Blue Heart Records release: Blind Raccoon and NOLA BLUE Collection Vol. 4 - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Blind Raccoon and NOLA Blue Collection Vol. 4, and it's a solid mix of blues and rock tracks. Opening with blues rocker, Sorry, Mark Cameron shows solid vocals, slide guitar and harmonica carrying a radio worthy melody. Funky blues rocker, Devil in the Dark is a cool entry by Michele D' Amour & The Love Dealers. With strong organ support and cool guitar and sax solos,  this track has a laid back feel. Trudy Lynn covers a Bluesbusters' track, If Your Phone Don't Ring and with just the right strut, and blues attitude, this is one of my favorites on the release. Wily Bo Walker's I Want To Know has a real nice R&B feel with interwoven bass, guitar and keyboard backing under Walker's infectious lead and backing vocals. Very nice. Super shuffle, Back Door Woman Blues by the Waydown Wailers sets a nice pace with strong vocals and a cool piano/guitar exchange. David Gogo sets up a simple guitar shuffle on Never Gonna Change. His vocals are clean and his slide playing clean and tight. Slow blues vocals on Firebreather by Skylar Rogers stand tall on side one backed by crisp guitar soloing over a potent bottom. Straight up blues track, Hard Times Coming by David Rotundo Band features really nice vocal, slide and harmonica delivered straight. Very nice. Throwing a curveball is Dick Van Dyke, yes, 95 year old Dick Van Dyke singing Is You Or Is You Ain't My Baby. He really does a nice job, backed by a fully big band and a tight rhythm section. Very cool. Piano boogie, Party In The Room Next Door - Live In Calgary is a strong entry by David Vest with potent piano and guitar solos over a beefy walking bass line. Johnny Tucker shows his guitar sting on Do The Rufus, a funky blues with attitude. Backed by punchy horns, Tucker's vocals are great. Idaho Bound is a strong, Southern Rock style jam with all of the characteristics of the Allmans. Driving rhythm and bass, dual lead guitars, and tight drums make this entry by The Mary Jo Curry Band another standout. Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps perform Takes On To Know One with great vocals, punchy horns, heavy bass and Anson Funderburgh on guitar. Wrapping the release is  acoustic guitar driven, This Old Road, a nice ballad by Trevor B. Power. With nicely blended vocal mix and acoustic guitars, a solid closer for this 4th Collection Volume. 

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Mescal Canyon Records artist: Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam - Ain't No Man A Good Man - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Ain't No Man A Good Man, from Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam and it's a cool mix of rock, R&B and soul. Opening with title track, Ain't No Man A Good Man, Wily Bo Walker on lead vocal and guitar is upfront and wailing. His vocals are raw and his guitar lead bluesy. Backed by Danny Flam on trombone, trumpet, sousaphone, Hammond and vocal this is a cool opener. Did I Forget, has a real nice 60's R&B swing with sax and trumpet reeling. Cool sax work by Ron Bertolet and solid trumpet work by Flam really caps the track. One of my favorite tracks on the release, Velvet Windows (Treme Trippin') has a great New Orleans funky feel with tight trumpet and Hammond work, with great bari sax work giving it a terrific woven mix. Ain't Hungry No More is another really cool track with it's reggae beat and super trumpet accents, snappy snare drum, and guitar lead. Blues shuffle, Time to Forget You has nice flow with horn backing and great vocal work with Walker on lead and The Brown Sisters of Chicago Gospel Choir in harmony. Walker takes a real nice guitar solo on this one giving it a cool edge. Wrapping the release is a lumbering, bottom heavy, rock track, Build My Gallows... (Ain't No Return) with strong lead vocals by Walker and warm backing by The Brown Sisters, great keys, rumbling bass, punchy horns and fat bari sax. Super closer for a solid release. 

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Mescal Canyon Records artist: Wily Bo Walker - Almost Transparent Blues - New Release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Almost Transparent Blues, from Wily Bo Walker and it's quite interesting. Opening with Chattahoochee Coochee Man, a horn pressed rocker, featuring Wily Bo Walker on vocal and guitar, backed by Tony Gorruso on trumpet. Fenton Robinson's Loan Me A Dime is up next with a more melancholy feel than Robinson's original or the more popular of the remakes by Boz Scaggs (with Duane Allman). I really like Walker's vocals on this track and Myron Brayshaw has a soulful but more modern metallic guitar take on the track giving it fresh wings with warm backing vocals. Very nice. Storm Warning is a driving rocker with an almost anthemic feel and modern riffs. Raw and rugged lead vocals backed by particularly solid backing vocals give this radio style track solid footing. Motel Blues has a really cool resonator intro and maintaining an acoustic feel with acoustic guitar and mandolin backing, breaking out with a stark electric guitar solo makes this one of my favorites on the release.  Another track that really caught my attention is Walking With The Devil with a gravely vocal, wailing guitar and bayou voodoo style drum rhythms. Excellent! Moon Over Indigo is another track with a special something with wailing vocals by Walker and Kenny Rampton playing some ultra nasty trumpet work caressed by The Brown Sisters on backing vocals. This is really cool. Wrapping the release is Light At The End Of The Tunnel, a moody ballad with a nice balance between Walker's lead, The Brown Sister's backing vocals and a melodic guitar solo. This is a cool closer for what is actually a pretty cool 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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