Boo Boo Davis – Name Of The Gane (Black & Tan).

Boo Boo Davis is a true Delta bluesman and one of the last of his generation. A poor childhood meant he couldn’t learn to read or write not that has not kept him down. His latest album for Dutch based Black & Tan opens with Dirty Dog which is, as you would expect from the title, a grungy blues. The pounding beat from drummer John Gerritse is a sign of things to come. I’m Coming Home is even more grungy than the opener. It’s done in a John Lee Hooker style with a fuzzed vocal and added harp from Davis. This highlights how powerful Boo Boo is as a singer. There is some good advice on Stay Away From The Casino and he starts to funk things up a little with some pace also injected. However, the repetition made me take a little time to warm to it. Want Nobody Tell Me How To Live My Life is a more straightforward harmonica and guitar blues and Boo Boo finds a groove on Tryin To Get Ahead. The Chicago blues of the eponymous title track has a prominent harmonica and a beefy vocal.

Who Stole The Booty is a contemporary blues with overcharged guitar and harp. Believe me, this riff will work its way right into your brain. Why You Wanna Do It is more of a soft rock song and although slightly out of kilter with the rest of the album, it does have a very good vocal. Lonely All By Myself is a slow Chicago blues and more than meets the standard with its deep pulsating bass line, even though he doesn’t use a bass player! It’s A Shame is an upbeat blues with harp to the fore. I just love the energy! Throbbing drums herald I’m So Tired and when the world weary guitar and spoken intro join in then we have a song on our hands. It’s conducted at walking pace throughout and Davis produces one of his best vocals. Hot Foot is a funky grinder and he closes with St Louis Woman, loosely played in the St Louis style. He seems to like the fuzz effect on his vocal and he could be accused of using it too much. Nevertheless, this is a great finish to a top class album.

http://www.black-and-tan.com/
http://www.booboodavis.com/

David Blue.

Matt Andersen – Something In Between (Own Label).

This is Matt Andersen’s first full length album recorded in the UK and he has used Eric Clapton’s post-Cream band (Norman Barrett on guitar, Dave Markee on bass, Henry Spinetti on drums and Dan Cutrona on keyboards) to do so. The big Canadian is also a prolific tourer and has shared a stage with Little Feat and Randy Bachman to name but two. Come By is unashamedly country but with a little Gospel thrown in. The eponymous title track continues with the country theme, acoustically this time and with a characteristically strong vocal. Working Man Blues is back to electric and is a storming blues. There is nothing flamboyant here but it is full of innuendo such as “I’ll be your mechanic, I’ll make your motor run”. He’s swapping electric with acoustic with aplomb and So Gone Now is the real Matt Andersen. Solemn voice and a touching song shows that simple is often best. Stay With Me is not The Faces classic but a country rock effort that is not unpleasant. Better Man Blues is a smooth rolling blues that drips off the tongue and produces some of the strongest guitar work so far.

Lonesome Road sounds like it should be a country song and you won’t be disappointed. It is fast paced and extremely good. John Fogerty’s Wrote A Song For Everyone is folk rock that verges on country and manages to sound like The Band at their height. Broken Man is so heart aching and shows what a consummate songwriter Andersen is. It is just him and his guitar and this is him in his element. Tell Me is country boogie, good time music with a big guitar sound. How I Wish is very, very good country and Baby Come Back Home is a jazzy blues with smooth guitar lines. Bold And Beaten is from the album taster and has that smoky tone to his voice when he needs it. He adds strings to make a great gentle folk/country crossover and an excellent finish to an excellent album..


http://www.stubbyfingers.ca/
David Blue

Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen – Mo Hippa Live (FHQ).

Erstwhile Bonnie Raitt pianist, Jon Cleary also has a burgeoning solo career ably backed by the wonderfully named Absolute Monster Gentlemen. Cleary is much respected in blues, soul and funk circles and this live album confirms that status. The smooth and funky Go To The Mardi Gras is an updated Professor Longhair song with a great bass line from Cornell Williams. Cleary has a silky voice that just oozes over you and the song is just simply New Orleans summed up in 6 and a half minutes. They step up the funk on People Say and provide ample vocal harmonies at the same time. Jon Cleary is, as we know, an excellent piano player and his tight band helps him to rip it up. Cleary introduces Eddie Christmas on drums and he is a newcomer with a big future as he shines on C’mon Second Line. This is funk and boogie-woogie of the highest order. I first heard Professor Longhair play Tipitina on the Live On The Queen Mary album and have been a fan of his ever since. Cleary’s treatment of the song is more funky but manages to stick to the ethos of the Prof. Cheatin On You is so easy on the ear, as are most of his songs.

Port Street Blues is a slow and slinky barroom blues and Help Me Somebody is very soulful and understated. There is not a whisper in the crowd as Derwin Perkins plays a lovely solo on guitar. He does build things up toward the end of the solo and gets his much deserved praise. Groove Me has us back in the New Orleans groove again. Cleary’s voice is like treacle and his fingers are as quick as Usain Bolt! When U Get Back features electric piano and is soul of the highest standard. This is music to get horizontal to and the jazzy interludes make it a true joy, overall. They finish with the title track and Cleary lets the band have a couple of minutes in the spotlight before he comes in with a grinding groove. Funk, soul, this has got the lot and his voice suits it to a tee. A star has certainly been found in the form of Eddie Christmas but Derwin ‘Big D’ Perkins on guitar and Cornell C. Williams on bass are big, big parts of this band too.

http://www.joncleary.com/
www.myspace.com/joncleary

Rainer – The Westwood Sessions Volume 1 (OWOM Records).

10 years after his death, Rainer still has a great affect on those who listen to his music. This album, made from tapes recorded 20 years ago and recently discovered in Tucson, sounds as fresh as music being made today. It can be safely assumed that some of these songs were to be included in a follow up to the 1984 album, Barefoot Rock but they were presumably put away somewhere safe and forgotten about when he finally did release his next album in 1992. The opener, Voodoo Music, confirms that Rainer had his own style but this is just guitar and voice. He does produce a full sound, however, on this straightforward start. Mellow Down Easy has him moving onto electric and with a full band. This has a rockabilly feel to it and all of his eccentricity is here. Wayfaring Stranger is a blues rock with a wailing vocal. It builds well and he keeps his guitar understated as he was not one for big solos. Backwater Blues is so energetic and has great slide guitar whereas Mush Mind Blues is the complete opposite of the preceding track. This is a slow, throbbing blues with the only constant being the high standard of slide guitar. It begs the question -- was Rainer the inventor of Alt.blues?

All Done In sees a return to acoustic and a bit of Alt.country this time. He plays it pretty straight on this and produces a great song. He funks it up big style on Fear and it comes out as Talking Heads with slide guitar – very catchy. The very short Just A Little Bit is a shuffling blues version of the famous song covered by many. This is better than most of the versions that I have heard. There is no doubting his feelings on the very atmospheric Zealots Serve Dogmas (acoustic) although it is instrumental only. Every Body Wants To Go To Heaven is an amalgam of David Byrne, Mark Knopfler and Bob Dylan in the vocal delivery and is an excellent song, well executed. Zealots Serve Dogmas is electric this time and is with a full band. Bruce Halper’s drums add that extra dimension. He saves the best for last and I Am A Sinner is a spiritual, powerful blues that demonstrates a certain vulnerability before his guitar comes more and more to the fore.

I can’t wait for Volume 2!!

http://www.owomrecords.com/

David Blue.

Joe Bonamassa – From Nowhere In Particular (Provogue).

Joe Bonamassa has been hailed as “the new king of the blues” and from what I have seen and heard over the past couple of years, I cannot disagree with that statement. Live albums are not always the best quality but this is a more than ample follow up to his highly acclaimed 2007 album, Sloe Gin. He plunders this and 2006’s You & Me for most of the songs here and it is produced again by the excellent Kevin Shirley. The first CD opens with the electric Bridge To Better Days from You & Me and you couldn’t have a much better introduction to Joe Bonamassa. It’s rocking stuff and he is already playing the crowd. Free’s Walk In My Shadows is a classy walking blues and he has the crowd hanging on his every note. He is so precise on the slow blues of So Many Roads but there is no loss of impact with his power guitar in the live arena. At over 10 minutes, India/Mountain Time is a master class. India is the shorter instrumental intro/outro although it interweaves throughout. This may well become one of Joe’s signature tunes in the vein that Freebird became for Lynyrd Skynyrd for example. John Mayall’s Another Kind Of Love is a funky blues based rocker with a stunning solo although the song is short by Joe’s standards. The title track from his last album, Sloe Gin, reduces the pace a little. I said in my review of that album that this would be a great live track and I was not wrong. This will become another of his signature songs as both power and gentleness shine through. One Of These Days is a throbbing finish to the first CD. There are power chords all over the place as he takes it down in the middle before building it up to a storming slide guitar finish.


The second CD starts with Chris Whitley’s Ball Peen Hammer from his Slow Gin album. It has an acoustic start but it shows the power of the man and is a real crowd pleaser. He follows this up with If Heartaches Were Nickels and stays in the acoustic field. It’s a blues rock and this is what he is best at. There are no big solos here and it is all about the song this time. Woke Up Dreaming is a staple of his live performance and just listen to how fast one man can play an acoustic guitar. Django/Just Got Paid is an epic amalgamation of Joe’s original from You and Me that turns into ZZ Top’s Just Got Paid, a song that he only plays live. He can turn his voice from a whisper to a shout at will. Charley Patton’s High Water Everywhere highlights his acoustic dexterity and superb technique. The song builds slowly as the band pounds away in good style. He gets a big cheer for Asking Around For You so you can tell that this is a fans favourite. This smooth blues shows that he is not all about power but he still finds the space for his incisive guitar and yet another great solo. The set finishes with a medley of Jethro Tull & Yes in the form of A New Day Yesterday/Starship Trooper/Wurm. Seamless transitions are the order of the day and I cannot praise this high enough. This is a guy on the top of his game.

If you haven’t seen Joe Bonamassa live then this will keep you going until you do.

http://www.jbonamassa.com/
http://www.provoguerecords.com/

David Blue.

Monte Montgomery – Monte Montgomery (Provogue).

Already in the Top 50 All-Time Greatest Guitar Players, Alabama’s Monte Montgomery is a guitar player’s guitarist. This is his second album for Provogue and showcases 11 original Montgomery songs that reinforce his writing talent and brings it to the same level as his renowned guitar playing. River is, like all of Montgomery’s songs, acoustic based. His use of slide is handled well and the song flows like the mighty Amazon itself. He is a strong contender in the guitar stakes with his wicked flurries. The addition of strings on Let’s Go helps to build a wall of sound. Acoustic guitar is his weapon of choice and he pushes the instrument to its limits. It’s all too easy to forget that he is singing too and he has a great rock voice that shouldn’t be allowed to be overwhelmed by his guitar wizardry. There’s a bit of Sammy Hagar in him and none more so than on Everything About You with its harmonics r us chorus. Company You Keep is acoustic rock of the highest order and his style is just so fluid that it washes over you and you come out so refreshed. The ballads are pleasant enough and the first of these, Love’s Last Holiday, is a prime example.

He lays down some slinky moves on Moonlight Tango, which is as sharp as an Argentinean on speed. Can’t Fool Everyone has a distorted vocal and hi-octane guitar. This should be a great live track. Montgomery goes all smooth and sultry on Could’ve Loved You Forever and as with the previous track, the backing vocal fits perfectly. This has a big chorus and epic guitar. Be Still is a classy acoustic rock with an electrifying solo and How Far is another of the ballads that serves as a good counterpoint to the more hectic stuff. Is it me or does everyone do Little Wing these days? However, Montgomery’s instrumental version is unlikely to be bettered. Taking us from delay and reverb effects at the start to over 10 minutes of superb guitar playing he gives us a true epic in every way. As Crocodile Dundee would say “that’s not a guitar solo – this is a guitar solo”. He closes with Midlife Matinee and although he needed to slow down it is a bit of an anti climax. It’s gentle and there’s nothing really wrong with it but he has set such a high standard with some of the previous tracks.

http://www.provoguerecords.com/
http://www.montemontgomery.com/

David Blue.

Eric Gales – The Story Of My Life (Provogue).

One of five brothers, Eric Gales is from a musical family and released his first album at the age of 16. Six albums later he gives us The Story Of My Life but it is strange that such a relatively young man has chosen to release this title – much the same as people writing autobiographies in their early years. He has many heavyweight fans such as Carlos Santana, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, BB King & Eric Clapton and those names alone should tell you of the talent that Eric Gales has. The follow up to the critically acclaimed The Psychedelic Underground opens with Save Yourself, which is a high impact opener and he has lost none of his power since his last album. His guitar pyrotechnics are just a joy to behold. I Ain’t No Shrink is a funky and slinky blues with the notes just dripping off his guitar. The eponymous title track is a churning blues, plain and simple. Layin’ Down The Blues is sophisticated and Gales has class stamped all over him. The Sound Of Electric Guitar is a festival in your ears so get your fuzz pedals and wah-wah’s out and join in. Gales mimics Jimi Hendrix at the start of Red, White & Blues. He then goes acoustic and turns the whole thing into an 8 and a half minute stadium rocker with a massive electric solo at the end. It has got it all!

Very Educated has staccato guitar over a heavy blues rock. It is a fervent attack with a flurry of notes. Cut And Run is a fast paced rocker with searing guitar that must have him in the forefront of the genre now. Borderline Personality is another strong rocker with obligatory raging solo and You Ain’t The Boss Of Me is a slow Chicago blues that confirms his ability to swap genres at will. These tracks contribute to a very strong finish. Bringin’ The Hammer Down is the last official track of the album. It is a pounding blues rock with guitar wizardry a plenty. There are two bonus tracks. The first is You Don’t Move Me with its funked up bass from Jeremy Colson and Steve Evans’ drums beating the rhythm. Gales tries to keep a lid on things but he just can’t help himself. The second bonus track is Gypsy, a mid-paced soft rocker with the trademark guitar flurries.

Eric Gales is knocking very hard on the door of the top guitarists club.

http://www.provoguerecords.com/

David Blue.

Various Artists – Great Rockabilly Volume 2( Smith & Co).

Hard on the heels of Great Skiffle Volume 2, here is the Rockabilly version. Some people might find that the two genres often overlap and they would not be wrong. One came from the other and artists tended to change genres like their socks, although Rockabilly tended not to appeal so much to the mass market. There are, of course, elements of Rock N Roll and Country in here too and it is sometimes impossible to distinguish what is what. As with the other albums in this series there is a wide spectrum of artists and standards on offer but the album does show that Rockabilly holds a firm space in the music firmament.

Some of the songs should be taken for what they are – great songs. Danny Wolfe contributes Let’s Flat Get It and the good vocal harmonies and guitar work makes it a top tune. Warner Mack gives us Roc-A-Chicka and if you ignore the novelty parts and concentrate on what is essentially a rocking good song then you have it. Jimmy Lloyd gives us the mid-paced Where The Rio De Rosa Flows and although this is not like the general Rockabilly genre at all, it is very very good and Sid King gives us Good Rockin’ Baby – slow and classy.

As I have said, Country music features highly in the Rockabilly make-up. Bob Luman sings on the Country side both vocally and musically on Make Your Mind Up Baby. But he also contributes Red Hot which is all Rockabilly. Dennis Herrold is heard on the Country influenced Hip Hip Baby – good chorus. Another strong song from Herrold is Make With The Lovin’. Autry Inman’s It Would Be A Doggone Lie is also from the Country side and a good example. Johnny Cash is about as big a name as you can get and Mean Eyed Cat is more Country than Rockabilly. A class act however. Hey Porter is also included but again, why here?

Rock N Roll is also represented and Janis Martin is one of the few women included but Drugstore Rock N Roll is, as the title suggests, more Rock N Roll than rockabilly. Jack Scott contributes Two Timin’ Woman which is a Rock N Roll crossover but it has that Rockabilly essence. Mac Curtis throws in If I Had Me A Woman which is a good crossover from Rock n Roll to Rockabilly. Sleepy LaBeef is another big name and has a deep vocal on the cusp of Rock n Roll with I’m Through whereas Carl Mann is earthy and has the feel on Gonna Rock N Roll Tonight.

Rockabilly is all about energy and defiance so the sheer energy on Bobby Lee Trammell’s Shirley Lee will knock you out. Johnny Carroll has Wild Wild Women which has plenty of whoops and hollers in a great rockabilly style whilst Kenny Parchman shows vitality on Tennessee Zip. Rudy Grayzell’s Ducktail is more like the rockabilly that is well loved by many -- a screaming vocal and manic guitar are the main components. Jimmy Edwards Love Bug Crawl is surely Jerry Lee Lewis inspired and Ray Harris gives us a version of Greenback Dollar, Watch & Chain in which he certainly has the Rockabilly warble. Curtis Johnson gives us Baby Baby and this has all of the components for a top Rockabilly song. Roz Larne also provides a fine example of the genre on Baby Take Me Back. Wayne Williams has the required energy on Red Hot Mama. Jackie Lee Cochran gives us a classic Rockabilly on Hip Shakin’ Mama and Corky Jones’ Hot Dog has that garage made feel to it.

Some of the biggest names of Rock N Roll and Country are here; Marty Robbins is one of those big names and Long Tall Sally is a big song to go with it. It’s not as energetic as Little Richard but who was? Carl Perkins is perhaps the biggest name in Rockabilly and he shows he is the daddy on Put Your Cat Clothes On – class does show. He also contributes Dixiefried, which is a mid-paced Rockabilly classic. Gene Vincent is one of the greats and Woman Love is trademark Vincent. The voice is there on Gonna Back Up Baby and The Bluecats also start to show signs of their class. Buddy Holly gives us I’m Changing All Those Changes and this indicates what was to come from the great man. His other contribution, Rock Around With Ollie Vee is early but his class shines through. Less famous is Billy Barrix who provides a stuttering delivery, no doubt modelled on Holly, on Cool Off Baby. Charlie Feathers delivers another stuttering vocal on Everybody’s Loving My Baby. Ricky Nelson gives us the blues side of Rockabilly on If You Can’t Rock Me. He also has Boppin’ The Blues but should this really be included on an album of Rockabilly songs? Eddie Cochran is one of the biggest names of them all and 20 Flight Rock was one song that crossed over into popular areas. He gives an understated performance here. Roy Orbison is not a name that you would expect to see here but he turns in a great performance on Mean Little Mama. He also gives us (A Cat Called) Domino but this is not so good. Elvis Presley contributes My Baby Left Me and this is pure class from the first note. He also is included with I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone and although it’s not Rockabilly as such, it does show where his roots were. Johnny Burnette is one of the giants of the genre and Rockabilly Boogie is good but not any better than the best of the others. Also gives us Lonesome Train and he is back on form with just enough emotion in the voice. Billy Lee Riley is one of the best known artists and Pearley Lee has just enough defiance in the voice. One of the first Rockabilly songs that I ever heard was his Flying Saucer Rock – a classic from a master.

There is, of course, a down side and Bobby Sisco is too proper and not nearly wild enough on Go Go Go. Al Ferrier’s Hey Baby is tame and Roy Moss sounds like Vic Reeves’ Shooting Stars pub singer on You’re My Big Baby Now. Billy Wallace is docile on Burning The Wind. Wanda Jackson was one of the few women to make the grade but I Gotta Know flits between country and Rockabilly and really there should be no place for this on this album. Hot Dog That Made Him Mad is poor. Collins Kids – Hop, Skip & Jump is not for me. George & Earl – Done Gone is not defiant enough in the vocal. Sammy Masters performs and energetic Pink Cadillac but it is too clean overall. Jay Chevalier is all over the place on Rock N Roll Angel. Narvel Felts is poor on Cry Baby Cry. Buzz Busby puts it all in for the performance on Rock N Roll Fever but he still doesn’t come up to the standards of some of the others. However, the biggest crime of all is Curtis Gordon’s take on Sitting On Top Of The World and shame on him for taking this blues classic and turning it into a circus.

All things considered there are more plus’ than minus’ and it will be a good addition to the audiophile library.

http://www.smithco.nl/

David Blue.