Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Kamama , from Carly Harvey and it's pure blues. Opening with a blues wail, Native Scat , Carly Harvey on vocal really creates an environment, joined by Walking Eagle on guitar, Coleman Williams on drums and Mark Williams on bass. Powerful opener. Soulful, Misery is an excellent track from the old school format. With Harvey on vocal, backed by Dana Nearing and joined by Mike Tony Echols on bass, Deren Blessman on drums, Jonathan Sloane on guitar (with a wicked solo), Wes Lanich on keys, Danny Davis, Mario D' Ambrosio and Kevin Cerovich on horns, this is an excellent track. Rich blues, Take Your Love , really showcases Harvey's vocal style with full horn backing by Davis, D'Ambrosio and Ben Ford on horns and rich keys by Daniel Clarke on keys. Slone shines on guitar again with a deeply soulful solo and with Sean Hurley on bass and Deren Blessman on drum makes this one of my absolute favorites on the release....

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Playing Out The String , from Arlen Roth and it's great display of Arlen's acoustic guitar talents. I've been listening to Roth since early in his career with tele in hand and this is a cool and interesting departure. Opening with Gus Cannon's Walk Right In , Roth on vocal and guitar sets a more pop pace but the album gets pretty deep in acoustic/blues presentation. Norman Blake's Randall Collins is a terrific track with fleet fingered playing accompanying Roth's vocals. Very cool. Brownie McGhee's Gonna Move Across The River gives Roth a great opportunity to play acoustic slide on a terrific country blues track and Townes Van Zandt's classic, Pancho and Lefty is a strong addition with melody handled purely on guitar. Very nice. Louis Jordan's crowd favorite, You Can't Get That Stuff No More , features Roth on slide acoustic and vocal. Blind Blake's rag track, Diddy Wah Diddy ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Just Deserts , from Jim Eannelli , and it's a real nice helping of rockabilly, rock, folk and blues. Opening with 29 Women , a strong rocker with a definite defiant swagger, leading the way on guitar and vocal, backed by Rob A Bell on bass, and Bill Siebert on drums. A potent track and brilliant opener. On Train From Chicago , Eannelli melds folk and blues for a really nice sound. His vocals are soulful and and guitar work selective but pointed. With Peggy James backing vocals and Tanin on keys, this is another strong track. With a western spin, I Want To Be Your Man is another stand out track with a two step rhythm adding harmonica by Lil' Rev and melodic guitar lead held tight by a simple drum rhythm. Another track with a country influence is Old 97 with it's chord driven melody. This is as radio driven as you'll hear on this release but it is well written and performed with nice over laid guitar lead an...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Four , by Dennis Herrera , and I really like it. Opening with shuffle, Can You Feel It , Dennis Herrera on guitar gets things rolling with Lee campbell on drums, Rich Wenzel on B3, Sid Morris on piano, Frank DeRose on bass and Jack Sanford on sax. Strong opener. Up tempo boogie track, Blues and Roll is strong with raggedy vocal by Herrera who leads on guitar, and Bill Bates. Campbell holds the bottom tight on drums and cool piano by Wenzel adds texture. Great driver. One of my favorites on the release is rag tag, Tenderness I See with it's dark, Hill Country sound. Herrera's vocals are perfect for this kind of track, with added percussion by Gordon Peeke, and with super backing vocals by Tony Jones and Nina Mac and Sanford on sax, this track is off the hook. Preskitt is a super shuffle with excellent bass lines by Bill Stuve and nice sax work by Jorgenson. Fluid guitar lines really lay in the groove, accenting Her...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, New Orleans Sessions , by Blue Moon Marquee and it's New Orleans blues, simplistic and raw. Opening with Memphis Minnie's Black Cat Swing , BMM hits the ground running with Danny Abrams on bari sax and BC Coogan setting the tempo for lead vocal work by Jasmine Colette who also plays bass. AW Cardinal on rhythm guitar and Nicholas Solnick on drums rounds out the troop for this enjoyable track. Charlie Patton's lively Shake It and Break It features Cardinal on lead vocal and guitar. A true party rocker with honking sax work by Abrams and a cool upright solo by Colette, this track jams. Slow blues, What I Wouldn't Do , features Cardinal on electric guitar and belting out the blues. With rolling piano work by Coogan and meaty sax work by Abrams, this track wails. A rowdy take on St James Infirmary hosts Cardinal on lead vocal and guitar and highlights the firm piano work of  Coogan and Abrams deep sax work ma...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ooh Yeah! , by Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne , and it's a full plate of Boogie Woogie. Opening with title track, Ooh Yeah! , a cool piano boogie, Wayne really rattling the piano and lead vocal joined by Joey DiMarco on drums, Nick Succi on bass, and Jimmy Bowskill on guitars. Solid opener.  With a New Orleans flavor, Baby, I'm Your Man has a shuffle rhythm by DiMarco Succi, and full horn support of Kaven Jalbert on tenor sax, Remi Cormier on trumpet, Mathieu Mousseau on bar sax and of course strong vocal and piano by Wayne. With a potent strut, Wishing Well is a soulful track really showcasing Wayne's vocals as well as some real nice guitar riffs by Bowskill, backed by Ian McKeown on drums. I really like Honey, Honey, Honey with it's rolling feel, piano/vocal lead by Wayne and and potent horn backing by  Jalbert, Cormier and Mousseau. Wrapping the release is That Crazy Monkey , a cool blues rocker wi...

  Chicago Blues Master Linsey Alexander July 23, 1942, Holly Springs, MS.- February 22, 2025, Chicago, IL. Linsey Alexander's family has confirmed that this Chicago blues master passed early this morning. Sad sad news for the blues community and for our Delmark family.  Linsey Alexander: 822 - Linsey Alexander -  Been There Done That 838 - Linsey Alexander -  Come Back Baby 851 - Linsey Alexander -  Two Cats 862 - Linsey Alexander -  Live at Rosa's       LINSEY ALEXANDER is a classic Chicago bluesman, and has been a fixture on the blues scene since he arrived in 1963. He was born on July 23rd, 1942 in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Linsey learned to play the guitar at an ...