#664 : Brothers Brown - Nowhere Left to Go (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2024 – Woodward Avenue Records

Release Date Jan 12, 2024

By Phillip Smith; Mar. 2, 2024

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

It’s been eight years since Brothers Brown released their debut album Dusty Road. Their follow-up record Nowhere Left to Go recently landed and is very much worth the wait. Founded by Grammy-nominated keyboardist/synth-master Brother Paul Brown of the Waterboys, and two-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter/guitarist Paul Brown (George Benson, Al Jarreau, Norman Brown) the band also includes bassist/rhythm guitarist/vocalist David Santos (Billy Joel, John Fogerty, Elton John) and drummer/percussionist/guitarist Peter Young (Loretta Lynn, The Burrito Brothers). Together, they approach music much like Grateful Dead and Little Feat pushing genre-specific boundaries of rock, blues funk, and country.

I’m captivated from the beginning as the record rolls in on a super-melancholy wave of regret and loneliness with “Wrong Side of Town”. The way the guitar notes seem to float in mid-air with a Mark Knopfler-ish way sounds amazing as they naturally join forces with the keys. “Junior’s Back” puts me in a happy space with every listen. Once the bridge hits, I am thrown into the Phish-zone, and relish every bit of its expansive and wonderful jam. The Brothers Brown zero in on the Sixties Chicago blues sound with “My Baby”. It hits the bullseye dead center. “Chitlin’ Pickin’” is a grateful instrumental which fills the sky with sunshine and smiles. A driving rhythm slathered with grease and a cookin’ pulse pulls me into the delectable blues-rock anthem “Black and Blue”.      

The great Bobby Rush joins the Brothers Brown on title-track “Nowhere Left to Go” making for a soulful, funky treat.  Rush’s history of working with Brother Paul Brown stretches back for over twenty years, culminating in four albums, three Blues Music Awards, a Grammy nomination, and multiple concert tours.

Nowhere Left to Go receives a high recommendation from me. It’s a terrific album that just gets better with every listen.                                     

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : https://wbaentertainment.com/brothers-brown/

 

Read the PhillyCheeze review for Brothers Brown’s Dusty Road album 

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/03/brothers-brown-dusty-road.html

#662 : Philip Sayce - The Wolves Are Coming (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2024 – Forty Below Records

By Phillip Smith; Feb. 17, 2024

Release Date : Feb. 23, 2024

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

There’s a bright and fierce energy surrounding the music of LA-based blues-rocker Philip Sayce.  The tours-of-duty he ventured with alongside legends like Jeff Healy and Melissa Etheridge certainly pushed him to obtain his 10,000+ hours of experience, elevating him to his current level of greatness.  Loaded with explosive guitar performances, and drizzled with his soulful vocals, Sayce’s ninth and latest album The Wolves are Coming is an extraordinary listen.     

Sayce smashes the gates open with a Hendrix-inspired “Oh! That Bitches Brew”, leaving me gob smacked as I take in his unleashed arsenal of atomic guitar licks.  An infectious rhythm draws me into the funky, smoking anthem of “Babylon is Burning”.  I can’t help but feel his heart-felt emotions poured all over slow ballad “It’s Over Now”.  It is such a beautiful song.  His covers of John Lee Hooker’s “This is Hip” and Albert Collins' “The Moon is Full” both bring smiles to my face too.  I dig the high-octane track “Black Moon”.  Its pulsing rhythm and fuzzy guitar host a furious punch and hits like the go-to songs I loved from The White Stripes.  Sayce’s vocal and guitar performance are absolutely amazing on “Backstabber”.  With the force of a derecho, he tears the freaking roof off.

I highly recommend picking up Philip Sayce’s “The Wolves Are Coming”.  It’s superb from beginning to end. 

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