Last Train to Bluesville reviewed by Mark Thompson

Last Train to Bluesville
The Nighthawks
Rip Bang Records
http://www.thenighthawks.com/
10 tracks/40:28

The latest from the Nighthawks is an acoustic recording done in 2009 at the Sirius/XM Studios and features founding members Mark Wenner on harp and Pete Ragusa on snare drum. They are joined by Paul Bell on guitar and Johnny Castle on bass. Both are veteran Washington D.C. musicians who have been in the band for the last four years. All four members contribute vocals to the project.

The stripped-down format works exceptionally well for the band, every track brimming with energy and superb musicianship. Opening with “The Chicken and the Hawk (Up Up and Away)”, Ragusa and Castle lay down a tight, swinging beat for Wenner’s enthusiastic vocal while Bell picks an intricate solo passage on his acoustic guitar. The rest of the setlist finds the band revisiting tracks from previous releases or covering classic songs like “Nineteen Years Old” with Wenner’s harp lines playing off Bell’s slide guitar. Their version of “Rollin’ and Tumbling’ “ harks back to Leroy Foster’s original with the moaning vocal chorus and insistent rhythm from Ragusa using a tambourine as a drum.

Another highlight is “I’ll Go Crazy”, with Ragusa taking the lead vocal on the James Brown tune and the rest of the band supplying a doo-wop vocal chorus. Wenner gets the chance to show off his skill on the harp and makes the most of the opportunity. The band shows they can rock unplugged with Castle on lead vocal for a rousing run-through of Chuck Berry’s “Thirty Days”. Bell contributes some more excellent slide work on “I Can’t Be Satisfied”. And Wenner blows his heart out on “Mighty Long Time”, adding an equally strong vocal.

The sound on this disc is superb, with the vocals having warmth and immediacy while the instruments are clearly defined. The band is inspired throughout and the members clearly revel in the acoustic format. After hearing Wenner’s stellar contributions on harp, one has to wonder why his name is not mentioned more often in discussions about the best harmonica players. All four members of the Nighthawks were on top of their game for this session, which ranks as one of the band’s finest efforts in it’s 35-plus year career.

Stealin’ the Soul reviewed by Rick Davis

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

Tommy Peters, the owner of B.B. King's Blues Club in Memphis discovered 16 year Will Tucker in 2008. Will has been following the blues scene around Memphis most of his life. Since being discovered in the summer of 2008, he has performed with several veteran bluesman including Charlie Musselwhite, G. Love & Special Sauce, Tony Coleman (B.B. King’s drummer), Billy Gibbons, and the Beach Boys with John Stamos. Collaborating with Grammy nominated producer Paul Speer and Ardent Studios he recently released his debut CD “Stealin’ the Soul”.

“Your Sacrifice”, his original tune on the cd, is proof that his song writing equals his guitar playing ability. At the early age of 16, Tucker plays guitar like a 20 year veteran.

He covers titles like Muddy Water’s “Walkin' In The Park”, the Willie Cobbs, Elias McDanial tune “You Don’t Love Me”, “T-bone” Walker’s “Stormy Monday”, and the Booker T. Jones hit “Born Under a Bad Sign”.

The last segment of the cd is live from B.B. King’s with his own band and Memphis musicians Joe Boogie on keyboards, Randy Middleton on bass, and Pete Mendillo on drums. He opens with the Dennis Linde hit “Burnin’ Love”, continues with the Memphis Minnie and Joe McCoy tune “When the Levee Breaks”, and finishes the four tracks with a strong version of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny Be Goode” and the Jimi Hendrix guitar classic “Little Wing”.

After listening to this, his first CD, I think you will agree that it sounds like Will’s guitar experience far exceeds his age. His voice has also developed to a maturity level well past the age of 16. I think we will hear more and more from this young guitar prodigy for years to come. As a blues fan, it is great to see young artists so dedicated to the music that has influenced generations.

Songs From The Road reviewed by Harmonica Joe

Songs From The Road
Luther Allison
Ruf Records
www.rufrecords.de-luther-allison.com/
2 disc set : CD - 19 tracks - 71:52 minutes
DVD - 8 tracks 56 minutes of show

The new release, from Ruf Records, of Luther Allison’s performance at the 1997 Montreal Jazz Festival is really outstanding. This show was the last recorded performance of Luther Allison. Four days after this show Allison was diagnosed with cancer. About a month later, on August 12, 1997, he passed away.

Luther Allison's show on July 4th 1997 was recorded by Canadian Television. This recording, "Songs From The Road", is a piece of blues history. It has been packaged by Ruf Records as a 2 disc DVD/CD set at a very low price. It sells for about $15 and is quite the bargain.

Luther's music career was long and productive. Starting at 18 and playing with his own band he just went forward. He moved to Chicago and jammed with the likes of Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Freddie King. He played with his band in the 60's and also made a recording, "Love Me Mama" for Delmark records in 1969. In 1972 he signed with Motown Records. He felt that his music was more appreciated in Europe and stayed in Paris for years. He also released a dozen albums there. In 1994 he released "Soul Fixin' Man" for Alligator Records.

Luther Allison was a great stage performer, song writer, guitarist, and singer and had the ability to grab an audience; He was a perfect blues machine. Watching the DVD from "Songs From The Road" just shows who and what Luther Allison was! "Songs From The Road", to me, is maybe the ultimate preservation of Luther Allison's style and presentation. There is not a moment during this show that the audience is not involved and wanting more of Luther's music.

Luther's band for this recording included Luther on guitar and vocals, Ken Faltinson doing a fine groove on bass, Mike Vlahkis on keyboard and organ, Rob Stupka on drums and James Solburg on lead and rhythm guitar. This is a great interacting stage band to say the least.

"(Watching You) Cherry Red Wine", an Allison, song is an outstanding performance to watch. Luther's intensity and feeling for the music is very visible here. With an awesome guitar solo and his playing off of Solburg, some kicking organ and a great bass line this is a very powerful tune. On "Low Down And Dirty", a Benard Allison tune, Luther showcases his slide guitar style. There is plenty of Solburg and Luther playing off of each other on this tune. Good stuff!

For me, Luther's rendition of "It Hurts Me Too", also with the slide guitar, is very emotional and heart felt. The crowd is brought into the lyrics as the music is taken way down. This is a very intense performance by Luther Allison. Watching "It Hurts Me Too" on this video is probably worth the whole cost of the set.

The DVD includes an interview with Luther plus a video tribute to him that includes him playing with his son, Bernard. The CD has a couple tunes not on the DVD. "Living In The House Of the Blues" and "What Have I Done Wrong" are included.

Luther Allison was true blues legend and performer and is and will be missed. With the release of "Songs From The Road", we have a great memory of him. Luther Allison was truly a Soul Fixin' Man. "Leave your ego, play the music, love the people" as Luther said, is what he did.

Smokin’ Joint - Vol. 2 reviewed by Mark Thompson

Smokin’ Joint - Vol. 2
Kim Wilson
Rhythm Room Sessions
www.myspace.com/kimwilsonblues
13 tracks/65:55

Blues music doesn’t get much better than catching Kim Wilson live, backed by one of his aggregations of all-star blues musicians. This live recording captures Wilson in his element, his commanding lead vocals and virtuoso harmonica playing constantly eliciting shouts of approval and encouragement from the audience. Wilson favors a two guitar line-up and you don’t get a much better pairing than Billy Flynn and Rusty Zinn. The interplay between these two masters is a constant delight, particularly on a rousing rendition of “Gumbo Blues”. Larry Taylor on bass (Canned Heat) and Richard Innes on drums form the rhythmic engine that powers this high-octane blues machine.

This collection of veteran musicians form a powerful ensemble that pushes Wilson to be at his best. And he delivers, whether it’s blowing a stellar harp solo to open “Take a Little Walk With Me” or shouting the blues on “I’m Leavin’ You”. The up-tempo “Date Bait” is another high point with it’s churning rhythm and an expressive vocal from the leader. The band slows the pace on “Please Come Back to Me” and Wilson turns in another convincing lead vocal performance while the two guitarists create plenty of six-string fireworks.

“I’m Going Home” is done in the swinging west-coast style with Zinn tearing it up on guitar. The closing medley starts with a high energy version of “I Hear You Knockin’ “ before easing into “Bring It On Home” with Wilson’s harp echoing his vocal lines.

The recording quality and volume vary a bit from track to track but the sound on all of the cuts is quite listenable. The sleeve lacks any notes save for the lists of song titles and the band members. But the disc rocks from start to finish and provides another testimonial to the power of Kim Wilson’s musical vision. The crowd that packed Big Cities at Wilson’s recent local show certainly had a experience that was similar to the inspired performances captured on this disc. Available at Wilson’s live shows, this one is worth tracking down. Just make sure you invite your friends and play it loud !!!

Holdin' Court reviewed by Rick Davis

Holdin' Court
Debbie Davies
Little Dipper Records
http://www.debbiedavies.com/
11 Tracks

At an early age, Debbie Davies was constantly exposed to music growing up with parents who were professional musicians. At the age of 12, Debbie was drawn to the blues after listening to her father's Ray Charles record collection. It was then that she was attracted the roots music and to the guitar as her form of musical expression. After listening to British blues-rock bands, particularly the electric guitar of Eric Clapton with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, she decided to pursue her passion to play the blues. Davies began her career playing in blues and rock ‘n roll bands in the San Francisco Bay area before she returned to Los Angeles in 1984, where she got a lead spot in the all-female band Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs led by the wife of British blues legend John Mayall. After touring with Albert Collins in 1988, and gaining several years of valuable experience on the road, she came out with her debut release, "Picture This" on Blind Pig Records which featured Collins on the tune “I Wonder Why”. Since then, she has soloed or performed with other artists on 12 albums. Her twelfth and latest cd is the long awaited instrumental cd titled "Holdin' Court". After 26 years of perfecting her craft as a leading contemporary blues guitar artist, and numerous requests from her fans, she has blended the guitar styles of some her influences like Albert Collins, Freddie King, and Kenny Burrell into a showcase of 11 solo instrumental tracks.

She opens along with her band featuring Casandra Faulconer on bass, Don Castagno on drums and conga, and Paul Opalach on organ, guitar, and bass with a funky Duke Robillard tune "Fishnet"...and what and opening it is! Hold on to your chair and turn up the sound! How can this get any better? She rips into her version of Bill Dogget's dance hall prototype "Honky Tonk" with "Down At The Honky Shack". "Tryin' To Keep It Real" starts with a great funky intro and transitions into one of the best blues tunes on the cd. "Okie Dokie Stomp" takes you on a jump, jive 'n' swing guitar revival done Davies' style. "Percolatin", "So What", and Atras De Tus Ojos" are the three instrumentals recaptured from her earlier albums. "So What" captures that Albert Collins influence that is distinctive in Debbie's style. Her influence from the legendary Kenny Burrell can be heard in "Atras De Tus Ojos". The title track "Holdin' Court" parallels blues guitar giant Ronnie Earl. Davies is superb bending notes on Earl Hooker's tune "I wonder Why". She keeps it funky using guitar wah-wah on Albert Collins' "If You Love Me Like You Say". The cd concludes with a surf instrumental "Zoom-in" reminiscence of 60s surf music of the Ventures.

"Holdin' Court" is one of those cds you won't be able to stop playing over and over again! It is a great addition to everyone's blues collection. Thanks for 26 years of incredible blues!

The Sojourners reviewed by Steve Jones

The Sojourners
The Sojourners
http://www.thesojourners.ca/
www.myspace.com/thesojourners
11 tracks

Canadian bluesman Jim Byrnes contacted the Vancouver-based Marcus Moseley to get some other Canadian singing friends together to work on an album about three years ago. When the three men opened their mouths it was obvious that something special had been put together. Mosley, along with buddies Will Sanders and Ron Small, refined their stuff in the churches down south in their original homes of Ralls, TX, Alexandria, LA and Chicago, IL, respectively after the Byrnes session and then recorded a 2007 CD with producer Steve Dawson. Their second CD was recorded two years later and is just released here; it features Dawson playing a smoking variety of guitars with a deep blues sound, a warm and soulful Mike Kalanj on Hammond B 3 organ, Geoff Hicks and Keith Lowe on drums and bass and a guest appearance by Jesse Zubot on mandolin in “By and By” to round out the wonderful sounds.

This is serious Gospel music sung by talented men with truly superb musicians backing them. These guys are standouts and have a sound and spirit that just beckons one to listen over and over again. The first time I listened to this was in my car, and when I got home I immediately listened to it three more times on my stereo; I was singing along with each track by the time I finished. It is moving music that grabs the listener with their exceptional renditions of songs of sin and redemption. They also weave in so many related styles of music to their Gospel and blues sound that makes it so beautiful that the listener cannot break away from it.

Dawson’s dirty and greasy slide guitar work is a wonderful addition to the Gospel sound. He’s featured in tracks like the jumping praise song “Great Day. If one has any ties to a military member, the Violinaires’ “Another Soldier Gone” is given a moving rendition that will just give you chills. “Lead Me Guide Me” is a Doris Akers classic that plays out like sacred slow blues, with the organ work and electric guitar filling in the blanks between vocals ever so sweetly. Los Lobos “(Peace in) The Neighborhood” brings us back to the headier days of the civil rights movement in a driving, forthright cover. The Reverend Guy Davis’ “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” gets a big transformation from its’ Grateful Dead cover days, poignantly melancholy yet moving. The set closes out with the traditional “By and By”; uplifting vocals and some mean finger picking on the guitar leave one revived but wanting more.

I can’t say enough good things about this. Suffice it to say that if I had to buy one Gospel CD released in the last few years, this would be it. It is that good. If you have any love at all for Gospel, this CD must be in your collection.

The Meanest Little Girl reviewed by Steve Jones

The Meanest Little Girl

Blue Fuller and the Chicago All Stars
Blue Barrel Productions (Self-Released)
www.cdbaby.com/cd/bluefuller
13 tracks

Karma. It’s an over used word in our society, but maybe it’s overused because the concept comes into play so many times in our lives and we just don’t realize it. This CD was a bit of a karma experience for me. Barrelhouse Chuck and I have (well, mostly the “I” part of that) procrastinated over me visiting his home to peruse his extensive collection of records and blues memorabilia which he correctly and affectionately entitles “his museum”. Well, I finally broke down to do so and it happened to be an evening when his good friend Gil “Blue”Fuller was in town for a few days, visiting Chuck from Indiana.

If you Google Blue Fuller (his name is Gil, actually), you won’t find much except for this CD. That’s kind of sad because he’s a blues and jazz singer whose vibrato tones are both pleasing and interesting. He hooked me up with his CD and we played a couple of tracks before I left and I listened to the rest on the way home. It’s a great set of tunes with an even greater set of musicians. Accompanying Fuller are Barrelhouse Chuck on keyboards, Billy Flynn and Joe Campagna on guitar, Kenny and Willie Smith (and sometimes John Carpender) on drums, Michael Peters on bass and Sam Burkhardt on sax. It’s a great cast backing up a great singer!

The title track was penned by Fuller and features Chuck on both a mean piano and Farfisa. Blue bemoans his baby staying out all night long in his unique, understated vibrato. While fronting his band, he never tries to distance himself from them and he creates a mellow blend of his voice with the instruments. He’s an old-styled crooner who is a part of the band. His breathy and controlled voice sells itself to you and makes you fall into a good little music listening space. On Kim Wilson’s “Wait On Me”, Fuller’s gritty vocals are top-notch; they effectively use the piano and sax to replace Wilson’s harp. Muddy’s “One More Mile” is the only track featuring the harp, and Pierre Locoque joins Blue for a vocal and harp “duet” that is sweet and oh-so Chicago. “Caledonia” gets a jumping cover with everyone in full swing. This sound could be today or it could be 60 or more years ago in some smoke filled South Side joint- blues done in a timeless fashion.

There lots of good stuff here. I really loved the title track, but one cannot pass up “96 Tears” and “Carol” without noticing. The ? and the Mysterions cover is beautifully covered with Fullers’ vocals and Chucks’ organ work really selling this one. That’s one of the tracks I had to play before I left, and there was Gil and me (kind of) singing along, with Chuck banging the keys of an old organ in his basement; three middle aged men acting like teenagers jamming to the tunes together. It was quite the moment. And in “Carol” we get Billy Flynn doing Berry (something he did a lot more of quite well in the 2008 “Cadillac Records” film), with Chuck just busting up the keys and Blue wailing on vocals. Fun, fun fun!

If you like you blues served up in the old styled Chicago way, then you’ll enjoy this CD like I did. Gil Fuller’s an undiscovered vocal gem and the backup band are killers. Blue even lets them throw in a few instrumentals and they are sweet, too. “Wa Wa Blues”, “Chuck’s Blues”, “Betsy’s Boogie” and “Past Life”are all grooving tracks. The CD is available on CD Baby. Check it out, but I warn you that when you do, you will be parting with some cash because you’ll want to add it to your collection!