Blue Heart Records release: Blind Raccoon and NOLA BLUE Collection Vol. 4 - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blind Raccoon and NOLA Blue Collection Vol. 4, and it's a solid mix of blues and rock tracks. Opening with blues rocker, Sorry, Mark Cameron shows solid vocals, slide guitar and harmonica carrying a radio worthy melody. Funky blues rocker, Devil in the Dark is a cool entry by Michele D' Amour & The Love Dealers. With strong organ support and cool guitar and sax solos,  this track has a laid back feel. Trudy Lynn covers a Bluesbusters' track, If Your Phone Don't Ring and with just the right strut, and blues attitude, this is one of my favorites on the release. Wily Bo Walker's I Want To Know has a real nice R&B feel with interwoven bass, guitar and keyboard backing under Walker's infectious lead and backing vocals. Very nice. Super shuffle, Back Door Woman Blues by the Waydown Wailers sets a nice pace with strong vocals and a cool piano/guitar exchange. David Gogo sets up a simple guitar shuffle on Never Gonna Change. His vocals are clean and his slide playing clean and tight. Slow blues vocals on Firebreather by Skylar Rogers stand tall on side one backed by crisp guitar soloing over a potent bottom. Straight up blues track, Hard Times Coming by David Rotundo Band features really nice vocal, slide and harmonica delivered straight. Very nice. Throwing a curveball is Dick Van Dyke, yes, 95 year old Dick Van Dyke singing Is You Or Is You Ain't My Baby. He really does a nice job, backed by a fully big band and a tight rhythm section. Very cool. Piano boogie, Party In The Room Next Door - Live In Calgary is a strong entry by David Vest with potent piano and guitar solos over a beefy walking bass line. Johnny Tucker shows his guitar sting on Do The Rufus, a funky blues with attitude. Backed by punchy horns, Tucker's vocals are great. Idaho Bound is a strong, Southern Rock style jam with all of the characteristics of the Allmans. Driving rhythm and bass, dual lead guitars, and tight drums make this entry by The Mary Jo Curry Band another standout. Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps perform Takes On To Know One with great vocals, punchy horns, heavy bass and Anson Funderburgh on guitar. Wrapping the release is  acoustic guitar driven, This Old Road, a nice ballad by Trevor B. Power. With nicely blended vocal mix and acoustic guitars, a solid closer for this 4th Collection Volume. 

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Blue Heart Records artist: Johnny Tucker featuring Kid Ramos and the Allstars - 75 and Alive - New Release Review

I just had the oppoortunity to review the most recent release, 75 and Alive, from Johnny Tucker featuring Kid Ramos and the Allstars and it's really good. Opening with All Night Long, All Night Wrong, a hot swinging shuffle, Kid Ramos on guitar shows why he is one of the top slingers in the business. Teaming up with Johnny Tucker on vocal, these guys are really humming with Carl Sonny Leyland on piano, John Bazz on bass, Jason Lozano on drums, Bob Corritore on harmonica, and with exceptional backing from Ron Dziubla on sax. Wow! Slow blues, There's A Time for Love, is a terrific track, really showcasing Tuckers soulful feel and giving Ramos a wide open road to show just how good he really is. Been listening to Ramos for years and on the rare chance that you don't know him from his solo work, this is an excellent sampling of his crisp, fluid style and bluesful phrases. Excellent! Chicago style shuffle, Can't You See is another solid vocal blues number with strong piano work by Leyland. Latin fused, What's the Matter gets a real going wit some great bends by Ramos adding great guitar tension a la Albert King. Dziubla's sax really punches up the bottom and Lozano's drum work is snappy. Hot! Snowplow is a strong instrumental with solo breaks for Ramos, Leyland, and Diubla. Strong loping shuffle with toneful jams. High energy, piano boogie, What's On My Mind is a driving from start to finish. Leyland drives the boat with a great bass line from Bazz and Corritore's harmonica work sweet. The band really gets humming on this one and Tucker gets so geared up that he's hooting. Excellent! Ramos breaks out his slide on Dance Like I Should giving it a real Chicago feel and between Tuckers hooting, Corritore's harmonica, and Leyland's piano work, this is another great addition. Wrapping the release is funky blues, Gotta Do It One Time, with a great presence. Bazz's bass is very active and Leyland really stirs the pot on piano. Ramos plays hot riffs under the lead and Tucker's natural excitement gives this final track a great kick. Never like to say this is the best or anything, but this is one of the best blues releases I've heard this year. Congratulations!

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Highjohn Records artist: Johnny Tucker - Seven Day Blues - New release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Seven Day Blues, from Johnny Tucker and I really like it. Opening with Talkin' About You Baby, Johnny Tucker has the rugged voice of a pure blues man. Backed by Big Jon Atkinson on guitar, Troy Sandow on bass, Scott Smart on guitar, and Malachi Johnson on drums, this is a solid opener. With the addition of Sandow on harp, Tired of Doing Nothing has super presence, really, imaging that I haven't experienced in my office location on many occasions thanks I believe to the expert engineering of Atkinson (in Mono). If you listen to this, you won't need to have someone tell you it's special. It's way apparent! On Why Do You Let Me Down So Hard, Tucker's vocals are super and Atkin's guitar work is downright outstanding. Excellent! Title track, Seven Day Blues, is funnkkyy! Again, Sandow's harp work over Atkinson's bass, working in concert with Tuckers vocals really make the groove. With a super strong feel, Come On Home With Me just struts. Hard picked guitar riffs by Atkinson and understated harp work by Bob Corritore highlight Tucker's vocals nicely. Kid Ramos adds a new guitar texture on Tell You All with Bob Welch on organ. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Gonna Give You One More Chance, has a great slower blues feel with grand vocals from Tucker. I continuously keep thinking to myself during this recording how perfectly centered Tucker's vocals are on my cheesy desktop player in the office. The imaging really is strong. Beautiful guitar phrasing by Atkinson and soulful yelps cheering him on by Tucker really sets this track apart. Cool shuffle, Do-Right Man features real nice slide work by Atkinson and harp backing by Sandow giving Tucker strong instrumental support for his rugged vocals. Another slower blues number, One Of These Days, shows incredibly expressive vocals by Tucker and Atkinson really knows how to milk his guitar to get the best from this track. This is really a super track and Atkinson's feel makes it so. Excellent! Wrapping the release is a gripping, You Can Leave My House, with incredible feel by Sandow on harp and Atkinson on guitar. Kick back and enjoy!  I see a number of old school blues records on my desk quarterly, but this is one that really stands out. Excellent job! ...watch the video...feel the heat!



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