Apr 18, 2013
Lisa Biales (pronounced “Be-Alice”) has a uniquely clear voice reminiscent of Patsy Cline, whom she once portrayed in a community theater musical production. That clear, soothing voice of hers is a fresh change from the scorching vocals of many country and blues singers today. The Oxford, Ohio based Biales has independently released seven previous albums [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Apr 12, 2013
Duke Robillard, a founding member of Roomful of Blues and the first great guitarist to emerge from the band, has a long track record of superb guitar work. Unlike his fellow Roomful alumnus Ronnie Earl, Robillard is a colorful singer as well as a guitarist, and Robillard’s music usually frames his vocals, although he has also [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Apr 10, 2013
Unless you are a die-hard blues enthusiast, Ronnie Earl is probably the best guitarist you’ve never heard of. A sensitive, masterful guitarist, he has been laying down magical licks for close to 35 years. He is totally in love with his instrument, and, as evidenced by his expressive playing, he has a special connection to [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Mar 20, 2013
The Cash Box Kings are the real deal. These Chicago musicians have dedicated themselves to playing in the tradition of 1950s Chicago blues. From the first guitar licks on Black Toppin’, the band’s sixth offering and second for Blind Pig Records, it feels as though you could be listening in on a studio session at Chess Records, with the [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Mar 15, 2013
Southern Hospitality has served up a southern fried delicacy with its debut album, East Livin’. Produced by Louisiana blues guitar-slinger Tab Benoit, ”SOHO” members J.P. Soars, Damon Fowler and Victor Wainwright, have followed a swampy gumbo recipe reminiscent of classic southern rockers Little Feat (during the Lowell George years) with a selection ranging from soul-inflected blues, to country, to [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Mar 13, 2013
Upon learning that the “Rev.” Jimmie Bratcher is an ordained minister, those of us who prefer our entertainment to be taken separately from our religion might become a little skeptical. But Bratcher’s Secretly Famous provides straight-forward blues-rock with some inspired guitar, keeping the preaching down to a bare minimum and letting the music instead do the talking. [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Mar 1, 2013
After many years experimenting with roots music styles from reggae to ragtime, Corey Harris has emerged as a master. Fulton Blues, a self-produced collection of mainly acoustic blues, represents a return to Harris’ musical roots. As a musical adventurer, Harris can be compared with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. He first gained notice with a pure Delta blues [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Feb 13, 2013
Veteran blues rocker James Montgomery has put together a varied, solid collection of songs on From Detroit to the Delta. As the album title implies, the collection ranges in styles from uptown to urban to a Delta crossroads. Originally from Detroit but based in Boston, harmonica player and singer Montgomery has been a presence on the blues [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Jan 22, 2013
Welcome to 1978. Hardworking, hard rocking Skinny Molly’s new release, Haywire Riot, is an unabashed throwback in the tradition of southern rock bands Molly Hatchet and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Led by frontman Mike Estes, a member of latter-day iterations of Lynyrd Skynyrd since the mid-1990s, the band was intended as a fun diversion but wound up to [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Dec 14, 2012
Normally a reissue of an old record isn’t such a big deal, but the December 2012 reissue of John Hartford’s Aereo Plain/Morning Bugle CD was a big deal for bluegrass fans because Aereo Plain, one of the most important records of the bluegrass – or “New Grass” – revival in the 1970s, had been almost impossible [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Nov 9, 2012
Bluesman Eric Bibb is the latest in a succession of American musicians to get his passport stamped in Mali since Ry Cooder and the late Ali Farka Toure won the Grammy for Best World Music Recording in 1994. Bibb’s fine collaboration with Malian Habib Koite, Brothers in Bamako, stands up well next to Cooder and Toure’s Talking Timbuktu; [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Oct 24, 2012
Craig Chaquico has made the transition from ethereal to earthy in his first blues album, Fire Red Moon. Chaquico has successfully joined the legion of ex-rockers-turned blues musicians with his latest effort. But he may be the only one whose path to the blues led through new age music after having spent almost two decades churning out [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Sep 25, 2012
Joanne Shaw Taylor is in the vanguard of a group of driven, talented young European women who have taken on blues music – and taken no prisoners. Taylor, originally from Birmingham, England, has been playing professionally since she was a teenager (she toured with the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart’s group D.U.P. when she was only 16) [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Aug 15, 2012
Having won three past Blues Music Awards for her saxophone playing and a trunkful of Wammies (Washington Area Music Awards) in a fertile Washington, DC blues scene that included the likes of the Nighthawks, Tom Principato, Jimmy Thackery, Cephas & Wiggins, John Jackson, and Saffire – the Uppity Blues Women, multi-instrumentalist Deanna Bogart focuses her attention on her magical piano [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox
Jul 24, 2012
Caution: On first listen, Cee Cee James’ Blood Red Blues may blow unexpectant listeners away. James has a great voice and, at times, can channel Janis Joplin. And her accompanying band, including James’ songwriting partner and husband, Rob “Slideboy” Andrews on slide guitar, can provide the perfect vehicle for her vocals. Now based in St. Louis, James spent her [...] more »
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Bill Wilcox