Various Artists – Knights Of The Blues Table (Viceroy Music).

This is a tribute to the memory of Cyril Davies, widely recognised as one of the fathers of British blues, and the opening track, Send For Me, is fittingly one of his compositions. This version is from Jack Bruce and is a classic British Blues sung by one of the best in the business. Bruce’s vocal is more than complimented by his lung bursting harmonica breaks (bet there’s a few out there that didn’t know he played harmonica as well). Clem Clempson also has a high profile on guitar. Georgie Fame is up next with If You Live, the Mose Allison song. This is a silky, jazzy blues given Fame’s renowned panache. Go Down, Sunshine is a traditional acoustic blues with the smokey voice of Duffy Power. Lonnie Johnson’s Rocketeer Blues is sung by Chris Jagger, with able backing from his brother, Mick. This acoustic stroller is great stuff. Pete Brown, Phil Ryan and Dick Heckstall-Smith join forces for Rocks In My Bed. This Leroy Carr tune is given the British treatment and builds up very well. I must have a special mention for Les Davidson here on guitar. The much recorded Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood is hardly a blues song but it is very welcome on this selection. Performed, solo, by Miller Anderson who provides an emotion laden vocal. Big Jim Sullivan and Maggie Bell give us Blind Man. They are two of the UK’s best blues exponents and Sullivan’s guitar work is masterful. To compliment this, Bell’s voice has that gritty quality that makes for a great blues singer.

Travelling Riverside Blues is one of the classics of the genre and Peter Green is one of the few who can carry it off, even though this was not recorded in his heyday. Backed by Nigel Watson they both simply play guitar and sing, giving it a natural feel. TS McPhee plays Drop Down Mama, the Sleepy John Estes song, in a gritty, punchy manner before Clem Clempson and Jack Bruce join forces for I’ve Got News For You. This is a slow, powerful Chicago blues to match the best from the USA with Clempson in particularly good form. Nine Below Zero play the Sonny Boy Williamson song from which they took their name. They were always a popular band, if commercially unsuccessful to a degree, and their powerful harp player, Billy, nails this dirty, gritty blues. 60s favourites The Pretty Things contribute Judgement Day and they capture the essence of the blues with novel use of John Povey’s harmonica. Paul Jones & Otis Grand throw in Play On Little Girl/T Bone Shuffle and this gives Jones the opportunity to show how good he is on the harmonica. It plods along very nicely until the T Bone Shuffle where Grand takes over and the blues come alive. James Cotton’s One More Mile is a bit uninspired given the calibre of the artists, Mick Clarke & Lou Martin. The set closes with Mick Taylor and Max Middleton with the Willie Dixon & JB Lenoir song, You Shook Me. I was expecting big things of this but its ponderous treatment only leaves the slide guitar as the main point of interest. It’s a shame that it’s a little disappointing at the end but overall, this is a good representation of British blues and a fine dedication to Cyril Davies.

http://www.lightyear.com/

David Blue.

Pinetop Perkins – Born In The Honey. The Pinetop Perkins Story (Vizztone).

93 year old Pinetop Perkins is one of the last remaining golden generation bluesmen. This 60 minute documentary, narrated by Chuck Dodson, tells his story and shows what a great showman he is. He was born Joe Willie Perkins in Belzoni, Mississippi on the Honey Island Plantation, hence the DVD’s title. His parents split up when he was young and he left home at the age of 16 after a particularly bad beating from his grandmother. After a very short Gospel career he met guitarist Robert Nighthawk and started playing with him, in between making moonshine and working on cotton farms. Around this time he started calling himself Pinetop, after Clarence Pinetop Smith. He continued to work in the cotton fields, playing guitar and piano at night before he met another who would be a long time colleague, guitarist Earl Hooker. Pinetop’s next adventure came in 1941 when Robert Nighthawk invited him to play with him on the King Biscuit radio show. This was the first show to feature live blues and led to Sonny Boy Williamson asking him to join his band, The King Biscuit Entertainers, in 1943.

Other notable achievements include teaching Ike Turner how to play piano. The DVD also features some live footage that shows the he, even in his advanced years, can still belt out a tune. His career has not been without its lows, one of which was when a chorus girl attacked him with a knife, severing a tendon in his left arm and nearly ended his career. There were no black hospitals and he had to depend on the radio station owner and sponsor to take him to be treated. Perkins says that his left arm don’t work too well ever since.

At the end of the 40s he was back with Nighthawk and Earl Hooker. He moved up to Memphis and then Cairo, Illinois in 1949. Cairo was midway between the Delta and Chicago and became an important staging post for blues musicians. Pinetop worked as a car mechanic during the day and played piano at night. By 1950, Nighthawk had moved on to Chicago and invited Pinetop to record with him. Again, he was unlucky with injuries and ruptured his eardrum one night when sitting too close to Hooker’s amplifier – his hearing went down to 50%. He went on to play in Ike Turner’s band and even had to fill in on drums occasionally. Perkins moved back to Cairo in 1953 before going up to Memphis to record at the legendary Sun Studios. It was there that he recorded one of his most famous songs, Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie. He was off on his travels again in the late 50s and his latest destination was St Louis where he joined Johnny O’Neill and The Houndogs. He finally made it to Chicago during the 1960s blues boom and it was here that he had his most fortuitous meeting. In 1969, Otis Spann left the Muddy Waters Band to go solo and Waters asked Pinetop to replace him. Despite a lasting friendship with Waters, Pinetop left with the rest of the band to form The Legendary Blues Band. Unfortunately, Waters died 3 years later and Perkins says that the reason was that the band had left him.

Perkins finally went solo and released his first album in 1988. he tells of his raucous whisky drinking days and how he gave it up at the ripe old age of 82 when he could not be bothered being arrested every time he stepped out his front door anymore. It all worked because he became a Grammy nominee and won a Lifetime Achievement award in 2005. By then, he had made his final, so far, move to Austin and was given the keys to the city on his 92nd birthday.

Apart from the great concert footage, one of the enduring memories is that of Pinetop being driven up to McDonalds in his Rolls Royce and ordering 2 double cheeseburgers and 4 apple pies. Seemingly, that is all he regularly eats. There are many interviews where some of the best blues musicians give their memories of Pinetop. Those interviewed were Sam Carr (Robert Nighthawk’s son), Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith, Bubba Sullivan, Ike Turner, Bobby Rush, Dr John, Lonnie Brooks, Mitch Woods, Paul Oscher, Hubert Sumlin, Taj Mahal, Ann Rabson, Marcia Ball, Kim Wilson, Koko Taylor, Bernard Allison and Eddie Clearwater.

Pinetop Perkins is one of the greatest bluesmen ever and a man of great humility. His answer to the final question of ‘if you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing’ was that he did not know what he would be doing, probably in the poor house. Also included is a bonus 10 track CD with some of his greatest songs. This DVD package is a must for those interested in blues history.

http://www.vizztone.com/
http://www.pinetopperkins.com/

David Blue.

National Debt – From The Horse’s Mouth (No Tom Records).

National Debt was formed by Ronnie Smith and Michael Messer in 2002 to play for fun when Messer was not out on tour. That is still the situation but last year they decided to record an album and From The Horse’s Mouth is the result of that decision. Oozlin’ Daddy Blues sets the tone for this Rootsy album however, don’t ask me what the title means as I have not got a clue. Slide guitar from Michael Messer is fantastic. Charlie’s Tale is the first of a trio written by vocalist Ron Smith. This is top class folk with added value in the form of Messer’s guitar. The second of Smith’s trio is Love To Burn and this one is old style Country/Mountain music. Backing vocal from Cheyne Pride is very good and her voice compliments Smith’s extremely well. By now it should be taken for granted that Michael Messer’s guitar work is nothing short of superb and the short solo on this is sublime with backing from long time musical partner Ed Genis. Dead Men’s Wages makes it three in a row of Smith penned songs. This is the weakest of the three and his vocal is not really on form here. He would be best leaving this type of song to the guy that I was reminded of when I heard it and that is Nick Lowe. Leaving Home is a Charlie Poole song and is firmly in the Roots/Americana genre. This earthy offering would go down great in an intimate live venue.

Preach The Gospel has the band going electric for the first time. Written by Washington Phillips, this is an easy going, laid back stroll. Lonely Road is another of Smith’s songs and this is brilliantly raw Alt. Country. No matter how good a song is, and believe me, this is a highlight, Michael Messer always manages to lift it with his guitar fills. Salvation Blues is Smith’s last solo song writing credit and is Americana of a high standard. Turning Blue sees Messer co-writing with Smith for the first time on a stripped bare rootsy offering. They turn to the mountains again for Ridin’ That Midnight Train. Messer and Genis are standouts here again on this up-tempo classy Americana. I would have swapped the final two tracks around for the last song, The Memory Of Your Smile is a bit too laid back for my liking, good though it is. Backing vocals from Pride and bassist Chris Clarke are top drawer and there is a powerful chorus to its credit but the pace lets it down for a closing track as it does not really implant itself in the memory. However, the track is of such a high standard that it is only me being picky. This is a very good album by very good musicians.

http://www.michaelmesser.co.uk/

David Blue.

Savoy Brown – Bring It Home (Viceroy Music).

Bring It Home opens with Mr Brown Boogie, a fast paced instrumental with excellent slide guitar from Kim Simmonds and Pete McMahon on harmonica manages to keep up the pace too. Sweet Loving Thing is a grinding blues rock, the kind that John Mayall excels at. There is a gritty vocal from former Kingsnakes front man McMahon and punchy guitar from Simmonds. Too Much Of A Good Thing has another excellent vocal from McMahon – swing/jump blues this time but Simmonds guitar is consistent and former Robert Cray Band drummer, Dave Olson keeps the whole thing together. Misery is blues based rock and more than competent standard fare. Your head will be nodding to the staccato beat of Willie Dixon’s Shake For Me as Simmonds and Hubert Sumlin trade riffs. Pack It Up, with pounding bass from Jim Heyl is a Freddie King song turned into blues rock, British style. Savoy Brown and their ilk cornered this market in the 60s and 70s and the genre went on to spawn Free and many others.

‘Lonesome Dave’ Peverett is the guest vocalist on High On Your Love, which could be classed as an old shuffling Texas style blues. The harmonica gets another outing here and is used to great effect. The grinding Worried Man has more of Simmonds’ excellent slide guitar and the vocals are better than its predecessor. John Lee Hooker’s Little Wheel is given a sympathetic treatment and the guitar and harp get it on at the beginning. This is more rhythmic than the original but not quite as hypnotic. Percy Mayfield’s You’re In For A Big Surprise (the title, not a statement) is a big, powerful, sophisticated blues and there are strong vocal and harmonica performances on the New Orleans flavoured Real Fine Woman. The contemporary blues of That’s What Love Will Do are still fresh, even 12 years after the original release. They finish with Baby Please, a slow moody Chicago blues that has Simmonds’ guitar and the vocal melding very well.

http://www.savoybrown.com/

David Blue.

Snowy White & The White Flames – Melting (Mystic Music).

Written by drummer, Juan Van Emmerloot, the instrumental Discoveri is an atmospheric start to Melting, White’s 1998 album. It builds to Snowy’s guitar which pierces the sub-conscious. I can’t help thinking of Dire Straits when I hear Long Distance Loving. Of course, this is not the first time that this has been said. That aside, there is a good riff, the guitar playing is excellent and bassist Walter Latupeirissa is on top form. I’ll Be Moving On is bluesy with a pronounced vocal. This is superb and is really all about the guitar. The More You Live highlights a rock guitarist in full flow with top backing from Van Emmerloot. The often covered Hendrix classic, Little Wing, comes up with one of Snowy’s better vocals. It is difficult to compare his guitar work with the other versions of this song so I shall just say that he excels in his own way. That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You is a grinder and Latupeirissa’s Terpisah is a moody, atmospheric and short instrumental of a high calibre. The First Move has gentle vocals over a standard rock riff but you can always rely on White to throw in the odd twist. Like The Sun is nothing special apart from the progressive rock middle. You will just rock on to That Ain’t Right before going into the title track’s bluesy, prog rock finish. This instrumental allows White to turn in a virtuoso performance and the synthesiser fading to the end makes for a great conclusion to the album. There is one bonus track, Love, Pain & Sorrow, which includes a guest appearance by Dave Gilmour. As you would expect, the pair turn in a festival of guitar but the one thing that I did not expect was the inclusion of harmonica – a good surprise.

http://www.mysticmusic.com/
http://www.lightyear.com/

David Blue.

Savoy Brown – The Blues Keep Me Holding On (Mystic Music).

Savoy Brown has been around as a band for what seems like an eternity. This incarnation, from 1999, has perennial member Kim Simmonds joined by Nathaniel Peterson on bass and Tom Compton on drums as well as a number of guests. They open with Going Down To Mobile, a standard blues but of very high quality. She’s Leaving is an electric blues that will bore its way into your very being. Just sit there and feel the blues. Willie Dixon’s That’s All I Want Baby is a bit more up-tempo and utilises the acoustic slide guitar of Duke Robillard – extremely easy to listen to. The eponymous title track is a funky blues and Bad Shape is a slow blues of the kind that Gary Moore excels – classy playing.

Mississippi Steamboat is a fast paced, good time blues. Simmonds’ vocal is not the best but his stinging guitar more than makes up for it. Ain’t No Need To Worry is an acoustic blues with an authentic Delta feel. Headline News is contemporary (even though the album is from 1999) and has soaring guitar. Little Red Rooster is Chicago blues, as expected. However, it is very much different from the better known versions of The Rolling Stones and Howlin’ Wolf. There is a long guitar intro for a start. This is an excellent version of Willie Dixon’s classic and one that will be my favourite for some time to come. When You’ve Got A Good Friend has them electrifying Robert Johnson. I’m not sure about Simmonds’ vocal again, though. More up-tempo than the original and the guitar is the star. Peterson and Compton keep the rhythm well and it gets good marks overall. Everybody Says They Want It is an upbeat finish and a good time is had by all as Simmonds and Robillard swap guitar licks with ease.

http://www.mysticmusic.com/
http://www.lightyear.com/
http://www.savoybrown.com/

David Blue.

The Mercy Brothers – Strange Adventure (CoraZong Records).

Strange Adventure is the latest, critically acclaimed album from Boston duo, The Mercy Brothers. Consisting of vocalist Barrence Whitfield and guitarist Michael Dinallo, The Mercy Brothers are a bit of a throwback to the days of when it didn’t matter what type of music you were playing, as long as you were playing. Another Man Done Gone has a strangely 60s feel to it but its rootsy and the reverb guitar is simply executed. Stay Away From My Door is hard to pigeonhole but if I had to, I’d call it Rootsy rock. Down That Road is acoustic blues in a Furry Lewis/Reverend Gary Davis style. It is energetic and Whitfield lets rip in a gospel style. I Believe I’ll Make A Change is classy roots that nods its head to Woody Guthrie and The New Year Blues is simply gentle. Blind Willie McTell’s Broke Down Engine is more of the blues, Mercy Brothers style. Very good and played with panache. Working On The Line is well played if a little on the light side. Night Train To Memphis is a Country tinged swinger and Misery Train continues the locomotive theme, moving like a high class train – very smooth with good guitar. Mr Johnson is rootsy again but Whitfield loses it a bit, although that is not a common complaint.

Long Black Train is the first of six live bonus tracks recorded in Oslo, Norway and is unashamed Country and a feel good song into the bargain. California Stars is some more Country flecked musings and is extremely good, as you would expect from a Woody Guthrie song. The live version of The New Year Blues is pleasant and Countrified but the studio version is better. Down That Road stands up to the studio edition and the demonic screams are certainly a change. Misery Train is another of the studio tracks to be given the live treatment and shows them to be a good live band indeed. Pallet On The Floor is more upbeat to the versions that I’m used to. They’ve electrified it and turned it into an R&B but it is different enough to get you thinking. They finish with a bonus studio track, Terraplane Blues, with voice and guitar only. This is the only way to play this slow, acoustic blues.

http://www.corazong.com/

David Blue.

Nina Simone – Empress Live! (Lightyear Entertainment).

Previously released under the title Live& Kickin’: In Europe & The Caribbean, Vol 1, Empress Live was recorded in the South of France and on un-named Caribbean islands at the height of Simone’s popularity. She is given a rapturous welcome for I Loves You Porgy, a slow sophisticated jazz, written by the Gershwins. She follows up with two of her own songs; Four Women is powerful lyrically and is the type of song that made her what she was and builds to a fitting climax whilst The Other Woman is a soulful night club song. The Burt Weill written Pirate Jenny is a strange one. It is very descriptive but will not everyone’s taste and, unfortunately, I am one of them. Bob Guidio’s For Awhile is slow again and she’s still not really out of first gear with this torch song. Three more self-penned songs follow and the first of these, You Took My Teeth, is up-tempo at last but it is very, very short.

Sugar In My Bowl is a Jazz/Blues and swings along very nicely. Her voice is beginning to get in gear and the level of applause tells the tale. Backlash Blues is a rhythmic Blues and she is really on song now. Jim Webb’s Do What You Gotta Do is standard fare and her own Mississippi Goddam is a fast paced political tune. Two more Simone originals follow in the shape of See Line Woman, complete with audience participation and I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive. There is percussion backing only on the former and this makes for a powerful experience. I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive is repetitive but has a carnival feeling. She closes with My Baby Just Cares For Me and this has her chiding the audience for their lack of energy but not for long. If you asked any number of people to name a Nina Simone song then this will be it, even if she did not actually write it. This is a good version and a fitting end to an introduction to Nina Simone as a live artist.

http://www.lightyear.com/

David Blue.

Jeff Lang – Whatever Makes You Happy (Furry Records).

Australian Lang lists some of his influences as Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, Jimi Hendrix and Ry Cooder. He’s off to a good start, then. Whatever Makes You Happy is one of eleven albums by Lang and is the latest to be released in the UK. The opener, The Save, is Americana, Folk/Blues – describe it as you will. I will just say that it is fantastic. It also has a trowel listed as an instrument – certainly the first time that I have heard of this! Switchblade has some impressive National guitar work and he sets his standard here. Alive In There is plaintive and sedate and You Should Have Waited is Country Rock of a high standard – think Poco. Orange Roughie is a short electric riff and he adds Suzannah Espie, to great effect, as a vocal accompanist on By Face Not Name. The pair provides lovely harmonies and excellent Americana with the best guitar work so far. This is a top song. Next up is Rain On Troy, which has a calming effect and is one that I could listen to it all day.

The Day I Got Chewing Gum Stuck In My Hair is contemporary electric rock with the grateful addition of some brass and lap steel. Rejected Novelist Fails Again is another great title but the song is so short and probably pointless unless I’m completely missing the irony. You Tremble has gentle acoustic sounds and Sleeping is contemporary Indie acoustic. Slip Away has Lang back on lap steel and National guitar. This builds up into a very relaxed Alt. Country/Folk Rock with superb guitar work. The Road Is Not Your Only Friend is played at breakneck speed and is manic modern Folk but the eponymous title track calms things down completely and emphasises what a prodigious guitar player he is.

http://www.jefflang.com.au/

David Blue.