The Bush League - James Rivah - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, James Rivah, from The Bush League and it's a powerhouse. Opening with River's Edge, JohnJayson Cecil really digs deep for a rawthentic blues experience driven by Royce Folks on bass, Wynton Davis on drums and Brad Moss on guitar. Excellent! Mississippi Fred McDowell's Kokomo Me Baby is a romping boogie with rocking vocals, drums and guitar with a solid bass line. Neo soul track,  Say Yes has a soulful pace and vocals with solid bass and Jeremy Powell on keys. Very nice. Muddy Water's Catfish Blues gets a real nice work over maintaining the original blues feel but with modern vocals and a rockier rhythm line. Stinging guitar work by Moss gives it a crisp edge. Hearse has a powerful blues/neo soul feel with sounds reminiscent of Living Color, D'Angelo and more primitive blues which is really becoming a trademark for The Bush League. Very nice. Stretched boogie, Moonshine, has an unusual gait with cool piano work and a lumbering bass line. Wrapping the release is high energy, What's Wrong With You, with power organ, snappy drums and wide open guitars. JohnJay pushes the band to get the power and Folks pushes the bottom for a powerful closer. 

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The Bush League - Didn't See This Coming - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Didn't See This Coming, by The Bush League and it's another smoker! Like their first release, ”Can of Gas and a Match” this release is gritty, raw and bluesy. This release is live and gives The Bush League a chance to stretch out a bit and I think that it pays off in spades. Opening with Hearse, a rambling blues with trace clues to Govt Mule, this track has a really nice underlying bass line by Royce Folks, super vocals by JohnJay Cecil and wild frenzied guitar work by Michael Burgess and Brad Moss over a stiff drum rhythm by Wynton Davis. Real nice! Bringing the pace (but not the heat) down, Show You Off has has a real nice swagger with a woven tapestry of guitar, drums and bass carrying the vocals on a chariot. With an increase in intensity as the track grows, the band is really getting the crowd sweaty. Lowell Folsom's Tramp, one of the great underrated tracks of our time fits nicely into the set. Shelly Thiss joins the band sharing lead vocals with Cecil and she has an excellent voice! She has a great weighted clarity like some of my favorite contemporary blues singers. This is an excellent demonstration of the bands capabilities both vocally and instrumentally! Gimme My Money is a real nice R&B style track in the Otis Redding flavor. Cecil is a great band leader with a super voice and this track is solid as a rock. Can of Gas & a Match is a real nice hill country style boogie. The band really gets would up on this one cranking out an excellent jam with acute dynamics. Frysumfish is a funky track that I'm certain has the crowd on it's feet. How funky you say?...Think Sly Stone! Kick Up Yo' Heels has a Tommy Tucker feel with a few hot guitar solos. Wrapping the release is Muddy Water's Mannish Boy, a 12 plus minute long jam with excellent guitar riffs and also featuring Pete Turpin on harp. This a sweet live performance by one of today's earthiest blues bands. Enjoy!

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Can Of Gas & A Match - The Bush League - New Release Review

I just received a copy of the newest release, Can Of Gas & A Match by The Bush League and it's killer. The recording opens with the title track, Can Of Gas & A Match which has a solid base like Brush With The Blues from Royce Folks on bass and Debbie Flood on drums. JohnJason "Sleepy Eyed Jay" Cecil carries the track with an incredible modern swamp blues voice and Shane "Chicago Slim" Parch plays simple over driven rhythm guitar and excellent raw guitar punctuation throughout this track...think modern blues meets RL Burnside. This is a great track. Devil Cryin' In The Churchyard has a lighter feel with Parch painting lightly on the guitar as Cecil has a more modern delivery on vocal. The rhythm section is particularly tight on this track. Another track that I really like is Don't Touch My Liquor. This is a driving swamp boogie with wide open distortion on guitar and swingin' vocals. Drumming by Flood is really notable and crisp. Parch lays some fat slide guitar down on this track and Folks keeps the drive solid with prominent bass leads. Running Through The River is really a wide open jam with great rhythmic drumming and over the top guitar work. Cecil really does a nice job on vocals the the driving manner of the track is really effective. '59 Chevy takes a turn toward funk with a bit of spoken lyrics. This will likely appeal to fans liking a more modern approach to the blues. Mexico opens with Parch on an opened tuned resonator picking up momentum as Flood joins playing flashy rudimentary drum riffs. The track actually puts me in mind of an old Kim Simmonds track, Let It Rock, which is a great song. This is a slide rocker with a bit of distortion adding to the fatness. Another really strong track. Penicillin follows a traditional 12 bar format with an uptempo beat. Cecil has a great voice for this style of music and Parch keeps the slide hot for an occasional strike. .38 Special Blues is a slow blues in the manner of Going Down Slow. This is a departure from the balance of the recording and a nice contrast in style. Cecil shows a different side of his vocal style and the band keeps it tight , not overplaying giving Cecil all of the room he needs. Parch lays out a really sweet slide solo on this track with no pretense... just guts. Really cool track. There is also some nice piano work on this track but I didn't notice the player's name...sorry. Death Of Robert is another swampy track which has a slight tail of the British influence in it. Vocals are again delivered in a more spoken manner as is seen in more modern approaches to the blues. Parch uses the open tuned slide to lay out some really fat music over the solid rhythm of this track. This is a pretty strong track to end the release and another one that may see a bit of public attention. There is a bonus track on the commercial CD (no on the download)... and old R Wilkins track called Prodigal Son. This is really a strong track done acoustically and a really super addition to the entire package. Clean guitar picking, and great vocals from Cecil. This is a really solid release and one that should carry The Bush League to the big leagues!

  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”