Release Date : April 10, 2026
It’s a thrill for me whenever
Bob Corritore releases a new blues collaboration album. His records always feature an amazing cast of
guests and deliver a spectacular compilation of real-deal blues. Ernestine Blues, the latest release
from Bob Corritore and Friends, is comprised of sixteen bodacious story-telling-centric
blues tracks recorded between 2023 and 2025, and packaged once again with
brilliant, eye-catching album-art from the fabulous Vince Ray. With Corritore on harmonica, Jimi “Primetime”
Smith on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on
piano, and Wes Starr on drums for the majority of the recordings, the
list of friends this time around include Pat Thomas, Sugaray Rayford,
Tia Carroll, Johnny Rawls, Oscar Wilson, Willie Buck,
Carla Denise, Bob Margolin, Teeny Tucker, Kid Ramos,
Johnny Main, Billy Flynn, Ben Levin, and Doug James.
Hearing the sound of Pat Thomas’ voice sing “Big Fat Mama” instantly brought back memories of my first excursion to the Sunflower Blues & Gospel Festival at Clarksdale, Mississippi in 2019. He was one of the first acts I saw for that event. He was quite memorable. Thomas sadly passed away last year at the age of 64, and was the son of bluesman James “Son” Thomas. One can honestly feel the blues linage with every note played and every word sung on this recording. I can’t help but break a smile when Eugene Church’s “Pretty Girls Everywhere” rolls in. Fronted by Stroger on lead vocals, this track features Stroger’s thumpin’ bassline and a cookin’ performance by Geraci on piano. Tia Carroll’s vocal delivery on title-track “Ernestine” is a timeless and classic one. Accompanied by Doug James on saxophones with backing vocals from Eboni McDonald, Diamond Porter, and Yolanda Tharrington, this lost gem was written by the legendary Sam Cooke and originally recorded by Patience Valentine as the B-side to her 1963 single “Unlucky Girl”. The deep cuts continue with a cover of Joe Tex’s lost-love ballad “She Might Need Me” from his 1970 album Joe Tex Sings with Strings &Things. Oscar Wilson (The Cash Box Kings) sings this with a suave soulfulness while Corritore masterfully injects a melancholy mood into the song in a way much akin to John Barry on the theme to Midnight Cowboy. I dig it when soul-blues heavy-hitter Johnny Rawls steps in for “I Love the South”. As the first single released for Ernestine Blues, this original track written by Rawls brings the listener along to a trip down to Mississippi where one can enjoy a tall cool glass of sweet tea and take time to smell the grass after a fresh rain. It makes me think of my own earlier years. Corritore’s harmonica is served piping hot with Willie Buck behind the mic on Muddy Waters’ classic “Trouble No More”. This is a surefire shindig. I love the Teeny Tucker song “Shoes” too. It’s a fun and funky original, perfect for cutting loose on the dance floor.
I’m very much impressed with the musicianship and song selection which Corritore’s series brings to the table. He has definitely hit another out-of-the-ballpark homerun with Ernestine Blues.
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For more information about Bob
Corritore, visit his website at https:// https://bobcorritore.com
For other PhillyCheeze Rock & Blues Reviews
featuring Bob Corritore -> https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=bob+corritore