Borealis Records artist: Michael Jerome Browne - Gettin' Together - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Gettin' Together, by Michael Jerome Browne and it's a full plate of authentic blues, performed as written. Opening with Mississippi John Hurt's, Monday Morning Blues, Michael Jerome Browne on vocal and 12 string shows a true understanding of the original music with his articulate picking pattern and vocals, joined by Harrison Kennedy on vocal and harmonica. Excellent opener. Delmore Brothers' I've Got The Big River Blues is a terrific track with MJB on guitar and Mary Flower on lap slide guitar. Really nice. Mississippi born Rube Lacy penned Ham Hound Crave and MJB and guitar wiz Colin Linden really bring this track to life. On Bukka White's (BB King's cousin, Booker T. Washington) Fixin' To Die Blues was reimagined as a mountain duet featuring MJB on vocal and gourd banjo and Teilhard Frost on fiddle. This is a great track and it's hard to imagine it any other way. Slow blues, Black Boy Shine's, Married Man Blues, has terrific vocal phrasing and 12 string by MJB, accompanied by Mary Flower on lap slide. Wrapping the release is Brownie McGhee's up tempo, Living With The Blues, with lively vocals and 12 string by MJB, joined by John Sebastian on harmonica, Happy Traum on lead guitar and John McColgan on washboard. This is a great closer, noted as learned from Penny Lang. 

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Stony Plain artist: Eric Bibb - Ridin' - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ridin', from Eric Bibb and it's a good one. Opening with Family, Bibb really has it going here. With a cool bass line creating an apprehensive sense and his rich vocals and great backing vocals, this is an excellent opener.  Shuffle, The Ballad of John Howard Griffin, featuring Russell Malone, has a cool slickness with jazzy guitar chords and lead. With a tall tale, this track is introspective and positive. Country style blues, Call Me By My Name features Harrison Kennedy, on vocal and guitar trading with Bibb. This is a strong track reviewing the slave plight of human recognition. Wrapping the release is Church Bells, a cool acoustic guitar outro backed by fiddle and bass. Bibb has his own style and his own theme and that's what makes him Bibb. Very nice. 

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Electro-Fi Records artist: Harrison Kennedy - Thanks For Tomorrow - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Thanks For Tomorrow, by Harrison Kennedy, and it's refreshing. Opening with All I Need Is You, Kennedy shares the mic with Ruthie Foster, backed by Colin Linden on acoustic guitar, John Dymond on bass, Jesse O'Brien on organ and Gary Craig on drums.. With a strong melody and blues overtones, it's a solid opener. With a casual, Taj Mahal feel, Easiest Thing really is nice with Chris Caddell on guitar and slide. Warm organ backing by O'Brien adds depth on this, one of my favorite tracks on the release. Women is my radio selection on the release with a strong melody, excellent vocals by Kennedy and again cool slide work by Caddell. With a remake of Van Morrison's Crazy Love, Harrison's soulful vocals, coupled with Caddell's "Lindley Like" slide work really does the trick. Wrapping the release is Just Wanna Play with a light, springy feel and featuring Kennedy adding harmonica to his lead vocals. This is a real toe tapper and a solid closer for a fun release. 

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Stony Plain Records artist: The Strongman Blues Remedy, Volume 1 - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Strongman Blues Remedy, Volume 1, from The Strongman Blues Remedy and it's chocked full of foot tapping blues. Opening with blues rocker, Hard Luck, leader Steve Strongman adds great slide riffs, bass and harmonica to his solid lead vocal efforts for a super radio track. Joined by Dave King on drums and Jesse O'Brien on keys this is a great opener. Dawn Tyler Watson has the mic on Fine Young Man, a solid radio track with country and blues roots. Slick slide work by Strongman and with O'Brien on keys and King on drums, another fine track. Slow blues, White Lightnin' is my favorite track on the release with Strongman's best vocals on the release and strong, soulful, fluid guitar lead, backed by Alec Fraser on bass. Excellent! Crystal Shawanda has the mic on Tell Me I'm Wrong and her vocals are sassy and powerful against the bluesy riffs of Strongman. Wrapping the release is Love Comin' In with it's poppy shuffle feel. Strongman is back up front on vocal and his guitar work is bluesy and slick. With grinding rhythm work and a driving bottom, this is a solid closer for a cool release. 

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Borealis Records artist: Michael Jerome Browne - That's Where It's At! - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, That's Where It's At!, from Michael Jerome Browne and it's quite fine. Opening with acoustic jazz instrumental, Don't Ask Me Why, Browne shows fleet fingered accuracy backed by the light and tight drum work of John Mc Colgan. Smoking opener with great chops. On shuffle track, Black Nights, Browne slips on the slide and settles down in a nice groove with bluesy vocals and again, Mc Colgan on drums. Harrison Kennedy joins on vocals on traditional delta blues styled Pharaoh, rich in tradition and earthy wealth. Very nice. Remember When is a cool folk ballad with clean acoustic picking and featuring vocal duet with Roxanne Potvin. Very clean. Rolling into Al Green's Here I Am (Come And Take Me) showing that Brown not only has the blues but a rich soul. His vocals are soulful and his guitar playing strong and supportive. Randy Newman's, Lousiana 1927, never sounded so sweet with solid vocals, intimate guitar soloing and sweet phrasing. Very nice. Where Is The Song? is a really nicely crafted closer for this truly remarkable acoustic folk/jazz/blues release. Browne's vocals and guitar work are very strong and his writing is really clean. Looking forward to hearing this on the home system at my leisure.

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Stony Plain Records artist: Eric Bibb - Global Griot - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent 2 disc release, Global Griot, from Eric Bibb and it's very warm and rich with heavy cultural influences. Opening with Gathering of the Tribes, Bibb blends the rhythms and instrumentation of Africa with his own warm vocal styling creating a unique sound. Rolling into Wherza Money At Bibb works a Jamaican sound and with key trumpet, organ and string accents weaving a really nice cultural textile. Very nice. Boogie track, Black, Brown and White takes on a traditional American blues form with soulful vocals, great rhythm and style. A Room For You is a light, folk style track with nimble fingerpicking, cool percussion and trademark Bibb vocals. Solo Cissokho is featured on Spirit Day, a cool West African flavored track with Harrison Kennedy on vocals. Very cool. Instrumental, Picture A New World is a nice guitar progression on a basic melodic them creating a peaceful sound with interwoven textures of sound. Wrapping the release is Needed Time with warm vocals, sparkling guitar and kora melodies and simple rhythm. This is a cool release with various nicely blended themes resulting in a very enjoyable package. 

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Stony Plain Records artist: Eric Bibb - Blues People - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Blues People, from Eric Bibb and I think it's his best in quite some time! Opening with Silver Spoon, a primarily acoustic track rooted deeply in the delta but with hot contrasting electric blues riffs from Popa Chubby in the distance and bass and drums by Glen Scott. Excellent! Driftin' Door To Door has a bit more of the walking blues sound with nice picked and slide work from Bibb and Michael Jerome Browne. Very nice. God's Mojo is a quiet jazz framed blues track with nicely figured key work and light drums by Glen Scott. Bibbs vocals are particularly focused on this track. Turner Station has a more modern acoustic blues sound with Bibb and Browne on guitar. As the track builds more fullness appears with Scott on Hammond, backing vocals and electric keys as well as Neville Malcolm on bass. On Pink Dream Cadillac, Bibb paints a vivid story as Staffan Astner adds some tasty slide work. Guy Davis' Chocolate Man features Davis and and Bibb trading lead vocals and guitar with Scott on bass, piano and drums. Rosewood is a somber ballad with light electronic keyboards backing Bibbs articulate acoustic guitar and vocal. Rev. Gard Davis' I Heard The Angels Singin' has an almost Richie Havens feel with Browne on 12 string, Scott on bass and drums and featuring J.J. Milteau on harp and The Blind Boys of Alabama on backing vocals. Dream Catchers has an interesting reggae feel with Ruthie Foster at her grittiest and Harrison Kennedy singing lead and Sara Bergkvist-Scott on backing vocals. Very nice! Chain Reaction features Glen Scott on lead vocal with Bibb for some really nice soul style harmonizing. Paris Renita adds some really nice backing on this track giving it a real soul feeling. Taj Mahal is on lead vocal and banjo on this shot but critical, Needed Time intro. A more flowing and refined expanded track follows with Foster, Bibb and the Blind Boys Of Alabama sharing vocal duties with Scott on piano, Browne on electric slide, Paul Robinson on drums Neville Malcolm on upright bass. Also backing on vocal is Bob Manning, Ulrika Ponten on Big Daddy Wilson. Excellent! Out Walkin', again with a solid blues base but in a more contemporary form features Bibb on vocal joined by Browne on acoustic guitar. R&B track, Remember The Ones, features Linda Tillery trading lead vocal with Bibb. Scott adds a nice Hammond warmth as well as sampling horns from the Memphis horns. Andre De Lange shares the lead vocal with Bibb on African influenced Home. Astner joins on acoustic guitar and guitelele and Scott adds piano, bass, drums and percussion to this moving track. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Where Do We Go featuring a vocal duet with Bibb and Leyla McCalla who also adds banjo. Scott on Melodica and piano Astner on electric guitar and Malcolm on upright bass add to the quiet melody. A soft sensitive ballad, this is a nice track to conclude a very interesting release.

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I Can Feel You Leaving - Harrison Kennedy

Best known as the lead vocalist on the Chairmen of the Board blues classic "I'm the Chairman of the Board," Harrison Kennedy was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, before moving to Detroit to join up with the Chairmen, a group started as part of the new Holland-Dozier-Holland label Invictus/Hot Wax. In the mid-'70s, Kennedy left the group and struck out on a solo career. Over the years he has been able to pull from styles as varied as funk, soul, R&B, folk, rock, and gospel. In 2008, Kennedy was nominated for Best Blues Recording in Canada's Juno Awards.
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