2023 – Electro-Fi Records
By Phillip Smith; Sep. 23, 2023
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com
SoulFunkin’BLUES, the latest album from the Canadian multi-award-winning
blues band Blackburn Brothers, is one of the most exciting releases of
the year. Brothers Duane (lead vocals, organ, piano), Brooke (guitar, vocals), Cory
(drums, harmony vocals), and Robert
(guitar, harmony vocals), along with cousin Nathan
(bass guitar) have crafted a powerful album of funk and soul which is garnering
huge attention from the music community.
Infused with the smooth sounds of Neil Brathwaite on tenor sax and Ted Peters on trombone, “Bobby’s Blues” leads the record off with a bowlful of buttery soul-blues. The song perfectly sets the stage for the music which follows. The gravitational force of “Soul Brother” pulls me right in with its funky Seventies groove. Topped with Funkadelic-inspired vocal treats and references which would make Curtis Mayfield smile, the song dazzles me at every turn. The brothers lay down a bit of Texas blues with “Won’t You Let Me Go”. I dig the Stevie Ray Vaughn vibe which courses through the song’s veins. “Freedom Train” arrives at the station loaded down with a shipment of funk. Fortified with a bit of talk-box, this extraordinary track has a ton of bounce to the ounce and brings back wonderful memories of listening to Roger Troutman and Zapp. There is a definite callback to Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” in Blackburn Brothers’ “Little Sister”. It’s a great song.
Albums like SoulFunkn’BLUES don’t come around very often. It’s fantastic from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.
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For more information about the artist, visit this website : http://www.blackburnbrothersmusic.com/
