PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: Eliza Neals

Showing posts with label Eliza Neals. Show all posts

Saturday, May 25, 2024

#686 : Eliza Neals - Colorcrimes (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2024 – E.H. Records

By Phillip Smith; May 25, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Detroit blues-rocker Eliza Neals is an artist who has secured a spot among my favorites. She pours an abundant amount of talent and creativity into her performances and songwriting, cultivating lasting, memorable songs. Her latest album Colorcrimes has swept me off my feet with its nine all-original tracks. With Neals on lead vocals and piano, Michael Puwal returns as lead guitarist for the brunt of the album.

The record leads off with a delicious serving of swampy slide guitar on “Heal This Land”. The song hearkens back to southern spirituals and delivers a much-needed message for the world today. I absolutely love that Neals turned what started out as a sour note at a show in Michigan into the riveting hit of a song “Banned in Jackson”. Mark “Muggy Do” Leach (Buddy Miles) guests on B3 giving the song a gorgeous full sound. I can feel the emotion pouring out of Neals as she belts out the title-track “Colorcrimes”, a beautiful song of unity. The wailing guitar performance from Puwal brilliantly joins Neals as a second vocal. It’s an amazing listen. Guitarist Brian Lord (Mitch Ryder) joins in on the infectious fun of “Love Dr. Love”. This cooking track takes a small break for a New Orleans-style, horn-fueled second-line to honor the late, great Barrett Strong Jr. (Feb. 5, 1941 – Jan. 28, 2023) who cowrote this and two other songs on this album with Neals. “Sugar Daddy” is a blast to hear as it takes a dive into the world of Motown and Phil Spector’s early girl-group years. Topped off with the sounds of sax from Tyrone Smith and a psychedelic-laced dose of guitar from King Solomon Hicks, this track is a sure-fire winner. I’m very happy to see “Candy Store”, the 2023 single which lit up blues radio last year, land on this release. It’s a fun-as-hell listen filled with confectionery double entendres.

From my first listen to Colorcrimes, I knew it would be an album I will have on heavy-rotation for a long while. It’s one of those records that demands to be heard.

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For more information about Eliza Neals, visit her website at https://www.elizaneals.com

Follow the link below for more PhillyCheeze reviews featuring Eliza Neals:

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=eliza+neals

Eliza Neals’ Colorcrimes is also available on Bandcamp

<a href="https://elizaneals.bandcamp.com/album/colorcrimes">Colorcrimes by Eliza Neals</a>

Thursday, December 22, 2022

#590 : PhillyCheeze's Favorite 20 of 2022 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

By Phillip Smith; Dec.22, 2022

PhillyCheeze's Favorite 20 of 2022

(in alphabetical order)

Bernard Allison - Highs & Lows

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/01/537-bernard-allison-highs-lows.html

Bad Daddy - It's a Mad Mad Bad Dad World

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/08/568-bad-daddy-its-mad-mad-bad-dad-world.html

Buckmiller Schwager - To Memphis and Back

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/03/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-545.html

Gary Cain - Next Stop

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/06/558-gary-cain-next-stop.html

Annika Chambers & Paul Deslauriers - Good Trouble

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/11/584-annika-chambers-paul-deslauriers.html

Ryan Lee Crosby - Winter Hill Blues

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/05/555-ryan-lee-crosby-winter-hill-blues.html

Robert Connely Farr - Shake It

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/10/581-robert-connely-farr-shake-it.html

GA-20 - Crackdown

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/08/572-ga-20-crackdown-phillycheezebluesbl.html

Diunna Greenleaf - I Ain't Playin'

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/05/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-554-diunna.html

The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer - Live at the King Eddy

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/06/559-harpoonist-and-axe-murderer-live-at.html

Herman Hitson - Let the Gods Sing

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/10/578-herman-hitson-let-gods-sing.html

Spencer Mackenzie - Preach to my Soul

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/10/582-spencer-mackenzie-preach-to-my-soul.html

Eliza Neals - Badder to the Bone

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/04/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-550-eliza.html

Prakash Slim - Country Blues From Nepal

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/03/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-547.html

Gina Sicilia - Unchange

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/06/557-gina-sicilia-unchange.html

Sir Rod & the Blues Doctors - Keeping it in the Family

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/09/575-sir-rod-blues-doctors-keeping-it-in.html

Sugaray Rayford - In Too Deep

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2021/12/533-sugaray-rayford-in-too-deep.html

The Terraplanes Blues Band - Stepping Stones

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/02/phillycheezebluesblogspotcom-544.html

Dylan Triplett - Who is He?

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/07/562-dylan-triplett-who-is-he.html

Matty T Wall - Live Down Underground

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2022/07/561-matty-t-wall-live-down-underground.html

The Spotify Playlist

Saturday, April 9, 2022

PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com #550 > Eliza Neals - Badder to the Bone

2022 – E-H Records

By Phillip Smith; April 9, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Eliza Neals is an artist who consistently delivers album after album of solidly-written, exquisitely performed blues-rock. Badder to the Bone marks my fourth album from Neals which I have made a point to review, and the title is very much on the mark. She is a total badass in the music world, and this album is indeed badder to the bone. With Neals on lead vocals, piano, and B3, the other musicians on this record are Lance Lopez ( SuperSonic Blues Machine, Lucky Peterson) and Billy ‘JC’ Davis (Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, Jimi Hendrix) on guitar, Peter Keys (Lynyrd Skynyrd) on B3+200A, Jason Kott ( Robert Randolph) and Paul Randolph ( Alice Cooper, Mudpuppy) on bass, Tim Grogan, Skeeto Valdez, Brian Clune, and Jeffrey “Shakey” Fowlkes ( Too Slim) on drums, Michael Puwal ( Kenny Wayne Shepherd) on guitar+bass, and Kimberli Wright on backing vocals.

Fowlkes’ high-octane beat and Puwal’s swampy slide guitar heats things up quite nicely as Neals takes charge vocally on a call for unity in “United We Stand”. She then follows up with an intoxicating dose of slow buttery blues featuring a searing guitar solo from Lopez on “Queen of the Nile”. It’s an extraordinary listen. “Lockdown Love” is a great song too. With Fowlkes and Puwal onboard, this red-hot track shares the frustrations of dealing with stress while living inside a covid-constructed bubble. Cloaked in a Sixties-mod fashion, “I Got a Gun”, featuring Billy Davis on guitar, is catchy as hell. When Quentin Tarantino finally gets around to filming Kill Bill 3, this song would be a perfect fit for the soundtrack. The gospel-soul-inspired “Heathen” is a beautiful piece with a Muscle Shoals vibe about taking out the trash. I love how Neals’ piano performance is coupled with Galvin behind the B3. I absolutely adore her cover of Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home”. Neals takes this 1969 classic and breathes into it a new glorious life with Lopez at the guitar helm absolutely tearing it up. When he plays, notes majestically hang in the air.

I can’t help but be a huge fan of Eliza Neals. Her approach to the Blues is a fresh and unique one. I thoroughly enjoyed “Badder to the Bone” from start to finish. It’s chockful of badassery for sure.

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Other PhillyCheeze reviews featuring Eliza Neals:

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2017/04/eliza-neals-10000-feet-below.html

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2019/07/401-eliza-neals-sweet-or-mean.html

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2020/05/444-eliza-neals-black-crow-moan.html

For more information about Eliza Neals, visit this website : elizaneals.com

Available on BandCamp

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

#478 : PhillyCheeze's Favorite 20 of 2020

By Phillip Smith; Dec. 24, 2020

PhillyCheeze's Favorite 20 of 2020
(in alphabetical order)

Bai Kamara Jr & the Voodoo Sniffers - Salone

Ben Rice & RB Stone - Out of the Box

Bette Smith - The Good the Bad the Bette

BillyLee Janey - 20 Dollar Tip

8 Ball Aitken - Swamp Blues 2

Eliza Neals - Black Crow Moan

Eric Hughes Band - Postcard from Beale

Erin Harpe - Meet Me in the Middle

Fantastic Negrito - Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?

Kevin Burt - Stone Crazy

Micke & Lefty feat Chef - Let the Fire Lead

Peter Parcek - Mississippi Suitcase

Robert Connely Farr - Country Supper

Ryan Perry - High Risk, Low Reward

Sir Rod & the Blues Doctors - Come Together

Sister Lucille - Alive

Sonny Green - Found! One Soul Singer

Tas Cru - Drive On

Tony Holiday - Soul Service

Too Slim and the Taildraggers - The Remedy

I'm including a Spotify Playlist so you can easily give a listen to each of the albums.

Click on the link below to purchase any of this terrific music from the PhillyCheeze Amazon Store. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

PhillyCheeze Pop Up Blues Store

Saturday, September 19, 2020

#463 : Andy Watts - Supergroove

2020 – Booga Music

By Phillip Smith; Sep. 19, 2020

Supergroove, the latest album from Israel’s Ambassador of the Blues Andy Watts is an impeccable record of big-band blues topped with the delectable sound of Watts’ smoking guitar. With vocals rotated around a noteworthy guest list of singers such as Eliza Neals, and Joe Louis Walker, the band consists of Eyal Klein on keys, Ioram Linker on sax, Gregory Rivkin on trumpet, Tom Mochiach on bass, Moran Bar-On on trombone, Tom Bolig on drums, and Coastin Hank on harmonica. Co-produced by multi-BMA winner and Grammy nominee Kenny Neal, Supergroove is nice mix of originals and covers, with a clean and polished sound.

The funky instrumental “Supergroove” leads the recording off in a way which perfectly fits its name. The sweet sound of horns backed with a B3 and a snappy back-beat make for great accompaniment to Watt’s Texas-blues stylings. Linker’s baritone sax solo is a nice touch too. I love Roy Young’s vocal stylings on their cover of Rick Estrin’s “Living Hand to Mouth”. This is blues at its best with a luscious side of harp. Young sounds great on the funky R&B cover of Gonzalez’s 1974 song “Pack it Up” too. Grammy nominee Joe Louis Walker adds a silky-smooth touch to “Burning Deep”, a beautiful and soulful original. It’s an absolute pleasure to hear the fabulous Detroit songstress Eliza Neals pour her magic on his 1995 song “Blues of the Month Club”. I’d love to hear more collaborations between her and Watts. High-energy blues-rocker “Don’t You Let Me Down” which was originally recorded in 1972 by the band Jericho, features the original singer Danny Shoshan. This new version, rearranged for Watts’ larger band, sounds fantastic polished up with sounds of brass. The album closes with a beautiful and delicate performance of Peter Green’s intoxicating instrumental “The Supernatural”. Watts takes this song which first appeared on John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers’ A Hard Road album, and lifts it skyward in his own unique way.

Watts’ guitar mastery shines brightly on this album and he makes interesting choices music-wise. Supergroove is a rock-solid album with rock-solid performances. It’s definitely an album worthy of adding to your collection.

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Saturday, May 9, 2020

#444 : Eliza Neals - Black Crow Moan

2020 – E-H Records

By Phillip Smith; May 9, 2020

I got hooked on the music of Eliza Neals when I reviewed 10,000 Feet Below in 2017. Last summer, I was gob smacked by her album Sweet or Mean, and had the pleasure of seeing her perform at the Prairie Dog Blues Festival in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. It was great to hear her stellar vocals belting out song after song, backed by her high energy band.

On Black Crow Moan her latest release, Neals draws me in from the get-go on “Don’t Judge the Blues”. The slide guitar from Mike Puwal fills it with swampy goodness. Slathered in hot buttery soul "The Devil Don't Love You", features the great Joe Louis Walker. He keeps it funky on guitar as Neals takes me to church on keys. Walker also delightfully appears on title track "Black Crow Moan". The call and response vocals are emotionally-charged as the notes from Walker’s guitar weightlessly drift skyward. This dark masterpiece, covered in ominous overtones, oozes with authenticity. “Never Stray” is another amazing song. It is shrouded in a beautiful intensity and features guitarist Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent) bassist Jason Kott, and drummer Jeffrey ‘Shakey’ Fowlkes (Too Slim). St. Holmes also brings a bowlful of slow-cooked blues and searing guitar to Neal’s cover of Big Mama Thornton's "Ball and Chain". Eliza sings this with fearless abandon as Shakey builds a wall of thunder on drums. It’s an absolutely wonderful experience to hear.

When it comes to my list of favorite blues-rockers, Eliza Neals remains among the top. As long as the badassery within her keeps forging great records such as Black Crow Moan, I’ll be there to hear them.

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : http://elizaneals.com/