If you’re someone who enjoys really good blues harmonica in the tradition of Little Walter, Andrew Alli is your guy. A relative newcomer from Richmond, Virginia, when Alli blows the harp he can capture the blues vibe of the Mississippi Delta, Memphis, Chicago and points in between. In his early thirties, Alli is part of […]
Sonny Landreth – Blacktop Run
Louisiana slide guitarist Sonny Landreth is a great musician who doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Blacktop Run is a great addition to Landreth’s prolific output. Originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, Landreth got his first gig in the 1970s as a sideman to zydeco king Clifton Chenier. It was that job that prepared him for a lifetime […]
Bill’s Belated Blues-Based Best of 2019
Well, it’s that time of the year again, and after awakening from my yearly food coma, I realized I hadn’t compiled my annual inexpert list of favorite blues-based albums. Well, here we go: Â Jimmy “Duck” Holmes – Cyprus Grove. A collection of earthy originals and covers from the last of a breed of Mississippi Delta […]
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes – Cypress Grove
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes’ Cypress Grove is a great album that I almost missed. I may have been slow to check this release out, but I’m happy I finally got to it. It encompasses everything the blues is supposed to be. The son of sharecroppers and the owner of a juke joint himself (you can see […]
Tad Robinson – Real Street
If you’re looking for some throwback R&B to melt away the troubles of a long day, Tad Robinson’s Real Street should fit the bill. Recorded with a crack team of Memphis veterans of southern soul, Real Street captures the feel of R&B as it was in its heyday of the sixties and seventies. Robinson has […]
Blue Moon Marquee – Bare Knuckles & Brawn
Perhaps the best way to describe Canadian “Gypsy Blues” duo Blue Moon Marque is to imagine Tom Waits doing Cab Calloway numbers. It’s an unusual style, but it works on Bare Knuckles & Brawn. The duo, which features A.W. Cardinal on vocals and guitar and Jasmine Colette on vocals and upright bass, captures a unique […]
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters – Beyond the Blue Door
Ronnie Earl has become a dependable source of exceptional music every year or so. A great guitar player with an expressive instrumental voice, Earl and his Broadcasters have, over the years, embraced styles ranging from jazz to soul blues to blues-rock. Now, with Beyond the Blue Door, Earl and company have released an album that […]
Manx Marriner Mainline – Hell Bound For Heaven
I heard Harry Manx a few years back and instantly dug his performance, which was concert footage from Australia. Manx’s rich slide guitar playing had a powerful enchantment. Steve Marriner, of the raucous swamp blues outfit MonkeyJunk, is a frequent Manx collaborator, and judging from Hell Bound for Heaven, the duo’s first album release, I […]
Taylor Scott Band – All We Have
Taylor Scott is a relatively new artist who has already done some remarkable things. He, along with Warren Haynes, laid down guitar licks on Otis Taylor’s groundbreaking Hey Joe Opus: Red Meat, which wired a web of varying music pieces into a symphonic whole. That experience placed Denver-based Scott in good company. Perhaps a blues player […]
Colin Linden & Luther Dickinson with the Tennessee Valentines – Amour
Once in awhile there’s a collaboration that turns the music word on its head. Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto was such a pairing when, in 1963, they popularized bossa nova jazz in the United States. Jan and Dean did much the same for surf music, and Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry paired up for a […]