Sandy Key Music artist: Jim Allchin - Prime Blues - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Prime Blues, from Jim Allchin and it's quite good. Allchin, who is releasing his 4th studio release is really honing in on the perfect sound for him. Opening with R&B flavored blues number, Give It Up, featuring Allchin on lead vocal and guitar, peppered with punchy horn work by the Memphis Horns (Charles Rose, Jim Hoke, Steve Hermann and Doug Moffet). Allchin has really honed his tone and his chops have always been super. His backing band is tops with Bob Britt, Rob McNelley  and Kenny Greenberg on rhythm guitar, Tom Hambridge on drums, Glenn Worf on bass, Mycle Wastman on backing vocals and Kevin McKendree on keys. Strutting, Devil Don't Sleep really has a great feel with excellent lead work by Allchin and heavy B3 by McKendree. Jimmy's Boogie is a high energy boogie with a solid bass line by Worf and terrific piano work by McKendree over the tight drums of Hambridge giving Allchin free rein to play. Excellent! Mike Zito guests on lead vocal on Enough is Enough and the track has a hard driving country rock feel. Very nice! Solid shuffle, Found The Blues really finds Allchin in the slot with terrific lead lines and sounding really comfortable on lead vocal. B3 soloing by McKendree adds real beef to the track making it one of my favorites. Bobby Rush steps up on harp and vocal on Two Bad Dreams, a slow blues number with rich horn work by the Memphis Horns. Allchin digs deep showing real blues chops giving this track a stiff edge. Wrapping the release is cool, Albert King flavored, Logoff, with a cool Latin rhythm and stinging guitar riffs. Allchin has really learned to temper his vocals with style and warm backing vocals and electric piano by McKendree adds real spice to this solid closer. Very cool. 

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Jim Allchin - Decisions - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Decisions, from Jim Allchin and his records just keep getting better. Allchin's first two releases garnered strong review but I believe that this one is his best yet. Opening with Artificial Life, a boogie rocker, Allchin has his amp dialed in just perfect and it getting super tone. With strong support from Michael Rhodes on thumping bass, Reese Wynans on B3 and Tom Hambridge on drums this is a strong opener showcasing Allchin's chops and cool phrasing. Latin rocker, The Mexican End has a solid melody and horn punctuation by Bill Bergman on sax, Lee Thornburg on trumpet. Allchins vocals are solid and his guitar playing tight. Driving rocker, Bad Decisions, has the solid rhythm of Don Nix's Goin' Down with searing guitar riffs making this one of my favorites on the release. High intensity, Just Plain Sick is a super hot number in the style of Clarence Gatemouth Brown. Allchin really rips it up on this one and the piano and organ of Wynans is spot on. Excellent! Slower blues number, Friends, has particularly soulful guitar runs and smokin' soulful bends. Excellent! After Hours stands out really nicely with volume swells and lead solo guitar melody that seems to float. Kenny Greenberg joins on guitar with Steve Mackey on bass and James Wallace on keys. With contemporary blues vibrato akin to Joe Bonamassa, Allchin really gets it rolling on Don't Care with "showy" guitar riffs, a rock solid bass line by Rhodes and cool B3 by Wynans. Understated blues ballad, Stop Hurting Me, has great bones and a sweet piano solo by Wynans. Horn warmth by Bergman and Thornburg really set the stage for Allchin to lay it out there with some of his best riffs on the release. Wrapping the release is Destiny, a more progressive track with Allchin out there with his guitar and only minimal backing. His guitar with effects really floats nicely on a bed of piano and organ making it an excellent closer for a strong release. 

  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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Sandy Key Music artist: Jim Allchin - Q.E.D. - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (September 10, 2013), Q. E. D. from Jim Allchin and it's really quite remarkable. Opening with Stop and Go, a Chuck Berry meets Foghat rocking and rompin boogie track, Allchin continues where he left off on his last release, Overclocked, with flawless screaming guitar riffs. On Gettin Old, a swing blues, Brooke Lizotte adds subtle key work to the bottom and Allchin effectively uses volume swells to punctuate his guitar solos. Organ solos by Lizotte and horn work by New York Brass punch up the track. On Chime Blues, a bluesy ballad, Allchin sets the mood with creamy chords and Ben Smith plays crisp drum basics. A funky Latin style lead carves a path and Allchin really lets the dog out. With warm guitar tones and Allchin plays a very clean instrumental track. Reap What You Sow is a contemporary rock boogie with scorching hot guitar riffs and tight rhythm section as a backer. A likely track for radio airplay. Mycle Wastman sings really sweet lead on Trust Me, a soulful blues track back by heavy horns and some of the tastiest lush tones put down by Allchin to date. Lizotte really digs in on the piano on this track with horns blazing making this one of the best tracks on the release. Another instrumental, Thinking of You has a very introspective feel in a quiet jazz ballad vein. Allchin keeps his tone rich and solid playing really beautifully articulated lead lines. Another swing style track, Trash, has a great groove. Allchin, although not likely not to break away as lead vocalist of another band, does a good job on this track and the orchestration of this track is top notch. Runnin Away is a moderate boogie with a light touch. Tried and True is is a cool driving boogie with ripping guitar riffs. A walking bass line by Dan Dean drives this track along and Allchin once again shows great chops on his axe. Drownin, a down and lonely blues track, shows Allchin demonstrating influences by a number of the masters of blues guitar. If you love that Stormy Monday ... I Can't Quit You... Blues Deluxe style blues, this is your ticket. Really super job! On R&B style Come On Home, Allchin deos some of his best vocal work and dons acoustic guitar for a easy blues ballad giving the horns a chance to play Dixiland style soloing... excellent! Wrapping the release is No Way Out, a fast moving Latin style number with supple nylon string guitar work juxtaposed against hot electric riffs backed by Cuban style horns. Each release brings a new sense of what to expect from Allchin. He has put out two fine releases and I'm already looking forward to the next.

 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”

 Sorry... no new video but a video just the same

Overclocked - Jim Allchin - New Release review

Just received the new release by Jim Allchin called "Overclocked". While I am listening to this cd I go to Jim's site to check out who he is.... this guy is unbelievable. I mean you need to go to his home page!

Here are a couple of excerpts:
"Jim grew up in a one-room house on a dirt farm in the Deep South. After living the life of a starving musician, he left to earn Masters/Doctorate degrees from Stanford University and Georgia Institute of Technology. He went on to become a world recognized leader in Computer Science and software. Today he codes for fun and he plays guitar for love."

"I grew up in the deep south. I learned to play by listening to old blues players and latin players or even new ones at the time (e.g., Allman Brothers, Santana). I travelled the south playing in bands and writing music — mostly blues rock. I met some amazing musicians. I played 16+ hours a day. And I learned a hard lesson in the music business: being good matters, but there are lots of great musicians — luck matters too."

"My biggest accomplishment at Microsoft was creating and growing the Server business which today is Microsoft’s fastest growing business and their third largest business. I left Microsoft in 2007."

Now back to the business at hand. This is a great recording. I can't wait to turn my pals on to it. I'm not a big vocals guy so when I hear someone who's vocals are really out front I always hope to hear some grit. If I were to knock anything on this recording, it would be that the vocals are too smooth. But there is plenty of guitar to go around. Jim has developed great chops and plays it well. The band is tight and ranges from grimy blues to chord infused jazz like tunes. Overall I really like this recording!

Enjoy!
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