Swing Suit Records artist: Mick Kolassa - Double Standards - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Double Standards, from Mick Kolassa and it's packed full of stars and blues standards. Opening with Willie Dixon's 600 Pounds of Heavenly Joy, Kolassa is joined by Sugaray Rayford on vocal with solid Latin rhythm by James Cunningham on drums. With Kolassa on guitar and vocal, Bill Ruffino on bass, Chis Stephenson on organ, and Colin John on guitar, very solid opener. Heather Crosse joins on lead vocal for another Dixon hit, I Just Want To Make Love To You. With her sultry vocals and Eric Hughes on harp, this is a real cool track. With it's jazzy club feel, Annika Chambers really shows on Fever. Her vocals are rich and deep caressed in a warm bed of Jensen's guitar tone. Alice Hasan's violin contributions to Tas Cru and Kolassa's rework of Jimmie Cox's Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out is really nice. Another particularly warm spot is Erica Brown's vocal lead on Dixon's Spoonful. Jensen lays down a real nice guitar section on this track as well. Another Latin influenced track, Early In The Morning, features David Dunavent on guitar. Stylistic and cool. The most guitar intensive track, Outside Woman Blues really gives Jeff Jensen the opportunity to show off on guitar and he does a real nice job. Wrapping the release is Ain't Nobody's Business featuring excellent vocals by Chambers, Gracie Curran, Erica Brown and Jeff Jensen. This is a super closer for a real solid release benefitting the Blues Foundation's HART Fund and Generation Blues programs.

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Plan-it - Records artists: Dan Treanor's Afrosippi Band With Erica Brown & MJ - Born To Love The Blues - New release review

I just received the newest release, Born To Love the Blues, from Dan Treanor's Afrosippi Band and it's a lot of fun. Opening with a cool boogaloo track, Can You Hear Me, featuring Erica Brown on lead vocals and a solid boogaloo bottom from Scott Headley (drums), Jack Erwin (bass) and Dan Treanor who also lays out a pretty smooth solo on guitar. On Done Got Old, the Afrosippi gets a strong rework and i really like it. Brown's vocals and Treanor's harp work are hot on the top and a driving rhythm section makes this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Funky track, Who Knows Who, has a real nice strut and Treanor displays a smokey taste on harp nicely complimenting Brown's vocals and a cool bass line from Erwin. Hurt Like Mine is a modern blues with deep roots. Traces of Black Keys are evident with raw guitar riffs and Treanor's harp lead and Brown's vocals are top notch. Excellent! The classic, A Change Is Gonna Come, features Merrian Johnson on lead vocal with really subtle tasty guitar and harp backing from Treanor. Very nice! Love Ain't Easy To Find is back to the boogaloo feel but with a gospel twist. Brown's phrasing is really nice and Treanor sits on a real nice guitar solo balancing the track nicely. Michael Hossler opens A House Is Not A Home with a nice slide guitar riff and Brown rides the wave. Hossler carries the weight on this track with Brown's laid back phrasing adding nicely. Heat has a R&B feel again featuring Merrian Johnson on lead vocal. This track has a real recognizable feel and melodic hook making it an easy radio cross player. Junior Wells' Knocked Out has an interesting James Brown kind of styling with a totally dofferent style of harp attack, Brown's vocals are some of her best on the release and Treanor really plays the blues. Very cool! Mississippi Fred's Blues has "Othar's" whistle and the traditional military style snare work often associated with country blues and vocals that I'd associate with New Orleans. Once cranked up, a raw blues rocker featuring some radical low fretboard slide work. Missing has a really deep sound like voodoo and blues. Harp, guitar chants and soulful vocals by Johnson... Excellent! Wrapping the release is Next To Me, one of the most solid radio style tracks on the release featuring Johnson on lead vocals. With a strong hook and solid instrumentation, a super closer.


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