Thursday, December 22, 2022

#590 : PhillyCheeze's Favorite 20 of 2022 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 



By Phillip Smith; Dec.22, 2022

 

PhillyCheeze's Favorite 20 of 2022

(in alphabetical order)


Bernard Allison - Highs & Lows


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/01/537-bernard-allison-highs-lows.html



Bad Daddy - It's a Mad Mad Bad Dad World


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/08/568-bad-daddy-its-mad-mad-bad-dad-world.html


Buckmiller Schwager - To Memphis and Back


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/03/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-545.html


Gary Cain - Next Stop


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/06/558-gary-cain-next-stop.html



Annika Chambers & Paul Deslauriers - Good Trouble


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/11/584-annika-chambers-paul-deslauriers.html



Ryan Lee Crosby - Winter Hill Blues


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/05/555-ryan-lee-crosby-winter-hill-blues.html


Robert Connely Farr - Shake It


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/10/581-robert-connely-farr-shake-it.html


GA-20 - Crackdown


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/08/572-ga-20-crackdown-phillycheezebluesbl.html


Diunna Greenleaf - I Ain't Playin'


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/05/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-554-diunna.html


The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer - Live at the King Eddy


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/06/559-harpoonist-and-axe-murderer-live-at.html


Herman Hitson - Let the Gods Sing


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/10/578-herman-hitson-let-gods-sing.html


Spencer Mackenzie - Preach to my Soul


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/10/582-spencer-mackenzie-preach-to-my-soul.html


Eliza Neals - Badder to the Bone


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/04/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-550-eliza.html


Prakash Slim - Country Blues From Nepal


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/03/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-547.html


Gina Sicilia - Unchange


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/06/557-gina-sicilia-unchange.html


Sir Rod & the Blues Doctors - Keeping it in the Family


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/09/575-sir-rod-blues-doctors-keeping-it-in.html


Sugaray Rayford - In Too Deep


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2021/12/533-sugaray-rayford-in-too-deep.html


The Terraplanes Blues Band - Stepping Stones


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/02/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-544.html


Dylan Triplett - Who is He?


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/07/562-dylan-triplett-who-is-he.html


Matty T Wall - Live Down Underground


https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/07/561-matty-t-wall-live-down-underground.html




The Spotify Playlist



Sunday, December 18, 2022

#589 > GeminiiDragon - Equinox (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – Nepotism Recordings

Release Date: Feb 1, 2023

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 18, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Equinox, the follow-up album to GeminiiDragon’s earlier release this year Fighting Fire With Fire continues to rock out with music fortified with a heaping helping of funk, soul, and blues.  Lead vocalist Jessica Harper and guitarist Christian Simeon absolutely shine as writing partners on this ten-track recording of all original songs.  Harper and Simeon are joined by bassist Dougie V, drummer E Sass, and backing vocalist La La Thomas

A rocking beat and funky bassline build the way for “Sister Switchblade” to bash the front gates of the record open.  This song is a wonderful amalgam of Seventies rock and hot buttered soul.  It’s nicely wrapped in Harper’s fearless vocals and Simeon’s searing guitar licks.  “Ballad of Willie Mae & George”, the first single off the record, is a brilliant slice of southern blues-rock.  Harper and Thomas’s vocal chemistry shine as the infectious rhythm takes hold.  “Rusty Gun” is badass from start to finish.  The song’s dangerous, mean-streets personality is woven tightly into its power-rock riffs.  “Good Thang” is slathered in a funky rhythm served ala Bob Seger’s “Come to Poppa”, and it’s delightfully wonderful.     

GeminiiDragon continues to fascinate me with Equinox.  Their approach to music is fresh and invigorating.  They definitely have a unique style, and that’s a ‘good thang’.   

          

 

PhillyCheeze Review #551, GeminiiDragon – Fighting Fire with Fire           

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/04/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-551.html

 

 

For more information about GeminiiDragon, or to order Equinox, visit their Bandcamp page: https://geminiidragonblues.bandcamp.com/album/equinox

Sunday, December 11, 2022

#588 > Steve Hill - Dear Illusion (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)



2022 – No Label Records

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 11, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Canadian bluesman Steve Hill has pulled down an impressive number of awards over his twenty-seven-plus years of playing professionally.  In 2015 he was awarded the Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year.  In 2013 he received the Best self-produced CD award at the Memphis International Blues Challenge.  And as far as the Maple Blues Awards go, he’s secured eight of them for different categories over the years.   That being said, Steve Hill is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and his latest album, Dear Illusion is absolutely brilliant.  The album contains ten masterfully-written original songs performed by Hill on vocals and a variety of instruments: guitars, bass, drums, pedal steel, piano, mandolin, and harmonica.  Behind Hill, is drummer Wayne Proctor, and The Devil Horns.

An infectious guitar riff and a blast of horns kicks the record in with a fully-charged burst of energy on “All About the Love”.  The up-tempo beat lays down the red-carpet for the hot blues revue to come.  Leading in with a swampy serving of harp, Hill keeps the momentum going with “Keep it Together”.  The slide guitar on this Springsteen-like track sounds great paired with the horns.  As soon as “Follow Your Heart” starts, I immediately start soaking up that honky-tonk era Stones vibe.  Not only is this a terrific song, but it offers great advice as well.  A melancholy wave rushes over me when I hear “So it Goes”.  Hill enhances the mood on this lovely ballad performing on mandolin.  Dear Illusion concludes with “Until the Next Time”, a song which makes me think of George Harrison very much.  The song is weightless and grounded at the same time. 

Steve Hill’s Dear Illusion is a splendid album from beginning to end.  It’s a musical gem.

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Also check out my review for Steve Hill – Solo Recordings Volume 3

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/07/steve-hill-solo-recordings-volume-3.html

 

              

 

For more information about Steve Hill, visit this website :

https://www.stevehillmusic.com/

 

 

Saturday, December 3, 2022

#587 > Angela Strehli - Ace of Blues (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)



2022 – Antone’s Records

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 3, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Angela Strehli who helped found Antone’s, the legendary blues venue in Austin, Texas, recently released Ace of Blues, her first album in seventeen years.  Her voice is deep and buttery on this twelve-track recording as she pays tribute to those musicians who were an inspiration to her, such as O.V. Wright, Elmore James, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Little Milton and Otis Clay.  This CD also contains an interesting insert-booklet which contains photographs of those who graced the stage at Antone’s and notes about Stehli’s interactions with those artists.    

When Strehli’s cover of O.V. Wright’s “Ace of Spades” hits my ears, it puts an enormous smile on my face.  It’s downright fantastic.  Muddy Waters’ “I Love the Life I Live” is perfectly seasoned with Mark Kazanoff on harmonica. “Mighty” Mike Schermer’s guitar performance on Otis Rush’s “Gambler’s Blues” is absolutely delectable.  The tones he pulls out of his instrument are brilliant.  I dig the horn accompaniment on this one too.  Howlin’ Wolf is one of my all-time favorites, and Strehli’s recording of “Howlin’ For My Darling” is a wonderful tribute.  Mike Emerson brilliantly brings it on keys as Strehli nails the wolf howls.  As soon as the opening notes of Otis Clay’s “Trying to Live My Life Without You” finds their way out of the speakers, I switch into ‘dance mode’.  Chockful of soul, this one is a definite favorite.  Bringing the album to a close is a song Strehli wrote about her friend the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan.   She befriended Stevie and his brother Jimmy in the earlier years of Antone’s, and her song “SRV“ is a lovely and heartfelt tribute.

Ace of Blues is as solid as a blues album can get.  I hope Angela Strehli doesn’t wait another seventeen years before recording another.                

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Saturday, November 26, 2022

#586 > Mud Morganfield - Portrait (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)



2022 – Delmark Reoords

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 26, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Mud Morganfield, the oldest son of the legendary bluesman Muddy Waters takes his music seriously.  Closely following the path of this father, Mud sets the bar high when it comes to performing the blues.  Additional influences of Motown, soul, and R&B are absorbed into his songs.  Portrait is a remix of Mud’s entire debut album Son of the Seventh Son topped off with two additional brand-new songs.  With the exception of the two new songs, this work was produced by Bob Corritore with Mud on vocals, Rick Kreher on electric guitar, Billy Flynn on guitar, E.G. McDaniel on bass, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith on drums, Barrelhouse Chuck on piano/organ, and Harmonica Hinds and Bob Corritore on harmonica.

Portrait opens with the funky southern soul track “Praise Him”.  With Mike Wheeler on electric guitar, Luca Chiellini on keys, and the backing vocals of Felicia Collins, Shantina Lowe, and Demetrius Hall, the song is indeed a glorious one.  Barrelhouse, Beedy Eyes, and Hinds sound downright amazing as they turn the flame on to the slow-cooked blues of “Son of the Seventh Son”.  The intoxicating groove on “Catfishing” reels me right in.  Mud’s vocals are strong and confident just like his father’s.  “His presentation is smooth and buttery on “Blues In My Shoes” while the band gels perfectly together.  Portrait comes to a close with a spectacular cover of John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson’s “Good Morning Little School Girl. 

It was great to hear this remastered release of Mud Morganfield’s.  The songs are fantastic, and the sound is fresh and clean.  I’d recommend this album to anyone who is a blues fan.   

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For more information about Mud Morganfield, visit this website :

https://www.mudmorganfieldblues.com

 

Friday, November 18, 2022

#585 > Skip James - The Complete 1931 Sessions (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)


 

2022 – ORG Music

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 18, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

This year Record Store Day Black Friday has something exciting for Blues fans and vinyl connoisseurs.  ORG Music is re-releasing Skip JamesThe Complete 1931 Sessions on transparent orange vinyl.  This is a great introductory record for the music of Skip James.   Born in 1902 near Bentonia, Mississippi, he learned to play guitar in his youth and later picked up the organ in his teens.  In 1931 he recorded 18 songs, and due to the Great Depression, records sales were poor.  James gave up playing the blues and became a choir director at his father’s church.  It took thirty years for him to be re-discovered.  Between 1964 and 1969 he recorded a few more albums before dying in October of 1969.  This album is a collection of the songs he recorded in 1931.

The haunting melody of “Devil Got My Woman” starts the record off with in a solemn mood.  James’ finger-picking performance is brilliant, and his voice charged with emotion.  His prowess at the piano is delightfully exhibited on “How Long Buck”.  James’ songs connect so greatly at the human-level.  A great example of that is “I’m So Glad”, a genuine timeless song.  When he sings “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues”, I feel a great amount of empathy for the pains and struggles that had to have been experienced before this song could have been written.  A track I found to be extra interesting is “22-20 Blues”.  This track is a piano-centric song which was the inspiration for Robert Johnson’s “32-20 Blues”.  “Jesus is a Mighty Good Leader” is another timeless classic.  James’ high vocals fit perfectly for this spiritual.  For hardcore blues, it doesn’t get much better than ”Yola My Blues Away”.  The delicate, yet intricate guitar picking is downright amazing. 

Despite a bit of surface noise which carried forward from 1931, the album is an absolute gem.  Skip James’ The Complete 1931 Sessions is a must-have.

 



Skip James - The Complete 1931 Session 

Tracklist:

A1 Devil Got My Woman

A2 If You Haven't Any Hay Get On Down The Road

A3 Hard Luck Child

A4 Drunken Spree

A5 Little Cow And Calf Is Gonna Die Blues

A6 Be Ready When He Comes

A7 How Long """"Buck""""

A8 I'm So Glad

A9 Cherry Ball Blues

B1 Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues

B2 22-20 Blues

B3 4 O'Clock Blues

B4 Jesus Is A MIghty Good Leader

B5 Yola My Blues Away

B6 What Am I To Do Blues

B7 Special Rider Blues

B8 Illinois Blues

B9 Cypress Grove Blues

Saturday, November 12, 2022

#584 > Annika Chambers & Paul DesLauriers - Good Trouble (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – Vizztone Records

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 12, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers have both been on my radar a while.  I covered Chambers’ 2019 album Kiss My Sass, and DesLauriers’ 2016 release Relentless, as well as his 2019 release Bounce.  I embraced all three of those recordings.  The spirited couple met at the 2018 International Blues Challenge in Memphis and started working together in 2019.  Within the same year, they fell in love and got married. Good Trouble is their first full album together, and it’s absolutely fabulous.  Annika’s voice sounds divine as she takes on lead vocals.  Paul’s talent shines bright and runs immensely deep as he performs on an array of instruments.  He plays guitar, dobro, cigar box guitar, bass, and mandolin.  Additional musicians on the album include JP Soars on guitar, Chris Peet on drums and percussion, Gary Davenport on bass guitar, Alec McElcheran on bass guitar, Bernard “Bingo” Deslauriers on drums, Barry Seelen on Hammond B-3 organ, and Kim Richardson on background vocals.

A charged blast of southern soul rips the album wide open on “You’ve Got to Believe”.  Paul throws down a fiery guitar performance and a delightful accompaniment on mandolin.  Annika’s vocals are fearless and commandeering as she belts this amazing song out.  They create a riveting and soulful recreation of George Harrison’s “Isn’t it a Pity” from his All Things Must Pass album.  It’s quite different from the original, but it’s quite amazing.  They also do a spectacular job covering the Joe South 1970 hit “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” which peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  The warm bluesy tones of Paul’s guitar gently walk the listener into “Need Your Love So Bad”, the duet he sings with Annika.  This is indeed the blues.  My biggest surprise was hearing their take on Mountain’s legendary blues-rock anthem “Mississippi Queen”.  They absolutely shine as they keep this cover tightly close to the original.  I would have loved to witness this recording in the studio.  Good Trouble wraps up with a nearly ten-minute sacred-soul jam of “I Need More Power”.  This music for the spirit effortlessly takes me into a hypnotic trance and I love every bit of it.

Good Trouble is a brilliant album loaded with musical perfection.  I highly encourage everyone to give it a listen. 

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Saturday, November 5, 2022

#583 > Ivor S.K. - Mississippi Bound (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – Ivor Simpson-Kennedy

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 5, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Hailing from Sydney Australia, and now living in New Orleans, Ivor Simpson-Kennedy takes story-telling to the highest level with his music.  There’s a unique spin he has on blues and roots which is very refreshing and quite captivating.  The attention he pays to details in his songwriting, pairs perfectly with his laidback style.  Mississippi Bound, his latest release, was created during his downtime due to the pandemic.  It features fifteen stellar tracks, all written, arranged and performed by Ivor. 

The listener is taken on a journey which begins with the ska-infused, Caribbean-flavored track “Mississippi Bound”.  Ivor’s smokey vocals define that of an experienced, weathered traveler.   A delightful melody coupled with frank, from-the-gut lyrics lend a Randy Newman-esque vibe to “Talkin’ Shit Again”.  Easily lured into Ivor’s infectious guitar riff on “Wheelin’”, I thoroughly enjoy his swampy slide play and beat poet style.  There’s a sort of Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia aura to “Taste Your Lips”.  It’s an absolutely gorgeous song.  Cloaked in a thick slathering of slide, evil suits itself up on the concluding track “Dead Pig”.  The music alone transports me to a cypress-filled swamp in the middle of Mississippi.

Ivor S.K. fills Mississippi Bound with substance and originality as he builds a musical landscape where outlaws and poets intermingle.  It’s downright fascinating.

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For more information about Ivor S.K., visit this website :

http://www.ivorsk.com

 


Check out past PhillyCheeze reviews for Ivor S.K.

Montserrat

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2017/07/ivor-sk-montserrat.html

 

Delta Pines

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/05/ivor-sk-delta-pines.html

Saturday, October 29, 2022

#582 > Spencer Mackenzie - Preach to My Soul (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)


 2022 – Gypsy Soul Records

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 29, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Ranking high on my list of the newest wave of blues artists is Canadian bluesman Spencer Mackenzie.  While just in his mid-twenties, he’s already been nominated for multiple blues awards in Canada, and is bound to push the envelope even further in his career.  His talent for playing guitar, songwriting, and singing runs quite deep and he seems to pour everything he has into each performance.  Preach to My Soul, his third and latest release is a magnificent ten-track album produced by Emmy Award Winner and Juno Nominated Ross Hayes-CitrulloMackenzie’s band is comprised of Miles Evans on piano/Hammond organ/keys, Steve Pelletier and Stacey Shopsowitz on bass guitar, and Adam Cannon on drums 

Mackenzie leads the record off in a glorious way with “Baptized by Cold Water”.  I love his heavy guitar riffs as they intermingle with the swirling keys.  The backing vocals of Chantal Williams adds a lovely and soulful touch to the song as well.  I enjoy this track immensely.  Following next is a fast-driving barn-burner called “No Good”.  Mackenzie’s all-in, no-holds-barred approach is chockful of searing guitar licks. Cannon provides a thunderous pulse for the song to wrap itself around.  “Can’t Do Right” has a bit of a Stevie Ray Vaughan vibe going as Mackenzie breaks out a big bowlful of Texas-style blues guitar.  He sounds amazing.  Hearing him take on Paul Simon’s “Paranoia Blues” was an unexpected pleasure.  Greased up with a slab of slide from guest guitarist Steve Strongman and topped with a sprinkling of piano, the track absolutely smokes.  Mackenzie releases his inner Seventies soul-man on “Your Turn to Cry”.  His buttery vocals sound fantastic with the horn accompaniment of Julian Nalli on saxophone and Stephen Dyte on trumpet.

Preach to My Soul is one of those albums I can listen to over and over. It’s just so damn good.  Spencer Mackenzie’s work keeps getting better and better.  He is definitely an artist to keep an eye on. 

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For more information about Spencer Mackenzie, visit this website :

https://www.spencermackenzie.ca

 

Saturday, October 22, 2022

#581 > Robert Connely Farr - Shake It (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2022 – Robert Connely Farr

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 22, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

The music of Robert Connely Farr caught my attention back in 2019 with the release of his Dirty South Blues album.  It was absolutely wonderful.  His latest release Shake It continues to keep my attention glued to his works and marks his ninth studio album.  Farr excels at understanding the mechanics and history of the Bentonia style of blues as taught to him by his hometown hero 2020 Grammy Nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album, Jimmy ”Duck” Holmes. Seventy-five-year-old Holmes, living a life submersed in the blues, owns the oldest surviving juke joint in the world, The Blue Front CafĂ© located in Bentonia, Mississippi.  With Farr on lead guitar and vocals, the rest of the band on this nine-track gem is comprised of drummer Jay Bundy Johnson, bassist Tom Hillifer, and shaker/back up vocalist Liam Moes.  

The album starts off with a brilliant revision of Charlie Patton’s 1929 side “Screaming & Hollering”.  Farr breathes new life into the song with beautifully haunting guitar riffs and an expressive Bentonia approach.  Following next is a splendid cover of Jimmy “Duck” Holmes’ “Going Away to Leave You”, from his 2013 release All Night Long.  Riding a wave of heavy bass and injected with a fist-full of distortion, the song penetrates right to the bone. 

Hillifer and Johnson lay down a really funky rhythm for “Miss My Baby”, one of the six original songs, penned by Farr.  This call-out of the corporate world’s working trends running amok is quite infectious.  I love the rolling, swampy attack of title-track “Shake It”.  It’s gets right up there in my face staring me down eye-to-eye.  For the closer, Farr brushes off Tommy McClennan’s 1941 78 he cut for Bluebird Records “Sugar Mama”.  I can hear the desperation in his voice.  It’s so heavy.

Shake It marks my fourth review for Farr, and that’s a very positive statement.  I highly recommend this album. 


Find Robert Connely Farr on bandcamp.com

Saturday, October 15, 2022

#580 > Emanuel Casablanca - Blood on My Hands (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)


2022 – Kings County Blues

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 15, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Blood on my Hands, the debut album from Brooklyn-based blues-rocker Emanual Casablanca has quickly garnered my admiration.  Casablanca’s all-in approach to music produces deep and personal songs.  That’s what makes his blues honest and real.  This album contains sixteen tracks of all-original material featuring an amazing arsenal of guests which include Eric Gales, Albert Castiglia, Paul Gilbert, Kat Riggins, Brother Dave, Felix Slim and Jimmy Carpenter.   

Delivered upon a metallic bolt of lightning and a strong System of a Down vibe, “Afraid of Blood” begins this kick-ass musical journey.  With Casablanca staring the listener squarely in the eyes, he confirms what we’re afraid of.  The answer is him.  The blues begins to pour freely afterwards as Gilbert blindsides me with his amazing guitar performance on “In Blood”.  Then Gales comes onboard for title track “Blood on My Hands”.  It’s always a treat to hear this man play.  Casablanca’s vocals are buttery and from the heart.  “Like a Pulse”, a beautiful duet featuring vocalist Kat Riggins and Sanga of the Valley on percussion, is a multi-faceted delight.  Nestled deep within a cloud of unsettled brooding, Casablanca sings of broken dreams and sleepless nights in “Bloodshot Eyes”.  The song, nailed to a hypnotic groove and featuring Castiglia on guitar, is quite infectious.  Felix Slim steps with guitar and harp in hand on “Nashville”.  I love the swampy slide and the sheer grittiness of this track.  It’s impossible to escape the driving rhythm and ear-worm-inducing riff on “Thicker Than Blood”.  The track absolutely rocks.  It’s shindig time when Brother Dave shows up with guitar in hand on “Testify”.  With a recurring riff, and a taste of slide, this one makes for a fun listen.

There’s a definite edge to Emanuel Casablanca’s songs as he presents them as blues, rock, and somewhere in between.  Blood on My Hands is a genuinely great listen from top to bottom and I look forward to hearing more from this emerging artist.       

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For more information about Emanuel Casablanca, visit this website : https://www.emanuelcasablanca.com/