#695 : Johnny Burgin - Ramblin' From Coast to Coast (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2024 – Straight Shooter Records

By Phillip Smith; July 20, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Johnny Burgin continues to produce blues music in its purest form with his latest album Ramblin’ From Coast to Coast. Nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2023 for Traditional Blues Male Artist, Burgin’s guitar performances share top-billing with his song writing, elevating him to a level of high-regard. Recorded in assorted studios across the nation in Dallas, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Rochester, New York, then mixed at Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California by Kid Andersen, the album’s title Ramblin’ From Coast to Coast rightly fits. The record features a dozen solid-as-hell blues tracks and brings to the table as many special guests including John Blues Boyd, Rae Gordon, Ben Levin, Hanna PK, Jad Tariq, Jon Hay, and Dylan Bishop.

 Burgin ignites the album with title-track “Ramblin’ From Coast to Coast”. This cookin’ track includes Tariq on guitar and is backed by a rocking rhythm section featuring drummer Danny Banks, bassist Jon Hay, and pianist Christian Dozzler. Following immediately afterward is “Getting’ My Blues On”. I absolutely adore this. Burgin takes the song to the moon and back with his cosmic, note-bending delivery and soulful vocals. The backing vocals from Lisa Leuschner Andersen, Marina Crouse, and Jill Dineen are the icing on the cake and construct a sort of Hendrix-meets-Motown vibe. The flow continues strong with the classic Chicago Blues sound of “I Need Something Sweet”. Burgin’s lyrical mastery sets this up to be a timeless classic. The extremely talented Hanna PK accompanies Burgin on “Fresno Woman”. With Burgin breaking out the slide, I love hearing them trading guitar and piano licks back and forth. It sounds great. A juicy blast of harp from Burgin launches “I’m Playing Straight” as Little Village recording artist John Blues Boyd lends his suave vocals. The converging sound of guitars, piano, and harmonica creates a Mississippi juke joint experience for the listener. In a classic blues fashion, Burgin’s message to listen to one’s gut and refrain from second-guessing is the subject of “I Was Right the First Time”.  Accompanied by Levin on piano, this song swings with finesse.

 Ramblin’ From Coast To Coast is a high-caliber traditional blues album which all blues fans should give a listen to. It’s genuine, and it’s fantastic.  

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For more information about Johnny Burgin, visit the website at https://johnnyburgin.com

Catch up on previous PhillyCheeze reviews featuring Johnny Burgin through this link https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=johnny+burgin

This album available on Bandcamp

#628: Chickenbone Slim - Damn Good and Ready (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Vizztone Label Group

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 12, 2023

 Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

San Diego-based musician Larry Teves aka Chickenbone Slim has returned to Greaseland Studios to record his fifth release Damn Good and Ready.  The album is a cocktail of all-original blues and rockabilly with a cool-as-hell vintage sound.   It is quite obvious why he was awarded the 2022 San Diego Music Award for “Best Jazz/Blues Recording”.  With Christoffer “Kid” Anderson engineering, mixing, and mastering this twelve-track recording, Chickenbone Slim is joined by Laura Chavez (2023 Blues Music Award winner for Best Blues Guitarist) on guitar, Marty Dodson on drums/percussion, Justice Guevara on electric and stand-up bass, and Kid Anderson on everything else.

Loaded with a fistful of musical badassery and a searing blues riff, Teves’ homage to the wonderous lifeforce H2O has me hooked with “Drink Me”.  “Rather Be Up” follows up with sweet twangy tones and a western delivery.  It’s a beautiful song, and draws me in tight.  From the first smokin’ guitar lick Chavez drops, title-track “Damn Good and Ready” is pure unadulterated blues, and sounds absolutely wonderful.  With a fearless vocal delivery, Slim belts out “Ice in My Whiskey”.  Chavez truly shines on this favorite track.  It is songs like “Ty Cobb’s Chiclets” which put a spotlight on Teves’ songwriting mastery.  This suspenseful tale of a baseball legend and his false teeth unfolds with a splash of surf guitar, and I dig it immensely.

Chickenbone Slim’s Damn Good and Ready is a one-of-a-kind album and I highly recommend it. 

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Note: 

I caught Chickenbone Slim live in Memphis this past May performing at Rum Boogie Café on Beale Street for the Vizztone Blues Music Award Showcase, and had the opportunity to speak with him a bit while we were waiting for Uber rides at the end of the evening.  That was very cool.  The next evening, I attended the Blues Music Awards where Laura Chavez was awarded Guitarist of the Year.  Being the first female to be honored with that prestigious award in the forty-four years they have been held, will hopefully begin a new trend.  It was a special moment, and I am very happy she won.   

         

Visit Chickenbone Slim’s webpage at https//chickenboneslim.com to purchase Damn Good and Ready.

#442 : John Primer & Bob Corritore - The Gypsy Woman Told Me

2020 - Vizztone
By Phillip Smith; April 25, 2020

John Primer and Bob Corritore have teamed up once again to record yet another fabulously legitimate record of blues.  Primer instantly connects with his vocals, and enthralls me with his guitar phrasing.   He sounds so damn good as Corritore absolutely rips it up on harmonica.  Produced by Corritore, Clarke Rigsby and Kid Andersen, The Gypsy Woman Told Me also features Jimi “Primetime” Smith (guitar), Billy Flynn (guitar), Bob Welsh (piano), Kid Andersen (organ), Ben Levin (piano), Kedar Roy (bass), Mike Hightower (bass), Troy Sandow (bass), June Core (drums), and Brian Fahley (drums).  This twelve-track album contains ten deep covers and a pair of splendid Primer originals. 

Muddy Water’s “The Gypsy Woman Told Me” makes for a captivating listen as the title track.  With Welsh on piano, Roy on bass, and Core on drums, this one is slowly steeped in old-fashioned Chicago blues.  Corritore wonderfully takes on the legendary Helena, Arkansas harp player Sonny Boy Williamson II with “My Imagination”.  Primer’s guitar sizzles and Welsh holds nothing back on the ivories.  Dripping with emotion, their cover of Jimmy Rogers’ “Left Me with a Broken Heart” is exquisite.  With the driving rhythm of a rolling freight train, “Little Bitty Woman”, is a smashing song.  This Primer original features spirited vocals, tremendous harp topped with Welsh’s attention-grabbing barrelhouse piano.  Flynn, Hightower, and Fahey provide the backing for the guys as they close with “Ain’t Gonna Be No Cuttin’ Loose”, a James Cotton song from 1984.  Primer plays this with precision against Corritore’s textured and nuanced performance.

The musical chemistry between Primer and Corritore is incomparable as they continue to produce some of the best blues being produced these days.  An absolute must for the blues fan, The Gypsy Woman Told Me is a sheer delight.     

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For more information about the artists, visit their websites : www.johnprimerblues.com ,  bobcorritore.com

#399 : Tony Holiday - Porch Sessions

2019 – Vizztone

By Phillip Smith; July 4, 2019

It’s the Fourth of July, and today I’ll be spinning Porch Sessions from Memphis blues-man Tony Holiday.  I love the concept for this record.  In the spirit of classic blues field recordings, Holiday visited and jammed with a ton of big names in the business, right on their front porch.  With Holiday on harmonica, he is joined by guitarist Landon Stone, and bassist Kid Anderson on all tracks.  Guests include Charlie Musselwhite, James Harman, John Nemeth, John Primer, Bob Corritore, Aki Kumar, Rockin’ Johnny Burgin, Kid Ramos, Mitch Kashmar, Jake Friel, Ronnie Shellist, and more.

The raw stand-out blues guitar of two-time Grammy nominated John Primer joined with both Holiday and Bob Corritore on harp, makes for an amazing listen on “They Call Me John Primer”.   It’s always a treat to hear Musselwhite.  He lets loose on “That’s Alright” as Kumar takes on the vocals to this six-and-a-half-minute blues jam.  And for an extra blast of cool, Burgin appears on guitar.  I dig the cover of Little Sonny’s “Woman Named Trouble” with Nemeth on harp and vocals, Matthew Wilson on guitar and Danny Banks on drums.  It has such a funky groove.  Harman and Ramos sound so great together as they break out a briefcase full of blues on “Goin’ to Court”.  “Hip To It” is a delightful harp blues instrumental.  It’s a rare treat to hear three harp players at once as Holiday, Shellist, and Kashmar interestingly play off each other’s performance.  

Hearing the musical collaborations recorded on this album, is like staring blues right in the eye.  With the Porch Sessions, Holiday reiterates exactly what the Blues is all about. 

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