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Bad Hair Day – Live
Bad Hair Day, now there’s a name and a half for a band! And this is a nice CD containing 10 tracks recorded during rehearsals at Wingray Farm by a band which has grown out of the Hot Hob Jam at Brentwood’s Pam’s Bar, that melting pot of talent which is proving to be something of a spawning pool for new bands. The band comprises two excellent guitarists, Tony Myers and John Edmonds, who also shares vocals, Stevie King on bass & vocals and Roger Woods on drums and it is evident from the outset that these guys know their stuff as they effortlessly tackle rock, jazz, funk and swing numbers, all to great effect. The opening track is a good rocking version of “I Can Tell” and is followed by the stuff of fantasy, “Black Drawers”, which swings along at fine speed and features excellent guitar from Tony. Major change of pace & style for track three, the gorgeous “Dream Girl”, six and a half minutes of gloriously measured stylishness which builds beautifully and offers up some fine guitar playing from both Tony & John, demonstrating their contrasting styles very well. Funky stuff is the order of the day on “Put The Shoe On The Other Foot” which leads into an all time favourite, “Seventh Son” and a slow and very moody “Sitting On Top Of The World” which again sees the guitarists in fine form. I am really enjoying this, such great variety. Keeping the mood laid back, next up is “Eyesight To The Blind” and then its up on your feet again for “Travelling South” and “Too Many Drivers” before rounding off in fine style with a great version of “Key To The Highway”. This is a great introduction to a new combination of musicians, most of whom are familiar from other bands and who really seem to have gelled most impressively in this incarnation. The playlist on this CD is very varied including, as it does, both familiar and rarely heard covers, all very effectively and interestingly handled. I hear excellent reports of their live performances as well and think we should be hearing quite a bit of Bad Hair Day. Now where did that name come from?! Bad Town Blues – Down in the Alley
Bad Moon Records BMCD 1010 Clive has a very distinctive voice and this is perhaps at its best on ‘Right This Time’ which also features some really fine tight horns arranged by Mike Thorne at whose studios the CD was recorded and who also mixed the whole thing as well as playing drums on some tracks. Clive also excels on the very entertaining ‘New Age Blues” which features him playing some great slide guitar as well as delivering lyrics with which everyone of a certain age can readily identify. ‘Life in the Slow Lane’ gives Ray Bartrip the opportunity to demonstrate what a very good pianist he is as well as the fact that he has a very fine voice. The lyrics again strike a chord with anyone who is in what is eupemistically referred to as middle age! It is another nice feature of this CD that the vocals are more or less equally shared between Clive & Roy, to great effect. If you like instrumentals, then there are loads to choose from including the title track, an uptempo romp written by Adam and the excellent ‘Late Night Creeper’, another of Adam’s compositions which demonstrates his self-confessed addiction to Big Walter Horton. There are also some fine boogies which cannot but have your feet tapping such as ‘Summerland Boogie’ and the excellent ‘Chigwell Fats Boogie’ ‘Grape & the Grain’ is another fine number which has shades of ZZ Top with Clive on both vocal and guitar duties and demonstrating his rock roots as well as delivering more well observed lyrics. It is perhaps somewhat ironic that, as Adam told me when he and Clive played live on Digital Blues on Phoenixfm in October 2002 and we gave exclusive first radio plays of some tracks from this CD, Adam started off learning guitar and was taught by Clive but he then heard a Howling Wolf track at a friend’s house and, in a road to Damascus moment, resolved to become a harp player. He bought a harp songbook and subsequently had lessons from Errol Linton and Paul Lamb and has he learned well! Adam’s playing throughout is top flight without being showy or over emphasised. Clive has played with many people over the years including the Tom Robinson Band and himself made an excellent CD back in the mid-90’s produced by Ray Marquis. He is as at home with rock, boogie woogie, slow blues or acoustic magic, a very talented guitarist as well as a gifted writer and singer. Ray Bartrip, or Chigwell Fats, has played with so many different people over the years but his main claim to fame is being part of the Worrying Kynd, a top club band back in the Sixties. He is an extremely accomplished keyboard player, vocalist and writer who, like Clive, is equally at home playing out and out boogie, slow, moody blues or anything in between. Anyone who has seen this band will know that when any individual has a solo there is no clash of egos, each player makes room for the soloist and patiently awaits his turn. Very refreshing. If you have not seen them, then you should not miss any opportunity you have to do so soon. If there is any justice, this band will rise to the upper echelons of the Blues and their CD cannot fail to please whatever your taste. I cannot remember a more wide-ranging and varied debut CD and I keep playing it over and over. So will you. For details of the band’s gigs, personnel and how to get this superb CD, visit their new website at www.badtownblues.com © Ashwyn Smyth – January 2003 Blue Touch - Bump A new CD from Blue Touch which follows on from "Grind". Do I detect a theme here? Of course the band’s talented, sexy and crowd pleasing vocalist, Andrea Maria is now "bumpless" following the birth of her daughter, Anna. Plus, since "Grind", the band have a new guitarist, Neil Sadler who also takes the vocals on one track. With 12 great tracks, all covers, this is a damn good reminder of Blue Touch as they are live and offers a fine variety ranging from the seductive Cray/Clapton song "Old Love", Lieber/Stoller’s rocking "Kansas City" which features Neil Sadler, an excellent mid-tempo blues treatment of Tom Waits’ "Way Down in the Hole", one of a number of tracks that features some lovely guitar work, Otis Redding’s soulful "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long" underpinned by some gorgeous guitar reverb (I don’t know the technical term!), Johnny Winter’s "Black Cat Bone" done super funky style followed by Rufus Thomas’ classic "Walking The Dog", given the Blue Touch touch, some real old style blues with Alfred Fields’ "County Jail" featuring a guitar riff which has shades of Deep Purple & Led Zep about it and one of four tracks which sees Alan Cleave on vocals. The CD opens with a cracking version of Al Green’s oft covered "Take Me To The River", which has positively Peter Gunn guitar intro to it, and also features no less than four Robert Johnson songs, "Stop Breaking Down", "Steady Rolling Man", "Rambling" and the wonderful "Crossroads" which opens with and features some gorgeous slide guitar and pounds along at a great pace. Blue Touch pride themselves on the eclecticism of their set lists and this is more than justified by this excellent CD. Listening to it has brought back loads of great memories of seeing them live and made me eager to see them again, soon! With three people taking the vocals, there is loads of variety whilst the twin guitars of Alan Cleaves & Neil Sadler ensure contrasting guitar breaks and interpretation and enables the band to approach songs from different directions. The rhythm section of Merv Griffin on bass & Hugh Lawrenson on drums keep the whole show rock steady. The CD was recorded at the No Machine Studios in Wokingham which, by good fortune, Neil owns and runs!!! He engineered and co-produced and a fine job he and everyone else involved have done! Blue Touch’s "Bump" certainly does not grind on the ear! Bullfrog Blues Machine – Blue Tattoo
From Holland comes a CD by the Bullfrog Blues Machine, “Blue Tattoo” and what a CD! The sleeve opens out to a four page spread and inserted in one page is an 8 page booklet. Copious colour photos plus biographical details about band members Hans Klerken, Chris Janssen, & Mark Spronk, (guitar/vocals, Bass guitar & keyboards respectively) Poor old Harry Steverink the drummer does not get a mention other than a playing credit but then I guess that’s the lot of drummers the world over!!!! The CD contains 12 very varied tracks, most of them written by Hans, but with three contributed by Chris and one by Mark. This is a most interesting collection which I have enjoyed listening to, especially as many of the lyrics embrace such thought provoking topics as marital struggles (“I Can’t Quit You Baby” a smashing number with a driving bass line and nice keyboards), racial intolerance (“Just Take Care”, a number very much in the Essex Delta style with wailing harp and driving guitar riff which every time I hear it reminds me of the AM5 with keyboards!), what Hans describes as “war-pigs” and “peace-dogs” (“Who’s Fooling Who” a fine up tempo number again featuring wailing harp from guest Ben Bouman) and one which the sleeve describes as being for “blues musicians and all alienated and homeless people” (“Change Your Ways”, a lovely slow blues) The Hectic Horns are heard on two tracks, one of which, “Simple Life” is a fine romp whilst there is almost a West Indian feel to “John’s Barn Beer” dedicated to a good friend of the band who “brews delicious beer”! “Boogieman” has an almost John Lee Hooker feel to it as well as some great keyboards. “Laid Back” is what it says it is, laid back so far that it is almost horizontal – the song is dedicated to Mark’s first car, “an old orange Ford”! This is certainly a band that would go down well here in Essex and, I venture, all over the UK. How nice it would be if we could see them playing over here. Thanks Chris for sending me the CD. I really am enjoying it and I hope in time others will too. Find out more at
www.bullfrogbluesmachine.nl www.munichrecords.com THE CADILLAC KINGS – HIGHWAY 17 – ‘33’ RECORDS 33WM131 Where to start! A new CD from the Cadillac Kings is always welcome and this one is an absolute cracker! It has been some time coming what with the departure of guitarist Paul Morgan and his replacement by Oliver Darling but boy was it worth the wait! ‘33’ Records is a highly regarded jazz label who include Stan Tracey, Clarke Tracey, Tina may & Don Weller amongst their artists and label boss, Paul Jolly, evidently a man of impeccable taste, has taken a shine to the CK’s and included the CD in the “roots/world music” section of his catalogue. It was recorded at the label’s Koolworld Studios in Luton, the engineer for the session being Dave Wooster, until recently the chief concert soundman for Van Morrison, and what a great job he has done. To me this CD captures superbly what the band is all about, great danceable rhythms, wonderfully, often very witty lyrics, superb musicianship, but above all FUN! From the word go, the gauntlet is laid down with track 1, “Bombshell Blonde”, the opening words could equally apply to the band – “My baby’s got the power” so has the band! All but two tracks are originals with 9 being vocalist and occasional slide guitarist Mike Thomas’ work, superb harp player Gary Potts is credited with one whilst the bands great keyboard and accordion man, Mike Adcock shares credit with Mike on one track and takes sole credits on another. The rhythm section of Orlando Shearer on bull fiddle and Roy Webber drums are as solid and tight as ever, keeping the whole thing throbbing along like a good old Detroit V8! Newboy, Oliver darling, is a revelation. Despite his tender years his guitar playing is stunning and always spot on! He always has the right musical phrase at the right time. I know I will be seen as biased but this is the real stuff. Great rollicking instrumentals such as “Hilde’s Hop” and “Hardtop Boogie”, the Cajun roots of the two “Poorboy” Mike’s are displayed in “Money Talks” whilst Mike T produces lyrics which are worthy of the likes of the real old time bluesmen and women on the innuendo laden “Who’s Bin Lickin’ My Chicken?” “Trick of the Blues” is a Mike Thomas classic, full of the wry humour which is his trademark. The two covers are of the T-Bone Walker song, “She Is Going To Ruin Me” and Champion Jack Dupree’s “Shake Baby Shake”, taken at about twice the speed of the original but one that will have those dancers up on their feet, both excellent cuts but for me the original material is the dog’s doo-dahs! And keep listening after the “end” of the final track, although officially timed at just under three and a half minutes there is a live track featuring Gary on vocals and harp, Mike A with rollicking keyboards, Roy drumming up a storm and Oliver’s guitar unobtrusively ensuring the rhythm continues to drive on whilst Orlando contributes a smashing bit of double bass playing. After some stage announcements there follows what I think must have been some studio fun and games, well worth a listen. This then is the CD of the year for me, the one I cannot take off my player, the one which is a perfect pick me up and is guaranteed to get you on your feet, or if you are chair bound to have the old leg jumping! Another superb CD from the Cadillac Kings! © 2004 Ashwyn Smyth Custom Built – Pete G & the Magnitones Now here’s a question. What do you get when you take one of the UK’s top harp players, put him in a studio with a damn fine backing band and then get some great guests to join in? Well it sounds to me as if that is a situation custom built for a superb CD and that is just what we have here! Pete Welland’s second CD was released earlier this year and it really is a cracker. Pete is not only a top harp player but is also blessed with a great voice and he uses both talents to great effect on this 14 tracker all bar one of which are penned by Pete and/or the Magnitones drummer, Dave Sims plus one great instrumental, ‘Southill Stomp’, credited to the Magnitones. The only cover is, unsurprisingly, Little Walter’s ‘Don’t Have to Hurt No More’, a man whom Pete acknowledges as one of his major influences. This CD is a very good taster of what you will get if you catch the band live, something you really should do if you have not done so. Although you won’t get the saxes of Nick Lunt and Lee Badeau which are featured to such effect on tracks such as ‘Another Chance With You’ which also features another of Pete’s great influences, West Weston on piano, or the backing vocals of Fran Wood which grace tracks such as ‘Mend This Broken Heart’, you may well be fortunate enough to catch guests such as West Weston and/or Laurie Garman who share harp solos with Pete on ‘All My Friends Are Here’. The CD offers variety aplenty with tracks such as Dave Sims’ ‘Another Chance With You’ coming straight from the ‘50’s, superb harp lead romps such as ‘High Spendin’ Mama’, the wonderful ‘Bossman, Bossman’ or the delightful country blues ‘I’ll Be Lovin’ You Tonite’. Yup, this a CD which is an essential addition to any Blues aficionado’s collection. Get it at gigs or from the band’s website www.magnitones.com. However you get it, go out and get it! © 2003 Ashwyn Smyth Danny Bryant’s RedEye Band – Shadows Passed – Blues Matters! In a month when some excellent CD’s reached me Danny Bryant’s second offering on the Blues Matters! label, “Shadows Passed” stands out. This contains all self penned material and a fine variety there is. From the haunting opening title track through to the gorgeous nine minutes of “Danny’s Blues”, the final track, this CD serves to reinforce how Danny has progressed over the last year or two since his first CD. With the introduction of keyboards on numbers such as “Sleep Alone”, a glorious track whose heart wrenching lyrics will strike a chord with anyone who has gone through a relationship break-up, the trio sound is broadened to great effect although, back in trio format, these tracks play just as well live without the keyboards. Two of the tracks on the CD are dedicated by Danny to Kirby, the haunting and beautiful “One Look”, a fabulous acoustic number which I just keep playing over and over, it is so gorgeous, and “Where The River Ends” which opens with glorious guitar and builds with soaring keyboards and glorious Danny Bryant guitar. There are great up tempo numbers such as “Play To Win (Born To Lose)”, powerful, almost rock ballad style tracks such as “Movin’ On Back To You”. Track seven, “Going Back Home”, starts off with wonderfully “scratchy” old style acoustic guitar before breaking into a typically Danny Bryant rock blues gem. Danny’s talent is undoubted and his ability and skill grows every time I see him. Word of his great music is spreading and his name is becoming such that he draws bigger and bigger audiences. And yet he has at times to work hard to fill venues in areas where he is less well-known. If you have a chance to catch him live, do not hesitate to grab that chance, I cannot believe that you will be disappointed and you will have availed yourself of the opportunity of seeing a young man who, along with a handful of others, represent the future of British Blues. And buy the new CD, stick it in the CD player, sit back with your favourite drink and enjoy over three quarters of an hour of glorious, imaginative and beautiful music from Danny Bryant’s RedEyeBand. An excellent second CD from Danny and he and everyone involved with this CD should be proud of what they have produced, this will surely be a treasured part of the record collection of fans and should serve to win Danny even more in the future. The CD is available from Amazon.com and from www.bluesmatters.com or at gigs, which is another good reason to go and catch Danny live! © 2003 – Ashwyn Smyth Danny Bryant’s RedEyeBand – Covering Their Tracks – Blues Matters! BMRCD20046 The eagerly awaited new CD from Danny Bryant, his third on the Blues Matters! label, sees a bit of a change from this oh so talented young man. After the entirely self-penned “Shadows Passed” which some felt was not Bluesy enough, Danny reverts to a mix of covers and original material, the covers being some of the band’s favourites. And so we are treated to 10 fine tracks which include an excellent version of Mr C’s “Old Love”, Popa Chobby’s “Nobody Loves Me Like I Love Myself” Eddie Boyd’s classic “Five Long Years” which features a lovely guitar solo from Danny, done on the first take, a “Hendrix Jam” with Danny and the band jamming in familiar territory, “Blues Before Sunrise”, Leroy Carr’s great number which sees Danny playing some great slide “inspired by Elmore James”. The standout cover for me, however, is a superb version of Dylan’s “Girl From The North Country” with Danny using an arrangement he learned from his mentor, Walter Trout, to stunning effect. Danny’s guitar literally sings on this track and it is one which I regularly put on repeat play! I love it when Danny gets into this territory, where the volume comes down and he coaxes the sweetest, lilting, ethereal sounds from his guitar and the audience can do nothing but hold their breath and allow the music to wash over them. The original material, although restricted to four tracks, stands up very well and suggests again how Danny’s song writing skills have moved on. “This Is The Blues” is a wry, tongue-in-cheek riposte to all those who “tear musicians apart for doing what they love”. You cain’t play the blues if you ain’t been down that road! Nice one Danny! It will strike a chord with many who hear it! “Lean On Me is described by Danny as one of the “favourite songs which I have written” and he dedicates it to his lovely and patient fiancé, Kirby. “Time (To Say Good Bye)” is described as “my attempt to write and play a song in the style of “ Walter Trout and not a bad one either whilst the final track is “Memories”, dedicated to Danny’s grandmother who passed away in 2003. It is one of those fabulous instrumentals that Danny does so well – remember “Purple” on “Watching You?” This is equally gorgeous although there is a phrase in it which reminds me of something else but I can’t think what!!! Soaring and powerful, this is great to chill out to! Overall, a good and varied CD, very much in the Danny Bryant style, and one which will please his many fans and should win him some more. Mention should also be made of the original artwork on the sleeve. Good work by those concerned! © 2003 – Ashwyn Smyth David Gogo – Live at Deer Lake – Cordova Bay
Newly arrived from Canada is a live CD from David Gogo, a guitarist, singer & songwriter who has been winning awards and great reviews left right & centre. Digital Blues reviewed David’s CD “Skeleton Key” a while back and I was very pleased to receive this new offering, “David Gogo Live at Deer Lake”, sub titled “Official Bootleg Series Volume 1”. This CD contains a great mix of David’s own compositions and covers and serves to demonstrate that the skill and power that is present on his studio recorded material is, if anything, even greater in a live situation. Gogo’s own tracks sit alongside songs by Muddy Waters, James Brown, Willie Dixon and BB King, all given the Gogo treatment. This a really good collection of live Gogo and includes “Sweet Little Angel”, “Louisiana Blues” and a fabulous 10 minute version of “Hoochie Coochie Man” as well as great live versions of David’s “(Just Ask) Jesse James”, “Soul Fever” and the previous CD’s title track “Skeleton Key”. If you liked his studio CD you will love this live one and even if you have not heard the previous CD this is one hell of a good live CD. © 2003 Deja Blue – One Of A Kind – No Label Deja Blue are an Essex band who have been around for a while, quietly making a name for themselves. After recent personnel changes they have ventured into Ray marquis’ Farm Studios to record what I think is their first studio CD. The result is a fine 12 track collection of 11 covers and one original which captures what Deja Blue is all about and conveys very well their authentic sound and approach. Deja Blue comprises father & son pairing Johnny Kieran on vocals and guitar, John Jr on guitar, Tom Mccree on harp, TC on bass and Malcolm Pounds on drums. The CD features a good mix of tracks opening with some fine harp from Tom on “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”, a really good way to kick things off. Other songs covered include Peter Green’s “Merry Go Round”, John Lee Hooker’s “Big Legs, Tight Skirt”, a couple of Bo Diddley cuts, “I Can Tell” & “You Can’t Judge a Book By The Cover”, Elmore James’ “Just Got To Leave” and Otis Span’s “Temperature Is Rising”. Tom comes to the fore again on Little Walter’s “My Babe”, a favourite of the band. The track penned by Johnny, “That Other Man”, sits well amongst these covers. This CD is a good record of a good band and will, I am sure, be a popular addition to many fans’ collections. Deservedly so, Deja Blue are typical of the many fine, unsung bands plying their trade in the pubs and clubs around Essex and the rest of the UK and, based on this CD and live gigs I have attended, they should be playing at more venues than they are. And happy birthday to Johnny who just turned 60! Congratulations. © 2004 Delta Moon – Goin’ Down South – Delta Moon Records – Deep Rush Records – DRD2000 Delta Moon took the UK by storm during a short tour back in 2003 and did the same with their recent return visit which they described on their web-site as the Re-taking of England. I don’t think anyone who loves fine music put up much resistance! So here we have the band’s third CD which follows the fabulous “Delta Moon – Live” a CD so full of energy that you can unplug your CD system and it will still play! The new CD is somewhat more restrained but none the worse for that. With 11 tracks, there is a good mix of original material as well as some more unusual covers including a fine mid-tempo take on J B Lenoir’s “I Want To Go”, a track that sees Gina Leigh singing some great phrases in unison with guitar, most effective. The title track is a delicious version of R L Burnside’s “Goin’ Down South” with Gina & Tom Gray’s harmonies underplayed by an insistent guitar riff which gives way to the twin slide guitars of Tom & Mark Johnson playing off against or is it with each other. Gorgeous. Perhaps the most surprising cover is a fabulous version of the David Bowie/Iggy Pop song “Nightclubbing” which is underlaid by the most wonderfully sleazy & atmospheric brushed drums and bass over which the slide guitars ooze and sinuously entwine themselves around Tom’s gravely vocals and Gina’s harmonies. This is the track to which I keep coming back, I just love it. The remaining tracks are penned by band members in various combinations or with the credits being shared by others. Standouts for me are “Stone Cold Man”, written by Tom, Gina & Mark and featuring some beautiful fiddle from Vassar Clements, Tom & Mark’s “Poplar Grove”, a delightfully gentle acoustic number which features some lovely close harmony singing and dreamy guitars and a lovely country style “That’s All She Wrote” which has Gina in cowboy boots, chaps & a frilly shirt (OK I can fantasise!) and features some fine Dobro playing from Mike Aldridge. The song was written by Gina & Mark. “I’ll Die Trying” is a fine up-tempo number penned by Mark & Tom and has drummer Scott Callison drumming up a storm in a very restrained and effective manner and features an instrumental break which sees Jon Schwenke’s bass joining in with the fabulous slide guitars to superb effect. “Nobody Knows”, a number credited to all the band members, starts out with Gina singing in unison with a guitar and creating an almost Indian sound, wonderful, this track has, for me, distinctly psychedelic tinges that definitely takes me back. All in all it seems to me that this is Delta Moon moving their music forward again, retaining their love for the Blues but bringing in country, Indian and all sorts of other influences to superb effect. I would urge everyone to get hold of this CD, I am sure you will enjoy it. It is a big contrast to the live album so don’t expect more of the same, but nonetheless a great collection of songs. This is 43 minutes of pure delight from a band who have retaken this Englishmen without a drop of blood being spilt. As one of the lines of the very first track say, “It’s alright by me”, very much so. They call their music “traditional blues with a twist” and “Delta billy”, I call it wonderful and I am over the Delta Moon John!! © 2004 Don Brewer Blues Project – Voodoo Soul Blues From Southport, Maine comes a CD brimming with a variety of Blues styles, all very well executed. The Don Brewer Blues Project was conceived by Don Brewer in 2002 in Maine after he had spent 20 years playing blues in New York and Boston. Don also worked at Media Sound in NYC as an assistant engineer with luminaries such as Miles Davis, The Rolling Stones, Steve Khan, The Bee Gees and Scandal. With each of the 8 tracks written by Don Brewer, who is also the man whose guitar & vocals lead the band, the album opens with a couple of West Coast swing numbers (“Out Last Night” & “Can’t We Get It Right”) before a complete style change to a lovely slow bluesyrock number, “That Way”, one of number of tracks which features some nice organ and keyboards from co-producer of the CD, Bob Colwell, and another one with a slide guitar fest “New York Blues”. “Downtown Woman” is another lovely slow number which Don dazzling with some power guitar and harmonica player Tommy O’Connell blowing some beautiful and haunting harp underpinned by shimmering Hammond, a tour de force this track. It’s off to Chicago for “Hurricane, Hurricane”, another fine track with perhaps a degree of added relevance after the blandishments of Katrina and her compatriots. “Foolin’ the Blues” is a mid-tempo rocker featuring more lovely Hammond as well as sax from another guest,, Pat Pepin. The CD concludes with “Dance” a very jazzy number featuring some nice harp from Tommy, some cool piano from Bob and really encapsulates the whole CD in that it demonstrates very well the breadth of skill that all the musicians on this CD possess with their ability to play convincingly in so many different styles. Having named three of the musicians on the CD it would be churlish not to congratulate drummer Marc Perez and bass player Ronny Arsenault who whatever the style, keep the whole thing going most effectively. All in all a most enjoyable collection of original material from a band who, on this showing, would be good to catch live. Visit the band’s website at www.donbrewerbluesproject.com Dump That Chump – Live at the BBC – Radio Suffolk Blues Mini-Fest Dump That Chump are a North Essex/Suffolk based band who seem to specialise in producing live CD’s and this one is of a high standard recorded as it was by the good folk at BBC Radio Suffolk, one of the very few BBC local radio stations who show a genuine interest in and provide support to blues & real r’n’b bands in their area. Congratulations must go to Stephen Foster & the crew for all their efforts but also to the band, John Skelley on vocals & slide guitar, Ian Wall on lead guitar, Ian Rowe on harp, Mick Hanmore on bass, John Benham on drums and Ken Drew on piano. This CD is definitely live and unlike many such CD’s includes a fair number of stage introductions to the numbers plus plenty of evidence of the fact that everyone was having a ball! The playlist opens with the song after which the band are named, “Dump That Chump” which is dedicated to “the Suffolk girls” who are “the best in the World” and is a fine swinging number that introduces the band to us. Track 2, “Sunnyland” fades in and features some excellent slide guitar from John whilst “One Sweet Letter” is a jive style number with vocals which suggest that Elvis is alive & well in Suffolk! “Stray Cat Strut” is a lovely cover of this classic and is followed by “Fine Brown Frame” which sees Ian blowing his heart out on harp. The band features an excellent Jimmy Reed song, “Annie Maybe” next, played to an almost reggae rhythm followed by Robben Ford number “Start It Up” which starts off at a slower pace to give us all a breather before changing up a gear or two for a brief overtaking manoeuvre then back to cruising speed, a pattern that is effectively repeated throughout the song. The band’s repertoire is hugely varied as next comes a Nine Below Zero number, “Soft Touch” which again features some lovely harp from Ian. Two to go and next up is a Duke Robillard number which suits the band very well called “Jumpin’ Rockin’ Rhythm” and gives all members the opportunity to give their all! I bet the crowd went wild when this was played, you can almost feel the condensation running down the walls! All too soon it is time for the last track which is the band’s cover of “Hole in the Wall”, a Bill Wyman & the Rhythm Kings number which finishes to long and loud applause and Stephen Foster’s accolade “so hot they blew a fuse”! This is an excellent record of a band who just love playing live and very clearly have a ball doing so. The set list features a very varied list of numbers and sources which produces a nice variety of material and anybody who buys this CD can be sure that they will have a ball listening to it and even more so if they also catch the band live. E2 Blues Band - Demo East London Band, the E2 Blues Band describe themselves as sounding like “John Lee Hooker backed by the fabulous Thunderbirds” playing “an energetic mix of quality blues, funk and ska”. As if that was not enough to get me curious, I read on and discovered that front man, Cliff Campbell’s first blues band included the likes of Sam Kelly, Giles King & John Kettner. His new band is made up of as yet uncredited music professionals and the line-up includes drums, harp, bass, guitar and keyboards. Judging by this demo, the band play excellent “covers” but also do some nice stuff of their own which is in the vein of nublues artists such as Michael Messer. The four tracks on the demo comprise a wonderfully mean and moody “I’m Ready” which displays vocalist Cliff’s deep vocal register to great effect. This is followed by “Blues at Sunrise”, a beautifully spare version of this great number with some lovely guitar picking and keyboards, five and a half minutes of sheer heaven! Third up is one of my all time favourites, “Baby Please Don’t Go”, which is played at a slightly slower tempo than we are perhaps used to, a most effective version. Last is one of the band’s own compositions which definitely falls into the nublues category reminding me of the work of artists such as Little Axe, Rick Holmstrom and Chicken Legs Weaver. This is definitely a band to watch out for. You can hear the three cover tracks from the band’s demo at
http://www.btinternet.com/~john_mc_mahon/E2BLUES/Demosongs/demotracks.htm © 2003 EARL GREEN – A DIFFERENT PICTURE
Snakestone Records – SBQ04305CD - 11 Tracks -50.05 I have long admired Earl Green, a man whose singing career has seen him with some of the top bands around.. So a new CD stirred some considerable excitement and it was not unfounded. Working with Jake Zaitz who plays guitar on the CD, Earl has put together a CD containing entirely original material which is both varied and highly enjoyable. He has also gathered around him a selection of musicians which is attribute to the respect he commands in the industry. As well as Jake, Earl is accompanied by Richard Simmons on keys, Jeff Walker on bass and the excellent Evan Jenkins on drums. Guests include Matt Schofield, guitar, Paul Lamb, harp, Nick Payn, saxes & alto flute, Matt Winch, brass, Andy Hamilton, sax, Paul Garraway, conga & percussion and a trio of backing vocalists, Sylvia Arthur, Charlene Kays & Alex Bailey-Dumetz.. The varied material on this CD gives Earl every opportunity to show that his voice is still as strong and rich as ever even as he approaches his 6th decade. Make no mistake, this is not a pure Blues CD but rather a fine collection of material which combines some great Blues & r’n’b with some funky stuff, some pure soul and plenty more. Particular favourites for me are “She’ll Eat You Up”, a rollocking romp featuring the lovely harp of Paul Lamb, the mid-tempo horn infused soul of “Let That Someone In”, the slow & moody “I Crossed The Line”, the wonderful shuffle that is “Don’t Mess With Me” featuring Matt Schofield, the slow but funky “I Don’t Want This To End”, you’re right, I don’t! But end it must and what a way to finish, a helping of gorgeousness with “Day Dreaming” which features Nick’s at times atmospheric and at times incisive flute and builds gradually with all the musicians having their moment! This track purports to be over 8 minutes long but in fact ends at just under 5 minutes. Patience is rewarded at around 6 minutes with Earl accompanied by acoustic guitar singing back porch style, sounding for all the world like one of the original purveyors of the Blues from way back when, a total contrast to the rest of the CD. This is fine CD and a welcome release from a man whose apparent gentleness belies the strength and power of his wonderful voice. Definitely a CD to add to your collection, highly recommended Guy Tortora – Jefferson Drive – Turtledove Records – GTX CD02
As I look through the CD’s that have come in for review over the last few months I am struck by the fantastic variety of the music on them. None more so that this wonderful CD from London based, Pasadena, California native, Guy Tortora with his excellent band. This is Guy’s second CD and is subtitled “Blues & Other Stories” which is a bit like the Ronseal ad, it is what it says on the sleeve! 13 tracks, wonderfully varied, displaying Guy’s great songwriting and guitar picking skills and also the skills of his regular band, Brendan Canty on bass, Neil Littman on drums and the wonderful Janos Bajtala on keyboards, including some very tasty Hammond B3. Gems such as the incredibly laid back, jazz tinged and beautifully acoustic “Two Fried Eggs” which always makes my mouth water when I hear it. “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” the only cover has this wonderful feeling of four guys sitting in a room having a great time, whilst “Two Wrongs” opens with some haunting guitar playing and Guy’s relaxed vocals which builds slowly as the rest of the band joins in. This is one of a handful of numbers that sees Mike Thorne sit in on drums. Track 7, “Done Got Over”, sees things becoming more funky with some lovely Hammond from Janos and some more great guitar from Guy. Oh I love this CD. “Watch Over Me” is back to slow and moody and acoustic with some lovely slide guitar. It also sees the man who produced and recorded the CD, Richard Studholme, playing bass, he pops up again on the country tinged “Sometimes She Cries”, this time playing mandolin, is there no end to this man’s talents? There is more fabulous slide on “Early In The Morning”. The CD culminates is a lovely six minute plus mid-tempo track “Blues Take Me Home” which again sees Richard on bass, Steve Thorneycroft on drums, Andy Cleveland, who also plays bass on three other tracks on backing vocals, joined by, Frankie & Bex, who I believe are Guy’s daughters. This song builds to a climax that has a positively gospel feel to it. Every track on this CD is gorgeous and Guy should be very proud indeed of what he has produced and I have no hesitation in urging you to get your hands on a copy and go catch Guy live, his live performance is every bit as bewitching as this CD, if not more so. © 2004 HAIR OF THE DOG – PUTTING THE RHYTHM BACK IN THE BLUES – NO LABEL – 15 TRACKS – 64.05 I first became aware of Hair of the Dog around 18 months ago. With roots in the well known Southend band, the Legendary Undertakers, they have recently played their 100th gig and released their debut CD and wow, what a cracker! Writing about the first time I caught the band live I said “I came away from this gig having really enjoyed it and with a sense that I had heard something really rather different but not really knowing how it was different.” The guys describe themselves as “A Blues/R&B band unlike any other” and they are not wrong. This CD simply confirms my original opinion and contains 15 tracks, of which three are originals, and offers an astonishing variety of material. The band’s Essex roots are strong and very potent but there is so much more on offer and for me, throughout the whole piece, the guitar playing of Big Pete Gale is the standout. Like the material the band play, his playing is multi-faceted and spot-on. Although a very dextrous guitarist, he is not a member of the how many notes can I play per second school and effortlessly slips from frantic Essex style numbers such as “Key Love”, a superb thrash that defies you to stay still to the beautifully laid back original instrumental, “Adelaide Blues”, no doubt named after the studio where the CD was recorded and the mean, moody and utterly gorgeous 9 minutes of sheer bliss that is “Driftin” which sees Pete in all sorts of moods, every one superb! I think this is the standout track for me because all four members of the band shine, Del ‘The Toad’ Stoton’s vocals range from a growling sotto voce to a speaker shaking tornado, Stephen “Cupsey” Cutmore, recently joined drummer formerly with Booze’n’Blues, is laid back and absolutely immaculate with his drumming which, along with Jeff ‘Gnat Bite’ Read’s rock solid bass, provides a perfect foundation to Pete’s guitar. The CD opens and closes with a brief instrumental “Scuttle Buttin’” and then lays down the band’s credentials with a fabulous Hookeresque “La Grange” , “I Drink Alone” is a great rollicking number as are the excellent “You Don’t Love Me” and “Sugar Turns to Alcohol”, a cautionary tale if ever there was one! Both these tracks feature Del on harmonica and the former features him on jaws harp as well! The self penned “Hair of the Dog” is a great number which contains a verse in which Del introduces the band in song! Nice touch! And listen to the ends of the tracks, especially track 15 – it ain’t over till its over! There are some lovely touches and the tracks finish rather than fading out! All in all this a terrific CD, very enjoyable and a good record of a good band and certainly one I shall be playing loads. Hershey & the 12 Bars - Welcome to Hershey Not yet released - Abacabe Label It is, for me, a great honour to be asked to review a CD which is still in the making. What I have is a real exclusive, an unlabelled copy of the master of a soon to be released offering from the uniquely off the wall Hershey & the 12 Bars entitled “Welcome to Hershey”, rather apt for a band whose first CD was called “Greatest Hits Volume 2”! This is a rather special collection of tracks for a number of reasons because, although this is a new CD, the cuts on it date back to the 80’s. Of the 14 tracks, 9 are studio recordings which, Richard Shirman (Hershey) tells me were put down in one day in the Autumn of 1986 with the aid of a polypin of Wadworths 6X (other ales are available!) and another aid or two which served to ensure a pleasant relaxing day was had by all! (No, don’t ask!) They were recorded “live” and mixed by Richard the following day whilst the remaining five tracks were recorded live on April 25th 1989 at the Prince of Orange in Lower Road, Rotherhithe, one of the top London jazz venues. For the technically minded, Richard tells me that the live tracks were recorded using a cassette player/recorder which he extracted from his home hi-fi unit (probably a Technics 615) to which he connected a couple of well travelled AKG microphones which were placed either side of the stage and off they went. Considering the somewhat low-tech procedure, the end result is not bad at all. I know that Hershey & the 12 Bars are not to everyone’s tastes but what is impossible to ignore is the astonishing number of highly talented musicians who have at one time or another been part of the 12 Bars. We usually talk of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers as being the band that all the greats have played in but if you look at the list of musicians on this collection, there are some pretty great names including Nick Payn, Andy Hamilton and Frank Mead on saxes. One time members of the Twelve Bars have also included Sam Kelly, ‘Molly’ Duncan, Ashley Slater and Mel Collins as well as many others who are now spread around bands such as Nine Below Zero & Paul Cox’s Band. And what a great collection these talented players bring us on this CD. The opening track is “Angel of Mercy” which first appeared on the Blues in Britain 2001 CD and which gives a foretaste of what is to come. “You Upset Me Babe” starts off with an almost Latin rhythm and introduces us to the most wonderful “big” brass sound and features the first of a number of gorgeous trombone solos which have me thinking of Rico Rodriguez from Jools Holland’s band until I remember that Rico was not much more than a boy when this was recorded!!!!! And that Hammond, it turns my legs to jelly! There follows a moody and smoky slow Blues, “How Blue Can You Get”, featuring some more great Hammond playing from Dave Lennox plus some sax to die for, in fact I think I have actually died and gone to heaven! Six and a half minutes of pure magic. “Asked My Woman”, by contrast, clips along at a fine pace and gives Richard a chance to put his very individual voice to the fore. “44” features a brass section that recreates a totally in tune drunken chorus behind Richard’s vocals and harp as well as Jimmy Roche’s cool guitar, all to great effect. “Back at the Chicken Shack” is an excellent instrumental which features more great brass with Richard Simmons breaking loose on piano and again one draws inevitable comparisons with the Jools Holland big band sound, and that is absolutely no criticism, quite the opposite. The tempo slows right down again for a great version of “Nobody Knows You When You Are Down & Out” which features another wonderful trombone solo which is followed by some moody guitar. “Money’s Getting Cheaper” is a fine pacy number whilst “Tiger in Your Tank” should have been used for an advertising campaign!! Back in the days of that campaign the suggestive lyrics would have been lost on us innocents! And so to the live tracks and they are unmistakably live, but none the worse for that. OK, the balance is not what it could be but considering the method of recording and the lack of sophistication, at least by today’s standards, the recordings stand up very well. There is a lovely, really live feel to them which is often missing from modern “live” recordings. Richard introduces “Paying For It Now” as being a cautionary tale for young and innocent men like him!!! and this is followed by a great solid version of “Born Under a Bad Sign”. Next up is a track which is over seven minutes of pure glorious blues, the slow and gorgeous “Sweet Sixteen” with the audience conversation in the background simply adding even more atmosphere. More fabulous trombone here from John Bennett, cool keyboards from Richard Simmons, microphone fumbling from Hershey? wailing sax from the amazing Nick Payn, and all the while Chico Greenwood and Al Maclean keep a rock steady rhythm on drums and bass. The penultimate track is “Playing in the Dirt”, another fine ensemble piece and then we are at the end having turned full circle as we are treated to a live version of the opening track “Angel of Mercy”. What can I say about this CD that is not apparent from the foregoing? To say I like it is just slightly an understatement. OK, so the tracks are at least 15 years old, so what? The CD contains some absolutely superb musicianship from a band comprising musicians who have gone on to reach the top of their profession and if for no other reason than that, this is surely a must for the collection of anyone who is serious about British Blues and its development. Richard Shirman is unique in the genre, capable of writing very witty lyrics, performing with an energy and gusto which belies his poor health and above all else, producing music which is supremely individual. There are, therefore, many reasons for buying this CD, not least the fact that Richard needs the money!!! More importantly, this is an excellent CD which captures very special music from a line-up which is unlikely to be seen or heard again although how cool would it be to reassemble the musicians that play here one more time? Now that would be something! © February 2003 IAN BRIGGS & THE SUPERVAMPERS - BLUES AVENUE Cobalt Music – CM001 - 13 Tracks - 53.41 Perhaps best known for the sterling work he does sitting alongside Michael Roach, Ian has been playing blues harp for more than 40 years and has been involved with many top UK & US artists. Something I did not know was that Ian has been playing with his band, The Supervampers for some 10 years and judging by this CD they have a very exciting dynamic which produces an excellent sound whatever “style” they are playing. Featuring a great mix of vocal and instrumental numbers evidencing the wide-ranging interests of the band the tracks span the whole blues & jazz spectrum. A variety of vocalists adds even more contrast and variation. Ian dedicates the opening track, a fine up-tempo track called “You’re The One I Play My Harp For”, to his wife whilst the original instrumental which follows, “Strut” features some superb sax & muted trumpet which lend a smoky ‘50’s vibe. Title track, “Blues Avenue” is a lovely down tempo number with some gorgeous Hammond from special guest Anders Olinder who also features on the funky but short “Intermission Riffs I, II, III” which intersperse the CD at various points. Next up is a glorious Andy Christie slow number, “Broken Heart” featuring the superbly soulful vocals of another of Ian’s guests Maggie Reeday together with great sax and harp. Total change for track 6, the highly danceable “Pontiac” which features some fine rocking harp from Ian. Then it is back to a smooth smoky and delicious slow blues “Dangerous Women”, another of Ian’s own compositions featuring some lovely chromatic harp from Ian and great Hammond from Anders. Then we have a wonderful track called “Leaning on the Shovel of Life” which features a harp instrumental very much in the Sonny Terry mould and Ian’s whispered vocal which repeats the song’s title over and over. No harp player of Ian’s calibre and skill can fail to give acknowledgement to a certain Mr. Horton and Ian doffs his cap with a most unusual slow and gorgeous version of “Easy” – shivers down the spine time for sure! The variety continues through the last two tracks with the Latin flavoured “Mean To Me” written by guitarist Andy Christie and which features a lovely vocal from Sarah Randle and the glorious standard “Wonderful Time” which sees Ian at his harp blowing best and in a distinctly jazzy mood as he recounts that he “sure had a wonderful time last night, at least they tell me I did!”. Great harp is intermingled with lovely sax and this is a fitting finale to what is a wonderfully varied collection and one which is warmly recommended. For me it is great to hear Ian playing with his band and clearly having a ball. “Blues Avenue” is a very enjoyable stroll through Ian’s musical world Innes Sibun – Farmhouse Blues I have heard much of Innes Sibun but never had the pleasure of hearing him before so it was with great anticipation that I received this CD, another new release from Blues Matters! as former Robert Plant guitar man, Innes Sibun makes what I believe is his first, and long overdue, appearance on a UK record label. 11 excellent tracks of which 8 are Sibbun originals with writing credits on two of them being shared with daughters Amy and Daisy (one track each) which is good to see. The CD kicks off with a real rocker, the funkiest track on the CD and features lyrics mostly written by Amy. Next up is “Speak To Me”, a fine shuffle which leads into a soulful slower paced number, “So Tired of Living” which features some great guitar as well as a lovely tempo change towards the end of the number. And so to the first cover, “Don’t You Lie To Me”, a number with a wonderful ‘50’s vibe with loads of vocal reverb, rocking piano and guitar, oh yes, you can’t sit down to this one, pull on the drainpipes, curl that quiff but don’t step on my blue suede shoes! A complete contrast with the gorgeous slow & moody instrumental “Desert Rain” which, for me, conjures up memories of the likes of Jonathan Butler & George Benson. Innes says in the sleeve notes that he “wanted to write a chill out jazzy Blues number” and he has, very successfully. The track is dedicated to saxophonist Danny Sheppard “who recently lost his battle with cancer”. This is a fabulous track, possibly my favourite. It back to funky stuff with “Natural High” featuring lyrics courtesy of Daisy Sibbun and another number for moving to with some lovely bass work from Duncan Leslie. “Mid Life Crisis Blues” is a very pleasant surprise as it is an excellent acoustic number featuring Dobro & mandolin plus guests John Fenlon on harp and Wade Edwards on double bass and lyrics with which all those of us of a certain age will readily identify. A lovely cover next as Innes stamps his own style on “All Your Love” whilst fully acknowledging the original, nice brass from Ben Plocki & Owain Parker. “I Must Be Crazy” is another lovely slow number with Innes’ voice giving the lyrics a tortured realism as he bewails his addiction to his lady that is driving him crazy – bin there, done that! Even the guitar reflects the pain! A great drum’n’bass intro brings us to the penultimate track, another fine romp featuring cool piano and stinging guitar and more fabulous bass from Duncan, a great working of Willie Dixon’s excellent “I’m Ready”. The CD rounds off with another up tempo swinger, “Station Blues” which is a fine tot-tapping way to round of this collection from Innes. Compliments go to Innes and to his band, Rob Brian on drums, Dan Inzani on keyboards and the aforementioned Duncan Leslie on bass. For me a great introduction to a man of whom I had heard much but who I had never heard playing. An omission I am glad to have corrected, this is an excellent CD, full of variety and one I shall be playing a lot, whatever my mood! Jeremiah Marques & the Blue Aces Exclusive & unreleased sampler from forthcoming Blue Wax Records release Jeremiah Marques has been through a number of incarnations and it is, perhaps, in his live performances that his versatility, talent and sheer joy in what he is doing comes over best. Anybody who has caught him live as the Marques Brothers will know that each set is different and there will be blues, reggae and much much more. For this release Jeremiah has gathered around him a troupe of top musicians to produce some simply superb Chicago style Blues. When I tell you that his great version of Willie Dixon’s ‘I’m Ready’ features Jeremiah backed by – big breath – Pete ‘Sonny’ Nash on piano, Lewis Fielding on guitar, West Weston on harp, Mike Thorne on drums and Ian Jennings on double bass, you begin to get the idea. The same line up is heard on track three, ‘Stockyard Blues’. The first track, Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘I Can’t Explain’ sees Jeremiah joined by Big Joe Louis on guitar, Laurie Garman on harp and Matt Radford on bass whilst track four, JLH’s great ‘This Is Hip’, features some great guitar playing from Raul DePedro Marinero, now playing with Paul Lamb & the Kingsnakes, and Fred Pierre Gustave from the Dana Gillespie Band. I have to say I am a sucker for Blues played this way and the talent surrounding Jeremiah shines through but he is by no means eclipsed by it, his native passion and unique delivery imbues each track with an edge which is pure magic. On the basis of these four tracks, this CD will be one hot record and definitely one to look out for when it is released next year on Blue Wax Records, a company set up by Pete Nash & Mike Thorne. © 2003 The Jives – “Wonderful Time” The Jives are Jeff Chapman, the front man with Essex high energy r’n’b specialists the Roosters and Al E Bye, harpist extraordinaire from the AM5. This duo is a rebirth of a format which was last seen on the circuit back in the 80’s and, from the evidence of this CD, one which has worn very well!. The 13 track CD contains a great variety of covers ranging from Billy Boy Arnold’s “I Wish You Would”, a track which, according to the sleeve notes, the guys originally heard “by the Yardbirds, then made it our own”, “Mystery Train” replete with wailing train siren harp, the folk blues “Riding in the Moonlight” to a pair of Chuck Berry’s, the moody “No Money Down” and the classic “Maybelline”. Along the way are such gems as the only track I know about a biscuit, the wonderfully amusing “Oreo Cookie Blues”, and a stomping take on Robert Johnson’s “Walking Blues” which the sleeve notes suggests has “more than a hint of the Tom Robinson Band”! Also included is a lovely acoustic and very different version of the “Spider & the Fly”, the flip side of the Stones 1965 smash hit “Satisfaction”, Broonzy’s “Key to the Highway” which features some really great barrelhouse piano from the producer and engineer of the CD, the inimitable Pete Nash, plus the Holly/Petty classic made famous by the aforementioned Rolling Stones, “Not Fade Away”. This is a really great collection that represents a veritable Who’s Who of traditional Blues and r’n’b performed by two very talented musicians in a style that is always individual but always right. Jeff’s voice is unmistakeable and his guitar playing offers great variety as he using a selection of acoustic, Dobro and electric guitars. Because of the duo and acoustic nature of the CD, Al’s harp playing is obviously more to the fore than in the setting of the AM5 and thus it is far easier to hear what a good player he is, whether providing rhythm backing or taking the lead. I can’t wait to see them live! © 2003 Ian Parker – Live - Whilst the Wind - Ruf Records A real treat this, a live CD from Ian Parker with his cracking band. Recorded in December 2004 at the Bluegarage in Hannover, Germanyand featuring four tracks from his most recent studio CD, four covers and four new and previously unrecorded originals, it kicks off with the most wonderfully moody “Power of the Gospel”, the Ben Harper song which has Ian’s tortured vocals backed by Morg Morgan’s shimmering keyboards and nothing else, a brilliant opener and so atmospheric. This leads straight into a Parker original, "The Love I Have” which gives Ian a chance to give us and the live audience a taste of the power of his guitar playing as well as his vocal and composition skills. More Parker mastery follows with “Misfits and Fools”, another fine cut which sees Ian off on a superb guitar break of the sort so beloved of the audience at his live gigs. Previous CD’s have perhaps not been bluesy enough for some but this collection will not disappoint. “It Hurts a Man” (about the death of Ian’s Grandmother in 2004) is a gorgeous slow moody affair with some guitar sometimes stinging, sometimes soaring, always beautiful and is followed by “The Moral Men”, which sees the band in real Blues territory. There follows “She Cries”, “The Truth Within”, “Feeling Whole Again”, a gorgeous seven plus minute version of what was, for me one of the standout songs from “Inside”, given a somewhat different treatment here, and “By Your Side” a gorgeous slow cut which, at more than 10 minutes, captures the absolute essence of Ian & his band live. This track alone is worth the price of the CD, believe me. The CD is rounded off by two covers and what a choice, “ She’s All Right”, Muddy Waters’ great track given the Ian Parker treatment to excellent effect, this must have had the audience dancing. Followed by Dave Crosby’s “Almost Cut My Hair” and Peter Green’s “The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)” to give it its full title brought together in a glorious 11 and a half minutes which provide a perfect finale to this superb CD and leaves me wanting to see Ian playing live soon! Mention must go to Morg Morgan on keyboards, Steve Amadeo on bass and Wayne Proctor on bass who back Ian and are a superbly cohesive and tight unit, the perfect team for Ian. This is an absolute gem of a record which I reckon is an essential addition to anyone’s collection and a great record of a top class live act, playing live! Johnny Gunner & the Raiders – Stack A’ Records
Take a generous helping of guitar, a heaped spoonful of double bass, a dollop of drums and pour lashings of fat Chicago style harp, stir in a marinade of rock’n’roll, rockabilly, 50’s r’n’b, and pinches of jazzand some Latin influences and what do you have? A fine gumbo called “Stack A’ Records” the latest offering from Johnny Gunner & the Raiders, a cracking four piece outfit who are making a name for themselves both on the jump, jive & boogie circuit as well as on the Blues scene. This is a really excellent CD, crammed full of variety opening with a great driving version of “Honey Hush” then moving on with the Crudup standard “My Baby Left Me”, Johnny Gunner’s self-penned tale of a love gone wrong, the latin influenced “Reconsider”, the classic “Route 66” done very much in the style of Nat King Cole in his trio days rather than the more familiar Chuck Berry or Rolling Stones take. Cliff Jarman on harp comes to the fore on the self-penned “Chicago Jump” which features some great fat harp sound and also on Papa Lighfoot’s “Mean Old Train” where he also takes the vocal lead. There is a great take on Eddie Cochrane’s “Pretty Girl” plus a version of “Cotton Picking” which is so aptly described in a review as “wild surf style rock ‘n’ roll played like an overdriven wall of sound” plus, perhaps surprisingly, the band’s own arrangement of the Rogers & Hart classic, “Blue Moon”. Recorded & produced by the oh so talented Ray Marquis at his Farm Studios, this really is a cracking CD with 13 wonderfully varied tracks which show off the band’s wide repertoire and abilities. I have never seen the band live but on the basis of this CD, I must and soon. Warmly recommended, this is a band of whom we should, if there is any justice, be hearing a great deal more. © 2004 Various Artists – Johnny’s Blues From the Northern Blues label in Canada comes “Johnny’s Blues”, a tribute to Johnny Cash featuring a number of American blues artists performing Johnny Cash numbers, a compilation if you like which makes for most interesting and enjoyable listening with classics such a “Fulsom Prison Blues”, “Train of Love”, “I Walk The Line” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”. These are performed by artists such as Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Maria Muldaur, Chris Thomas King (O Brother Where Art Though) and Corey Harris. There is even an instrumental from Kevin Breit, guitar player for Norah Jones, which is complete with a mandolin orchestra! The whole thing was produced by Colin Linden and I reckon he and the artists have done a great job and produced a CD which is a cutting edge tribute to a man who has become an icon, a status which is well deserved. This is definitely a CD which you should add to your collection for any number of reasons. More details from www.northernblues.com Little Luke & the Loose Cannon Band Shootin the Groove – Five & Dime Records From the word go let me say that if this band is as good live as they are on this CD, then please someone get them on a tour over here, they would blow people away and be go down so well on the Festival circuit. Hailing from Casper in Wyoming, Jeff ‘Little Luke’ Lucas is a veteran of the music scene having been a member of that select group of top Hammond B3 session players in Tulsa who, back in the 70’s, backed the likes of Eric Clapton, Bob Seeger, Freddie King and Leon Russell to name but a few. Having been absent from the scene since the mid 80’s, Little Luke is back with a great band and a great CD. If like me you are a lover of the unique sound that only a Hammond can produce, then this CD will soon melt your ice cream sundae. And if you are a sax lover then the contributions of ‘Sax’ Gordon Beadle will leave you panting for more. Described as “Countrifunkified Rhythm & Blues from the great State of Wyoming”, this CD has something for everyone whether it is the Little Featish rocker ‘Come on Over’, the very amusing ‘Valley of Love’ which is described as ‘slightly irreverent Gary US Bonds/Dion tinged retro r&b’, ‘Kool with the Kopp’ which has a real jazzy swing thing to it, the ‘ lost my guy & gonna die’ jazzy bluesy 30’s style ‘Lose at Love’, one of a number of tracks which features great vocals from Amy Gieske, the band’s bass player. This track also features a fabulous guitar & sax outtro. God I like this CD. And what about the next three tracks? A superb groove which is the band’s take on the Motown classic ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ which has vocals which are almost Michael Messer-ish as well as some great intercourse between sax and Hammond, ‘Festive Dog’, an catchy and fun song about Christmas which has a great Latin rhythm and feel to it with Amy’s voice multi-tracked to great effect. My particular favourite is the fabulous ‘Can’t Kill For The Thrill’, described by the band as a ‘sultry night in blues alley’ featuring more fascinating and delicious sax and Hammond interplay. Whenever I play this track people come and ask what it is and who it is by! This is a standout CD to me and how great to hear such fabulous Hammond playing, thanks Amy for sending it to me. Definitely a contender Digital Blues International Blues CD of 2003. © 2003 Little Toby Walker – Live At The Bottleneck – Powerhouse Records – PRO406 Little Toby Walker is another artist who came over from the US, an almost unknown quantity, and in the course of a fairly short tour, excited loads of interest and won an army of fans with his wonderful guitar picking, his great original material, excellent covers and his storytelling. An evening with Little Toby is an experience and here, just such an experience is captured for posterity as Richard Studholme & Steve Thorneycroft of the Tone Zone Studios went down to the Roffen in Rochester, one of the regular homes of the Bottleneck Blues Club, to record Little Toby in front of a knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience. From the first track, Toby’s own arrangement of “I Know You Rider”, you know you are going to hear some fine finger picking and this continues on track two, Toby’s own composition “Main Street Rag” about Memphis brothels and their inhabitants! A brief anecdote about Blind Lemon Jefferson being a wrestler, a blind Wrestler, leads into a wonderfully laid back version of “Matchbox Blues” which is followed by Big Bill Broonzy’s “Good Liquor” and Toby’s own moody and slow “Baby Who You Waiting For” with some gorgeous guitar. At Toby’s live shows a number which always puts a knowing smile on faces of many in the audience is the Rev. Billy C Wertz’ wonderful wry and true “Things I Used To Do All Night” – now take me all night to do! And so the CD rolls on, track after wonderful track. “True Religion”, “Schoolboy Blues”, “Weak Willed”, two gorgeous rags, “Hacksaw Rag” & Cincinnati Row Rag”, “Glory Glory” which sees Toby playing real down & dirty slide, the beautiful “Corrina” and as an encore the fast & furious “Who’s Gonna Be Your Sweetman Tonight”, another Little Toby original. Oh yes, make no mistake, this CD is a wonderful record of a very talented, singer/songwriter/guitarist and raconteur in live performance and whilst Toby is back in the US it will have to do, but he is back here later this year so go catch him live and see that the CD is no fluke, he is the real thing! © 2004 Mark Easton Limousine – Greener
This CD was released in February 2004 although I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy and so enjoyed it over Christmas. Mark Easton Limousine hail from Bondi Beach in Australia and this is, I believe, Mark’s second CD and it came about after Mark had played four gigs with a dep drummer with whom he gelled so well that he sacked his band and more or less immediately went into the studio with Tony Georgeson to put down the 11 tracks which are on the CD. The result is an excellent collection displaying a great variety from the hard rocking rock blues of the title track to the delicious “Butterfly” which features some slide guitar to die for. “Long Gone” is one of the tracks that features guests with some nicely controlled harmonica from Chris Gould, a former surfing buddy of Mark’s. The track also includes some more of Mark’s delicious guitar playing. As if to demonstrate the variety, the mournful and haunting “Prison Cell Blues” starts off very much a semi-acoustic number and grows to feature some more lovely slide guitar as well as straight guitar picking. This is a really good track as is “Tomcat Blues” which features Mark playing bass, guitars and doing the vocals with loads of reverb and through a harp mike or similar. Very moody. “Spiritual Man” has a distinctly eastern feel to it with the two-minute instrumental introduction leaving me expecting some Indian or Egyptian dancers! Studio engineer Michael Petrou gets the bass playing credit here. As Mark tells it, “he loved the song so much, he wanted to be part of it!” A total contrast is the acoustic “Fall From Grace” which again features some lovely slide from Mark and guest Bob Baird on bass. This varied collection has something for everyone and is most enjoyable even if I was knocked out by every track. I have come back to the CD time & time again and found something new each time. I really enjoy it and congratulate Mark on producing a damn fine CD. For more details visit his website at www.markeastonlimousine.com. © 2004 Motel Kings – Red Light Fever Hotshot Records ODSCD 1004
Great news for fans of one of Essex’s hottest bands, the Motel Kings are back! After a period where they have not gigged too much they have just released a new CD which has made the wait worthwhile. 12 tracks, 11 self-penned, which run the gamut from smoky, raunchy slow blues through some great rockabilly, jump jive style to straight out and out boogie. The first track is a great in your face Motel Kings standard entitled “Shut Up” with Nick Nichols wailing harp and a mid paced rhythm. Smashing. “Groover” is great up-tempo song with Nick going mad over a rather tasty young lady! |