#698 : J.P. Soars - Brick By Brick (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2024 – Little Village
Release Date : Jun 30, 2024
 
By Phillip Smith;
 
Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

J.P.  Soars has been sweeping me off my feet for over ten years. His magnificent slide work keeps pushing the envelope with every new album he releases. It was the 2013 release of a record called Easy Livin’ by blues super-group Southern Hospitality which first drew my attention to this fellow Arkansan. Formed with Damon Fowler and Victor Wainwright, that band is still active and is currently touring.

Soars’ latest album, Brick by Brick is an astonishing record, jam-packed with phenomenal music. With Soars on vocals, guitars, dobro, banjo, bass, lap steel, two string cigar box guitar, merlin stick dulcimer, and jaw harp, he is joined by Chris Peet on drums and bass, Raul D Hernandez on percussion, Jeremy Staska on percussion, Bob Taylor on Hammond B3, Paul DesLauriers and Annika Chambers on backing vocals, Anne Harris on fiddle, and Rockin’ Jack Jacobs on harp, and Terry Hanck on tenor saxophone.

From the beginning, I’m swallowed up by the lush blues-rock groove on title-track “Brick By Brick”. It grabs on tightly and keeps its clutches sunk in until the end. I absolutely love it. A funky guitar riff, swirling B3, and a slathering of soul gives “Keep Good Company” the Muscle Shoals treatment for a southern-rock, feel-good time. “In the Moment” is absolutely gorgeous. Soars’ delicate performance makes this a beautiful instrumental. I always appreciate hearing J.P. break out that back-woods swampy slide, and when he does on “The Good Lord Will Provide” it sounds so damn good. The racing pulse on “Things Ain’t Working Out” makes for an exciting listen while Soars rips it up on this bodacious jamboree.

J.P. Soars’ Brick by Brick receives my highest of recommendations. I encourage everyone to give this a listen.

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For more information about J.P. Soars, visit the website at https://jpsoars.com

 

For more PhillyCheeze reviews featuring JP Soars, visit https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=J.P.+Soars

 

 

  

#691 : Tom Craig - Get to Work (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2024 – 8th Train Records
 
Release Date : July 20, 2024
 
By Phillip Smith; July 6, 2024
 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I’ve been drawn to the music of Tom Craig since reviewing his first album Get Ready For Me. His follow up album Good Man Gone Bad continued to grab my attention with its deep focus on blues. Craig’s third and most recent record Get to Work feels like the third installment of his first trilogy. Craig brings his troubadour-like smooth vocals, masterfully written songs, and big soulful instrumentation to the studio for a grand listening experience. Produced by Mikey Junior, Get to Work features Craig on vocals and guitar, Greg Gumpel on lead guitar, Matt Daniels on rhythm guitar, Steven Kirsty on saxophone, Bill Heid on piano/organ, Matt Raymon on electric/upright bass, Michael Bram on drums, Dave Gross on percussion/fiddle, and Mikey Junior on featured vocals/harmonica. Bringing the whole package together, another favorite singer, guest Kat Riggins appears on three tracks.    

In a burst of horns and funky rhythm, Craig rolls out a carpet of Sixties soul with his break-up song “As Sure as I Can Raise My Hand”. His buttery vocals question the things that happen when he’s gone in “Making Coffee”. Backed with a Latin beat, surf guitar, and hot sax, this track lands as an absolute favorite. Title-track “Get to Work” hits me with a wave of nostalgia as it swiftly strikes me as a follow-up to that deeply-adored Blind Faith song “Can’t Find My Way Home”. It’s a beautiful song. “Geneva Avenue” brings Craig and Riggins together for a gorgeous and melancholy duet. It’s aways a treat to hear her sing. She has a very lovely voice. Gumpel’s performance is awe-inspiring as every note he plays on guitar seems to sob as it’s played. Mikey Junior steps in on vocals for a funky blues/hip-hop infusion track called “I Showed My Hand Too Soon”. Its infectious groove pulls me in for a fun ride indeed. The high-octane soul of “Deal Breaker” is a riveting dose of sound therapy as the song barrels through like a locomotive driven by Casey Jones. If Elvis were still alive and playing Vegas, he’d have to cover this one. It’s absolutely fantastic. “Mother to the World” brings the record to a close with a John Lennon-esque touch as Craig sings of peace and love.

Tom Craig is a one-of-a-kind all-original artist who continues to impress me with each and every release. Get to Work is as solid as an album can get. I highly recommend this one.       

 

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For more information about Tom Craig, visit the website at https://tomcraigband.com  

 

Catch up on previous PhillyCheeze reviews featuring Tom Craig through this link https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=tom+craig

 

Catch up on previous PhillyCheeze reviews featuring Kat Riggins through this link

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=kat+riggins

 

#679 : Lightnin' Charlie - Life (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2024 – Blue Chip Records

By Phillip Smith; April 30, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

There’s a vintage Fifties sound that ties everything together in Lightnin’ Charlie’s latest album Life. Featuring eleven tracks, five of which are originals, Life was recorded at Woz Studios in Hamilton, Ontario and The Hit Pit in Johnson City, Tennessee. With Lightnin’ Charlie on guitar, piano, organ, clavinova, and vocals, the album features seventeen other musicians stepping in for various accompaniment.

Beginning with a really nice cover of Danny O’Keefe’s “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues”, Charlie sings this smooth and warm with a lonesome cowboy approach. It’s a great song to break the album open with. With “American Eulogy”, Charlie takes a hard look at the state of the country today. I like the slight Johnny Horton vibe to this ballad topped with pedal steel. The guitar runs on “I Ain’t Playin’” really shine. I love the cover of “Everyone’s Talkin”. Originally written by Fred Neil the song was later recorded by Harry Neilson for the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy. Like a suave troubadour, Lightnin’ Charlie performs “Yours (Quiereme Mucho)”. His mastery of guitar and flawless voice take front seat on this one.

Lightnin’ Charlie’s Life is an interesting mix of songs with a really clean sound. It’s more than obvious, there’s a bounty of love and talent poured into this recording.   

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For more information about Lightnin’ Charlie, visit the website at https://lightnincharlie.com/  

 

Available on Bandcamp

 

#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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