Low Down and Tore Up reviewed by David Stine

Low Down and Tore Up

Duke Robillard Band

Stony Plain Records

www.stoneyplain

records.com

14 tracks/49:13

Duke Robillard can be likened to your favorite chain restaurant; he’s tasty, consistent, and even though his “menu” might change slightly from “meal” to meal, you know, pretty much beforehand what you’re going to be tasting. The only difference is Duke doesn’t tour much so he’s not everywhere. The Duke Robillard Band’s latest, Low Down and Tore Up, stays pretty much true to his established format: jump blues with some Chicago style thrown in with Duke on guitar and vocals, Bruce Bears on piano, Brad Hallen on bass, and Mark Teixeira on drums. Sidekick Sax Gordon adds tenor and baritone sax parts on all but thee cuts.

The disc starts with Eddie Jones’ (AKA Guitar Slim) “Quicksand.” Here we have a nice walking blues with interplay between guitar, sax and piano. No surprises, but if you’re a Duke fan do you really want any? The tempo picks up a bit for Eddie Taylor’s “Trainfare Home”; more piano, more sax and Duke’s signature fat guitar sound. There’s a nice “Got My Mojo Workin’” break in the middle.  The next cut is titled “Mercy Mercy Mama,” another gem unearthed by Duke who is the master of little known blues finds. The standard blues framework is augmented with Bears’ New Orleans style piano giving the song a nice twist. “Overboard,” another find, is a great jumpin’ collision of vocals, sax and piano. If you can just sit and listen to tune you must be in a coma! Great fat guitar from Duke. This is where he lives and breathes, that sound that came out of guitars right after the big bands when venues and orchestras got smaller and smaller. The band slows it down, thankfully, for Pee Wee Crayton’s “Blues After Hours.” More tasty riffs from Duke and low down piano and standup bass. The drums are barely there. Oh yeah!  Bartender, another drink please. Ready to boogie? John Lee Hooker’s “Want Ad Blues” is next. The signature one-chord romp is here with some added stops. Not known for his licks, any Hooker tune is wide open for interpretation by others. Duke does a nice job of staying true to the original and yet slapping his signature on this tune and yes, you can hear some John Lee in the guitar riffs. Dave Bartholomew might not be a common name to those who don’t travel to New Orleans, but he’s a giant among giants in that town. Duke’s rendering of Bartholomew’s’ “Do Unto Others” adds to Duke’s desire to expose lesser-known songwriters to his audience. Jimmy McCracklin, too, is not a household name but Duke’s take on “It’s Alright” might change all that. Yes, more formula here: sax, piano, jazzy guitar, and Duke’s bitten-off vocal phrasing. Remember, you came here for consistency. Song nine is  Marcia Ball’s “Play With Your Poodle.” With less pounding piano, the listener is forced to pay more attention to the lyrics and coming from a male, this song is much more, well, suggestive. From the Elmore James vault comes “Tool Bag Boogie,” another swinging tune allowing Bear and Gordon to step into the spotlight. “What’s Wrong,” again, is a nice find. The “Hoochie Coochie Man” riff meets Duke’s big band sentiments somewhere in New Orleans. That’s my description and I’m sticking to it! “I Ain’t Mad At You” might be familiar to you but what stands out here, and throughout the disc is how much Duke can do with a small cast. You swear you’re enjoying a 10-11 piece band. Nice. Another in the “low down” bracket is the funny/sad “The 12 Year Old Boy.” Where does he find these things? The disc ends, as it began, with another Guitar Slim tune: “Letter For You Baby.”

The disc ends, as it began with the ensemble doing what it does best, deliver that the guests ordered: taste, consistency and satisfaction. Duke is productive, but he doesn’t change it up much. Maybe this is the secret to his success. Happy listening!

Reviewed by David Stine

Trying to Hold On reviewed by Mark Thompson

Trying to Hold On

Diunna Greenleaf

Blue Mercy Records

www.diunna.com

14 tracks/58:12

For many blues fans, Diunna Greenleaf may be an unfamiliar name. But once you take a look at her resume, you find yourself puzzling over why more people haven't heard of this talented singer. She served for three years as the first woman president for the Houston Blues Society. For ten years, she was a vocalist for the Legendary Muddy Waters Band, which included other members like PinetopPerkins on piano, Bob Margolin on guitar and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums. In 2005, Diunna and her Blue Mercy band won the award for Best Band at the International Blues Challenge sponsored by the Blues Foundation. Greenleaf has been nominated for numerous Blues Music awards, winning the 2008 prize for Best New Artist Debut. Her new recording makes it clear that she is one of the finest blues singers around.

Greenleaf chose to use some of her closest musical friends on this program of ten originals and three covers. The opening track, “Be For Me”, has Bob Corritore on harp, Margolin on guitar, Chuck Cotton on drums and Mookie Brill on bass. Greenleaf's powerful voice rides the loping rhythm while Corritore expertly provides accents with his harp. “I Can't Wait” is a simple tribute to blues music that Margolin's raw slide guitar turns into a houserockin' gem. Guitarist Chris James and Patrick Rynn on bass takes over for Brill on “I'm a Little Mixed Up”, a tribute to Koko Taylor as once again Margolin shines on guitar, Greenleaf's singing easily matching his intensity level. Corritore sits out on the title track, a tune that takes a hard, unapologetic look at the life of a blues musician and mourns the loss of legends like Perkins.

Fellow Texan Anson Funderburgh adds his distinctive guitar work to two cuts. “Sunny Day Friends” is a song Greenleaf wanted to record as a duet with Funderburgh's former musical cohort, Sam Myers. But Myers passed away before the session could be scheduled. Once again, her voice dominates the proceedings even with the addition of Ron Jones on sax and John Street on theHammond B-3 organ. Diunna gives another rousing performance on “I Got a Notion to Leave” with Funderburgh taking several tasty solos.

Other guests include Rich Del Grosso, who adds his mandolin to the acoustic gospel rendition of “Beautiful Hat”, and Smokin' Joe Kubek's stellar guitar work is delight on “Taking Chances”, which Greenleaf wrote for Kubek and his soon-to-be wife.

Diunna also explores her gospel roots. First, she gives a magnificent reading of “Growing Up and Growing Old” backed by sensitive accompaniment from Margolin and Corritore. Also included is a brief segment of Greenleaf's 102 year old grandmother, Sylvie Travis, singing “He Is Everything to Me” followed by Diunna raising her glorious voice unaccompanied in tribute on the same song.

Several tracks feature the Blue Mercy band with the slow-burn on “Double Dealing” presenting Greenleaf a chance to show her grittier side with guitarist Jonn Del Toro Richardson showing that he is the equal of the other guitarists on the project. Billy Branch sits in on the final track, “Cause I'm A Soldier”, a song Greenleaf wrote for at her brother's military funeral. She also served in the U.S. Army and you can hear the pride in her soulful rendition that pays touching tribute to all those who serve our country. She is the constant throughout the changing musical line-ups – her wonderful voice, compelling songs and strong performances make this a must-hear recording.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson

Runaway reviewed by Denny Barker

Runaway

Samantha Fish

RUF Records

www.rufrecords.de

10 tracks/47:00

Fresh off her success on "Girls With Guitars", Samantha Fish has released a very good solo album "Runaway". Produced by Mike Zito, this CD features 8 original tunes, one
co-written with Zito, and a cover of Tom Petty's "Louisiana Rain".

"Runaway" opens with "Down In The Swamp", a hard driving blues tune with an edgy riff that is one of the many highlights on this CD. Following is the up-tempo title cut,
featuring some great guitar work and impressive vocal by Fish. The mood changes on cut #3, "Today's My Day", a very nice blues song showcasing Fish on slide guitar. Next is "Money To Burn", a laid back low key tune that starts slow and easy and slowly builds toward the end.

"Otherside Of The Bottle", is one of my favorite cuts. The song is a simple, whimsical
tune that shows Samantha's writing prowess, impressive vocal range, and her expertise on guitar. It's a great example of less is more - the guitar work, the simple bass line and drum beat fit this song perfectly. Next Fish and Zito team up on an upbeat rocker, "Push Comes To Shove", a nice tune, well done, but somewhat generic compared to the rest of the CD. "Feelin Alright", the CD closer, has a late night, smokey, jazzy feel that is somewhat of a departure from the rest of the CD, but works well as the final cut on a great set of tunes.

Ms. Fish and Mike Zito have put together an excellent CD that just gets better everytime I listen to it. Ms Fish seems to have it all. She writes good and interesting songs, plays great guitar and sings with a strong, confident, and impressive voice. I expect her to be around for a long, long time. To quote Samantha, "You can't runaway from the blues, don't even try".

Reviewed by Denny Barker

Steady Love reviewed by Steve Jones

Steady Love

Maria Muldaur

Stony Plain Records

www.mariamuldaur.com

13 tracks

Let me say that any teenage boy who was about my age growing up that did not have a crush on Maria Muldaur after just listening to “Midnight At The Oasis” was either deaf or on their deathbed.  That bias aside, Maria is a superbly talented singer who can make any song sound good.  With “Steady Love” she has returned to the Crescent City and surrounded herself with a huge cast of over a dozen outstanding supporting artists and has produced a really great CD!

The title track has a great horn arrangement provided by the inimitable Jimmy Carpenter.  Muldaur sings of what a “more seasoned” woman appreciates in her relationships.  She growls and purrs nicely through this one; Shane Theriot adds a cool little guitar solo, too.   The CD opens to the driving , stomping strains of Theriots guitar.  Elvin Bishop’s “I’ll Be Glad” is a good vehicle for Muldaur to set the stage with- it jumps out at the listener and grabs them by the collar.  The Bobby Charles standard “Why Are People Like That?” shows Muldaur at her bluesiest.   Rick Vito penned “I Am Not Alone” and plays slide on it; the cut is a slow and grooving spiritual that Maria nails.  “Walk By Faith” and “I Done Made Up My Mind” let Maria take the spiritual in musically different directions and succeeds each time. Muldaur takes us to church in “As An Eagle Stirreth In Her Nest” and makes you want to throw your hands up and dance.  Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone to Love” gets a sultry and sensual cover by Muldaur. 

She gives us a great ride top to bottom on this CD.  I really enjoyed it and you can see she had a good time putting it together in her performances.  I liked this CD a lot.  Her fans will love it and those new to Muldaur can see her bluesy side by buying this well done CD!

Reviewed by Steve Jones

  

From Timbuktu to the Mississippi Delta reviewed by Mark Thompson

From Timbuktu to the Mississippi Delta

Pascal Bokar Thiam Ed.D.

155 pages

Cognella, division of University Readers, Inc.

www.pascalbokarthiam.com

The front cover of this book states the author's intent - “How West African Standards of Aesthetics Shaped the Music of the Delta Blues”. It is a noble intent, to cover the history of major African nations, cross-continental trade that facilitated the sharing of many things including music plus 350 years of slave trading that forcibly brought millions of Africans to North America. Bokar Thiam makes the effort but comes up well-short of the mark.

Here are some of the issues with the book:

–                    While the book has 155 pages, there is actually less than 50 pages of text including the introduction. The rest of the book is filled with pictures, maps and dead space. Given that the author is attempting to cover a span of history  that covers many centuries, the amount of  space dedicated to the book's topic is woefully inadequate.

–                    A number of the maps in the book are slightly out of  focus, making it difficult to read some of them. With all of the printing technology available today, there really is no reason not to have sharp images throughout the book, like the map found on Pg. 25  of the empire of Ghana during the medieval period.

–                    Several pictures are used multiple times.  The cover has a small photo of Taj Mahal  playing the banjo.  The same image is on Pg. 16 with a caption identifying  it as Taj Mahal. When the photo appears  again on Pg. 152, it is identified only as an African American playing the banjo. Images of the painting “Old Plantation” depicting slaves making music and dancing are found in close-up on Pg. 76 and in a wider view on Pg. 136. Other photos that appear twice include Basekou Koutate playing the ngoni (Pgs. 15 & 132),  Papa Diabate performing on the kora (Pgs. 15& 102), Mandinka dancing (Pgs. 18 & 69) and a Diola  musician playing the akounting, a stringed instrument (Pgs. 110 & 152).

–                     Bokar Thiam writes with a scholarly  tone that can  make it a difficult read for the average person.   There are sentences, like the one to start Pg. 80, that fill an entire paragraph of 7 ½ printed lines. His description of the “swing” rhythm in West African music seems to be written for music majors (Pg. 79).

–                    The author repeats certain facts and/or concepts repeatedly throughout the book, sometimes on the same page. Example – Author references the the unclear origins of Blues music in the second paragraph on Pg. 130, then restates the same info in the first line of the next paragraph.

On the plus side,  the numerous photos of instruments, artifacts,  sculptures and cravings help illustrate the authors points regarding different African cultures. His description of the oral tradition of transferring knowledge is interesting, particularly when the author discusses the secrecy involved in protecting the accumulated wisdom. Bokar Thiam states that we still do not fully understand  the theorems the Egyptians used to build the pyramids. He adds “.., one can rest assured that the Greeks and the Romans would have built pyramids twice the size as those found in Egypt” had they  gained access to the mathematics and physics knowledge required.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   


Included with the book was a recording entitled Savanna Jazz Club, featuring the author on guitar and vocals in a straight-ahead jazz format. The supporting cast includes well-known drummer Donald “Duck” Bailey on several cuts and a rhythm section comprised of four Senegalese percussionists on a set list heavy with standard tunes like “Donna Lee” and “I'll

Remember April”. Bokar has a fleet-fingered style that meshes well with the percussion. Other solo honors go to Dr. Karlton Hester for consistently entertaining saxophone work. The final track, “Road Blues”, is a swinging example that marks the end result of the musical assimilation process that the leader tried to cover in his book.

           

The author is offering a signed copy his book on his website for $50. Even if his cd is included, the price is too steep for a product that reads more like a expanded outline for a book rather than a thorough, finished product.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson

No Lie reviewed by Mark Thompson

No Lie
Sanctified Grumblers
Self-released
www.sanctifiedgrumblers.com
17 tracks/54:17

Crossroads members should certainly be well-acquainted with Eric Noden from his frequent trips to Rockford over the years to participate in our Blues in the Schools program as a solo artist or with his musical counterpart, Joe Filisko. This project finds Noden in his familiar roles as lead singer and songwriter for half of the tunes. He also plays guitar and banjo guitar. He shares the spotlight with the multi-instrumentalist Rick Sherry, who plays washboard, harmonica, guitar, banjo guitar, clarinet and kick drum in addition to handling some of the lead vocals and composing five of the songs. The band is filled out with Beau Sample on bass and jug plus Mike Hogg on sousaphone. Additional support comes from Jim Becker on fiddle, saw and mandolin – Tom V. Ray on banjo & ukulele – and Mike Reed on drums.

As you can tell from the list of instruments, the Grumblers play music in the old-time string band style, with Hogg's sousaphone giving a nod to the New Orleans brass band tradition. Up-tempo tracks "Stump Grinder" and "Ramblin, Ramblin, Ramblin" give the group a chance to show that, given a chance, they'd have no problem filling the dance floor. Noden's delicate guitar lines play off the booming sousaphone on "9 Bar" while Sherry and Noden do a vocal duet. The insistent beat and Noden's expressive singing make "Broke & Dead" a standout track. Sherry's mournful harp and Becker's fiddle playing dance around the vocal line to great effect.

The Mississippi Sheiks are one of the Grumblers main influences. They cover a Sheiks tune, "Jailbird Lovesong" with fiddle and banjo featured behind Sherry's lead vocal. "Stain on the World" takes a humorous look at the people who claim to see miraculous images in things like toast or bedsheets. Sherry, the founder of Devil in the Woodpile, is a magnificent washboard player, spinning out dazzling rhythms on cuts like the the instrumental "Push Reel" and on the band's theme song, "EZ Ridin' Grumblers", with Noden once again taking vocal honors. "I Hate You Gin" is well-played the band but it exposes Sherry's vocal limitations. The New Orleans connection is highlighted on "SG Blues" with Sherry's clarinet adding charm to the cut.

Along with groups like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the South Memphis String Band, the Sanctified Grumblers are doing their part to fuel the renaissance of pre-war blues and jug band music. These guys really have a knack for the older styles – and they don't forget to have fun along the way. If you're yearning for a break from the standard electric blues format, No Lie is a fine introduction to a band that will bring a smile to your face and set your feet to tapping.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson

Gospel Blue reviewed by Mark Thompson

Gospel Blue
Brick Fields
Self-released
www.brickfieldsmusic.com
10 tracks/48:15

Based out of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Brick Fields is a six member band lead by the husband and wife team of Rachel a & Larry Brick. The group is unique in several ways. First, the nine tunes written by the couple have lyrical content heavily influenced by their Christian faith. Next, Rachel Brick plays flute -an instrument rarely associated with blues - on several tracks. The final defining characteristic of this ensemble is Rachel's magnificent alto voice that is capable of turning anything she sings into a memorable experience.

“On the Vine” opens the disc with Rachel joyfully espousing the value of holding on to the promise from Jesus that love will grow through the hardest times if we keep our faith. Larry, Rachel and Rain Equine combine their voices on a beautiful acappella segment to open “In the Light of Love”. Rachel's flute serves as a counterpoint to her dynamic vocal and Casey Terry accentuates the arrangement with one of his engaging sax solos. Larry's sensitive acoustic guitar accompaniment on “Hopelessly Addicted” serves as a springboard for more of Rachel's earthy vocalization on love in it's many forms.

The rhythm section of Johnny Ray on bass and Caleb Bomar on drums create a funky backbeat on “Talk About the Weather” while Terry delivers another solid tenor sax solo. Rachel can barely control her passion as she sings about the impending final reckoning on “These Are the Days”. The band slows the pace on the ballad, “How Long”, which is not the classic blues tune but an original that finds Rachel interspersing tender moments with emphatic statements that blur the lines between the secular and spiritual realms. Another highlight is “Cryin'” as Rachel pours her heart out over the misery of life with Randy Fairbanks on organ adding depth while Larry plays a short but dramatic guitar solo.

“Go On with the Soul” finds Rachel as she utilizing every facet of her powerful voice as it dips and soars through the gentle gospel ballad. Larry's tasty guitar work and Terry's sax stand out on the up-tempo workout “Lord I'm Coming Home”. The lone cover is the gospel standard “Amazing Grace”. The band uses a bluesier arrangement which surprising falls short of energy and conviction found on the rest of the disc, although Fairbanks on organ adds some sense of church.

Those of you who might be put off by the references to God, Jesus and religious beliefs should know that the lyrics on Gospel Blue are not always overt statements of faith. The songwriting often blurs the separation of the heaven and earth, so that the material can be enjoyed no matter what your beliefs. And once you hear Rachel Brick lift up her voice, it really doesn't matter what she is singing about. Her voice will comfort and soothe you while the band gives her expert support. If you enjoy outstanding singing, you need to check out this recording.

Reviewed by Mark Thompson