2020 – Moosicus Records
By Phillip Smith; Feb. 29, 2020
It didn’t take but one listen to Salone, the latest
release from Bai Kamara Jr.,
to turn me into an instant fan. This was
my first exposure to Kamara
and his music, and to put it bluntly, his songs have swept me off my feet. Born the son of a former Sierra Leonne ambassador, Kamara who
grew up in the UK
and moved to Brussels
where he has lived for over twenty-five years. For Salone, his sixth album, he
embraces his African heritage with fifteen fantastic all-original, self-produced
songs rooted in blues, jazz, and funk.
Kamara, with
his six-string acoustic guitar, reminds me a lot of the current delta blues
players. His songs are intriguing and
poignant. He begins with “Can’t Wait
Here Too Long”. The song is highly infectious. Kamara’s
vocals are suave as he sings of empowerment on “Lady Boss”, a cool and funky
blues track. One of Kamara’s songs which have burrowed deep into my brain
is “Black Widow”. Spider-like percussive
sounds are at the forefront of this deep-blues track which I utterly adore. “Don’t Worry About Me” is an absolutely
stunning song of overcoming hardships. It
reminds me a lot of the music of another favorite, Sixto Diaz Rodriguez.
Salone is a downright fascinating
piece of work which deserves to be heard, and Bai Kamara Jr.,
with his brilliant songs, has definitely won me over.
---
2020 – Middle Mountain
Music
Release Date : March 6,
2020
By Phillip Smith; Feb. 22, 2020
Out of the Box, a cigar box guitar
project by Ben Rice
and RB Stone caught my attention in a
magnificent way. Rice and Stone
have written eleven original blues tracks which they perform using an
assortment of cigar box guitars comprised of 6 and 4 string Washboards, Swampeast Cigar Box,
and a Lobo Cigar Box. Backing Rice
and Stone on this self-produced project
is drummer Dave Melyan,
bassist Joseph Barton and
Jimi Bott on tambourine. Bott, the
award-winning blues drummer who has played with the Fabulous
Thunderbirds, and The Proven Ones,
also recorded and mixed the record.
The guys bust out in full rockabilly style on “Hot
Rod Mama”, both tearing it up on 6-string Washboards. The slide sounds terrific, and their vocals
are dynamic. Melvan’s
back-beat and Rice’s mesmerizing
riff instills a relaxed North Mississippi vibe to “Easy Rollin’ Down the Road”.
Stone breaks
out his harmonica on the delightfully cool retro track “Hoodoo Workin’ Overtime”.
There’s a bit of a Howlin’ Wolf essence about this one that I adore. “Swamp East Boogie” puts a smile on my face
with every listen as Stone
lets loose on his SwampEast
CBG. The Southeast Missouri area they
sing about is very familiar to me. “Bad
Blood on Mean Whiskey” has a menacing ambiance and a badass attitude that is irresistible.
The grand finale of this splendid album is a song
called “Lobo Jam”. This four and a half
minute instrumental jam consists of an edgy driving rhythm and lots of smoking
slide guitar. I absolutely love it. This album is a must for blues and cigar box guitar
fans.
---
For more information about these artists, visit their websites: https://rbstone.com and https://www.benricelive.com/
2019 – Lauren Anderson
Music
By Phillip Smith; Feb. 15, 2020
Won’t Stay Down, the latest
release from Lauren Anderson
is a powerful five-track, all-original EP, which wonderfully showcases her soulful
vocals and gifted song-writing chops. Anderson’s genre-bending blueprint here is a sweet blend
of country, soul, rock, and blues. Providing
the instrumentation behind her knock-out voice, is an amazing group of
musicians consisting of guitarist Jimi Greene,
bassist Hutch, drummer John Rodrigue, and William Adkins on
keys.
Anderson
beautifully sings breakup song, “Too Little, Too Late” with a delicate finesse. Dripping with emotion, the song features a
wonderful organ accompaniment from Adkins. It’s such a lovely song. Hutch
and Rodrigue create a cool infectious groove
to run through the center of “Won’t Stay Down”.
It takes a hold of me fast. Emmanuel Echem and Kiran Gupta add
a smooth extra layer to “Cake”, a funky jazz number with an Amy Winehouse vibe. This one is my absolute favorite. Anderson continues
to captivate me with “Wild and Free”. With
Greene ripping it up on guitar and
Adkins hammering the keys, it’s one
hell of a rockin’ jam to close this record out with.
Anderson definitely
packs a lot of punch into this recording.
Won’t Stay Down is definitely a ‘keeper’.
---
For more information about the artist, visit this
website: https://www.laurenandersonmusic.com
2019 – Endless Blues
Records
By Phillip Smith; Feb. 8, 2020
Hot and seductive vocals from Kim Dill coupled with gobs of dynamic guitar from her
husband Jamie Holdren fuel
Alive, the debut album from Springfield, Missouri’s Sister Lucille. They
sound great together as their voices blend in southern-style harmony. The
other half of the band is comprised of a fantastic rhythm section featuring drummer
Kevin Lyons, and bassist Eric Guinn. Alive,
produced by Holdren,
and mixed by Grammy Award winner
Jim Scott who produced Tedeschi Trucks’ Revelator album, makes for one hell
of a bluesy listen.
Holdren
pours out a cool funky groove on “Won’t Give It” as the soulful keys from Chris Stephenson on a Hammond B, join
with attacks of brass from saxophonist Peter Climie, trumpeter
Jared Dover , and trombonist Andrew Earle. It
sounds great. I love the swampy, delta
blues style slide Holdren
dishes out on “See My Baby”. For a nice
big helping of blues at its authentic best, “Respect Your Woman” features Eric Hughes, a Memphis blues artist who I hold high
regard for, making a guest appearance on harmonica. It’s always a delight to hear him play.
I adore the Stax vibe
hanging out in “Wanna Love You”. Dill
sings this infectious tune with sexy persuasion as Holdren
absolutely rips it up on guitar. The Stax vibe keeps trucking on as they cover “99 Pounds”, a
song written by Don Bryant,
and originally recorded by his wife Ann Peebles. This one is a big-time favorite indeed and it’s
songs like this which I fall head over heels for. Etta James’ “W.O.M.A.N”,
the other cover song on this record is a splendid showcase for Dill as she pours everything into her performance of this
wonderful classic.
Sister Lucille
serves up a marvelous mix of blues, rock, and soul with Alive. I certainly hope we hear more from them in
the near future.
---
For more information about the artist, visit this
website: www.sisterlucilleband.com
2019 – Griff Hamlin
By Phillip Smith; Feb. 1, 2020
I’ll Drink to That, the debut album from
Griff Hamlin and the Single Barrel Blues Band is
absolutely terrific. Hamlin, known to many through his Blues Guitar Unleashed instructional website, has
built an outstanding band to back him on this new release. A smokin’ guitar and smooth vocals puts him front
and center with a remarkable rhythm section comprised of keyboardist Ty Bailie, bassist Mark Smith, and
drummer Chris Atchley. The Single Barrel Blues Band also
contains a splendid horn section made up of Jonathan Bradley on trumpet, Eric Letta
on alto/tenor sax, Kevin Hicks
on trombone, and Laura Hamlin
on baritone sax. This release is composed
of ten tremendous blues tracks which are sure to keep the record on heavy-rotation.
I love the opener “Almost Level with the Ground”. It has an instant familiarity and reminds me
of what I admired about the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Hamlin’s
vocals are fearless, and his guitar is flawless. Smith
and Atchley steer the bus with
astonishing precision as the backing horns and keys give the song body and soul.
“Don’t Lie”, another go-to song for me, is
another fine example of Hamlin’s exquisite
mastery of the blues. This song fabulously
highlights his sensational shredding skills.
“Someone” is slow and beautifully captivating. Bailie
plays this one with a soulful finesse and the horns effortlessly blend right in,
making it a pure joy to listen to. I
yearn for another trip to the ‘Big Easy’ when I hear “Louisiana Holiday”. It’s funky, fun, and best served with an ice-cold
Abita beer. Hamlin’s expertise
when it comes to writing authentic blues songs, is rightfully exhibited on “Bourbon
and a Pistol”. It’s a very cool song to close
the album with.
Griff Hamlin and the Single
Barrel Blues Band is a band on top of their game. I really appreciate what they are doing with
the Blues, and immensely enjoyed this album.
---
