#354 : The Bennett Brothers - Not Made For Hire

2018 – American Showplace Music

By Phillip Smith; Sep. 29, 2018

New York musicians, guitarist Jimmy Bennett and bassist Peter Bennett first came to my awareness as the backbone of Alexis P. Suter Band.  Their presence on blues-rock albums from Bruce Katz, John Ginty, and Marcus Randolph captured my attention even more.  This summer, the Bennett Brothers released their debut album, Not Made For Hire, a powerful blues-rock album filled with a fistful of electric guitar and lots of groove. Drummer Lee Falco and keyboardist John Ginty bring their mojo to the band as well, forming a tight-knit outfit of musicians.

A searing blast of Texas-style electric blues greets the listener in “Junkyard Dog”.  Falco holds nothing back on drums as he drives this revving fully-loaded beast with ripping guitar from Jimmy.  The B3 sounds of Ginty is sweet icing on this cake.  The Bennett Brothers give an intoxicating performance in a wonderful, riveting way in “I Just Don’t Want the Blues Today”.  This one also features the lovely vocals of Linda Pino backing them up.  She definitely adds a layer of heartfelt emotion to the song.  The rocking contagious riffs in “What’d I Do” have a fabulous way to burrowing right inside to my core, and I love every bit of it.  The album ends in a tremendous way when the needle drops on “I Got a Woman”.  The guitar/organ intro generates a wave of excitement and captivates my attention.  Within ten seconds, the groove is set with a the funky rhythm and rides the spiraling B3 organ delightfully to its cosmic end.   

Not Made For Hire is the real deal.  This is what Blues-Rock is all about.

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Links to other PhillyCheeze Rock & Blues Reviews featuring the Bennett Brothers :

Marcus Randolph My Peeples Peeple - Transplant

John Ginty - No Filter

John Ginty - Bad News Travels Live CD/DVD

Bruce Katz Band - Homecoming

The Alexis P Suter Band - Love the Way You Roll

#352 : RC and the MoonPie Band - All This

2018 – HoundSounds

By Phillip Smith; Sep. 15, 2018

All This, the brand new disc from RC and the MoonPie Band brings a smile to my face with every listen.  The MoonPie Band, from Green Swamp, North Carolina is fronted by Robert “RC” Christian, and consists of guitarist Robert Marlowe, drummer T Bone Betourney, bassist Mike Logiovino, and backing vocalist Russell Pleasants.  Chock-full   of funky soulful blues, All This is a delectable slice of southern Americana served with authenticity.

Title track, “All This” gets the party started with a sweet funky rhythm carved out by Logiovino and Betourney.  Marlowe’s guitar is smoking hot as he rips it up on this one.  Keyboardist extraordinaire Bruce Katz takes the helm of a 1920 Steinway baby grand as guest pianist on “5-10-15 Hours”.  RC’s vocals are suave on this fabulous cover of Ruth Brown’s 1952 hit.  Katz brings back again for a rollicking high-energy homage to one of the best bluesmen in the biz, “The Buddy Guy Up”.    

I love the jazz-soaked cover of Oscar Brown’s “Somebody Buy Me a Drink”.  Rich Moncure’s trombone accompaniment is the icing on the cake for this track.  One can’t help but be pulled in to the intoxicating blues of “Leave Me To Be”, a captivating 9 bar blues song from Christian and Marlowe.  The driving bassline sidles up quite nicely to Greg Moyers’ polyrhythmic beats.  It’s a treat to hear “Steady Rollin” Bob Margolin step in with Telecaster guitar in hand for “Big Ass Jug O’ Wine”.  Now that’s the Blues!  

Guitarist Gary Pope aka “the Pope of Shallotte” joins RC and the MoonPie Band to wonderfully bring this gem of an album to a soulful groovy close with their spectacular cover of Calvin Arnold’s 1968 “Funky Way”.   All This is one cool-as-hell album.  It is indeed “all that”.

    

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#351 : Matty T Wall - Sidewinder

2018 – HipsterDumpster Records

By Phillip Smith; Sep. 8, 2018

Matty T Wall, the Australia-based bluesman who wowed me over two years ago with his Blue Skies album has scored again with Sidewinder. Loaded with nine original songs and four covers, this record showcases Wall’s songwriting, guitar mastery, and vocal chops.  This trifecta of skills is what makes this artist a force to be reckoned with.  Appearing with Wall on this recording, is drummer Ric Whittle, bassist Stephen Walker, organist Gordon Cant, backing vocalist Deli Rowe, Steve Searle on horns, and Jonas Petersen on strings.    

“Slideride”, a bodacious instrumental with a heavy dose of electric slide heavy guitar, surely awakens the soul.  The momentum of the opening track is further extended by the driving riff which fuels rocking title track “Sidewinder”.  Wall captures lightning in a bottle with a fierce performance on “Sophia’s Strut”, a mind-melting blues-rich instrumental.  Clocking in at just less than two minutes, I wish this jaw-dropper could have been a little longer.    

Wall beautifully takes on Sam Cook’s “Change is Gonna Come”.  His soulfully smooth vocals sound great, and his guitar sounds terrific as it lands in the pocket Walker and Whittle construct with the rhythm section.  The strings and organ accompaniment on this one is the icing on the cake. When he hits the Don Nix-penned tune “Going Down”, I have to crank up the volume.  This tremendous song, recorded in 1971 by Freddy King sounds great as Walls scorching guitar licks burn the house down.  

Matty T Wall’s brand of blues, impressively fresh and exciting, continues to push in a forward direction with Sidewinder.  It’s a terrific listen.  That’s for sure.

        

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Click the link below to read the PhillyCheeze review of : Matty T Wall - Blue Skies 

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/07/matty-t-wall-blue-skies.html

#350 : Geoff Achison - Sovereign Town

2018 – Landslide Records

By Phillip Smith; Sep. 3, 2018

Sovereign Town, the latest release from Melbourne, Australia recording artist Geoff Achison is exquisite and timeless.  Achison, who was awarded the Albert King Award at the International Blues Challenge in 1995, centers the landscape of this new album during Australian gold rush of 1850.  Recording at Pilgrimage Studio in the historic mining town of Ballarat, Victoria weaves another layer of authenticity and connection into the music.  Joining Achison on this album is Andrew Fry on stand-up bass, drummer Dave Clark, organist Liam Kealy and backing vocalist John McNamara. 

A hint of impending doom lurks as the opening bassline kicks “Skeleton Kiss” off the diving board with an ominous and catchy delivery.  Achison’s melodic, raspy vocals remind me of Mark Knopfler’s on this track.  It truly is a great song to lead the album with.  Achison sings of a man’s journey to find his golden fortune which ends with little more than bad luck and empty pockets in title-track “Sovereign Town”.   The delicate melody and lyrical cadence is very Dylan-esque and draws my attention quite swiftly.  

A beautiful new life is given to Ben Harper’s 1994 forlorn tale of lost love “Walk Away”.   Achison, taking a more rustic approach, fills the song with a ton of heart and soul.  “Misha Bella”, a smooth jazz instrumental showcases Achison’s guitar prowess and sounds so good.  “Small Time Crime” is another catchy-as-hell song.  Achison’s funky guitar riffs have an uncanny way to burying themselves right into my subconscious.  A magnitude of empathy washes over with each listen of “World of Blue”.  It is brilliantly written, and passionately performed.  The way he makes his guitar wail is breathtaking.  

I love this album from start to finish.  Give Sovereign Town a listen.  You won’t regret it.

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#349 : Keeshea Pratt Band - Believe

2018 – KPB

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 25, 2018

It puts a smile on my face each time I experience the soulful energy of Believe, the debut album from the Houston, Texas-based Keeshea Pratt Band.  After one listen, it’s plain to see how they took home the 1^st place award for Best Band in the 2018 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee earlier this year.  Vocalist Keeshea Pratt fronts this band comprised of guitarist Brian Sowell, drummer Nick Fishman, bassist/music director Shawn Allen, trumpeter Misaki Nishidate, trumpeter James Williams III, and saxophonist Dan Carpenter. 

Pratt rolls out a red carpet of Motown-inspired, slow-cooked soul in “Make it Good”.  Her vocals, drenched with pure honest emotion nail every note amid the swirling sounds of keys and bursts of brass.  The sweet sounds of the Mississippi delta take hold in “Home to Mississippi” for some bodacious down-home blues.  Greased with slide guitar and harmonica this track drips with authenticity.  

I’m captivated by the way “I Can’t Stop Now” slowly revs up and masterfully takes off in a turbo-infused fury.  Loaded with power vocals and searing guitar, it absolutely gets the adrenalin pumping.  One of my favorite singers, the legendary late-great Sharon Jones comes to mind, when listening to Pratt fabulously bring it on in the psych-soul power funk track “Out of My Mind”.  This magnificent song grabs a Phillycheeze one-hundred percent approval rating.

Pratt’s delightful voice has no boundaries as she takes the listener on a musical journey with this remarkable record called Believe.  This album is highly recommended.        

     

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#348 : Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip - Twentyfive Live at Blues Baltica

2018 – Hokahey! Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 18, 2018

In 1991, front man Micke Bjorklof and bassist Seppo Nuolikoski formed Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip.  With over twenty-five years under their belt, and a few personnel changes this Finnish outfit is now stronger than ever and holds court as a top tier blues band with a global fanbase.  Twentyfive Live at Blues Baltica celebrates those twenty-five years of playing live music with a magnificent twenty-one track double live album recorded at Blues Baltica, the annual four-day blues festival in Eutin, Germany.  Alongside Micke and Seppo, the lineup of the band consists of guitarist Ville “Lefty” Leppänen who has been with the band since 1999, drummer Teemu Vuorela, and percussionist/MalletKAT master Timo Roiko-Jokela.

Firing smoothly on all cylinders, the band nicely starts off with “Jack the Black Hat” from their 2014 studio album, After the Flood.  With a tremendous jazzy groove, they splendidly cover the sultry title track to that album as well.  I love the hoodoo inspired “Ray Needs a Mojo Hand”.  It captivates me with every listen.  A couple of very cool blues covers land on disc one too: “5-10-15 Hours”, originally recorded by Ruth Brown, and a ripping celebration of “Honey Hush” which is loaded with lots of hot juicy harp.  “Honey Hush” was originally recorded and co-written by Lowell Fulsom as “Talkin’ Woman”. The song was later covered by the blues-master Albert Collins who recorded it as “Honey Hush” to place on his 1978 LP Ice Pickin’.  Lefty gives a smokin’ guitar performance on this final song of the first disc.  

The second disc opens with ”In Chains” a heart-wrenching blues ballad off Bjorklof’s 2015 studio album Ain’t Bad Yet.  “Gumbo Mama” is a fun and funky treat with a Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe.  Teemu nicely rolls the red carpet out for “Killer Woman” a twangy head-banger that rips it up in a classic rockabilly form.  It segues perfectly right into the next song, dedicated to the great, late Son House, “Ramblified” which is an incredible performance packed with lots of amazing slide guitar.  Twentyfive Live beautifully comes to a close with “Sweet Dream’s a Sweet Dream” a soulfully delicate tune which brings to mind the music of Tommy Bolin. 

Until I actually get to experience a Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip concert in person, I’m more than happy to have Twentyfive Live at Blues Baltica to enjoy.  It’s fabulous.        

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Follow the links below to read previous PhillyCheeze reviews for Micke Bjorklof and Blue Strip :         

Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip - Ain’t Bad Yet

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2015/11/micke-bjorklof-blue-strip-aint-bad-yet.html

Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip - After the Flood

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2014/08/micke-bjorklof-blue-strip-after-flood.html

Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang - Stat(u)e of Mind  (w/ Ville “Lefty” Leppänen)

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2016/01/southpaw-steel-n-twang-statue-of-mind.html

Southpaw Steel ‘n’ Twang - Hale’s Pleasure Railway  (w/ Ville “Lefty” Leppänen and Micke Bjorklof)

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2014/09/southpaw-steel-n-twang-hales-pleasure.html

           

#347 : Czech Village Blues - Aug 11, 2018 featuring Ruf Record's Blues Caravan

Czech Village

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 

All photos by Phillip Smith; Aug. 11, 2018

I am so thrilled and amazed to see how Czech Village Blues festival in Cedar Rapids has expanded and grown in just its second year.  Again, the Linn County Blues Society has joined together with the Friends of Czech Village to keep this wonderful blues event going.   It was incredible to see the musical talent and dedication to the blues presented on the Youth Stage by Kristopher Bries, Anderson Coates, Miles Damaso, and Matthew Burger.  Accompanied by Iowa Blues Hall of Fame inductees, Tom 'T-Bone' Giblin on keys, and Dan 'DJ' Johnson on bass guitar, they were quite impressive, and did a fantastic job to kick start this years festival which featured Tim@theTrutones , Shane Johnson's Blue Train, and Ruf Records' Blues Caravan presenting Bernard Allison, Mike Zito, and Ally Venable.

Youth Stage 

Tim&theTruTones

Corey Clark & Tim Wagoner

Paul Ferguson

Corey Clark

Tim Wagoner

Scott Sanborn

Scott Sanborn

Bob Deforest

Bob Deforest

Shane Johnson's Blue Train

Shane Johnson's Blue Train

Shane Johnson / John Resch

John Resch

Shane Johnson

Christopher Ryan

John Resch

Ruf Records' Blues Caravan 

Ally Venable

Bobby Wallace

Ally Venable

Elijah Owings

Ally Venable Band

Ally Venable

Ally Venable / Elijah Owings

Mike Zito

Bernard Allison

Bernard Allison / Mike Zito 

Bernard Allison / Mike Zito

Bernard Allison

Mike Zito

Mike Zito

Mike Zito

Mike Zito

Bernard Allison / Mike Zito

Mario Dawson

Bernard Allison

Bernard , Ally, and Mike

Bernard, Ally and Mike

Bernard, Ally and Mike

* all photos by Phillip Smith (2018)

Check out the PhillyCheeze review for Bernard Allison's Let It Go :

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2018/01/313-bernard-allison-let-it-go.html

Check out the PhillyCheeze review for Mike Zito's Greyhound 

(originally published for Blues Review Magazine on BluesRevue.com :

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2015/06/mike-zito-greyhound-from-archives-18.html

Check out the PhillyCheeze review for Mike Zito and the Wheel's Songs From the Road 

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2014/11/mike-zito-and-wheel-songs-from-road.html

Check out the PhillyCheeze review for Mike Zito and the Wheel's Keep Coming Back

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2015/12/mike-zito-wheel-keep-coming-back.html

#346 : Savoy Brown - You Should Have Been There!

2018 – Panache Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 11, 2018

Savoy Brown’s latest album, You Should Have Been There! is a colossal dose of live electric blues. Originally recorded in February of 2003 at The Yale in Vancouver, this album features front-man Kim Simmonds joined by guitarist David Malachowski, bassist Gerry Sorrentino, and drummer Dennis Cotton.  Loaded with lots of extended jams, this delightful six-pack of songs gives a solid hours’ worth of listening.     

The record opens with some serious hard-driving blues with “When it Rains” off the 2003 Strange Dreams album. Simmonds then dovetails “Where Has Your Heart Gone?” in quite nicely for an exquisite eleven and a half minutes of intoxicating slow jam and guitar play.  From one of my favorite Savoy Brown albums, 1970’s Looking In, we hear the funky blues of “Poor Girl” which spins the tale of a young woman who’s fled the country life to be surrounded by the bright lights of the big city which chews her up and eventually spits her out.  I love how Simmonds lets loose on guitar with this one.  It’s an absolutely searing performance. You Should Have Been There! closes with the ominous 1972 “Hellbound Train” which boasts an amazing guitar solo from Malachowski. 

The energy of this performance certainly transcends through to the recording. You should have been there.  I should have been there.  We all should have been there.             

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Links below for PhillyCheeze reviews for Savoy Brown / Kim Simmonds :      

Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown - Goin’ to the Delta

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2014/02/kim-simmonds-and-savoy-brown-goin-to.html

           

Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown - The Devil to Pay

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2015/11/kim-simmonds-and-savoy-brown-devil-to.html

           

Kim Simmonds - Jazzin’ on the Blues

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2017/09/kim-simmonds-jazzin-on-blues.html

           

Savoy Brown - Witchy Feelin’

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2017/09/savoy-brown-witchy-feelin.html

#345 : Bruce Katz Band - Get Your Groove!

2018 – American Showplace Music

Release Date :  July 20, 2018

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 4, 2018

I never tire of listening to the wonderful Bruce Katz performing his magic on the keys.  Whether playing with his own band or alongside greats such as Gregg Allman or Butch Trucks, Katz always brings his A-game. This album is no exception.  Get Your Groove is a treasure trove of keyboard-centric blues and jazz loaded with surprising and tasty jams.  With Chris Vitarello holding down the fort on vocals and guitar, Matt Raymond keeps the bassline going on half the tracks on bass.  Drums are supplied by Ray Hangen, with the highly-esteemed Jaimoe (Allman Brothers Band) joining him on three of them.

Hangen nicely rolls the album in with a quick cool beat to lead in “Hesitation Blues”.  The magnificent sound of B3 and a bluesy bassline is topped with Vitarello’s suave vocals and stellar guitar licks.  This track makes for a splendid opener.  “Freight Train” travels a more jazzy direction.  This cosmic instrumental, guided by the Hangen and Raymond is full of surprises and hands-down terrific. Vitarello shines brightly on guitar.

Katz blends acoustic piano with the swirling sounds of B3 on the beautiful and relaxed-paced instrumental “River Blues”.  Raymond lays down a sweet acoustic bassline which adds a deep layered tone to the song.  Another wonderful instrumental “Zone 3” is plumb buttery and saturated in blues. The performance is tight and smack dab right in the pocket.  I absolutely love it.

Rightfully named, Get Your Groove contains eleven tracks made to get your groove on.  It’s a fun one indeed.

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Click below to read the PhillyCheeze review of : Bruce Katz Band - Homecoming  

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2014/11/bruce-katz-band-homecoming.html     

#344 : Vanja Sky - Bad Penny

2018 – Ruf Records

Release Date: Aug. 17, 2018

By Phillip Smith; July 28, 2018

Vanja Sky, one of the newest blues artists to join the Ruf Records family, takes no prisoners with her brand new album Bad Penny.  It was just five years ago, this former pastry chef from Croatia picked up a guitar, and in the moment, she knew that being a musician was her destiny.  Within two years, she was in a band touring Croatia, Slovenia, and Germany.

Recorded at Bessie Blue Studios in Statonville, Tennessee, and Studio Erde in Berlin, Germany, Bad Penny features Mike Zito on rhythm guitar, Terry Dry and Dave Smith on bass guitar, Matthew Johnson and Yonrico Scott on drums, and Lewis Stephens on piano/organ.  She also enlists the legendary Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, Steve Miller, Miles Davis) to take on the tasks of engineering in Tennessee, along with Tobias Noethen who engineered the tracks recorded in Germany. 

Vanja rocks out on a killer cover of Rory Gallagher’s “Bad Penny” for the title track.  Her voice is strong and fearless.  Her guitar licks are terrific.  I get totally swept up in Zito’s outrageously infectious riffs.  The blues are smokin’ with lots of great slide on “Low Down and Dirty”, which includes Bernard Allison alongside Vanja and Zito.  It’s downright bodacious.  

Shining brightly as a songwriter as well, Vanja penned ten of the dozen tracks on the record.  Tender and poignant “Inside Pain” seems to float in mid-air in a beautiful performance.  She totally rips it up on “Give Me Back My Soul”, a Texas style blues rocker with a theme most familiar to blues enthusiasts. It’s a favorite indeed.  Like a Lucinda Williams tune, “Crossroads of Life” digs its fingernails in deep and packs a wallop of that great swampy sound of country blues. It’s brilliant.

Searing guitar licks along with Vanja’s amazing vocal stylings make Bad Penny one hot album, enjoyed start to finish with every listen.  Vanja is currently touring with Mike Zito and Bernard Allison on the Ruf Records Blues Caravan.  This is one show I don’t want to miss.      

 

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