2019 – Vizztone
By Phillip Smith; July 4, 2019
It’s the Fourth of July, and today I’ll be spinning Porch
Sessions from Memphis blues-man Tony Holiday. I love the concept for this record. In the spirit of classic blues field recordings,
Holiday visited and jammed with a
ton of big names in the business, right on their front porch. With Holiday
on harmonica, he is joined by guitarist Landon Stone,
and bassist Kid Anderson
on all tracks. Guests include Charlie Musselwhite, James Harman, John Nemeth, John Primer, Bob Corritore, Aki Kumar, Rockin’ Johnny Burgin, Kid Ramos, Mitch Kashmar, Jake Friel, Ronnie Shellist,
and more.
The raw stand-out blues guitar of two-time Grammy nominated
John Primer joined with both Holiday and Bob Corritore
on harp, makes for an amazing listen on “They Call Me John Primer”. It’s
always a treat to hear Musselwhite. He lets loose on “That’s Alright” as Kumar takes on the vocals to this six-and-a-half-minute
blues jam. And for an extra blast of
cool, Burgin appears on guitar. I dig the cover of Little Sonny’s
“Woman Named Trouble” with Nemeth on
harp and vocals, Matthew Wilson
on guitar and Danny Banks
on drums. It has such a funky
groove. Harman and
Ramos sound so great together as
they break out a briefcase full of blues on “Goin’ to Court”. “Hip To It” is a delightful harp blues
instrumental. It’s a rare treat to hear three
harp players at once as Holiday, Shellist, and Kashmar interestingly
play off each other’s performance.
Hearing the musical collaborations recorded on this
album, is like staring blues right in the eye.
With the Porch Sessions, Holiday reiterates
exactly what the Blues is all about.
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