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Chris
Farlowe Hotel Eingang
The
album kicks
off full
steam ahead
with ‘Jealous Guy’, an upbeat blues with
Farlowe adding his stamp from the start. Very
quickly the pace slows down for the Delbert
McClinton ballad “Don't Wanna Love You
Anymore”. Then back up tempo for the blues
standard ‘It Should Have Been Me’ with
Miller Anderson playing a fitting guitar solo
and Farlowe adding a little light hearted vocal.
This isn’t an album of one pace and tempo and
style changes throughout giving an eclectic
cross section of the
blues. The constant is Chris Farlowe’s quality
vocals which still shine through as the British
vocal legend he is. The rockiest blues song on
the album is Storm Warning’s ‘The Woman or
the Blues’, and he flexes his vocal style to
fit perfectly. The sound is augmented with
horns, a little pedal steel guitar and harmonica
on ‘That’s Why Lovers Have The Blues’. The
last track is Chris Farlowe telling a live
audience a true story set in the early 1960’s
about when he first performed to Hamburg with a
band. It’s all about Hotel Eingang. This is a
really enjoyable album showing versatility and
class. Chris Farlowe is back although he never
really went away.
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Los
Fabulocus Featuring Kid Ramos
Alive
and kicking from the start with the Cali Mex
sound (west coast cousin of Tex Mex). The first track,
Educated Fool, features legendary guitarist Kid
Ramos with a driving rhythm guitar and the trade
mark accordion played by vocalist Jesus Cuecus.
The band mix the present and past evoking
memories of the 1950’s, e.g the ballad Crazy
Baby and the Lloyd Price classic Just Because.
Other numbers give you a feeling of holidays in
the sun with the Mexican influence on Un Majado
Sin Licencia and Como Un Perro. Stand out tracks
are the intense Day By Day which rocks along dual
guitar and accordion lines and the instrumental
Burning Chicken, with smoking guitar! Might not
be blues as we know it but this is superbly good
time and the title of the last track sums up the
style - Mexico Americano. Let’s get some sun
and party.
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Mannish
Boys – Low Down Feelin’
17
tracks of real blues pleasure. Grammy nominated in the ‘Best Traditional
Blues Category’, The Mannish Boys are a blues band based in Los Angeles,
California and a made up of a pool of musicians
but the core is comprised of Kid Ramos, Kirk
Fletcher, Frank Goldwasser, Randy Chortkoff,
Ronnie James Weber, Tom Leavey and
Richard Innes They play classic blues in West Coast, Texas and Chicago styles and the
musicians on this CD consist of all-star veteran
members of the West Coast blues scene including
Little Sammy Davis, Fred Scribner, Junior
Watson, Lynwood Slim, Al Blake and Fred Kaplan.
There is nothing on this CD that hasn’t been
done before, like Searchin’ Blues is very
close to Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues.
Like many blues songs there are similarities to
many others but this difference on this CD is
that the songs are laid down so convincingly
having everything that’s great about
traditional blues - it’s a melting pot of
traditional blues. There’s some spot on trad
harp from Little Sammy Davis and a mix of
electric bass and thumping upright. If you like
today’s straight down the line traditional
blues you’ll want this CD. Highly recommended.
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Phantom
Blues Band - Footprints
All new material in a savory
blend of Gospel, R&B, Soul, Funk, Reggae,
Jazz and Blues. From the opening the horns lift
off on Look At Granny Run and with the slightly
more traditional style Se See Baby,
incorporating a fine sax solo from Joe Sublet.
Leave Home Girl and Fried Chicken are funky
grooves and Your Heartaches Are Over is a
soulful ballad. Unlike some blues albums this is
not drenched in guitar solos and an array of
instruments take to the fore including some
funky keyboards from Jon Cleary. Guitars, horns
and as good as it gets blues grooves.
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Derrin
Nauendorf - Skin Of The Earth
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Derrin
Nauendorf plays the UK blues clubs and
festivals but a blues CD this is not.
However it is a CD of excellent singer
songwriter material and acoustic guitar
playing, which has some blues influences
in there somewhere. Derrin produces a
confident vocal with depth and clarity.
On many of the tracks, Derrin’s songs
are complemented by Mike Hellier on
drums and Rick Foot double bass. From
the opening title track ‘Skin of the
Earth with its’ hypnotic groove,
through to the last track, an all
acoustic instrumental ‘Sometime’,
there’s a quality that could
lead Derrin to becoming a big name
of the folk/roots/singer songwriter
scene.The CD is varied in tempo and
acoustic style.Tracks ‘Michelle’ and
‘Push The River’ are uplifting and
in a commercial vein whereas the only
cover on the album, Bob Dylan’s ‘Most
Of The Time’ is a slow ballad.If you
like acoustic music and good songs and
want a change from full on electric
guitar soloing, you’ll love this
album.
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Roadhouse – Sea of Souls
After several albums and line ups,
Roadhouse are back with a new album. As
always guitarist/vocalist Gary Boner
with rhythm section Bill Hobley bass and
Roger Hunt drums hold it all together
and now they have three female vocalists
and a new guitarist, Danny Gwilym.
Roadhouse has always been a rock band
giving a nod to the blues and this CD is
no exception with the new guitarist
keeping it on the rock side. However
this doesn’t mean that those into
blues /rock won’t enjoy it as it’s
guitar rock, which is definitely blues
influenced. The opening and title track
‘Sea Of Souls’ lays down the
foundation for the album with a glimpse
of what’s to come – catchy
song, showing off female backing vocals
and some full on guitar.
This is
followed by ‘Lights On The Water’, a
laid back affair with an atmospheric
feel which then picks up into a
Fleetwood Mac vibe circa Tusk. ‘The
Answer’ and ‘Voodoo Dance’ evoke
70’s rock with ‘Voodoo Dance’
starting with a Bo Diddley type
drum pattern and then picking up into a
straight rocker. The ‘Lying Game’
and ‘Tumbling Down’ show the
bluesier side of the band and ‘Dark
River’ opens with a folky/country
style vocal. The one cover on the CD is
‘House Of The Rising Sun’ and
Roadhouse produce a superb version with
excellent raunchy female vocal and
electrifying guitar rocking it up.
Throughout the album Gary Boner’s
guitar and vocal is a mainstay and
augmented by some fiery lead guitar work
courtesy of Danny Gwilym. The female
vocals, backing and lead, are sounding
better than ever and play a big part on
this album’s sound. This is
probably the best Roadhouse CD to date
and will know doubt be a hit with their
ever increasing following and will
definitely earn them new friends.
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Toby
Walker – Hand Picked
This CD is very new and only available
in the UK at Blues CD Store at present.
If you are familiar with Toby Walker you’ll
know to expect high class acoustic blues
playing. This studio album contains many
of the songs played on his recent UK
tour and several of the tracks are
complemented by Jay Ungar on fiddle and
Molly Mason on upright bass. The opening
track is Toby Walker’s ‘Big Meat
Shakin’ On The Bone’ an excellent up
tempo stomp with some great fiddle
playing reminiscent of Hot Tuna and Papa
John Creach.This
is followed by a traditional song
arranged by Toby called ‘Your Buggy
Don’t Ride Like Mine’, full of
innuendos. There’s an instrumental
version of the Hank Williams tune ‘Hey
Good Looking’ with exchanges of solos
between acoustic lead guitar and fiddle
and a superb version of ‘Mind Your Own
Business’ with some more fine lead
acoustic playing whilst Toby keeps a
thumping beat with his thumb on the bass
strings of the acoustic.
Toby says, “His band in his hand”.
Apart from the up tempo, finger picking and humorous songs, there
are also some beautiful tracks; ‘Leon’s Little Girl’, ‘The
Secret’ and Skip James’s ‘Hard Times Killing Floor’ with
Martha Trachtenberg on backing vocals – so sad and haunting but
wonderful. There are 15 tracks on this CD and not a weak one amongst
them.
If you were lucky enough to see him on tour in
the UK you’ll want this CD. If you didn’t
see him, even more reason to buy it.
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Dani Wilde - Heal My
Blues
This
is the debut CD from one of the UK’s
brightest young female blues
guitarist/vocalists. She is an
accomplished guitarist but what
really hits you is the strength of
her vocal and at only 21 years old,
this could just be the beginning of
an astounding future in the blues.
Guests Ian Parker and his keyboard
player Morg Morgan, contribute some
fine guitar and organ
respectively.
The opening track, ‘Bring
Your Loving Home’, is a strong opener and
supplemented with Ian Parker taking the
guitar solo. Dani’s voice from the off, is
confident and powerful and she takes her
voice to another level on the second track,
‘Heal My Blues’. The CD is guitar based
blues with nearly as much harp, courtesy of
Dani’s brother Will, as guitar but the CD
still has a fresh feel. Dynamics are used to
good effect and no more evident than on the
slow ballad ‘I Love You More Than I
Hate Myself’. Back to up tempo with ‘I Want Your Lovin’ and once again
featuring Ian Parker and some nice
underlying organ from Morg Morgan. There are
some good original songs on this album and
‘Testify’ is as good as any. There are
also some covers; Junior Wells song ‘Little
By Little’ with a soaring harp solo and
Dani turns to acoustic guitar for a version
of John Lee Hooker’s ‘In The Mood’.
Acoustic guitar is also used on ‘Slow
Coach’ and ‘People Like You’. This an
extremely good album, especially as a debut
and if Dani Wilde is part of the future of
British Blues, then we have no worries.
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BluesMix - Bidding My
Time
BluesMix are four
London based musicians who produce
quality blues, mixing blues with a
little soul, funk and jazz. ‘Feel
So Strong’ is a shuffle which from
the start shows the talents of these
fine musicians including multi
instrumentalist Bob Morgan playing
keyboards and sax on this first
track. The club feel on ‘Got
My Eye On You’ is very funky and
once again the sax shines on this
number.
The band show diversity on the
slow soulful, jazzy ballad ‘All Gone’ but bring back the funky
feel on ‘Do You Know Me’ which weaves in and out of the blues.
The remaining 6 tracks are of equal quality and style and you feel
the sound of this excellent CD would translate onto the club
circuit. I get the feeling, it would be a real treat to see these
musicians perform live.
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Buddy Whittington
solo CD
There are
good CDs, there are excellent CDs in
either, style, songs, playing etc.
and then there are CDs of quality
throughout. Whether or not you
like the songs or style there’s no
denying Buddy Whittington’s first
solo CD oozing quality and class. In
the blues/rock vein, this CD proves
you don’t have to be a full on
guitar hero type to produce the
goods. The CD starts with ‘Young
& Dumb’, a lively number with
a nice riff and slide guitar.
The lead guitar lines are a little ZZ Topish
in places without being heavy. ‘Pay The
Band’ is a slower number grinding along
and once again some fine guitar work from
Buddy. This song, like several on the album,
has lyrics on the humorous side. Another
example is ‘Second Banana’, an obvious
reference to playing sideman, as Buddy has
done with John Mayall for the last 15 years
and the clever lyrics in ‘Every Goodbye
Ain’t Gone’, a little funky number with
Buddy’s voice at full strength. In fact
unlike many sidemen that produce a CD and
feel they have to do the vocals, Buddy has a
great voice and this makes
CD even more of an enjoyable listen. We don’t
give marks out of 10 but if we did it would
have to be a 9.
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Chris Barber Presents
The Blues Legacy ‘Lost & Found’
Series
Volume
1 includes: Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
- Sister Rosetta
Tharpe
Volume
2 includes: Muddy
Waters - Otis Spann - Champion Jack Dupree
Volume
3 includes:
Sonny Boy Williamson - Jimmy
Witherspoon -
Howlin Wolf - Hubert Sumlin
This
series of three volumes is a superb
document of some of the earliest
recordings from US blues artists
playing in the UK. Chris Barber and
his band, a bluesman court up in a
jazz band, backs an array of artists
from Howlin’ Wolf to Muddy
Waters, Jimmy Witherspoon to
Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Sonny
Terry & Brownie McGhee to Louis
Jordan.
Also
making appearances are Otis Spann,
Champion Jack Dupree, Hubert Sumlin,
Ottilie Patterson, Ronnie Scott and
Humphrey Lyttelton. There are some
interesting introductions by Chris
Barber setting the scene and
although the sound is sometimes more
New Orleans than Chicago, there is
no doubt that these recordings are a
piece of British ‘Live’ Blues
history. Coupled with detailed liner
notes and pictures, this makes this
series a must have, if you are a
serious blues collector.
However, The Chris Barber
Band did not back the blues artists on all
of the tracks. For example, on Volume 1,
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee play 12
tracks on their own and this is an absolute
peach of its time. On this same CD, Sister
Rosetta Tharpe plays solo on several tracks
with her haunting strong vocal. On Volume 2
Muddy Waters plays with Otis Spann, playing
some of his ‘hits’, for example ‘Hoochie
Coochie Man’ and ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’.
Also on this CD Champion Jack Dupree makes
an appearance on three tracks and as Record
Collector says about ‘Mother-In-Law
Blues’, “brilliantly
mischievous”.
Volume 3 features
Sonny Boy Williamson with a jazzy version of
‘Help Me’ and on ‘C-Jam Blues’, the
blues harp interacts with the horns and it
works well. This volume also features Jimmy
Witherspoon with his powerful vocals
commanding a version of ‘Everyday I Have
The Blues’ and there’s a fine trombone
solo on the slow blues ‘When I’ve Been
Drinking’. One of the many highlights on
this volume is Howlin Wolf with his menacing
big man vocal and ‘Dust My Broom’ with
authentic guitar lines played by Hubert
Sumlin.
The recordings are from
various live gigs including the Free Trade
Hall Manchester in the late 1950s and early
60s and some studio recordings. The
sound quality varies but considering how
some of the recordings were originally made,
the results are remarkable and full of
character. Record Collector recently gave
the series a maximum 5 stars and you can’t
argue with that.
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Storm Warning
- Something Real
Distinctive blues rockers Storm
Warning are carving out a solid
reputation on the UK and
European blues circuits.
Something Real, the band’s
second studio set, builds on the
ambitious and fresh approach
established on Breaking Out,
revealing influences ranging
from classic blues, to ZZ Top,
Gary Moore and even Pink Floyd.
Son Maxwell’s harmonica roots
the music firmly in the blues,
while drummer Roger Willis and
bassman Derek White lend a
rock-conscious power to the mix.
Bob Moore’s inventive guitar
and Ian Salisbury’s sensitive
and subtle keyboards complete
the band’s dynamic sound.
The eight original tracks
include ‘On The Road’ with it’s
atmospheric beginning and Pink Floyd
style slide guitar; the rocky ‘Hard To
Be A Man’; ‘Charlie’s Blues’
with Latin feel, strong harmonica/guitar
riff and subtle harmonica solo; and the
epic title track, think Gary Moore blues
ballad with a touch more class and a
little jazz influence in the guitar. All
these and the remaining original tracks,
demonstrates the critically acclaimed
strength of the band’s songwriting.
The one featured cover is a dramatic
take on Lucky Peterson’s ‘Nothing
But Smoke’. A welcome new offering
from a band committed to carrying the
blues into exciting new territory.
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Larry
Miller - Outlaw Blues
For those of you who know Larry
Miller, you have a good idea of what
to expect but those of
you who are new to his music and
like guitar driven blues rock, you
will not be disappointed. The
opening track ‘Shame On You’
starts with a solo guitar riff as if
played through a small speaker
but wait for it! Out of nowhere
comes the band and full on guitar
announcing in musical terms this is
Larry Miller. This first track is a
Strat infused rocker. There’s no
let up on the second track ‘Writing’s
On The Wall’, apart for the solo
guitar and vocal intro. Another foot
stompin’ blues rocker but this
number steps up the game, with some
impressive lead guitar.
But hey, Larry Miller has a soft side to
him. ‘Calling All The Angels’ is a slow
number with picking guitar and then welcome
Matt Empson on the organ. Eventually drums
come in with a lazy feel giving Larry the
chance to play subtle guitar with feeling
and vibrato. Track four Rebekah, is another
good foot tappin’ rocking number followed
by Storm Comin’, a Hoochie Coochie style
riff with slide guitar and keyboard player
Matt Empson taking to the blues harp.
The most unpredictable song on the CD is
Professor Casanova which although relatively
poppy, is catchy and a good song. You can
hear several influences in Larry Miller’s
playing and song writing from the Rolling
Stones on ‘Only One Woman I Want’ to ZZ
Top on the wonderful title track ‘Outlaw
Blues’. Just when you thought this album
will rock out to the end comes ‘Blues
Forever’, a slow blues ballad which Larry
gives his best vocal performance and once
again plays some nice guitar with feeling.
Larry Miller is often associated with the
passion and the style of Rory Gallagher. He
is obviously a big influence and maybe
fitting that the last track is an acoustic
slide guitar blues called Klondike which
would be perfect in a Rory Gallagher set.
This is a well made album of great blues
rocking with versatility. Larry Miller has a
good band behind him and the addition of
keyboards and harmonica embellishes the
songs. He is already a popular figure on the
live circuit and this album, probably his
best to date, can only increase his
following and standing. Rock on Larry!
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The
Blues Experience with Cash McCall
– The Vintage Room
This CD has the legacy of Willie
Dixon behind it as ‘The Vintage
Room’ features Alex Dixon, the
grandson of Willie. Alex not only
plays piano on the CD but also wrote
some of the songs and produced the
album. The sleeve notes say Alex
Dixon thanks his grandfather for
teaching him the formula to create
blues and this is evident in the
final product, a most enjoyable
blues CD. Steeped in tradition and
the Chicago side of the blues, this
CD has feel.
From the opening track ‘Helluva Time’
Cash McCall’s wonderful vocals are rich in the blues and a
constant throughout the album along with his traditional
blues style of guitar. No over cooked solos just
interspersed guitar lines fitting the moment. Another strong
feature of the CD is the harmonica playing by Steve Bell
which plays a big part on the opening track and with
particular strong solos on ‘Slice of Pie’ and ‘Catch
Me Before I Go’.
How could the grandson of Willie Dixon not
pay homage to his grandfather and here you will find good
versions of ‘I Just Wanna Make Love To You’, ‘Bring It
On Home’ and ‘I’m Ready’. From track 8 ‘Mama’,
the feel of the CD changes with the introduction of upright
bass courtesy of Dylan Cooper and drummer Vinnie Threats
preferring the brushes. Although a lighter feel is produced
this is by no way detrimental to the CD and shows the band
can play both styles well. A customer who bought this CD
emailed to say ‘Cash McCall
CD is a killer!’.
Sounds like a good recommendation. |
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Fred
Chapellier & Friends – A
Tribute To Roy Buchanan
Roy
Buchanan is one of those guitarists
that probably never got the
recognition he deserved. French
guitarist Fred Chapellier was
convinced by his incredible guitar
skills from an early age and thus
has been a big influence on his
playing. The CD fuses some great
blues guitar work with songs by Roy
Bucanhan, Fred Chappelier and other
blues standards.
Not many could make a telecaster
sing the way Roy Buchanan did.
For
this tribute Fred Chapellier explores the guitar legend’s
repertoire with the help of some ace musicians. These
include Billy Price, former vocalist with The Buchanan Band and Tom
Principato, one of Roy’s jamming buddies plus US guitarist
Neal Black. Jean Alain Roussel, producer of Roy's final
album, played keyboards and was in charge of
production A
sizzling set with
blistering guitar solos
and some gentler moments that will get
accolades from Roy Buchanan buffs of all
continents. If
you have never listened to Roy Buchanan,
here is a good place to start and then work
back through Roy’s catalogue of CDs to
hear what made Fred Chapellier say “
The sound of a guitar that grabbed my soul
and pieced my heart like nothing I had ever
heard before.”
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Buck
69 – When She Whispers Your Name
Like Bob Seger
meeting Jonny Lang in a juke joint
to talk about Eric Clapton. A father
and son blues rock band mixing
together the old and the new with a
bang. With three members over the
age of 45 and 5 members under the
age of 30, Buck69 is influenced by
more than three generations of
music.
The use of lead and rhythm guitar is done to
a classic drumbeat and vocals that rock the
house. This band is there for the music and
it's that transparency that makes them
uniquely refreshing. If you like to dance,
sing and shout, I have a feeling that Buck69
is for you. I danced around my office when I
was checking this band out, I could hardly
imagine how much fun it would be to see them
live. I highly recommend this band to anyone
who enjoys rock or blues. Very impressive
licks mixed in with a great drumbeat that
makes a groove you can't help but listen to.
– Guitar Tips |
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Johnny
Rawls - Rockin’ In Rockland DVD
& CD
This is the
2nd Juke Joint Video DVD which Blues
CD Store is exclusively selling in the UK. This
DVD also has a CD in the package which features
all the DVD tracks except one and an extra track
on the CD that is not on the DVD. The DVD is
shot at the Time Out Pub, Rockland, Maine USA
with a no frills approach, just the club
atmosphere and the music interspersed with
interviews with Johnny Rawls.
Johnny Rawls, originally from Mississippi, is
probably a new name to most people in the UK
although he did record a CD for UK label
JSP records in 1996 called ‘Here We Go’.
Rawls began his career playing behind some of
the biggest names in the south eventually
working with his idol O.V. Wright. Johnny
Rawls plays soul blues and O.V Wright’s
influence is evident.
The DVD
opens up with the up beat ‘Watcha Wanna Do’
and then on to ‘You Gotta Change’, a blues
with a little soul influence. Johnny Rawls has a
laid back style playing cool lead guitar with
nice relaxed licks. As the DVD progresses
through ‘Feel So Good’ about his home town
of Purvis near Hattiesburg, the mood becomes
more soulful blues with his best extended guitar
work on ‘I Want You Back’. All songs
on this DVD and CD are written by Johnny Rawls
and the soulful quality of his voice is a real
constant on this DVD with ‘Lucky Man’ being
one of the best tracks. The DVD finishes with
the more up tempo ‘Give It To Me’. The 74
minute DVD has several clips of interviews with
Johnny Rawls and you get a feel of the man who
is a real working musician and happy playing
around 300 gigs a year keeping the blues alive. |
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Derrin Nauendorf - 'The Rattling Wheel' Austarlian
Derrin Nauendorf, has produce a cd of quality songs in the area
of folk/contemporary singer songwriter/acoustic blues
influenced music. Although Derrin plays blues clubs in the UK,
don't expect blues on this album. However, if you appreciate
well crafted acoustic based music, this cd could be for you.
From the opening song
'Universe Demands', the whole feel is uplifting and happy, folky
and catchy with a strong acoustic riff. The second track is
'Shipwrecked' with Derrin's great vocals showing feeling and
commitment to his music. With this track as with others the
double bass slides nicely up and down the fingerboard. 'I
Won't Turn My Back' has an Eric Bibb
style about it which is followed by the very folky 'Where
Two Men Go Tonight' and the upbeat Queensland. Derrin is a very
talented acoustic player and this shows on many of the tracks
and especially 'My Hurricane' which builds with some frantic,
excellent guitar playing and the wonderful 'Long Road Home'.
It says in the liner notes
written by Derrin Neauendorf ,"This was the easiest and most
relaxed studio recording I have ever been involved in" and this
does come across and sounds like Derrin and the band
enjoyed it. Maybe he should be aiming more at the in vogue
contemporary singer/songwriter market and he just could be a big
star.
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Mitch Woods - Big Easy Boogie' - CD Review
The
latest album by one of the real masters of boogie and
rock n roll. Pianist and vocalist Mitch Woods, brings
together on this album original Fats Domino band members
and those who have played with Little Richard,
Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Richie Valens, Eddie Cochran and
Everly Brothers. All the tracks are Mitch Woods
originals and as authentic rock n roll and boogie New
Orleans style as you can get.
The album
features a bonus DVD and the cd features a cast of
special guests including Maria Muldaur, John Mooney, and
Charmaine Neville.
If you've never been to Mississippi to experience the
blues, just buy this top notch album.
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Walter Trout and Friends -
Full Circle
Full
Circle features friends and guests playing the songs
live in the studio and Walter has tried to get a little
of his live performance in to this CD. This album shows
his passion for playing is as live in the studio, as
when he’s on tour. |
Full Circle opens with a slow blues ‘She
Takes More Than She Gives’ which features Walter’s
former band leader John Mayall on harmonica and sharing some
of the vocals. Walter Trout from the beginning stamps his
mark with great trademark guitar soloing. This is
followed by ‘Workin’ Overtime’ which has a Hendrix-esque
type feel to it and some lovely guitar from Jeff Healey.
Walter Trout gives space in the songs for his guests to
shine but he’s never far behind with some dazzling and
competitive solos.
The album isn’t all full on Trout
all the way through and the electric guitar gives way to the
acoustic guitar on ‘Firehouse Mama’ with Eric Sardinas
and stand up bass is featured on a couple of tracks. Even a
jazzy feel is apparent on After Hours featuring Deacon
Jones, “one of the best Hammond B3 players on the
planet” - quoting from Walter’s sleeve notes.
However the feature, apart from the
guests, of this album is full ‘going for it’ guitar
solos which will please Walter’s many fans even though not
all of the solos are Mr Trout himself. The songs in
themselves are not particularly remarkable but the playing
is from the top drawer and compensates one hundred per cent.
The stand out tracks for me are Luther Allison’s ‘When
Will It Ever Change’ featuring Bernard Allison, ‘Wrapped
Around Your Finger’ with Guitar Shorty and ‘Clouds On
The Horizon’ where full on blues/rock guitar hero’s
Walter Trout and the young Joe Bonamassa go head to head.
It’s all about the passion and Full
Cirlce brings you guitar based blues/ rock ecstasy.
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