VizzTone Label Group artist: Ben Levin - Take Your Time - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Take Your Time, from Ben Levin and it's a super entry to a strong line of super releases by Levin. Opening with title track, Take Your Time, Levin on piano and vocal fronts a band of great players including my man Johnny Burgin on guitar and Shorty Starr on drums. A cool shuffle track this is a strong opener and gives Burgin space to lay down some real nice riffs. Lil Ed Williams joins on Why Do Things Happen To Me with his distinctive guitar feel and vocal work. I really like the work that Levin has been doing and paired with Lil Ed on guitar, Aron Levin on guitar, Walter Cash on bass and Ricky Nye on drums, he's on fire. Burgin is up again as featured lead player on Latin influenced, Out Of Your Own Way. Burgin can really set the fuel and ignite it and I can tell his playing style immediately. I didn't know he was playing on this release on the first pass through and I heard this track and said... wow Johnny...Great! Levin's vocal and piano work, coupled with Burgin makes this my favorite track on the release. New Orleans flavored boogie, You Know You're So Fine features Lil Jimmy Reed on lead vocal and guitar over the excellent piano boogie of Levin. With Aron on guitar, Walter on bass and Ricky on drums, this track has a great groove. Another great piano shuffle is closer, Mr Stroger's Strut featuring Bob Stroger on vocal and bass. With Noah Wotherspoon on guitar, Nye on drums and Levin on keys, this is an excellent closer. 

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Five Alligator Artists Receive 11 Blues Music Award Nominations

FIVE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE ELEVEN BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS

Toronzo Cannon Leads With Four, Followed By Curtis Salgado With Three

Lil' Ed Williams Receives Two Award Nominations

Shemekia Copeland and Moreland & Arbuckle Receive One Nomination Each

On Monday, January 9, 2017, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 38th Annual Blues Music Awards, the blues world's highest honors. Five Alligator recording artists received a total of eleven nominations.

Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon received four nominations, including Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for his Alligator debut, The Chicago Way. He was also nominated for Song Of The Year (for Walk It Off) and Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year. Cannon has one previous nomination.

Soul and R&B singer Curtis Salgado received three nominations including Soul Blues Album Of The Year (for The Beautiful Lowdown) and Song Of The Year (for Walk A Mile In My Blues). He also received a nod for Soul Blues Male Artist of The Year. Salgado has 13 previous nominations and five wins.

Lil' Ed Williams received two top nominations, one for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, the other for the coveted Band Of The Year for Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials. Williams has 20 previous nominations and two wins.

Singing sensation Shemekia Copeland received a nomination for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year. Copeland has 34 previous nominations and has won a total of eight awards.

Moreland & Arbuckle received a nomination in the Best Blues Rock Album Of The Year category for their Alligator debut, Promised Land Or Bust. This is the group's first nomination.

The 38th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on May 11, 2017 at the Cook Convention Center.

Alligator artists and nominations are as follows:

TORONZO CANNON:

Album Of The Year: The Chicago Way

Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year: The Chicago Way

Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year

Song Of The Year: Walk It Off, by Toronzo Cannon
 

CURTIS SALGADO:

Soul Blues Album Of The Year: The Beautiful Lowdown

Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year

Song Of The Year: Walk A Mile In My Blues, by David Duncan, Curtis Salgado and Mike Finnigan

 

LIL' ED WILLIAMS:

B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year - Lil' Ed Williams

Band Of The Year - Lil' Ed And The Blues Imperials

SHEMEKIA COPELAND:

Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year

MORELAND & ARBUCKLE:

Rock Blues Album Of The Year: Promised Land Or Bust

Lil Ed Williams

Lil' Ed Williams (born April 18, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. With his backing band, the Blues Imperials, slide guitarist Williams has built up a loyal following Williams and his half-brother James "Pookie" Young, received childhood encouragement and tutelage from their uncle, J. B. Hutto, and by 1975 the half-siblings had formed the first version of the Blues Imperials. A decade later and Alligator Records offered them the chance to record for a forthcoming compilation album. In the event they cut a full album's worth of material that was released as Roughhousin' (1986). They then appeared at music festivals and toured widely. Their second album release was entitled, Chicken, Gravy & Biscuits (1989), and their third LP, What You See is What You Get was issued in 1992. At this point the group disbanded, while Williams issued two solo albums; Keep On Walking, followed by Who's Been Talking (1998), the latter with Willie Kent. In 1999 the release of Get Wild marked the group's reunion, and has been followed in subsequent years with Heads Up (2002), Rattleshake (2006), and Full Tilt (2008) . In June 2008, Williams and the Blues Imperials appeared at the Chicago Blues Festival. The same year Williams guested on Magic Slim's album, Midnight Blues. In June 2009, Williams appeared as a guest on the radio quiz game show, produced by Chicago Public Radio and National Public Radio, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! In 2013, Lil' Ed Williams and the Blues Imperials were nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Band' category.  

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 favorite band!