Release Date : June 5, 2026
After seeing Harrell “Young
Rell” Davenport perform earlier this month at BratGirlmedia’s All-Star
Showcase at Rum Boogie Café in Memphis and at the Pinetop
Boogie & Crawfish Boil held at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale,
Mississippi, I feel greatly honored to review his debut, self-titled album Young
Rell. It’s artists like this
nineteen-year-old singer/songwriter/harp player/guitarist from Vicksburg,
Mississippi, who keep this sacred genre of music alive, and Young Rell
is doing that in a classic and majestic way. Joining Davenport in the studio for this
twelve-track album, which features ten brilliant originals and two attention-grabbing
covers, are Jim Pugh on organ/piano, Endre Tarczy on bass, Christopher
“Kid” Andersen on guitar/rhythm guitar, DaQuantae “Q” Johnson on
bass, June Core on Drums, Larry Batiste on horn
arrangements/backing vocals, Aaron Lington on tenor/baritone sax, and Niel
Levonius on trumpet.
With Kid Andersen on guitar and Pugh on piano, “Fatherless Child” the first single released for this album wonderfully showcases Davenport’s skills as a songwriter, singer, and harp player. This heavy and powerful story-telling blues ballad pulls tightly at my empathetic heart-strings. I love the funky, infectious groove Tarczy and Core plant on the horn-infused “Spinning”. Rell’s vocals are smooth and confident as they bring to mind the classic soul-blues of the great Johnny Rawls. “Richland Swing” is an amazing instrumental which absolutely cooks. Bountifully loaded with the sound of horns and organ, this track zeros in on Rell’s stellar talent as a guitarist. Hearing Rell’s fierce cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” completely caught me off guard. It’s an incredible song with a genius, blues re-tooling. The other cover which lands on this album is a magnificent performance of Fenton Robinson’s 1977 title-track “I Hear Some Blues Downstairs”. Rell’s delivery on guitar demands attention. It is clean and downright remarkable. Riding atop an unstoppable fury of harmonica goodness, “Nite Creepin’” is an astonishing blast of instrumental blues.
This recording from Young Rell lands in my favorites of 2026, and is a recording which blues enthusiasts will surely want to hear. I’m already looking very-much forward to hearing more from Rell in the future.
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| Young Rell at Rum Boogie Cafe, Memphis, Tennessee - May 6, 2026 * Photo by Phillip Smith |
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| Young Rell at Ground Zero Blues Club - May 9, 2026 * Photo by Phillip Smith |
For more information about Harrell “Young Rell”
Davenport, visit his website at :
Available on Bandcamp