Class A Records artist: Angela Easley - Rise - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Rise, from Angela Easley, and it's a bluesy radio oriented release. Opening with I Can Let Go, a strong ballad, Angela Easley on lead vocal and piano shows real vocal purity. Backed by the McCrary Sisters, this track is rich and warm with Randy Peterson on guitar, Calvin Johnson on bass, Brian Czach on drums, Matthew Gros on sax, Garen Webb on trombone, and Kiran Gupta on trumpet. Very nice. Title track, Rise, is another solid radio track with a firm bass line by Johnson warm backing vocals and electrifying guitar riffs by Peterson. Slow ballad, One More Last Time has a strong, sax (Gros) guitar (Peterson) melody, addition of violin by Billy Contreras  and nice vocal doubling giving it strong radio potential. Wrapping the release is another slow ballad with just a light country flavor. Accented by slide guitar and tom tom, Crazy Rain follows in the radio format with it's memorable melody and solid approach.

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Matt Andersen - Halfway Home By Morning - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Halfway Home By Morning by Matt Andersen and it's quite cool. Opening with solid R&B style track, What Would Your Mama Say with a great melody, super rhythm, and featuring Andersen on lead vocal and guitar, Steve Dawson on guitars, Mike Farrington, Chris Gestrin on keys, Jay Bellerose on drums and the fabulous McCrary sisters on backing vocals. Excellent opener. Free Man is even a little swampier with solid sax by Jim Hoke, trombone by Charles Rose and Steve Hermann on trumpet. Give Me Some Light is likely the radio track from the release with excellent lead vocal and John Hiatt like feel. Everything just clicks on this track. A driving beat and a funky rhythm really makes Gasoline stand out as one of my favorites. It's got everything including punchy horns, great drums, hot slide, great lead vocals and super backing vocals. Excellent. Powerful ballad, Been My Last has rich lyrics and a strong melody. Andersen really does a nice job to maintain his vocal strength on a sensitive track and Dawson's pedal steel work gives it a country flavor. Wrapping the release is Quarter On The Ground, a strong acoustic ballad with excellent vocal blending between Andersen and the McCrary sisters. This is a very solid release with a lot of rich music. 

  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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Scott Ramminger - Do What Your Heart Says To - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Do What Your Heart Says To, from Scott Ramminger and it's a gumbo of great tracks. Opening with mambo, Living Too Fast, George Porter Jr. on bass and Doug Belote on drusm set a great table for Scott Ramminger's vocal and sax work. David Torkanowsky dresses the track nicely with super piano work, joined by Eric Lucero on trumpet, Rick Trolsen and Greg Hicks on trombone and Shane Theriot on guitar. Great opener. Really slamming the New Orleans feel, title track, Do What Your Heart Says To finds local grown(Phoenix) talent Francine Reed joining Ramminger on a great duet. Scott is up front on sax and Torkanowsky's piano work is strong. Funky, Give A Pencil To A Fish, really has a serious groove with excellent key work by Torkanowsky and super punctuation by Theriot and Ramminger on sax. Ramminger's vocals are really nicely complimented by the McCrary Sisters making this one of my favorites on the release. Strong blues ballad, Winter Is Always Worse, nicely showcases Ramminger's vocal work and Theriot, guitar work is crisp leading to warm sax solos as well. Another funky track, Get Back Up, has a great drum line and cool trumpet with Ramminger again joined by the McCrary Sisters. Rich sax soloing by Scott, nicely riffed guitar work by Theriot, and cool organ work by Torkanowsky sets the main stage but it's the wildly woven trumpet, guitar, and vocal additions that really make this track sing. Janiva Magness sits in with Ramminger on It's Hard to Be Me and the track has that rolling drive that I associate with Elvin Bishop. Excellent New Orleans street style, Mystery To Me, is a terrific track featuring Tommy Malone. This track gets me just based on the excellent drumming by Belote and the trumpet work by  Eric Lucero. Wrapping the release is Stubborn Man featuring Roddie Romero on accordion. This track has just a little more Cajun flavoring due to Romero's work but this track is totally consistent and a great wrapper for an excellent new release.

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Black Hen Music artist: Big Dave McLean - Faded but Not Gone - New release review

I just received the newest release (March 3, 2015), Faded but Not Gone, by Big Dave McLean and it's gritty and solid. Opening with Tough Times, a 12 bar Chicago style blues track with Steve Dawson on National Steel guitar and Kevin McKendree on organ. On I Best Choose To Pick The Blues, McLean picks up the pace and Colin Linden contributes the smooth slide guitar. On Dead Cat On The Line with a bit of bluegrass influence and Piedmont style, McLean is joined on vocal by Dawson who also plays banjo. John Dymond adds bass, Gary Craig drums and Colin James some really tight mandolin work. On western style ballad, The Fallen, McClean takes the spotlight vocally backed by sweet electric and steel guitar work by Dawson. Very cool! Sittin' On A Fence has a light country 2 step feel. Double stop guitar riffs by Dawson are a really nice touch on this track. Don't Get Mad, Get Even is built over a 12 bar structure but has a much more contemporary feel and a catchy melody. The lyrics are certain to attract the crowds attention and McKendree rolls a nice piano solo to top things off. Devil's In The Jukebox has an easy country rock pace with slicing slide work from Dawson. McKendree never disappoints with his nimble organ solos rounding out this track. A Latin rhythm from Craig and hot slide work from Dawson, complimented by McKendree's tight piano work lead this track up to the bridge where McLean takes it to swing time and back. Tom Waits' Mr Siegal has a New Orleans blues feel with particularly effective drum work from Craig. The grittiness of McLeans vocals contrasted against Dawson on banjo and McKendree on organ make this one of my favorites on the release. Shades Of Grace is an easy country style folk tune with a nod to Amazing Grace. The McCrary sisters add some supple backing vocals on this track giving it extra warmth. Oh- Mr. Charlie - Oh has a number of the characteristics of an old gospel or slave song giving it an immediate bump up. I like this track a lot with it's rudimentary style, guitar work from Dawson and backing vocals from the McCrary sisters. McLean accompanies himself effectively on harp on this track as well. Wrapping the release is Skip James' Devil Got My Woman. Stripped down to only McLean on vocal and National steel guitar, this track maintains the feeling of the delta and a fitting conclusion to an adventurous 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”