Burnham on violin. Nice job. Leroy Kirkland's slues shuffle, I'll Be Sittin', I'll Be Rockin' is pretty hot with Vickers up front on guitar and vocal and solo sax by Jim Davis. snappy drum work by Bill Rankin and with VD King on accordion. Wrapping the release is Alex Atkin's shuffle, When I Am Drinking , with Peteres and Vickers on duet vocals...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 17, 2021), Groove & Good Times , from Raphael Wressnig and Igor Prado and it's a blast. Opening with a funky jazz groove, Bill Withers' Kissing My Love , Raphael Wressnig on B3 is joined by Igor Prado on guitar and Yuri Prado on drums. This track is bound to make you squirm if not outright get up and dance. A blast right out of the gate, it's really hot. Another funky track, Isley Brothers'  I Know Who You Been Socking It Too switches gears but if you like funky B3, this is it! James Brown's Blues & Pants shifts into a JB like rhythm with snappy percussion and shared lead between Prado and Wressnig. As typical in some jazz/rock jams, occasional vocal phrases are thrown about by Wressnig and "Hot Pants" sums it up! Johnny Guitar Watson's blues track, You Bring Love has a great R&B feel with super vocal work by Igor Prado and Jenni Rocha. This is a really nice track ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 17, 2021), Rose-Colored Glasses Vol. 1 , by Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps and it's a smooth blend of blues, rock and R&B styles. Opening with Show Me How You Do It , Teresa James on keys and lead vocals shows why her newest releases are widely anticipated. With Yates McKendree putting up some real nice lead guitar, and backed by Jay Bellerose on drums, Kevin McKendree on B3, Paulie Cerra on sax,  this is a solid opener. R&B flavored title track, Rose-Colored Glasses , really has a nice feel that I would expect to garner strong airplay with some nice slide guitar work by James Pennebaker. With a cocky strut, Wish It Into The Cornfield features Anson Funderburgh playing up the guitar starch and McKendree's B3 giving flow under the horn work of Cerra. Goes without saying that James has a natural voice for this and she really works it on this track. Really nice. Dean Parks, well known session...

 I just had the opportunity to review themost recent release, Tell Tale Heart by the Avey Grouws Band and it runs the gamit from straight up radio focused, vocal tracks and some stiff, guitar blues balladry. Opening with rocker, Love Raining Down , Jeni Grouws on lead vocal and rhythm guitar takes the lead, with Chris Avey driving the train with agressive lead guitar riffs, Randy Leasman on bass, Bryan West on drums and Nick Vasquez on keys. Crisp opener. With a strong guitar fed, R&B style Bad, Bad Year has a real nice feel. Avey has just the right amount of  gain and saturation to get a nice growl out of his guitar and Grouws vocals are sassy and powerful. Avey sets off on a gritty blues rock solo which gives the track a stinging kick. Title track, Tell Tale Heart , is a bluesy ballad with a wide open floor for Grouws to shocase her vocals and she really does a nice job. Avey's guitar soloing on this track is the stuff that guitar heroes like Gary Moore are made of wi...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Heavy Shoes , from The Cold Stares , and it's a solid hard rocker. Opening with heavy bottomed, Heavy Shoes , and it's as solid a rocker as you'll hear. With it's crisp drum snap by Brian Mullins and growly guitar line and vocal by Chris Tapp it's a solid opener. 40 Dead Men kicks up the pace but the dark, heavy vibe is ever present and cool. It's hard to believe that all of this sound is coming from 2 guys. Hard Times is another solid track with a strong guitar vamp and heavy drums. Strange Light is a more Zep like rocker with a great lead drum focus. Tapp's guitar isn't really flashy, staying primarily on the lower frets but this is some powerful stuff. He breaks loose on lead guitar but again, not running up the fretboard to deliver his lead. Very cool. Prosecution Blues is heavy and lumbering but right down the middle of the blues highway. Delivery is still fat and driven... a really n...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Facination , from Walter Egan , and it's a straight ahead rocker. Opening with, I'm With The Girl , Egan continues his legacy of rock standard country fused songs. With his alt country voice and his strong musical sensibility, he's right on track. Solid opener. Miss Pamela , a pop rocker should get strong radio airplay with it's uptempo rhythm and catchy melody about historic super groopie Pamela Des Barres. With a cool doubled vocal lead, Y esterday Forever & Today is one of my favorites on the release. It's smiple rhythm and strong melody really hits dead center. Country flavored, Fading Love is another of my favorites with it's total country (not pop country) attitude. With it's simple, honest approach to music, this track is terrific. Early rock styling and a bit of country gives Treat Me Nice a nostalgic feel. It's early country/rock slant gives it real appeal for me. Wrapping the ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Drowning In Blue , from Until The Sun and it's a cool blues rocker. Opening with title track, Drowning In Blue , finds Bruce Jensen on lead vocal and bass, and Brandon Teskey on lead guitar, backed by Alyssa Swartz on vocal and Chris Tex on drums. With amostly straight line rock feel, a dash of metal and a tad of blues, this is a solid opener.  On Shadow of the Valley , Tesky dons a slide and with a more rural feel lays down a contemporary blues track. This track has a bit of the rawness of the Stripes or Keys but with just a bit more complexity and polish. Rock ballad, 1,000 Miles Away follows a blues rock formula with cool vocals and fluid lead guitar lines by Tesky and a firm bottom by Jensen and Tex. Swartz has the mic on prime radio track, Burning Home, a country influenced blues number showcasing her solid vocals. I like Tesky's guitar solo on this one not only demonstrating strong phrasing but clean techni...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Not What I Bargained For, from The Livesays , and it's a cool power pop rocker. Opening with driving rocker, Two Sides , Billy Livesay on lead vocal and guitar has a solid radio sound with influences of the likes of Elvis Costello, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. Backed by Victor "Cuqui" Berrios on organ and vocal, Tim Murphy on piano and vocal,  Jorge LaPlume on bass and Howard Goldberg on drums. Title track, What I Bargained For is a strong radio contender with a super melody and straight ahead rock character. One of my favorite tracks on the release is In A Small Town with it's pop folky approach. With Livesay on acoustic guitar and lead vocal, simple piano by Murphy and with the addition of pedal steel by Dana Keller it has simple beauty. Better Angels has an interesting melody and harmonies over a solid, straight ahead beat. I like the slight key change accent giving the track that hint of compl...

 I just had the opportunity to review the newest release (August 13, 2021), Little Girl Blue , by Nina Simone and it's terrific! This is a classic album which was originally recorded in 1957 by the then 24 year old Simone on her first recording outing. This release has been remastered and engineered by Michael Graves and Cheryl Pawelski and the vinyl (180g blue or black) cut by engineer, Kevin Gray. Opening with Ellington's, Mood Indigo and opens with Simone showing that she really knows her way around the keyboard having attended Julliard. In this hot jazz improvization, she really swings in with potent piano lines and great offset vocals, joined by Jimmy Bond on bass and Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums. Excellent opener. Don't Smoke In Bed , a Willard Robinson composition, finds Simone singing the blues with only a bed of piano as a light accompaniment for the most part and highly tense at the end of her phrases. Masterful. Another terrific blues, He Needs Me ,...