#641: Toulouse Englehardt - Three Novellas for Guitar and Orchestra (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Five and Dime Universe

By Phillip Smith; Oct. 28, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Toulouse Engelhardt, the last of the Tacoma Seven fingerstyle guitarists which also included notable artists John Fahey, Peter Lang, and Leo Kottke, has an amazing new release called Three Novellas for Guitar & Orchestra.  Three years in the making, the album pairs Engelhardt with Los Angeles Recording Choir & Orchestra to take listeners on an instrumental journey into the various realms of interdimensional reality.  The record was produced, directed, and conducted by Christopher M. Allport with Engelhardt as composer, associate producer, and guitarist.   I love the poetic corresponding verse for each novella, written by Lindsey Engelhardt and included in the accompanying booklet.  It solidifies the identity of each piece.

With a gentle awakening, the first Novella, Elegy for Oceanides (a Mermaid Suite) begins to wash up upon the “Shores of Enceladus”.  Accompanied with a beautiful backing of strings, Engelhardt’s finesse and guitar prowess grace the listener.  The angelic vocals of Monique Donelly announce the divine sea-goddess “Oceanides”.  Engelhardt charms me with Novella No. 2 Plains of San Agustin in which the crash-landing of space explorers from a faraway universe leaves one single survivor.  The way he beautifully spins this unspoken tale is dramatic and magical.  Oftentimes, the world’s go-to system for division is a binary one.  Novella No. 3 Triangulum Sonatia is a reminder that the world is not as we would label it.  With this third and final novella, Englehardt ushers us through three pieces to wonderfully showcase mathematics in its harmonious form, the triad : “Adagio tranquillo”, “Andante animato”, and “Moderato con spirito”. 

Three Novellas for Guitar and Orchestra is enlightening.  This one-of-a-kind recording by Toulouse Englehardt is simply put, extraordinary.              

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Track Listing:

 

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. I Shores of Enceladus

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. II Oceanides

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. III Siren's Call

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. IV Mermaids' Grotto

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. V Oceanides' Tears

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. VI Epitaph

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. VII Processional Under The Sea

Elegy for Oceanides - Mvt. VIII Farewell Oceanides

Plains of San Agustin

Triangulum Sonatina - Mvt. I Adagio tranquillo

Triangulum Sonatina - Mvt. II Andante animato

Triangulum Sonatina - Mvt. III Moderato con spirito

 

#631: Scott Weis Band - Raise Your Hands (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

Scott Weis Band

Raise Your Hands

2023 – A Happy Carrot Production

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 26, 2023

Release Date : Aug. 1, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

I’ve immensely enjoyed the past couple of releases from Scott Weis Band. Their eighth and latest album Raise Your Hands is no exception.  For something a little different this time Weis injects a heavy dose of southern rock into his blues and it sounds fantastic.  Weis is joined again by drummer Roger Voss and bassist Robert Kopec.  He is also accompanied by vocalist Cindy Mizelle, keyboardist John Ginty, and percussionist Bashiri Johnson, with Sarah Smith making a guest appearance on vocals.

Weis fills the air with the swampy sounds of the Mississippi Delta on the first track “Motherless Child”.  I enjoy hearing him tear it up on slide guitar with the rolling sounds of organ joining in.  “Shine Down” follows up in a nice Skynyrd-esque fashion.  I love the arrangement of the backing vocals on this slow cooker.  Vocally and instrumentally, it hits on all cylinders.  There’s a lot of ZZ Top influence running in the hard-driving Texas boogie-laced blues of ”Judgement Day”.  I like to turn the volume up when this track starts.  One of my favorite Beatles covers is Joe Cocker’s take on “With a Little Help From My Friends”.  Weis delightfully takes on the Joe Cocker version and it sounds glorious.  His gravelly vocals nail every note of this six-minute classic as the band comes together in a full-on Muscle Shoals-fashion.  Weis breaks out the dobro and Kopec the standup bass on “Bring Me Home” to close out the album.  The stripped-down vintage sound fully captures my attention as is conjures up memories of seeing the legendary Watermelon Slim in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

With songwriting and performance both taking top priority, Scott Weis Band has another winner with Raise Your Hands.  I appreciate how the music flows seamlessly from beginning to end, taking on an album-oriented rock appeal.  This is a release I am highly recommending.

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For more information about Scott Weis Band visit their website at :  https://scottweisband.com/

 

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

 

 

#623: Jimmy Bennett - Sunday Morning Sessions (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Junkyard Dog Productions

By Phillip Smith; July 15, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Sunday Morning Sessions, the new album from Jimmy Bennett (Bennett Brothers, Alexis P. Suiter, John Ginty, Bruce Katz) stole my heart from the first listen.  Bennett, an original member of Levon Helm's Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, New York, began writing this record on Easter Sunday 2020 as a response to the beginning days of the Coronavirus outbreak.  That day, he wrote, recorded, and posted a video for his new song “Easter Morning Melody” on Facebook.  The positive response he received encouraged him to keep moving forward, spawning the Sunday Morning Sessions which he continues producing today.  This record is a tribute to those Sunday sessions and to the listeners who tune in.  Produced by John Ginty at Shark Tank Studio in Sarasota, Florida, the album features Bennett on acoustic guitar, dobro, and vocals, with Ginty on Vintage Vibe piano, Hammond organ, and drums. 

Bennett begins the listening experience with the instrumental title-track “Easter Morning Melody”.  Its bright melody rolls off his guitar on waves of bliss and flows like a soft breeze on a sunny Spring day.  With dobro and slide in hand, Bennett captivates me with “Snow Sliding”.  Ginty holds this swampy instrumental treat down with a steady, thunderous beat and it sounds magnificent.  Bennett shares a simple but profound insight about life in “Bay Ridge Blues”.  I find this infectious song repeatedly bouncing around my head.  I’m quite taken by the song “Mr. Charlie”.  This character-driven, story-telling ditty has a Beatles-esque charm with a deliverance reminiscent of The Band.  Bennett’s guitar prowess truly shines on the instrumental “Broken River Stream”.  It is an amazing listen.  I love the singer/songwriter approach to his cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”.  Recorded with just Bennett on vocals and guitar, this ‘Man in Black’ classic sounds fresh and rootsy. 

I absolutely adore this album.  The songs of Jimmy Bennett’s Sunday Morning Sessions seem to connect directly right into the soul.        

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For more information about Jimmy Bennett visit the website :  

https://www.thebennettbrothersband.com/

 

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews mentioning Jimmy Bennett at : 

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Jimmy+Bennett

 

#602 : Dyer Davis - Dog Bites Back (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – WildRoots Records

By Phillip Smith; March 25, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

There is a new favorite blues-rocker on the block, and his name is Dyer Davis.  This twenty-three-year-old from Florida is a master of guitar and hosts a tremendously soulful voice.  A sense of comfort flows through me knowing the future of this treasured genre is in very good hands.  Davis’ songs are soaked in blues and delivered with a punch.  His debut album Dog Bites Back is co-produced by Stephen Dees and Billy Chapin.  With Davis on vocals and guitars, the record features David Weatherspoon on drums, and Jacob Barone on bass.  Also appearing on the record are guests Victor Wainwright on piano and vocals, Stephen Dees on bass guitar, Billy Chapin on guitars and organ, Patricia Ann Dees on tenor sax, flute and vocals, and Billy Dean on drums.

In true rock and roll fashion, Davis boldly kicks the record off with a smashing cover of Jeff Beck’s “Let Me Love You”.  The groove is dirty and funky with Dean keeping a furious beat on drums.  “Walk Away My Blues’ follows up immediately afterwards for a tasty serving of slow blues written by Dees and Wainwright.  Wainwright pounds the hell out of the keys as Davis unleashes a searing guitar performance.  It sounds fantastic.  “Water into Wine” is a beautiful ballad constructed with religious imagery topped with an infectious hook which sports a strong Larkin Poe vibe.  As Davis switches into crooner mode, he pours his whole self into “Cryin’ Shame”.  Bursts of brass load the track with a gob of delicious Stax-flavored nougat.  Wainwright steps in on mic and keys for the spectacular southern-rocker “Long Way to Go”.  The slide guitar Chapin brings to the song adds a swampy texture.  I slip into a hypnotic state when title-track “Dog Bites Back” kicks in.  Davis sings the song with absolute fearlessness as it unfolds in a way which reminds me of a favorite band of mine Whiskey Myers.  It sounds so damn good.

Dog Bites Back is rock solid from start to finish.   Dyer Davis is an artist to keep your eyes and ears on.   He’s going to move up the ladder fast.

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Track List

1. Let Me Love You 4:35

[Jeff Beck/Rod Stewart]

2. Walk Away My Blues 5:27

[Stephen Dees/Victor Wainwright]

3. Water Into Wine 3:58

[Dyer Davis]

4. Cryin’ Shame 4:48

[Billy Chapin/Stephen Dees/Dyer

Davis]

5. Train Wreck 2:58

[Billy Chapin/Stephen Dees/Dyer

Davis]

6. Lifting Up My Soul 3:27

[Stephen Dees]

7. Long Way to Go (feat. Vic[1]tor Wainwright) 4:37

[Stephen Dees]

8. Wind is Gonna Change 4:45

[Dyer Davis]

9. Dog Bites Back 3:56

[Stephen Dees/Billy Chapin]

10. Angels Get the Blues 5:19

[Stan Lynch/Billy Chapin/Stephen

Dees]

11. These Walls 4:03

[Dyer Davis]

12. Don’t Tell My Mother 3:52

[Dyer Davis]

13. AKA 4:44

[Stephen Dees/Dyer Davis]

 

For more information about Dyer Davis, visit his website at :  https://dyerdavismusic.com

 

#597 : Jimi "Primetime" Smith & Bob Corritore - The World in a Jug (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Vizztone

By Phillip Smith; Feb. 18, 2023

Release Date : Feb 10, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I find the Blues is still quite alive when listening to The World in a Jug, the new collaboration between Maxwell Street blues veterans Jimi “Primetime” Smith and Bob Corritore.  The two reconnected seven years ago in Arizona, and this album documents ten songs they have recorded since.  With Smith on vocals/guitar and Corritore on harmonica, the album features a cast of fifteen backing musicians and vocalists coming together in different configurations on each track.

Things get off to a foot-stomping start with title-track Jimmy Reed’s “I Got the World in a Jug”.  I dig the pounding keys of Fred Kaplan, and the fiery harp accompaniment Corritore dishes out for Primetime’s commanding vocals.  Freddy King’s “Love Her With Feeling” nicely follows up with a smokin’ hot plate of Chicago blues.  “In a Spin” is a song I keep returning to for a second listen.  Smith sings this confluence of blues and jazz with a suave finesse.  Shoutouts to a menu full of tasty down-home dishes secure Rex Garvin’s “Soul Food” as an absolute favorite.  The flawless harp performance from Corritore is delectably coupled with an incredible slide guitar on “Walkin’”.  

Smith and Corritore sound fantastic together and I’m hoping The World in a Jug leads to another collaboration between the two in Bob Corritore’s critically acclaimed ‘From the Vaults’ series. 

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For more information about Bob Corritore, visit his website at https://bobcorritore.com

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Bob Corritore at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=bob+corritore

 

 

#596 : Craig Erickson - Modern Blues (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Ferver Records

By Phillip Smith; Feb. 11, 2023

Release Date : Feb. 17, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I’m very excited to hear new music from Iowa-based artist Craig Erickson.  He always delivers the goods when it comes to high-octane, guitar-fueled blues-rock.  I love his funky, cosmic and from-the-heart approach to songwriting.  His latest album Modern Blues is a twelve-track journey of finding balance amidst the challenges facing the world today.  As a proficient multi-instrumentalist, Erickson takes on vocals, guitar, bass, and keyboards, with Jeff Sipe (Col. Bruce Hampton, Leftover Salmon, Cedell Davis) on drums.

When the world turns upside down, Erickson stares hate squarely in its eyes and unleashes a furious dose of guitar mastery on “Topsy Turvy”.  This is the song that sets the stage for the remainder of the record.  A buttery rhythm typesets the page on title track “Modern Blues”.  With this song, Erickson addresses the unsettling issues which fill our in-boxes with crazy news on a daily basis.  A blast of adrenalin surges through my bloodstream with each listen of “Stormchasin’”.  Craig absolutely tears it up as he lets loose a barrage of smokin’ licks on this song.  On “Narrow Way”, he breaks out the slide. It sounds absolutely wonderful.  I dig the greasy funk of “Bring Love Back Again”.  The Allman-esque southern rock of “Last Train to Nowhere” is at the top of my favorite songs.  Extra points are awarded to the reference to Batman and the Joker.  The Hendrix-influenced “Brokedown World” is a wonderfully funky track with a smorgasbord of tones.  The emotion poured into masterpiece “Blues River” is thick and intoxicating.  A feeling of peace and tranquility washes over me as the album concludes with a joined pair of tracks “Loves Gonna Win” and “In the End”.  I really like that this is how he brings the record to its end.     

The flow is seamless as each song spills into the next, making for a wonderful album-oriented listen.  Craig Erickson has set the bar at a new height for himself with “Modern Blues”.  This is a record one will want to listen to from beginning to end.          

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For more information about Craig Erickson, visit his website at : https://www.craigericksonsskytrain.com   

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Craig Erickson at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=craig+erickson 

#593 > Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers - How Many Roads? (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2023 – Lex Grey

By Phillip Smith; Jan. 21, 2023

Release Date : Jan 27, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

How Many Roads? , the eighth release from New York ensemble Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers grabbed my attention quite quickly on the first listen.  Grey’s voice is powerful and soulful as she performs the eleven masterfully-written originals on this album.  Known for their rock, blues, and burlesque shows in Brooklyn and lower Manhatten, the group is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Lex Grey, producer/guitarist/audio engineer Vic ‘Mix’ Deyglio, writer/musician Ed Wasilewski, sonic innovator Brian Dewan, and drummer/percussionist Sonny Rock.  

I love the brilliant Amy Winehouse vibe Grey injects into the opening song “In it Together”.  Her voice is delicately soulful as Mix and Dewan drive the song on piano and synth.  I can’t help but smile like a possum when she breaks out a briefcase full of blues in “Ain’t From Mississippi”.   The extra grease Wasilewski pours into his guitar performance makes for a splendid listen.  It’s exciting to hear Grey beautifully deliver “Begin Again”.  This a song is so reminiscent of the psychedelic rock of Jefferson Airplane, and instantly transports me to that awakening time.  Her haunting ballad “Biker Down” is a heartfelt and gorgeous dedication to a lost friend.  Bringing the record to a stellar close is “Angel” a song of gratitude and loss.  Grey’s vocal performance drips with raw emotion as she sings this song of aches and pains.   In the vein of John Prine and Bonnie Raitt, this is a song that cuts deep to the bone.    

This recording has turned me into a solid fan of Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers.  How Many Roads? is album-oriented Americana at its finest.

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For more information about Lex Grey and the Urban Pioneers, visit his website at :  http://www.lexgreymusic.com/

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Lex Grey at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=lex+grey

#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

#583 > Ivor S.K. - Mississippi Bound (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Ivor Simpson-Kennedy

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 5, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Hailing from Sydney Australia, and now living in New Orleans, Ivor Simpson-Kennedy takes story-telling to the highest level with his music.  There’s a unique spin he has on blues and roots which is very refreshing and quite captivating.  The attention he pays to details in his songwriting, pairs perfectly with his laidback style.  Mississippi Bound, his latest release, was created during his downtime due to the pandemic.  It features fifteen stellar tracks, all written, arranged and performed by Ivor. 

The listener is taken on a journey which begins with the ska-infused, Caribbean-flavored track “Mississippi Bound”.  Ivor’s smokey vocals define that of an experienced, weathered traveler.   A delightful melody coupled with frank, from-the-gut lyrics lend a Randy Newman-esque vibe to “Talkin’ Shit Again”.  Easily lured into Ivor’s infectious guitar riff on “Wheelin’”, I thoroughly enjoy his swampy slide play and beat poet style.  There’s a sort of Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia aura to “Taste Your Lips”.  It’s an absolutely gorgeous song.  Cloaked in a thick slathering of slide, evil suits itself up on the concluding track “Dead Pig”.  The music alone transports me to a cypress-filled swamp in the middle of Mississippi.

Ivor S.K. fills Mississippi Bound with substance and originality as he builds a musical landscape where outlaws and poets intermingle.  It’s downright fascinating.

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For more information about Ivor S.K., visit this website :

http://www.ivorsk.com

 

Check out past PhillyCheeze reviews for Ivor S.K.

Montserrat

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2017/07/ivor-sk-montserrat.html

 

Delta Pines

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/05/ivor-sk-delta-pines.html

#558 > Gary Cain - Next Stop (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Gary Cain

By Phillip Smith; June 11, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Next Stop, the latest release from Canadian blues-rocker Gary Cain, takes off like a rocket, and soars to the heavens.  His guitar prowess is extraordinary and an absolute treat to hear.  Cain, a 2018 semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, has talents which run much deeper though.  This ten-track album reveals just how much.  Written and recorded in Austin, Texas, Next Stop is all Cain.  He wrote the music and lyrics, plays all the guitar and bass parts, sings, programs drums, and handles percussion.

Rocking an infectious Texas boogie, “Billionaires in Space” blasts the album off by taking a satirical jab at Elon Musk’s and Jeff Bezos’ ego-centric race to boldly go where no man has gone before.  Cain seemingly draws inspiration from Jimi Hendrix on “Confusion”.  His powerhouse performance is so hot, it downright cooks.  Cain furiously throws everything he has into “Kitchen Sink”.  This fabulous instrumental brings to mind a favorite by The Aristocrats called “Kentucky Meat Shower”.  It’s an exhilarating experience to hear Cain’s intense guitar picking riding the bleeding edge of his barreling beat.  Reaching the tipping point of being fed up is a gradual process and that’s the way Cain goes with “Gone” a song with that exact theme.  The mellow and melodic atmosphere stretches outward and inward, taking heavy and funky turns with its cozy groove.  Next Stop wraps up with “A Short, Furious Goodbye” with special guest John Lee on B3 organ.  This cosmic instrumental clocks in at two minutes, seventeen seconds and beautifully lives up to its name.

Next Stop is one album guitar aficionados will definitely want to give a listen to.  It’s fantastic.  

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For more information about Gary Cain, visit this website :  https://www.garycainband.com

#556 > The Groove Krewe featuring Nick Daniels III - Run to Daylight (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Sound Business Services

By Phillip Smith; May 28, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Spearheaded by songwriter/musician/producers Rex Pearce and Dale Murray from Southern Louisiana, The Groove Krewe is a group of handpicked studio musicians selected to back featured artist Nick Daniels III (Neville Brothers, Dumpstaphunk).  This this funky New Orleans-style party record called Run to Daylight features Daniels on bass guitar and lead vocals, with the core of The Groove Krewe consisting of drummer Eddie Bayers, bassist David Hyde, guitarists Rex Pearce and Nelson Blanchard, and horn players Jason Parfait, Ian Smith, Pete Verbois, Chris Belleau, Lacy Blackledge, and Bob Henderson.  This ten-track album is packed with all original songs crediting at least one of the two producers Pearce and Murray with writing credits on every song.  

The Groove Krewe kicks things off in a delightfully funky way with title-track “Run to Daylight”.  The large band sounds lively and festive.  “That’s New Orleans” keeps the good times going in ‘Who-Dat’ fashion with shoutouts to Bourbon Street, Preservation Hall, and beignets.  There’s no doubt this is going to be a go-to album to spin this summer as the Krewe breaks into a chic Seventies-style disco groove on “Have a Party”.  It’s absolutely fabulous.  I love the album closer “Raising Cane on the Bayou”.  It hits the ground running in a surge of high-energy blues splashed with a bit of grease and topped with horns.  The Stax-meets-Muscle Shoals vibe on this one positively glistens. 

Run to Daylight is a feel-good album with puts me in a happy mood.  This is just what I needed to hear. 

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PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com #554 > Diunna Greenleaf - I Ain't Playin'

 

2022 – Little Village

By Phillip Smith; May 14, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I Ain’t Playin’, the latest release from Texas blues artist Diunna Greenleaf is a must-hear.  This three-time Blues Music Award winner, dishes out thirteen wonderful tracks, incorporating blues, soul, funk, and southern gospel.  Her amazing vocals are backed by a stellar lineup of musicians which include producer Kid Andersen on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys, and Derrick “D’mar’ Martin on drums.

The album busts loose on a strong Stax-influenced start with “Never Trust a Man”.  A funky bassline, groovy beat, and stellar horn section provide the perfect pocket for Greenleaf’s fiery voice.  Steeped in seventies soul, “Running Like the Red Cross” gets down as Pugh deals out a generous dose of swirling keys to accompany the song’s lush melody.  “If it Wasn’t for the Blues” is delightfully funky in an Isaac Hayes kind of way.  With guest Igor Prado on lead guitar, this is the song I can listen to many times over and enjoy it each and every time.  All it takes is five seconds for Jemmott’s infectious bassline riff on “Answer to the Hard Working Woman” to reel me in for an invigorating musical explosion.  I love how Martin’s precision beat, Greenleaf’s vocals, and those fabulous horns get increasingly thicker until the final note.  The blues sounds so good when Diunna sings “Damned if I Do”, and with accompaniment by Andersen, she sounds even sweeter. 

Ain’t Playin’ is such a dynamic album.  Everything about it works and it sounds amazing.  

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For more information about Diunna Greenleaf, visit this website :  https://diunna.com/

 

PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com #552 > Jarkka Rissanen Tonal Box feat. Kalle Fält - Bones

 

2022 – Humu Records

By Phillip Smith; April 23, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Having reviewed Finnish guitarist Jarkka Rissanen’s 2021 album Cargo last year, I was quite anxious to hear his latest release Bones with his band Tonal Box featuring Kalle Fält.  Like his previous album, this one is comprised entirely of instrumentals divinely steeped in jazz fusion leaning into funk and blues.  Tonal Box is comprised of Rissanen on guitars, lap steel, and Casio, Fält on tenor sax, Jorma Välimäki on tuba and double bass, and Jussi Kettunen on drums and percussion.

Bones rolls in on a funky beat surrounded by the sweet swampy sound of slide peppered with blasts of sax from Fält on “Chicken Hawk”.  Then “Heyday” hits, with its alluring dance-inducing rhythm and relaxed Hawaiian-flavored lap steel with a saxophone-lead.  I love the space created with their cover of Dr. John’s “Della (Part 1)”.  With tuba accompaniment, this song beautifully captures the essence of a lazy day.  I detect a strong jam-band essence in “Shake”.  With every listen, I’m reminded of Phish, a favorite of mine.  “Down the Road” walks the tightrope between blues and jazz, with Rissanen holding down the blues on guitar while Fält keeps a foot on the jazz side of the song on sax.

Jarkka Rissanen wins me over again with these eight instrumental tracks on “Bones”.  It’s an absolutely splendid album.              

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#535 : Robert Connely Farr - Ain't Enough

 

2021 – Robert Connely Farr

By Phillip Smith; Jan. 1, 2022

Ain’t Enough was recorded at Hipposonic Studios in Vancouver, BC, and marks Robert Connely Farr’s ninth studio album, and first solo acoustic album.   What I love about Farr’s music is that it’s deep, meaningful, and baptized in the blues.  Nominated for 2019 Maple Blue Awards for Songwriter of the Year and New Artist of the Year, Farr was mentored by 2021 Grammy nominee Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes.  This mentorship with Holmes is key in Farr’s devotion to keep the Bentonia Blues legacy moving forward.  Holmes, owner of the world’s oldest juke-joint The Blue Front Café in Bentonia, Mississippi, was mentored by Henry Stuckey who also taught Skip James.  One can feel the history of the handed-down teachings in Farr’s songs.   

Like Townes Van Zandt, John Prine,and Bruce Springsteen, Farr has the magic to pull the listener in to his world to experience the good with the bad.  This is very much so as Farr reels me in with title-track “Ain’t Enough”.  It totally sets the tone of the album.  Performed on a twelve-string, his cover of Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes’ “Going Away to Leave” is absolutely breathtaking with its ominous and hypnotic riff.  A wave of emotion overcomes me when I hear him sing about his gut-wrenching battle with cancer in “I Get By”.  Farr’s infectious rolling melody swoops me up as he paints a clear picture of economic inequalities in “Getting’ Richer Blues”.  It’s such a badass song.

Ain’t Enough is a striking album of real-deal blues.  Farr’s lyrics cut to the bone and his melodies are beautifully haunting.               

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 For more information about the artist, visit this website: www.robertconnelyfarr.com

 

Available on Bandcamp

#529 : Cole Allen - The Other Side

 

2021 – Cole Allen

By Phillip Smith; Nov. 20, 2021

Minnesota-based music artist Cole Allen first appeared on my radar while I was in the midst of reviewing the album Live My Life by his wife Sena Ehrhardt.  Allen was lead guitarist for the band, and that album, which was released on Blind Pig Records made a terrific impression on me.  His new six-track release The Other Side is quite impressive as well.  His talents shine brightly on this recording as he performs solo with acoustic guitar in hand.

Divided into two parts: sunset, and sunrise, this album begins on the darker sunset side, with title track “The Other Side”.  There’s a strong Pearl Jam-unplugged vibe on this song, which I just love.  Allen’s lyrical mastery is perfectly framed by his melancholy melody in “Black Cloud” a song where desperation seems to be the norm, and total hopelessness seems to be right around the corner.  As the darkness fades away, and the light creeps in, a splendid cover of “Maybe it’s Time” by Jason Isbell opens the sunrise portion of the album in a thought-provoking fashion.  Allen’s odyssey through the dark and into the light finally lands him on the ‘other side’ with “Noelle”.  This beautiful song, dedicated to his daughter, is wrapped in a blanket of love and joy. 

The Other Side is such a reflective piece.  Allen wears his heart on his sleeve throughout the whole album.  His original songs are amazingly crafted and seem to walk the line between Eddie Vedder and John Prine.  I certainly hope to hear more of Cole Allen in the future.      

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 Links to additional PhillyCheeze reviews featuring Cole Allen:

PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: Sena Ehrhardt live at Campbell Steele Gallery - Feb. 11, 2017 (phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com)

 

PhillyCheeze's Rock & Blues Reviews: Sena Ehrhardt - Live My Life (phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com)

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : www.coleallen.net