Showing posts with label Carolyn Wonderland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carolyn Wonderland. Show all posts

Saturday, May 24, 2025

#747- > Carolyn Wonderland - Truth Is (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


2025 – Alligator Records
Release Date : May, 16, 2025
 
By Phillip Smith; May, 24, 2025

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Carolyn Wonderland never ceases to amaze me with her fiery guitar-slinging skills and charming Southern voice.  Slathered in Texas blues and the authenticity one would find in a backroad juke-joint or honky-tonk, her latest album Truth Is is nothing short of a masterpiece.  Wonderland is backed on this album by Naj Conklin on electric and upright bass and Giovanni “Nooch” Carnuccio on drums and percussion. She is also joined by Shelly King on vocals and acoustic guitar, Dave Alvin on electric guitar, Red Young on B3 organ/piano, Bukka Allen on piano/organ, Kevin Lance on percussion, Ruthie Foster on vocals, Marcia Ball on vocals/piano, Cindy Cashdollar on lap steel guitar, Henri Herbert on piano, and Stuart Sullivan on percussion.

 Wonderland rolls out the red carpet with a riveting taste of swampy slide guitar as she sings of the hard facts of life on “Sooner or Later”.  I’m quickly drawn to the swinging title-track “Truth Is”. With a hard-driving beat from Nooch, Carolyn’s fearless vocals add a lovely touch. I love the blues-soaked “Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard” featuring Cashdollar on lap steel and find myself singing along to this one with every listen. I just wish I had the whistling skills to righteously continue on. The cover of “Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast)”, originally on the Basement Tapes album from The Band, consists of an intoxicating jamboree featuring King, Alvin, Young, Ball, and Cashdollar with Wonderland, King, and Ball all on vocals. I enjoy the hell out of this one. Enveloped in a Caribbean-inspired melody and Jimmy Buffett-esque vibe, “Deepest Ocean Blue” hits me in very contrasting ways as I decipher its deeper meaning. The album comes to an end with “Blues for Gene”, a touching and beautifully-performed tribute to renowned pianist/keyboardist Gene Taylor (The Blasters, T-Bone Walker, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Canned Heat) who sadly lost his life to hypothermia February 20, 2021 during the Texas Power Crisis. Written by Wonderland and Alvin (who was a lifelong friend to Taylor), the song features Alvin on guitar and includes an extraordinary performance by Herbert on piano.

 Carolyn Wonderland’s Truth Is is an absolutely brilliant album. It’s one I can really sink my teeth into.

 

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Photo by Mary Bruton

Photo by Mary Bruton


Available on Bandcamp


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For more information about Carolyn Wonderland, visit website https://carolynwonderland.com/

 

For other PhillyCheeze reviews of Carolyn Wonderland, visit this link https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=carolyn+wonderland

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

#571 > Bourbon and Blues Festival - 2022 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 


McGrath Amphitheater

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

 

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 23, 2022

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Battling a forecast filled with rain and a last-minute lineup change, the first annual Bourbon & Blues Festival co-presented by Linn County Blues Society and Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery hit the ground running.  The temperamental weather fizzled out early and blues fans were rewarded with a whopping dose of outstanding music.  Molly Nova and the Hawk featuring Bryce Janey took the stage first and gave a riveting performance.  Next up was bluesman Davy Knowles, a musician who Peter Frampton declared “gunslinger/guitarist of the 21st Century”.  He was an awe-inspiring treat to say the least.  Danielle Nicole Band followed and pretty much set the stage on fire with a searing performance highlighted with a guest appearance from Kevin Burt who accompanied on vocals.  Headliner Carolyn Wonderland with Shelly King closed the show in a high-energy fashion with blazing guitars and a slathering of lap steel.  It really was a great festival, and I’m already looking forward to next year.


* All Photos by Phillip Smith


Kevin Burt



Molly Nova and the Hawk

featuring Bryce Janey













Davy Knowles













Danielle Nicole Band















Carolyn Wonderland













* All photos by Phillip Smith