I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Major League Blues, from Jose Ramirez, and it's solid contemporary blues. Opening with title track, Major League Blues is a cool shuffle featuring Jose Ramirez on lead vocal and guitar and with Jimmy Johnson sitting in on guitar as well. Bob Stroger on bass, Willie Hayes on drums, Roosevelt Purifoy on B3 and Billy Flynn round out the band for this solid opener. On soulful ballad, I Saw It Coming , Ramirez is really out front on vocal with Purifoy creating a warm B3 envelope for his vocals. Flynn and Ramirez really do a nice job on lead guitar with solid melodic lead soloing. Here In The Delta is a cool contemporary blend between Hill Country flavored music and solid BB King styling. I really like the heavy tom tom work by Antonio Reyes, working nicely with Purifoy on B3 and the nice guitar work by Flynn and Ramirez, his own solid vocals and cool backing vocals. Kenny Watson Jr on bass adds to the heavy bottom making this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Latin fused, Are We Really Different, has really nice percussion work by Evan Hoffman and Reyes who also plays a bit of tasty bass. Ramirez's vocals and fiery guitar work really make this track sail. Wrapping the release is quiet ballad, After All This Time, with lush guitar chords and B3 carrying Ramirez's vocals. Shelly Bonet lays in some really nice contrasting vocals, followed buy some really nice blues guitar riffs, closing the set.
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