CD Reviews on projects by Indie Blues Artists
Mick Kolassa & The Taylor Made Blues Band 149 Delta Endless Blues Records On Mick Kolassa’s last two albums he collaborated with fellow musicians and recorded covers of both Beatles tunes (with Mark Telesca); and blues classics (as duets with various contemporaries). On this, his sixth studio album, Kolassa and The Taylor Made Blues Band […]
Geoff Achison Sovereign Town Landslide Geoff Achison hails from Down Under and his album from last year, Another Mile, Another Minute was nominated for Album of the Year in the 2017 Australian Blues Awards. It was brilliantly eclectic and wide ranging, clearly one of the best albums in 2017. His electric guitar tone was so […]
Jonathon Long Jonathon Long Wild Heart We should know better than try to predict what Samantha Fish will do next. This is her first foray in the producer chair and as label owner. That’s right. She’s started her own label, Wild Heart Records. And, conventional wisdom (let’s say from two or three years ago) would […]
The Bob Lanza Blues Band Kids, Dogs & Krazy Women Connor Ray Music Bob Lanza hails from New Jersey. This is his fifth studio recording and third for the Connor Ray Music label. His last album was 2016’s “It’s Time To Let Go”. Once an artist has full control of their music and has several […]
Gina Sicilia Heard The Lie Blue Elan Records Philadelphia’s Gina Sicilia released her first recording “Allow Me To Confess” in 2007. That well received debut, resulted in her receiving a Blues Music Award nomination as “Best New Artist” and begin touring. Today she tours all over the world playing over a 150 shows a year. […]
Karrin Allyson Some Of That Sunshine Kas Records Karrin Allyson Schoonover was born in Great Bend, Kansas and raised in Omaha Nebraska. She attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha and studied classical piano. At night she sang in her own jazz ensemble at various Omaha nightclubs. She moved to Kansas City where she released […]
Billy Hector Some Day Baby Ghetto Surf Music Billy Hector was born in Orange New Jersey. He started taking guitar lessons at the age of nine. In the 1970s Hector was the guitarist for “The Shots” the house band at the renowned Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Hector began to identify more with the blues […]
Terry Blersh Play It All Day Independent Terry Blersh is a Canadian guitarist who formed his first band in 1992. He also worked with both Rita Chiarelli, and the Cameo Blues Band. His self titled debut album, released in 2008, received three stars from Frank-John Hadley of DownBeat Magazine. Blersh while Blues orientated is not […]
Jason Ricci and JJ Appleton Dirty Memory Dirty Memory is as different as possible from Jason Ricci’s Approved By Snakes, so if that is what you are expecting, get it out of your head! Ricci has teamed up with New York City singer/songwriter JJ Appleton to give us something much more laid back. This one […]
Midnite Johnny Morana Long Road Home Mosher St. Records Johnny Morana a.k.a. Midnite Johnny has had a long career playing the blues. From 1986 to 1988 Morana worked with Harvey Mandel of Canned Heat. Morana was also a fill-in guitarist for both James Cotton and Bo Diddley. From 1990 to 1994 Morana was a member […]
Kevin Kearney Band “Black – Revised” DWAZ Entertainment Slide guitarist Kerry Kearney has been writing and performing for over 40 years. Although not as well-known as Sonny Landreth or Roy Rogers, Kearney first formed The Kerry Kearney Band back in 1997. In 2001 Kearney released his breakthrough album “Welcome to the Psycodelta” on Relix Records. […]
The Radiators Welcome to The Monkey House Radz Records In 1978 five New Orleans musicians jammed together in a garage for over five hours. The next day they all quit their respective bands to form a new one. The Radiators became the number one rock band in New Orleans by combining the traditional music of […]
Zak Trojano Self-released Wolf Trees This is as solo as one gets for a solo album – just Zak Trojano singing and accompanying himself on a Martin or Weissenborn lap steel guitar. The Rusty Belle co-founder’s third solo album has low open C modal tuning on any guitar he uses, and foundationally has simple arrangements […]
Jimmie Smith Live in Music City: Jimmie Smith Plays Jimmy Smith Woodward Avenue The inevitability of this concept will likely bring a “you must be kidding” chuckle at first but it’s a terrific show by Hammond B3 organist Rev. Jimmie Smith honoring his almost namesake, the iconic jazz organist Jimmy Smith. “Tribute to the Hammond […]
Whitney Shay A Woman Rules The World Little Village Foundation As a child Whitney Shay witnessed a Shakespearean play, and she has been performing ever since. In 2009 she began fronting a band and singing blues, jazz and swing. In 2012 Shay released her debut recording “Soul Tonic”. In 2015 she recorded an album with […]
Trudy Lynn Blues Keep Knockin’ Connor Ray Music Trudy Lynn was born Lee Audrey Nelms and raised in Houston’s musically rich Fifth Ward. Originally the neighborhood was settled by Creoles forced to leave Louisiana because of The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. In the mid-sixties Lynn sang with Albert Collins. In 1989 she released her […]
Shemekia Copeland America’s Child Alligator Records Shemekia Copeland’s education occurred while growing up in a household surrounded by music. She is the daughter of famed bluesman Johnny “Clyde” Copeland. She inherited the urge to perform and in 1998, at the age of eighteen, released her Alligator Records debut. This new album is her eighth studio […]
Yvette Landry & The Jukes Louisiana Lovin’ Soko Music Yvette Landry hails from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana close to the Atchafalaya Basin, our largest swampland. Growing up there she has an appreciation for the music of her Cajun culture. Her debut album 2010’s “Should Have Known” was named Offbeat Magazine’s “Best Country/Folk Album” and The Yvette […]
Boz Scaggs Out Of The Blues Concord Records Atlantic Records signed Boz Scaggs in 1968 and released his self titled debut. The album featured guitarist Duane Allman and The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Included were his versions of “I’ll Be Long Gone” and “Loan Me A Dime” and they received a considerable amount of airplay […]
Brigitte Purdy Dirtshack Still I Rise Terrific singers are often comfortable in several genres, but most want to be blues singers to showcase their emotive power. That’s why versatile, gifted, and downright sultry vocalist, Brigitte Purdy, is belting blues and seductive R&B on her debut, Still I Rise. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Purdy […]
Damon Fowler The Whiskey Bayou Session Whiskey Bayou Records Damon Fowler was born in Brandon, Fl. eleven miles east of Tampa. He first picked up the guitar at the age of twelve and has since also mastered lap steel and Dobro. His songwriting reflects influences from blues, gospel, soul, country music and swamp rock. His […]
Al Basile Me & The Originator Sweetspot Records In 1970 Al Basile received a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Brown University. Three years later Duke Robillard asked him to join Roomful of Blues to become their first cornet player. While with them Basile got to play his horn with many of the greats most […]
Bruce Katz Band Get Your Groove! American Showplace Music As a child Bruce Katz studied classical piano. He later studied jazz piano and Hammond organ at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. His first professional gig was playing bass guitar for Big Mama Thornton. He also played with Barrence Whitfield and The Savages, and […]
Big Apple Blues Manhattan Alley Stone Tone Records Big Apple Blues’ 2015 album “Energy” was a “creative fusion of instrumental blues, soul, funk and rock”. This new album “Manhattan Alley” continues to celebrate the genre defying soul of the city that never sleeps. The five principal band members include Hammond B-3 player and keyboardist Jim […]
Cyrille Aimee Live Mack Avenue Records This new live recording from Cyrille Aimee marks the end of an era. The performance was the last from her with this great band. “I want to find new inspirations and a new energy, I feel like you always have to search further, and that’s what I constantly try […]
Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio Something Smells Funky ’Round Here Alligator Records In high school Elvin Bishop won a full scholarship to attend The University of Chicago and he arrived there in 1960. Three years later he met Paul Butterfield and joined his band. Bishop left the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1968 to start […]
The Little Red Rooster Blues Band Lock Up the Liquor Self-released The Little Red Rooster Blues Band has been perhaps the Philly area’s most prized blues band for three decades now. This CD, which is their seventh, marks their 30th year as a band. It’s essentially a miracle that band leader Kevin McCann was able […]
Big Harp George Uptown Cool Blues Mountain It’s as if the melody and refrain to Paul Simon’s “Graceland” has taken on this verse for so many blues musicians – “We’re going to Greaseland, Greaseland …we’re going to Greaseland.” Yes, Big Harp George is the latest in a growing number of mostly emerging artists that are […]
Biscuit Miller “Live” At The North Atlantic Blues Festival Independent David Miller was raised on the south side of Chicago. He was nicknamed “Biscuit” by his grandma as he wouldn’t get out of her kitchen. He learned to play bass from his friend’s older brother. Biscuit played with Mojo Buford formerly with Muddy Waters. One […]
Rory Block A Woman’s Soul: A Tribute to Bessie Smith Stony Plain Records Aurora “Rory” Block spent her formative years as part of the Greenwich Village folk music scene. At the age of fourteen she was introduced to the music of the Mississippi Delta by Stefan Grossman. She made it her business to seek out, […]
McClenty Hunter Jr. The Groove Hunter Strikezone This is drummer McClenty Hunter Jr.’s first album as a leader. For the past decade Hunter has been an integral part of the New York City jazz scene, having logged three years with Kenny Garrett’s Grammy nominated quintet, and performing with Jim Snidero, Lou Donaldson and Dave Stryker, […]
Vanessa Collier Honey Up Independent Vanessa Collier graduated Boston’s Berklee College of Music with degrees in Performance, Music Production, and Engineering. In 2014 Collier released her debut album “Heart, Soul and Saxophone”. Her mixture of blues, rock, soul and funk resulted in being named a 2014 Best of Blues Breaker on Dan Aykroyd’s House of […]
Lady A Doin’ Fine Independent Anita White a.k.a. Lady A makes her home in the greater Seattle area. She has been a Pacific NW Blues favorite for over a decade and has been called “the hardest workin’ woman in Blues, Soul & Funk”. Her high energy performances showcase her husky but sultry voice. Lady A […]
Steve Howell and The Mighty Men featuring Katy Hobgood Ray Good as I Been To You Out of The Past Music Steve Howell is from the area around Texarkana. That region is steeped in tradition and so is Howell’s music. Howell finger picks the guitar and usually is content to recreate traditional country blues. This […]
Dharmasoul Lightning Kid Independent Dharmasoul is guitarist/vocalist Jonah Tolchin and drummer Kevin Clifford. They met in 2008 at the National Guitar Workshop in Connecticut when they were fifteen. This is their first album together. Tolchin was just out of high school when he released his debut an EP called “Eldawise”. In 2012 he followed up […]
A boxer and a rocker who was born in London, raised in Brooklyn, Ben de la Cour played dive bars underage and dropped out of school to join a Heavy Metal Band. His formative years were deftly shaped by Bob Dylan the Everly Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Turning his steely eyed intensity towards an acoustic […]
Paul Filipowicz Unfiltered Big Jake Records Paul Filipowicz was born in Chicago in 1950. One night while listening to the radio he heard songs by both Sonny Boy Williamson II and Muddy Waters and got bitten by the blues bug. His first exposure to live blues music was going to see Otis Rush. Paul says […]
Ry Cooder The Prodigal Son Fantasy Records/Concord Music Group Ry Cooder began his recording career in 1970 with his self-titled debut. In 1972 he followed up with two widely acclaimed albums that helped develop his artistry; “Into The Purple Valley” with its movie-like cover and “Boomer’s Story”. On these albums Cooder covered older often obscure […]
Keeshea Pratt Band Believe Independent The Keesha Pratt Band finished first in the band competition at the 2018 International Blues Challenge. The eight piece band is that rare collective that can perform both traditional “old school” blues or more contemporary styles. The core band is Keesha Pratt, lead and background vocals; Shawn Allen, piano, organ and bass; […]
The Proven Ones Wild Again Roseleaf Records The Proven Ones are an all-star ensemble built from the bottom up. The master rhythm section includes Jimi Bott nominated nineteen times as Best Instrumentalist – Drums at The Blues Music Awards and winning that award in 2015. His long time partner is bassist Willie J. Campbell who […]
Kat Riggins In The Boys Club Bluzpik Media Group Katriva Riggins hails from Miami, Florida. Her parents instilled in her a love for all genres of music from gospel, to soul, to country and to rock. Her primary influences include Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Etta James and Koko Taylor. She has been on the South […]
Sugar Brown It’s a Blues World (Calling All Blues!) Self-released As one might expect from a Ph.D. college professor, Toronto-based Sugar Brown’s blues are both deep and eclectic. His journey to this point is rather unusual for a blues artist. He was born Ken Kawashima, to a Japanese father and Korean mother, raised in Bowling […]
The Record Company All Of This Life Concord Records The Record Company’s music is a blend of early electric blues and garage rock. In 2016 The Record Company released their hugely successful debut which appealed to a broad range of listeners. Chris Vos vocals, harmonica, and guitars states “We’re just as influenced by bands like […]
Buddy Guy The Blues Is Alive And Well Silvertone/RCA Records Buddy Guy is undoubtedly the reigning “King of The Blues”. He began his career performing in 1953 in Baton Rouge, La. By 1957 he had relocated to Chicago. In 1965 and 1966 Guy recorded sessions with Junior Wells for both Delmark and Vanguard Records. Guy’s […]
Rory Block is a five-time Blues Award winner, and with albums like A Woman of Soul, it is easy to understand why. This is the first in a series of albums called ‘”Power Women of the Blues.” This one is a tribute to Bessie Smith. The album contains well-known songs like “Do your Duty,” “Gimme […]
Mark Wenner Mark Wenner’s Blues Warriors EllerSoul Harp ace Mark Wenner, founder and band leader for Washington D.C.’s long-running Nighthawks, has put together a pure straight-ahead blues band in his latest side project. As you may know, The Nighthawks began as a solid traditional blues band in the late ‘70s but have grown into a […]
Steve Krase Just Waitin’ Connor Ray Music Houston-based harmonica ace and bandleader Steve Krase moves outside the conventional blues boundaries on this outing, into Americana and Zydeco with guests skilled in those styles. Driving much of these proceedings is noted Houston producer Rock Romano who played bass, background vocals, wrote three of the tunes, and […]
Bridget Kelly Band Blues Warrior Alpha Sun Records Bridget Kelly and Tim Fik met sometime in May of 2007. They were married that December. Tim produced two Americana albums for Bridget but was convinced she should change her style and sing Blues. Tim was already a guitarist well versed in all styles of the Blues. […]
Tom Hambridge The Nola Sessions: Dedicated To New Orleans, La. SuperStar Factory Productions Tom Hambridge is a two time Grammy Award winning producer, songwriter, and drummer. He also has six Blues Music Award nominations and shares his 2011 BMA for “Song of The Year” with Buddy Guy. Hambridge has produced Guy’s last four albums including […]
Bob Corritore & Friends Don’t Let The Devil Ride Vizztine Label Group/Southwest Musical Arts Foundation Bob Corritore was born in Chicago and got hooked on blues harmonica when he was twelve years old. He studied and received playing tips from Carey Bell, Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells and others. At the age of twenty-five Corritore […]