New Blues Review -5-20-25
By Jack Roy
Little Feat – Strike Up The Band (Hot Tomato)
Bio – “The members of Little Feat 2021 are: Bill Payne, Keyboards and Vocals; Sam Clayton, Percussion and Vocals; Fred Tackett, Guitars and Vocals, Kenny Gradney, Bass; Scott Sharrard, Guitars and Vocals; and Tony Leone, drums. Scott joined in 2019, Tony in 2020. Lots more on them later, but for now…. Little Feat is very possibly the last-man-standing example of what used to be the norm in American music, a fusion of a broad span of styles and genres into something utterly distinctive. They combined earthy, organic material with first-rate musicianship in a combination that transcends boundaries. Feat took California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly, and New Orleans swamp boogie and more, stirred it into a rich gumbo, and has been leading people in joyful dance ever since. It all began in 1969 when Frank Zappa was smart enough to fire Lowell George from the Mothers of Invention and tell him to go start a band of his own. The late Paul Barrere, Feat’s long-time guitarist, wrote a few years back of how Lowell “came to the front door of the Laurel Canyon house I was livin’ in, with that beautiful white ‘p’ bass in hand, and asked if I wanted to try out as bass player for his new band. As most who know the story’s end can tell you, as a bassist I make an excellent guitarist…” Actually, there were quite a number of bass players that first year—that seat took a while to fill. George first settled on keyboard wizard Bill Payne, then added drummer Richie Hayward and bassist Roy Estrada (also a Zappa vet). They were quickly signed by Warner Bros. and began working on the first of twelve albums with that venerable company. The name was part of the legend. A member of the Mothers happened to mention Lowell’s small feet to him “with an expletive,” said Paul Barrere. “Lowell deleted the expletive, and the name was born with Feat instead of Feet, just like the Beatles. Neat, huh?” The first album, Little Feat, featured the instant-classic tune “Willin’,” and the follow-up Sailin’ Shoesadded “Easy to Slip,” “Trouble,” “Tripe Face Boogie,” “Cold Cold Cold” and the title track to their repertoire, as well as a new version of “Willin’” that took it from pure Lowell to a fully-developed band tune. Estrada departed, and the band signed up (on guitar!) Paul Barrere, Kenny Gradney (bass), and Sam Clayton (percussion), and the latter remain rock-solid members of Little Feat’s rhythm section. 1973’s Dixie Chickengave them the title track and “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” as good a blues as any rock band has ever written. The hits kept coming: the title track from Feats Don’t Fail Me Now(1974), which also gave us “Rock and Roll Doctor,” “Spanish Moon,” and “Oh, Atlanta,” another Southern-based winner (pretty good for a bunch of guys from L.A.!). 1975 saw The Last Record Albumand “All That You Dream.” In 1977, Time Loves a Herodelivered the classic title song, and their career to that point was summed up with the live Waiting for Columbus, truly one of the best live albums rock has ever heard. Success is hard. It cost Feat their founder, Lowell George, who in 1979 took a break from working on Down on the Farmto do some solo dates and was struck down by a heart attack. And it cost the band, temporarily, their joy; shortly after, they disbanded. In 1986, Barrere and Payne met up in a chance jam session and found that they could still find that inspiration. What they had written in ”Hangin’ On To The Good Times Here“— ”…although we went our own ways, we couldn’t escape from where we came, so we find ourselves back at the table again, telling stories of survivors and friends”—was of course true, as with any righteous song. In 1988 they returned to the road, where they’ve been ever since (excepting the pandemic), joined by Craig Fuller on vocals and Fred Tackett on guitar. Let It Rollre-introduced them to the world and was followed by Representing the Mamboand then Shake Me Up. Craig left and Shaun Murphy joined in 1993; early in 2009 she departed the band. Live from Neon Park—the name choice was a tribute to the album cover artist most often associated with Feat— was a two-CD set taken from shows at legendary venues like San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium and Portland (Oregon)’s Roseland Ballroom. The studio albums Under The Radarand Chinese Work Songsadded new favorite songs, especially “Calling The Children Home” and “Just Another Sunday,” along with creative covers of Dylan, The Band, and Phish songs. In the early part of the new millennium, Feat started their own Hot Tomato Records and began to share their rich archives with their fans, producing the double CD collections of rarities Raw Tomatosand Ripe Tomatosfrom both fan and band tapes. 2002 also yielded Live From the Ram’s Head, a two-CD acoustic show, and in ’03 came Down Upon the Suwannee, a live show recorded on the banks of the river at the Magnolia Festival in northern Florida. Hot Tomato also gave the musicians the freedom to deliver solo work, as well, first with Fred Tackett’s In A Town Like This, and then Bill Payne’s Cielo Norte, an intimate, lyrical marriage of keyboards. ”
Review – They did it again, another fabulous album from Little Feat. It was a bit of a let down after their last Blues album, this CD is more Little Featish! I think the band was lucky, deserving, anointed? to get Scott Sharrad to join and sing. His voice is perfect for the Feat. Guitar playing, especially slide is on the level of Derek Trucks and Luther Dickinson. The rest of the band is phenomenal including Bill Payne on Keys, Kenny Gradney on Bass, the amazing Sam Clayton on percussion, Greg Tackett on Guitar, Mandolin and Trumpet and Tony Leone on Drums. All the songs are magic and bring me back to when “Waiting For Columbus first came out. Hard to find a favorite, but standouts for me were “Bayou Mama”, “Too High To Cut My Hair” and “Bluegrass Pines” with Molly Tuttle, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. I think my favorite is “4 Days Of Heaven 3 Days Of Work″, Little Feat Genre Song!!, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and a 10++ on Music Content.
Johnny Iguana – At Delmark (Delmark)
Bio – “Johnny Iguana, together with his longtime songwriting/producing partner JQ, is the composer of the original score for the hit FX/Hulu series “The Bear.” Chicago is Johnny’s home, but he’s still an East Coast kid at heart. He grew up in Philadelphia, where he studied piano from age eight and played piano and organ in blues bands from age 16. He moved to New York City at age 22, where he met one of his greatest musical heroes, Junior Wells. He was hired by Junior after auditioning live at the Boston House of Blues, and moved to Chicago in February 1994. He toured with the Junior Wells Band for three years, toured with Otis Rush and recorded with Carey (and Lurrie) Bell, Lil’ Ed and more. Johnny went on to play on Grammy-nominated albums by Junior Wells, Chicago Blues: A Living History and the Muddy Waters 100 Band, and he played all the piano on the “Chicago Plays the Stones” album (2018). Those releases saw Johnny play on record with Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Derek Trucks, Gary Clark Jr., Johnny Winter, Shemekia Copeland and more. After appearing on dozens of blues albums released by other artists, Johnny released his debut blues album as a leader, on the iconic Chicago label Delmark Records. “JOHNNY IGUANA’S CHICAGO SPECTACULAR!” features Lil’ Ed, John Primer, Billy Boy Arnold, Bob Margolin, Matthew Skoller, Billy Flynn, Kenny Smith, Bill Dickens and Michael Caskey. All along, Johnny has also had his own decidedly non-blues rock bands, sometimes playing his distinctively grimy overdriven organ. First came Stevie Lizard & His All-Reptile Orchestra (late ’90s). Then came the nationwide cult favorite oh my god (see discography and press quotes). His band Them vs. Them, formed with JQ of the Q Brothers, recorded and performed after that. The synth-fueled Software Giant came next. Since late 2010, Johnny has been recording and touring with his “garage cabaret” band the Claudettes. who started as a piano-drums instrumental duo with Michael Caskey. The Claudettes put out four releases on Yellow Dog Records and two on Forty Below Records. These album saw the Claudettes evolve into a vocal group featuring Zach Verdoorn on guitars and Yana, Berit Ulseth and now Rachel Williams as lead vocalist. On his blues tours and his tours with the Claudettes and oh my god, Johnny has played all over Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, all across Japan and in the Middle East. In 2021, Johnny earned a prestigious Blues Music Award nomination for Piano Player of the Year. In 2022, Johnny received a Living Blues Award nomination for Outstanding Musician: Keyboard. A short list of Johnny’s major musical inspirations: Otis Spann, Jay McShann, Ray Charles, Mose Allison, Bobby Timmons, Mike Watt, Bob Mould, Joe Strummer, Captain Beefheart and the near, dear, late, great Junior Wells. Johnny is a proud carrier of tradition (including the Chicago blues that uprooted him from his East Coast home and planted him firmly in the Windy City) but is even more proud to have developed abusive organ tones and a highly rhythmic, very “in-the-moment” piano style that sounds like no one else.”
Review – So straight up, I am not a huge fan of the piano. B3 Yes!, Piano No. But, I have to say this is a fun album. Trying to redo classics from people like Junior Wells, Magic Sam, Chuck Berry, AC/DC and Neil Young for example. I could only take about 10 mins at a time, but out of that my standouts were “Heart Of Gold” (Neil Young) and “Riff Raff” (AC/DC) but I think my favorite is “Messin’ With The Kid″, Junior Wells’ Classic, listen here. I will give this an 8 on Blues Content and a 9 on Music Content.
Allison August – August Moon (Momojo Records)
Bio – “Allison’s grandmother was a conductor and orchestra violinist; her grandfather – a first-chair cellist. Her father’s mother played guitar and sang cowboy songs. Her father taught jazz theory.And her mother is a concert pianist and celebrated composer. A musical legacy spanning four generations exposed her to a myriad of styles and influences. From childhood favorites like the Beatles, Elton John, Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, and Bessie Smith, she learned the basics of songwriting. Allison wrote her first songs at only nine years old. At thirteen, she joined her first band. High school brought paying gigs at private parties, school proms, and dive bars. In her college years, she linked up with a gifted group of musicians also finding their way into the scene – Dino Soldo, Bryan Head, and David J Carpenter. Together, they created Barebones, Allison’s first professional band, which quickly signed to Monster Music, and in 1996 released their debut album For the Mind, Body, And Soul… to critical acclaim. While Barebones was a short-lived project, her connection to this core group of trusted artists endured. In 2016 she reunited with David J Carpenter, Bryan Head, and Dino Soldo to release a new album. Encouraged by one of her biggest influences, Paul Barrere of Little Feat, the four songs he agreed to play on evolved into an entire album titled Holy Water. Coco Montoya, Greg Liesz, Josh Smith, and Lance Lopez also lend their talents to this soulful blues recording.”
Review – This is my first exposure to Allison and I am now a huge fan, her voice really reminds me Bonnie Raitt. Allison wrote most of the songs on this album and they are well written and composed in a nice mixture of genres spanning Rock, Country and Blues. The band is composed of many artists depending on Song, including Sam Meek, Paul Barrere and Billy Watts on Guitar, Mike Finnigan, Phil Parlapino on Keys, and Bryan Head, Tony Braunagel on Drums. Standouts for me were “Afraid Of Love”, “Blues Is My Religion” and “Honey Jar”. I think my favorite is the Funky Blues tune “I Won’t Say No″, guest vocalist Sugaray Rayford, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10+ on Music Content.
Blind Lemon Pledge – Lemon Live (Self Produced)
Bio – “ Blind Lemon Pledge (James Byfield) No joke here but a well-polished release that shines brilliantly !! Since 2008 this ragged , blues-voiced troubadour , guitarist , songwriter, poet and music library curator , from the San Francisco Bay Area , has donned the personae of one “Blind Lemon Pledge”. His musical career has included acclaimed solo albums and releases with his quintet , also named “Blind Lemon Pledge” . His original songs have won several awards and nominations in the blues ,folk, jazz, and gospel categories. The music of Blind Lemon Pledge has received international airplay and raves from fans and critics alike worldwide. Comedian Martin Mull sang a song he learned from his grandfather Blind Lemon Pledge: “I woke up this morning, Both my cars were gone. I woke up this morning, Both my cars were gone. I got so mad, I threw my drink across the lawn.” One critic compared his sound to “Muddy Waters meets Hoagy Carmichael meets Randy Newman meets Bob Dylan.” As Blind Lemon Pledge describes his music,”….A blend that is all my own . I have extremely eclectic musical tastes and this comes through in my song choice and in my writing . In my musical library you can find blues, country, folk, classical, various forms of jazz, Reggae and Soca , Rap , R&B , oldies , rock, synthesizer music , new wave , punk , World Music , etc. etc.””
Review – I have always said this guy has the greatest Blues name in the business. But music is just ok, this is a live performance but the music is at the level of open mic, in my opinion. I think these are fairly familiar songs, rewritten in some ways that take away from the songs. Guitar playing is very simple, Harmonica playing is super rudimentary. I know I am being a little to harsh on this guy, but I have heard a lot better stuff from him over the years. I think my favorite is “I Feel Like Goin’ Home”″, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and a 7 on Music Content.
Webb Wilder – Hillbilly Speedball (Landslide Records)
Bio – “McMurry was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He started playing guitar at the age of 12 and was playing in bands when he was 14. His aunt was Lillian McMurry, the founder of Trumpet Records. She mentored him and gave advice as he started in the music industry. With his groups like The Drapes, The Beatnecks, The Nashvegans, Wilder combines the straight-ahead rock & roll with surf guitar of the Ventures and twang of Duane Eddy, drawing on the feel of blues, R&B, country/rockabilly and film noir. His sound incorporated influence from Americana music as well as from the British Invasion. Wilder said that his music was progressive country. He has been signed to major labels and worked with independent labels. He has also hosted a radio show for Sirius Radio. Webb Wilder appeared as an actor in Peter Bogdanovich’s 1993 feature film The Thing Called Love. As of 2020, he was an afternoon-shift disc jockey for radio station WMOT, which is based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.”
Review – This is an interesting album, Webb has unmatchable talent of mixing rock and other genres together and seems to make it work. There is some in your face Rock, so early Rock and Roll flavorings, Country and even a little Blues. Webb brings together some his friends for this recording like multi-instrumentalist George Bradfute (guitars, keyboards, strings, etc.) David Grissom (guitar),Tom Comet (bass), Jimmy Lester and Marshall Richardson (drums) plus special guests Vince Gill (vocals) and Richard Bennett (guitar). The first two songs on the album are probably the best then the album takes a weird turn, but “HillBilly Speedball” and “Delilah” are solid tunes but I think my favorite is “V8 Ford Blues″, Just because it is probably the most Bluesy song, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and an 8 on Music Content.
