If you like what you hear on either or both counts, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s plenty more of each of these ends of the spectrum across the 20 tracks of this 2-CD set, which the younger Allison handpicked and were brilliantly remastered by Pauler Acoustics (such that you wouldn’t even realize that they came from different projects over a three-decade period). being one of several second-generation blues musicians (along with the likes of Shemekia Copeland, Mud and Big Bill Morganfield, Lurrie Bell, and Zakiya Hooker) helping to carry on the legacies of their fathers. So what’s not ..read more

One could easily get the impression T-Model wasn’t in the best of moods this day, between the seemingly more persistent than usual calls of “Jack Daniel’s time!” (at least a handful throughout the nine-song set) and such grumblings from Ford, for example, as “and that’s for goddamn sure” when one of the band announced that today’s would be a short set. But, if that was indeed the case, you sure wouldn’t know it from the rest of his performance, which starts with a shuffling “Hip Shakin’ Woman” and hits on several other nice uptempo numbers such as “Hi-Heel Sneakers” and “Cut You Loose” along w ..read more

Playing as part of the band Soul Nite the following spring, Harrell won third place at the 2022 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. And now comes the 25-year-old Harrell with his latest feat in the form of his impressive debut album , Kenny Neal, Vasti Jackson, Mr. Sipp, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Selwyn Birchwood and many others. While everyone of course did a terrific job playing B.B.’s music, Harrell was one of the few performing that day (along perhaps with Coleman, who, remind you, spent three decades backing B.B.) you’d swear might actually have been channeling the King. during t ..read more

The EP starts with a 9+ minute, western-tinged “Broken Man” that stretches from such quiet touches as the soft staccato piano notes from Matt’s father Paul Long after the first chorus and Kev Hickman’s percussion slaps a bit later to Matt’s powerful, building vocals and guitar heard throughout the song. , which finds the band offering acoustic takes on four of its own songs along with a beautifully intense cover of Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” that proves that singer and guitarist Matt Long is just as talented on the tender songs as on the rockers for which the band is so ..read more

Founding member and guitarist Dennis Greaves discovered the 1/4 inch tape of the recording during an inventory of his loft earlier this year, and then passed it to UK producer/engineer and drummer Wayne Proctor to master. And, boy, are we glad he did! The result is a crisp, delightful listen to a band on the verge of hitting it big, with the quartet both changing its name to Nine Below Zero and signing with A&M Records within the six months after this session. ), this next release is from a band that’s been around for quite a few decades now, having opened for the likes of The Who, Er ..read more

We weren’t able to take in quite as much of the recent two-night at Pittsburgh’s Highmark Stadium as we had hoped, but the bit we did catch was certainly impressive, thanks to the likes of Fantastic Negrito, Shemekia Copeland, Ruthie Foster, and Walter “Wolfman” Washington and their bands ..read more

While no one will ever truly replace Finnigan in either our ears or mind, veteran keyboard player . Being that we’re still slowly getting back into the swing of things ourselves after the pandemic, we were delighted to hear that the Phantom Blues Band was dishing out another new album this summer, especially after the unfortunate passing of the band’s organist and vocalist (Robert Cray, Etta James) fills in better than anyone else ever could on the remainder of the album, sounding very much like he’s been playing with the band for years ..read more

We didn’t get the chance to swing by Phoenix’s The Rhythm Room — the acclaimed blues club owned by harmonica ace (VizzTone) is, as always, excellent, whether on the call-and-response approach of songs like the chugging, -vocaled “You’re Gonna Be Sorry” with which the collection jumps off, or patient solos such as heard on the barebones, quiet country duet “Crawdad Hole” with on vocals and guitar, matching the powerful vocals of on “What Kind of Man is This” (featuring on drums) or backing on the delicate “Be For Me” (again with Margolin on guitar ..read more

(Dolceola Records) — his first in 17 years — may not have won the award in the Acoustic Blues Album category for which it was nominated during last month’s Blues Music Awards (an honor that went instead to another “Mississippi Son” in the form of an album by that name from harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite), but it’s one you’re going to need to add to your collection if you haven’t already. Sure, we’ve heard some of these same songs covered — quite well, in fact — over the years by the likes of such stars as The Black Keys and Buddy Guy, but not since the original masters like Duwayne’s fath ..read more

We didn’t get the chance to swing by Phoenix’s The Rhythm Room — the acclaimed blues club owned by harmonica ace (VizzTone) is, as always, excellent, whether on the call-and-response approach of songs like the chugging, -vocaled “You’re Gonna Be Sorry” with which the collection jumps off, or patient solos such as heard on the barebones, quiet country duet “Crawdad Hole” with on vocals and guitar, matching the powerful vocals of on “What Kind of Man is This” (featuring on drums) or backing on the delicate “Be For Me” (again with Margolin on guitar ..read more