In For the Long Haul reviewed by Steve Jones

In For the Long Haul
Pat Peppin
Self-Released
www.patpepin.com/
12 tracks

Pat Peppin is an accomplished musician with a knack for writing some great songs and playing some mean sax. This self-released CD is her third and it is a fun and interesting set of a dozen tunes, eight of which were penned by her and another jointly authored by her and EG Kight. She has a clear, resonant and beautiful voice to go with her strident instrumentals. In addition to vocals and the saxes, she adds trombone and acoustic guitar to the CD. Bob Colwell is on piano, organ, bass and clarinet, Steve Jones (not me, some other Steve Jones ) is on guitar, bass, dobro, banjo and tambourine, Dave Thibodeau is on bass, Rich ard Hollis is on drums, conga and tambourine, and Angela Plato is on trumpet. Pat Colwell’s lead guitar is featured on “Long Haul Trucker”. They are a solid, cohesive and talented group.

Pat is at her best vocally here on the slower, bluesy stuff like “Ain’t What You Got”, “Sunday Kind of Love” (a cover), and “Left Me Lonely”. She emotes more of her feisty red-haired vocal self in these three tracks than in any of the others. That’s not a knock on the other nine cuts that she sings so well on, she just seems to let it all hang out far more on these three. In “Can’t Take it With You” we get a great New Orleans funeral march sort of song with some catchy lyrics on top of her solid tenor sax and other great instrumental solos. “Long Haul Trucker” gives us an innuendo filled set of lyrics in a Dick Dale-like tune with really nice guitar work by Colwell. The covers “Why Me” and “This Dress” are just as much fun as her original stuff. She adds her own flavors to these tracks to make them bright and enjoyable. The bonus track is a hilarious novelty song entitled “Living at WalMart”, and I can picture Pepin cutting up with her audiences on tracks like this.

I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing this down-Mainer live yet, but I hope to remedy that soon! She will be at the IBC representing her home state for the third time in February, so watch out for this hot, sax playing blues vocalist; she’s an act you won’t want to miss!

Stripped Down at the Bang Palace reviewed by Steve Jones

Stripped Down at the Bang Palace
Todd Wolfe Band
Bluesleaf Records
www.bluesleaf.com/
www.myspace.com/bluesleafrecords
13 tracks

Sometimes I am a little naïve when it comes to record reviews. Todd Wolfe was not in my blues and rock vocabulary, so when I encounter an artist that is new to me I first just pop the CD in and listen without doing any research, let alone reading liner notes or any other promo material that may come with the review CD copy. I listen straight through this and said, “Whoa Nellie!,” in my finest imitation of Keith Jackson calling an Ohio State and Michigan game. This is a serious guitar player with some equally serious talent.

As it turns our, Todd was Sheryl Crow’s lead guitarist from 1992 to 1998. He and Sheryl toured with the Stones, Dylan, the Eagles, Page & Plant and Elton John. Before that and also now after that stint, he plays what he calls “bluesadelic”, a 1960’s styled blend of psychedelic blues rock. The band features Todd on guitars, vocals and Mandola, Suavek Zaniesienko on bass and BG Vox, and Roger Voss on drums and percussion. These guys are tight and hot.

Recorded live with minimal overdubs, Wolfe and company deliver huge performances of some original and some quite interesting covered material. Wolfe begins with original acoustic blues in “Wing of a Dove”. His vocals and paying hear are strong, swamp filled blues. It’s a great song but in no way does it prepare the listener for the mega roller coaster ride of electric guitar work that follows. Elmore James “Stranger Blues” follows, and the guitar gets fully amped up and fuzzed out. He shuffles through Eddie Taylor’s “Bad Boy” in convincing style and with great restraint that gives the cut a very cool blues shuffle sound. He goes back to the Delta with Robert Johnson’s “Come On in My Kitchen” and gives this old standard new life. Willie Dixon’s “Evil” gets a hot and greasy play from Wolfe as does “Three O’Clock Blues”, played with a full force guitar lead that will impress you. These are songs we all know and love and Wolfe picks and plays through them with reverence. "It's All Over Now" is a sweet rendition of this Bobby Womack number, and In the midst of a big guitar solo he breaks into an homage to the Allman Brothers with the riffs from "One Way Out" blended in before he closes out with a big finish. The CD ends with Howlin’ Wolf’s “Wreck My Life”. When I played it the song reminded me of the Doors doing the Wolf; when I opened the promo stuff that came with the CD it toutes the tracks as “Doors-esque”, so I guess I am on the same page as his publicist!

If I had to have some small criticism it would be with the vocals. While mostly very strong, they do falter a bit at times. Where they least appeal to me is in a very cool National Steel slide guitar (perhaps it's his slide mandola?) cover of Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen”. The guitar is smooth and sweet but the vocals are a little uneven. The other rough spot is in Muddy's "She's Nineteen Years Old". He covers these tracks in hs own style, which is fresh and very cool; it's just that he seems a little uneven on the vocal lines. But this is minor and the huge guitar presence and very tight sound of this band make this a hot CD for the rocking blues lover. One can hear the influences of the Stones, Doors, Cream, Derek and the Dominos along with the older blues masters in Todds guitar style. Wolfe is a great guitar player that folks need to sit up and listen to. This CD, his sixth, showcases a guy who can really make the guitar wail!

Levee Town reviewed by Steve Jones

Levee Town
Levee Town
Self-produced
http://www.leveetown.com/
www.myspace.com/leveetown
14 tracks

What do you get when you make a band that is one part Crisco-dripping fried chicken Southside Chicago blues, one part channelers of the Stray Cats, one part British invasion rock and roll, with a little Freddie King thrown in for good measure? You get a band from Kansas City called Levee Town , who plays high energy blues and rock with reckless abandon! They were 2007 and 2010 finalists at the IBC; these guys play some great blues on their third CD offering. The band features Brandon Hudspeth on guitar and vocals, Jacque Garoutte on bass and vocals, Jimmie Meade on harmonica and vocals, and Jan Faircloth on drums and vocals. They also occasionally add in Mike Sedovic on keys for a little more spice and flair. These guys are a tight little group and play some darn good music.







This band’s namesake CD is their third and features fourteen original cuts written and laid down here by the band. The songs often hearken back to the sounds of dark little Southside blues clubs and the old rockabilly songs played on AM radio, but with a new edge to them. The guys also really write some interesting lyrics to their songs. They open with a bouncy rocking track called “I’m Not Broke” with the tag line, “I’m not broke but I’m badly bent” providing an amusing choral backdrop to this rocking tune. They transition to an upfront, slightly softer rocker in “Three Sides” where they tell us about how there are three sides to every story- hers, yours, and someone else’s (AKA the truth). The solos pick up quite a bit here, giving it some true grit. By the third track, “You Mean”, the full, greasy spread of Chicago blues is opened up for all to enjoy.







The songs these fellows have written for this CD often remind me of older sounds from the 50’s and early 60’s. “Chicken Truck”, the lone instrumental, “Rock Me Baby”, “Hullabaloo” and “Why Why Why” could all easily be songs readers who are around my age heard on AM radio growing up. That’s certainly not a bad thing, these songs would hold their own in any era.







If you like your blues rockabilly styled, this is an album you need to listen to. Sample some of their wares over on http://www.myspace.com/leveetown or over on CD Baby and you’ll see why this is a great band to listen to! Their gigs appear to be spread out between Missouri and Minnesota , with a couple of stops here and there further to the south in Illinois . They are well worth the time and effort to check out!

Stealin’ the Soul reviewed by Steve Jones

Stealin’ the Soul
Will Tucker
Will Tucker Music
www.willtuckermusic.com/
9 tracks

A few years ago I was in Memphis on business and stopped by BB King’s Blues Club for a beer and to listen to the music. Some 15 year old kid was up there who was doing quite well. He never really panned out, but it was apparent BB and his club owners keep an eye out for young, local talent. Will Tucker is another teenage guitar prodigy, and this time they have found a real gem that will not require a lot of cutting and polishing to make it shine! Tucker is 16 and was discovered by King’s owner Tommy Peters in the summer of 2008. Since then he has appeared with a host of blues stars, played at the IBC Youth Showcase last year and now has prepared this CD to promote himself.

The CD contains one original tune; the rest of the tracks are all covers that showcase this young man’s superb talent. Four tracks were recorded live at BB’s club in Memphis , the other 5 at Ardent Studios in Memphis . Tucker’s band includes three stalwarts of the Memphis music scene: Joe Boogie on keys, Randy Middleton on bass and Pete Mendillo on drums. Tucker apparently “ingests” old, worn out blues records, playing them until they are barely audible. If this CD is any indication, this compulsion has given him a a very credible foundation and passion for the blues that makes him sound a lot more savvy than his young age.

The CD begins with the one original cut, “Your Sacrifice”. This is a funky blues song with lyrics of a love gone awry, where Will laments over some girl who “plays by her own set of rules” but he tells her he won’t become “your sacrifice”. The vocals are confident and expressive and his guitar work impeccable. Nicely done, and the stage is set for a host of traditional stuff that burns white hot. The guitar work on Muddy’s “Walkin’ in the Park” is sweet, as is the harp solo and fill in. Willie Cobb’s “You Don’t Love Me” is done in Allman Brother’s style (minus the 19 minute jam), with Will channeling a little of Duane Allman while Boogie is backing him nicely on the B3. There is no dual guitar interplay as in the ABB version, but the lead guitar is beautifully methodical and rises to robust crescendos on the solos. “Stormy Monday” also hearkens to the ABB “Live at the Fillmore East” version of this T-Bone Walker song. Tucker is restrained and soulful in his approach, craftily doling out the notes one at a time as he stretches this out 8 and a half minutes to showcase his guitar work. Next he switches it up with “Born Under a Bad Sign”; I can’t decide if his influence was more Albert King or Eric Clapton on this one, but it was a good influence either way!

The last four songs are the live set from BB’s club. “Burning Love”, “When the Levee Breaks”, “Johnny B. Goode” and “Little Wing” give us a good picture of how this kid (which I say with all due respect, as he is only 16 and I am 54) handles himself in front of a crowd. The first song burns through rapidly and, while overplayed and overdone by so many bands, is still fun and well done. “Levee” is more in the original Memphis Minnie jumping blues style than Led Zeppelin’s and again features solid work by Tucker and Boogie. He is quite animated in the Chuck Berry number, delivering a strong performance and plays the song slightly over five minutes with searing heat. He finishes up with the seminal Hendrix song and pulls it of quite nicely. He pays homage to the softer licks and chords in this one very expressively, and the vocals here are probably his best effort on the CD.

I’m impressed. I’ve heard a lot of the nouveaux guitar heroes and this one’s a damn fine one. He needs to develop his vocals a bit as he sounds young and little apprehensive at times, but he’s got the six stringed beast tamed and under his control. I really like the way he approaches the guitar. He is restrained and reverent, but when he needs to let go he does and it is hot. Some of these young kids just play what they hear on the records while others try to play every note they can to impress you, Tucker falls into a different category- he is respectful to the material he covers, he does not try to totally reinvent it and yet he does not just copy it. Check him out on YouTube and Myspace- you won’t be sorry that you did. I think we will be hearing a lot more from this hot, young talented artist! Go out and get this CD if you want to hear the future of the blues!

Full Moon Lightnin’ reviewed by Mark Thompson

Full Moon Lightnin’
Film by John C. Gardiner
Willow Tree Pictures
www.fullmoonlight-nin.com/
93 minutes
Soundtrack CD - 11 tracks/45:23

Now available on DVD, this documentary film takes the viewer deep into the lives of bluesman Floyd Lee and his musical partner, guitarist Joel Poluck. Starting out in New York City, we see the two musicians playing on the street and drawing a large crowd, some of whom can’t help but dance to the insistent rhythm.

As we learn more about Lee, it’s revealed that he left Mississippi sixty years earlier after dealing with a number of hardships, including being abandoned by his mother. Now 73 years old, Lee wants to take a trip back to the delta to see if he can locate any of his remaining siblings or other relatives. He is filled with a longing to have some semblance of a family’s love that has been missing for decades in his life. The difficulty in the search is that Lee has only his memories of people and places from his childhood to guide him.

Poluck and bass player, Brad Vickers, are ready to take the trip with Lee and help him reconnect with family. The band - including drummer Steve Pozzelanti - have been working on new material in the recording studio after a two year break. But Poluck gets blindsided before the trip can get started when the love of his life, Nella, is diagnosed with cancer. From this point the film tracks two divergent paths as Lee seeks a future that includes his past - and Poluck struggles to hold on to his world that is suddenly spinning out of control.

The musicians make the trip and are able to find the spot where Lee grew up, near Lamar, Mississippi. Lee remembers the various buildings and details of the landscape but is a bit shocked to discover his mother’s house no longer exists. On a second trip six months later, the group meets with legendary drummer Sam Carr, hoping this long time resident of the area can assist in locating Lee’s relatives. Carr and Lee share some biting remarks on the economy fueled by cotton. Eventually Lee locates a log-lost cousin and their joyous reunion ends up with the two men singing a gospel tune out on the street. Another moving moment occurs when Lee meets two of his brothers at the cemetery where their mother is buried. Lee’s excitement is tempered a bit when they are unable to locate the exact spot of their mother’s grave. Later he is introduced to his brothers families and finds himself surrounded for the first time with the love he has been yearning for so long. As Lee’s dream comes true, Poluck suffers the loss of his beloved Nella.

The two men are a study in contrasts - Lee the aging black bluesman whose emotions are always bubbling just under the surface, suddenly bursting forth as the sadness or joy overcomes him. His protégé, Poluck, is the soft-spoken, stoic Canadian who tries to help Lee while caring for Nella, the whole time keeping his emotions bottled up. One poignant scene was filmed during the second day of recording in a Brooklyn studio. While working on Lee’s vocal part for Poluck’s original tune “Can’t You See’, Lee is suddenly overcome with emotion, blurting out “That shit hurts ” and walking out of the studio to regain his composure, leaving Poluck to visibly struggle to hold himself together.

The companion audio disc included with this package contains full-length versions of material from the film, including an intense studio version of “Mean Blues”. The film has a live performance of the song from Lee’s appearance at the Sunflower Blues Festival. Another musical highlight is a clip of the band at Po’ Monkeys, one of the last of the original juke joints. Both segments feature Sam Carr on drums.

Don’t think for a minute that this film is another feel-good Hollywood story. While the project started out focusing on Lee’s search for his past, reality forced it’s way into the storyline with Nella’s illness. One can only imagine the effort it took for Poluck to juggle the recording schedule, the planning of Lee’s trip, writing new material, making the journey to Mississippi - all while doing everything he can for Nella. In a movie about musicians, the music takes a back seat to the drama that touches the lives of everyone involved in this moving narrative, a tale that is a stark reminder of the blues is all about.

Just for You reviewed by Harmonica Joe

Just for You
Darrell Nulisch
http://www.darrellnulisch.com/
http://www.severnrecords.com/
Severn Records
10 tracks/37:55

Darrell Nulisch has just released "Just for You", his fourth recording for Severn Records. Darrell has been a full time singer since 1978. He was a full time member of Ansonfunderburg and the Rockets. "The Whole Truth" his first cd for Severn Records came out in 1998.

Of the ten songs on "Just for You", Darrell wrote six of them. Besides being a good song writer and harmonica player, his main attribute is his great vocal talent. His voice is his main instrument on this recording, setting the stage for some fine easy listening. His vocal range can be sometimes gritty and raw, bluesy, gentle or big and booming. He has great dynamics in his vocal range. He puts a lot of himself into his lyrics and presents them to us with feeling and meaning.

The band on "Just for You" features the so-called house band of Severn Records. It is a great mix of talented musicians. The keyboard style of Benjie Porecki really is animated and stands out to be a really great addition to the recording. Johnny Moeller, of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, brings his very impressive guitar skills to the project. He also adds a reggae influence to "Let a Women be a Women". With the addition of Steve Gomes on the bass Robb Stupka on drums, a full horn section and some fine background singers Darrel has an awesome band to compliment his vocals and lyrics. This is a really good mix!

Darrell's take on, Slim Harpo's, "Just for You" is a good example of his ability to take a song and make it his own. He uses great phrasing and his vocals keep a heart felt tone to them. Also on "Just for You' we are treated to some of Darrell's harmonica skills. He has a true Slim Harpo - Lazy Lester quality about him without just being a harp clone. Adding the horn section to this tune with his harp playing makes it a very bluesy sounding track.

"Let a Women be a Women", written by Nulisch and Gomes, is one of the most upbeat tunes of the cd. The keyboard playing of Benjie Porecki is featured a lot here. Good stuff it is. Johnny Moeller also has a standout guitar solo that brings a reggae style to the tune. This could be one of my favorite tunes of the cd.

"Just for You", to me, may not be an all out blues CD. It leans more to the soul - rhythm and blue side a bunch but it still ends up to be bluesy in a good way. This is not a bad thing to have happen. Darrell Nulisch is an absolute pure vocalist. He can go from subtle to powerful and back without effort. He brings great phrasing, meaning and feeling to his lyrics. This is all good.

"Just for You" is a fairly short recording, just about 38 minutes; it is filled with quality presentation. Not being a big horn band fan, I must say that I still found this CD to get me attention in a good way. It is very easy to listen to and enjoy!

American Songster reviewed by Steve Jones

American Songster
Don Flemons
Music Maker
www.myspace.com/donflemonsmusic
15 tracks/

No one plays roots music quite like Don Flemons. He delivers performances that are accurate, authentic, moving and quite fun to listen to. Flemons is quickly becoming an icon in blues and folk music. His band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, has received much acclaim after performing hundreds of show worldwide and features Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson along with Flemons. The brand of roots music he and the band perform gives us a very fresh and updated take on the music that has been performed in the back woods and fields of America for hundreds of years.

This solo CD features Flemons doing 12 covers, 2 of his own songs and a cut by band mate Robinson. Featuring three songs by his musical hero Henry Thomas, a couple of Leadbelly cuts and an assortment of other goodies to delight the root music fan, the music transports the listener to a simpler time.

I saw Flemons and the Chocolate Drops most recently at the Old Town School of Music in Chicago. They are superb performers and uniquely talented individuals who can take jugs and kazoos and make sounds that the listener just marvels over. Their banjo and guitar work is exceptional. Flemons also adds bones, quills, fife and the bass drum to the music, giving it an old fashioned and realistic sound.

Whether it is a field holler-styled song, a dancing tune, or a ballad, Flemon’s vocals are impeccable as is his instrument work; this includes the quills (sort of an African pan flute). One has to marvel at the depth and extent of the man’s formidable talents. There are 15 fantastic tracks on this CD that will give listeners an idea of what music was like early in America’s history in old mountain towns and on he porches of homes on quiet back roads. He is a master at his craft, and every new song I hear from Don further impresses me. Roots music fans certainly need to get this CD and anyone with even the slightest interest in roots music and folk blues should buy this. It will not disappoint you and may even turn you into a big fan of roots music!