New Blues Review 5-27-25
By Jack Roy
Charlie Musselwhite – Look Out Highway (Forty Below Records)
Bio – “Charlie Musselwhite’s journey through the blues was from his birth in Mississippi to Memphis, Chicago and California. Arriving in Chicago in the early sixties, he was just in time for the epochal blues revival. In 1966 at the age of 22 he recorded the landmark Stand Back! to rave reviews. A precipitous relocation to San Francisco in 1967, where his album was being played on underground radio, found him welcomed into the counterculture scene around the Fillmore West as an authentic purveyor of the real deal blues. Fifty years of nonstop touring, performing and recording have reaped huge rewards. Charlie Musselwhite is living proof that great music only gets better with age. This man cut his (musical) teeth alongside Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and everyone on the South side of Chicago in the early 1960’s. Thank your lucky stars that he is still with us telling the truth with a voice and harp tone like no other. More than 20 albums later he is at the top of his game, a revered elder statesman of the blues nowhere near ready to hang up his harps, his depth of expression as a singer and an instrumentalist unexcelled and only growing deeper. Charlie has been collaborating with the world’s finest Artists for many years, including Ben Harper, Cyndi Lauper, Eddie Vedder, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Gov’t Mule, INXS, Mickey Hart and Japan’s Kodo Drummers, George Thorogood, Eliades Ochoa, Cat Stevens and personal friend and best man at his wedding John Lee Hooker. Musselwhite, more than any other harmonica player of his generation, can rightfully lay claim to inheriting the mantle of many of the great harp players that came before him with music as dark as Mississippi mud and as uplifting as the blue skies of California. In an era when the term legendary gets applied to auto-tuned pop stars, this singular blues harp player, singer, songwriter and guitarist has earned and deserves to be honored as a true master of American classic vernacular music.”
Review – I love hearing the tone of Charlie playing the Harmonica! Not the best voice in the business but he has payed his dues and presents as legitimate. This is a very solid Blues Album with some great music. Charlie brings in some of the top musicians to help with this one including Matt Stubbs on Guitar, Chris Andersen on Guitar, Piano and Organ, Randy Bermudes on Bass and June Core on Drums. Two of the best on the album for me are “Ghosts in Memphis” with Al Kapone on Vocals and “Ready For Times To Get Better” with Edna Luckett on Vocals. I think my favorite is “Look Out Highway″, some amazing harmonica, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10 on Music Content.
Brandon Santini – Which Way Do We Go? (MoMoJo Records)
Bio – “Illinois-based Brandon Santini radiates raw emotion and infectious energy to audiences worldwide. Born in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and raised on historic Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee; Santini’s profound connection to the blues & American roots music fuels his high-energy blend of traditional blues with a contemporary twist, earning him critical acclaim and awards along the way. He has performed at festivals and venues throughout North America, South America, U.K., Europe, India, and Egypt. Santini’s near twenty years of touring and combined passion for the genre shine through in every note, establishing him as a true torchbearer of the blues tradition in the 21st century. His soulful vocals and fire igniting harmonica style carry the torch of the blues into a new era, inspiring generations with his incredible talent, undeniable passion, and unwavering commitment to the music that he loves. It’s this passion that has afforded Santini the opportunity to perform on stage with the likes of Buddy Guy, Gary Clark, Jr., Beth Hart, Charlie Musselwhite, country music stars Randy Houser & Parmalee, as well as recording with 60’s rock & roll legend Sam The Sham, in 2010. ”
Review – This is my first introduction of Brandon Santini, I love his voice and his song writing. Brandon wrote all the tunes on this CD and plays Harmonica and even guitar on one track. Brandon’s music is somewhere between solid Blues, a little country and has a big Black Keys influence. Playing with Brandon is Timo Arthur on Guitar, Jeff Jensen on Guitar, Cliff Moore on Bass, Ron James on Drums and Jesse James Davis on Backing Vocals. Stand out tunes for me were “Ain’t Turning Back”, “Mile After Mile” and “Baby’s Got Soul” butI think my favorite is “See That Pony″, I think it has some main street radio quality, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10 on Music Content.
Aki Kumar – God Bless The USA (Little Village Records)
Bio – “At the peak of Y2K mania, Aki Kumar left his home in Mumbai for the USA with the intention of working as a software engineer. Then he discovered the blues, and his life changed dramatically. Kumar quickly steeped himself in the genre and became a fixture in blues clubs throughout Northern California, honing his stage chops and ultimately developing his visionary “Bollywood Blues” sound. Today, this harmonica player, soulful vocalist, band-leader, drummer and producer is one of the most prolific artists in the SF Bay Area. A veteran of the San Jose music scene for two decades, Kumar has been hailed as “…King of ‘Bollywood blues’ music” by SJ Mercury News (2022) and received the Metro Silicon Valley Gold Award for Best Band (2024). When he first began performing, Kumar attempted to downplay his ethnicity and only performed straight, Chicago-style blues. “I wanted to make a statement that I was a traditional blues musician, so I wanted to be playing blues and have nobody even wonder where I came from.” Kumar’s debut album “Don’t Hold Back” (2014) was hailed as “one of the best new artist new releases of 2014” (Blues Blast Magazine) and showcases his classic blues stylings. He quickly followed it up with “It Takes Three” (2015) – a collaboration that celebrates three generations of South Bay Blues harmonica, including the legendary Gary Smith and renowned blues harmonica teacher David Barrett. His approach to music changed over the years, and with his Little Village debut, “Aki Goes to Bollywood” (2016), he began integrating elements of retro Indian music into his musical and visual presentation, making for a unique, electrifying, multi-cultural mash-up that sounds like no one else, yet never loses touch with its blues-inspired foundation. That stylistic mix of East and West reached a new creative high on Aki’s second Little Village album, “Hindi Man Blues” (2018), which proudly features liner notes by veteran blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite. In 2020, Kumar made a major splash with the world-wide launch of his album “Dilruba” on Sony Music. “Dilruba” is an Indian Pop record that showcases his signature sound on a number Hindi and bilingual number. In 2021, Little Village released Kumar’s uplifting reggae-inspired single “Zindagi” (Life). Kumar has made multiple appearances at The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, San Jose Jazz & SF Jazz Festivals, and has been featured on PRI “The World,” KQED Arts and CBS Bay Area. He has also toured extensively over the years, including in Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Australia, India and South America.”
Review – I really like this album, it sort of has a raw feeling to it, think early 70’s blues voice. His Harmonica Playing is very tradition Blues and his voice is just enough different that it makes it work. I really like Aki’s take on a couple of covers such as “I just Want To Make Love”, Willie Dixon Tune and “Man Of Constant Sorrow”. Lots of great musicians on this one including Bob Welsh on Guitar, Randy Bermudes on Bass, June Core on Drums (last two were on Charlie Musselwhite’s album too!!), Tony Stead on Organ and a bunch more!! I think my favorite is “Jarvos Woman″, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10 on Music Content.
Reverend Freakchild – A Bluesman Of Sorts (Treated and Released)
Bio – “In the tradition of such Holy Blues Reverends as Reverend Gary Davis – such is the irreverent Reverend Freakchild. The Rev. primarily performs solo acoustic these days but has also recently recorded with some amazing musicians including Chris Parker, Hugh Pool, Mark Karan, Melvin Seals, Jay Collins and Grammy nominated G. Love, and The Reverend Shawn Amos. Check out the latest album of Rev originals, “Songs of Beauty for Ashes of Realization”. The Rev. has served as a member and featured soloist of the Metro Mass Gospel Choir performing at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall and the Town Hall Theater. The Rev. also spent 3 years off-off-off Broadway singing blues and spirituals on Sundays at Tobacco Road, the now defunct NYC hippie hangout replete with drug addicts, hookers and music freaks. The Rev has played in many bands in the past including the psychedelic jam band Bananafish, the experimental A-tonal Rock Band ‘Jim’, The Neptune Ensemble, The Soul Miners (w/ guitar virtuoso Matt Rae), The Lucky Devils, The Davenport, The Lost Get Back Boogie Band, and The Cosmic All-Stars touring internationally. The Rev’s music has been featured in many TV programs and commercials, and also national radio advertising campaigns. He grew up in Hawaii, holds a degree in philosophy and religion from Northeastern University in Boston and now currently resides in Colorado as an ordained Dharmacharya with a Master of Divinity Degree from Naropa University. He continues to perform and preach proclaiming, “Music is my religion. Through song I seek transcendence!””
Review – Another album that is different and interesting to my ears. I have always loved the Freakchild and this dual CD is no different. The rev takes on some real classic tunes over his career and these CD represents recordings that have never been released. Some of my favorite tunes is “Come On In My Kitchen”, “I Know You Rider”, “Wish I Was In Heaven” and “As The Years Go Passing By”. While not the Bluesiest tune on this album, I think my favorite is “Ode To Billie Joe″, it is a very interesting take on a classic tune, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10 on Music Content.
David More – Holy Sinners & Sinful Saints (Self-Produced)
Bio – “A mystical guitar man from a bygone era, David M’ore arrived to L.A in the early 90’s committed to alter the musical scene. Club goers and musicians begin to talk about the new kid with the virtuoso aggressive guitar style, raspy vocals, and his high energy fueled Blues-Rock tunes. Now with his second solo album “From The Other Side of The River” David M’ore managed to take his guitar pyrotechnics to a different level of instrumental majesty. Performing on a custom made Strat carefully modified to his specifications, M’ore demonstrates his acclaimed six string technique on both originals and cover tunes. “I love to pay tribute to those who influenced me.” “But at the same time I like to be true to who I am,” says M’ore, whose influences include Hendrix, Blackmore, Satriani, J. Winter, Gary Moore, Albert King, and other guitar monsters. From the beginning, traditional Blues and British Neoclassical Hard Rock played a very important role in the evolution of David M’ore style. Born in Argentina, he picked up an old guitar that his godfather bought him for his eighth birthday and immediately began to explore vintage records. “The aggressive sound of the guitar drove me emotionally insane,” David says. “I still listen to those old records from Johnny Winter.” That’s where it all began.”
Review – Alright now, this dude can play guitar. Reminds me of SRV, Sexton Brothers and Chris Duarte all wrapped into one, but man that voice. It is hard for me to listen to. Three piece band including Wade Olson on Drums and Marshall St. Clair on Bass. I love that David lists his musical instruments that he plays on this album with a 1968 Super Reverb!!! I think my favorite is “Bleeding Heart″, an instrumental and hear is a live version of the song, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and an 8 on Music Content.
