#568 > Bad Daddy - It's a Mad Mad Bad Dad World (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – PieHole Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 6, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

With roots in Maine and Chicago, Paul Waring, aka Big Daddy, has fully captured my attention with his stunning new blues album, It’s a Mad Mad Bad Dad World.  Big Daddy packs a hell of a wallop with Waring on guitar and vocals, featuring engineer Pete Galanis on guitars as well.  The rest of the band is comprised of Elton Jaan on Hammond organ, Ari Seder on bass, Jason “JROC” Edwards on drums, plus backing singers Andrea Miologos and Bree Gordon.

From the beginning of the record with “Blues at Home”, I snuggle right in to the vibrant organ, hot guitar licks, and smoky vocals.  The song is solidly cloaked in the spirit of the Allman Brothers and is sweet music for my soul.  I love that upbeat Chicago rhythm as it mixes with the swampy slide and steady-rolling Hammond in “Pork Pie Hat”.  It’s most definitely a signature track.  Time slows down to a beautiful crawl in “The Blues I Can Use”.  The mellow landscape Bad Daddy creates for this one is topped with a with a riveting electric guitar solo.  “Trip on Your Love” struts down the way in a chunky Seventies psychedelic blues-rock manner, reeling me in with its delightful, funky groove.  I totally dig it.  

It’s a Mad Mad Bad Dad World by Bad Daddy is a highly recommended listen with its no-holds barred blues.                     

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For more information about Bad Daddy, visit this website : https://www.badaddy.com/

 

Available on Bandcamp

 

#385 : Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith & The House Bumpers - Drop the Hammer

2019 – Big Eye Records

By Phillip Smith; April, 6, 2019

The new disc, Drop the Hammer from Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith & the House Bumpers has really caught my attention.  The son of the late great Grammy Award-winning bluesman Willie “Big Eyes” Smith , Kenny grew up in the same Chicago house Muddy Waters once lived. With this new album Smith reserves a few songs to pay homage to traditional blues.  Then he steps out of the box and creates his own universe of sound as he explores the boundaries of contemporary blues.  Smith steers this ship from in-front of the mic and behind the drums.  The rest of his cutting-edge ensemble, The House Bumpers consists of Billy Flynn and Ari Seder on guitar, Omar Coleman on harmonica, Felton Crews on bass, and Luca Chiellini on piano.  Smith also enlists heavy-hitters Greg Guy (son of Buddy Guy), Sugar Blue, Greg Guy, and Nelson Strange, along with vocalists Kimberly Johnson, Dana Gordon, and Andrea Miologos.

“Head Pounder” kicks the album off with a slow-burning, multi-layered North Mississippi-esque rhythm.  It’s laced with blasts of harp, slide guitar, and the unique sound of sitar courtesy of Flynn.  Smith’s children, Mae, Clara, and Teddy contribute accompanying vocals to “Hey Daddy”, a happy and heartwarming original about parenthood.  Kenny drops a payload of deliciously-deep psychedelic funk on title-track “Drop the Hammer”.  The groove is so powerful, its hard to escape its gravitational force.  I also get immersed in the funky trance blues Smith and Guy create in “What in the World” with Seder, Crews and Chellini.  I love the way “Puppet on a String” opens from the kit.  This is another one that absolutely cooks, in a vintage Elvis “A Little Less Conversation” kind of way.  The enticing groove on “One Big Frown” sizzles with Strange on guitar.  Johnson’s powerful and soulful vocals take command. 

Kenny Smith has certainly created a noteworthy album with Drop the Hammer.  It is one hundred percent fresh and baptized in the blues.

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For more information about the artist, visit this website: https://beedyeyes.com