Omnivore artist: Dom Flemons - Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus, from Dom Flemons and it's a cool retro mix of country, folk, blues and rag  with great vocal and instrumental tracks. This release is a compilation of the original 2014 release, Prospect Hill along with a never before release on cd, What Got Over which had been released on vinyl and an additional 12 never released instrumental tracks. Disc one, Prospect Hill, opens with springy rag Til' the Seas Run Dry, featuring Flemons on acoustic guitar and lead vocal, Ron Brendle on bass, Kobe Watkins on drums, and Brian Horton on clarinet. Excellent opener. One of my favorite tracks on the release is But They Got it Fixed Right On, with Pura Fe Cresioni on harmony vocals, Guy Davis on Mike Seeger's six sting band, and Horton again on clarinet. Super track. Harmonica track, Martching Up to Prospect Hill features Flemons on rhythm bones with Davis on harmonica. Excellent! It's A Good Thing is another of my favorites on the release with Flemons on vocal and guitar and a somewhat elongated phrasing on vocal and a nice exchange with Davis on vocal and banjo. Really cool. Wrapping disc one is My Money Never Runs Out, a cool country blues with Flemons on vocal, guitar and banjo. Super closer.

Disc two opens with Big Head Joe's March featuring Flemons on bass drum with Davis on snare with fife. Cool traditional hill country styling. Contemporary styling give Clock On The Wall a broadly recognizable format with Flemons on guitar, harmonica and vocals with Brendle on bass and Watkins on drums. Blind Boy Fuller's Keep On Truckin' gets a mild rework and sung and played as written. Hot Tuna covered this track probably 40 years ago but with more substantial alterations. Cool to hear the vintage styling. Hot Chicken is a great rag with solid vocals and harmonica by Flemons and super guitar work by Davis.  Til The Seas Run Dry has great pace and the violin work by Hunter is terrific with Flemons on banjo and vocals and Davis on harmonica. Tracks 10-21 are a mix of mostly rhythms and fife which is quite interesting. One track that really stands out for me is Georgia Drumbeat with an African flavor featuring rhythmic acoustic guitar, drums and percussion. Wrapping the release is Blue Butterfly, a cleanly picked guitar duet featuring Davis and Flemons. It's a really nice track and an excellent closer. 

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Music Maker Relief Foundation compilation: Blue Muse - Various Artista - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blue Muse, from Music Maker Relief Foundation. This cd will accompany a photography book of the same name by Tim Duffy coming out on March 28th. Opening with an acoustic jam, The Grotto Sessions, featuring Simon Arcache on guitar, Dr. Burt, Ironing Board Sam, Etta baker, Captain Luke, Rufus McKenzie, Alabama Slim and Guitar Gabe on vocal, plus a sea of others this is raw and adventurous. Taj Mahal is up next on John Hurt's Spike Drivers Blues with his distinctive vocal and guitar styling. Very nice. Eddie Tigner is up next on vocal and piano with a great boogie, Route 66 with Matt Sickles on bass, Ron Logsdon on drums, Paul Lindon on harp and with really nice guitar runs by Felix Reyes. Excellent! No question that my favorite track on the release is Robert Finley's Age Don't Mean A Thing, the title track from the spectacular release of the same name. Dom Flemons' Polly Put The Kettle On is a great country blues with Flemons on lead vocal and harp, Ben Hunter on fiddle, Guy Davis on guitar and Joe Seamons on backing vocals. With great vocal style Algia Mae Hinton is featured on acoustic guitar and vocal performing Snap Your Fingers. Raw and pounding, I Am The Lightning, is a great track. With Willie farmer on vocal and guitar, Will Sexton on mellotron, Mark Stuart on bass, and George Sluppick on drums, this track is hot. Sweet Valentine features the beautifully harmonized vocals  of Martha Spencer and Kelley Breiding, both who contribute acoustic guitar. Very nice. Eric Clapton pairs with Tim Duffy for some real fine finger picked acoustic blues on Mississippi Blues. Guitar Gabriel's solo, Landlord Blues, is the polished edge of raw blues with solid vocals and cool guitar work. Very cool. Dripping in southern gospel, The Branchettes sing I Know I've Been Changes totally acapella. Powerful. Wrapping the release is Something Within Me featuring Theotis Taylor on vocal and piano in a very nice spiritual track with plenty of soul. This really is a super release with plenty of diverse flavor for all to savor. 

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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Music Maker Blues Revue at Lincoln Center

Music Maker Blues Revue's packed show at Lincoln Center Out Of Doors last Sunday as part of Americana Fest NYC.



Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Ironing Board Sam, Dom Flemons, Albert White, and company rocked the joint and earned a standing ovation!

Music Maker artists: Boo Hanks with Dom Flemons - Buffalo Junction - New Recording Review

I just received a copy of one of the coolest traditional and Piedmont style blues recordings to hit the market in a long time. 83 year old Boo Hanks, who has played locally and worked in the tobacco fields of Virginia most of his life and Dom Flemons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops were recorded in 2006 and 2007 in mostly casual settings. The relaxed atmosphere and genuine love for the music comes through very strongly. Hanks has a unique vocal style and phrasing which is all but lost. The recording is made up of 12 traditional songs all which have been arranged by Hanks. The track list includes Railroad Bill; Drinkin' Wine, Spodie Odie (done by many artists but often associated with Hank Williams Sr.); Truckin' My Blues Away (a Blind Boy Fuller song); One Dime Blues; one of my favorites, Wild Geese Blues with a more serious pace (often associated with Gladys Bentley and Eddie Lang); Move To The Outskirts Of Town (which has been covered by many many artists including Big Bill Broonzy, Ray Charles and the Allman Brothers Band); Diddy Wah Diddy (written by Willie Dixon and made popular by Ry Cooder); Ain't Nobody Here But Me; Goin' Down To Cincinatti; Wanna Boogie Oogie; Girls Are Crazy About Me and My Captain Gone On Before. This is a thoroughly entertaining cd that seems to be over just as you put it in the player.If you like Piedmont style blues you can't go wrong with this great cd.
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