#642: The Dig 3 - Damn the Rent (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – The Dig 3

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 4, 2023

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

A wave of nostalgia washes over me with every listen to Damn the Rent, the latest album from Illinois bluesmen The Dig 3.  Their all-original songs range from traditional blues, to the funky R&B sounds of the Seventies and Eighties.  Consisting of Andrew Duncanson on vocals and guitar, Ronnie Shellist on harmonica, and Gerry Hundt on Farmer foot drums, percussion, bass VI, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and organ, the trio makes quite a positive impression.       

An intoxicating Bo Diddley-inspired rhythm welcomes the listener in for a musical road trip through The Prairie State on “Take a Ride”.  Shellist’s harmonica performance on this is fabulous.  I love the warm tones on “Big Water” and how Duncanson’s smooth vocals pair with Shellist’s masterfully injected harp.  The ingredients all cook up into a big bowlful of vintage Chicago Blues.  The funk rises to the top on the instrumental “Blanco Boogaloo” with a rhythm that is sweetly unescapable.  The Dig 3 throw in a remarkable pre-war blues style curve ball with “Old Dog”.  My ears immediately perked[P1]  up and a smile grew across my face once I heard the familiar sound of kazoo.  A disco-infused beat guides the groovy rhythm of “Southern Fantasy” directly to the dance floor when vocalist Lauren Dukes, bassist Aaron Whittier, and drummer/percussionist Rick King join The Dig 3 to form Dig 3 Big Version.  I like this one a lot.

The Dig 3’s Damn the Rent won me over on the first track and left me wanting to hear more from the band.  It’s a splendid listen. 

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : https://thedig3band.com

#639: Dave Keller - It's Time to Shine (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2023 – Tastee Tone Records

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 14, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

With nearly twenty-five years of recording music under his belt, Dave Keller returned to the studios again last fall.  The studio, however, happened to be a friend’s cabin ten miles south of the US/Canadian border nestled in the Adirondacks.  It was there, Keller and his band recorded his tenth album It’s Time to Shine.  This record of all original songs brings joy to me with every listen.  His sophisticated vocals lend an extra layer of finesse to the sleek brand of feel-good soul-blues he masterminds.  With Keller up front on vocals and guitar, he is joined by Ira Friedman on keys, Jay Gleason on drums/percussion, Alex Budney on bass, Mark Earley on sax, Tom Palance on trumpet, and Annika Chambers-DesLauriers on backing vocals.

It’s Time to Shine breaks open with the infectious bassline of “Waiting for the Sunrise”.  A slight Beatles “Come Together” vibe hangs around just out of sight, as cosmic guitar sounds accent Friedman’s steady-rolling keys on this cool-as-hell song.  Keller and company deliver a tight and riveting performance on “The Truth of the Blues”.  The driving rhythm tightly pulls me right in to this wonderful track.  With a suave approach, Keller delivers a soulful, happy love song with “I Wanna Go Back to Memphis”.   Hearing him sing about walking by the river and Beale Street, makes me a little homesick since I grew up about sixty miles from the Bluff City.  Keller digs deep and conjures up his inner-Eric Clapton for “Full Measure of Pleasure”.  Vocally and sonically this song is an absolute gem. 

Keller has a sure-fire hit with It’s Time to Shine. It is a splendid listen from beginning to end with a dozen terrific songs which flow effortlessly from one to the next.                           

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

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Dave Keller at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Dave+Keller

Available from Bandcamp

#620 : Eric Johanson - The Deep and the Dirty (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Ruf Records

By Phillip Smith; June 25, 2023

Release Date : July 28, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Louisiana blues-rocker Eric Johanson has a ridiculously cool album with his latest release The Deep and the Dirty.  Enlisting Jesse Dayton (Rob Zombie, X, Samantha Fish) surely accounts for the badassery which abundantly flows out of the dozen original tracks contained on this record.  With Eric Johanson on guitar and vocals, the band is comprised of drummer Terence Higgins, and bassist Eric Vogel, along with Jesse Dayton and Patrick Herzfeld on shaker/tambourine.

Rocking out in a Hendrix fashion, Johanson greets the listener with “Don’t Hold Back”.  The infectious hard-driving riff is painted with explosive guitar licks.  Immediately following is the title-track The “Deep and the Dirty”.  I love Vogel’s buttery blues-soaked bassline.  It sounds great and draws me quickly in to enjoy Johanson’s smokin’ performance.  His slide-play on “Beyond the Sky” and “Familiar Sound” is deliciously swampy and captivating.  Led Zeppelin had a “Stairway to Heaven”.  Johanson on the other hand has a ride to “Elysian Fields”.  That song stands out as instrumentally grand and wonderfully poetic.  I quickly fall for the highly infectious “Galaxy Girl”.  Johanson cooks this one to a rapid boil from the git-go with an amazing guitar performance.   

The Deep and the Dirty from Eric Johanson is a heavy load of blues served with hard-driving guitar.  I love every single bit of it, and highly recommend giving it a listen.   

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For more information about Eric Johanson visit his website at :  https://ericjohanson.com

 

#614 : Lil' Jimmy Reed with Ben Levin - Back to Baton Rouge (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Nola Blue Records

By Phillip Smith; May 20, 2023

Release Date : May 19, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

At eighty-five years old, Leon Atkins aka Lil’ Jimmy Reed has released a new album with twenty-three-year-old blues pianist extraordinaire Ben Levin, and it is fantastic.  The record is called Back to Baton Rouge and was recorded with guitarist Aron Levin (father of Ben Levin), bassist Walter Cash Jr., and drummers Ricky Nye and Miss Shorty Starr.  Atkins, who cut his teeth in the music world while playing the Chitlin Circuit during the Fifties, keeps the blues-torch burning from that era as he injects that essence into his writing and performances.  It was during that time, Atkins was asked to fill in for Jimmy Reed and play with Reed’s band on a show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Reed had reportedly drunk a bit too much and was unable to perform.  Atkins covered for Reed, and the show went very well.  Soon after Atkins became known as Lil’ Jimmy Reed.    

The album starts off with an attention-grabbing cover of Jimmy Reed’s “Down in Virginia”.  Akins’ smokey vocals sound great as he plays this one bright and clean.  Levin’s piano accompaniment is a delight too.  This is one of my favorite cuts on this record.  Two other Jimmy Reed gems are covered back-to back: “I’m the Man Down There” and “A String to Your Heart”.  They surely make an honorable tribute to the blues-great.  

“Wish You Wouldn’t”, is a terrific piano-centric blues original written by Ben and Aron Levin.  The guitar licks Lil’ Jimmy perfectly injects into the song sound great as he sings about his lady drinking too much, chewing tobacco, and fighting.  A strong Howlin’ Wolf vibe woos me over with the steady-rolling original “Engine Light”.   The ominous feeling Atkins projects on this tale of a possible breakdown digs in deep to the bone.  A luscious cover of Slim Harpo’s “Mailbox Blues” brings the album to a close.

Back to Baton Rouge packs ten outstanding traditional blues tracks into one fabulous album.  I hope to hear more collaborations between Lil’ Jimmy Reed and Ben Levin in the future.

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I had a special opportunity last week to see Lil’ Jimmy Reed and Ben Levin perform together in Memphis as part of the BratGirlmedia Blues Music Awards Showcase at the Rum Boogie Café.  It was a glorious night for music. Below are a couple of photos I captured of Lil’ Jimmy and Ben that evening.   

 

Lil' Jimmy Reed , Ben Levin

Rodd Bland, Jon Hay, Lil' Jimmy Reed

 

 

 

This album available on Bandcamp

#609 : Dean Zucchero - Electric Church For the Spiritually Misguided (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

Dean Zucchero

Electric Church for the Spiritually Misguided

2023 – Pugnacious

By Phillip Smith; April 15, 2023

Release Date : April 7,2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Originally from New York City’s East Village, Dean Zucchero now calls New Orleans his home.  I first became aware of him through his work through the music of Ghalia Volt.  I had reviewed two of her albums, and Zucchero had made a big impression on me with his performance on bass guitar.  His debut album Electric Church for the Spiritually Misguided is quite exciting and a fabulous listen.  With Zucchero on bass guitar, he is accompanied by drummers Terrence Higgins and Doug Belote, organist Phil Breen, percussionist Alex McDonald, and guitarist Jake Eckert.   It’s great to hear him collaborate with personal favorites Ghalia Volt, Johnny Burgin, Johnny Rawls, and Jason Ricci.  Other featured guests include Dale Spalding, Jonathan “Boogie” Long, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, John Fohl, Joe Krown, Leslie Smith, Papa Mali, Johnny Sansone, and Jeremy Joyce.

“Big Boss Boy” the first hymn played at the Electric Church features Mississippi soul-blues legend Johnny Rawls on vocals, and Chicago blues great Johnny Burgin on guitar.  The buttery bassline, swirling organ, and backing singers sound fabulous alongside Rawls’ silky smooth vocals, and Burgin’s blues-infused licks.  “Craft Beer”, and ode to one of my favorite things, places Johnathon “Boogie” Long behind the mic for a suave-as-hell number.  Ghalia Volt sings “Last Minute Packer” a track which kicked off her 2021 album One Woman Band.  Co-written by Zucchero and Volt, this bodacious song features spirited performances by Waylon Thibodeaux on fiddle and Alex MacDonald on washboard.  I love the instrumental “DBA” which is fortified with harp from Jason Ricci and organ from Joe Krown.  The New Orleans energy flows freely through this one.  “Mortal Man” features Johnny Sansone on lead vocals and harp for a dose of real-deal blues.  It penetrates right to the bone.

The healing power is great at the Electric Church for the Spiritually Misguided.  Dean Zucchero has created a wonderful album indeed.    

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Track Listing:

 

1.      Big Boss Boy

2.      Independence Day

3.      Craft Beer

4.      Last Minute Packer

5.      Empty Postbox

6.      La Belle Poursuite

7.      Stack It

8.      Fascist Love

9.      DBA

10.  Mortal Man

11.  American Dream

 

 

For more information about Dean Zucchero visit his website at :  https://www.deanzucchero.com

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Dean Zucchero at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Dean+Zucchero

 

#608 : Nick Schnebelen - What Key is Trouble In? (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

What Key is Trouble In?

2023 – Vizztone

By Phillip Smith; April 8, 2023

Release Date : March 10, 2023

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

I’ve been a fan of Nick Schnebelen’s work for twelve years.  His guitar mastery and song-writing make for some exciting electric blues.  Schnebelen’s fourth album for Vizztone What Key is Trouble In was co-produced by BMA winner Chris Hardwick, featuring Nick being backed by drummer Adam Hagerman, and bassist Cliff Moore.  Guest appearances from keyboardist Red Young, saxophonist Buddy Leach, and organist Aaron Mayfield lend their talent to this extraordinary thirteen-track album of all-original songs.

Title track “What Key is Trouble In?” rolls in on a funky BB-King inspired tide, and I dig it a lot.  The beauty of “Blues Night” is in the moody atmosphere Schnebelen crafts.  It’s surely a standout song.  I love how the slow buttery groove of “Hard Driving Woman” pulls me right in to the pocket with Schnebelen filling it with rich tones and smoldering licks.  I can’t help but think of SRV when “Poor Side of Town” begins.  This is a wonderful serving of slow-paced Texas Blues.  Boogying down with an infectious hill-country-blues-flavored riff, “Throw Poor Me Out” flows like moonshine from a mason jar.  It a wonderful jam.   

What Key is Trouble In? is surely an album blues fans will want to own.  Schnebelen just keeps getting better and better.    

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TRACK LISTINGS

01.  Ten Years After, Fifty Years Later

02.  What Key Is Trouble In?

03.  Love In My Heart

04.  Blues Nights

05.  Hard Driving Woman

06.  Will I Stay

07.  Pain Aside

08.  Poor Side Of Town

09.  Johnny Cheat

10.  Big Mean Dog

11.  Over The Cliff

12.  Throw Poor Me Out

13.  People Worry About Me

 

 

For more information about Nick Schnebelen visit his website at :  https://www.nickschnebelenkc.com

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Nick Schnebelen at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Nick+Schnebelen

 

 

 

#607 : Eric Bibb - Ridin' (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Stony Plain Records

By Phillip Smith; April 7, 2023

Release Date : March 24, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Ridin’ the follow-up album to Eric Bibb’s award-winning Dear America continues to captivate me on a myriad of levels.  His lyrical prowess and instrumental finesse are indeed a powerful combination.  Ridin’ contains fifteen tracks, and an impressive list of guest musicians consisting of Taj Mahal, Jontavious Willis, Russell Malone, Amar Sundy, Harrison Kennedy and Habib Koite.

I knew I was in for a treat as soon as “Family” kicked in.  The rootsy banjo-led track with funky organ licks and a gospel-infused backing chorus is a bodacious listen.  Bibb invites Taj Mahal and Jontavious to join in for “Blues Funky Like Dat”.  This ode to the overlap of blues and church is a fascinating listen.  The way Bibb sings about being a great distance away from home in “500 Miles” is beautiful and heartfelt.  Son House came to one of Bibb’s dream, and “I Got My Own” was written.  I love the hot electric guitar licks Sundy drops in this deep blues track.  Harrison Kennedy (Chairmen of the Board) delightfully joins in with guitar and vocals on the country-blues duet ‘”Call Me By My Name”.

A true poet and balladeer, Bibb scores high marks again with Ridin’.                  

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For more information about Eric Bibb visit his website at :  https://www.ericbibb.com

 

 

ERIC BIBB RIDIN’ TRACK LIST

 

01 Family

02 Ridin’

03 Blues Funky Like Dat (featuring Taj Mahal & Jontavious Willis)

04 The Ballad of John Howard Griffin (featuring Russell Malone)

05 500 Miles

06 Tulsa Town

07 Onwards (Interlude)

08 Hold the Line (featuring Russell Malone)

09 I Got My Own (featuring Amar Sundy)

10 Call Me By My Name (featuring Harrison Kennedy)

11 Joybells

12 Sinner Man with Eric Bibb String Band (Live at Wheatland Festival)

13 Free (featuring Habib Koité)

14 People You Love

15 Church Bells (Interlude)

 

 

#603 : Until the Sun - A Night at the Rhythm Room (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Independent

By Phillip Smith; April 1, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Until the Sun’s impressive live album A Night at the Rhythm Room is absolutely delightful.  This Arizona-based band comprised of guitarist Brandon Teskey, singer Alyssa Swartz, drummer Chris Tex, and bassist Jay Zarecki is one hell of a tight-knit unit.  The album, recorded at the legendary Rhythm Room in Phoenix contains elements of rock, blues, jazz, and psychedelia poured into their music.  They certainly have their own unique sound, and I like it a lot.

I’m lulled in to “The 4^th Turning” with a beautiful melodic introduction to be wowed by Swartz’s lovely yet powerful voice.  Teskey’s guitar prowess is downright amazing when he shifts into Jimi-mode on this hypnotic rocker.  The band serves up a nice greasy dish of downhome blues with “Hell of a Thing”.  Swartz’s vocal performance oozes with feeling and emotion and I love the tone Teskey gets out of his instrument.  His musicianship really shines.  The heavy-fuzz infused “Diamonds in the Dust” is felt right down to the bone.  Zarecki’s bassline adds to the weight of the song while Tex brings his own brand of thunder to this infectious rocker. 

Out of the ten tracks on this album, all are original except for two.   The first cover is a exquisite take on Etta James’ “At Last”.  The focus rightly turns to Alyssa on this track with good reason.  She has a phenomenal voice.  The second cover is a brilliant performance of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”.  Swartz sounds great singing it, and Teskey’s licks light up like fireworks.  With that song, the show ends on a high note leaving me wanting more.  

I highly recommend this record.  Now that Until the Sun is on my radar, I am going to keep a keen eye out for further releases.                            

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TRACKLIST

 

1. Battle Cry

2. The 4th Turning

3. Hell Of A Thing

4. Death In Disguise

5. Diamonds In The Dust

6. Unborn

7. At Last

8. Arisen

9. Burning Home

10. Whole Lotta love

 

For more information about Until the Sun, visit their website at :  https://untilthesun.com/

 

#598 : Alastair Greene - Alive in the New World (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Whiskey Bayou Records

By Phillip Smith; Feb. 25, 2023

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Alastair Greene’s guitar wizardry coupled with his innate ability to craft songs is just the beginning of why his live albums are as delectable as the ones he recorded in studio.  I love the studio albums, but the live albums make for an entirely different listening experience with Alastair packing more into several of the songs.  Greene’s most recent disc Alive in the New World covers ten of the eleven tracks on his 2020 studio album New World Blues.  Produced by Tab Benoit, these live recordings were taken out of a six-night run in Chicago at City Winery during a 2021 tour in which Greene was opening for Benoit.  The lineup is exactly the same as the original studio album with Greene on guitar and vocals, Benoit on drums, and Corey Duplechin on bass and harmony.  The songs are sequenced very differently than they originally were on New World Blues and omits the inclusion of “Alone and Confused”. 

Alastair’s guitar is ablaze and slathered in Texas blues as he leads the record off with “Back at the Poor House”.  The funky groove on this instrumental whisks me away to my happy place.  “Lies and Fear” gets down and dirty as Greene questions an age-old manipulation tactic.  He takes this song skyward as he opens up and lets loose.  I absolutely love “Heroes” as it crashes ashore riding atop an enormous melancholy wave.  The song still reminds me of The Meat Puppets.  It doesn’t take long for “Bayou Mile” to get swampy after it gently rolls in.  Greene dishes out a whopping helping of slide guitar on this one and it sounds great.  Alive in the New World closes in a bodacious way with “The New World Blues”.  This is when Greene dumps the remainder of grease and swamp-water into an amazing finale. 

The New World Blues was a favorite of mine in 2021.  Alive in the New World is a favorite of mine in 2023.  I recommend getting both.    

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For more information about Alastair Greene, visit his website at : https://agsongs.com  

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Alastair Greene at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=alastair+greene

 

#591 > Diane Blue All-Star Band - Live! At the Fallout Shelter (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Regina Royal Records

By Phillip Smith; Jan. 7, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Live! At the Fallout Shelter, the latest release from Boston-based vocalist Diane Blue has fabulously captured my full attention.  Recorded on February 26, 2022, at the Fallout Shelter in Norwood, Massachusetts, this live album contains two excellent covers, and seven original tracks written by Blue during the pandemic.  Blue’s smooth and soulful vocals are perfectly matched with a tight, rhythm and blues band which features Chris Vitarello on guitar, Dave Limina on Hammond organ, and Lorne Entress on drums.  When not fronting her own band, Blue also performs as vocalist for Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters.

A blast of Stax-flavored soul ushers the record in with “I Got a Good Thing”.  Blue’s Memphis-style approach sounds absolutely wonderful.  Vitarello, Liminia, and Entress have an instrumental chemistry reminiscent of Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, and Al Jackson Jr..  “Crazy,Hazy, Lazy”, a masterfully constructed love ballad, hits me with a beautiful wave of melancholy infectiousness.  I can’t help but feel the blues when I hear her cover of Millie Jackson’s “I Cry”.  An additional two verses are added by Blue to bring awareness to social injustices happening today.  Ronnie Earl makes a guest appearance on “Leave Me Alone” and nails down an exquisite guitar performance.  Each note he plays seems to sink right in to my bones.  This is slow blues at its best, making for an intoxicating seven-and-a-half-minute-long listening experience. 

Diane Blue All-Star Band is definitely now on my radar.   Live! At the Fallout Shelter is a super listen from beginning to end.  This album is one I highly recommend. 

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For more information about Diane Blue, visit her website : https://dianebluemusic.com