Cover photo by Mark Goodman © 2012
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In This Issue
We have the latest in Blues Society news
from around the globe. A.J. Wachtel has our feature interview with Shaun
Murphy.
We have five music reviews for you! Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony reviews a new
release from Interstate Buffalo. Rex Bartholomew reviews a new release from
the Charles Walker Band. Rainey Wetnight reviews a new release from
Eddie Shaw and the 757 Allstars. Ian McKenzie reviews a new
album from Joanne Shaw Taylor. John Mitchell reviews a new CD from J.
Sintoni. All this and MORE! SCROLL DOWN!!!
From The Editor's Desk
Hey Blues Fans,
It has been a couple
weeks since the voting in the 2012 Blues Blast Music Awards ended on
August 31st. Over the 2 months of voting more than 5000 fans voted and
there were almost 3400 new subscribers. We finally got all of the new
subscribers added today so I wanted to say welcome to Blues Blast to all
the new readers.
In case we did not yet
have you added when the press release announcing the winners went out
last Monday, you can see all the Blues Blast Music Award winners now on our website,
CLICK HERE.
We thank you for signing
up for our free magazine and we hope you enjoy our efforts. We welcome
your comments and feedback at
 .
Wishing you health,
happiness and lots of Blues music!
Bob Kieser
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Featured Blues Interview -
Shaun Murphy
 The
first thing you notice about Shaun is her voice: she is equally
captivating belting out a blues song in her own powerhouse style as she
is softly singing a more introspective ballad. You listen and you are
swept away; and this not an easy task to be authentic and mesmerizing on
both sides of the genre. The second thing that jumps out is while her
history shines with continuous successes singing rock, blue-eyed soul
and r & b, currently Murphy is devoting herself totally to emoting in
the style she loves best; the blues. And like usual, her incredible
voice and strong focus differentiate this top talent from every other
act on the scene.
Born in
Omaha, Nebraska, Shaun got started in music when "my Dad brought home a
record player and two 45's: Elvis's "All Shook Up" and "Blue Suede
Shoes". I loved music from that day forward. I would stand up outside on
my swing set and sing as loud as I could the only other song I knew;
Teresa Brewer's "Let Me Go Lover" for hours for all the neighborhood to
"enjoy". (At 8 years old, I had no idea what the song was about but I
liked her approach to the tune, I guess). Both my Mom and my Dad had
singing voices but neither pursued music.
My Dad was
a motorcycle cop in Omaha, and my Mom was a waitress at a place called
The Hawaiian Room in a fancy hotel in town. My late brother David had
great musical talent , played many instruments and sang like an angel,
but his life was cut short at 40 years old.. My brother Bob's a dj in
the Lansing, Michigan area and my other brothers, Mike and Gary, are in
other fields." And the bug bit hard and she wanted to become a performer
at an early age. "Probably at around 5 years old, I was a dancing
dervish.....I loved to perform in front of a camera. But that was my
initial dream; to be in theater; musical or otherwise. I loved music and
to tie both things into one was surely a fanciful dream".
Her private
loves quickly became public. "I started doing some acting in the 9th
grade when a friend dared me to try out for the school play, and I wound
up with the lead role. Then on to some summer stock acting roles and
things and finally my acting teacher at school asked me if I could
sing as they were planning on doing the musical "Guys And Dolls". "I'm
not sure", I quipped, "but I'll join the choir and see if it sticks".
After that is when I started to think that the industry, in some
capacity, was where I wanted to be.. It just took a few winding roads to
get there."
 Shaun
moved to Detroit as a teenager and was first inspired by Detroit's
red-hot blues world with her early appearance at the 1969 Ann Arbor
Blues Festival. "I left Omaha when I was ten years old and moved to
Iowa, then Michigan, so I'm a real mid-Western gal! I actually got
turned on and inspired, bitten etc.on that 1969 Ann Arbor Blues
Festival. Before that I "traveled" in the mainstream rock family in
Detroit. It was just by accident that I was included in the Ann Arbor
Blues Festival that first year. Back then, the "norm" was to include as
many local acts at all festivals as possible, which is where we came in.
Why they thought we'd make a good fit is anybody's guess; we were
strictly rock. But as I said, listening to all these greats was all it
took to take another turn and I instantly expanded my library to soak it
all up. God works in mysterious ways....along with the bumps comes many
gifts too.. Around that same time I also discovered the inimitable
Aretha Franklin on Atlantic Records and all the other artists at Stax."
Soon after
being noticed by a Motown employee while singing in a touring theatre
production with cast-mate Meatloaf, she was signed by Motown subsidiary
Rare Earth Records in 1969 and together as Stoney and Meatloaf they put
out an album in 1970. The duo was only short-lived and the label dropped
Meatloaf but kept Murphy, then known as Stoney, under contract. What are
the similarities between singing in a musical and fronting a band? "I've
always felt that songs were an expression of at least part of a life
story, thereby presenting the singer with a certain slice of life's
emotions. You can see where that might translate into a portrayal, like
a character in a play....."
After a
period of inactivity with her new label in L.A. Shaun decided to leave
the left coast over management changes and she returned to Detroit, her
High School hometown and began working with Bob Seger in 1973 with The
Borneo Band. They had previously worked together very early in Seger's
career and to this day she has appeared on almost all of his studio
session work since then and has toured with this rock icon since 1978.
Would Seger or Meatloaf have been a better strictly-blues singer? "Bob
Seger, for sure, was the one who could have done it! He's always come
from a place with raw emotion, and an understanding of blues music, as
well as a keen interest in soul music. To my knowledge, Meatloaf has
mainly been ensconced in the rock world since I've known him, as far
back as 1967."
 Murphy
again returned to live in L.A. in 1985 to work with Eric Clapton on his
"Behind The Sun" album and after hearing her sing, the best blues
guitarist of his generation offered her a full-time position in his band
for the whole tour. The Behind The Sun tour was featured at the first
Live Aid Concert in 1985. "While on tour with Eric, we actually didn't
have many blues artists or anyone come onstage and sitting in with us. I
remember one time we were in Chicago, and we all went to Buddy Guy's
place "Legends", were Eric sat in with Buddy there. But other then that,
throw in Phil Collins at Live Aid...and Lionel Richie sat in once.
Eric's shows were quite cohesive."
In 1993,
Shaun became a full-time member, as well as the first female member of
Little Feat and remained with "The Feat" for the next 15 years, until
2009 when she decided to return to her real passion; the blues.. While
in the band, she would sing Little Feat songs and "throw them into the
second person"; changing genders and lyrics but maintaining the
credibility of the song's message. " Singing Lowell George songs was
amazing. What a voice and talent he had! I hardly had to change the keys
his range was so great! As for changing genders, I only did the songs
when it made sense without displacing any of the true values of the
tunes. Paul did the great majority of Lowell's stuff. After all, "Rock
In My Pocket" would not have made sense in a woman's perspective no
matter what was done with it....
Since 2009,
Shaun has returned to being a solo artist and that September released "Livin'
The Blues" followed by "The Trouble With Lovin" in 2010. Last year a DVD
and live album, both titled "Shaun Murphy Live at Callahan's", recorded
just outside of Detroit was made available to the public and has
attracted attention from blues lovers all over the world.. For her
today: it's all about the blues. "There are so many wonderful artists
out there today. Of course, I still love my old favorites: Koko Taylor,
Etta James, Denise LaSalle, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Maybelle, Big
Mama Thorton.
I love
Teeny Tucker, Marcia Ball, who I had the pleasure of meeting and playing
with in a number of festivals. Ann Peebles, Otis Taylor, Derek Trucks,
Debbie Davies, Tab Benoit, Delbert McClinton, the late Johnnie
Bassett....how much time do I have? (laughs). I can keep going. There
are so many I love to listen to and who inspire me that I'd need a
cartload to bring them all to you! (laughs)
 Shaun
Murphy's career as a vocalist has been both as a band lead singer and
session singer throughout her many years in the music industry. She has
sung, toured and recorded with The Moody Blues, Bob Seger, Herbie
Hancock, Phil Collins, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Maria Muldaur, Bruce
Hornsby, Michael Bolton, J.J.Cale, Coco Montoya, Alice Cooper and Little
Feat. Just listen to her studio work with Collins, Jack Hiatt, Leon
Russell, Cooper, Ted Nugent and Albert Hammond. And with a career
spanning Rock, Blue-eyed Soul and R & B, she is now back to doing what
she likes best singing the Blues. Best of all, she can be both a real
blues belter or she can softly sing blues ballads with equal grace and
power; no easy task. "I've been very fortunate to have many fans that
like both of my styles, which suits me to a "T". I love to go back and
forth, to grind out a blistering delivery and chase it back with
something so soft and tender it makes you wanna cry. The bigger my reach
gets, the more "likes" I get, so I need to get out on the Blues Festival
trail and open up the whole world. I just love to get out there and see
and meet all the folks that love the blues as much as I do."
What's in
this incredible artist's immediate future? "I have written a few songs
with my friend Julie Black. And Marcy Levy, who worked with me in both
Bob Seger and Eric Clapton's bands, has given me a few very cool tunes
and has gathered some other great tunes for an upcoming CD. Working
title: "Let's Talk About Love", a tune penned by my friend Bekka
Bramlett. Bekka's also given me some other songs that will be on the CD
also. I got together some great friends to make this the best one yet.
I'm also planning on getting out more on the circuit. I can't wait and
I've gotten some great requests to do more and more festivals than ever
before; it's going to be an exciting upcoming year".
In a
musical era where great talent is sometimes the exception to the rule
and where profit is the bottom line it is a great pleasure to see an
artist with both incredible talent and the courage to follow her heart
and sing the blues. And what a sound she makes!
Visit Shaun's website at
www.shaunmurphyband.com
Photos by Gary Eckhart © 2012
Interviewer A. J. Wachtel is a long-time entertainment
journalist in New England and the East Coast who currently writes for
The Boston Blues Society and The Noise Magazine. He is well known in the
Boston and N.Y.C areas for his work in the Blues for the last two
decades.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 1 of 5
 Interstate
Buffalo - One Step Away
Self
Release
Time-55:47
Rip-roaring
across the plains, here comes Little Rock Arkansas’ stampede of loud
guitar-rock with all strings blazing on their first full length album.
Kind of like The Allman Brothers Band with a heavy metal attitude and
one “hot-shot” guitar slinger in the person of Stephen Compton. West
Memphis native Jack Poff handles vocals with a commanding voice, as well
as rhythm guitar duties. The drumming is of the “whack the crap outta
everything variety. Power chords, screeching or Dickey Betts-like guitar
are the order of the day, with occasional slashing slide guitar. There
is no fear of dozing off to this stuff, and as an added bonus it will
strip the paint from your walls.
Hold on
tight there, buffalo wranglers, the adventure is about to commence
presently. Searing slide guitar the atmosphere to bits as hard,
crunching Heavy Metal meets the Allman Brothers Band to duke it out on
“Down In A Bad Way”. Now that your speaker cabinets are dusted off, here
comes “Harp On”, featuring a sharp, biting guitar riff and some John
Popper-ish harmonica wailing. “Waitin’ Blues” has some acoustic guitar
scraping away deep in the sound mix…Why? It’s irritating. What sounds
like The Allman Brothers dueling with Canned Heat’s Henry Vestine is the
instrumental “Cousin”, which blazes to a guitar noise finale. “St.
Peter” tells some bad folks that their chances for getting into heaven
are slim and none…”The black cat came, he was scratching curiosities’
door”. Acoustic rhythm guitar is used to good effect on this tune. “Old
Friend” features a Black Sabbath-like riff and a false ending. A virtual
“guitar feast” is in store in “Running After Shadows”. “#57” is pretty
much “Ramblin’ Man” for “head bangers”.
This type
of music is done up right by the band. A very skilled and varied guitar
assault is unleashed over a bombastic rhythm section. Guitarist Compton
is a master of his craft. His day job is that of a local guitar
instructor. Jeff Poff has the heavy-duty pipes to be heard over the
melee. This may or may not be your “cup of tea”, but one thing I can
guarantee is that you will definitely know they were here.
Reviewer Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony hails from the New Jersey Delta.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 2 of
5
 Charles
Walker Band – Resouled!
Self
Release
9 tracks
/ 56:09
Charles
Walker is a man of many talents, and highlights of his skills include
not only songwriting, but also expertise on the keyboards and saxophone,
and he shows a real flair for improvisation on both instruments. Over
the years he has recorded six CDs and has led the Milwaukee-based
Charles Walker Band since 2004. Their impressive gig schedule has
resulted in the production of Resouled!, their latest release. At its
root this is blues and blues-based music, but as Charles says, “This CD
reflects the band’s eight year evolution, blurring the styles of soul. I
stopped worrying about the blues and focused on groove.” He is not
joking, and in addition to the blues you will hear funk and jazz
influences throughout this album.
Resouled!
was recorded during two shows at the Hideaway Saloon in Louisville,
Kentucky; it includes nine tracks, which are mostly originals with just
one cover tune: Muddy Waters’ “Rock Me Baby.” The personnel for this
effort include Porsche Carmon with the lead vocals (and congas), Charles
Walker on keyboards and sax, Brad Karas on bass guitar, Demetris Vance
on drums and special guest Dan Kennedy on the guitar. Besides his bass
duties, Karas also took care of the sound and was in charge of mixing
and mastering for this CD.
And this is
truly a live CD, so it is raw and vibrant, and not nearly as slick as a
studio-produced release. You will hear some 60-cycle hum here and there
and a little of the banter from Porsche and Charles, as well as
responses from the audience. I found that with the way this album was
mixed I lose a lot of the bass and dynamics when I listen to it in my
car (even though it has a very good audio system), but it sounds great
through my home system or headphones. I guess I had to lose most of my
background noise so all of the nuances could be heard.
The first
track on Resouled! is “Used and Defiant,” which is also the song they
used to kick off their set, and this funk tune really gets things moving
in a hurry. As the vintage-sounding keys play over Karas’ popping bass
and Vance’s rock-solid drumming, Carmon welcomes the Louisville audience
and immediately lets them hear a sample of her vocal range and strong
voice before turning things over to Walker for some impressive tenor
saxophone improvisation. The band is very tight throughout, and they do
marvelous job holding together the syncopated bridges after the solo.
There is a
neat 1970s vibe on the next track, “Exquisite Soul,” thanks to the
electric piano sound that Walker choses for his keys. This original song
has a neat (but too short) guitar solo from Kennedy along with a very
catchy melody and fun/sexy lyrics. And the sexy theme carries over to
the next track, “Funky Sexy” which hearkens back to Diana Ross’ “Love
Hangover,” the ultimate passion song. Of course Walker’s version takes
its own direction, but this song is still sexy as anything…
“Rock Me
Baby” lets Kennedy cut loose on the guitar and we get to hear a bit more
of what Carmon can do with that fabulous voice of hers. Not to mention
how cool it is to hear a woman sing this Muddy Waters classic, as this
gives this song a whole new meaning to me. Walker gets in a good solo in
on this one too, and Vance improves on the original backline with a
little more aggressive drumming than usually is heard on this cover.
This
project wraps up with a bang as the band hammers out “Crawlin Home,” a
raucous saxophone-infused instrumental. This piece is a clinic on what a
blues horn should sound like, and Charles has some fabulous interplay
with the Kennedy. And you will find that this mixes well with the
tasteful walking bass part and tons of crash cymbals. But this finale
left me with one question: who is playing that thunderous Hammond while
Walker is tending to the horn?
Resouled!
is a great showcase of the Charles Walker Band’s live show, and it
really emphasizes their enthusiasm and love for the music. Looking at
their schedule, it appears that they mostly tour the Midwest, but they
are making it a little further out west around New Year’s, so if they do
get out your way it would be super cool to catch one of their shows. I
am going to keep an eye on their schedule and hope they make it out to
Southern California sometime soon.
Reviewer Rex Bartholomew is a Los Angeles-based writer and musician;
his blog can be found at
rexbass.blogspot.com.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Blues Society News
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Send your Blues Society's BIG news or Press
Release
about your
not-for-profit event with
the subject line "Blues Society News" to:
Maximum of 175 words in a Text or MS Word document
format.
River City Blues Society
- Peoria, IL
The River City Blues Society and Freebird Chapter of Abate of
Illinois presents Bikes, Blues and BBQ September 29th at VFW Post
1232 at 15665 VFW Road, Pekin, IL. The show starts at 1pm and
features 3 bands including Nick Moss & The Fliptops, Rooster Alley
and The Governor, The event features BBQ by Sammy Lynn's Smokehouse,
beer, soda and water for purchase. Bring your lawn chairs. Admission
is $10.
Long Island Blues Society -
Centereach, NY
9/16/12 Long Island Blues Talent Competition (LIBTC) to select a
representative for IBC. $10 donation to help defray winners expenses
in Memphis. Location TBA. Now accepting applications for Band,
Solo/Duo categories. Requirements on website
www.liblues.org
Illinois Central Blues Club -
Springfield, IL
The Illinois Central Blues Club presents "Blue Monday" every Monday
night for the last 25 years - BLUE MONDAY SHOWS - Held at the Alamo
115 N 5th St, Springfield, IL (217) 523-1455 every Monday 8:00pm $3
cover. • 9/17/2012 - Sugar Prophets • 9/24/2012 - The 44s • 10/1/2012 - Levee
Town • 10/8/2012 - Rich Fabec
• 10/15/2012 - Jason Elmore. icbluesclub.org
The Friends Of The Blues - Watseka,
IL
Friends of the Blues present 2012 shows:
Tues, Sept 18, Smilin’ Bobby, 7 pm, Moose Lodge, Bradley IL Thur, Sept 27, Jerry Lee & Juju Kings, 7 pm, Kankakee River North Restaurant Tentative Tues, Oct 9, Too Slim & Taildraggers, 7 pm, Kankakee Valley Boat Club Thurs, Oct 18, Morry Sochat & The Special 20s, 7 pm, Kankakee Valley Boat Club Thur, Nov 1, Steve “The Harp” Blues Band, 7 pm, venue TBA Thur, Nov 8, Eddie Turner, 7 pm, Bradley Bourbonnais Sportsmen’s Club
For more info check out
www.facebook.com/friendsoftheblues or contact
jawalker4@yahoo.com
The DC Blues Society -
Washingon, D.C.
DC Blues Society: Celebrating the Blues for 25 years in DC-MD-VA!
DC Blues Society's Annual Battle of the Bands takes place 7:00 pm -
12:30 AM on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at American Legion Post No.
268, 11225 Fern Street, Wheaton, MD. Plenty of free parking! The
winner represents DCBS at the International Blues Challenge and
local events like the Annual College Park Blues Festival at Ritchie
Coliseum, University of MD in College Park, MD on Saturday, Nov. 10,
2012 and 25th Annual DC Blues Festival in Washington, DC on
Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013. This is your chance to support your
favorite group and learn more about area bands. A night not to be
missed!
Purchase advance tickets online. DCBS Members: $10 advance/$12 door/
Non-members: $13 advance/$15 door. You can also join & renew
on-line: www.dcblues.org
or call 301-322-4808
Prairie Crossroads
Blues Society - Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
Prairie Crossroads Blues Society of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois will
hold its 2nd Annual Local International Blues Challenge on Saturday,
October 20th at Memphis on Main, 55 East Main St., Champaign.
The winning band will receive a minimum of $1000.00 in travel
assistance and go on to represent our blues society at the 2013
International Blues Challenge scheduled for January 29- February 2,
in Memphis, Tennessee. We will provide a drum kit donated by
Skins-N-Tins Drum Shop. All bands taking part in the event will be
able to sell their CDs.
Please visit
www.prairiecrossroadsblues.org/ibc_challenge13.html to find out
more about our event and other rules for competing bands. Deadline
to enter is Tuesday, September 25, 2012. Event start time will be
determined by the number of bands competing.
Mississippi Valley Blues Society -
Davenport, IA
The Mississippi Valley Blues Society
presents Studebaker John and the Hawks on Sunday, September 16, at
5:30 at Martinis on the Rock ((34th Street and Blackhawk Road, Rock Island).Admission is $5 for
members of the Mississippi Valley Blues
Society or $8 for non-members (membership applications will be
available at the door), or FREE for all participants in the
September 16 Bikes and Blues Fun Run.
September 16 is the last chance to participate in the 2012 Bikes and
Blues Fun Run presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. The
Fun Run will start at Ducky's Lagoon (Andalusia, IL) and wrap up at
Martini's on the Rock (Rock Island, IL) with stops at Buelahs (New
Boston, IL), The Pub (Oquawka, IL), and Beer Belly's (Aledo, IL) in
between. Cost is $5 per rider entry and will include admission to
see Studebaker John and the Hawks at Martinis. Entry to Fun Run
starts with check-in between 10:30 am - noon (last bike out at noon)
at Ducky's Lagoon in Andalusia, IL. Last bike must be in at 5:00
p.m. at Martini's on the Rock in Rock Island, IL to be eligible for
card drawings and door prizes. All vehicles welcome! For more
information on events presented by the The Mississippi Valley Blues
Society visit: www.mvbs.org ; or
email mvbs@mvbs.org .
West Virginia Blues Society
- Charleston, W.V.
The West Virginia Blues Society will hold its Sixth Annual Blues
Competition on October 13, 2012 at The Sound Factory, 812 Kanawha
Blvd. Charleston, WV 25301. Blues bands, solo/duo and a Youth
Division blues acts will compete for cash prizes and WVBS
sponsorship to the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge
held in Memphis, Tennessee. Jan. 29 - Feb 2 - Jan 2013.
CONTACT PERSON FOR COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS: Complete information, application & rules are available online at www.wvbluessociety.org . Deadline for application submission is September 21, 2012. For more information contact Competition Director, Mike Price at 304-389-5535 or e-mail: utauka@hotmail.com or Jack Rice at bkravenhawk@gmail.com.
Decatur Blues Society -
Decatur, IL
Decatur Blues Society will hold their annual "Road to Memphis" blues
challenge on Sept 22, 2012. Open to both band and solo/duo. Winning
band and winning solo/duo will represent the Decatur Blues Society
in the International Blues Challenge held in Memphis in Jan 2013.
Entry forms and complete info can be found at
www.decaturblues.org.
Minnesota Blues Society - St.
Paul, MN
The Minnesota Blues Society presents 2012 Minnesota Hall of Fame
inductees. MnBS
would like to congratulate this years' honorees: Big Walter Smith,
"Blues Performer"; James Samuel "Cornbread" Harris, Sr., "Blues
Legend"; Dan Schwalbe, "Blues Sideman"; Electric Fetus, "Supportive
of the Blues (non-performer)"; Cyn Collins, "West Bank Boogie",
"Blues Art and Literature"; Lamont Cranston, "Tiger in your Tank",
"Blues Recording"; Will Donicht, "Blues on the Bank", "Blues
Song".
2012 Minnesota Hall of Fame event will be held, Sun, Oct 14,
Wilebski's Blues Saloon, St. Paul. Mn details to follow @
www.mnbs.org
Ventura County
Blues Society - Ventura, CA
Ventura County Blues Society - All members of the VCBS with I.D.
receive $5. off the price of admission for the Blues, Brews And BBQ
Blues Festival on Sunday, September 16 in Mission Park, Ventura,
Calif. featuring sets by The Fabulous Thunderbirds; Walter Trout;
Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers; Chris Cain; Crossfire (Stevie Ray
Vaughn Tribute band); and Michael John and the Bottom Line. Go to
www.californiabeerfestival.com to purchase tickets and for more
information. CBF event proceeds benefit DARC (Dyslexia Awareness And
Resource Center) and the Gen Giammaco Foundation.
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Featured
Blues Review 3 of 5
 Eddie
Shaw and the 757 Allstars - Still Riding High
Stringtown Records
12
songs; 48:30 minutes
Styles:
Traditional Electric Chicago Blues
When
stellar lead musicians rise, so do those who join them onstage. Pete
Townshend and Michael Jackson may have been the suns in their bands’
universe, for example, but who’d ever forget Keith Moon and his flying
drumsticks or Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo in the middle of “Beat It”?
In the blues world, Eddie Shaw is a saxophone star orbiting the late,
great Howlin’ Wolf. Originally from Bolivar County, Mississippi, Shaw
rose to become one of the most noted names in Chicago blues. Teaming up
with the 757 Allstars, a grassroots group of fourteen artists aiming to
revive the blues scene in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, Shaw wants
to show the world he’s “Still Riding High” at 75 years old! His latest
album includes eleven original songs and one bonus track, Fernando
Jones’ “I Need a Pretty Woman.” Three of them specifically showcase
these show-people’s skills:
Track 01:
“Sack Full of Blues”--This effervescent instrumental will lift
listeners’ spirits as it begins the CD. Bill Kelly’s bouncy bass,
perfected by his fifty years of playing it, will help anyone dancing
along to make sure their fast feet don’t miss a beat. Hugh “Chuck”
Williams, a Vietnam veteran and saxophone player for Albert Collins, is
also featured here. “Sack Full of Blues” and the eleventh track, “Rock
This House,” are like bookends: their themes match, and they reinforce
one another’s party vibe!
Track
04--“Paris in the Fall”-- France’s sophisticated capital is not usually
associated with the blues, but that doesn’t stop vocalist Bruce Gray
from loving it “most of all” when autumn rolls around. He esteems it
above “New Orleans, good gumbo soup and cabbage greens!” This reviewer
would like to coin a new term, “saxduction,” for what Shaw does here
with the sultry sounds of his favorite brass horn. However, Thomas
Fisher’s tinkling piano notes are what call colored leaves cascading
through the air to mind!
Track 07:
“Blues Dues”-- Jackie Scott, executive producer of this album and
prominent chanteuse in her own right, provides vocals on this masterful
slow-blues ballad. She pays remarkable attention to her phrasing--which
musical notes she holds, and for how long. Listening closely, lyrics
lovers will rediscover that not every word in a song deserves equal
emphasis. The effect is chilling: one of a soul in torment, but trying
to make the best of perdition. Paying “Blues Dues” along with Scott are
Thomas Fisher on piano, Mark Hopkins on guitar along with Rich Ridolfino.
In the CD
liner notes, Jackie comments: “Howlin’ Wolf asked Eddie to continue the
tradition of blues. It’s been 60 years of blues for Eddie Shaw, and he’s
still carrying the torch!”
Reviewer Rainey Wetnight is a 32 year old female Blues
fan. She brings the perspective of a younger blues fan to reviews. A
child of 1980s music, she was strongly influenced by her father’s blues
music collection.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
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Featured Blues Review 4 of 5
 Joanne
Shaw Taylor - Almost Always Never
12 Tracks 62:32
On June 4, 2012, Annie Lennox, performed her song “There Must Be An
Angel” in front of Buckingham Palace for the British Queen Elizabeth's
Diamond Jubilee concert. At three minutes in, as the huge orchestra
begins rocking out, Lennox turned to the band for a lead guitar solo and
millions of people all over the world saw a blonde vision in a white
suit with angel wings step forward and deliver a stunning solo on a Les
Paul.
Many people watching probably said, (using the title of another of
Lennox’s songs )“Who’s That Girl”? Some of us already knew. It was
British guitar sensation Joanne Shaw Taylor. ( See the video here
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtNJ0lKwfLk).
Joanne is still in her mid-twenties and has hundreds of live
performances behind her. In 2010, she won the Female Vocalist award in
the British Blues Awards (BBA). Her previous albums were 2009’s White
Sugar, (nominated for Best Debut in the 2009 Blues Blast Music
Awards) and 2010’s Diamonds In The Dirt both of which peaked at
number 8 in the US Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. In the 2011 British
Blues Awards, Taylor won both the Female Vocalist and Songwriter of the
Year, the latter for her track "Same As It Never Was" from her album,
Diamonds In The Dirt. She is a nominee for Female Vocalist in the 2012
BBAs.
They say that the third album is the most difficult to do. It has to be
a balancing act between maintaining a trajectory and the dangers
inherent in repeating the sounds and styles of the first two. Well, no
problem here.
Joanne wisely chose to make the album in Austin, TX, under the
supervision and direction of producer Mike McCarthy (Patty Griffin,
Spoon) and with David Garza (keyboards), Billy White (bass/slide guitar)
and J.J. Johnson (drums). Although as usual Joanne’s song writing skills
are to the fore, she seems to be plowing a new furrow.
The songs are often filed with angst and hints at failed relationships
(You Should Stay, I Should Go) and with a general theme of broken
hearts. The whole is leavened with some outstanding guitar work from the
thrashing “Soul Station” to the beautiful, and thoughtful work on “Army
Of One” to say nothing of the beautiful solo on “Jealousy” – one of the
very best! (Joanne told me in a recent interview that the songs are not
autobiographical, they are merely what came out when she sat down to
write.)
As always this CD is a showcase of Joanne's immense skill as a blues
rock guitar player but her songwriting is poetic and articulate and
presages a new age by an artist simply head and shoulders above the
rest. Her voice has a timbre and a maturity that belies her years and as
a lyricist she is “almost always never” to be beaten. Outstanding. Get
it today.
Reviewer
Ian McKenzie is English and is the editor of Blues In The South, [http://www.bluesinthesouth.com]
a monthly blues information publication. He is the producer/ host of two
blues radio shows Blues Before Midnight on KCOR (Kansas City Online
Radio: www.kconlineradio.com)
Fridays; and Wednesday's Even Worse on Phonic FM (www.phonic.fm)
alternate Wednesdays.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
Featured Blues Review 5 of
5
 J.
Sintoni – A Better Man
Self Release 2012
10 tracks; 46.48 minutes
J. Sintoni is a 38 year old Italian who has been playing the blues in
Italy since his early twenties and has played with or opened for
American artists as diverse as Poppa Chubby, Grayson Capps and John
Hammond. This is his second CD and it is good to see that all the
material is original. J. (we are not told his actual name) provides all
guitars and vocals, Andrea Taravelli plays bass and Carmine Bloisi
drums. Electric piano is added to two tracks by Andrea Spadaro. All
lyrics are in English and J. sings well with almost no trace of accent.
The album was recorded in Italy in 2011 and is available from CD Baby.
The opening track “A Better Man” sets the tone for the album with
tasteful guitar and a solid rhythm section providing good support. J’s
lyrics here are fine but on the second track he falls into what, for me,
is the main weakness of the album, lyrics that are really too ‘wordy’.
The opening lines are a good example: “I keep on falling to this earth
from the perfect skies of my dreams; every morning you save my life
protecting me from the ground of reality”. The music to this song
(entitled “Don’t Wanna Be Nice”) is more aggressive in style although
much of the album is quieter, as demonstrated by “Consequence” which has
some delightful guitar that recalls Mark Knopfler. The one track on
which J. collaborates in the writing is “The Lady Is A Carpenter (Hot
Glue)” which I found quite odd in terms of the lyrics, the ‘hot glue’ of
the subtitle apparently being the lady carpenter’s preference over
screws. The song also lists several types of wood that a carpenter might
use – not your usual blues lyrics! The music however, is certainly blues
with some strong King influences, both Albert and BB to my ears.
The album continues with “Love Should Never Lose” which is a classic
slow blues tune. There is a little more evidence of overwriting the
lyrics but the playing is excellent. “Good Vibe” is an instrumental with
a stop/start rhythm and a wah-wah solo before we hear “The Wish” which
again has some superb, restrained guitar with a touch of latin feel.
“Get Down” sounds like a song that will fill the dance floor but is in
fact a ballad introduced by acoustic guitar before a country influenced
electric guitar appears. A nice tune and a lyric that is exemplified by
the chorus: “All we need is to get down and walk like a simple man”.
“Two Feet” is back in blues territory with a nice shuffle and the album
closes with a long instrumental entitled “Song For Stevie And Jimi”
which, not surprisingly, sounds like “Little Wing” meets “Riviera
Paradise”, all very well played and quite fun to listen for the SRV and
Hendrix tricks. There is also a short hidden track with a spoken
(female) vocal over some background acoustic slide guitar.
J. Sinoni is an accomplished guitarist who demonstrates here a mastery
of several styles within and beyond the blues. The CD is well recorded
and produced and merits serious consideration from those who enjoy well
played blues and rock at the lighter end of the spectrum.
Reviewer
John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast
based in the UK. He also travels to the States most years to see live
blues music and enjoyed the Tampa Bay Blues Festival in April.
For other reviews and interviews on our website
CLICK HERE
|
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