New Blues Review 7-30-24
By Jack Roy
Bloodest Saxophone – Extreme Heat (Moondogg)
Bio – “Formed in Tokyo, the jump blues & swing band, BLOODEST SAXOPHONE has been playing old-school vintage sounds since 1998. The group’s leader, Young Corn Shintaro, established the band with the ambition “to rule the world with the saxophone.” Young Corn Shintaro says “Jump Blues and Swing Jazz bring out the soul of the tenor saxophone, especially when jumpin’’.
The group does not think of themselves as playing old music but instead just time traveled from the days when Illinois Jacquet and Arnett Cobb were around. Their first album “Blood-est” was released in 2003; to date they have released 12 albums and appeared on 18 compilations. Their music has been enchanting not only old school blues/jazz lovers but also rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly fans and mods alike; the band’s fiery performance at the event “Mods May Day” is a history. At the end of 2018, the band reunited with the singer Crystal Thomas, one of the featured singers on their album “Texas Queens 5” and successfully toured Japan and Hong Kong. In 2019, they welcomed Chrystal again to play Fuji Rock Festival, a full show to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Blues & Soul Records Magazine at Shibuya Club Quattro, as well as Setouchi Beach Jam in Onomichi city, Hiroshima, and the Memphis Brothers, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. In 2019, they once again flew to Austin and played East Side King Festival.”
Review – This is what happens when you bring together an amazing instrumental band and a superb vocalist, magic. This japan based band includes Koda Shinatro on Sax, Aoki Keita on Baritone Sax, Flute, Shuji on Guitar, Masa on Bass, Kiminori on Drums and of course the amazing voice of Crystal Thomas. Classic Jazz/Blues sounds from Bloodest Saxophone covering some great classics like Curtis Mayfield’s “I Don’t Need You No More”, Stone’s “Undercover Of The Night”, The classic “Dinah” covered by so many great artists over the years. The great thing about this band is that they make each cover their own. There is a great Johnnie Taylor Medley that includes “Just A Happy Song”, I love To Make Love When It’s Raining” and “Hello Sundown”. Such good melody lines filled with horns and choruses throught out this album. So Good. I think my favorite on this CD is “Mailman’s Sack”, really showcases Crystal’s voice, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10++ on Music Content.
Amanda Fish – Kingdom (Moondogg)
Bio – “The story goes that when they were younger, the Kansas City based Fish sisters (Amanda and Samantha) would head to separate rooms to practice; Samantha on guitar and older sibling Amanda to refine her vocals. Blues rock fans know that Samantha has since become one of the foremost performers in her field, releasing a stream of increasingly popular recordings since 2011s debut. While Amanda has been less visible or productive, her two albums created enough attention to nab prestigious blues honors including 2019s Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist. Although sister Samantha is no slouch as a singer, Amanda’s voice is deeper, rougher and more potent. Her gruffer attack perfectly reflects the darker lyrics driving these bluesy, frequently dusky, introspective, indie sizzlers.”
Review – I was very pleasantly surprised by this CD from Amanda. I got to see her very early in career in Memphis and she would try to following in her older sister’s footsteps and it wasn’t great. She has now found her own way. I like her voice so much better than Samantha’s voice, kind of more soulful and little Janis Joplin like. Lots of different musicians contributed to this album, but the consistent on is guitarist Terry Midkiff that provides most of the Rhythm Guitar and some Slide playing. Some of the tunes that stood out to my ear were “Mockingbird”, “Sell The Record” and “Work” that provides the killer harmonica from Richard Rosenblatt but I think my favorite on this CD is “Kingdom” mainly because it has the hill country sound, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and a 9 on Music Content.
Quinn DeVeaux – Leisure (Moondogg)
Bio – “A teenaged Quinn DeVeaux, raised on a healthy diet
of his mom’s 80s R&B favorites and dad’s classic rock leanings, left his hometown of Gary, Indiana, and was driving across the country when he really heard Muddy Waters for the first time. He
recalls, “I couldn’t believe it. Didn’t seem real – that bone-raw emotion.” Quinn was no stranger to the important legacy of American roots music; it was entwined with his
family’s heritage. His jazz singer grandmother mentored him on church songs and harmonies and nudged him into piano lessons. His uncle booked shows in northern Indiana, coaxing the likes of Chicago-based blues giant Howlin’ Wolf 30 miles south to Gary. By the time Quinn started digging into Chess Records artists like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, he was accepting a call to action. And like any good legend, DeVeaux left home for the wider world: first to Kansas, then to Olympia, Washington, to attend Evergreen State College, and a brief stint in Los Angeles (immortalized in his 2013 ebullient kiss-off “Left This Town”), before finding a spiritual home in San Francisco. By the time he began sharpening his performance and songwriting chops through Bay-area cover bands.”
Review – Such a classic Soul Voice on Quinn with a nice Blues flavor about his music. This is such a laid back album, the songs are well written and the melody of each tune is not to cause tension but to sit back and enjoy. Each tune brings up images of life, such as “USA”, “Many Days” and “I Wanna Know”, such a great story teller. I would probably put him in the category of singer/songwriter but he definitely has a nice Bluesy sound about him. I think my favorite on this CD is “Little Bit More”, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and a 10+ on Music Content.
The Harlem Gospel Travelers – Rhapsody (Moondogg)
Bio – “Starting in the mid-1960s, local gospel groups and singers began incorporating elements of popular soul and funk styles and in 2006, Chicago-based reissue label Numero Group released Good God! A Gospel Funk Hymnal. HGT’s longtime friend and mentor Eli “Paperboy Reed” approached the group with the idea of digging through the Numero catalog and recording some of the gospel funk material, reinterpreted in their own way—from the high-energy, old-school soul of “God’s Been Good to Me” to the hip-hop-inflected “Get Involved.” The Harlem Gospel Travelers story began when Gatling and Marage met while studying under Reed’s tutelage. The group put out their debut LP, ‘He’s On Time’, to rave reviews in 2019, earning them high profile fans like Elton John and landing them festival slots everywhere from Pilgrimage to Telluride Jazz. Originally a quartet, they brought in Bailey and reconfigured as a trio prior to recording Look Up!, their first album of all original material. At a moment when the world is reconsidering the concepts of genre and category and who’s allowed to participate in which traditions, HGT are squarely on the cultural pulse. “We always found it difficult to stay in this one lane of what people think gospel is supposed to be,” says Gatling. “This record allowed us to hear people that were innovators in their own time, pushing how gospel music sounded, and now we’ve created this project that is message-wise gospel, but the feeling and the sound can be whatever you want it to be.”
Review – Another Treat of fabulous voices for this week, the Harlem Gospel Travelers have such a classic voice to bring you back to Church! The Travelers are Ifedayo, George Marage and Dennis Keith Brailey III. The band includes Eli Reed on Guitar, Jesse Barnes on Bass, Noah Rubin on Drums & Percussion, Gregory Kelly on Keys and Asher Bethune on Tambourine. Kind of like Funk meets Gospel, this is a really interesting album that I love more the more I listen to it. All the songs are wonderful, but songs like “Ever Since”, “Somebody’s Watching You” and “Jesus Rhapsody, Pt. 1 all stood out to me as winners. I think my favorite on this CD is “God’s Been Good To Me”, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and a 10+ on Music Content.
Campbell Brothers – Innova (Moondogg)
Bio – “The Campbell Brothers present Sacred Steel: African-American gospel music with electric steel guitar and vocal. This tradition emerges from the House of God Keith Dominion Church, where for over sixty years it has been an integral part of worship and a vital, if little known, American tradition. As the music moves from sanctuary to concert hall — including the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, SF Jazz, North Seat Jazz, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Symphony Space — secular audiences are now able to appreciate a performance both devoted and rocking. Pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell (2004 National Heritage Fellowship recipient) is one of the finest in this tradition. Rounding out the band, which has been playing together for nearly two decades, is a high-energy rhythm section featuring brother Phil Campbell on electric guitar, his son Carlton on drums, and bassist Daric Bennett. Classic, gutsy gospel vocals by Denise Brown, Tiffany Godette and/or Joyce “Cinnamon” Brown bring the ensemble to a level of energy and expression that defies description. The Campbell Brothers present a compelling, rich variety of material from the African-American Holiness-Pentecostal repertoire with a new twist: the growling, wailing, shouting, singing and swinging voice of the steel guitar, played as you have never heard it played before.”
Review – I have seen the Campbell Brothers a few times at festivals and they are always on fire!! I would go to Church every Sunday if I could find one that played Sacred Steel. And I love Denise Brown, Tiffany Godette and Joyce Brown’s voice! While the Campbell Brothers are not quite as flashy as Robert Randolph, they do bring authentic Sacred Steel to each performance. All the tunes are filled with words of Peace and Love but I think my favorite on this CD is “Love Like Him”, listen here. I will give this an 8 on Blues Content and a 10+ on Music Content.
