Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Morning Star , from Thomas Heflin and it's a smooth, pop jazz effort led by trumpet player Thomas Heflin. Opening with title track, Morning Star , the Slavic translation of Heflin's wife's name. Heflin on trumpet, is backed by Gregory Tardy on sax, Dan Hitchcock on tenor sax, Peter Stoltzman on keys, Aaron Matson on guitar, Steve Haines on bass, Xavier Ware on drums and Jorge Luis Torres on percussion. With a step up solo by Heflin and a fluid sax solo by Tardy, this is a solid opener. Interlude is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's jagged rhythm pattern and adventurous trumpet lead by Heflin. Haiku has a really cool intro ... just Heflin on trumpet derived from a jazz favorite, Stablemates by Benny Golson. As the track progresses, Tardy lays in some really adventurous sax lines, nice trumpet improvisation by Heflin and a strong bass lead by Haines. The Moon Singer is inspired by a book by...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bluish Tide , from the Kristen R. Bromley Quintet , and it's cool and versatile. Opening with swinging, Pillar of Fire , band leader and guitarist, Kristen Bromley shows her chops with fluid lead runs and cool rhythm lead, joined by Ray Smith who lays down a solid solo of his own on sax, Steve Erickson who really does a nice job Matt Larson on bass and Jay Lawrence on drums. Tandem lead guitar and sax and a cool off time rhythm really gives Faith Preceded My Miracle a real leg up making it a firm platform for potent soloing from Bromley, Erickson and Smith. Title track, Bluish Tide is a soft swinger with dual sax/guitar melodic lead. Opening into a bop solo stage, set by Larson and Lawrence, Bromley sets up some of her tastiest lead work on the release. Smith lays in a nice sax solo and Erickson's piano work really grooves.  Bromley's rich chord work on the intro of Latin influenced, Paint Me a Picture My Love...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Crown , from Eric Gales and it's powerful. Opening with Death of Me , a solid blues rocker with metal overtones. With a heavy drum stamped bottom by Greg Morrow and Lemar Carter this track has real swagger. Gales has never been bashful about throwing heavy guitar riffs out there and this track is no exception. His Jimi influence is ever present but not overtelling, backed by Joe Bonamassa on rhythm guitar, Josh Smith on rhythm guitar and Michael Rhodes on bass and backing vocals by LaDonna Gales. Very cool. I really like soul track, Stand Up with it's radio quality. Gales really shines on vocals on this track with it's super melody and with it's rich bass work and backing vocals by Jade McCrae, this track is strong. Another track with a heavy bottom is Survivor and it's lumbering feel lays open a grand floor for ultra fluid soloing by Gales. A lush guitar chord laden intro on Too Close To The Fire rea...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, October is Marigold , by David Cross and Andrew Keeling . This is a very interesting release spanning classical, rock, progressive and even eurojazz. Cross, who has played violin with King Crimson and Keeling who has collaborated with Robert Fripp are together for their second composition as a follow up to their earlier 2009 release, English Sun. This is largely improvised music so more difficult to describe in a traditional way, but it is mind expanding and enjoyable and should be viewed as a singular piece of music with many interwoven movements... so here goes. Opening with Marigold 1 , Keeling on piano presents a simple piano structure composed of two chords and Cross plays a beautiful melody on Violectra. Very nice. On title track, October is Marigold , Kelling again constructs a structure on keyboard but then interweaves layers of flute.  As the theme progresses, Cross adds electric violin to the weave for a ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Savage's Life , from The Sugar Roots and it's a strong blues rocker. Opening with Going Nowhere Fast , a solid boogie, Chad Rupp on lead vocal and harmonica really pumps it up with excellent guitar support from JT Thomas, Samuel Gendler on piano, Timmer Blakely on bass and Chandler Bowerman on drums. Excellent opener. Title track, Savage's Life is really impressive with Rapp laying down some of the most supple vocals I've heard in quite a while. I've always been partial to Bobby Tench (Jeff Beck Group) and Rupp, who's voice is cut from the same cloth is great. With only the minimal of backing instrumental, a tight little guitar solo by Blakely and great backing vocals by Melanie Owen, Lisa Mann, Karen Lovely and Rae Gordon, I love this track. Funky, Rain Checkin' , is really cool with a bouncy bottom courtesy of Blakely and Bowerman and Lloyd Jones really shines on guitar with hot horn backing ...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (January 28, 2022), blues approved , from Sam Moss and it's jam packed with soulful, Muscle Shoals/Stax influenced blues. Opening with Rooster Blood , a blues rocker featuring Moss on lead vocal, bass and guitar, and backed by Mitch Easter on drums is a great start to this release. On King of My Hill , Moss shows how soulful his vocals can be with a strong similarity to Gregg Allman and horn backing by Crispin Cioe. A strong R&B style track with that pure, country soul feel really makes you think it's right out of Alabama. Vida Blanche is one of my favorite tracks on the release with it's Keith Richards/Stones attack, solid slide playing and strong sax work by Cioe. Very cool! Mike Bloomfield's, If You See My Baby really swings right in there giving moss an opportunity to show a bit more diversity both vocally and on guitar. Joining on bass is Henry Heidtmann and Ted Lyons on drums with Wezo Wesolowski...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Bigman , from BIGLLOU Johnson and it a solid R&B / blues set. Opening with Lightnin' Strike , an up tempo blues strut, BIGLLOU stylistically speaks the story, backed by Mark Early on sax, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, Bill Overton on clarinet and Dwight Dukes, Terrence Grayson, Ellison Hall, Amanda Joyce, keith Sweat Monique Whittington and Monico Whittington on backing vocals. With a rumbling bass and crisp harmonica wailing by Russ Green, Chill On Cold has a great bluesy feel. Shucky Ducky (Quack Quack) has a tight Latin rhythm courtesy Ricky Nelson on drums and Kalyan Pathak on percussion and the addition of Anthony Dopsie on accordion adds a special texture. BIGLLOU had a terrific, deep voice and that timbre really comes through on this track. I Got The Fever is my favorite track on the release with it's slow, thick oozing blues. BIGLLOU really grinds out the deep vocal like nobody can and with nice pian...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Screaming Into The Void , by Brandon Tesky and it's quite enjoyable. Opening with title track, Screaming Into The Void , band leader and guitarist lays down a cool rock blues rock riff backed by Chris Tex on drums and Jon Nadel on bass. Establishing this solid instrumental, Tesky opens up with a cool onslaught of blues lead making this a solid opening jam. Blues progression, Vertigo on the heights of Desire is a cool, blues ballad with Tesky again at the lead on melodic guitar lead, backed by Will Kyriazis on keys and Tex on drums. With it's beautiful melody, this is a very cool track. King shuffle, Side Tracked , has a distinctive Freddie King vibe showing Tesky's blues knowledge and solid dexterity. Dance of the Fiddler's Bitch is a cool blues rocker blending SRV style swagger with more contemporary guitar riffs, Changing keys as Tesky rolls from phrase to phrase, I can definitely see Frank Marino influ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Drink More , from The Country Well and it's an interesting change of pace.    Opening with light country influenced, Gifted Spirit , featuring Graham Guest on vocal and guitar, and Bob Hemenger on sax. Cool opener. Another country pop track (think JJ Cale) with an interesting weave is Wigwam . Guest again leads the way on guitar and lead vocal, backed by Lyle Evans on bass, and Josh Kelly on drums. With a Bootsy Collins like bass bottom by Evans, and a firm cowbell by Kelly, Big Country Love is a cool groove. Michael Batdorf has the lead on vocal and Adam Rossi on keyboards really dig in. one of my favorite tracks on the release is ballad, Drinkin' and Smokin' featuring michela French on lead vocal and a nice sax solo by Hemenger. Wrapping the release is title track, Drink More , a cool, bluegrass track featuring Michela French on lead vocal. With Guest on guitar, Mark Karan on guitar, Don Zimmer on guitar, ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Fortuna Redux , from Fred Hostetler and it's a cool slide of the blues. Fortuna Redux was a form of the goddess Fortuna in the Roman Empire who oversaw a return, as from a long or perilous journey. Opening with Taming The Wolf 2 , Hostetler uses a modified Hill Country construction style with a droning guitar/bass tone driving the track with overlayed electric guitar riffs and a tight drum beat, and Howling Wolf like howls. Actually very cool. Solid melodic construction on Rain On My Window Pane 2 anchors an acoustic blues and vocals with electric slide guitar wailing in overlays and fine vocals by Hostetler. Very nice. Haunting ballad, Lady Luck Fortuna Redux is another solid composition with a strong melody. This track is distressed yet very likable with a nice mix of slide guitar and organ. Wrapping the release is driving blues rocker, I'm A New Man , which is so lively that it sounds celebratory. Good closer ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, There's Something About the Night, by Scott Ellison and it's packed full of blues and a lot of fun. Opening with loping boogie, Half A Bottle Down , Ellison shows great guitar swagger and solid vocals. Backed by Rick Robbins on rhythm guitar, Lou Castro on bass, Robbie Armstrong on drums and Jon Greathouse on keys, this is a solid opener. On Bobby Blue Bland's Ain't No Love , Ellison shows great soul on vocal and lays down some stinging guitar riffs, backed by Ginger Blake, Maxine Waters, Julia Waters and Oren Waters on vocals. Very cool. Swinging shuffle, Bury Your Bone At Home is a strong front runner for popular track with it's clever lyrics and excellent overall feel. Another loping Texas style boogie, Meat and Potatoes gives Ellison a nice opportunity to lay down some cool slide work, joined by David Bernston on harmonica. Slow, TBW style, Good Year For the Blues , is my favorite on the release w...

  I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Listener's Circle Vol. 50 Waiting For A Train , from Music Maker Foundation and it's very cool. Opening with Railroad Blues , J.W. Warren accompanies his own vocal on acoustic guitar. This is a very classic style blues performance and great opener. Another terrific performance from Carl Rutherford playing guitar and vocal on Shasta Daylight with it's Bluegrass styling gives the release another dimension. Very nice. Two Trains Runnin' is done to perfection by John Dee Holeman with his soulful vocals and just the right amount of echo on his electric guitar. Taj Mahal performs Spike Driver Blues in classic Mahal style with piedmont finger picking and story telling pace. Very nice. George Higgs on harmonica and vocal performs Ruby , totally unaccompanied. Excellent! Playing banjo along with his vocals, Samuel Turner Stevens lays down Railroading and Gambling . With it's jangle and symmetry, it ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (January 28, 2022), One My Way , by Katie Henry and it's a cool helping of pop, rock and blues. Opening with title track, On My Way , Katie Henry on lead vocal, guitar and piano shows why her first release, High Road was nominated by Blues Blast and IBMA  and ended up on the 2021 Blues Caravan. With it's contemporary take on a delta riff, blended with a rock beat, this is a solid opener. Another track with a delta style riff, woven into a contemporary blues rocker is Bury You with Antar Goodwin on bass, Ben Rice on guitar, Kurt Thum on piano and organ, and Greg Wieczorek on drums. Rocker, Got Me Good has a driving beat and radio styling with vocals along the lines of Stevie Nicks without Nicks' signature warble. With warm organ backing by Thum, the definite pick for top pop track. Harmonica ace, Giles Robson sits in on Too Long , a bottom heavy blues rocker. His melodic lead along with Henry's vocal lead, ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Moment To Lose , by The Old No.5's and it's a contemporary rocker. Opening with We're Here , a smooth instrumental with a slide guitar melody by Brock Alexander with minimal support by Adam Walker, this release is off to a cool start that serves as an intro to explosive, Same Old You . Continuing with slide, rhythm and vocal by Brock , Olie Bowden on bass and vocal, Adam Watson on percussion and vocal, Taylor Smith on guitar, Howard Mahan on guitars and TJ Erhardt, cool pair. Driving rocker, Rock and Roll has terrific energy and a cool guitar riff under solid vocals. This track has a lot of guitar bot upfront and understated. Nice job. Shuffle track, Purdy , has the attributes of a radio track, paired with dual lead guitars ringing back to southern rock roots. Easy, melodic lead guitar work by Alexander, Smith and Mahan gives the track a nice contrast between the smoothness of the melody and interwoven guitar soloi...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (January 14, 2022) Outside the Box , from Mike Nagoda and it's an interesting blues rocker. Toronto based, Nagoda, was born with Cerebal Palsy and identifies as a queer, disabled blues and roots musician. Having a difficult time mastering guitar in a conventional fasion, Nagoda approached Toronto bluesman Brian Cober who developed the art of double slide where a slide is worn on two separate fingers creating an unusual effect. Opening with shuffle track, He's My Man , Nagoda wastes no time in displaying his sexuality, which was quite common with early blues although primarily heterosexual in nature. Joined by Liam Ward on harmonica, Nagoda showcases his double slide techniques. Pretty cool. With a slinky, kinda funky bottom, courtesy of D'Arcy Cain on bass, Jeremy Ronson on drums, Here To Stay has a rocky feel with Nagoda on guitar, vocal and Hammond. Slow, 8 bar track, Busker's Blues , features a nice guit...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (January 14, 2022), Digging In John's Backyard , by Grant Dermody & Frank Fotusky and it's a solid acoustic blues release focused around the work of mutual friend, John Jackson. Opening with Blind Blake's Hey Hey Daddy Blues , Fotusky takes the lead on guitar and vocal. This is a springy, Piedmont style track with a solid harmonica solo by Dermody and continued super picking by Fotusky. Another Blind Blake track, Police Dog Blues has Dermody on lead vocal and guitar with some really nice stylistic harmonica riffs. One of my favorite tracks on the release is slower paced, You Better Lie Down with focused vocals and wailing harmonica by Dermody and tasty blues riffs by Fotusky. Rev Gary Davis' classic, Death Don't Have No Mercy is another of my favorites on the release featuring Fotusky on lead vocal and guitar. I've always loved this track and with understated harmonica  throughout and a rich s...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Do Right, Say Right , from Mississippi MacDonald and  I really like it. Opening with easy shuffle, I Was Wrong , Mississippi MacDonald is firing on all cylinders with a great soulful voice and fat, BB King like guitar phrasing, joined by Phil Dearing on keys, Elliot Boughen on bass and Mark Johnson-Brown on drums. One of my favorite tracks on the release is funky blues, It Can't Hurt Me with it's Albert King influenced guitar riffs and MacDonalds solid vocals. Organ and horn accents throughout buy Dearing really punch up the track and aggressive bass lead by Boughen adds real bottom. Check out the tasty guitar lead on Drinker's Blues . MacDonals's fat bends and double stop accents really sets this track with strong backing vocals by Lucy Dearing. Slow Blues, If You Want A Good Cup Of Coffee is another of my favorite tracks on the release. MacDonald has a really solid voice, no taking away from that but wh...