Mississippi MacDonald – Heavy State Loving Blues APM Records http://mississippimacdonald.com 10 tracks – 42 minutes Mississippi MacDonald has been playing guitar since he was eleven years old. While his prominent first name moniker would indicate a Southern US heritage, he is in fact from London, England. He cites the pivotal moment in his life as the night on November 27, 1991, when he saw Chuck Berry perform citing it as a “transformative experience”. He became obsessed with learning about the music that came from the southern US, so much so that he his constant reference to the southern sta ..read more

Big Harp George – Cut My Spirit Loose Blues Mountain Records www.bigharpgeorge.com 13 tracks/55 minutes Big Harp George is George Bisharat, a former criminal defense attorney, law professor and political law commentator who gave all that up to become a blues singer, songwriter, and chromatic harmonica player. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and blows some uniquely mean harp. This is his fifth release, and is his best yet. George began his musical life in 2014 with Chromaticism, a Blues Blast and BMA Best New Artist Debut nominated album. He did not rest on his laurels, releasing Wash My ..read more

Cover photo © 2023 Laura Carbone  In This Issue  Anita Schlank has our feature interview with Jimmy Hall. We have eight Blues reviews for you this week including a book from Chicago Blues guitarist Steve Ditzell plus new music from Eric Bibb, Mississippi MacDonald, Big Harp George, Savoy Brown, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Richard Ashby and Martin Lang & Rusty Zinn. Scroll down and check it out! The Blues Blast Music Awards honor contemporary Blues artists and their recordings. Artists with major labels and independent artists are eligible. All submissions are digital. No physi ..read more

Bishop Dwayne Mason & Friends – Just Can’t Make It By Myself The Sirens – 2022 www.thesirensrecords.com 11 tracks; 51 minutes Back in 2002 celebrated blues pianist Erwin Helfer took part in an event to commemorate the 9/11 tragedies and was impressed by (the then) Reverend Dwayne Mason’s piano playing, and recommended him to his own record label, The Sirens, based in Chicago. Since then Dwayne Mason has recorded two albums of gospel music for the label, starting a series of gospel recordings to add to The Sirens’ blues catalogue. Now a Bishop and extremely busy with his ministry, Dwayne ha ..read more

The Gayle Harrod Band – Temptation Self-produced CD www.thegayleharrodband.com 12 songs – 49 minutes A blues belter with a powerful, expressive and occasionally gravelly delivery, Gayle Harrod took a lifetime before launching a music career in music. Now in her mid-50s, the Baltimore native makes her recording debut with this soulful set, and one listen will convince you it’s been worth the wait. Harrod sang in public for the first time with the soul-blues ensemble Triple Shot at age 42 in 2011. In the years since, she’s developed her talent as a member of Blues Deluxe, a group whose act inclu ..read more

Cover photo © 2023 Marilyn Stringer  In This Issue  Marty Gunther has our feature interview with Bettye Lavette. We have four Blues reviews for you this week including new music from Born Healer, Mudslide Charley, The Gayle Harrod Band and Bishop Dwayne Mason & Friends. Scroll down and check it out! The Blues Blast Music Awards honor contemporary Blues artists and their recordings. Artists with major labels and independent artists are eligible. All submissions are digital. No physical CDs needed. For complete information, click HERE.  Featured Interview – Bettye L ..read more

Kurt Allen – Live From The Red Shed Titanium Blue LLC http://www.kurtallenmusic.com 9 Tracks – 52 minutes The Kurt Allen Band are true road warriors, playing up to 200 shows every year for over a decade, slowed down only by the days of COVID. Their previously well-received album, Whiskey, Women & Trouble, had the unfortunate timing of being released immediately before everything shut down for the pandemic, which obviously stopped their touring for the album. Kurt has been recording his shows at various locations over the years simply to review the performances to determine where the b ..read more

Cover photo © 2023 Joseph A. Rosen “Writing and recording original material. I love that part of it just as much as playin’ live on stage. Just gettin’ in there and makin’ an idea become a song and watchin’ the song become something for the audience. I love that process, I really do. It’s like almost havin’ kids (haha).” Ronnie Baker Brooks is the live-wire Blues-power torch bearer of the rocking, funky Chicago Blues. Literally the heir to the throne, Ronnie is the son of revolutionary genius Bluesman Lonnie Brooks. While learning at his dad’s feet, Ronnie also made a point of paying his dues ..read more

Teresa James – With a Little Help from My Friends Blue Heart Records – 2022 http://www.teresajames.com 10 tracks – 37 minutes Houston, Texas born Teresa James started playing piano at age 5, added guitar at age 8, and has never stopped playing music since then. She studied classical music through her sophomore year in high school. Now located in Los Angeles, Teresa has released several previous albums both as a solo lead and with her band The Rhythm Tramps with the first, The Whole Enchilada, dating back to 1998. Here she foregoes the Tramps to perform with friends. The Tramps are le ..read more

Damon Fowler & Friends – Live at the Palladium Landslide Records www.damonfowler.com 10 tracks – 79 minutes Florida’s Damon Fowler is a fabulous guitar player who is overdue for major recognition of his work. He started playing guitar at age 12 and quickly developed an affinity for the lap steel, dobro and particularly the slide guitar. He started gigging around clubs in the Tampa Bay area where he first gained recognition.  He has worked with a vast array of blues greats including Jeff Beck, Johnny Winter, Gregg Allman, Delbert McClinton and many others. He also was a member the ..read more