Ruf Records artist: Jeremiah Johnson - Heavens To Betsy - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the newest release, Heavens To Betsy, from Jeremiah Johnson, and it's a full mix of rock, country, pop, and blues with plenty of guitar. Opening with southern rock flavored, White Lightning, Jeremiah Johnson explores a firm American tradition but, bypassing the dual guitar lead and inserting tight, expressive riffs with plenty of sting. Backed by Tony Anthonis on bass, and Benet Schaeffer on drums, a solid opener. Power blues rocker, Soul Crush has definite Led Zep swagger with guitar, bass and Frank Bauer on sax all reinforcing the lead. Johnson steps up with his pinched harmonic lead and hits it square on the nuts. His vocals are right on and this track rocks. Another solid rocker is American Steel with a driving beat and just a little back beat. Always with that country vein and stinging guitar riffs, this is another strong entry. Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign has the tempo kicked up a little and with the addition of Bauer on sax it is a little mellowed out. Johnson's vocal treatment has a rock feel and his riffs have a definite contemporary feel with plenty of sting. Wrapping the release is high energy country rocker, Preacher's Daughter, with it's walking bass line and full vocal compliment from Bauer, Tony Antonelli and Pete Matthews. Cool closer. 

  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”

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Luther Allison Box Set to be Released November 17th

RUF RECORDS TO RELEASE SET ON NOVEMBER 17^TH

The box set celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the passing of blues legend Luther Allison will take the blues world by storm upon its release on November 17^th. The pressing has been limited to 1500 CD sets, and contains the essential albums recorded by Luther during his Motown years. To compliment this massive array of music is an 88-page coffee table book written by Art Tipaldi featuring Luther’s inspiring story, comments from his friends and associates and many rare and private photos. In addition, the box is chock full of video footage. Included are performances from 1997 (Live in Paradise and Zoo Bar), 1991 ( A concert in Germany with Luther playing alongside his son Bernard), 1987 (a show from East Berlin.) The 1996 performance at the W.C. Handy Awards packs the power and excitement of Luther’s typical 3-hour shows into a riveting and relentless 15-minute blues set. This particular performance was the climax of his astonishing career. Luther stole the show by performing and taking home five awards, including Blues Entertainer of the Year.

Luther Allison is a genuine blues hero with an incomparable expanse of energy and love for his music and the people who love it.

The box includes 7 CD’s & 4 DVD’s

Montreux (1976)

Let’s Try it Again – Live ’89 (1989)

Hand Me Down My Moonshine (1992)

Bad Love (1994)

Blue Streak (1995)

Reckless (1997)

Life is a Bitch (1984)

DVD’s

Im Konzert – Live in East Berlin (1987)

Ohne Filter (1991) with Bernard Allison

Live in Paradise (1997)

Just Memories including Zoo Bar, Lincoln NE (1997), WC Handy Awards, Memphis TN (1997) + Bonus Material (Bad Love video clip, Luther interview and tribute.)

Ruf Records artist: Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado - Change My Game - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Change My Game, from Thorbjorn Risager & the Black Tornado and it's very interesting. Opening with I Used To Love You, Risager sets a new stage with a calm, poised melody and rich vocals backed by Peter Skjerning on guitar, Emil Balsgaard on keys, Soren Bojgaard on bass, Martin Seidelin on drums, Hans Nybo on tenor sax, Kasper Wagner on sax and Peter Kehl on trumpet. On Funky rocker, Dreamland, the band really hits the groove and the horn section pumping up the work of Bojgaard, Seidelin and Balsgaard I really like this track. Title track, Change My Game has a solid radio format with a spunky beat, clever guitar riffs, a cool funky rhythm and cool horn punctuation. With a blues vamp platform, Risager rides high in a cool, polished blues hollar. Hold My Lover Tight is a solid rocker with a driving beat, super vocals and punchy horns. Another of my favorites. Maybe It's Alright has a universal appeal with a memorable melody, arena beat, cool guitar tones and always strong vocals. Train is a real nice modern blues rocker. With nicely paced vocals, hand claps, rhythmic guitars, tambourine and cool piano, this track is strong. Another track that I really like is ballad, Lay My Burden Down. Risager's rich vocals are really spot lighted here with this beautiful melody over mostly a orchestral accompaniment. Very nice. Wrapping the release is blues rocker, City of Love with saturated guitar, funky horns and nicely arranged vocals. Stiff footed drum work by Seidelin and grinding organ work by Balsgaard really give this track texture for soaring guitar soloing making this track a super closer.

  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”

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Ruf Records artist: Vanessa Collier - Meeting My Shadow - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Meeting My Shadow by Vanessa Collier and it's quite good! Opening with dark, slinky, Poisoned The Well, Vanessa Collier has a great sound as a lead vocalist and her clavinet work on this track and especially her haunting flute work on track one is intoxicating. I really like the bass line by Lenny Bradford and Nicholas Stevens' drum work. Excellent opener. On R&B track, Dig A Little Deeper, Laura Chavez created a cool traditional guitar rhythm and Collier adds her solo sax work to the horn work of Marc Franklin on trumpet giving the track a bit more punch. When It Don't Come Easy has a smooth southern blues rock featuring Chavez on electric guitar and resonator guitar and getting some of the best vocal warmth from Collier. Rock n roller, Two Parts Sugar, One Part Lime features a bit more of Collier's solo sax work with her vocals and some nice piano work by Charles Hodges.  Soul track, You're Gonna Make Me Cry has some particularly expressive vocals by Collier and a bluesy guitar solo by Chavez making it one of my favorites on the release. With just a dash of New Orleans, Meet Me Where I'm At, has a cool funky feel, nicely blended vocals and super sax and trumpet work pined against a snappy percussion/ piano bottom. Very cool. With it's Tower of Power like roots, Cry Out has a great feel with Franklin and Collier funking it up over nice Chavez's guitar rhythm and super vocals. Very nice. Revival/gospel styling on Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air is a real rebel rouser with great keys, a slick, Boots Randolph sax vibe and a swinging soul conclusion. Wrapping the release is a really nice ballad, Devil's On The Downslide, again reinforcing the strength of Collier as a straight up vocalist. With perfect organ work by Hodges, cleanly detailed guitar work by Chavez and Daniel McKee  on bass this track is a perfect closer for a really nice release.

  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”

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Ruf Records: 20 Years Anniversary - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, 20 Years Anniversary, from Ruf Records. This is a hot release of music from 1994 to present showing the breadth of Ruf artists talent. Opening is one of my personal Rolling Stones classics, Bitch featuring Samantha Fish, Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde from the Girls With Guitars release. Hot! Up next is Bliss Avenue, the title track from Bliss Avenue, by Dana Fuchs. Fuchs has a throaty voice with a lot of grit on this track which has a lot of the suspense of Screaming Jay Hawkins. I had the fortune to review her Songs From The Road release recently and she really puts on a show! Make sure that you catch the smoking guitar solo on this track! Joanne Shaw Taylor is up next with Can't Keep Living Like This from Diamonds In The Dirt. Showing her guitar prowess, Taylor demonstrates clearly that she isn't just a skirt and a voice. Fish is back on Down In The Swamp from her Runaway release. With it's driving "swampy" guitar vamp Fish sets the stage, tells the tale and then rips it to shreds on guitar. Very cool. Dani Wilde changes the pace up a bit with the title track from her Shine release. A R&B style track nicely highlights Wilde's soulful voice. Meena follows Wilde with James Brown's epic,Try Me from her release of the same name. A very tasty and melodic guitar solo nicely accents the more modern sound brought to the table by Meena. Very nice! Ana Popovic steps up with Love Fever from her Hush release. With a ballad format and a R&B strut, Popovic gets things moving. Popovic reels off some biting guitar riffs balancing the catchy melody with guitar muscle. Next is a not yet released track, Stranded In Memphis by Eliana Cargnelutti, from her CD to be released in 2015. A solid entry by this new artist, she will be featured in the 2015 Blues Caravan. Joanna Connor is up next with the slightly funky, gospel influenced, Never Been Rocked Enough from her Rock And Roll Gypsy release. Erja Lyytinen lays down some hot slide work on Skinny Girl from her Dreamland Blues release. This has a cool mix of a rock 'n' roll rhythm with bluesy slide. Really cool! Sue Foley does a old style swing blues track Show Me, from her Time Bomb release. Well balanced with cool, stylistic piano, Foley's vocal and guitar efforts make for a well rounded blues track. Candye Kane and Laura Chavez pull out a real swinger in Toughest Girl Alive from her Guitar and Feathers release. Chavez is a good match on guitar for Kane with her strong vocal presence. Wrapping disc one is Sue Foley, Deborah Coleman and Roxanne Potvin on In The Basement from the Time Bomb release. Sugar Pie DeSanto's original R&B feel comes through loud and clear but with stinging guitar riffs this time around. Opening disc 2 is Thorbjorn Risager and If You Wanna Leave from his Too Many Roads release. This is a strong blues rocker with excellent grinding guitar tones and a hot sax solo. The Royal Southern Brotherhood fire up Rock and Roll from the HEARTSOULBLOOD release. A straight up Rock 'n' roller with great vocals and hot slide, this track really gets you moving. With talent like Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Mike Zito, Yonrico Scott and Charlie Wooton you'd expect nothing less. Walter Trout releases his trademark blues rock sound on Livin' Every Day from his Livin' Every Day release. An anthem of triumph for Trout and his recent health issues, he stiff arms time in the face blazing his path with amazingly fluid guitar riffs. Oli Brown has a cool, different style with a neo soul attack at the blues. A super vocalist, Oli delivers Speechless from his Heads I Win Tails You Lose release. A well heeled guitar attack nicely blends with his smooth danceable melodies. Laurence Jones is up on Temptation from his Temptation release. With it's Chicago feel and attack, this is a hot track showing a young man with slashing skills. Mike Zito has great guitar tone and he lays it down here on Voices In Dallas from Gone To Texas. I just had the opportunity to review Zito's release, Songs From The Road and he is a definite performer. Waiting On Daylight by Bart Walker is a solid bluesy ballad from the release of the same name. A well written track with nicely balanced guitar soloing over the vocals, a nice addition to this compilation. The Spin Doctors bring Some Other Man Instead from If The River Was Whiskey and it has a certain country blues rawness giving it a real nice feel. A raw but contained guitar solo sets this track apart from most of the more polished bands on this release. Very cool! Aynsley Lister, Erja Lyytinen and Ian Parker perform Blues Caravan from the Pilgrimage release. A funky blues track with a swampy feel, and harmonized vocals lay down the pavement for a short guitar riff off. Jeff Healey delivers his classic take on I'm Tore Down from Mess Of Blues. Healey was a hot guitar player and a great singer. This is a nice record of Healey during his most productive period. Excellent! Cyril Neville delivers some Swamp Funk from Magic Honey. With it's blend of rock, funk, blues and pure New Orleans, this is a super track. Devon Allman brings Homesick from his Turquoise release. He has a nice guitar hand and smooth vocals. This dark smokey blues rocker shows a nice flavor of Allman's work. Savoy Brown has been a recurring favorite band of mine for years. Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown contribute Nuthin' Like The Blues from Goin' To The Delta. Simmonds holds down lead vocal and lead guitarist spot on this straight forward rocker and Kim shows a little bit of what he can do when he steps on the pedal. Albert Castiglia performs Bad Avenue from the Solid Ground release. This is an excellent choice to profile Castiglia who not only is a solid singer but one of the better blues guitarists on the scene today. Very cool! Wrapping the release is Mr. Luther Allison on Stone's Classic, You Can't Always Get What You Want. Taking this track to the next level Allison coaxes the soul out of it and then lights it on fire with funky blues guitar. An absolutely excellent ending to a really super release!

  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”