Craig Chaquico “ Fire Red Moon ”

By Phillip Smith

Craig Chaquico, whose name is now more synonymous with jazz guitar and new age music, has decided to veer off his current path and venture down the blues highway for a while on his latest album, Fire Red Moon.  The album is very guitar-centric, and pleasing to listen to.  Mixing elements of his earlier rocking days with Jefferson Starship, with his new age styling, he’s producing some interesting music. The band is composed of lead singer Rolf Hartley, drummer Wade Olson, bass player Jim Reitzel and keyboardist Bill Slais.

Kenny Wayne Shephard fans may recognize the voice on the opening track, ‘Lie to Me’, featuring special guest singer Noah Hunt.  His voice, deep and smooth, fits the song very well.  ‘Bad Woman’, another of the seven original songs, is outstanding.  Rolf Hartley’s vocals show a huge range on this one, and if a dude can channel Janis Joplin, he just may have done that for this song.  Also enjoyed is title track ‘Fire Red Moon’, a blues instrumental to ‘zone out’ to and appreciate.

‘Born Under a Bad Sign’, a total re-imagineering of the original, seems more like a ‘Muzak’ or ‘Weather channel’ version than a blues song.  It’s all instrumental, and sounds almost as if it was created specifically to be used for background music.  That’s not the case on every song though, thank goodness.  Chaquico raises the roof on Muddy Waters’ ‘Rollin’ and Tumblin’. It rocks as it should.    

The album closes out with a bang, covering Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads’. Opening with a little taste of slide guitar on top of some rattlesnake and wind sound effects,  it breaks out and runs like Willie Brown ‘til the end.  This one is definitely my favorite cut.  Chaquico throws his new age approaches to the side and plays this one specifically for the blues fans. Hartley shines on vocals as well.  I hope Chaquico follows the blues path for a little while longer.  It seems to fit him well.

Magic Slim & the Teardrops “ Bad Boy ”

By Phillip Smith

Morris Holt, aka Magic Slim, who passed away last February at seventy six years old, still had it going on.  His voice was still going strong, and he sounded great.  Bad Boy, his newest release with the Teardrops (guitarist Jon McDonald, bassist Andre Howard, and drummer BJ Jones) is completely saturated in the blues.  I’d expect nothing less.  Bad Boy consists of a few covers, some older originals, and some newer originals.

Slim brings everything to the table on Roy Brown’s ‘Hard Luck Blues’.  From the emotional beginning when he sings, ‘well rocks is my pillow, and the cold ground is my bed.’, to the sorrowful ending where he’s sings “I’m gonna find my mother’s grave, fall on the tombstone and die”.  Slims playing is outstanding and his Gibson sounds great, as he carefully places each note played.

I love the Eddie Taylor cover, and title track, ‘Bad Boy’.  This one is the ultimate homage to us boys your parents warned you about.  The original version was really slow, while Magic Slims version is faster and a little more upbeat.  Hands down, I like Magic Slims version better.  I also like their cover of Denise LaSalle’s ‘Someone Else is Steppin’ In’.  This song is just so rich and hearty.  Although I admit, if I had to make a choice between the original or Slims version, I’d have to throw my vote to Denise LaSalle.  Her version is a bit sassier.  Also covered is Albert King’s ‘Matchbox Blues’.  To compare Magic’s with Albert’s would be comparing apples to oranges, but the song itself is extraordinary and Magic Slims version is very nice.      

Original tracks to make note of are ‘Older Women’, a song, Ben Franklin would probably enjoy, and ‘Country Joyride’, with a little smidgeon of rockabilly influence.  There really aren’t any “throw away” songs.  Bad Boy is solid blues from start to finish.

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Peter Karp\Sue Foley - Beyond the Crossroads

By Phillip Smith

Maybe it’s just me, but the newest release, Beyond the Crossroads by Peter Karp and Sue Foley gets more interesting with each subsequent listen.  A common thread runs through each song, tying them all together in a neat little musical present for the listener.  This thread is the personal relationship between the artists themselves.  A follow up to their prior album, He Said, She Said, based on their back-and-forth emails and long distance calls, these songs delve a bit further into their hearts and souls, revealing a refreshing positivity.

The harmonies on this album are very nice.  Sue Foley has a sultry and slightly raspy voice that can really belt out some lyrics when she needs to.  To hear what I am talking about, check out the song “Analyze’n Blues”.  What really puts the icing on the cake for this track is Karp throwing down with his National Steel ResoRocket slide. This one ranks high on the ‘cool meter’.  I love this song.  

Karp and Foley playfully dance around several different genres while keeping the album as a whole really bluesy.  Take the song, “At the Same Time”, for example.  As Karp and Foley alternate vocals with Karp on slide, a fantastic horn section provided by the Swingadelic Horns spice up this slow-tempo Louisiana creole flavored duet.  It’s Beale Street meeting Bourbon Street.  For those who appreciate bluegrass, and have a very short attention span, check out the very fast paced instrumental, ‘Plank Spank’.  Although it clocks in at just less than two minutes in length, Karp and Foley play their hearts out and have now earned a spot on my list of performers I want to catch live in concert. 

Rating 8 out of 10

Beth Hart – Joe Bonamassa - Don’t Explain.

By Phillip Smith

Don’t Explain is what being a music junkie is all about.  This is a collection of ten soulfully retro-fitted songs featuring covers from Ray Charles, Billy Holiday, Etta James and Aretha Franklin to name just a few.  I listen to a lot of music each year, and find many treasures, even so, I have to say this collaboration from Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa surpasses most of those.  I love the way Beth Hart sings with pure emotion while Bonamassa subtly backs her on guitar.    

Sexy and sultry, Hart plays the part of fallen angel on the first couple of tracks, as she covers Ray Charles’ “Sinners Prayers” and Tom Waits’ “Chocolate Jesus”.   Bonamassa brings a bit of spaghetti western guitar to the table on ‘Chocolate Jesus’, creating an ominous environment, contrasting Hart’s softly sung vocals and piano.  I really like this one.

The Holy Grail song on this album is ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’, originally by Etta James.  The performance is unmistakably phenomenal.  With a string section in the background, Hart sings with believability and conviction.  Bonamassa takes over the bridge and picks out the melody only the way Bonamassa could.  Another Etta cover, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”, is also a lot of fun.  Although it’s got a gospel flavor to it, I doubt anyone would ever hear this one played in church.

Fans of  Bonamassa will dig the Bill Wither’s cover of  “For My Friends”.  The riff is hard and fuzzy, and not hippie friendly, like the original.  I have to give this album two thumbs up.  One for Beth Hart, and one for Joe Bonamassa.    

Irish District Music and Arts Festival, Cedar Rapids, June 22, 2013

Saturday, June 22, folks from around the area descended upon the Irish District neighborhood in Cedar Rapids, to enjoy live music, local food, and celebrate community pride.

The event kicked off on the main stage with The Ron DeWitte All Stars featuring Tom Giblin, Bryce Janey, Dan Johnson and Jon Wilson.  Following them was Tallgrass, a three piece band from Iowa City.  The Family Groove Company closed the night.

The Central Shores stage featured The Significance of Simon, and closed with a spectacular performance from Craig Erickson and Friends.

Proceeds from the event will be used to support the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy Guitar Program.

Ron Dewitte All Stars - Ron Dewitte, Dan Johnson, Bryce Janey

Dan Johnson and Bryce Janey

Ron DeWitte

Austin Morford and Matt Skinner from Tallgrass

Adam Morford from TallGrass

TallGrass 

Craig Erickson

Craig Erickson

Contino – Back Porch Dogma

By Phillip Smith

Contino may just be one of the coolest bands sporting an accordion to hit the scene.  Led by Pete Contino, son of legendary accordionist, Dick Contino who gave us ‘Lady of Spain’ and ‘Beer Barrel Polka’, this quintet intertwines Blues, Zydeco, Jazz and Americana music to produce an album full of spirited songs, rich juicy melodies, and solid vocals. 

Even with accordion in hand, their cover of Lim Liban’s ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ is straight up blues.  Al Ek wails away on the harp, providing near perfect accompaniment to Contino’s vocals on this one about letting go of the past.   Speaking of Contino’s vocals, they really stand out on their cover of Willie Love’s ‘V-8 Ford’.  Ek belts out some great harmonica again, and Billie Truitt has a nice little solo on keyboards to boot.

They break out the Cajun seasonings on ‘Zydeco Train’, and ‘Monkey’.   ‘Zydeco Train’ makes me want to throw some crawfish in a big ol’ pot, boil ‘em up, and invite some friends over for a crawfish boil.  While Contino and Truitt take on the heaviest load, you can’t deny that upright bass providing that big steady beat.  What a cool sound.  ‘Monkey’ a song about infatuation, has a more chilled vibe to it.  It’s slower and relaxed and will have you rooting for the man and the object of his desire to make a connection.

Falling into neither the Blues nor Zydeco category, “Three Cool Cats” originally recorded by the Coasters and covered by the Beatles as well in 1962, is hip and beat.  It has a way of creeping into the subconscious mind. 

I’m very impressed with this album.  It held my interest, sounded really good, and is good for replay-ability. 

Big James and the Chicago Playboys The Big Payback

By Phillip Smith

The Big Payback,  recorded live at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club at the Le Meridien Hotel in Paris France, is spirited and electric.  The jazz club experience is definitely captured well on this album.  With Big James pounding out the vocals, and guitarist Mike "Money" Wheeler knocking out a steady stream of awesome guitar licks, the horn section, made up of Big James Montgomery (trombone)  and Charles "Richard" Pryor (trumpet/flugelhorn) provides the icing on the cake.  It just doesn't get much better than this.

Influences of James Brown and George Clinton, two of my favorites, are infused into the title track, 'The Big Payback'', originally by James Brown.  Big James breaks out the funk and for the duration of the song, hosts the spirit of the hardest working man in show biz.    This is one of my favorite tracks.  It's funky, got a nice groove to it, and has these really cool  P-funk style spoken background vocals.   While on the topic of the godfather of funk, we are also treated to a Funkadelic cover, 'I'll Stay'.  This is a really nice cover, the vocals are toned down and smoothed out to set the somber mood of the song, Pryor gives a powerfully cool trumpet solo on this one. 

A couple of interesting covers make the cut.  'Trying to Live My Life Without You' , written by Eugene Williams , but recorded by both Otis Clay and Bob Seger, is a big pleaser.   To my surprise,  at the end, we get a cover of Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water' to highlight Wheelers axe welding skills, and to introduce the band.  It's kind of weird to hear 'Smoke on the Water' played with a band such as the Chicago Playboys.  It's a nice change of pace, to hear a different take on this song, which differs immensely from the over-played Deep Purple version as well as the football stadium version.

The next time I am in Chicago, I am definitely going to see if Big James and the Chicago Playboys are playing anywhere.

Tommy Castro presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue Live

By Phillip Smith

If one thing can be said about Tommy Castro, it’s that he knows how to put on a show.  So well in fact that he is the honorary captain of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises.   This album features some of the highlights from The Revue’s recent live performances.  The Revue consists of Tommy Castro, his band, complete with horn section, and a number of musical guests. 

Magic is in the air as Castro totally reinvents Bob Dylan’s ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’.  Possibly one of the hottest tracks on the whole album, it’s as if Stevie Wonder himself took the song, baptized it in a lake of funk, and handed it back. 

Rick Estrin, who has recently taken over for Little Charlie as front man for the Nightcats, dishes out some smoking’ harp licks on ‘My Next Ex-Wife’.   Estrin, not the only Nightcat in on this one, is joined on this one by his guitarist Chris ‘Kid’ Anderson, who adds some pretty hot licks to the song as well.

If I were to continue name dropping, I might ask what Michael Burks, Joe Louis Walker,  Trampled Under Foot, and Janiva Magness all have in common.  The answer would be that they all contribute smoking hot numbers on this album as well. 

This CD is definitely a jewel for those who dig their compilation albums.  Because Castro’s band is backing each track, the listener gets a really good mix of music, but with a common thread providing a fluid connection.   Of course, this one comes highly recommended.