New Blues Adds – 1/5/2015
New Blues News – 1/5/2015
Linsey Alexander – Come Back Baby (Delmark): Singer, songwriter, guitarist Alexander has been actively performing blues in Chicago for over 20 years. Originally known as the “Hoochie Man”, he keeps his salty, shady and sassy sense of humor right out front throughout much of this set. The band is super tight and sounds great! Alexander wrote 11 of the 13 songs on this release. In addition to his sharp guitar, he uses his full-size voice to great advantage. The band includes Breezy Rodio (g), Roosevelt Purifoy (keys), Greg McDaniel (b) and Pooky Stix (d) and is augmented at times by Ryan Nyther (trumpet), Bill McFarland (trombone), Chris Neal (sax) and Billy Branch (harp). The overall sound is very smooth and representative of the best soulful blues to come out of Chicago. Definitely recommended for lovers of the uptown sound! Click here for a sample from the disc. One of the straight bluesiest tracks!
Buzzard Hollow Boys – Crow Soup & Other Roadside Delicacies, Made Easy (Buzzard Hollow Music): The hometown Buzzard Hollow Boys are back with another solid round of living in the old time country-scape and this time they wrote six of the nine-courses they’re serving up! Tim Anderson (Vox, acoustic guitar, banjo), Jeff Saine (lap steel, keys, percussion), Sonny Layne (b), and Kurt Dressel (elec guitar) added a little help from Barry Slayton (tuba) and Matt Wyatt (percussion, field recordings) to spice things up with a slightly different flavor. The disc begins with two oldies – “Old Pipeliner” by Moon Mullican and Tommy Johnson’s “Maggie Campbell” before strutting out their original material, starting with the old timey “In The Cool Of The Evening”, on which TA sounds like a young-ish Tom Waits (though I don’t think he thinks so) and then a very familiar sound on “Tennessee Blues”. If you haven’t heard this group already, I’m guessing you don’t live in Cville or are confined in a hospital or jail setting, but in any case, there’s no time like the present to start. Listen to it and it WILL become a part of your psyche! BTW, did you know that TA and Kurt are both former “Nothing But The Blues” hosts on TJU? There’s no conflict of interest here though – these guys are great and so is this disc! Click here for a collection of live performances!
Jon Spear Band – Old Soul (Self-produced): This Shenandoah blues group who recorded this disc in Scottsville features Jon Spear (guitar, vox), Dara James (guitar, vox), Andy Burdetsky (bs), and one time Charlottesville Blues Allstars’ drummer John Stubblefield, and as a special treat, saxophonist Ron Holloway guests on the title track with his outstanding, signature sound. The band plays a country-soul-blues fusion with clean sound and natural vocals that connect with listeners. They are tightly in sync on this grouping of nine originals and a solid performance of Bob Geddins’ “Tin Pan Alley”. The lyrics are a high point of the original songs: good narratives and wit, for example “It’s the early bird that gets the worm, but the SECOND mouse gets the cheese.” Mostly these are tales of a guy who’s been down in the swamp with witches, reincarnations, even the Devil himself… and he’s got stories to tell! BTW, they’ll be at Miller’s on January 12! Click here for a live performance of a song from this disc.
New Soul Adds:
Roy “C” – Slippin & Slidin (Three Gems): Medium and slow tempo soul songs abound on this disc. Roy “C” wrote, arranged and produced all of the songs, but this appears to be a retrospective as the back cover lists its publishing date as 2002. The style, including lots of love-enticing or -making with synth strings a-plenty, was and, in some areas, still is quite popular. It’s probably most effective on the dance floor as the many repeated choruses clearly weaken the song’s impact (unless you are clutching your partner while it’s playing). Standout tunes include the medium tempo “He Walked Away” and the racial commentary “Something Is Wrong With Us”. Click here for a sample performance by Roy C but note this song is NOT included on this disc.
Bobby Patterson – I Got More Soul! (Omnivore): Writer/producer/performer Patterson has been active in the music business since the ’60’s, but has never broken through the “hit barrier” as a performer. This disc is a labor of respect and love to spread the word that this artist was unjustly overlooked. Patterson wrote or co-wrote eight of the ten songs on this disc. The sound is mostly the churning funky approach taken by Willie Mitchell (think Al Green with an extra slice of country funk). The band includes Zach Ernst (g), Danny Freeman (g), Scott Nelson (b), Matthew Strmiska (d), Ian Varley (keys), Jason Frey (tenor), Derek Phelps (trumpet), and Joseph Woullard (baritone sax) and they create a terrific environment for Patterson’s soulful vocals. In addition to the title song, standouts include “Can You Feel Me?”, “Your Love Belongs Under A Rock”, and Sly Stewart’s “Poet”, but this is a strong disc throughout – bona fide classic soul! Check it out – you have been told! Click here to hear the title tune for this disc.
