#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.

#619 : Johnny Wheels and The Swamp Donkeys - Keep on Pushin' (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Lightning in a Bottle Records

By Phillip Smith; June 17, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

A magical energy abundantly flows from the latest album Keep on Pushin’ by Johnny Wheels and the Swamp Donkeys a Finalist Band in the 2020 International Blues Challenge.   The music this tight-knit ensemble cooks up is a special blend of Blues, R & B, Rock, Soul, and Funk.  With Johnny “Wheels” Kennicott taking on the frontman position on vocals and harmonica, the rest of this extraordinary band is comprised of guitarist Brandon Logan, drummer Doug Knoyle, guitarist Michael Rabe, bassist Taylor Frazier..  

I love the opening track “On the Run” with its funky little rhythm and punchy horns.  Wheels sings it smooth but keeps a slight rasp in his back pocket for when it’s needed on this briefcase full of Memphis-stye soul.  Logan adds heat to the song on guitar.  This track certainly sets the free-flowing vibe for the rest of the album.  “George Fisk” keeps the flow open wide, with a big jam-friendly convergence of dance-inducing sound.  It is wonderful.  I dig the Funkadelic “Maggot Brain”-influenced intro on “This Time”.  This blues-soaked rocker about starting over slowly turns the heat up until you can feel the sweat.  Wheels conjures up a stellar performance on a wave of sixties-style funk on “Light Me Up (Hold Me In)”.  Topped with a swinging organ and horn accompaniment, this feel-good track brings joy to me.  Lucious blasts of brass, smoldering harp, a riveting beat, and a searing guitar performance come together for the brilliant execution of “Finding your Way Back Home”.  It’s an amazing listen.  The First Lady of Portland Blues LaRhonda Steele joins the band on vocals for a soulful, blues-soaked closer “Time to Bail (Keep on Pushin’).  This heart-felt tune about moving forward is an open letter of encouragement.    

Johnny Wheels and the Swamp Donkeys land in the same category as two of my favorite artists, Ghost Town Blues Band, and John Nemeth.  Currently in heavy-rotation for my listening pleasure, Keep on Pushin’ is a splendid record from beginning to end.                     

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TRACK LISTINGS

 

1. On the Run

2. George Fisk

3. This Time

4. As Long as You’re Here

5. Light Me Up (Hold Me In)

6.The Fall

7. Finding Your Way Back Home

8. Mizz Karman

9. Time to Bail (Keep on Pushin’)

 

For more information about Johnny Wheels and The Swamp Donkeys visit their website at :  https://johnnywheelsband.com/

 

#618 : Leonard "Lowdown" Brown - Blues is Calling Me (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Music Maker Foundation

By Phillip Smith; June 10, 2023

Release Date : June 23, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Born in Arkansas and raised in Indiana, Leonard “Lowdown” Brown has been surrounded by music most of his life.  In 1980 he moved to Houston, Texas for his work with General Electric and became in involved in the local music scene.  In 1988, he acquired his moniker “Lowdown” from the organizers of the Benson and Hedges Blues Festival, and the name has stuck with him since.  He has opened for music-greats Sister Sledge, ZZ Hill, Johnny Taylor and Bobby Bland.  At seventy years old, Brown is just now releasing his debut album Blues is Calling Me.  It is a soulful ten-track serving of original blues.  With Brown on vocals and Fender Jazzmaster guitar, his backing band is comprised of producer/drummer Ardie Dean, guitarist Microwave Dave Galaher, bassist Tony Grady and Dan Hochter on keys and bass.

With a hint of rasp in his voice, Brown gets the record started with a sweet and tangy platter of real-deal blues in “Juke Joint”.  I love the tone he coaxes out of his guitar as he sings about good times, dancing, and eating barbeque.  Baptized in Memphis soul, “Find a Bridge” follows next.  I find this response to Hurricane Katrina very relatable and inspiring.  Brown takes me to church with “Blues Makes Me Feel Good”.  This instant classic features warm soulful vocals, lush organ sounds, and a guitar performance played with finesse.  Delivered atop a tasty funky rhythm alongside a cool horn accompaniment, title-track “Blues is Calling Me” bears a thick Stax influence.  It is undoubtedly a splendid number.

Blues is Calling Me has a classic sound akin to the music released during the blues revival of the Sixties, and I absolutely dig it.  It is artists like Leonard “Lowdown” Brown that are keeping this music alive. 

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For more information about Leonard “Lowdown” Brown visit :  https://musicmaker.org/artist/leonard-lowdown-brown

 

 

*          Special thanks go out to Music Maker Foundation for their work in helping blues musicians who otherwise may not have an opportunity to get their music heard.

#612 : Robert Connely Farr - Cherry Ball (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Robert Connely Farr

By Phillip Smith; May 7, 2023

Release Date : April 14, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Robert Connely Farr’s name is planted on my list of favorite blues artists these days.  I’ve been hooked on his music since hearing his 2019 release Dirty South Blues.  Hailing from Bolton, Mississippi and now residing in Vancouver, B.C., Farr was mentored by Grammy-nominated Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes, cementing his style in Bentonia Blues.  For this recording, Farr selected a baker’s dozen of his coolest tracks and taped them live at Fox Cabaret in Vancouver with bandmembers Jay Bundy Johnson and Tom Hillifer.

The set begins with a splendid, dark performance of the 1929 Charlie Patton side “Screaming & Hollering” which also appears on Farr’s 2022 Shake It album.  He delivers the hard-driving Jack Owens-penned song “Cherry Ball” with fearless abandon down a steamy groove fueled by Johnson and Hillifer.  The bassline digs deep into the marrow of my bones as he wonderfully takes on Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes’ “Going Away to Leave You”.  If one is playing Bentonia blues, there’s going to have to be some Skip James in the mix.  Farr pleads for just one more chance as he delivers a brilliant and unsettling rendition of James’ “Devil Got My Woman” taught to him by Holmes.            

Farr’s original songs truly resonate and are comparable to the those from the delta greats.  “Going Down South”, with its timelessness and infectious hook, pulls me right in.  “Lefty” on the other hand, clocks in with a two-and-a-quarter minute long hellacious serving of high-octane blues.  They are both great songs.

Cherry Ball is a terrific listen from beginning to end.  For those who have not listened to Farr’s work, this album is an excellent gateway recording to introduce yourself to his work. 

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TRACK LISTINGS

 

1. Screaming & Hollering (live) 03:22

2. Buddy Brown (live) 02:27 video

3. Cherry Ball (live) 02:40 video

4. Going Away To Leave You (live) 02:23

5. Going Down South (live) 02:46

6. Devil Got My Woman (live) 02:41

7. Go Cat Go (live) 02:48

8. Lefty (live) 02:14

9. Ain't No Other Way (live) 02:42 video

10. Trouble (live) 03:21

11. Knock On Wood (live) 02:49

12. Shake It (live) 02:57

13. Girl In The Holler (live) 02:34

 

 

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Robert Connely Farr at :  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=Robert+Connely+Farr

 

 

 

 

Available on Bandcamp

#608 : Nick Schnebelen - What Key is Trouble In? (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

What Key is Trouble In?

2023 – Vizztone

By Phillip Smith; April 8, 2023

Release Date : March 10, 2023

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

I’ve been a fan of Nick Schnebelen’s work for twelve years.  His guitar mastery and song-writing make for some exciting electric blues.  Schnebelen’s fourth album for Vizztone What Key is Trouble In was co-produced by BMA winner Chris Hardwick, featuring Nick being backed by drummer Adam Hagerman, and bassist Cliff Moore.  Guest appearances from keyboardist Red Young, saxophonist Buddy Leach, and organist Aaron Mayfield lend their talent to this extraordinary thirteen-track album of all-original songs.

Title track “What Key is Trouble In?” rolls in on a funky BB-King inspired tide, and I dig it a lot.  The beauty of “Blues Night” is in the moody atmosphere Schnebelen crafts.  It’s surely a standout song.  I love how the slow buttery groove of “Hard Driving Woman” pulls me right in to the pocket with Schnebelen filling it with rich tones and smoldering licks.  I can’t help but think of SRV when “Poor Side of Town” begins.  This is a wonderful serving of slow-paced Texas Blues.  Boogying down with an infectious hill-country-blues-flavored riff, “Throw Poor Me Out” flows like moonshine from a mason jar.  It a wonderful jam.   

What Key is Trouble In? is surely an album blues fans will want to own.  Schnebelen just keeps getting better and better.    

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TRACK LISTINGS

01.  Ten Years After, Fifty Years Later

02.  What Key Is Trouble In?

03.  Love In My Heart

04.  Blues Nights

05.  Hard Driving Woman

06.  Will I Stay

07.  Pain Aside

08.  Poor Side Of Town

09.  Johnny Cheat

10.  Big Mean Dog

11.  Over The Cliff

12.  Throw Poor Me Out

13.  People Worry About Me

 

 

For more information about Nick Schnebelen visit his website at :  https://www.nickschnebelenkc.com

 

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

 

 

 

#607 : Eric Bibb - Ridin' (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Stony Plain Records

By Phillip Smith; April 7, 2023

Release Date : March 24, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

Ridin’ the follow-up album to Eric Bibb’s award-winning Dear America continues to captivate me on a myriad of levels.  His lyrical prowess and instrumental finesse are indeed a powerful combination.  Ridin’ contains fifteen tracks, and an impressive list of guest musicians consisting of Taj Mahal, Jontavious Willis, Russell Malone, Amar Sundy, Harrison Kennedy and Habib Koite.

I knew I was in for a treat as soon as “Family” kicked in.  The rootsy banjo-led track with funky organ licks and a gospel-infused backing chorus is a bodacious listen.  Bibb invites Taj Mahal and Jontavious to join in for “Blues Funky Like Dat”.  This ode to the overlap of blues and church is a fascinating listen.  The way Bibb sings about being a great distance away from home in “500 Miles” is beautiful and heartfelt.  Son House came to one of Bibb’s dream, and “I Got My Own” was written.  I love the hot electric guitar licks Sundy drops in this deep blues track.  Harrison Kennedy (Chairmen of the Board) delightfully joins in with guitar and vocals on the country-blues duet ‘”Call Me By My Name”.

A true poet and balladeer, Bibb scores high marks again with Ridin’.                  

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For more information about Eric Bibb visit his website at :  https://www.ericbibb.com

 

 

ERIC BIBB RIDIN’ TRACK LIST

 

01 Family

02 Ridin’

03 Blues Funky Like Dat (featuring Taj Mahal & Jontavious Willis)

04 The Ballad of John Howard Griffin (featuring Russell Malone)

05 500 Miles

06 Tulsa Town

07 Onwards (Interlude)

08 Hold the Line (featuring Russell Malone)

09 I Got My Own (featuring Amar Sundy)

10 Call Me By My Name (featuring Harrison Kennedy)

11 Joybells

12 Sinner Man with Eric Bibb String Band (Live at Wheatland Festival)

13 Free (featuring Habib Koité)

14 People You Love

15 Church Bells (Interlude)

 

 

#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

 

#592 > Damon Fowler & Friends - Live at the Palladium (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2023 – Landslide Records

By Phillip Smith; Jan. 14, 2023

Release Date : Jan 20, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

I been preaching the gospel of Damon Fowler for almost ten years.  In 2013, Fowler, J.P. Soars, and Victor Wainwright unleashed an outstanding record under the name of Southern Hospitality, called Easy Livin’.  The CD had landed in my mailbox for review and after giving it a listen, I was smitten with his work.  Fowler’s latest release features this master guitarist playing live at the Palladium alongside bassist Chuck Riley, drummer Justin Headley, and special guests Jason Ricci on harmonica, Eddie Wright on guitar, and Dan Signor on keys.  Live at the Palladium features eight original songs, and two bodacious covers.

Early in on this set, Fowler breaks out a handful of my favorites from his prior album Alafia Moon.  His fabulous cover of Guy Clark’s “The Guitar” puts a gigantic smile on my face.  Clark ranks up there among the best when it comes to songwriters, and I absolutely love this song which Fowler has breathed a new life into.  “I’ve Been Low” gets wonderfully intense as Fowler lets loose on his guitar.  His no-holds-barred approach never ceases to amaze me.  Jason Ricci steps in for a four-song run starting with “Somethings Change”.  It’s always a joy to hear him play harp.  The performance of Fowler and Ricci on “Somethings Change” is exquisite.  Ricci does what Ricci does best, pouring his heart and soul into the smoldering, slow blues of “Tax Man”.  Fowler sings and plays this one with fine precision.  Both Wright and Ricci join in on the closing song “Sugar Shack”.  This title-track off Fowler’s 2009 Blind Pig release clocks in at just under twelve minutes, and magnificently paves the way for a blues-soaked southern-rock jam.  It definitely makes for a grand finale.

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For more information about Damon Fowler, visit his website at :  https://www.damon-fowler.com/

Check out other PhillyCheeze reviews for Damon Fowler  https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/search?q=damon+fowler

 

 

#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