Live. Love. Learn. Sing. reviewed by Steve Jones

Live. Love. Learn. Sing.
Todd Lorenz
Self Produced
www.toddlorenz.com
14 tracks

In our last newsletter, we learned about Todd’s new blues CD My Blues. This time we are reviewing the CD that was released concurrently (his other new CD) called Live. Love. Learn. Sing.
Here is what Todd’s website has to say about this CD… “(The CD) is made up of 14 brand new songs that are all deeply personal with diverse subject matter than includes life, death, love, suicide, persistence, self awareness, and fate. The lyrics find a way to provoke thought in the listener, often managing to do so with a dose of humor. The music successfully blends elements of blues, folk, rock, bluegrass, and country, forming what might best be called Americana.”

Having now met Todd, I can honestly say that the CD is truly a labor of his love. Where as My Blues explores Todd’s acoustic blues side, Live. Love. Learn. Sing. is the fusion of blues, folk and other acoustic forms and as stated truly is a bit of Americana and it is Americana at the top of it’s form.
From the opening “The Ballad of Papa Chuck” to the closing “Lullaby,” we see the spectrum of Lorenz’ abilities. His folksy reflections on life, his bluesy tunes and lyrics, and the interjection of a little fun now and then makes for an great CD. Each original song is a reflection of it’s creator’s skills and they are all executed flawlessly. Todd is an extremely talented artist and songwriter.

Live in Chicago reviewed by Steve Jones

Live in Chicago

Rabble Rousers

www.rabblerousersband.com

12 tracks/59:59

If you are looking for hot, driving blues then the Rabble Rousers are the band for you! They have appeared locally in Rockford and are one of the hottest acts out of Chicago right now. Their Live in Chicago CD is a super little set of a dozen tunes, half covers and half originals. I enjoyed this CD thoroughly because of the great energy they put into their music and the talent they display in each tune. 12 live tracks including 2 alternative mixed bonus tracks make up this set of tunes recorded live at Quigley’s Irish Pub and and Orazio’s Pub in Naperville.

The CD features Rich “Rabble” Reminger on vocals, harp and rhythm guitar, John “Chicago Johnny” Spira on lead and slide guitar, Rick “Keys” Forbes on piano and organ, and Mike “Gentle Giant” Maloney on the bass. The drummers are Tommy Rugg at Quigley’s and Aaron Turner at Orazio’s. Rich started the band in 2002 and brought together some extremely talented musicians in the Rabble Rousers.

The covers “Messin’ With the Kid”, “Woke Up This Morning”, “Teenie Weenie Bit”, “Blues at Sunrise” and “My Bleeding Heart” are all great. But what makes this CD even better is the original stuff. “Travelin’ Blues” (my favorite number) on track 2 and “Got Me a Ticket” on track 3 display what the band can do with both fast and slow blues. The guitar and keyboards are impeccable throughout, but these two tracks just seem to demonstrate everything that this band is about. Spira’s guitar and Forbes keys with Reminger’s vocals and the backdrop bass work by Maloney are all great.
From the opener “Messin’ With the Kid” to the closing original tune “Cause I Think I’m Going Down” we have a finely crafted blues album that fans will really enjoy. I recommend you sample the band’s work on the CD; you can do that via the net, but the best way get the CD is to go see them live and buy the CD at the show! You won’t regret it!

25 Years of Chicago Blues: Volume 3 reviewed by Steve Jones

25 Years of Chicago Blues: Volume 3
Barrelhouse Chuck
Viola Records
http://www.barrelhousechuck.com/
13 tracks

Barrelhouse Chuck (Charles Goering) has become somewhat of a unique presence in the world of blues keyboard players. No other blues man or woman have the depth and breath of personal experience with Chicago blues keyboard legends like he does. Born in Ohio and transplanted to Florida, Chuck learned piano (a switch for him because he learned to be a drummer at age 5) after hearing Otis Spann tinkle the keys with Muddy Waters’ on ‘Can’t Lose What You Never Had.’ He bought up all the blues records he could find and was he a quick learner (he is self taught, by the way). He followed Muddy around the south and learned from his then-piano player Pinetop Perkins. Chuck got to play with Muddy and eventually opened for him and other legends of the blues world as they toured the south.
In 1979, Chuck drove 24 straight hours to Chicago and walked into B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted and told Sunnyland Slim he’d just drive 24 hours to see him. That began a 10 period of tutelage with Slim for Chuck, something one can hear in his music. Pianists like Pinetop and Little Brother Montgomery also befriended Chuck and even brought him into their homes. Chuck nursed Little Brother in his illness and drove him around and in return Little Brother began a long mentorship with Chuck.
Chuck learned at the foot of the masters of Chicago blues piano and in turn has himself now become one of the kings of the Chicago keyboards. Today it is pretty much Chuck and Erwin Helfer (who has been around just a bit longer than Chuck, since Chuck was born in 1958) who are the mainstays of Windy City blues piano. Chuck has become one of the great legends of keyboard blues, a testament to both the men he studied and lived with and to his own dedication to the craft.
Chuck has previously released two volumes of his music to celebrate his first 25 years of the blues. The first featured Chuck on keys with all vocal tracks. The second was an all instrumental CD. This new third set is a mix of vocal and instrumental numbers and it is a superb sampler of the silver anniversary of a great keyboardist’s work. The 13 tracks feature Chuck and a plethora of household names from the blues world whom Chuck has played with.
Kim Wilson. Eddie Taylor, Joel Foy, Calvin Jones and Willie Smith join Chuck on “Sail the Seven Seas,” a funked up soul filled slow blues tune with Chuck on vocals. “That’s All Right” with Willie Kent, Johnny B. Moore, Willie Davis and Merle Perkins is another all star effort. Nick Moss and Anson Funderburgh on guitars with Johnny Bradley and Greg Campbell join Chuck on “Barrelhouse Woman” and Moss returns on the next track (“Porch Light”) with Curtis Salgado, Bob Sroeger and Willie Smith. Chicago guitar greats Steve Freund and Billy Flynn are on back to back tracks (“Goin’ to Chicago” and “Wah-Wah Blues (Part 2)”) giving us some great Chicago blues. 12 great tracks with 12 great sets of artists fill the album, and Chuck adds a 13th home recording as a bonus cut.
Get this CD (and the two volumes prior to it ) if you want to add some superb historical tracks from the last 25 years of Chicago blues to your collection, all brought to you by the Windy City master of the 88 keys, Barrelhouse Chuck! You will not regret it!
Chuck is at Big Cities on Friday, October 5th with Gerry Hundt on guitar/mandolin/harp and John Carpender on drums– don’t miss him!

Black Cat Bone reviewed by Steve Jones

Black Cat Bone
Lee Rocker
Alligator Records
www.alligator.com
13 tracks

Lee Rocker is touring this summer with Stray Cats. This album is released to synch with the tour and it will please both Rocker and Stray Cats fans alike. Lee delivers 10 brand new sings plus three covers. This album picks up where his last CD left off- in a whir of rockabilly bopping. Some of the songs are familiar sounding, but that is just the nature of rockabilly. Lee is trying to recover the great sound of the Stray Cats in these tunes and he has pretty much succeeded.

To note, the CD is filled with short songs like we had in the old AM radio days before bands had to amaze us for 4 or 5 minutes. A quick intro, a few verses and choruses, perhaps a solo for 12 bars and then it’s done. Clean and even.

I’d have to say “The Highway is my Home” is my favorite song in the mix. Next to last on the CD, it delivers great guitar and bass work along with a good lyrical story. Following it is “Free Bass,” a solo bass effort that is just a beautiful way to close out this CD. Lee demonstrates his standup bass prowess and puts a nice little punctuation mark on his album.
I prefer the more up tempo stuff to the slower tunes. “Gone” opens up the album with a western flair that is pure rockabilly. Then in contrast, the title track “Black Cat Bone” is pure Stray Cats stuff, but slowed up and it just seems to drag a bit. Leon Payne’s “Lost Highway,” “Rebel” and “The Wall of Death” pick up the pace and Lee screams out the vocals in his gritty, driving style.

The CD grew on me after a few plays. My main complaint with it was the tempo of a lot of the songs- things seem just a little too slow here. But this is a well done album; I think “Racin’ With the Devil” is the better of Lee’s two Alligator efforts. It’s not too bad because being number two to a CD that I really, really loved is still a pretty good thing.

Time Bomb reviewed by Tom Dimwiddie

Time Bomb
Sue Foley, Deborah Coleman, Roxanne Potvin
Ruf Records
www.bluescaravan.com
11 Tracks/40:43

Ruf Records has teamed up three of their Blues artists, Roxanne Potvin, Sue Foley and Deborah Coleman to form the “Blues Caravan”. These three Blues women are currently touring the country in support of their collaborative album “timeBomb”.

The “Blues Caravan” starts with a fast paced romp highlighting the musical diversity of the three Blues Guitar Women with the title track, “timeBomb”, written by Sue Foley.

As the trip unfolds, each woman takes turn sharing their individual style and insight on love and life. Each song portrays a different level of a woman’s emotions. The three blend their harmonies as they support each other throughout this album.

The first stop is Roxanne Potvin’s rendition of Naomi Neville’s “Hittin’ on Me”. In this song, Roxanne makes it clear to her man that she is tired of his broken promises. “You promised me a mink… I ain’t seen mink, rat or rabbit.“ She repeatedly tells him “I’m so tired of your talk, talk, talk, so get your bags and walk, walk, walk.”

Sue Foley takes the wheel with her Pink Paisley Telecaster and distinctive sing/talk style, lamenting life on the road in her song, “So Far”. She moans of “signs tell you where to go, but ain’t no sign can tell you where you’ve been.” Continuing to wail, “My heart is so far from me.”

In a dramatic tempo change, Deborah Coleman picks up on Roxanne’s sediments with her take on James Brown’s “Talking Loud”. Deborah let’s her man know, in no uncertain terms, that he “can’t tell her what to do” or “which way to go”. She also makes it perfectly clear that he is constantly” Talkin’ loud… and sayin’ nothin’.”

The Trio continues, in turn, to take us through two more solo sets. The second set features songs written by the three, Roxanne asks the question “are my arms Strong Enough to Hold You”. Sue takes us to her a bygone era in her song “Show Me”. Again, Deborah picks up the pace with “Motor City”. In this track, Deborah makes you feel like you are on the road with her heroine. “She started to ride without a second thought… Don’t even know what road she’s on”.

In the third and final solo set, the three start to come to some conclusions as to what they want in their lives. Roxanne realizes she has had enough and it’s time to “Get up” and look for peace. Sue pleads for her man to come home in “Two Moons Gone”. While Deborah warns her man “Don’t Start the Car, if you ain’t gonna drive”.

The final track reunites the three in a house rocking party tune. In turn, the three ask, “Where can you go… when the money’s low; do the ‘cuda and Jerk ‘til your feet get sore; for the comforts of home and the nightclubs too; to get real funky like Dr. John? The answer… “In the Basement, that’s where it’s at!”

If you can’t join these three on the “Blues Caravan”, maybe you can get lucky and party with them In the Basement.

Guitar'd and Feathered reviewed by Harmonica Joe

Guitar'd and Feathered
Candye Kane
Ruf Records
www.rufrecords.de
13 tracks

For those of you who have not heard of Candye Kane, you are in for a treat listening to her new CD "Guitar'd and Feathered." Candye is really a great blues singer and exciting entertainer who possesses a powerful and versatile vocal quality. She hits all the bases with blues, rock blues, gospel blues, delta blues and country blues tunes showing her ability to sing anything. To say that she is flamboyant on stage would be an understatement.

Candye has used some of the best blues guitarists around to be with her on this CD. She is joined by Sue Foley, Ann Popovic, Bob Brozman, Kid Ramos, Poppa Chubby, Dave Alvin and Junior Watson. Candye's road band is the base for the aforementioned guitar players. Her son, Evan Caleb, is on drums which was a good choice, not because he is her son, but because he is a very good drummer. Evan does the groove with great timing and also does good fills.

Bob Margolin produced this project and added his skills of guitar playing and song writing. Candye Kane was the co-producer, making decisions on mixing and choice of songs besides using her talents in writing or co-writing tunes on the CD.

My favorite song would be "Goodbye My Heart." This is a drag down Janis Joplin type tune which shows off her vocal quality. "When I Put The Blues On You" is another tune that Candye co-wrote. With Sue Foley and Bob Margolin on guitars, this tune is a standout.

As I mentioned before, this CD offers something for every blues lover. The whole mix of great guitarists, great tunes and Candye Kane's vocal ability to sing any style make this CD a winner.

One last word, if you have not see Candye Kane on stage and you have a chance to do so, do not miss her!

Blues Blast reviewed by Mark Thompson

Blues Blast

Debbie Davies

Telarc Blues

http://www.telarc.com/

9 tracks/53:50

It must be nice to be able to get friends like Charlie Musselwhite, Coco Montoya, Tab Benoit and Bruce Katz to come by and help out on your new recording. And one would think that many musicians could easily begin to wonder if they would be able to hold their own in the midst of that talent and experience. If Debbie Davies had her moment of doubt, you'd never know from listening to this smokin' hot new release.

Debbie and Coco come out of the gates firing on "A.C. Strut", a tribute to their old boss Albert Collins. They take turns ripping off one nasty run after another over a churning foundation courtesy of Katz on the Hammond B3. This up-tempo romp lets you know that is won't be any ordinary release.

The pace slows on the second track, "My Time After Awhile", but the intensity level remains high as Davies lays out a pleading vocal turn on this tale of betrayal. Montoya provides support on guitar and sticks around for the third track, which adds Musselwhite's harp to the mix. His inventive harp work reminds listeners that he is truly one of the living masters. Charlie takes the lead vocal on his composition "Movin' & Groovin' ". Davies snaps off some impressive picking before Musselwhite dominates the proceedings with some masterful hard blowing on his harp.

"Crawling King Snake" takes you deep into the swamp with Tab Benoit laying down a taut vocal while trading snarling guitar licks with Davies. One surprise on the disc is the decision to have Debbie handle the vocal on "Howlin' For My Darlin" ". Most versions feature a big, deep voice like Howlin' Wolf's well-known take. Davies refrains from taking that approach and instead uses some sly phrasing to fashion a very credible vocal. The guitar extravaganza continues Davies and Benoit take turns burning up the frets of their guitars.

The steady-rolling groove of "Like You Was Gone " slows the pace a bit and features Musselwhite plus all three guitarists. Montoya sticks around for the Davies original tune, a strong piece with Debbie imploring her man to come home into her arms because that's "Where the Blues Come to Die". Katz fleshes out the performance with his usual dazzling B3 playing. As they do throughout the disc, Rod Carey on bass and Per Hanson on drums provide a solid rhythmic base for everyone.

The closing track is a ten minute instrumental workout. The title, "Sonoma Sunset", might conjure up images of a quiet evening on the beach. Instead, Davies and her fellow guitarist lay down a series of solos that build the intensity level until Musselwhite eases into the mix and blows some gentle tones to calmly lead everyone to the closing.

Davies has put together a very impressive package with phenomenal musicians and a strong, varied track list. Every fan of blues guitar playing is going to want to have this disc. It may be the best work of her career and will be on my personal list of top Blues recordings of the year. What more can I say - get a copy !!!!!

Mojo Burning reviewed by Mark Thompson

Mojo Burning
The Juvenators
self-released
www.thejuvenators.com
10 tracks/40:33
The Juvenators hail from central Mississippi and have been together for the last ten years. The group consists of Virgil Brawley on lead vocals and guitar, Bob "Byrd" Lovell on guitar & vocals, George Vance on bass and Guy Wade on the drums. Their newest release is the third reccording of the band and features numerous guests including Greg "Fingers" Taylor on harp and James "T-Model" Ford on backing vocals on one cut. Eight of the songs are originals with Brawley having a hand in seven and Lovell co-writing on two tracks.
The band settles into a serious groove right from the start with the opening cut "All I Can Do". Taylor blows some hot fills on his harp while the twin guitars lay down a menacing sound over Wade's sledgehammer rhythm. .Brawley co-wrote "Handcuffed to the Blues", which makes a humorous examination of the consequences of love. Fingers Taylor makes another appearance and the track is filled out with some funky Hammond organ. There are two musicians, Joe Rogers and Johnny Young, credited with contributing organ parts to the disc but specific tracks are not spelled out in the notes. "Some People" is another Brawley original that features some fine slide guitar from Lovell.
The Juvenators turn the James Brown classic "This is a Man's World" in a haunting slow blues with some more fine slide guitar. The track suffers a bit as Brawley's vioce doesn't have the range needed to really pull this one off. Of course, it's tough to measure up when you are being compared to the Godfather of Soul music. The other cover falls flat as the band doesn't bring anything new to their version of Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody". Brawley's voice doesn't have the range or power to elevate the track to inspirational heights.
The highlight of disc is "Too Late to Cry", a soulful cut from Lovell's pen. His vocal perfectly captures the sadness and resignation expressed in the lyrics. Taylor lingers in the background with long, mournful tones from his harp to really establish the mood. The quiet nature of this cut is a dramatic contrast to hill country boogie sound of the title track and " Judgement Day", with the guitars laying down the requiste droning pattern and Wade providing the simple beat. T-Model can be heard on "Black Hanna" shouting out a distorted refrain of " the blues" at the key points during the track.
Another strong point on the disc is that the group consistently gets some fine sounds from the guitars. Taylor is delight on every track he plays on. Brawley and Lovell have written some solid tunes that allow the band to create their own identity. If there were more vocal performances like the one on "Too Late to Cry", this release would stand out from the flood of recent blues recordings.

Savage Beauty reviewed by Mark Thompson

Savage Beauty
Perry Weber and the Devilles
Self-Released
http://www.devilles.com/
11 tracks/39:28
This is the first release for Weber and the Devilles, who got together a little more than a year ago. Weber is the vocalist, wrote eight of the tracks and handles the guitar. The Devilles are Dave Kasik on bass, Benny Rickun on harmonica and Victor Span on drums.The individual members have played with many of the greats, including Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Luther Allison, Reverend Raven and Nick Moss. In other words, these musicians have the experience and chops to play on any bandstand in the country.
The opening instrumental, "Gimme Back What I Bought Ya' ", percolates along with some stinging guitar parts from Weber and a tight solo from Rickun. The track gets an added boost from Bill LeClair on his Hammond organ. Next the band settles into a Slim Harpo-syle groove on "I Started Up Again". Rickun blows plenty of tight fills to support Weber's rough-around-the-edges vocal. The rocking "Do Your Duty, Judy" is one of the disc's highlights. On this Weber orginal, Rickun amply demonstrates his creativity on the harp over a big beat from Span. Weber contributes some taut guitar licks.
Another highlight is the slow blues song from the pen of Freddy King, "Lonesome Whistle Blues". LeClair makes another appearance on the organ and helps create the late-night feel on this track. Perry shouts out his tale of love gone bad before adding a superb solo that dominates the proceedings. . "Hot Tongue & Cold Shoulder" features more of Weber's inventive six string work. LeClair gets the opportunity to display his prowess on the Hammond before the track fade away.
The band's version of Hank William's
for me, despite some nice pedal steel classic "Your Cheatin' Heart" fell flat
guitar work from Jim Lombard. Perhaps it is due to the cut being stylistically out of left field compared to the rest of the
disc.
Two cuts serve notice that Weber can write with creativity and humor. His ode to his "Big Fat Woman" describes her "..big booty, two axe-handles wide!" Rickun whoops and hollers on his harp to punctuate this tale. On "International Man", Weber tells his baby he doesn't buy off the rack, he's too cosmopolitan for that.
All in all, this is a very strong release for a relatively new band. The quality of the writing and musicianship found throughout the recording testifies to how good these guys are - and bodes well for their future releases. But for now, get yourself a copy, turn it up loud - and let Weber & the DeVilles start the party at your house !!!
Perry Weber & the DeVilles will be appearing at Big Cities Lounge on Friday, Sept. 14.

The Rough Guide to The Blues reviewed by Mark Thompson

The Rough Guide to The Blues
by Nigel Williamson
Rough Guides
www.roughguides.com
384 pages/ $25.99

Rough Guides has a series of books on the market that attempt to educate the reader on a specific musical genre or one particular musician. The author is a native of the United Kingdom who, like many of us, discovered real blues music through the work of British bands like John Mayall, the Animals and Cream.

The guide has three sections. The first is seventy-plus page overview of the history of Blues from the shores of Africa to the deep South of the United States and eventually reaching the big cities in the North, where it plugged in and spread throughout the world. The vaious chapters discuss the influences of traditional folk forms like field hollers and work songs as well as the importance of minstrel shows in spreading the new style to wider audiences. Williamson also touches on the distinct stylistic differences that developed in different regions and cities throughout the country. He also discusses the impact of the record companies and the pioneering spirits that operated them. Finally he takes the Blues overseas to Britain before pondering what lies in store for the future of the music.


The playlist concept also makes it's first appearance in this section. Williamson will select a general category - like gambling, red-hot mamas or Mississippi Delta blues - and then list a ten track playlist of classic tunes for that topic. These lists are intended to provide guidance for downloading tracks on the list, so that the listener can explore different types of Blues music they may not be familiar with. This section is a solid discussion of the roots of the music.

The second section is the heart of this publication. It contains a listing of key musicians and singers, providing biographical information and a career overview for each artist. Williamson also selects several recordings for each performer that he feels showcases their best work. For musicians who recorded extensively, he tends to favor compilations rather than individual recordings. But I found myself in agreement with many of his choices, especially for those artists that I am quite familiar with. The playlist concept continues, with reccommended tracks for the likes of Blind Blake to Slim Harpo

The scope of this section is quite wide, as artists as diverse as Bob Dylan and ZZ Top are covered. Williamson incudes many British bands like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones as well as lesser known acts like the Groundhogs, whose influence was stronger than their recordings.There is also a wide sampling of musicians from Louisiana and New Orleans. Several of these artists definitely stretch the definition of Blues music and/or beg the question of their importance as an innovator.

Devoting space to these groups means other musicians are left out. You won't find sections on Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, William Clarke, Deborah Coleman or Debbie Davies. There is a listing for Shakey Jake Harris but not for George "Harmonica" Smith, both fine players but Smith influenced a whole generation of harp players on the West coast. You will find Bonnie Raitt sandwiched in between Ma Rainey and Jimmy Reed. Despite all she has done, Bonnie's musical contributions are not on the same level as either of these two legends. The key is that Williamson made his choices based on his view of the blues continuim. While one may not agree with all of his decisions, this section still is wealth of information for anyone interested in learning more about the wide range of blues musicians.

The final section - Bluesology - is nine pages of reference information including books, websites, DVDs, compilation cds and magazines for listeners who want more information. The 2 1/2 pages of books presents a solid listing of biographies of key musicians and several titles devoted to record labels. The DVD list has plenty of fine releases but at two pages, only scratches the surface of what is available on the market.

Williamson has put together a package that attempts to look at the wider world of Blues music. How successful he was will be up to each reader to decide. There is no denying that there will be plenty for most fans to learn from this publication.