#566 > Color Green - Color Green (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Org Music

By Phillip Smith; July 26, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I love it when music like this new self-titled album from Color Green comes my way.  Their music is cut from the same fabric as many of my favorite bands, such as Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Phish, and Flaming Lips.  Formed in Queens, but now based in Los Angeles, Color Green is comprised of co-founders Noah Kohll and Corey Madden.  Together this duo creates a dreamy eight-track cocktail of roots-based rock.

“Warbling Sky” tranquilly floats through the gate first. riding atop a layer of pedal steel from Tim Ramsey and a Dead-inspired bridge which explodes with energy.  It’s magnificent. Upbeat and slightly twangy, “Ill Fitting Suit” is another fun one.  With a hook that says “you pay your dues, I’ll pay mine”, this song would easily compel a field of hippies to dance.  With Madelyn Strutz on banjo, “Bell of Silence” is one that soothes the soul with its beautiful, lush melody and hypnotizing harmonies.  Another bonified favorite track “Blizzed Out” swings to a Seventies southern rock groove.  This honey-hole of a track is bodaciously slathered in slide guitar and peppered with unexpected cosmic attacks.  It’s absolutely brilliant.

I highly recommend this album.  Color Green is a terrific listen from start to finish.     

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Also available on Color Green’s Bandcamp page.

#565 > Cliff Stevens - Better Days (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Cliff Stevens

By Phillip Smith; July 23, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Montreal-based blues-rocker Cliff Stevens has recently released his fifth studio album Better Days.  Loaded with eleven brand-new originals, this record is a genuine dose of heart-tugging blues, reminiscent of the album-oriented music popular in the Seventies.  The music ranges from old-school delta blues to that inspired by the likes of Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.  It surely makes for a hearty listen.  With Stevens on guitar and vocals, Sam Harrison appears on drums, Serge Dionne on bass, Eric Suave on organ/piano, Pat Loiselle on harmonica, and Kim Feeney on vocals.

Stevens rips the wrapping paper off this package in a spectacular way with Texas smoked blues guitar and a sizzling rack of rhythm as title-track “Better Days” lunges forward.    It’s plumb terrific.  Between Stevens’ vocals and Suave’s funktified piano, there’s a huge Dr. John vibe going on in “No Room Left” as Stevens continues to tear it up on guitar.  Amid a driving beat, lush organ, and barrelhouse piano, more hot licks ensue on “Time For Me to Go”.  Then, it’s low and slow for some deep blues on “I’ve Been Thinking About You”.  Steven’s string-bending performance is sweet and crisp.  It sounds so damn good.  When he pairs slide guitar with precision picking, the best of two worlds collide, bringing the album to its end with a delectable instrumental called ‘Slim Picking”. 

Between the fabulous songwriting and the flawless execution of the songs, Better Days from Cliff Stevens stands out as a one of my favorites of the Summer.       

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Also available on Bandcamp

#564 > Starlite Campbell Band - Live (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Supertone

Release Date; July 22, 2022

 

By Phillip Smith; July 16, 2022

Original source: phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I’ve been hooked on Starlite Campbell Band since reviewing their first album, Blueberry Pie five years ago.  That was such an amazing album.  For their third release, wife and husband Suzy Starlite, and Simon Campbell took their songs on the road across the UK and wove together this delightful eight-track album of live performances with drummer Steve Gibson (Buzzcocks, Jack Bruce) and three organists Jonny Henderson (Matt Schofield, Kirk Fletcher), Christian Madden (the Liam Gallagher Band), and Josh Phillips (Procol Harum).

With a strong opener called “Brother” off Campbell’s 2011 solo album Thirtysix, the music kicks off with a funky beat backed by swirling keys and a driving rhythm.  Their hot guitar licks and buttery bass sound fabulous.  From that same solo album, they break out two more smokin’ blues-rockers: “Preacher of Love” and “Misgivings”.  They both sound magnificent. 

“Said So” from their 2021 Language of Curiosity album, ushers the listener through time and space with brush-strokes of The Kinks, Allman Brothers, and The Who, culminating into a mind-blowing psychedelic treat.  With Josh Phillips behind the keys, they close the record with a beautiful cover of Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade of Pale”.  Campbell’s vocals are flawless.

Infectious hooks, meaty jams, and innovative song-writing stand front and center, making Starlite Campbell Band’s Live album an exhilarating listen.  It keeps my full attention from beginning to end.             

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PhillyCheeze reviews Starlite Campbell Band

https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2017/01/starlite-campbell-band-blueberry-pie.html

 

For more information about Starlite Campbell Band, visit https://starlite-campbell.com

For more information about Suzy Starlite, visit https://suzystarlite.com

For more information about Simon Campbell, visit https://simoncampbell.com

#563 > North Liberty Blues & BBQ Festival - July 9, 2022 (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 
North Liberty, Iowa 

Centennial Park

All photos by Phillip Smith; July 09, 2022

Original Source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

It was a beautiful day for a music festival in North Liberty, Iowa.  Sunshine was abundant, accompanied by blues skies and white clouds.  Centennial Park was filled with festival-goers seeking blues, barbeque, and fellowship.  The barbecue was delicious, and although I did not stay for the entire event, the music I heard from Avey Grouws Band, Nathan Graham, Sam Ross Quartet, The Tanya English Band, and Lilly Hiatt, was downright terrific!

* All Photos by Phillip Smith

Avey Grouws Band

Nathan Graham

Sam Ross Quartet

Tanya English Band

Lilly Hiatt

#562 > Dylan Triplett - Who is He? (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Vizztone Label Group

By Phillip Smith; July 9, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Who is He?, the debut album from 21 year old St. Louis vocalist Dylan Triplett, is a phenomenal recording.  With a voice that has a range of four and a half octaves, Triplett began his professional singing career at the age of fifteen singing with his father, jazz saxophonist Art Pollard.  Produced by Larry Fulcher who is also on bass guitar, this ten-track album features Triplett on lead vocals with Dr. Wayne Goins (head of Jazz Studies at Kansas State University) on guitar, Montez Coleman on drums, Ryan Marquez and Mike Finnegan on keys, and Joe Sublett and Kyle Turner on saxophones.  Also appearing on the album are special guests Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Johnny Lee Schell, Sean McDonald, and Tru Born on guitars.

“Barnyard Blues” cracks the lid of this album open with Kingfish manhandling the guitar solos and Finnegan tearing it up on organ. Triplett tackles this original like a seasoned pro with a fearless approach.  He then fabulously takes on Bill Wither’s “Who is He (And What is He to You?).  His voice, soulful and buttery, sounds so damn good.  “Junkyard Dog” cowritten by Triplett and Fulcher is a horn-infused delight about love for better or worse.  Schell and Tru Born rip it up on guitars as Coleman lays down a serious groovy beat.  I love the heart-felt slow blues of “I’ll Be Waiting”.  Written by Triplett, this heart-wrencher features Schell on the guitar solos.  Triplett confidently takes on Marvin Gaye’s “That’s What Love Is” for a stellar performance with an old school Motown vibe.   Then he follows up with a smoking take on Lonnie Brooks’ “Feels Good Doin’ Bad” with Kingfish back on guitar.  It’s a surefire favorite. The album comes to a close with an exquisite jazz selection covering of Miles Davis’ “All Blues” complete with horns.  Triplett’s delivery is suave and guided with precision as he slides in to George Benson mode.

Who is He? won me over on the first listen, and continues to garner more of my attention with each and every listen.  I can’t wait to hear what Triplett has in store for this next album.

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#561 > Matty T Wall - Live Down Underground (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Hipster Dumpster Records

By Phillip Smith; July 2, 2022

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Since Matty T Wall’s debut release in 2016 of Blue Skies, I’ve reviewed each of his albums.  I’m sure not going to break tradition with his latest, Live Down Underground.  Wall very much deserves the kudos.  He is a force to be reckoned with and his prowess behind the guitar never ceases to amaze me.  Recorded at Lyric Underground in Perth, Western Australia, this nine-track release features Wall backed by drummer Ric Whittle and bassist Leigh Miller.

Wall gives a smoking performance as he leads off with the story-telling outlaw blues of “Broken Heart Tattoo”.  This is followed up by the intense red-hot instrumental “Slideride”.  I enjoy the fierce licks and rolling thunder from the moment the song blasts off.  “Scorcher”, another searing instrumental is also quick to capture my attention.  Wall is an astonishing beast on the guitar.  I love the fact that he brought “Sophia’s Strut” out to play.  This mind-melting track from his 2018 Sidewinder record is still lightning in a bottle, just as I described it four years ago.  The psychedelic piece de resistance that begs to be heard is the nearly fifteen minute long “Voodoo Chile”. Wall conjures up an extraordinary listening experience, masterminding a cosmically intense journey that stretches across the universe to shake hands with Hendrix himself.   

Matty T Wall’s previous two albums have landed in my yearly Top 20 lists, and I have no doubt this one will be in my list for 2022.  Live Down Underground is a bodacious live album of guitar-centric blues-rock one can sink their teeth into.  It’s a highly recommended listen.

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PhillyCheeze reviews Matty T Wall

Transpacific Blues Vol. 1  - https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2019/12/422-matty-t-wall-transpacific-blues-vol.html

Sidewinder - https://phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com/2018/09/351-matty-t-wall-sidewinder.html

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

 

 

For more information about Matty T Wall, visit https://www.mattytwall.com

 

#560 > Jack's Waterfall - American Roots Project (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – M.C. Records

By Phillip Smith; June 25, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

American Roots Project is the latest release from Jack’s Waterfall, a band which originated as The Water Street Blues Band, co-founded by pianist/vocalist Jack Licitra and harpist Steve Demanchick in the 1990’s.  The ten tracks of music are all-original songs written by Licitra and heavily steeped in New Orleans tradition.  The album quickly garnered my affection on the first listen.  Along with Licitra and Demanchick, Jack’s Waterfall is comprised of Mark Carpentieri (founder of M.C. Records) on drums, Trifon Dmitrov on bass, and Rod Borrie on trombone. 

With the trickle of piano keys, and a second-line beat, the opener “Louise” rolls out in a carefree stroll, bringing a big smile to my face.  Licitra’s polished vocals pull me right in.  I love the vibrant NOLA barrelhouse mood and lyrical flow that gushes out in “My Baby’s Gone a Long Time”.  Lucitra is a true master of song-writing.  “Soul Rider” is another that steals my heart.  The soulful vocals are perfectly paired with a brilliant piano performance.  The funky jam of “Community” reminds me of good times at Phish concerts.  The song has been lodged in my brain for a few days now.  American Roots Project wraps up in a glorious way with “Like an Eagle”.  With the DNA of a strong Southern spiritual, this celebratory song is most definitely a feel-good one.    

This album is terrific from start to finish, and leaves me wanting to hear more from Jack’s Waterfall.   

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For more information about Jack’s Waterfall visit this website :  https://www.jackswaterfall.com

 

 

 

#559 > The Harpoonist and The Axe Murderer - Live at the King Eddy (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer

By Phillip Smith; June 18, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

It’s a rare occasion where a live album is my first experience with a band’s music, and it turns me into an instant fan.  Live at the King Eddy, the latest release from The Harpoonist and the Axe Murder is definitely the center point of one of those occasions.  The Harpoonist is vocalist/harp player Shawn Hall.  The Axe Murderer is guitarist Matt Rogers.  The two together with vocalists Andrina Turenne and Dawn Pemberton, along with keyboardist Geoff Hilhorst throw down one hell of a shindig at the historical King Edward Hotel in Calgary.  That recorded performance celebrates fifteen years of collaboration of playing the Blues, and it’s absolutely wonderful.

“Cry a Little” trucks right on in, and gets things off to a swinging start with a funky harp-laden groove and whiskey-soaked vocals.  I can’t help but gush about the swamp-water soaked “Do Whatcha”.  Between the whirling sounds of Hillhorst’s organ and Hall’s guttural yelps, the song takes glamourous dips into the psychedelic realm.  From their most recent studio album Apocalipstick, “Pretty Please” is a fiery, rambunctious track which transforms the revival tent into a hot and sweaty blues tent, bringing everyone to their feet.  “Father’s Son”, another selection off the same studio album, is simply amazing.  I love how the driving beat and funky riff takes a cliff dive into another universe.  It’s certainly no “Cats in the Cradle”.  That’s for sure.  Rogers cranks up the heat on guitar for a cooking performance as Hall goes all-in on “Get Out” taking the blues to the brink of places I’ve never heard.  This track does indeed tear the roof off the sucker. 

Live at the King Eddy is an absolute eye-opener for me.   The musical chemistry shared between these guys sure makes for some exquisite blues.  I hope I have the opportunity to catch them live in concert one of these days, because I’m sure it would be a hell of a good time.

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For more information about this band, visit their website https://www.harpoonistaxemurderer.com/

Find this album on Bandcamp

#558 > Gary Cain - Next Stop (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Gary Cain

By Phillip Smith; June 11, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Next Stop, the latest release from Canadian blues-rocker Gary Cain, takes off like a rocket, and soars to the heavens.  His guitar prowess is extraordinary and an absolute treat to hear.  Cain, a 2018 semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, has talents which run much deeper though.  This ten-track album reveals just how much.  Written and recorded in Austin, Texas, Next Stop is all Cain.  He wrote the music and lyrics, plays all the guitar and bass parts, sings, programs drums, and handles percussion.

Rocking an infectious Texas boogie, “Billionaires in Space” blasts the album off by taking a satirical jab at Elon Musk’s and Jeff Bezos’ ego-centric race to boldly go where no man has gone before.  Cain seemingly draws inspiration from Jimi Hendrix on “Confusion”.  His powerhouse performance is so hot, it downright cooks.  Cain furiously throws everything he has into “Kitchen Sink”.  This fabulous instrumental brings to mind a favorite by The Aristocrats called “Kentucky Meat Shower”.  It’s an exhilarating experience to hear Cain’s intense guitar picking riding the bleeding edge of his barreling beat.  Reaching the tipping point of being fed up is a gradual process and that’s the way Cain goes with “Gone” a song with that exact theme.  The mellow and melodic atmosphere stretches outward and inward, taking heavy and funky turns with its cozy groove.  Next Stop wraps up with “A Short, Furious Goodbye” with special guest John Lee on B3 organ.  This cosmic instrumental clocks in at two minutes, seventeen seconds and beautifully lives up to its name.

Next Stop is one album guitar aficionados will definitely want to give a listen to.  It’s fantastic.  

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For more information about Gary Cain, visit this website :  https://www.garycainband.com

#557 > Gina Sicilia - Unchange (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Vizztone

By Phillip Smith; June 4, 2-22

 

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Since reviewing Gina Sicilia’s 2016 album Sunset Avenue, I’ve made a point to check out her music as it is released.  Her latest record Unchange is rather spectacular.  Produced, recorded, and mixed by Colin Linden at Pinhead Recorders in Nashville, Tennessee, Unchange features Linden on guitars and vocals, Johnny Dymond on bass, and Bryan Owings on drums to back Sicilia’s beautiful voice.

The opening track “Healing Time” is a wonderous splash of slow, soulful blues with Kevin McKendree on piano.  Sicilia draws me immediately in with her sensational vocal artistry and she sounds fabulous.  She continues to amaze me as title-track “Unchange” follows up in a cloak of poignancy and a beautiful performance from Linden on guitar.  I love it when she breaks into the classic blues traditional “Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor”.  Guest backing vocalists Ann and Regina McCrary add a really nice touch to this extraordinary song.  Sicilia and Linden turn on the heat when they get to the cover of Reverend Gary Davis’ “Death Don’t Have No Mercy”.  Its twangy goodness is seared to perfection.  Sicilia takes crooning to the next level on “Don’t be Afraid to be Wrong”.  With Bohemian nuances sewn into its fabric, this delightful song is indeed a favorite.

The divine voice of Gina Sicilia hits all the right notes for a classic taste of pure Americana.  Unchange is an absolutely stunning album.

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For more information about Gina Sicilia, visit this website :  https://www.ginasicilia.com

#556 > The Groove Krewe featuring Nick Daniels III - Run to Daylight (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Sound Business Services

By Phillip Smith; May 28, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

Spearheaded by songwriter/musician/producers Rex Pearce and Dale Murray from Southern Louisiana, The Groove Krewe is a group of handpicked studio musicians selected to back featured artist Nick Daniels III (Neville Brothers, Dumpstaphunk).  This this funky New Orleans-style party record called Run to Daylight features Daniels on bass guitar and lead vocals, with the core of The Groove Krewe consisting of drummer Eddie Bayers, bassist David Hyde, guitarists Rex Pearce and Nelson Blanchard, and horn players Jason Parfait, Ian Smith, Pete Verbois, Chris Belleau, Lacy Blackledge, and Bob Henderson.  This ten-track album is packed with all original songs crediting at least one of the two producers Pearce and Murray with writing credits on every song.  

The Groove Krewe kicks things off in a delightfully funky way with title-track “Run to Daylight”.  The large band sounds lively and festive.  “That’s New Orleans” keeps the good times going in ‘Who-Dat’ fashion with shoutouts to Bourbon Street, Preservation Hall, and beignets.  There’s no doubt this is going to be a go-to album to spin this summer as the Krewe breaks into a chic Seventies-style disco groove on “Have a Party”.  It’s absolutely fabulous.  I love the album closer “Raising Cane on the Bayou”.  It hits the ground running in a surge of high-energy blues splashed with a bit of grease and topped with horns.  The Stax-meets-Muscle Shoals vibe on this one positively glistens. 

Run to Daylight is a feel-good album with puts me in a happy mood.  This is just what I needed to hear. 

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#555 > Ryan Lee Crosby - Winter Hill Blues (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – Ryan Lee Crosby

By Phillip Smith; May 21, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

It was two years ago I first heard Ryan Lee Crosby play at the virtual Juke Joint Fest in Clarksdale, Mississippi.  The annual event was thrown for a spin in 2020 due to Covid 19, so organizers cleverly decided to take the festival online in a virtual sense with free live Facebook streams, and app-driven tip jars.  That was my first time to experience Juke Joint Fest in any capacity, and I was totally captivated.  Crosby’s performance bowled me over with his unique way of playing and his pure blues authenticity.

Produced by the legendary Bruce Watson (R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Robert Belfour), and dedicated to his mentor, the great Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Winter Hill Blues is a sensational nine-track album of deep-delta acoustic guitar blues.  Eight of those nine tracks are wonderfully-timeless originals penned by Crosby.  Backing Crosby is drummer/percussionist George Sluppick (JJ Grey & Mofro, Chris Robinson), and bassist Mark Edgar Stuart.   

From the beginning notes of “I’m Leaving”, I’m onboard.  I love how Sluppick’s freight-train beat kicks in and Stuart’s bass notes penetrate right to the bone.  Crosby impressively woos me on guitar, declaring “Well I’m gonna leave ya child, I’m gonna leave when the morning comes”.  His genteel delivery of title-track “Winter Hill Blues” is beautifully executed.  There’s a definite Skip James energy surrounding this one, and it sounds wonderful.  The swirling hypnotic rhythm on “Down So Long” pert near puts me in a North Mississippi trance, and I enjoy it immensely.   Continuing along Bentonia blues tradition with songs about the devil, Crosby’s “Was it the Devil” is a poignant and reflective song about his mother’s passing.  Here he sings “It was the devil who made her do that thing, but it was the lord who gave her angel’s wings”.  He takes a hard look at the institutions we are most familiar with in his hard-driving blues anthem “Institution Blues”, and finds a hidden purpose of systematic control when he takes a peek behind the curtains.  The song could’ve been written at anytime within the past hundred years, but its words are ageless.  The album closes with a robust cover of Rev. Robert Wilkins’ “Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down”.  The slide guitar on this track is absolutely fabulous.

Winter Hill Blues is a wonderful album of traditional blues and it deserves all the future accolades it will receive.        

 

 

 

For more information about Ryan Lee Crosby, visit this website :  https://ryanleecrosby.com

 

 

 

Ryan Lee Crosby on Bandcamp

PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com #554 > Diunna Greenleaf - I Ain't Playin'

 

2022 – Little Village

By Phillip Smith; May 14, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

I Ain’t Playin’, the latest release from Texas blues artist Diunna Greenleaf is a must-hear.  This three-time Blues Music Award winner, dishes out thirteen wonderful tracks, incorporating blues, soul, funk, and southern gospel.  Her amazing vocals are backed by a stellar lineup of musicians which include producer Kid Andersen on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass, Jim Pugh on keys, and Derrick “D’mar’ Martin on drums.

The album busts loose on a strong Stax-influenced start with “Never Trust a Man”.  A funky bassline, groovy beat, and stellar horn section provide the perfect pocket for Greenleaf’s fiery voice.  Steeped in seventies soul, “Running Like the Red Cross” gets down as Pugh deals out a generous dose of swirling keys to accompany the song’s lush melody.  “If it Wasn’t for the Blues” is delightfully funky in an Isaac Hayes kind of way.  With guest Igor Prado on lead guitar, this is the song I can listen to many times over and enjoy it each and every time.  All it takes is five seconds for Jemmott’s infectious bassline riff on “Answer to the Hard Working Woman” to reel me in for an invigorating musical explosion.  I love how Martin’s precision beat, Greenleaf’s vocals, and those fabulous horns get increasingly thicker until the final note.  The blues sounds so good when Diunna sings “Damned if I Do”, and with accompaniment by Andersen, she sounds even sweeter. 

Ain’t Playin’ is such a dynamic album.  Everything about it works and it sounds amazing.  

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For more information about Diunna Greenleaf, visit this website :  https://diunna.com/