Matt Andersen – Solo At Sessions (Own Label).

Canadian Andersen is a five year veteran in the music business and this comes across in his latest album, Solo At Sessions. He has an acoustic start with Leavin’ Blues and it highlights his silky voice and 12 string guitar. It’s a straightforward swinging blues. The Bill Withers classic, Ain’t No Sunshine is given a good treatment. Andersen’s voice is well suited to the song and he is an excellent live performer. He produces some frenetic guitar on this superb version. When My Angel Gets The Blues is a return to the 12 string guitar is more nu-country than blues. He is a particularly good singer, much like his Australian contemporary, Derrin Nauendorf. He introduces dobro for I Play The Fool For You nod produces a rousing blues despite the lack of urgency. The reaction of the crowd tells its own story.

He turns in an acceptable country blues on One Size Never Fits before returning to his 12 string for the shuffling blues of Rollin’ Home, complete with fingers of steel. Have You Got The Blues underlines his love of the 12 string and he produces some lovely Gordon Giltrap-esque fills. If I Can’t Have You is folksy but very good, nonetheless. He shows that he can crank up the speed on the breakneck blues of Tell Me. He must have worn out his slide on this and his picking technique is outstanding. He throws in a bit of Deliverance and Smoke On The Water for good measure. He finishes with one of my favourite songs, The Proclaimers’ My Old Friend The Blues. Steve Earle does a great version of this and although Andersens’ version is not as grungy, it is excellent in its own rite.

http://www.stubbyfingers.com/

David Blue.

Joe Bonamassa – Sloe Gin (Provogue).

It was with great excitement that I received this album having reviewed You & Me (his last album) and having seen him live. His seventh solo album opens with Chris Whitley’s Ball Peen Hammer and this shows a maturity in his voice. It starts on acoustic guitar but it is not too long before he unleashes his renowned power and excellent picking. Ten Years After’s One Of These Days follows on quickly and is a mighty powerful blues chugger. This builds to a crescendo and then takes the listener back down again. There is a little bit of slide guitar and a top solo on this, which is destined to go down in the annals of blues rock history. Joe shows his versatility on the acoustic Seagull. Joe gives this Paul Rodgers song a folk rock, 70s concept album feel. Dirt In My Pocket is the power blues rock that Joe is most associated with but this is a little Bon Jovi, although that is not too bad a thing. The eponymous title track, a little known song from Tim Curry’s 1978 solo album, is ethereal and has guitar that slashes through your senses – sheer class. Bonamassa reckons this will soon be his biggest live track.

Another Kind Of Love – another kind of blues rock, more like. This is straightforward, but at the top end of the genre. Around The Bend is a return to acoustic guitar but with the addition of some innovative slide. This will be a great song in a hushed auditorium. Black Night (not the Deep Purple classic but the one written by Charles Brown) is a classic blues with a big solo and a grown-up voice. He gets the dobro out for John Martin’s Jelly Roll, beautifully played and showing that he is one of the best around. Richmond is played on acoustic guitar and is quite simply a very good song. He stays in acoustic mode for the closing track, India. This has sitar overtures and is a slight departure for the blues rock genius. I suppose he is still spreading his wings and is eager to try new sounds and I won’t blame him for that. This is a more than satisfactory follow up to You & Me.

http://www.joebonamassa.com/
http://www.provoguerecords.com/

David Blue.

Dave Gross – Take The Gamble (Swingnation Records).

22 year old Gross is already a master of the guitar and his talent was noticed by the legendary Duke Robillard who has produced Take The Gamble and guests on three of the tracks. Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown’s She Walks Right In is played in a Big Band style and is an upbeat swing blues to open with. He follows that with Mess On My Plate, a slow swinger and I’m Leavin’ Baby, which is a slinky blues with equally slinky guitar. I’m So Hungry Blues is slow and deliberate and full of innuendo. Swinging On All Six is jazz/blues and there is a good interaction between Gross’ guitar and Doug ‘Mr Low’ James’ saxophone. Dona Oxford on piano also gets in on the act on this fast paced swinger. Walkin’ In A Daze, written by ‘Hot Lips’ Page, is on the jazz side of the blues again but not too inspired.

That’s All You Get has a snappy Albert Collins style guitar and he must certainly be an influence – smooth. You Ain’t Playin’ Me No More is a barroom blues with slinky guitar and assertive vocal but I Know Your Wig Is Gone (strange title) is another unremarkable jazzy blues, despite having been written by T-Bone Walker. After Your Gone is another jazz offering and although very professional, it is not inspiring. Great guitar though. Movin’ On Down The Line is a contemporary blues and there is no disputing his prowess on guitar. Once I Had A Girl is old style Country played quickly with adventurous guitar. He closes with Make Things Right, a slow sultry blues. This makes for a very good ending and carries his now trademark vibrato and exceptionally strong guitar.

http://www.davegrossband.com/
http://www.swingnationrecords.com/

David Blue.

Gina Sicilia – Allow Me To Confess (Swingnation Records).

Philadelphian Gina Sicilia is a new voice on the blues scene and she is making waves already. That’s A Pretty Good Love is a swinging opening with Sicilia unleashing her big voice on the song many will associate with Big Maybelle. I Ain’t Crazy is a big band blues with a great horn section. The guitarist, Dave Gross, plies his trade well and Gina is powerful again. Try Me is a slinky blues, originally sung by Esther Phillips with Karel Ruzicka Jr and Rob Chaseman on sax are on form. One Of Many sees the introduction of Dennis Gruenling on harmonica for this upbeat song. It’s blues but it does flirt with the jazz side. Pushover has a 60s feel and Gina does a great job of covering this Etta James song.

The self-penned Rest Of My Days is soulful and you can sense influences such as Otis Redding. The second half of the album is written solely by Sicilia and the eponymous title track is a grinding soulful blues with jagged guitar from Gross. You Set My Heart On Fire is a sultry nightclub blues with Matt Stewart’s muted trumpet under a raunchy vocal. Bass (Scott Hornick), drums (Mike Bram) and guitar (Dave Gross) are all understated – gorgeous. There Lies A Better Day is a harmonica blues and Gina vamps it up again as Dennis Gruenling beefs it up on harp. This swings along very well indeed and her voice belies her years. That Much Further is Country and the poorest track on offer. The Gospel inspired When My Ship Comes In finishes things off and is played acoustically to let the listener hear the lyric. The last two tracks are obviously in there to show her versatility but it almost backfires. However, I have to say that this is an above average debut.

http://www.swingnationrecords.com/
http://www.ginasicilia.com/

David Blue.

Seasick Steve – Dog House Music (Bronzerat).

Seasick Steve is one of the flavours of the moment on the blues scene and it’s not hard to understand why when you hear this album. The opener, Yellow Dog brings the Delta to the 21st century but is way too short. Things Go Up is an acoustic blues and back to basics. He’s had the knocks and his life experience comes out here and elsewhere in the album. Cut My Wings has a live feeling to it. It’s played on electric guitar and will, repeat will, excite you. Fallen Off A Rock confirms that Seasick Steve could be John Lee Hooker’s successor. This is more of a country song though, but it has a big, loud blues finish. Dog House Boogie tells the tale of how he is still trying to get your spare change – old habits never die. Save Me has a strange effect on the guitar but otherwise, is a straightforward blues.

Hobo Low is another mid-paced boogie. He speeds it up in places toward the end with an almost Native American wail. This is John Lee Hooker influenced and no mistake. Shirley Lou is acoustic Delta blues and My Donny is a mesmerising stomping blues from the same area. Time Dead Song is a painfully slow but confirms his status as a real bluesman. Last Po’ Man is slightly more upbeat but the dark undertones continue. Salem Blues is back to the snails pace acoustic but he does manage to produce a smouldering blues. I’m Gone is played at his own pace again. Clean sounds with a big speech at the end. The song is a story about jail and a dog. Five minutes later he goes off into another track and adds drums, which for him is a big departure. He has been quoted as saying that he won’t be around for long, let’s hope he is wrong.

http://www.bronzerat.co.uk/

David Blue.

Simon Mayer & The Mandolinquents – Dance Of The Comedians. In Concert (Acoustics Records).

In the 1930s, mandolin orchestras were very popular and one listen to Simon Mayer & The Mandolinquents it is very easy to understand why the instrument is undergoing a bit of a revival. Fans of the band have been asking for more ballet music since Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy was included on their first album. They have capitulated and offer Delibes’ Pizzicato as the opening track. This is a smorgasbord of mandolins and the tune suits the instrument well. Between most pieces there are spoken introductions which, on the whole inject some of the bands off-beat humour. Apanhei Te Cavaquinho is a tune played at breakneck speed. Written by Ernesto Nazareth, the King of Choro, which is a Brazilian street music, the speed is produced by the Cavaquinho, a type of small guitar that is designed to play at a rate of knots. Their energetic playing is so precise and they get even quicker towards the end. Hilary James is introduced on vocal for the first time on Song Of India, taken from the opera Sadko, but her voice is a little too shrill for me. The spoken introduction to The Typewriter emphasises the good rapport that they have with their audience and their dexterity on the instrumental astonishes me. They show that they are not a one trick pony with George Shearing’s Lullaby Of Birdland. This is jazz, as you would expect, with vocal and violin thrown in. Richard Collins keeps the audience going by telling them that he is not bald, he is eggshell blonde. After this revelation they launch into the well known and superbly played Czardas. The female introduces Loch Lomond and gives an explanation of what the song means. Unfortunately, as a Scot, I feel that they have Anglicised the song a little too much but the mandolin interlude is well placed.

Rigaudon is a Greig piece and they show great depth and feeling, highlighted by the fact that there is not a pin dropped in the whole place. The Sailor sees Hilary James back on vocal and it turns out to be a lovely song, well sung. The introduction to Caravan highlights the differences between the USA and Britain. The song is by Duke Ellington and has a cowboy feel to it before it goes off into a French Jazz Club. The sarcasm drips off the tongue on the introduction to Will You Come To The Bower. This is old English folk which is expertly played. Not for me though. Summer is light and airy, as you would expect and The Dance Of The Comedians, taken from Smetana’s The Bartered Bride, is back to the rapid playing. They surely are masters of their trade. There is comedy to the end but they do give a reason as to why they started The Spider In The Shed. This is a spoof of Home On The Range with audience participation. A nice, fun ending.

http://www.acousticsrecords.co.uk/
http://www.mandolinquents.com/

David Blue.