#568 > Bad Daddy - It's a Mad Mad Bad Dad World (PhillyCheezeBlues.Blogspot.com)

 

2022 – PieHole Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 6, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

 

With roots in Maine and Chicago, Paul Waring, aka Big Daddy, has fully captured my attention with his stunning new blues album, It’s a Mad Mad Bad Dad World.  Big Daddy packs a hell of a wallop with Waring on guitar and vocals, featuring engineer Pete Galanis on guitars as well.  The rest of the band is comprised of Elton Jaan on Hammond organ, Ari Seder on bass, Jason “JROC” Edwards on drums, plus backing singers Andrea Miologos and Bree Gordon.

From the beginning of the record with “Blues at Home”, I snuggle right in to the vibrant organ, hot guitar licks, and smoky vocals.  The song is solidly cloaked in the spirit of the Allman Brothers and is sweet music for my soul.  I love that upbeat Chicago rhythm as it mixes with the swampy slide and steady-rolling Hammond in “Pork Pie Hat”.  It’s most definitely a signature track.  Time slows down to a beautiful crawl in “The Blues I Can Use”.  The mellow landscape Bad Daddy creates for this one is topped with a with a riveting electric guitar solo.  “Trip on Your Love” struts down the way in a chunky Seventies psychedelic blues-rock manner, reeling me in with its delightful, funky groove.  I totally dig it.  

It’s a Mad Mad Bad Dad World by Bad Daddy is a highly recommended listen with its no-holds barred blues.                     

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For more information about Bad Daddy, visit this website : https://www.badaddy.com/

 

Available on Bandcamp

 

#567 > Ghost Town Blues Band Live @ Prairie Dog Blues Festvial – July 28, 2022

 

Ghost Town Blues Band

Live @ Prairie Dog Blues Festvial – July 28, 2022

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

By Phillip Smith; June 28, 2022

Original source : phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com

* All Photos by Phillip Smith

 

For the first time, Prairie Dog Blues Festival had live music on the Thursday evening preceding the festival to get things going.  For this inaugural addition to the festival, the chosen band to kick it all off was Memphis Tennessee’s Ghost Town Blues Band.  Playing two ninety-minute sets with a minor break in between, they performed all of their fan-favorites, as well as a lot of deep cuts.   The show was colossal to say the least.

 

 

#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