Hard Times Records artist: Piper & The Hard Times - Revelation - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Revelation, from Piper & The Hard Times, with a solid mix of rock, R&B, funk, soul and blues. Opening with New Orleans flavored, Trouble Man snappy snare work by Dave Colella, Amy Frederick on piano and Hammond, Parker Hawkins on bass and Piper Green rich, soulful vocals. Steve Eagon lays in a real nice guitar solo with nicely saturated tone and plenty of blues and Eddie Meyer adds great depth on tenor sax. Strong opener. Funky, Heart For Sale, has a great bottom thanks to Hawkins and Colella and with nicely added rhythm by Eagon and Frederick and a hot sax solo by Dick Aven, Piper really rocks this track. Crave You has a great driving bass line and I love Eagon's guitar attack and Chris Floyd on harmonica complimenting Piper's vocals. Come Back Knockin' is another romping track with Floyd really sounding off on harmonica and super lead work by Eagon on guitar. One of my favorites on the release. Wrapping the release is slow blues, Twenty Long Years which really is a nice showcase for Piper on vocals. Frederick's key work on this track is really clean and Eagon's guitar phrasing really adds nicely to the track. Excellent closer. 

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Tres Lobas Enterprises artist: Antry - Devil Don't Care - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Devil Don't Care, from Antry and it's full set of diverse melodic music. Opening with title track Devil Don't Care, a smooth shuffle track featuring Steve Antry on lead vocal, harmonica and guitar, Greg Morrow on drums, Michael Rhodes on bass and Rob McNelly and Pat Buchanan and Brent Mason on guitars.  Always With Me is as smooth and mellow a pop track gets. With warmly blended vocals and easy backing, this track has radio all over it. Leon Russell's dynamic, Prince of Peace gets a stylistic remake with a bit more bite on the vocals and some crisp guitar attack displacing the hammering piano work of Russell. Shaun Murphy's soulful vocals really add nicely maintaining the rowdy feel of Russell's original recording. Antry shows over and again the he has a really warm voice capable of doing most anything he wants, demonstrated nicely on the somber ballad, Borrowed Angels. Anthony Gomes sits in on Devil Gone Fishin' with some scorching hot modern blues riffs. Antry does a modern pseudo blues/reggae track, Get Up, pairing his own vocals with a nicely woven backing by David Smith and Mike Rojas on keys and Shaun Murphy on excellent backing vocals. Very nice. Wrapping the release is an update on Jimmy Duncan's fifties hit, My Special Angel. Antry has an incredibly clear voice and uses it to close hit debut release. 

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Shaun Murphy - Loretta - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Loretta, from Shaun Murphy and it's real romper. Opening with Don't Lie to Me, Murphy kicks out the stops with a high strung two stepper. Her vocals are solid and tight. Jack Pearson really winds the slide guitar up on this track with a country blues flavor. With a little funk in the mix, I Pity The Fool comes high stepping in. Rob McNelley throws down some hot lead guitar riffs and Murphy is on top of her game vocally backed by Mark T Jordan on keys Randy Coleman on bass and George Lilly on drums. Sultry, Kiss Me Like Whiskey, is a sweet track to show off Murphy's vocal style. Echoed by Pearson on lead guitar this track should have a lot of radio appeal. Title track, Loretta, has a rolling train country like feel with Pearson reinforcing train whistle sound effects on his slide. Very cool! Slow ballad, Strange Life, is well constructed and performed. Jimi Fiano screams out a real hot guitar solo on this track setting the tension. Hard Working Man is a hard driving track with a high tension solo by McNelley. This is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Murphy driving the train at high speed. Big Train Stops At Memphis opens with a flame thrower of a guitar opener from Fiano. A country two stepper, Murphy has a great feel in this groove (think Tulsa Time). Should Be Hard To Love You is a rockin boogie with Murphy playing lead vocals against Pearson's stinging guitar lead. Careful They Say shows a particularly warm vocal blenind between Murphy, Randy Coleman and Matt Workman. Larry Van Loon adds strong keyboard riffs to the track and Fiano knows just how to punch up the track on guitar. Very crisp. Go Away, another boogie track sets a nice bar lead by Coleman on bass and Pearson stabs a hot poker in just where it's needed. Murphy is always on top but gives the instrumentalists space for the music to breathe. Nice! The slinky, 24 Hours From Memphis, has a strong melody and could easily be a radio hit with a strong Robert Cray R&B blues style. Possibly the strongest effort by Murphy, this track is tight! Wrapping the release is Bettye Crutcher's How Strong Is A Woman, a straight up R&B rocker. With a Memphis strut, this track is an excellent closer for the release with a feel good groove.

  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”