Welcome to BluesRow

Yes, I know that I already reviewed it below. But this review is a great one, really getting the flavor of the CD. And if you live in the Binghamton, NY, area, you can catch Shorty on Sunday night. You can read the review here.

For all the flack Shepherd takes from blues purists over his blues-rock style and his latest rock-blues-pop album, the man knows and appreciates his roots. And yes, he’s a man now, no longer the blues boy wonder. His latest album, 10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads), is a compilation of covers of blues standards by KWS, along with some great original blues artists. He went to their homes with a portable recording studio and recorded with them, so this is about as close to the real thing as we’re likely to get in this era. You can read a positive review of the album here.

Straight from the home of northern white blues, Flint, Michigan, comes the husband and wife team of Rusty and Laurie White. (and if you think I’m kidding about Flint, you haven’t been there). Their sound is a blend of straight blues, blues-rock, and southern rock in the Allman Brothers vein. Both Rusty and Laurie sing and play guitar. And even though the band is named for Rusty, Laurie’s playing and singing make this album rise above the genre. She’s really good! Listen to her vocals on Summertime and I think you’ll agree. And her solos may not have quite the notes per second impact as Rusty’s, but she’s got great tone and soul.

I especially liked I Ain’t From Mississippi, a white blues band’s plea for recognition even if they aren’t from the heartland. As they say in the liner notes, “Our whole city is living the blues every day. Nuff said.”

This is a great first album by a band that’s obviously got a lot experience in a variety of genres and is ready to take the next step to a national audience. If you like your blues seasoned with rock and Southern-fried, you’ll like this one.

Rusty Wright Blues website.

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If you’re reading this review here at BluesRow, you’re probably a blues fan. You’re familiar with Lang’s blazing blues guitar stylings and his bursting onto the scene at age 15. Well, it’s about 10 years later, and if you haven’t been following his career, Lang has taken a few steps away from the blues. This album pretty much buries the blues past.

I’ve got no problem with artists’ right to “grow”; hey, they’ve got to follow their muse. Lang’s muse has led him from blues to R&B, soul, funk, and on this record, gospel. He’s obviously had a religious change in his life (hence the album title), and he’s certainly welcome to it. Most of the songs on the album deal with spiritual themes with a touch of social commentary. The production is smooth; some, like me, might consider it overproduced. But most of the songs have a definite groove, and the album covers everything from acoustic bluesy folk to soul to funkified gospel rave-ups.

In short, if you’re a Jonny Lang fan and are in it for the long haul, you’ll probably like Turn Around. If you’re a fan of blues guitar, you’ll be disappointed. He’s definitely left the blues behind.

These two albums couldn’t be more different — at opposite ends of the blues spectrum, acoustic vs. electric, delta vs. blues-rock. But they are probably the two best CD’s to cross my desk this year. If you’re a fan of either brand of blues, you need these.

First, Walter Trout’s “Full Circle”. Trout wanted to make a record with people he’d played with over his 35-year career. The list is a who’s who of blues-rock icons, including John Mayall, Jeff Healey, Joe Bonamassa, Coco Montoya, Guitar Shorty, Finis Tasby, Eric Sardinas, and several others. From the first note, this record delivers. I’ve commented before here how difficult it is to translate that live blues feel to a recording. So many otherwise exciting performers end up sounding bland and lifeless in the studio. Well, this CD doesn’t fall into that trap. Just about every track is electric with the groove and vibe we’ve come to expect from live performances.

Why? My guess is 3 reasons: almost all the tracks are recorded live, and most of them are first takes. Secondly, Trout is a seasoned performer who has done it over and over again for years. Third, the engineering is a marvel.

Throw on your headphones, crank it up, and prepare to experience blues-rock nirvana.

And then we have Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, who sounds like he’s in an unbroken line of succession going back to Robert Johnson. Lots of people work at trying to sound “authentic”. Holmes is the real deal.

It’s just one guy playing and singing softly. But it’s got more power than 98% of the electric blues albums out today. This haunting record reminds us what the blues is all about; it reaches down into your very soul and rips it out. You feel like you’re walking past a country graveyard at night.

I’m playing “Back to Bentonia” over and over. Don’t miss this one.

If you’ve read anything here at BluesRow, you know that I’m a huge Guitar Shorty fan. I’m always astounded that more people don’t know this guy. He’s got it all — a 40 year career with stints in major bands (like Ray Charles), marriage to Jimi Hendrix’s sister (rumor has it Hendrix used to AWOL from the Army to hear Shorty play), and, of course, his unique blues-rock guitar stylings. You won’t find many players anywhere who can match Shorty’s combination of blues, soul, rock, and pure guts. It’s a cliche, but this guy is the real deal.

His latest album is We the People. As you might guess from the title song, there’s some political commentary here, but no more than most blues music has — life is hard, and government today sure isn’t helping. But the focus, as always, is on Shorty’s incendiary guitar playing and solid vocals, backed by a tight rocking band.

If you’re looking for ground-breaking new approaches to music, you won’t find them here. Shorty’s got a recipe, and he sticks to it. If you’re looking for some serious guitar playing that has tone to absolutely die for, Shorty delivers in spades. And his solos are not just loud noodling — they actually start somewhere and move to somewhere else. Most of the songs are straight-ahead rock with a blues feel, meant to be played loud. I’ve heard him twice in concert, and I can vouch for the volume!

If you haven’t heard Shorty yet, this album is a great introduction to a little-known blues-rock master. If you’re already a fan, you’re in for 12 songs of Shorty’s patented gut-wrenching, hip-shaking stuff. Buy it now.

The SKBB is a hardworking local (to me: Chambersburg, PA) blues band. Skyla is a triple threat musician — she sings, plays the Telecaster, and writes. In fact, this CD consists of all original material, written by Skyla and her bandmate and co-guitarist, Mark Tomlinson. They’ve taken the less safe path of all original material and no standards, something they should be commended for.

Their music both swings and rocks. Not rocks in a blues-rock sense, but rocks in a hard-driving blues sense. In fact, if you’re a fan of blues-rock, this album probably won’t work for you. Their songs tend to the “straight blues” end of the spectrum, a refreshing approach nowadays. The guitars have a bit of a retro 50’s feel, light on the distortion and overdrive, some reverb, adding up to a nice clean old-school Fender sound. The rhythm section, Tony Snyder on bass and Ezell Jones on drums, is rock solid without getting in the way.

I’ve never seen the SKBB live, and I have a feeling from listening to this CD that they would put on a great show. Perhaps for production reasons, the CD doesn’t have that feel. You get the impression that the band can really cut loose, and Skyla’s vocals, which are reminiscent of the the best of Bonnie Raitt, could even get into Janis Joplin territory. I’m not a recording engineer, so I couldn’t tell you what’s missing. But it seems true of many blues recordings that they just don’t match the warmth and vibe of a live show.

My personal faves on the album include “Fat Cat Daddy”, a jazzy blues with some nice sax playing, “I’m Going Down”, a slow blues cooker, “Livin’ Day to Day”, a rockin’ boogie with some great understated drumming, and “Don’t Let Me Go”, a minor-key gut wrencher with some of Skyla’s patented blues moans.

If you like traditional blues in a wide mix of styles, you’ll like this album. And let’s hope that the next CD helps that warmth and soul they have get through even better.

Disclaimer — this CD isn’t strictly blues. There are definitely some bluesy elements on it, but I don’t usually review non-blues cd’s on BluesRow. But since they were nice enough to send me a review copy…

First, we’ll get the big secret out of the way: JD, of JD and the Straight Shot, is James Dolan, who in his spare time owns Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks(insert obligatory Knicks joke here). So this is a side project and evidently Dolan’s first foray into the record biz. Nothing to Hide is a nice mix of all kinds of music. I’d call it mostly roots with a jazzy flavor. The songs, most of them written by guitarist Bruce Koplow, deal with themes of loneliness, opportunities lost, world weariness, and in one notable instance, the overwhelming urge to kill barking dogs. I’m sure we can all relate.

So what can you say about a record by a major business person? Actually, it’s got some good stuff on it. My favorites are the first and last cuts, about as different as two songs can be. The first, The Ghost Takes Control, is a chilling take on child abuse and the long shadows it casts in a victim’s life. The instrumentation is sparse with some effective reverb guitar. The last song, Gonna Kill That Dog, is a straight-up blues romp about the new neighbor’s dog and its noctural barking. In between, the songs range from some jazzy meditations (Slow Motion in Reverse) to rock (So Cold). The lyrics are thoughtful and the band is laid-back but tight.

I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I have, but it’s getting some extended play in my CD changer.

Flatted Fifths: 3.5 out of 5

Genre: Roots, jazz, blues

Nutshell Review: Not earthshaking, but pleasant in a smoky nightclub kind of way.

Wait a second. Wasn’t Dr. Teeth the name of that bandleader on the Muppets? Actually, yes, but this isn’t them. The DTBB is an octet from England, fronted by Dr. Teeth, a transplanted Chicagoan (which explains those pub photos of the band, spats and all, posing under and over the El on Wabash Avenue). This album delivers a spicy mix of jump, jive, and swing.

You get the feeling from listening to these tracks that this is one fantastic live band. Reviews seem to confirm this. As with many albums, that doesn’t translate completely to studio work. But most of the cuts swing with a vengeance, particularly the opening and title cut, “Rhythm Is Our Business.” Upright bass and drums lay down a great groove, accented by the running bass line on the piano, filled in with trumpet, trombone, and sax. Guitar is here, though in swing tradition it takes a back seat to the other instruments.

Most of the tunes do jump and jive, dealing with themes of love, music, and sex. The one exception is the slower “Cold Cold Ground”, a somber meditation on mortality you don’t expect to hear on an album like this. But it works in its Tom Waits-like way. The next song closes out the CD with “Mr Big Is Back in Town”, celebration of the themes listed above.

It’s not strictly a blues album, but if you like to jump and jive in a traditional horns-based way, you’ll find yourself doing more than tapping your toes to this one.

Flatted Fifths: 3.5 out of 5

Genre: Jump, jive, swing

Nutshell review: If you like the Squirrel Nut Zippers, buy this album.

Blues fans can be roughly divided into two groups: those who loves blues-rock, and those who don’t. If you’re in the second group, steer clear of this album. But if you’re in the first, get this album.

Joe Bonamassa is a blues-rock guitarist with chops to burn. He’s famous for being the ex-wunderkind who played with BB King when he was 12, played with the children of Miles Davis and Robby Kreiger later in his teens, and now serves up a relentless brand of guitar-based blues-rock. From all accounts, he is happy to play medium-sized venues and has no plans for rock guitar world domination. He also sincerely pays tribute to the blues greats and works to turn on the next generation to the blues. But he’s not letting that keep him in a box. As he says in the liner notes, “There is much discussion these days on what is or is not blues; so much so, many albums suffer from an almost apologetic sound. In an era where it is best to play it safe, I chose to take a risk as a reminder to all that the boundaries are still wide open and there are no rules.”

So if you know that ahead of time, you’ll be ready for this album. Joe describes it best when he says, “We concentrated on heavy music in a blues style.” Heavy music? I haven’t heard that term for a while. What’s it mean? Probably different things to different people, but knowing Jason Bonham (son of late Led Zeppelin guitarist John Bonham) plays drums on this CD will help you figure it out.

The album has a nice mix of all kinds of styles, including two slow blues featuring Joe’s guitar pyrotechnics, gritty vocals, and even strings (could have done without them, I think). There’s some acoustic Delta style blues, traditional blues, even a Sonny Boy Williamson song (Your Funeral, My Trial), which introduces a blues harp 12-year-old phenom named LD Miller. Maybe Joe believes in karma and is thinking of how he got his start due to the generosity of BB King. Anyway, this kid can really play the harp. Looking forward to hearing more of him!

There’s even an old Zep tune, Tea for One, featuring Doug Henthorn of the Healing Sixes. It’s languid, trippy, and definitely Page/Plant-worthy.

And for those guitar geeks, Joe lists his vintage guitars and amps used on the CD. A big list!

In conclusion, if you like your blues served up guitar-god style but with a healthy respect for the blues masters, you will love this album.

Flatted Fifths: 4.5 out of 5

Genre: Blues-rock

Nutshell Review: Breathing new life into the Page/Clapton blues genre.

I was in Chicago for a conference and had Friday night free. So naturally I was up for blues in the best blues city on the planet. I had to choose between seeing Michael Burks at Buddy Guy’s or Magic Slim at Kingston Mines. Slim won.

The Mines is a club that features great blues, excellent food, and as they say, “loud talking.” And the sign says, “Dancing Aloud”. There are two stages, so you get at least two acts an evening. What’s not to love?

As a lot of clubs do, they feature an acoustic act early in the evening, so we were treated to a nice set from Nigel Mack. Trading off between his old Martin and his older National steel resonator (1929!), Mack delivered a tasty set of standards ranging from Muddy Waters and Junior Wells to some nice original stuff. I especially enjoyed his simple but classy slide work on the reso. Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he headed for Chicago (the subject of one of his original songs). When asked how someone from Saskatchewan ended up playing the blues, he said, “If you grow up on the prairies and survive the 40 below zero winters, you understand the blues.”

Next on the north stage was Linsey Alexander’s Blues Band. He had added a sax player and a new guitarist since I saw him in February, and I thought the band sounded better this way. Linsey did his usual act, complete with blistering solos and his trademark walk through the crowd, singing to the best-looking females in the audience “up close and personal.” He isn’t called the Hoochie Man for nothing, lacing his in-between song patter with all kinds of colorful language that I can’t report in a family blog like this. He did ask if there was anybody underage in the house before he started his set!

But the highlight of the night was the headliner, Magic Slim. Slim is a large man with huge hands who doesn’t play the guitar so much as attack it. Playing his Fender Showmaster through his Bassman amp, he gets a sound I can only describe as “distorted twang”. Because he uses a thumb pick and another pick on his index finger, his sound has a distinctive snapping tone as he rages up and down the fretboard. His backup band, the Teardrops, was totally in the groove. The end result? Some ferociously hard-rocking blues delivered by one of the real originals in the field. If you ever get a chance, catch his act (it’s a lot better than what I’ve heard on his albums). I’m glad I was there to witness this.

The audience had people from all over: Texas, California, PA (me), Belgium, England, Holland,and France. I met a very nice couple from Paris named Eric and Veronica, so this is a shout out to them. It was a pleasure meeting you guys, and I hope you enjoyed your evening of blues in the blues capital of the world.

Can’t wait to get back!

Interesting article here from the Aspen Times, reviewing Tab’s new CD, “Brother to the Blues” and previewing his upcoming concert there. Even though Tab swore he’d never play his Louisiana-based zydeco music, there is a bit on this new CD. But it is nice to see someone branch out from blues to another direction besides rock or jazz. Purists need not apply. Though I guess that might rule out some of the early Delta blues guys…

A very positive review, complete with setlist, by someone who admits that he rarely goes to hear blues live, possibly because of the “three-chord” syndrome. All I can say is there is no other way to hear the blues BUT live. And it’s not all just three-chords. Though there’s been a whole lot squeezed into those three chords. You can read the review here.

That’s the name of new book/CD combination released by blues historian Paul Oliver. This review by Richard Marcus has really whet my appetite for reading/listening to this collection. It’s the story of blues music and how it spread in the segregation era.

Fascinating review. I found the explanation for the blues influence on British pop music predating American pop really interesting. I know this one’s on my Christmas list!

If you’ve ever wondered what the killing floor is, how you can dust a broom, why you would need to get your ashes hauled, or how precisely you get your mojo workin’, this book is for you. Its full title is The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu, by Debra DeSalvo.

Lots of the phrases actually go back beyond southern plantations all the way to African folklore. And you might be surprised at some of the meanings. For instance, the “killing floor” has nothing to do with the slaughterhouses in Chicago. It’s about Howlin’ Wolf’s wife going after him with a shotgun! Read about it here.

We took in the Fab T-birds concert at the American Music Theater here in Lancaster, PA last month. Just some personal background — I went in with a very open mind, because I really had heard very little of their stuff. I missed the Tom Cruise movie that featured Tuff Enuff, and I just hadn’t been exposed to their music. I knew that Jimmie Vaughan used to play in the band, and I had heard that Kim Wilson was an amazing harp player. In fact, a harp-playing buddy of mine considers him the best current blues harp guy.

So my unvarnished, no pre-conception opinion of the band is… They were OK. That’s as a band. The individual parts of the band were all excellent. The two guitarists, Kirk Fletcher and Nick Curran, had contrasting styles and were definitely good players in their own rights. The keyboards guy, Gene Taylor, was a versatile and tasty player. The bass player, Ronnie James Weber, was workmanlike, and the drummer, Jimi Bott, was awesome. Kim Wilson, as advertised, was off the hook. But, to me, the whole was definitely less than the sum of the parts.

I understand that this current version of the band has not been together that long, and that may explain it. The highlight was an extended (10 minute?) harp solo by Kim Wilson. You know it’s “extended” when the other members of the band walk off stage during the solo! Haven’t seen that in a long time. And he was truly amazing — a great mixture of chops and monster tone. Absolutely jaw-dropping.

But the band never really seemed to cook. Maybe it was the venue — the AMT is a 2000 seat auditorium which features a lot of oldies acts, and the audience seemed a bit on the older side. It’s not really conducive to audience participation and rocking out. On the other hand, I saw BB King and Buddy Guy there, and they both brought the audience to their feet.

Another thing might have been the guitar mix. Fletcher plays a Strat in a very unvarnished fashion: lots of bassy quack, if you know what I mean. And Curran played a Squier 51 with a very trebly sound (almost painful to my ears). Both guys were obviously good, but the mix wasn’t there. Again, perhaps the sound guy had an off night.

The crowd did seem to appreciate them, and of course, Tuff Enough was a rousing success. But I have to admit I’m not dying to see another Fab T-Birds concert anytime soon. I would like to hear them in a while to see how the band is meshing, and I hope that may be the explanation for what seemed like a pretty average concert.

Interesting reading and a generally positive review of Albert’s foray into some Memphis sounds. Here at Home of the Groove.

I bought this CD from Mr. Mean, who sat in with Charlie and his Silky Smooth Band at Kingston Mines in Chicago when I was there in February. Since I couldn’t pay the full $15.00, Mr. Mean let me have it for $10. And it’s worth every penny.

The CD came in a plain jewel case with no liner. Charlie’s picture is on the CD, and the copyright is 2003. I had to do some searching to find the original release info, but it was first published by Lovemil Records in 1998.

Charlie and his band are well known in Chicago and play regularly at Kingston Mines and elsewhere. The music is a potent stew of Chicago blues, R&B, and some jazzy beats (hence the silky smooth name). The band on the CD is definitely smooth, especially the harp player who has to remain nameless, in the absence of any liner notes. But his contributions range from understated melodies to some classic distorted Chicago harp sounds.

But Charlie’s vocals are also silky smooth, and you can hear a bit of Motown there as well, especially on “Refund”. There’s definitely some Otis Redding on “Somebody Have Mercy”.

The band is understated but tight in the pocket, supporting the songs instead of taking over, allowing Charlie’s voice to be front and center. It’s a great mix, and if you like your blues with a little bit of soul, I think you’ll like this one. Here’s hoping they get another CD out soon. In the meantime, you can pick this one up at CDBaby here.

Here at the Jazz and Blues Music Reviews blog.

“The best guitarist you’ve never heard of.” That’s how I describe Shorty to people. Then I explain that he’s Jimi Hendrix’s brother-in-law, and that Jimi used to go AWOL from the army to hear Shorty play. And that a good bit of Jimi’s style was based on Shorty’s playing. All of that helps a bit for the uninformed. But the truth is — you’ve just got to see him to believe how good this guy is.

I had seen him a year ago at a blues festival at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA, and he just Ripped It Up. My jaw hit the floor. So when I heard he was going to be at Klinger’s Tavern in Hanover in October, I had to go see him. Hanover is about 45 minutes from Lancaster, and my bud Jim Phipps and I set out to take in the show.

Klinger’s is famous for its wide selection of foreign and domestic brews, and justly so. But the thing that really grabbed my attention was the size of the venue. Tiny! Not much room for the band to set up, and if you sit at the bar, you’re about 10 feet away. I just shook my head in amazement. Here is arguably one of the best guitarists living, and he’s playing this tiny little place in Hanover, PA. Nothing against Klinger’s, but you compare Shorty and his body of work to, let’s say Nickelback, and it just isn’t fair.

He’s got a 5-piece band: rhythm guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums (plus Shorty). We chatted with the keyboards guy and found out that their drummer was pretty new, the previous one having walked off the week before. He sounded pretty good considering. The band has enough funk and groove to back Shorty’s guitar fireworks, and that’s really what a Shorty concert is all about.

If you want to hear a good sample, I’d recommend his latest CD, Watch Your Back, on Alligator Records.

How to describe his playing? He uses all G&L Strats through Fender Twins, and it’s a massive sound, sharp and fat. It’s probably more towards the rock end of the spectrum than the blues. He’s also a pretty good blues vocalist and shouter. And he can work a crowd, usually taking a long set to walk through the fans and “talk” to them via his wireless guitaring. And he is LOUD.

In between sets, he signed CD’s and talked to fans. I wanted to bring my 15-year-old son, who is a guitarist, but Klinger’s being a bar, that wasn’t possible. So I bought a CD and asked Shorty to sign it for Chris. When he heard I was from Canada, he wanted to know where, and told me he had lived in Vancouver for a few years. Then he signed the CD for Chris, making sure that he spelled Chris’s name right, and wrote, “Keep picking that thing, Chris.” He was a real gentleman. What made it even more remarkable was that I had to wait in line behind someone who asked Shorty to sign about a dozen items: a guitar, books, CD’s, a clock… Man, I lost track after a while. And was losing patience. I mean, think about the musician and the other people waiting in line! But to his credit, Shorty was an absolute gentleman about the whole thing, signing everything in his slow, methodical handwriting.

After the second set, we left (it being a school night; we’re both teachers). I had three thoughts which still stick with me: 1) This guy is a guitar monster. 2) He’s as good a person as he is a guitarist. and 3) How is it he’s playing in a small bar to at most 50 people? There ain’t no justice in the world, but I guess that’s just the blues.

If you get the chance to see Guitar Shorty, run don’t walk, and go see him. And buy his CD while you’re there!