Little Village artist: Billy Price - Person of Interest - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Person of Interest, by Billy Price and it's got style. Opening with funky, Inside The Box, Billy Price is back with his next chapter. Notable for a leading vocal style for more than 25 years, Price is joined by Larry Fulfher on bass, Josh Sklair on guitar, Jim Pugh on keys, Tony Braunagel on drums and backing vocals by Masayn Lewis, Fred White and Will Wheaton. Of course there's a great horn section behind him including Ron Dziubla on sax, Eric Spaulding, and Mark Pender on trumpet. Great opener.  Bluesy ballad, Mercy, gives Price a chance to belt one out and warm keys by Pugh under the solid lead guitar work of Fulcher, and a sultry sax solo by Spaulding make this a solid radio contender. Title track, Person Of Interest, really has a funky pop sound in the vein of Steely Dan. Reggie McBride on bass lays in a great vibe and Pugh is killer on keys. Price's vocals are loose and free and Dziubla and Pender do a great job on horns. Having spent 3 years with Roy Buchanan, Price dedicates a track, Change My Mind, to Roy. A serious soul track and featuring Joe Bonamassa on guitar who gives Roy a few nods this is a very cool track.  Latin rhythms on A Certain Something has radio warmth and a strong melody. Pugh leads the track nicely on keys and Lenny Castro on percussion and Braunagel really spice up the bottom with Fulcher on bass and lead vocal by Price, backed by Lewis, White and Wheaton really shines. Wrapping the release is high stepping, Damage Control, with Price playing call and response with Dziubla and Pender on horns. McBride on bass holds the line with Braunagel on drums and Pugh of course on keys is stellar. Spaulding shines on tenor sax whipping out a real nice solo and Lewis, White and Wheaton blend nicely. This is a consistently cool release ... think a bluesy Steely Dan. Very nice! 

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Jesi-Lu Records artist: Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps - Live - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Live, from Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps and it's jam packed full of blues, R&B and soul. Opening with In The Pink, a funky, R&B number with hot vocal work and keys by Terresa James, Terry Wilson on bass, Billy Watts on guitar, Herman Matthews on drums, Lee Thornburg on trumpet, and Ron Dziubla on sax. Solid opener. Put The Squeeze On Me has great blues feel and James really works it hard, old school style and Watts lays down a real nice guitar lead giving the track James Brown like fever. Soulful, Don't Make A Habit Of It, is a smooth, radio ready, track with a great melody and nicely showing off James' vocal work. With the addition of Paulie Cerra on sax this track has the strength of a Van Morrison track with the super soul of James. Very nice. One of my favorite tracks on the release is ballad, The Day The Blues Came To Call with a strong melody, expressive vocal phrasing and a nice guitar solo by Watts. Very nice. With a calypso feel, I Want It All, has real pizzazz. James vocals are primo and her piano playing is hot. Joe Sublett on sax and Darrell Leonard on trumpet really spice things but it's the drumming of Tony Braunagel that pushes it over the edge. Wrapping the release is Long Way From Texas with it's Chuck Berry style drive. James' piano work is great and Cerra's sax solo pushes it. Add in a dirty guitar solo by Watts and you've got a great closer. 

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Rip Cat Records artists; Johnny & Jaalene - self titled - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release, Johnny & Jaalene and it's quite good. Opening with Phil Spector's Baby I Love You, Johnny Ramos, son of blues guitar player Kid Ramos and super 16 year old singer, Jaalene DeLeon, breathe fresh air into this 60's classic with solid vocals instrumentation and a great mix. Eddie Cochran's rockabilly tune Teenage Cutie has plenty of spark and tight guitar riffs giving it real oomph. 50's French tune, Let It Be Me, popularized in the US by the Everly Brothers is a real standout here with excellent vocal blending and clear, crisp guitar accompaniment. Lalo Guerrero's Los Chuco Suave is a natural here with excellent Latin styling and accordion by Jesus Cuevas. Excellent! Another huge 60's classic, Rosie (Hamlin) and the Original's Angel Baby is done with little alteration and is a perfect showcase for the purity of DeLeon's voice. featuring a nice sax solo by Ron Dziubla, this is a great retro radio track for the release. Jessie Mae Robinson's rocker, Let's Have A Party features some hot guitar riffs by Kid Ramos led by Deleon on lead vocal. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Danleers', One Summer Night with a twist of doowop (original), zydeco, punk and rock. I actually like this a lot better than the original cut with it's carefree lest. A cool, accordion flavoring by Cuevas and solid vocals by DeLeon make this a perfect closer for a strong new release.

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Jesi-Lu Records artist: Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps - Bonafide - New Release review

I just received the newest release, Bonafide from Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps and it's a rocking blast! Opening with R&B track, I Like It Like That, James leads the way on vocal and over the top piano with super bass work by Terry Wilson, Guitar by Billy Watts and drums by Tony Braunagel. Excellent opener. On Spit It Out, James really hits her stride with Al Green like pace. This track really makes you want to dance with hot vocals and nice horn work by Darnell Leonard and with Mike Finnigan's excellent B3 additions. Funky, Hollywood Way has a super groove with Wilson crafting a nice bass line and real nice slide work by Billy Watts. Backing vocals by Wilson and Watts really add to the richness of this track and James' phrasing is tight! A cool soul track, You Always Pick Me Up, is right down the slot with warm vocals and all of the poise of the queen of soul herself. With a spiritual warmth and the addition of trumpet by Lee Thornburg and sax by Ron Dziubla this track is really nice! Funky rocker, What Happens In Vegas, has the sound of New Orleans fused with a bit of Muscle Soul. Mike Finnigan's piano work, a smoky guitar solo by Wilson and Wilson and Watts' backing vocals really set James vocals on top. Too Big To Fail is another track with that swampy funk and Herman Matthews' drum work and Wilson's guitar work nicely compliment James' soulful vocals. Another great soul track, No Regrets goes even further to show how James is really hitting on all cylinders. With basic backing by Finnigan on organ, Lewis Stephens on Wurlitzer and sassy sax work by Ron Dziubla, this track is smoking! Kicking out the jams, You Want it When You Want It sounds like it was written by Keith Richards. With attitude and style, James crafts a solid rocker and gives it spunk. Wrapping the release is a really nice song, Have a Little Faith In Me, written by John Hiatt. I've always really liked this track and James keeps it light and airy with clear vocals and simple instrumentation. Atmospheric guitar work by Watts, percussive piano by James, Finnigan's organ work and a soulful sax solo by Jerry Peterson makes this a super closer for a really super release.



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Little Silver Records artist: Iko-Iko - Bullets In The Bonfire Vol.1 - New release Review

I just received the newest release, Bullets In The Bonfire Vol. 1 from Iko - Iko and its flavorful! A fifteen track retrospective of the band it has a lot of variety. Opening with Party Car, a New Orleans flavored track, the band is really hopping featuring strong vocals from Graham Wood Drout, super sax from Ron Dziubla and traditional drumming from Stewart Jean. Cajun tasting (I Never Had An) American Dream is a party track deluxe with cool lyrics. Celebration rolls more into the R&B styling and it's pop nature. A definite hook and familiar melody makes this a radio stopper. Dziubla really blows the walls out on this one giving it just the right spice. Live track Don't Mess With The Voodoo is a swampy rocker. Mike Bauer and Larry Williams lay out some smokin guitar riffs on this track and I particularly like the drum work of Jean. Miller's Woods has a solid pop rock style and some cool guitar slide riffs by Williams. Mike Mennel adds a cool under line on the bass throughout this track. Late Hours is a slow blues track featuring Bob Hemphill on harp. Drout sets a nice bass line on this track joined by Joseph Anthony Smith on drums and understated guitar soloing by Nick Kane. Returning to a New Orleans flavor and the rich sax and organ work of Dziubla, Pet De Kat is a cool track with a playful nature. Funky track, Snowstorm In The Jungle, gets a bit more rowdy with Drout's aggressive vocals, nice harp work from Hemphill and guitar riffs from Kane. Too High To Drive, is a simple rock n roll track based on a common theme... too much! Doug Leibinger adds a lot of depth on keys and Williams shows his rock riffs. Jalapeno Be Thy Name has a definite Latin/New Orleans. Solid bottom provided by Dziubla and Mennel along with some tasty guitar riffs from Williams makes this one of the more memorable tracks on the release. Walk With The Zombie is a bluesy rock ballad. Williams and Dziubla create a really nice feel on this atmospheric story adding musicality to it's clever lyrics. Riding On The Rims stretches more toward a country folk rocker with Leibinger, Mennel and Jean providing mostly a light backing for Drout's vocals. Another live track, the classic Motherless Children, get a totally rework fitting og a festival jam say at the Fillmore with the Allmans or the Dead. Quite different with a particularly cool bass solo from Mark Harris. Ghosts Of Mississippi has a light country rock flavor with Drout and Albert Castiglia sharing acoustic and slide guitar roles. Wrapping the release is The Day The Old Man Died, a bluesy rocker with swagger. Castiglia is back on slide Cam Robb on drums. Drout paints a good story and this track is a solid choice for it's completion.

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Rip Cat Records artist: Ron Dziubla - Nasty Habit - New Release Review

I just received the new release, Nasty Habit from Ron Dziubla and it's far out! I mean it's far out! This is a time machine musical trip with a man and his sax. Opening with Fine Time, Dziubla shows what sexy sax sounds like. An instrumental track when Dziubla isn't blowing the doors off, James Intveld is playing some mighty fine guitar riffs. Second up is Loose, a sax driven surf tune backed by Sam Bolle on bass and Pete Curry on drums. Get out your board moon doggie! (Stilladog ... check this one out! It's got your name on it!) Moan is a seductive sax ballad with some real grinding tone. Dziubla really groans this one out pulling out really great sounds. Featuring a nice light guitar solo this track could easily be a soundtrack from a 50's TV show. Slapped, another surf like rocker, showing hot sax riffs not seen on a blues record in such a collection in years. This track is also complimented by great guitar work from Intveld. The title track, Nasty Habit,continues in the surf vein but this time featuring R.J. Ronquillo on guitar and some really authentic riffs he has. Shaken and Stirred has a real burlesque sound to it and Dziubla really shows that he has really mastered the sax with great grind and breath control. If you like sax and you like blues...it's hard not to like this release. Lemon Drop Martini really has a 50's soundtrack sound and is likely to get revelers out on the dance floor. I'll be shocked if this track isn't played a lot and may even make a Tarantino movie... really! Classic Harlem Nocturne gets a really sweaty workout. With a richly written rhythm bottom, this track is a candidate high on the list for airplay. Spy Step, also a strong candidate for a TV theme song ... think the Munsters... is cool, driving and simple. Night Train, another classic R&B track gets a real honking work over. Dziubla plays this track like it's his own child shown for the first time. Great job! The release wraps up with Bordello, a smooth full throated sax ballad. Excellent choice for the wrap and a really solid composition and performance.  

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!