Blogcritic Review: Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Pay Me No MInd

Blogcritic has a review of the new release by the Homemade Jamz Blues Band. The band is pretty cool it is made up of kids! To read the review click HERE. To see there webpage Click HERE.

Blogcritic Review: Mississippi Heat, Hattisburg Blues

Delmark recording artist Mississippi Heat has their latest release reviewed in Blogcritic. Click HERE for a great review.

Blogcritic Review: Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, and Autour Du Blue

A new DVD is out that features American blues performers Larry Carlton and Robben Ford, with a French all star blues band, Autour Du Blues. To check out the Blog Critic review Click HERE. The only real complaint I have here, is once again the old argument that Europe loves the blues and America ignores it. Certainly it is a dry market right now for blues, but it is ebb and flow. It certainly is ebb and flow in Europe as well. The blues has never gone away here, and I am sure the blues is going to have a banner year this summer.

Blog Critic Review: Eddie Tigner, Slippin In

BlogCritic has a review of Eddie Tigner's, Slippin In. Tigner is one of those old bluesmen that is still out there doing it. He is 80 years young and when I looked at his myspace page and listened to his music he reminded me greatly of my dear old friend Jimmy Pryor. To read the review Click HERE. To listen to his music check out his myspace page HERE.

Bob Corritore Interview

Wow! Blogcritic is two for two with great interviews with guys that are working hard to keep the blues going. Not only is Bob an outstanding musician, but he has really done a great job building the blues scene in Phoenix, and promoting blues all over the country. Click HERE to read the Blogcritic interview.

Blog Critic: Otis Rush 1956-58 The Cobra Recordings

A review of a reissue of Otis Rush's recordings from Cobra. I have a similar release of Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. It is some great stuff. This is a must buy if you like Chicago Blues.

To Check out the Review Click HERE.

Interesting Take On Blues History

I found this Blogcritic article on Memphis being the home of the blues. The main idea of the article isn't so much the claim to Memphis being the birthplace of the blues, but it is about the ups and downs of Beale Street, and the relationship between Joni Mitchell and Furry Lewis, and her song Furry's Sings The Blues which deals with the decay of Beale. I think what the author probably dosent realize is that there were hard feelings in Memphis among the black community over how Beale Street was revitilized and turned into the Disneyland of the blues. Many of the old buildings were torn down, or false facades were place over them. I suppose in away it is progress, because unlike other African American business districts that had blues and jazz, it still exists.

Blog Critic: Lurrie Bell Interview

Lurrie Bell has had a rough year. Both his father and wife died within months of each other. However, Lurrie carries on. Read an interview that Bell gave to Blogcritic HERE.

Blog Critic: Bassekou Kouyate And Ngoni Ba, Sequ Blue

Interesting review from Blogcritic, about Bassekou Kouyate And Ngoni Ba, and their new release, Sequ Blue. Bassekou is considered one of the best Ngoni (a precursor of the Banjo) players in the world. You could also compare this music as pre-blues, or perhaps prototype blues:-) Either way it is an interesting read. Check out the review HERE.

Blogcritic: Joe Bonamassa, Sloe Gin

Sometimes I wonder just what the reviewers are smoking, when I wade through their reviews! This review from blogcritic (click here) is 80% about the reviewer, blogcritic, and the BC podcast. Oh yeah, and then two paragraphs about Joe's CD. Boy, I bet Joe is happy about that review:-) I haven't heard the disc, so I can't help you with any details. However, as I always say if you are a fan of Joe's buy the CD!!! Blues cats are having hard times right now. Think about how to make a living when gas is 3-4 dollars a gallon!!!! Add on top of that people that download your music for free! Personally I don't mind if you download my original music, since I need the exposure, but guys who have press already need the money. SO QUIT STEALING THEIR MUSIC!!! Steal mine instead:-)

Blogcritic: Sleepy John Estes, Sleepy John Estes On The Chicago Blues Scene

Blogcritic has a review of a Delmark Reissue of Sleepy John Estes. This recording features Carey Bell, Sunnyland Slim, and Jimmy Dawkins. For more info check out the review from Blogcritic HERE.

Blogcritic: Big Mama Thorton, Big Mama Thorton

It appears that Vanguard has reissued some Big Mama Thorton songs. For a full review check out dependable Blogcritic HERE.

Blogcritic: Geroge Thorogood And The Destroyers, Bad To The Bone,25th Anniversary Edition

Blog Critic has a review of the 25th Anniversary release of Bad To The Bone, by George Thorogood. Thorogood certainly had a hot streak going, back in the early 80s and this release covers it all. It is a great review so to read it Click HERE.

Blogcritic: DVD Review, Marvin Gaye: Greatest Hits Live

A great buy, and a great review from Blogcritic, about the new DVD release of Marvin Gaye: Greatest Hits Live. It comes from concert footage from 1976 probably at the hight of Marvin Gaye's popularity before fading until his brief comeback in the early 80s with Sexual Healing. To check out the review Click HERE.

Blog Critic: Chaka Khan, Funk This

Chaka Khan is back!!! After ten years she is soon to release a new CD, and at least according to Blog Critic, it sounds great! Check out the review HERE.

Blog Critic: Stacy Mitchhart Gotta Get The Feeling Back

An interesting review of Stacy Mitchhart's new release Gotta Get The Feeling Back. Mitchhart is from Cincinatti and plays delta style guitar. It is a great review so check it out HERE.

Blogcritic: Robben Ford, Truth

Another review from Blogcritic, this time on Robben Ford's latest release Truth. Read all about it HERE.

UPDATE
Just received an email from On Target Media. They are handling The online promotion for Truth. Click on This LINK, at download.com to listen to Ford's latest release.

Part Two Blog Critic Interview With Karen Hanson

Here is part two of an excellent interview with blues author Karen Hanson. I highly suggest that you check out her blog, and buy her book!

Blogcritic: Gina Sicilia, Allow Me To Confess

A new blues artist Gina Sicilia got a great review from blogcritc. I have no clue who she is, but I have to admit that I agree with most of what was written at the beginning of the review.

From Blogcritic:

I know this might come across as some sort of reverse ageism, but I've always wondered how a twentysomething musician could legitimately sing the Blues? That's a pretty pejorative statement I know, but looking at some of these guys with their perfect teeth, expensive leather jackets and fancy guitars, nothing anyone tells me is going to convince me they know what the Blues are.

Oh technically they've got the chops; they can play guitar, blow harmonica, and sing, but a machine can be programmed to do most of the same things. I was very deliberate about saying guys because for every new woman Blues singer that comes along, there seems to be about twenty young turks, who in spite of having no real affinity for the music call, are called Blues musicians.

If I have to hear another CD of some young white guy singing misogynistic songs about hot chicks, being dumped, dumping someone, or "hey babe let's have a good time", I might puke. I know a lot of old time Blues guys sing "done me wrong songs" but there's a big difference. Those old time songs were vehicles that most readily expressed the emotions that the Blues evoked and weren't really about the topic of the song. With the young guys today it unfortunately comes across like they really mean what they are saying in the songs instead of only using them to express a universal emotion.

Now, I don't think that is universally true. We have had a couple of players, Jake Torkleson, and Matt Woods, who know the blues and are young guys. In fact, Jake lived the blues as a kid when he was deathly ill from Leukemia. However, for the most part young guys don't have a clue. I certainly didn't have a clue until my early 30s, and even then it was and still is a learning process.

Yet, I regress the article is a review of Gina Sicilla, and according to the review she has a fine disc out there. To read the review click here.

UPDATE

Here is her Myspace page. I am listening to her stuff right now, and it is really good:-)

Blog Critic Review: North Mississippi All Stars

A new band to me, but obviously a band that has been around for awhile. They have a couple of releases and have played with many of the RL Burnside family, including the legendary RL himself. Blog Critic has a review of their New DVD Keep On Marching which was released yesterday June 26th 2007. It sounds like a fun disc. If you happen to see it you should pick it up to see some interesting Mississippi hill country blues.