#624: Soulful Femme - Attitude (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Skydog Studios

By Phillip Smith; July 22, 2023

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Funk, soul, and blues form a magical convergence with the sounds of Soulful Femme.  Comprised of lead vocalist Stevee Wellons and guitarist Cheryl Rinovato, Soulful Femme was formed shortly after the two women met at a blues society event in 2014.  Attitude, the follow up album to their 2021 release It Is Well With My Soul, is produced by Albert Castiglia and features him on guitar for three tracks.  The backing musicians include drummer Michael Bram, bassist Matt Reynol, Dave Gross on Hammond organ and tambourine, Doug Woolverton on trumpet, and Mark Earley on tenor saxophone.  Special guests on this record include Tommy Castro and Kevin Burt.

The funky, infectious rhythm of title-track “Attitude” leads the way with Castiglia joining in on guitar.  The bassline is thick as Wellons’ vocals ring out with a striking fearlessness.  I absolutely love their cover with Kevin Burt which breathes new life into the 1968 Willie Dixon/Koko Taylor duet “Insane Asylum”.  Burt and Wellons sing this heartbreaker with pure emotion as they stick the landing for a stellar performance.  Reminiscent of the lovely sounds of Sade, “Breathe Again” rolls in on a crisp wave of fresh air.  Rinovato digs in deep with a George Benson-like approach on guitar and it sounds fabulous.  Tommy Castro joins in the fun on the bodacious cover of James Brown’s “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing”.  This funkdafied track is one I really enjoy.

The musical chemistry between Wellons and Rinovato extends beyond their performance and into their song-writing.  Soulful Femme’s “Attitude” is an album soul-blues fans will surely want to hear.  They are definitely an act to keep one’s eyes and ears on.

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For more information about Soulful Femme visit the website :  https://www.soulfulfemme.com

 

#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

 

#622 : Micke Bjorklof and Blue Strip - Colors of Jealousy (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Hokahey! Music Productions

By Phillip Smith; July 1,2023

Release Date : June 16, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

I’ve been writing about the music of Micke Bjorklof since 2014 with the After the Flood release.  I love the way his crafted lyrics and musical arrangements are brought to life with Blue Strip.  Their latest album Colors of Jealousy has again captivated me with every listen.  Bjorklof has a unique way to making the blues sound new again.   It’s no surprise to me that they are among the most popular live blues and roots acts in Finland where they have been playing music since 1991.  Bjorklof who fronts the band on lead vocals, harmonica, and electric guitar, is joined with Ville “Lefty” Leppänen on electric, slide, and acoustic guitars, mandolin, and backing vocals, bassist Seppo Nuolikoski, drummer Teemu Vuorela, percussionist/MalletKAT master Timo Roiko-Jokela, backing vocalists Lena Lindroos and Veera Railio, with Harri Taittonen on Hammond organ and keys.

“Highway Highway’ rolls out atop a driving rhythm with a soulful fusion of Muscle Shoals and Texas blues.  Once heard, I am hooked.  The swampy sounds of “Feel it in my Bones” follows up on a plate of delectable slide guitar and searing harp.  The hook is very infectious.  Title-track “Colors of Jealousy” hits like the soundtrack to a lost Sergio Leone spaghetti western film.  The landscape is ominous and beautifully twangy as Bjorklof sings about lost love.  I keep going back for seconds, each time I hear Micke’s hard-driving harp and Lefty’s searing guitar on “Thought You Were Mine”.  Imagery of having an ice-cold beer and rocking out the song in a steamy Mississippi juke joint are conjured from my brain.

Colors of Jealousy is another hit record from Micke Bjorklof and Blue Strip.  I highly recommend it.

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TRACK LISTINGS

 

1.      Highway Highway

2.      Feel it in My Bones

3.      Colors of Jealousy

4.      Missing That Woman

5.      Are You Real

6.      Long Ago

7.      Thought You Were Mine

8.      Good Times Somehow

9.      Get Out

10.  Into the Fire

11.  It Takes Two

 

For more information about Micke Bjorklof  visit his website at :  https://www.mickebjorklof.com/

 

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

 

 

#621 : CRUZ the Dame, Watermelon Slim, & Sean "Bad" Apple - Live in Clarksdale (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

June 23 - 24 , 2023

Clarksdale, Mississippi

By Phillip Smith; June 25, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

I took a short break this weekend for an excursion to Clarksdale, Mississippi to surround myself with some live blues.  After a mandatory stop at Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Arts, I landed at Sean “Bad” Apple’s place to hear some music from Sean and Miss Australia “Honeybee” Jones.  Their performances were mesmerizing.  I still find it hard to comprehend that Honeybee is eighty years old.   

After a delicious catfish dinner at Hooker Grocery, I landed at Ground Zero Blues Club to take in the soulful sounds of CRUZ the Dame.  This is the act I really wanted to see.  CRUZ has a voice that only comes around once in a blue moon.  Whether she is taking on Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Etta James, or Billy Holiday, she approaches the microphone with a dynamic fearlessness and angelic delivery.  Her original songs are funkdafied with an energy that the Godfather of Funk George Clinton would surely bless.  Graced with three amazing sets of music, I had a wonderful evening indeed.   

The next morning, I headed to Bluesberry Café to catch Watermelon Slim.  CRUZ and her band were just departing to begin their five-hour journey to Biloxi to play the new Ground Zero Blues Club.  After a short stop-and-chat, we wished each other safe travels, and I proceeded inside for breakfast and a wonderful three hour set from the great Watermelon Slim.  The coffee was much needed, the omelet was delicious, and seeing Watermelon Slim perform live, was plumb fascinating. 

 

Photos by Phillip Smith 

Australia "Honeybee" Jones

Sean "Bad" Apple

CRUZ the Dame

Watermelon Slim

#620 : Eric Johanson - The Deep and the Dirty (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2023 – Ruf Records

By Phillip Smith; June 25, 2023

Release Date : July 28, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Louisiana blues-rocker Eric Johanson has a ridiculously cool album with his latest release The Deep and the Dirty.  Enlisting Jesse Dayton (Rob Zombie, X, Samantha Fish) surely accounts for the badassery which abundantly flows out of the dozen original tracks contained on this record.  With Eric Johanson on guitar and vocals, the band is comprised of drummer Terence Higgins, and bassist Eric Vogel, along with Jesse Dayton and Patrick Herzfeld on shaker/tambourine.

Rocking out in a Hendrix fashion, Johanson greets the listener with “Don’t Hold Back”.  The infectious hard-driving riff is painted with explosive guitar licks.  Immediately following is the title-track The “Deep and the Dirty”.  I love Vogel’s buttery blues-soaked bassline.  It sounds great and draws me quickly in to enjoy Johanson’s smokin’ performance.  His slide-play on “Beyond the Sky” and “Familiar Sound” is deliciously swampy and captivating.  Led Zeppelin had a “Stairway to Heaven”.  Johanson on the other hand has a ride to “Elysian Fields”.  That song stands out as instrumentally grand and wonderfully poetic.  I quickly fall for the highly infectious “Galaxy Girl”.  Johanson cooks this one to a rapid boil from the git-go with an amazing guitar performance.   

The Deep and the Dirty from Eric Johanson is a heavy load of blues served with hard-driving guitar.  I love every single bit of it, and highly recommend giving it a listen.   

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For more information about Eric Johanson visit his website at :  https://ericjohanson.com

 

#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.

#617 : Jan James - Time Bomb (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

2023 – Blue Palace Records

By Phillip Smith; June 3, 2023

Release Date : June 16, 2023

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

It has been over thirty years since Jan James released her first album Last Train. That record gained her a rather large fanbase in Europe.  With creative partner guitarist Craig Calvert by her side, her latest and twelfth release Time Bomb is drenched with feeling and soul.  James’ musical-wheelhouse is centered in American roots, and embraces each petal: R&B, Soul, Country, Rock, and Blues.   Produced by Calvert, the album features thirteen original tracks cowritten by James and Calvert.  With James on vocals and Calvert on guitar, the band consists of David Serman on harmonica, Bob Long on keyboards, Jake Loomis on drums/keyboards, and Brian Gephart on saxophone.  Also appearing are backing vocalists Cheryl Wilson and Joyce Faison.

From the time the play button is pressed, I’m soaking up the feel-good vibrations of the Motown-esque “Swingin in the Sweet Sunshine”.  This one surely takes me back to the classic female-driven vocal classics of the Sixties, and I absolutely love it.  The bouncy rhythm on title-track “Time Bomb” quickly lures me in for brilliant track focused on a Miami street-walker.  This song surely brings to my mind classics “Delta Dawn” and “Roxanne”.  Serman throws down some serious harp to kick off “Blood on Your Hands”.  I feel a strong Rolling Stones influence on this ripping track.  It’s plumb terrific.  “Love is the Answer” rolls in on a gentle wave, as James sings this with a soft and delicate approach.  The blissful guitar solo from Calvert sounds amazing alongside Bart Kemp’s warm bassline.                  

James stated in the bio of her website www.janjames.com, “All of the songs from Time Bomb are inspired by the times we are living in.  Writing these melodies and lyrics gives my soul comfort amidst this awful mess our society has created.”  I can sure feel the comforting energy she poured in to this.  It brings joy to me with each listen.     

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