New Blues Review 3-11-25
By Jack Roy
Kid Ramos – Strange Things Happening (Nola Blue Records)
Bio – “David Ramos was born in Fullerton, California, United States, with both of his parents being professional opera singers. After playing at the parties of friends and at local nightclubs in his teenage years, he turned fully professional when joining James Harman’s band in 1980. He stayed playing his guitar for Harman until 1988, when he briefly helped out with Roomful of Blues. However, at this point, Ramos took a break from music to raise a family, and worked as a water delivery man. In 1994, Ramos joined forces with Lynwood Slim to form the Big Rhythm Combo. Ramos’ debut solo album, Two Hands One Heart, was released the following year. Ramos had joined The Fabulous Thunderbirds in 1993, following an invitation from their singer, Kim Wilson. As well as regularly recording and appearing with them up to 2002, Ramos also continued to release his own albums, with Greasy Kid Stuff (2001) being his most recent. Ramos appeared at the 2005 Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival, playing along with the Mannish Boys. He also formed the roots quartet, Los Fabulocos, who released their debut album in 2008. In 2009, Ramos backed Bobby Jones at the Notodden Blues Festival. In August 2012, Ramos was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, and underwent chemotherapy treatment the following month. He was expected to require radiotherapy, surgery and further chemotherapy during the course of the next twelve months. A medical appeal was launched to assist with the costs of his treatment. Kid Ramos received the Orange County Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award on March 7, 2014. At the event he announced that he had completed his treatment and recovered from the cancer.”
Review – Well Kid Ramos, is not a Kid anymore and his music shows it. This is a very sophisticated Blues Album with lots of gems from past great music writers with a couple written in house. Spiritual album, reminiscent of Sister Rosetta Tharpe which is fitting that the first song on the album is “Strange Things Happen Everyday”. Brian Templeton sings most of the songs and his voice is perfect for walking along God, almost that southern Preacher Voice. With a start studded band including Johnny Ramos singing about 4 of the songs on this album, Kid Ramos on Guitar, Dave Limina on Piano, Jess Cuevas Accordion, Takazo and Kaizo Hall on Trumpets, Mike Turturro on Bass and Stephen Hodges on Drums. By the fourth tune on this CD, Johnny Ramos starts singing. At first it sounds like a Church embedded female wailing out those amazing melodies, but Johnny has that incredible 50’s voice. Incredible. Lots of variety in this albums and lots of great music including “Jesus Dropped The Charges”, Satan’s Jeweled Crown” and “An Answer For Isaac”. I think my favorite is “Strange Things Happening Everyday″, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10++ on Music Content.
Mitch Ryder – With Love (Ruf Records)
Bio – “High octane, turbo, high performance, super charged MITCH RYDER & The Detroit Wheels didn’t need to hail from the Motor City for those adjectives to be tossed their way, but it was certainly appropriate that they called Motown home. It was Mitch and The Wheels who served as the musical bridge between the Motown soul factory and the high energy, take no prisoners rock ‘n’ roll that would roar out of Detroit via Iggy & The Stooges, MC5, Ted Nugent and Bob Seger. With Ryder, it wasn’t attitude or public outrage or politics that generated the charge you could simply hear it in the music. Ryder hit during the mid-’60s when AM radio was going through a golden era courtesy of Motown, Stax, the British Invasion, Aretha, JB, and any number of garage band one-hit wonders. But no one on the radio then could match Mitch and company for pure visceral excitement, no one else could make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and a wild-eyed gleam creep into your eyes because you just know that SOMETHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. The explosive quality was there from the very start. Listen to the way the chords introducing “Jenny Take A Ride” are chomping at the bit to swoop down into the double-time mid-section, or how John Badanjek’s thundering bass drum trigger’s the ecstatic roll that kicks off “Devil With A Blue Dress On”. And the Wheels must have known what they had witness the confidence-even cockiness-of telegraphing their punch forever on “Little Latin Lupe Lu”, building expectations to fever pitch before hammering down the riff with Jim McCarty’s lead lick trailing behind. And nailing it big time. One punch, KO, Mike Tyson-style. The records worked because they perfectly captured the kinetic frenzy of the live performances that had been the group’s stock in trade since they first joined forces in Detroit early in 1964. Born William Levise, Jr., Ryder was performing as Billy Lee in a high school band called Tempest before turning heads in a black Detroit soul club called the Village. At 17, he was skilled enough to record an R&B single (“That’s The Way It’s Going To Be/Fool For You”) for the Detroit gospel label Carrie in 1962 and to start making gigs fronting The Peps, a black vocal trio. Levise was appearing with The Peps at the Village early in 1964 when he ran across a group that included McCarty, bassist Earl Elliot, and Badanjek. Together with rhythm guitarist Joe Kubert, they joined forces as Billy Lee & The Rivieras and by mid-summer had attracted a fanatical local following that caught the ear of Motor City DJ Bob Prince. Prince began booking Lee & The Rivieras as an opening act at a club/casino north of Detroit, but their live performances were so potent that the unrecorded group was soon headlining over major Motown artists. Prince then arranged for The Rivieras to record a tape in Badanjek’s basement, and that demo brought 4 Seasons producer Bob Crewe to a Detroit performance where The Rivieras opened for The Dave Clark Five. They torched the hometown audience for 90 minutes, Crewe was hooked, and in February, 1965, the five Detroit teenagers relocated to New York City and bided their time for a few months playing Greenwich Village clubs for survival money. The name was the first to go (a conflict with The Rivieras who recorded “California Sun”), hence the legendary story of Lee/Levise flipping through the Manhattan phone directory and coming across the name Mitch Ryder. The Rivieras became The Detroit Wheels and album cover photos of the band on top of oil cans or surrounded by discarded tires punched the automotive image home. What followed was a wild two-year ride trough the starmaking machinery of the record industry that brought them fame but no fortune and tore the group apart in the process”
Review – Well this man has had a career, with many accomplishments and this newest CD adds to this list. While not an exclusive Blues album, there are many ingredients that tend to be Blues. And incredible band including Laura Chavez on Guitar (Vanessa Collier’s guitarist), Luis Resto on Keys, Brian White on Guitar, Dave McMurray on Sax, Jeff Canady on Drums, Mahindi Masai on Percussion, and Chuck Bartels on Bass. I have really enjoyed the guitar work on this album, so really nice melodies. Most of the songs are kind of Poppy, mainstream stuff but “Sanguine”, “One Monkey” and “Too Damned Slow” stood out to me as strong tunes. I think my favorite is “Fly″, listen here. I will give this an 8 on Blues Content and a 9 on Music Content.
