Rob Stone plays good, honest blues. A Boston native, harpist Stone followed a straight-forward style in the Chicago electric blues tradition on Gotta Keep Rollin’. Stone’s tight band his has put together a first-class se
lection of rollicking tunes that is sure to enhance their growing reputation in the blues world.
Stone has been leading his own outfit – once called the “C-Notes” – since the late 1990s. Previous offerings included No Worries in 1998, Just My Luck in 2003 and Back Around Here in 2010.  The group has played styles ranging from jazzy jump blues to the Chicago electric blues of Gotta Keep Rollin’. The song selection on Gotta Keep Rollin’ is solid top to bottom, but highlights include “Lucky 13,” “Anything Can Happen,” “Move Baby Move,” “Strolling with Sasquatch” and the rousing closer “Not No Mo.”
To accomplish the polished electric blues sound on Gotta Keep Rollin’, Stone was joined by longtime bandmates guitarist Chris James and bassist Patrick Rynn, both of whom played with Stone in former Paul Butterfield Blues Band drummer Sam Lay’s band in the 1990s. More than just sidemen, James and Rynn co-wrote all the originals on the album.  Stone also had some help from Boston-area pianist David Maxwell, a former sideman to James Cotton and Otis Rush whose own back catalogue of critically acclaimed work includes 2012’s inspired Blues In Other Colors, and slide-guitar ace John Primer, a former Muddy Waters and Magic Slim sideman who came into his own in the 1990s.Â
Audio Stream: Rob Stone, “Anything Can Happen”
[audio: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7770435/04%20Anything%20Can%20Happen.mp3]
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.