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 […]
Bill’s Blues Based Best of 2018
Once again, I have compiled my inexpert list of the blues-based albums that I liked the most from the past year. Here we go: 1. Eric Bibb – Global Griot. I like experimentation, and that is something Bibb is not afraid to do, as his last several albums all include interesting collaborations and stylistic blends. […]
Dave Keller – Every Soul’s a Star
Soul Blues journeyman Dave Keller has played with some of the best of the genre, and it is paying dividends in his performance. Having worked with Ronnie Earl and Johnny Rawls, the Vermont-based Keller’s soul blues pedigree is well established. In 2009, Keller composed with Ronnie Earl the song “Love, Love, Love,” which appeared on […]
Ray Bonneville – At King Electric
Listening to Ray Bonneville’s spartan lyrics evokes images of freight yards, open prairies and empty dwellings. His masterful, moody songs on At King Electric embody the spirit of the North American continent he has wandered for decades. Born in Quebec, Bonneville learned English when his family moved to Boston when he was twelve. Though his […]
Al Basile – Me & the Originator
Al Basile is steady. A founding member in the 1970s of the enduring New England-based jump blues outfit Roomful of Blues, Basile stays busy churning out really good music, including Woke Up in Memphis in 2013, B’s Expression in 2015, Mid-Century Modern in 2016 and last year’s outstanding Quiet Money. But what is surprising about cornet player and […]
Joachim Cooder – Fuchsia Machu Picchu
Listening to Joachim Cooder’s EP Fuchsia Machu Picchu, it’s easy to see how his famous father Ry Cooder got the atmospheric feel that dominates many of the tracks on The Prodigal Son, released last month. Cooder the Younger, who turns 40 later this summer, has been a drummer, percussionist and keyboardist on his father’s team for many […]
Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son
In a somber chat between Jesus Christ and Woody Guthrie, Jesus cautions Woody that the “engine of hate” that fueled Woody’s struggles last century was back again and “you good people better get together or you ain’t got a chance anymore.” That sums up how Ry Cooder paints today’s world in “Jesus and Woody,” one […]
John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness
If John Prine’s music seduced you back in the 1970s, you probably get it, and you’ll love The Tree of Forgiveness, his first album in 13 years presenting any new original music. He has released a collaboration with Mac Wiseman (Standard Songs for Average People), a couple of compilations of early music (including The Singing Mailman […]
Bill’s Blues-Based Best of 2017
For me, and perhaps for all of us, 2017 was a year of challenges and changes. But through the challenges we’re facing, it’s reassuring to fall back on great music that expresses our frustrations and hopes. The following are my inexpert highlights of the best of blues-based (not strictly blues) music of 2017.  North Mississippi Allstars – Prayer […]