Landslide Records - 40th Anniversary - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the newest release from Landslide Records, 40th Anniversary, a two disc compilation celebrating their 40th anniversary and a full house of great artists. Opening with Tinsley Ellis and the Heartfixers and Drivin' Woman. Ellis is a great choice to open this retrospective with his fiery guitar attack and tight rock shuffle beat. Strong opener. The Bluesbusters' track, If The Phone Don't Ring, is up next led by Little feat guitar and vocalist Paul Barrere in collaberation with Dregs keyboardist Lavitz and associated Feat personalities. This is a great track and solid addition to this release. Damon Fowler contributes Make The Best Of Your Time. Fowler was a great addition to Landslides lineup with his rugged vocal, strong rhythm and terrific slide work, I always look forward to his releases. Sean Costello was a unique talent and spectacular blues player. His contribution here is Motor Head Baby with it's slow swagger and Costello's relentless lead guitar work. If you don't know Sean, go find it now! Nappy Brown joins Ellis and the Heartfixers on Hard Luck Blues. Here you get the double whammy with Browns excellent vocals and Ellis' tasty guitar riffs, backed by strong horn work. Dave Bartholomew has a great jam on Jazz Fest in New Orleans with that funky New Orleans sound. David Earle Johnson (drums) brings a really hot Jazz Fusion sound. Partnered with John Abercrombie on guitar, Dan Wall on organ, Gary Cambell on sax these guys really fly on Route Two. Excellent! Derek Trucks Band continues in the jazz mind set with Mr. PC showcasing Trucks' world renown guitar improvisation. Mike Mattison best known for his work with Derek Trucks Band, showcases his soulful vocal work on Midnight In Harlem and it's R&B feel. Really nice. Steam Donkeys really put on the heat on Little Honky Tonks, a strong, Country and Western track with real grit. If you like this kind of music, and I do, you'll love this! Scrapomatic lays down a really hot track, Night Trains, Distant Whistles, with Mike Mattison on vocal, Paul Olsen on guitar and vocal, Dave Yoke on guitar, Ted Pecchio on bass and Tyler Greenwell on drums. Hot funky drumming, a great bass line, well blended vocals and strong lead guitar, great! Sax man Paul McCandless brings The Great Lawn, a new jazz piece featuring Steve Rodby on bass, Davidd Samuels on vibes, Ross traut on guitar and Linda Naimas on claps for an interesting instrumental diversion. Wrapping the release is Col. Bruce Hampton & The Late Bronze Age on Walking With Zambi, a driving country rocker. This is a great mix of music and a lot of hot talent on 2 cds. If you know all of the bands. it's a great mix tape and if you don't it's a great intro. 

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VizzTone Label Group SWMAF Records artists: The Kid Ramos / Bob Corritore - Phoenix Blues Sessions - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Phoenix Blues Sessions, from Kid Ramos and Bob Corritore and I really like it. Opening with Aw Shucks Baby, Kid Ramos and Bob Corritore really have a jam packed release here. With Nappy Brown on lead vocal, Henry Gray on piano, Mario Moreno on bass, Chico Chish on drums, Johnny Rapp on guitar and of course Corritore on harmonica and Ramos on lead guitar this is a solid opener. Super shuffle, Come On In is a perfect style for Ramos' guitar slinging style with it's swagger and features Gray on lead vocal and piano. Ramos walks it out nicely making this one of my release favorites. Slow blues, 24 Hours features Dr. Fish on lead vocal and he really digs in nicely working in really nicely with the soulful guitar lead of Ramos. Another slow blues, Mother In Law Blues, features Chism on lead vocal, Paul Thomas on bass and Tom Mahon on piano. I really like the piano guitar interplay between Mahon and Ramos on this one. Possum In My Tree is another real nice track, this time featuring Big Pete Pearson on vocal. Ramos pulls out the side on this one and with a Muddy Water kind of styling and with Mahon on piano. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Snakes Crawls At Night with Chief Schabuttie Gilliame on lead vocal with strong guitar lead, piano by Mahon on piano and Corritore on harmonica making for a super closer. 

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Delta Groove Music artist: The Henry Gray / Bob Corritore Sessions - Blues Won't Let MeTake My Rest - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Blues Won't Let Me take My Rest from Henry Gray and Bob Corritore. Featuring 10 previously unreleased out of 14 included tracks, this release features not only Gray and Corritore, but many other of the greats in recent blues history. Opening with Let's Get High, a great piano shuffle with Gray on lead vocal backed by Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on backing vocal and drums and Corritore on harp, this is a great opener. Gray's vocals on Blues Won't Let Me Take My Rest are a stark contrast to Clapton but this is real and Gray's piano with Corritore on shielded harp, Bob Margolin and Johnny Rapp on guitar and Chico Chism on drums, this sounds a lot like Muddy's band. New Orleans flavored boogie, I'm In Love Again features a cool harp riff by Corritore and hot guitar riffs by Rapp. Robert Jr Lockwood is featured on vocal and guitar on Robert Johnson's Ramblin' On My Mind, one of my favorite tracks on the release. Big Maceo's Worried Life Blues, feature Nappy Brown on lead vocal but Gray's piano work is solid and unmistakable. Gray is in top form on vocal on They Raided The Joint, joined by Kid Ramos on guitar, Corritore on harp, Paul Thomas on bass and Chism on drums. Very cool! Dave Riley takes the lead vocal spot on Ride With Your Daddy Tonight joined by Chris James on guitar, Yahni Yiley on bass and Eddie Kobek on drums. Corritore and Gray both do really nice jobs on this track making it one of the strongest instrumental tracks on the release. Lowell Fulsom's Trouble Blues, has a great feel with Rapp laying down some real nice slide over Gray's killer piano and vocal work. Excellent! Shuffle track, I'm Gonna Miss You, keeps Gray up front on piano and vocal. With extended harp work from Corritore, Steve Cushing on drum and, Paul Thomas on bass this track, Rapp steps up again with some pretty cool riffs on guitar. John Brim's That Ain't Right features Brim himself on the mic backed by Troy Sandow on bass and Big John Atkinson on drums. Corritore keeps up the heat but this track really shows how nicely Gray can hit the groove on piano. Ernest Lawler's Can't Afford To Do It has Gray back on lead vocal backed by Little Frank, Danny Michael and Big John on guitar, Sandow on bass and Brian Fahey on drums. One of the hottest tracks on the release is Boogie Woogie Ball, really giving Gray the open door to rock it and he really does. Corritore has strong continuity on harp throughout the track, Kirk Fletcher it tight on the beat with hot riffs backed by Patrick Rynn on bass and Brian Fahey on drums. Very cool! On laid back Honey Don't Let Me Go, Gray has the full focus with lead vocal and piano. Backed by Rapp on guitar, Thomas on bass and Cushing on drums, Corritore steps in for a nice harp solo balancing out the track nicely. Wrapping the release is BB King's She Don't Move Me No More featuring Gray on beautiful piano and lead vocal. I especially like Corritore's riffs on this track as well as Rapps tight guitar solos. Paul Thomas on bass and Chico Chism on drums round out the line up.

  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”