Every week our staff of CD Reviewers bring you the best in Independent CD releases. Making a Scene is considered the number 1 resource for the independent musician and the fans that love them.
Ellis Mano Band Here and Now Self-released Switzerland may be one of the last places you’d expect as home for a soulful blue band. Yet. Switzerland has a more vital music scene than most of us realize. If the Elllis Mano Band is a good indication of that underated musical hotbed, we can only respond […]
Bad Influence Got What You Need Bad Blues Records The Bad Influence band was formed in 1988 by Michael “Jr.” Tash. They recorded their debut album “Where You Been” in 1997. The bands 2001 follow-up recording, had my favorite album title, “Tastes Like Chicken”. Their last, self produced, recording 2011’s “Under The Influence” helped to […]
Dave Stryker Eight Track III Strikezone We’ve not only covered composer/guitarist Dave Stryker on these pages before but also projects from his working trio of drummer McClenty Hunter and organist Jared Gold as leaders. That formidable trio is augmented here by stellar vibraphonist Stefon Harris and, on four of the nine selections, percussionist Mayra Casales. […]
Bennett Paster Indivisible Self-produced Bennett Paster is a keyboardist, producer and arranger-composer who loves being eclectic. You’ll hear echoes of Monk and Hancock to New Orleans pianists like James Booker and soul men like Ramsey Lewis on Indivisible, a wide ranging set of music performed by his core trio and some contributing guests on guitar, […]
Willie Buck Willie Buck Way Delmark Records William Crawford a.k.a. Willie Buck was born in Houston, Mississippi. Buck relocated to Chicago in 1953. Though still a teenager an older relative snuck him in to see Muddy Waters when Waters was in his prime. The sound of that classic band had such an impact on Buck […]
Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith & The House Bumpers Drop The Hammer Big Eye Records Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith is a native Chicagoan who learned the drums from his father the late Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. His father was the drummer for Muddy Waters for over eighteen years. Other drummers who inspired him were Odie Payne, […]
Akira Tana & Otonowa Love’s Radiance (Ai San San) Vega Drum master Akira Tana is releasing the third album with his group Otonowa, which was founded in 2012 to tour and raise funds for the communities devastated by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011. That earthquake registered a whopping 9.1, damaged the […]
Josh Hyde Into the Soul JHR Records. There is a vintage vibe to this album. The tone is warm, comfortable, and evokes the music of artists like JJ Cale, Tom Petty, Delbert McClinton, and Lyle Lovett. Growing up and stomping around Louisiana, it’s easy to hear that swampy blues, jazz, and zydeco influence. The eleven […]
Phil Madeira Crickets Mercyland Records Multi-Instrumentalist award-winning Americana singer-songwriter and producer Phil Madeira is releasing an instrumental jazz album Crickets on April 26th. The audible pin drop notwithstanding, noodling at jazz and blues is how Phil Madeira relaxes when he’s not in the spotlight. It’s an energy born of passion and content. The songs are […]
Grady Champion Steppin’ In: A Tribute to ZZ Hill Malaco Thirty-seven years later, we have the iconic songs of Texas-born singer Z.Z. Hill brought to us by Grammy-winning bluesman Mississippi-based Grady Champion on the same Mississippi-based Malaco label. Champion is a producer/singer/songwriter/musician who has won a Grammy, several prestigious Blues Music Awards as well as the 26th International Blues Challenge. Amazingly, […]
Kerry Kearney Smokehouse Serenade Highlander Records Kerry Kearney is a slide guitarist deserving additional recognition. Although not as well known as Sonny Landreth or Roy Rogers his fretwork at times has been compared to theirs. Long Island’s Kearney has been performing for over forty years as this is his seventeenth recording. A review of his […]
Henry Townsend and Roosevelt Sykes Blues Piano and Guitar: Washington University 1973 Omnivore Recordings Roosevelt Sykes spent his formidable years in his home state of Arkansas and in St. Louis. Sykes learned the rudiments of the keyboard on his grandfather’s organ. When he would return home to visit relatives in West Helena he would be […]
Tim Gartland Satisfied Taste Good Music Ohio born Tim Gartland saw Muddy Waters in concert when he was fourteen and it proved to be a life changing experience. He studied the harmonica, began playing in bands and started writing his own songs. After graduation from college Tim relocated to Chicago where he studied with Jerry […]
Big Daddy Wilson Deep in My Soul Ruf Records Big Daddy Wilson was born Wilson Blount in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina. He recalls “Me and my sisters were raised by mom and grandma. We lived a simple life, we went to church every Sunday, school on weekdays. I also worked back then […]
Mitch Woods A Tip of the Hat To Fats Blind Pig Records Brooklyn born Mitch Woods fell in love with boogie-woogie when he was eight years old. His stepfather purchased him a piano and he began classical training at eleven. In his mid-teens Woods was already moonlighting in Greenwich Village night clubs. He attended the […]
Meg Williams Take Me As I Am: The Muscle Shoals Sessions Nola Blue Records Meg Williams hails from the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. She formed the Meg Williams Band a.k.a. MWB and her debut recording was released in 2014 when she was compared to Sheryl Crow. She came to national attention with the […]
Shane Dwight No One Loves Me Better Red Parlor Records Shane Dwight was born in California. As a youngster he was diagnosed with a debilitating bone disease. He began playing guitar in high school as his early influences were mostly rock acts such as Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. As a late bloomer he […]
Russ Tolman Goodbye El Dorado Lost As one who has spent considerable time in LA, I find sustenance in this, Russ Tolman’s love letter to LA, Tolman’s eighth solo album. It’s the lyrics that keep me returning for listens. The titles read like an La travelogue: “North Hollywood Dream,” “405,” “Yuba City,” Pacific Rain” and […]
Anna Tivel – The Question Fluff & Gravy Portland-based guitarist/violinist, singer-songwriter Anna Tivel releases her fourth album, The Question, as she continues her provocative look into flawed characters, overlooked aspects of ordinary life, shared experience, and some political commentary. Her music is often deceptively quiet, concealing the pain and heartache that she writes about, whether […]
Will Kimbrough I Like It Down Here Will Kimbrough’s I Like It Down Here hits the record stores on April 19 on Soundly Music. Special guests include Shemekia Copeland, Brigitte DeMeyer, and Sugarcane Jane. It’s his best album to date. There! I’ve said it. Touted as one of the industry’s top session players, Will is […]
Elles Bailey Road I Call Home Independent Elles Bailey is a British singer who, in 2017 released her debut album, Wildfire. It met with success and therefore she hit the road touring in support of it. That touring inspired this second album Road I Call Home, although love and matters of the heart figure greatly […]
Sarah McKenzie Secrets of My Heart Normandy Music Australian pianist, singer, composer Sarah McKenzie became well established globally with her Impulse! 2017 Paris in the Rain and now returns on an independent label with the half originals/half covers Secrets of My Heart. She reunites with noted Australian composer, arranger, and events music director Chong Lim […]
Manx Marriner Mainline Hell Bound For Heaven Stony Plain Records Harry Manx is a Canadian musician best known for blending slide-guitar blues, gospel music and the Mohan veena. The latter is a Hindu stringed instrument learned by him while living in India. Manx recorded his debut in 2001. His fourteen previous albums include three recorded […]
Daniel Norgren Wooh Dang Superpuma Wooh Dang is the first worldwide release from Swedish musician Daniel Norgren and it’s a mix of jazz, new age, and contemporary folk. Said another way, it’s practically impossible to pigeonhole it as it moves from the ambient tones of electronica in the opening “Blue Sky Moon” to the spare, […]
Larry Griffith Bonafide Larry Griffith is a beloved musician around Atlanta and for this, his fifth album, he is joined by some fantastic musicians from a city that breeds fantastic musicians: Barry Richman is on guitar, Rashan Smith on drums and keys, Dana McCarthy on bass. Michael Milsap is also on keys. Tom Regeski is […]
Jay Anderson Deepscape Steeple Chase Bassist and composer Jay Anderson has appeared on over 400 recordings including nearly 100 for this Steeple Chase label. This, at long last, marks his return as a leader. His others as leader were from the early 90s.We don’t have nearly enough space to document all the artists that Anderson […]
Lauren White Life in the Modern World Café Pacific Los Angeles-based vocalist Lauren White teams with the superb vocalist and in-demand producer Mark Winkler for her third album, the eclectic storytelling Life in the Modern World, a collection of rarely covered standards from classic writers and interpretations of tunes from more contemporary ones. These tunes […]
Rosie Flores Simple Case of the Blues The Last Music Company Rosie Flores was born in San Antonio, lived in San Diego and now resides in Austin. The guitarist/vocalist is an artist who blends rockabilly, honky-tonk, Western swing and blues. Flores released her self titled debut recording in 1987 on the Reprise Record label. In […]
Adam Carroll I Walked in Them Shoes This is an exciting time for Adam Carroll fans. The Texas troubadour is releasing a new album on April 12, 2019. They don’t come around often so it’s time for a humble celebration. I Walked In Them Shoes is the ninth release for the artist and follows an […]
Tokyo Tramps If I Die Tomorrow Tokyo Tramps fit into a familiar origin story: young musicians come to America to get closer to the music, meet and form a band. What is unusual is that these two musicians came from Japan. Satoru Nakagawa had just graduated high school when he came to the States in […]
Molly Tuttle When You’re Ready Compass It’s rare when an artist can win Americana Instrumentalist of the Year without having released a full length album, but such is the case with flat-picking guitar phenom and singer-songwriter Molly Tuttle who now debuts with When You’re Ready. Blessed with a crystalline, honest voice and boundless instrumental talent, […]
Jimbo Mathus Incinerator JImbo Mathus has a new album, out April 5, that, like everything he does, is surprising in the best sort of way. It is called Incinerator and except for the overdubs it was recorded in 2 days at Dial Back studio in Water Valley, Mississippi. In order to fully concentrate on the […]
George Freeman George the Bomb! Featuring Billy Branch Southport This is the epitome of “less is more.” George Freeman is a legendary Free 91-year old jazz-blues guitarist who does not waste one note and has such an inherent feel for each genre, befitting the title. Yes, he is the bomb! Freeman can remember when Charlie […]
Bill Toms and Hard Rain LIVE (featuring The Soulville Horns) Bill Tom’s “writes songs that stir emotion, challenge the mind, and move the tail feather”, and that ladies and gentlemen defines rock ‘n’ roll. Bill Toms is a working man. Being a Pittsburgh Pennsylvania guy that ethic is forged into you. He works at being […]
M. Lockwood Porter Communion in the Ashes Black Mesa Communion in the Ashes is flat-out rock n’ roll, a rallying cry, a series of anthemic songs by M. Lockwood Porter and his five-piece band designed to build hope amongst the surrounding doom. Yes, this about community and moving forward rather than wallowing in despair. It’s […]
Madison Violet Everything’s Shifting Big Lake/Passenger Sounds Madison Violet is Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIssac. The duo first met in Toronto in 1999 only to discover that their fathers were high school classmates. They are genre crossing instrumentalists with flawless harmonies. Hailing from small Scottish towns, in close proximity to Nova Scotia, their sound has […]
Ally Venable Texas Honey Ruf Records Ally Venable is a powerful young blues singer from Texas with roots that clearly show that proud tradition of blues-rock fostered by Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, and so many others. Now, at not yet twenty, Venable is releasing her third album, Texas Honey, produced by fellow Texan Mike […]
The Mekons Deserted Bloodshot Believe it or not, the British collective, The Mekons, have been putting out their unique, genre-agnostic undefinable folk-punk (for lack of a better term) for over forty years now, having begun in 1977. Consider them a bizarre folk-rock aggregation equivalent to those in jazz like Sun Ra’s various units or those […]
Rick Vito Soulshaker Vizztone Label Group Rick Vito is best known as being a member of Fleetwood Mac from 1987 until 1991 when he took over for Lindsey Buckingham. Vito’s first solo album was 1992’s “King of Hearts” on Atlantic Records. In 2001 Vito won a Blues Music Award for writing the Song of the […]
Mighty Mike Schermer Bad Tattoo Firedog Records/Vizztone Label Group As a youngster Mike Schermer played guitar, trumpet and clarinet. He played in school and in various bands. Then one night in 1984 he saw Albert Collins and it was a life changer. Schermer soon expanded his influences to include T-Bone Walker, Howlin’ Wolf, Ray Charles, […]
Arlen Roth Tele Masters Aquinnah Records Arlen Roth released his first album “Guitarist” in 1978 and it won the Montreux Critics’ Award for “Best Instrumental Album”. He recorded “Foolin’ Around” in 1993 with Danny Gatton and Duke Robillard, and a documentary commemorating the event. In 2008 he recorded the sequel “Foolin’ Around Woodstock”, with Levon […]
Kenny Parker Hellfire Rock-a-while Michigan born Kenny Parker began playing guitar in a local band when he was fourteen. While still in high school he discovered blues guitarists Albert and B.B. King. After graduating college he worked in a General Motors auto factory and began to moonlight at night. He worked with Detroit’s Louis “Mr. […]
Luther Dickinson and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon Solstice New West Luther Dickinson has a penchant for making albums with all-star female casts, but none larger than on this outing with the collective name of “Sisters of the Strawberry Moon.” Inevitably, The Wandering (Amy LaVere, Sharde Thomas, Shannon McNally and Valerie June comes to mind. […]
Michael Jerome Browne That’s Where It’s At Borealis Records Michael Jerome Browne was born in South Bend, Indiana. His family moved to Montreal when Browne was still in his teens. Browne had mastered the guitar and harmonica and toured Europe as a one man band before returning to join the Stephen Barry Band. He released […]
Andy Statman Monroe Bus Shefa This kind of review opportunity does not often happen. Mandolinist Andy Statman played at this writer’s wedding (Yes, that was ages ago) and at the time Statman was already a well-established musician who accompanied David Bromberg, Doug Sahm, Vassar Clements, David Amram, Tony Trischka, Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead, […]
Tom Culver Duke’s Place Café Pacific Leveraging his acclaim from Tom Culver Sings Johnny Mercer, I Remember You, Culver now digs into the Duke Ellington’s songbook on Duke’s Place. These are songs that are certainly familiar, sung by an artist who clearly loves singing. Culver’s enthusiasm is comparable to that of Tony Bennett’s and while […]
Steve Poltz Shine On Red House Records It’s just the light we need. These songs were written during a time of hard hits and dark moments. Steve Poltz is a songwriter. It is his job to guide us through the chaos. Steve has done this by choosing love over hate, and light over dark. This […]
Murali Coryell Made In Texas Shake-It-Sugar Records Murali Coryell is the son of jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell. As a youngster he started playing drums but soon switched to the guitar. Wanting to forge his own musical path Murali released his recording debut, the soul-blues “Eyes Wide Open”, in 1995. Four years later he formed […]
Matt Andersen Halfway Home By Morning High Romance Music/True North Records Matt Andersen is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Brunswick, Canada. In 2010 Andersen finished first in the solo/duo category at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. He is a seven time Maple Blues Award winner; and winner of two European Blues Awards. “Halfway […]
Dennis Brennan & the White Owls Live at Electric Andyland VizzTone Dennis Brennan has been a fixture of the Boston Blues scene for the better part of three decades now. His reputation precedes him. Many of us have long expected a blues album that’s finally here. Oh, let’s be a bit more accurate. Brennan is […]