Ted Hefko & the Thousandaires - Down Below - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Down Below, from Ted Hefko & the Thousandaires and it's strong. Opening with alt country track, Lay Your Problems On My Knee, Ted Hefko really comes out hard with a terrific track, sounding like a new formation of The Band. The writing is powerful, the vocals very good and with his own guitar work, Matt Galloway on guitar, Justin Carlo Davi on bass and Isaac Eady on drums, this is a great opener. Another track with strong country threads but in this case more of a rocker (think Dead Flowers), Hurtin' Too, Hefko is hitting on all cylinders. With Lynn Drury on backing vocals, this is quickly becoming a go to release. With a funky blues feel, Please Don't Refuse, is a total change of pace. Solid vocals, smooth organ backing by Beck Burger and solid guitar lines by Alex Mallet over rhythmic percussion by Michael Skinkus and horn work by Kevin Louis on turmpet this track is a sure bullseye. Ella Speed is a great New Orleans blues rag with Hefko not only singing but wailing on clarinet, with Kevin Loius on trumpet, Craig Klein on trombone and great falling down drum work by Chris Davis. Excellent! Another track with a rich alt country flavor (think Black Francis or Jimbo Mathus) is Big Thing with cool vocal backing by Jamey Saint Pierre and firm country footing. Excellent! Wrapping the release is soulful ballad, One More Picture of You with insightful lyrics and an easy instrumental backing. This is a potent new release and although not a "real" blues release, I love it! 

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Kris Gruen - Welcome Farewell - New Release Review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 24, 2021), Welcome Farewell, from Kris Gruen and it's a cohesive set of well crafted tunes using pop, rock, country, folk and blues attributes to create a interesting mix. Opening with Water Into Wine, a strong country rock tinted track with a straightforward melody, Gruen on guitar and lead vocal is joined by Rob Morse on bass, Randy Schrager on drums and Jack McLoughlin on steel guitar. Skyline Drive is a real nice track with a great melody and well blended vocals with Michael Flynn over the wailing steel guitar of McLoughlin. Very nice. The Painter is a really strong ballad featuring Gruen, accompanied primarily by acoustic guitar but with touches of trumpet by Probyn Gregory and percussion by Butch Norton giving it a Spanish flair. Wrapping the release is ballad, You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory... a simple but powerful tune with piano and acoustic guitar backing. This is a serene release with powerful words. 

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VizzTone label group artist: Hector Anchondo - Let Loose Those Chains - New release review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Let Loose Those Chains, by Hector Anchondo, and I really like it. This is an unusual contemporary blues release in that it walks the line between acoustic, primitive style and modern, electric blues. Opening with title track, Let Loose Those Chains, Hector Anchondo on vocal and guitar, backed by Joe Corley on bass and Khayman Winfield on drums. This has a strong melody with only necessary guitar work, and terrific, sparce percussion. Excellent! Cool shuffle, I'm Going To Missouri presents a forward vocal by Anchondo, a solid bass line by Corley and light touch drumming by Winfield with a crisp electric guitar solo to balance the track. Very cool. Candy Shop really tails back to a more primitive approach with delta style riffs and slide on acoustic guitar over light touch on bass and drums. Anchondo sticks to the blues formula with prominent lead vocal, and well placed guitar soloing and I think it's great. One of my favorite tracks on the release is soulful, Sometimes Being Alone Feels Right, which really shows the sensiitive nature of Anchondo's vocals and the dynamics of the band as a whole. Very nice. A real treat on the release is Strike It Down with it's european street ... almost gypsy jazz guitar artistry. Excellent! Wrapping the release is straight up blues shuffle, You Know I Love You But You Got To Go. With Anchondo singing at easy pace and his fingers dancing across the fretboard, it's a great closer. This song has great tempo. You'll find yourself tapping your feet and singing to your office mate... I love you but you got to go... Strong closer. 

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VizzTone Label Group artists: Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers - Self titled - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release (September 10, 2021), from Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers and I really like it. Opening with One Condition, a blues rock n roller with a steady Chuck Berry like rhythm, Lindsay Beaver on drums and Brad Stivers on guitar share the lead vocal, Kirk Fletcher joins on guitar and Barry Cooke plays bass. Excellent opener.  With a strong Texas style lope, I Know What To Do is up next with Beaver really belting out the lead vocal and on drums, joined by Stivers on guitar, and . Joe Murphy on harmonica. The is another potent blues number. Up tempo swing track, Getting Gone, has Stivers up front on lead guitar and vocal. Beaver really holds a tight beat and with Cooke on organ Stivers really makes his guitar talk. Really nice. Another cool rocker, You've Got No Right, features Beaver on lead vocal and really plays to her vocal strength. Joined by Zach Zunis on guitar, this track has plenty of hot riffs to go around. Stivers takes his guitar for a nice walk on It's Love, a cool shuffle with Stivers and Beaver blending nicely on lead vocal. My favorite track on the release is Somebody Else Will, showcasing Stivers on lead guitar and vocal. Stivers has a really great hand for blues phrasing and he lays it all out there on this one. Excellent! Jump track, Slim Pickin' is another hot number with Cooke and Stivers really dukeing it out. If this track doesn't get you moving, youre likely dead. Wrapping the release is The Falcon's R&B classic, You're So Fine with Beavers accompaning herself on guitar. This is pure soul and a solid closer for a strong release. 

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VizzTone Label Group artist: Gabe Stillman - Just Say The Word - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Just Say The Word, from Gabe Stillman and it's a solid blues release. Opening with slide exdplosion, Give Me Some Time, Gabe Stillman on guitar and vocal really gets it rockin. With Elmore James like flair, Stillman really ramps it up, backed by Colin Beatty on bass, Ray Hagen on drums, Taylor Streiff on B3 and the Texas Horns doing the rest. Excellent opener. R&B flavored, Let It Go, gives Stillman a chance to not only show his wares vocally but excellent guitar phrasing. No Time For Me has a lumbering pace and Stillman turns up the gain for a saturated tone on his guitar to grind over the full tone of Streiff's B3. This track has more rock but in the tone of a ZZ Top like jam. Very cool. Ballad, Heartbreak Makes A Sound, is a mellow, radio track, with solid vocals and guitar by Stillman, Streiff on piano and with a nice sax solo by Mark Kazanoff. Anson Funderburgh and Sue Foley take turns on shuffle, No Matter What You Wear and Foley joins Stillman on vocal.  Susquehanna 66 is a hot jazz like shuffle with some smoking harmonica work by Greg Izor and some really hot guitar work by Stillman. Excellent! Soul track, I'll Take Care Of You really shows off Stillman's soul prowess, cradled in a keyboard bed and capped off with a solid guitar solo. Very nice. Wrapping the release is See BT Blues, an excellent blues number with a jagged rhythm, cool. unconventional double stops and perfect B3 and drums accents. This is an excellent closer for an excellent release. 

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Brad Vickers and His Vestapolitans - The Music Gets Us Through - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Music Gets Us Through, by Brad Vickers and His Vestapolitans and it's a mix of blues and rocks styles. Opening with Dumb Like A Fox, brad Vockers on lead guitar and vocal is joined by Margey Peters on bass and vocal, Bill Rankin on drums, Jim Davis on tenor sax and V D King on bari sax. Jimmy Reed's Take It Slow slips into a Chicago style groove with Mikey Junior on harmonica and adding Dean Shot on guitar. With a shift to rag time style, Margey Peters is featured on lead vocal on Big Wind with Dave Gross and Vickers on guitar and with Charlie Burnham on violin. Nice job. Leroy Kirkland's slues shuffle, I'll Be Sittin', I'll Be Rockin' is pretty hot with Vickers up front on guitar and vocal and solo sax by Jim Davis. snappy drum work by Bill Rankin and with VD King on accordion. Wrapping the release is Alex Atkin's shuffle, When I Am Drinking, with Peteres and Vickers on duet vocals over a straight up guitar rhythm and strong sax work by Davis. 

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Pepper Cake Records/ZYX-Music artists: Raphael Wressnig & Igor Prado - Groove & Good Times - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 17, 2021), Groove & Good Times, from Raphael Wressnig and Igor Prado and it's a blast. Opening with a funky jazz groove, Bill Withers' Kissing My Love, Raphael Wressnig on B3 is joined by Igor Prado on guitar and Yuri Prado on drums. This track is bound to make you squirm if not outright get up and dance. A blast right out of the gate, it's really hot. Another funky track, Isley Brothers' I Know Who You Been Socking It Too switches gears but if you like funky B3, this is it! James Brown's Blues & Pants shifts into a JB like rhythm with snappy percussion and shared lead between Prado and Wressnig. As typical in some jazz/rock jams, occasional vocal phrases are thrown about by Wressnig and "Hot Pants" sums it up! Johnny Guitar Watson's blues track, You Bring Love has a great R&B feel with super vocal work by Igor Prado and Jenni Rocha. This is a really nice track and a strong contender for radio track select. Really nice blues guitar soloing by Prado accents this track nicely really punctuating it. Junior Wells' Snatch It Back And Hold It is a terrific redo with Prado really working the lead like a Texas guitar slinger. Wressnig, known as one of the best funk/jazz B3 guys around shows why. Reese Wynans Crossfire gets the funky treatment and Prado, who is really upfront on this really uses the Albert King/SRV stylistic influence blended with his own phrasing, over hot rimshot rhythms by Yuri. Wrapping the release is Bob Marley's Soul Shakedown Party. With a tight reggae drum rhythm Prado and Wressnig alternate laid back lead sequences for their own unique take on this classic. Solid closer for a really fun release. 

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Blue Heart Records artist: Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps - Rose-Colored Glasses Vol.1

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release (September 17, 2021), Rose-Colored Glasses Vol. 1, by Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps and it's a smooth blend of blues, rock and R&B styles. Opening with Show Me How You Do It, Teresa James on keys and lead vocals shows why her newest releases are widely anticipated. With Yates McKendree putting up some real nice lead guitar, and backed by Jay Bellerose on drums, Kevin McKendree on B3, Paulie Cerra on sax,  this is a solid opener. R&B flavored title track, Rose-Colored Glasses, really has a nice feel that I would expect to garner strong airplay with some nice slide guitar work by James Pennebaker. With a cocky strut, Wish It Into The Cornfield features Anson Funderburgh playing up the guitar starch and McKendree's B3 giving flow under the horn work of Cerra. Goes without saying that James has a natural voice for this and she really works it on this track. Really nice. Dean Parks, well known session man, pops up on Once The World Stops Ending, adding some hot punctuation under some of the best vocal blending on the release. Darrell Leonard on trumpet and Richard Millsap on percussion add some nice juice on this track making it one of my favorites on the release. Soul track, When My Baby Comes Home is another solid entry with strong vocals by James and the addition of Michael Starr on violin, viola and cello. Wrapping the release is Gimme Some Skin driven by heavy tom tom work by Bellerose and with some cool, stylized guitar work by David Millsap, punched up by Leonard on trumpet. Cool closer. 

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Navy House Records artist: Avey Grouws Band - Tell Tale Heart - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review themost recent release, Tell Tale Heart by the Avey Grouws Band and it runs the gamit from straight up radio focused, vocal tracks and some stiff, guitar blues balladry. Opening with rocker, Love Raining Down, Jeni Grouws on lead vocal and rhythm guitar takes the lead, with Chris Avey driving the train with agressive lead guitar riffs, Randy Leasman on bass, Bryan West on drums and Nick Vasquez on keys. Crisp opener. With a strong guitar fed, R&B style Bad, Bad Year has a real nice feel. Avey has just the right amount of  gain and saturation to get a nice growl out of his guitar and Grouws vocals are sassy and powerful. Avey sets off on a gritty blues rock solo which gives the track a stinging kick. Title track, Tell Tale Heart, is a bluesy ballad with a wide open floor for Grouws to shocase her vocals and she really does a nice job. Avey's guitar soloing on this track is the stuff that guitar heroes like Gary Moore are made of with sweet phrasing and plenty of feel. Very cool. My favorite track on the release is instrumental, Mariana, which gives Avey the spotlight and he really works the guitar over with soaring lead and ripping bends. If you are a fan of David Gilmore, this seven minute plus track is a adventuresome guitar exploration and one to catch. Very cool! Funky, We're Gonna Roll, gets Avey on guitar and Grouws on the top over the rhythm of Vasquez's Billy Preston like organ work, Leasman  on bass and West on drums. This track is a mover and one that just really works well. Wrapping the lease is country style 2 stepper, Eye to Eye with Grouws belting out the lead and Aven in duet and his saturated guitar tone. This track is straightforward radio but it's well written and performed. Nice closer. 

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Mascot Records artist: The Cold Stares - Heavy Shoes - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Heavy Shoes, from The Cold Stares, and it's a solid hard rocker. Opening with heavy bottomed, Heavy Shoes, and it's as solid a rocker as you'll hear. With it's crisp drum snap by Brian Mullins and growly guitar line and vocal by Chris Tapp it's a solid opener. 40 Dead Men kicks up the pace but the dark, heavy vibe is ever present and cool. It's hard to believe that all of this sound is coming from 2 guys. Hard Times is another solid track with a strong guitar vamp and heavy drums. Strange Light is a more Zep like rocker with a great lead drum focus. Tapp's guitar isn't really flashy, staying primarily on the lower frets but this is some powerful stuff. He breaks loose on lead guitar but again, not running up the fretboard to deliver his lead. Very cool. Prosecution Blues is heavy and lumbering but right down the middle of the blues highway. Delivery is still fat and driven... a really nice approach. Mullins really works the drum kit and Tapp thins out his tone a bit with screaming attack. It's A Game flips over to a funky, James Brown rhythm with Mullins driving the train and Tapp playing great accent riffs against his own vocal. These guys have that two man formula down to a real science. Another track with that special, Bonham, type rhythm is Election Blues. Don't get me wrong..at no time does this band sound like Zep but the hot drum attack works really well with Tapp's aggressive vocal style and underplayed guitar work. Very cool. Wrapping the release is Dust In My Hands turns back to the more metal driven, harder work of the beginning of the release with a dark bottom, tight drums and Tapp's soaring guitar soloing and vocal styling gives this track a good weight for a closer. 

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Red Steel Music artist: Walter Egan - Facination - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Facination, from Walter Egan, and it's a straight ahead rocker. Opening with, I'm With The Girl, Egan continues his legacy of rock standard country fused songs. With his alt country voice and his strong musical sensibility, he's right on track. Solid opener. Miss Pamela, a pop rocker should get strong radio airplay with it's uptempo rhythm and catchy melody about historic super groopie Pamela Des Barres. With a cool doubled vocal lead, Yesterday Forever & Today is one of my favorites on the release. It's smiple rhythm and strong melody really hits dead center. Country flavored, Fading Love is another of my favorites with it's total country (not pop country) attitude. With it's simple, honest approach to music, this track is terrific. Early rock styling and a bit of country gives Treat Me Nice a nostalgic feel. It's early country/rock slant gives it real appeal for me. Wrapping the release is Hell I Know It's Over, a contemplative track with minimal, yet interwoven instrumentation and vocals. This is a solid closer for a real interesting release.  

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Until The Sun - Drowning In Blue - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Drowning In Blue, from Until The Sun and it's a cool blues rocker. Opening with title track, Drowning In Blue, finds Bruce Jensen on lead vocal and bass, and Brandon Teskey on lead guitar, backed by Alyssa Swartz on vocal and Chris Tex on drums. With amostly straight line rock feel, a dash of metal and a tad of blues, this is a solid opener.  On Shadow of the Valley, Tesky dons a slide and with a more rural feel lays down a contemporary blues track. This track has a bit of the rawness of the Stripes or Keys but with just a bit more complexity and polish. Rock ballad, 1,000 Miles Away follows a blues rock formula with cool vocals and fluid lead guitar lines by Tesky and a firm bottom by Jensen and Tex. Swartz has the mic on prime radio track, Burning Home, a country influenced blues number showcasing her solid vocals. I like Tesky's guitar solo on this one not only demonstrating strong phrasing but clean technique and feel. Very nice. A traditional blues intro on Doing My Best, shows the band in prime blues form. An 8 bar line by Jensen sets the pace and Tesky moves outside of the box showing not only blues but rock and jazz riffs giving the track a nice jolt. Wrapping the release is soulful, Deathbed Blues with Swartz showing her best vocal on the release, paired with simple percussion and Tesky on resonator and slide. Solid closer for a solid release. 

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  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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The Livesays - Not What I Bargained For - New Release review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Not What I Bargained For, from The Livesays, and it's a cool power pop rocker. Opening with driving rocker, Two Sides, Billy Livesay on lead vocal and guitar has a solid radio sound with influences of the likes of Elvis Costello, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. Backed by Victor "Cuqui" Berrios on organ and vocal, Tim Murphy on piano and vocal,  Jorge LaPlume on bass and Howard Goldberg on drums. Title track, What I Bargained For is a strong radio contender with a super melody and straight ahead rock character. One of my favorite tracks on the release is In A Small Town with it's pop folky approach. With Livesay on acoustic guitar and lead vocal, simple piano by Murphy and with the addition of pedal steel by Dana Keller it has simple beauty. Better Angels has an interesting melody and harmonies over a solid, straight ahead beat. I like the slight key change accent giving the track that hint of complexity. Wrapping the release is Crazy Isn't It, a pop rocker with rhythmic vocal lead and flashy guitar intro. This track has it all wrapped up in a ball like a tv theme song with a solid melody, warm harmonies and a nice balance. Cool closer for a cool release. 

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 NOT FRON THIS RELEASE

 

BMG artist: Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the newest release (August 13, 2021), Little Girl Blue, by Nina Simone and it's terrific! This is a classic album which was originally recorded in 1957 by the then 24 year old Simone on her first recording outing. This release has been remastered and engineered by Michael Graves and Cheryl Pawelski and the vinyl (180g blue or black) cut by engineer, Kevin Gray. Opening with Ellington's, Mood Indigo and opens with Simone showing that she really knows her way around the keyboard having attended Julliard. In this hot jazz improvization, she really swings in with potent piano lines and great offset vocals, joined by Jimmy Bond on bass and Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums. Excellent opener. Don't Smoke In Bed, a Willard Robinson composition, finds Simone singing the blues with only a bed of piano as a light accompaniment for the most part and highly tense at the end of her phrases. Masterful. Another terrific blues, He Needs Me, shows Simone really knows how to work the track vocally and just the right amount of accompaniment to make the vocals glisten. You don't often hear the purity of feeling as expressed in this track. Moving into full throttle swing, Simone pours on the heat on Donaldson's Love Me Of Leave Me. Her vocal phrasing is really poised and her piano work blends classical lines with full on jazz. Just enough bass by Bond and a tight rhythm by Heath makes this a top track on the release. Rogers and Hammerstein classic, You'll Never Walk Alone gets a formally classical type arrangement tht will leave you sitting back thinking, this is a blues/jazz singer? She really is exceptional. Gershwin's I Love You, Porgy is a precious gem among the diamonds here. This track has been covered by most of the greats, most notably Miles Davis but this is no second class cover. Simone's expressive vocals and her dynamic piano work is stunning. Wrapping the release is Simone original, Central Park Blues with Bond walking the bass and Heath on brushes. A straight up blues number positions Simone on piano at lead but giving Bond a fine opportunity to front on solo as well. Her lead lines are stark and dynamic yet quiet and sensitive. This is an excellent closer for one of the classics of our times. 

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Endless Blues Records artist: Mick Kolassa - Wasted Youth - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Wasted Youth, from Mick Kolassa, and it's chocked full of hot contemporary blues players doing what they do best. Opening with blues rocker, Throwing Away These Blues, Kolassa on vocal and guitar leads the way with James Cunningham on drums, Tullie Brae on backing vocal, Rick Steff on piano, Jeff Jensen on guitar, Bill Ruffino on bass and Marc Franklin on trumpet. Solid opener. Title track, Wasted Youth, has a thunder bass line by Ruffino and with Doug McMinn on drums, Brad Webb lays in some real nice slide work and Eric Hughes adds some real nice harmonica. Funky rocker, I Can't Get Enough gives Anthony Paule a nice chance to show his stuff and Kirk Smothers blows a real nice sax solo topping the track off. Victor Wainwright plays a real clean piano on Feeling Sorry For Myself, a cool blues track with just the right amount of sway. Brandon Santini adds his superlative harmonica tone to My Mind Doesn't Wander, an easy blues rocker. Slow blues, Pieces of my Past has a real nice pace and Jensen plays a soulful lead solo on guitar over his rich chords. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Edge of a Razor, an acoustic blues featuring  Albert Castiglia on slide guitar. Very nice closer. 

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Memphis International Records artists: The Dinallos - The Dinallos - New Release Review

 

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent self titled release by The Dinallos and it's interesting and diverse. Opening with a cool instrumental, All The Ponies Go 'Round (Danny's Lullaby), Michael Dinallo on guitar, Jim Gambino on keys, Dave Jacques on bass, Justin Armaral on drums, and Mike McAdam on guitars create a very inviting opener. The track has a beautiful lushness to it, with a simple yet creamy guitar harmony. Very nice. Folk rocker, Lemonade, features Annabel Dinello on lead vocal in harmony with Juliet Simmons Dinello creating a Breeders like vocal sound with some cool Nashville style guitar picking. Very cool. Country flavored, Purgatory Road features a solid duet between Juliet and Will Kimbrough. With a contemporary turn around and inclusive of Aaron Till on fiddle and Gambino on accordion, this is a promising radio track. Nothing to Lose But the Blues has a retro early 60's surf feel with a cool rhythm. You Got Nothing on Me is a solid ballad featuring Juliet on lead vocal with really lush backing vocals by Ann McCrary, Regina McCrary and Alfreeda McCrary Lee. Very nice. Wrapping the release is another instrumental, The Long Goodbye, with lead guitar melody, piano by Gambino and a snappy drum beat by Amaral under a swaying R&B style structure. This is a real nice composition and one that nicely ties the release together. Solid outing. 

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