Delmark artist: Omar Coleman - Born & Raised - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Born & Raised, by Omar Coleman and this guy can sing! Opening with Shuffle track, Tryin' To Do Right, Coleman exhibits his solid vocals and harp work complimented by Pete Galanis on guitar, Neal O'Hara on keys, Ari Seder on bass ad Marty Binder on drums. Man Like Me has a pure Chicago sound with nice harp work from Coleman and a tasty guitar solo from Toronzo Cannon. Funky Sit Down Baby is anchored by O'Hara's organ work and nicely driven by Seder and Binder. Coleman rides the top with great vocal style and Galanis pops off some stinging riffs along with Colemans harp work pulling the track together. Soulful, I Was A Fool, blends a light funk and soul into the blues for a really strong track. Guest guitarist Mike Wheeler plays some really soulful riffs on this track, making it one of my favorites on the release. A bit more funky, Wishing Well, has a down right limp. It gets so funky you may need an air freshner and Wheeler is right there with fluid guitar riffs keeping the track tight on. Rocker, Slow Down Baby, finds Dave Herrero laying down a solid Chuck Berry riff and O'Hara rides the 88's as Coleman delivers on vocal and harp. Herrera rips a nice solo on this track making Coleman holler for help! Cool track! Another funky track, Lucky Man, with perfect drum riffs by Binder digs a real nice groove. Galanis plays a perfect response to Coleman's vocal call and O'Hara lays right in the groove on organ. Galanis steps up with heated guitar riffs giving the track another dimension altogether making this another favorite on the release. Upbeat shuffle track, You Got A Hold On Me, opens with a real nice harp intro from Coleman. Cannon's back setting the pace with a nice guitar lead and Binders drums are particularly crisp. The coolest harp work on the release falls right into place on this one making it the complete package. Title track, Born & Raised, is a high stepper with Coleman keeping his feet high. Galanis rips a real nice guitar solo on this one over the wah wah rhythm. Very cool! Slow soul track, One Request is the most memorable melody on the track making it my choice for radio track of the release. I really like Coleman's vocal leads on this track and the light organ support by O'Hara on this track is perfect. His piano work is nicely presented, Seder's bass hand is right there and Binder is spot on. Again Galanis steps up with a nice guitar solo on this track but just enough to emphasize the dynamics on the track. Nicely done. Funky jazz track, Tell Me What You Want, has a nice bass line from Seden which really sets the table for me. Coleman's vocal phrasing on the track as well as his harp work is nicely complimented by hot guitar riffs from Herrero. New Orleans infused, I Know You Been Cheating, has an almost rhumba feel with a nice harp solo from Coleman. Seder on snare and O'Hara on piano really emphasize the cultural richness and Galanis throws down a tasty solo to ice the cake. Wrapping the release is full out jazz track, Raspberry Wine, with Coleman showing that his vocals can carry off even the more challenging style. Galanis steps up again with a real nice guitar solo on a carrier of organ and piano by O'Hara. O'Hara pulls off a real nice solo of his own on organ and then as is traditional Coleman steps back up to take the track home and the band joins in on vocals. Really nice closer.  

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OKIE DOKIE STOMP - DAVE HERRERO / FELIX REYES / JIMMY SUTTON

Dave is a seasoned professional who has been blessed to play some very exclusive shows at such a young age. Among them are:
Copenhagen Blues Festival (Denmark), Herning Blues Rock Festival (Denmark), USO tour of Hungary, Bosnia and Macedonia (supporting Archie Bell and the Drells), Chicago Blues Festival (With the Jimmy Burns Band, With Kenny Smith, With Dave Specter), Linkoping Great Jazz Festival 2x (Linkoping, Sweden), Springfield Blues Festival (Springfield, IL), SXSW (4 years), Tour Sweden 4x, Tour Norway 8x, 3 month tour Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland accompanied with Blues in Schools, Springing the Blues Festival 3x, Fitzgerald's Nightclub with the Blasters, A Taste of Lincoln (with Katherine Davis), Doug Sahm Memorial Tribute Concert at Antone's Nightclub (with Lazy Lester and Charlie Sexton)

Dave Herrero began playing music professionally at the tender age of 20 years old in Jacksonville, FL. Initially, he was largely influenced by Muddy Waters, Albert King and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, which (with the help of friend Seth Walker) prompted his move to Austin, TX.

Dave cut his teeth in Austin, playing with the who's who of the Austin blues community (Marcia Ball, Charlie Sexton, Seth Walker, Gary Clark Jr, Matt Powell, The Keller Bros., Nick Curran, Lazy Lester etc.), and was the guitarist and opening act for Houston legends Archie Bell and the Drells. With Archie, Dave completed his first USO tour of Hungary, Bosnia and Macedonia in support of our troops overseas. While in Austin, Dave began touring Scandinavia, selling anywhere from 250 to 500 tickets per show.

In Austin, he opened for 'Blue Monday' at the world famous Antone's Nightclub with Mark Goodwin and Rob Roy Parnell for a year and a half. When he would play the legendary 6th Street club, Joe's Generic Bar, the club would quite often be above fire marshal capacity, and on more than one occasion, the fire marshal would come to clear the club from being over the 150 person limit. During this time, Dave sold 3,000 copies of his freshman release, 'Hard Life Blues'.

Before relocating to Chicago, with the help of Mark 'Kaz' Kazanoff, Nicole Shiro and Nancy Coplin, Dave founded a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization called "The Blues Society of Austin", now "The Austin Blues Society".
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