Alice Peacock – Who I Am (Peacock Music).

Singer-songwriter Alice Peacock presents fourteen original tracks on this, her third album. First known in the UK through touring with Lucy Kaplansky, she has gone from strength to strength with each album release and for this one she has returned to her own independent label. She believes that this gives her more freedom and time to develop. Opening with Different From The Rest she tries to prove this last statement to be true. This is piano-led, as is the rest of the album, and has American popular music stamped all over it. It’s good middle of the road stuff but it doesn’t quite live up to its name. Baby Come Back is sedate and not particularly exciting and it’s not until Here I Go Again that things start to improve. On this, she is vocally very good and although the music remains gentle it is starting to stir. I can’t say a bad word about it but it just needs that little something extra. Time is a slow jazz-based, Janis Ian type of song that is very relaxing and shows her to be an excellent songwriter. Taught Me Well builds up into a very good song and this is where Alice Peacock shines – the construction of her songs is exemplary. The problem is that she shares a genre with a number of singers who are of the same quality. Jon Bon Jovi would be proud of the rock ballad, Anyone But Me but she spoils it by following with the weak Runaway Day.

Love is a sultry acoustic based offering with Beatles-esque strings in the background and Only A Memory is reflective and airy with a lovely chorus. Her problem seems to be consistency and that is shown on I’m Still Here. This is pleasant enough but there’s nothing different and the follow up, Sunflower is another of the weak tracks. The album is starting to peter out and nice is about the only word I can use for Finding My Way. The title track does redeem things a little as Alice puts a little grit into her vocal and lets it rip. She does have a knack of writing a catchy chorus and this is an excellent example. There are tinges of New Country on If You Could Only See Your Eyes and this builds up very well. This could be another one that could make an impact in the AOR field.

Overall, this is a better than average album from an artist who has the song writing capabilities to make it in the very busy field in which she has chosen to pitch her tent.

http://www.alicepeacock.com/

David Blue.

Derrin Nauendorf – The Rattling Wheel (Rising Records).

This is Derrin’s first album with a full band and he continues to improve and deliver his songs in a different way. Universe Demands is one of two new songs as far as I can tell and delivers his usual stunning guitar work. This is a very powerful opener that confirms Derrin’s growth into a wonderfully mature artist and validates his choice to enter the full band arena. He raids his back catalogue effectively for a number of songs for his band to play and Shipwrecked is a case in point. This is from his last album, 2005s New History. The stripped down version is excellent and this is just as good with just a little hint of a backing vocal providing the finishing touch. He returns to his debut album, Natural, for I Won’t Turn My Back. This is also on his first live album, Live At The Boardwalk, and I feel that this is the seminal version. For me, the new adaptation loses a bit of the originals impact but it is a fantastic song anyhow. Derrin describes his 2003 album, Wasteland, as being from a very dark place and the haunting Where Two Men Go Tonight is a fantastic example of this. It builds up very effectively and will chill you to the bone. Queensland, from New History, is speeded up and benefits tremendously from the addition of a band. Quite superb!

Deliver Me An Angel is another from Wasteland but this doesn’t really gain anything from the extra bodies and possibly spoils what I believe to be one of his best ever songs. The first album, Natural, gets raided again for Reason You Came Here and this is typical Nauendorf, big guitar sounds and moody vocal. This song really suits the band format and I pick out bassist Rick Foot for particular praise. My Hurricane is the second, and last, of the new songs. There are more power chords and it builds just like a hurricane. This must rank as the highlight of the album and hopefully will help confirm 2007 as Derrin’s year. Shatter Like Stars completes a hat-trick as it has appeared on both of Derrin’s previous two albums. If you are hearing this for the first time then you are hearing an emotion-packed song that successfully makes the transition to a full band but I also suggest that you listen to both of the previous versions, you will not be disappointed. Long Road Home was first heard on Wasteland and this up-tempo version benefits greatly from the addition of mandolin, which is a masterstroke. I haven’t mentioned Derrin’s voice too much but it, like he, has grown up and he has a Paul Weller tone here. The closing track, All The Faces, is another from the dark Wasteland. It’s a sombre finish but it works very well. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Derrin Nauendorf.

http://www.derrinnauendorf.com/

David Blue.

Dave Arcari – Something Old, Something Borrowed EP (Buzz Records).

Erstwhile Radiotones frontman Arcari brings his style of alt. blues to the solo scene. Johnny Cash’s Blue Train is kept short and sweet but it played with Dave’s usual passion and cracking National slide guitar. The traditional Stagolee was really made famous by Mississippi John Hurt and Arcari gives it a fair treatment. He plays fingerpicked acoustic guitar and is the first time that I’ve really heard him sing without his renowned snarl – a pleasant surprise. Robert Johnson’s Travelling Riverside Blues has him return to National guitar and his vocals are maturing all the time. This song confirms that he is now an artist to be reckoned with. It’s Robert Johnson again on Preachin’ Blues and this is an old Radiotones favourite. Arcari returns to his manic style for a passionate rendition. The EP closes with Trouble In Mind and he returns to acoustic fingerpicking. Unfortunately, this is the weakest track but I suppose I can’t expect the same levels of energy throughout. I don’t think that this is his song but it does get better as it gets going.

http://www.davearcari.com/

David Blue.

Memphis Gold – The Prodigal Son (Chet Chandler).

Chester Chandler aka Memphis Gold has shared a stage with the best of them; Bernard Allison, Otis Rush, Taj Mahal and Robert Cray to name but a few. The thirteenth child of fourteen, he was mentored by his father, John, and the Reverend Robert ‘Tim’ Watkins whose claim to fame was that his song ‘That’s No Way To Get Along’ appeared as ‘Prodigal Son’ on the Rolling Stones album Beggars Banquet. So it is appropriate that Memphis Gold has decided to call his album Prodigal Son in an homage to his mentor. Come Wit Me features a funky bassline and is an excellent opener with Memphis Gold’s smoky voice complimenting it well. There’s a surprising harmonica break, considering the style of the song but it shows what a clever artist we have here. Don’t Let Her Ride is a vibrant, bouncy, staccato blues. There’s some tremendous barrelhouse piano from Kurt Gibbons and excellent guitar from the main man himself. This will easily be a favourite. He keeps the fast pace going with Crabcakes and it’s Gibbons again who makes himself the star on this happy tune. The pace is slowed down for Big Leg Woman which is a classic guitar blues that highlights Memphis’ lovely voice and top class guitar work. The title track confirms that he could have been a preacher himself. This is a chugging blues on the Gospel side. The instrumental Chicken It is enjoyable and enthusiastic and runs up to the more sombre and serious 3s Tonic. This is a slow, hypnotic blues that doesn’t change much throughout. What it does do is show that there is another guitar star on the block.

Preacher Blues swings along very well and the addition of horns from Robert Eldridge is of great effect. Memphis is not at his most PC on Test Drive That Woman but if you put aside the lyrical content then you have a good old time blues underneath with the horns on fire again. Serves Me Right has a lovely guitar intro and has a classic blues theme. This is an all round top song and really deserves to be heard by more people. The album has been well above average so far but the closing two tracks let it down somewhat. The instrumental Melt Down Baby is a strange one and doesn’t seem to hang together completely – maybe Memphis has suffered a meltdown of his own. The closing track, Bedroom Mumba, is most definitely the weakest track on the album and is a disappointing way to finish what is an excellent album.

http://www.memphisgoldprod.net/

David Blue.

Marion James – Essence (Soul Food Records).

Essence is the debut release from Soul Food Records, a new independent label from Nashville. They have picked a steady hand in the shape of Marion James
to guide their new journey and if the follow up releases show the same standard then they should be about for some time. Essence starts with Tables, a James original that is funky R&B of high measure. The Nashville born chanteuse shows all of her experience through her accomplished vocal. Add a very tight band and you have a recipe for success. Give Me Love is a slow blues with her guitarist (Jack Pearson) to the fore. He has a lot to live up to as the guitarist in Marion’s early 60s touring band was none other than Jimi Hendrix but Pearson is a star in his own rite having played in The Allman Brothers Band. He turns in a great solo and compliments Marion’s considered vocal very well. She returns to the funk for the self-penned My Mama and this is power all the way. Things are slowed down again for Let’s Straighten It Out, a straightforward, bluesy smoulderer before she goes off into the swinging blues of 24 Hours with the pianist on top form. Until The Real Thing Comes Along has her continuing to alternate between slow and up-tempo. This is jazzy, nightclub fare and her voice copes with it as well as it does on the other genres.

Please Don’t Waste My Time is a raunchy, Chicago style blues written by James and I Should Have Known is a classy, slow blues from Little Johnny Taylor – both are performed to the highest of standards. Be Anything keeps it slow and is another one for a dark, smoky nightclub. Marion tries hard to contemporise things with Feel It. It takes a while to get going and, then again, only just. This is a missed opportunity. So many will relate to You’re History Baby and I’m sure that many people will have said it in the past. This song, more than most of the others, highlights the undercurrent of power that Marion has in her songs and it builds up very well. There’s another of the slow, nightclub songs in I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You). It doesn’t really do it for me but it is sung by a performer who is comfortable in her own ability. The album finishes with an interview with Marion, interspersed with a couple of short songs played by her on piano. This gives us a wonderful insight into Marion the person and Marion the musician.

http://www.soulfoodrecords.com/

David Blue.

Johnny Nicholas – Livin’ With The Blues (Topcat Records).

Johnny Nicholas’ second release of 2005 was the original Livin’ With The Blues and followed the re-release of Thrill On The Hill. This album has seven new Nicholas compositions added to five classy covers and highlights both his song writing and instrumental skills. He begins with the Cajun style Froggy Bottom, a medium paced, infectious original that would grace the start of many an album. This is followed by another of the originals, Hill Top, which is old style country mixed with a jazz edge. This instrumental throws up some excellent individual performances, none more so than Floyd Domino on piano and Ray Benson on guitar. The Roosevelt Sykes song You Can’t Be Lucky All The Time is a hypnotic piano led blues that highlights Domino again and I’ll Be Around, a Chicago blues, confirms the status of Floyd Domino as the star of the album so far. Johnny’s voice shows a couple of cracks but this is an emotional song and re-affirms the loss of the veneer of his previous recordings. His voice certainly has matured into a top class instrument and this Howlin’ Wolf song suits him to a tee. The next original, Dirty People, bounces along nicely and has a good sax solo from Greg Piccolo. Teardrops On My Windowpane is another new song and is in the classic ‘Woke up this morning’ vein. The fractured guitar and sleepy sax make this a classy track.

The title track is a Brownie McGhee song and has the classic McGhee sound. Harmonica instead of accordion may have been a better option although with the electrifying guitar solo he manages to make the song his own. Talking of making a song his own, Nicholas turns in a version of Need Your Love So Bad that is completely different to the well-known Fleetwood Mac track. His vocal duet with Marcia Ball is sublime. Honeydrippin’ Baby is a swinging blues with added horns and the lightning fingers of Joel Guzman on accordion. Johnny goes all cowboy on us with Texas Drifter, which is surprisingly good for a genre of songs that I don’t particularly like. Red Young on organ keeps up the high standard of soloists. I’m From Texas is a big band blues (Texas Swing) that produces yet another great all round performance from the band. The closing track, Down In The Alley, is a little slow for my liking (those of you that have read my reviews will know that I like an album normally to finish on a high note) and really should be in the middle of the album. It’s pleasant enough and highlights Nicholas’ voice again but it’s nothing special although the little bit of slide guitar does lift it momentarily.

http://www.topcatrecords.com/

David Blue.

Jim Suhler & Alan Haynes – Live At Blue Cat Blues (Topcat Records).

Jim Suhler and Alan Haynes are two names that I’m not too familiar with but on reading their histories I’m surprised that I haven’t. Suhler has accompanied heavyweights such as George Thorogood and Haynes has played with Muddy Waters, Albert Collins and Hubert Sumlin, amongst others. No pressure then! They open with Too Poor To Die, a Louisiana Red song that is a pounding Chicago blues. This is a slide guitar festival and the Thorogood power is evident. Suhler has the vocal for this and passes it off effectively. Knockin’ At Your Door is an Eddie Taylor song and Suhler & Haynes give it a great slide guitar intro before going off into top class blues rock. I can’t remember if Rory Gallagher covered this but, if he did then Suhler & Haynes more than matched it. Haynes takes the vocal and although his voice is softer he does carry the same sort of effectiveness. They turn to Freddie King for I Wonder Why and Hynes keeps the vocal. Good enough version and that’s all I have to say. Down And Out In Texas follows and this is an original Suhler composition. This is a chugging blues where Suhler takes on the vocal himself and both provide some lovely guitar. Haynes is considered to be more of the blues stylist but their interaction is quite superb.

Don’t Do It is a good rocking blues that gets the crowd going and twin guitars swapping riffs is just what I want to hear. This is followed by Oh My Baby’s Gone which is a rhythmic blues played with ease and a slower Say Your Prayers. This is possibly the weakest track on the album and although I can’t complain about the standard of the guitar playing, there’s just something missing! They finish with a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced. A mistake, I hear you ask? Maybe, but this is technically excellent although not up to the masters standard.

http://www.topcatrecords.com/

David Blue.

Edwin Holt – Second Time Around (Topcat Records).

Backed by the members of Johnnie Taylor’s band, vocalist and harmonica player Edwin Holt describes this album as “blues with funk on the side” and it’s difficult to disagree on the evidence of the 13 tracks on offer. He opens with the powerful I Don’t Think I’m Going To Make It and don’t be fooled by the understated start. Holt displays a strong voice and the band provides a rounded sound. The title track drifts off into a relaxing soul/R&B feel before Holt unleashes some surging harp and a pounding rhythm section for the self-penned Red Clay Back Road Mama. This is a fine blues indeed. You’re In For A Big Surprise is loaded with horns and gives a Big Easy sound with Holt continuing the excel on vocal. The funk comes in the shape of Back Line with its snappy bass line and organ. Holt’s voice takes on this new style with ease and the song, whilst not outstanding, is pleasant fare. He stays in the same vein for Somebody’s Getting’ It before returning to R&B on Steal Away where his voice is strangely reminiscent of Daryl Hall. There’s more guitar work creeping in as the album goes on and I’m certainly not complaining about that.

Jack About Nothin’ confirms my feeling that Holt seems to favour the R&B route and why not as he’s very good at it and certainly has the voice for it! I Want To Walk With You is a slow bluesy stroller and we get right back to the blues with Down To The Bone. The slide guitar makes this medium paced rocking blues a favourite. The classiest track on the album is The Right Reverend Of The Blues with the church organ at the start to give the air of authenticity. This is a thoroughly enjoyable swinging blues that goes off into a Blues Brothers style speeded up finish. A cover of Stevie Wonders Higher Ground is a surprise on a blues album but Holt funks it up, if that could be possible, and makes it a bit more staccato than the original. The vocal is great and the bass from Wes Stephenson is stylish on this very good cover. Holt closes with One More River To Cross and the emotion filled vocal is a tremendous way to finish.

http://www.topcatrecords.com/

David Blue.

Johnny Nicholas – Thrill On The Hill (Topcat Records).

Thrill On The Hill is Topcat’s 2005 re-release of Antone’s 1994 album and the move to CD has given it a fresh breath of life. This live album opens with Robert Johnson’s Kind Hearted Woman and Nicholas keeps true to the original but adds harp for a great live sound. House Cleaning Blues is another in the Delta blues style, this time with guitar and piano only. The first of Nicholas’ original songs is My Rice Ain’t Got No Gravy. This is more upbeat than its predecessors and slips into the rhythm & blues that Nicholas plays so well. Prince Charming (now we know where Adam Ant got the title) is a night club blues but very good nonetheless and the piano is superb. He returns to electric blues for the standard 12 bar of Blue & Lonesome before turning to the mandolin for, surprisingly enough, Mandolin Boogie. The introduction of this instrument adds a bluegrass fell to a top class boogie. Son House’s John The Revelator is given the Johnny Nicholas treatment and when singing a capella you have to do it very well – he, and his backing singers passed the test.

Nicholas shows that he can produce good adaptations of older songs and Johnny Young’s Sleeping With The Devil is a case in point. This rolling, swinging blues with its lung bursting harmonica breaks is excellent and shines out on an album of dazzling songs. I don’t know what it is about Cajun music but whenever I hear a song in that style I just can’t stop moving. The latest song to move me is Let’s Go To Big Houston and I’ve been whistling this for days. Another song, another style and Johnny goes all Jazzy on us for Tomorrow Night. It has some lovely piano work but this slow offering provides little else. The closing track on the original album was Johnny’s Deathray Boogie/Thrill On The Hill and the breakneck piano gets the crowd going again as it builds up to a piano duet towards the end.

Topcat have added four bonus tracks to augment the original eleven. There’s two of Johnny’s and two of Robert Johnson’s. Mandolin Moan is slow, slow blues but the mandolin still has that novelty value and gains it pass marks for that alone. Nicholas’ version of Stones In My Pathway is slightly different from the original but its cleaner sound is good in its own way. His slide guitar is excellent on this song that is seldom covered, probably because it is one of the more difficult Johnson songs to play. The last original song is the punchy guitar instrumental, Thinkin’ Bout Junior and the final track is a great version of Phonograph Blues. The best way to play Robert Johnson songs is to keep it plain and simple and that is exactly what Nicholas does here. In doing so he keeps the audience in the palm of his hands and that’s about the best accolade a live album can achieve.

www.topcatrecords.com

David Blue.

Johnny Nicholas And The Texas All Stars – Rockin’ My Blues To Sleep (Topcat Records).

Although this is a 2001 recording it probably hasn’t seen the light of day on this side of the Atlantic. Produced by Stephen Bruton, who also plays on the CD, this is Nicholas’ first recording for Dallas based Topcat Records. He opens with an original, the eponymous title track which is a rocking blues on the rock n roll side of the fence. It’s very reminiscent of Dave Edmunds’ style but when you add Nicholas’ silky voice it makes it a more rounded sound. The addition of horns is usually a good thing and Mark ‘Kaz’ Kazanoff (tenor sax), Rocky Morales (tenor sax), John Mills (baritone sax) and Al Gomez (trumpet) make up a mean horn section. Rain Down Tears is a sleek blues but sometimes a little too pronounced. The sax and guitar breaks are excellent, though. There’s a familiar theme to The Last Meal. This prison tale of a last, unobtainable meal for a prisoner is played in the big band style of blues and is not without humour. I’m A Fool To Care is a rock and roll shuffler and although it has a good sax solo it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The pace and standard lifts significantly on Lloyd Price’s Where You At? This is out and out rock and roll and Nicholas is certainly very good at that -- very enjoyable with top guitar work this time. So far, Nicholas’ voice has been very precise but on the strong blues of Reap What You So the veneer finally cracks as he injects a bit of passion to his vocal.

Woke Up Screamin’ sees the introduction of Marcia Ball on lead vocals and makes for a second very strong blues on the trot. The guitar player is given another chance and shows that he is technically superb. J.B. Lenoir’s Mama Talk To Your Daughter is good old time rock and roll and shows again the tightness of this band. They can do slow ones as well and In The Doorway Cryin’ is a case in point. Having said that, Nicholas does like to stay in the zone of rock and roll, R&B and blues. There’s more big band style blues boogie on The Hustle Is On. Just think Jools Holland but with a singing voice. There are some hot horns on this one. The well-known Things I Used To Do is given a rolling Texas treatment and is a good version despite it not being as vocally powerful as some of the previous incarnations. There’s more of that Texas All Stars sound on Fats Domino’s Before I Grow Too Old, the sound being full, round horns and a rolling, swinging rock and roll. They finish, as they started, with an original and Boogie Back To Texas does what it says on the tin. A great finish that shows a top band on top form.

www.topcatrecords.com

David Blue.

Robin Sylar – Tricked Out (Topcat Records).

This is a 2004 release from Topcat but deserves current look. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sylar opens with You’re Gonna Miss Me, a frenetic blues-based alternative rocker. This highlights his excellent guitar playing and his great experience shines through as the song comes to a cacophonic finish. He has played with some of the best in the business including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall, Big Joe Turner and Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vincent and was also a member of Canned Heat in the late 70s. Shaking All Over is the old Johnny Kidd classic and Robin rocks this up big time. This is music with attitude and a real echo-fest. Another classic song follows, this time in the form of Iko Iko. Apart from the phased vocal and a strange film dialogue at the end this is just a standard version of an oft recorded track. Hollywood Millionaire leans towards Country with some blues influences but allows Sylar to show his expertise on guitar. If anything, this is just a little too fluid, deconstructed, in parts. The Jagger/Richards song Heart Of Stone is classic 60s R&B with machine gun guitar and Little Walter’s Pretty Girls is given a rocking treatment with standout stinging guitar. Sylar throws in some Texas blues on Short Time but the spoken lyric, whilst ok, doesn’t really do the song any favours.

Back To Iuka is a storming blues with superb guitar again from Sylar and the vocal is the best on offer. This is the big standout of the album with a top performance from all of the musicians. Sylar doesn’t write too many songs on this album, in fact, Surf Puppy is the only original. This sounds like the theme tune to some dodgy 60s TV show but it is an interesting experiment in different sounds and colours – good fun. Willie Dixon’s Can’t Judge A Book is turned into a funky blues and is very organic, as much of Robin’s work is. One thing can’t be hidden is that Robin Sylar certainly enjoys his music and his enthusiasm is infectious. Pulp Fiction sounds abound on Misirlou and this is a great version with Sylar’s guitar the star. The great tracks keep on coming with Sugar Bee and when he sticks to the normal routes he is as good as anyone. His prowess on the harmonica shines through on this and you’ll feel like getting up to dance. The well known and oft covered Hand Jive is given a fair play and is no better or worse than many of the other versions that I’ve heard. I recently reviewed Tom Principato’s version of Wine Spo-Dee-Odee and Sylars great rocking version is another good attempt. A fast version of a good time song. Sylar finishes with a classic 60s guitar instrumental, Pipeline. This is an excellent version with various tones and speeds building up the song throughout.

Robin Sylar is on the unconventional side of the fence but it’s always good to have a trip over there every now and then.

http://www.topcatrecords.com/

David Blue.

Boris Boogaloo – Looking Back (Floppy Records).

The first of two 2006 releases, Looking Back is a showcase for Boris’ songs rather than his voice which is rather throaty for the opener, Crazy World Without You. Boris adds drums and electric guitars (not a common occurrence as those who have listened to a Boris album before will testify) for this love cheat themed blues which doesn’t have any fireworks but is a good song nevertheless. North City Blues is given some backing vocals which add to the atmosphere on a slow song that is not really a blues as such. There’s some added production on Losers Always Get It Wrong but some beefier bass would lift this into an excellent country rock tune. We have to wait until the middle of the album for the best track and the eerie Island Lady suits Boris’ nasal voice to a tee. They’re coming thick and fast now and Loving Days is another that suits Boris’ voice but this time he has got rid of the throaty voice – a slow, understated folksy offering. He keeps the huskier side of his voice for Merry-Go-Round and adds wailing harmonica. This reeks of sadness and is one to be built on for the future. The short album finishes with Cheating Girl which is country flecked and has a Bryan Ferry style vocal. There are a few styles in here and a number of songs that could go on to be picked up by other artists.

www.floppyrecords.co.uk

David Blue.

Pete Alderton – Living On Love (Songways).

Pete Alderton is the son of an American G.I., born in the UK and living in Germany so it is not so surprising that he has a diverse musical outlook. Living On Love begins with It Seems Strange, a short explanation of the blues, before Alderton launches into Evil Was Her Name which is a classy, jazzy blues. Song For David is a strange one. No, it’s not about me, it’s for David Blaine. It’s hard to categorise but anyone who gets Blaine into a song deserves a listen. Have The Roses Gone Dry and I’m Sad are sentimental ballads and little more and the title track is acoustic, like most of the others, but not very inspiring. Jesus In A Bottle is one of the best tracks on the album and could easily be a big end rock song or, as it is here, an acoustic burner. A Fool For Her Body (skit) is a short spoken interlude that leads into Witching Hour but it’s of no real purpose and the aforesaid Witching Hour has the welcoming introduction of harmonica but is standard fare nonetheless.

Pete turns the Whitesnake song, Give Me All Your Love into an acoustic effort but doesn’t really do the song any favours. He then launches off into another of his skits, this time I Still Remember. This is his ramblings on his love of the blues beat and gives us an insight into the man. A Taste Of The Blues is a tenuous link to the blues and, although it is well executed, is nothing to get too excited about. The album is taking a bit of a downturn by this time and the acoustic AOR of Baby I Love You and the tedious The Loved do little to halt the slide. Evil Was Her Name (Full Edit) shows itself to be one of the albums highlights and could have been further enhanced by a screaming guitar solo – it was just crying out for one but Pete played it safe and remained too laid back. It’s hard to get the balance between sentiment and over-sentiment and Passing Ships confirms that Pete Alderton hasn’t really managed to nail it on this album. He finishes with some more musings on The End Of The Day – we’re all living on love, apparently!

http://www.songways.de/
http://www.pete-anthony-alderton.com/

David Blue.

Boo Boo Davis – Drew Mississippi (Black & Tan Records).

Boo Boo Davis is a Delta man through and through and for this recording he has brought that experience into the 21st century. He has teamed up with Ramon Goose from Nublues to produce a fusion of raw blues and modern beats. The opening track, Tell Me What You Do, is modern slide guitar led blues that is an interesting mix of old and new. Boo Boo’s voice certainly sounds like the real deal. Let Me Love You has acoustic licks but still has that same modern groove and the scratching and mixing is exciting. Boo Boo returns to electric slide for Who Stole The Booty. I believe that artists such as Little Axe pioneered this style of music and Davis pulls it off perfectly. The alternating between electric and acoustic continues with the eponymous title track. This is acoustic but with added strings this time and this adds up to a great effect over the traditional Delta blues. The funky and energetic guitar is the making of Got To Make It Right Now – Howlin’ Wolf for the 21st century.

Tryin’ To Survive is the weakest track on the album. The vocal is fine, as is the music, but the content is a bit suspect. I’m more at home with the grungy blues of Got The Blues In My Heart with its modern drum beat and the uplifting Made Me Cry. This acoustic Delta blues is one of the highlights. Walking Down A One Way Street continues in the acoustic vein and although it is not a blues as such, it has the same sentiments. Unfortunately it doesn’t really offer anything original. Boo Boo saves the best for last. The dramatic Standing In The Cotton Fields is stripped to the bare bones and as far as acoustic blues goes, this is the business.

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

David Blue.

Turnip Greens – Carry Me Down The Aisle (Black & Tan Records).

Blues and roots music is very popular in Scandinavia and this is being reflected in the number of bands coming from the area. Turnip Greens are four seasoned musicians from Denmark, influenced by the likes of Dr. John, Daniel Lanois, Ry Cooder and Muddy Waters amongst others. They open with Carry Me Down The Aisle, like the rest of the songs on the album, an original composition, and it’s a painfully & achingly slow opener. This is very appropriate as it is about death and a funeral (a common theme for blues music) and is surprisingly powerful despite being a strange one to start with. The pace doesn’t really pick up much on the quirky blues The Reverend In Town. This is a hypnotic tale about a disaffected Reverend who has a brush with the devil who considers him too weird to take into hell. My Baby Loves Me sees the pace pick up slightly and there’s some evidence of lead guitar from the capable Henrik Bruhn who also takes on the vocal duties. This is a driving blues where drummer Sune Nielsen does ballistic at times. The acoustic Gather My Bones is haunting and returns to the slower pace. I absolutely love this and it is so laid back, it’s horizontal. Electric guitars return on Top Of The Hill but with the drums sounding like they’re in an echo chamber perhaps the boys have gone a little too quirky this time. The basic song is there but it’s just on the peripheral.

SixSixtySix has more references to the devil but it does mark a return to form with slide guitar and a driving rhythm. There’s a slight change in direction on the almost Country offering Kissed Her On The Cheek before they go back to the quirky side for Two Sets Of Rules but maybe this one doesn’t work so well. A Man Said Goodbye is another of the albums standout tracks with fuzzed vocals and idiosyncratic beat that reminds me very much of Canadian Joe Fournier. Quite Often confirms the fact that Turnip Greens have a style all of their own and they finish much in the manner in which they have conducted most of the album – slowly. A slightly disappointing uninspired finish to what is, overall, a clever, original album.

http://www.turnipgreens.dk/
http://www.black-and-tan.com/

David Blue.

Gigs In Scotland – November 2006

2nd – John Lilly. The Polish Club, Bennochy House, Kirkcaldy.
5th – John Lilly. Jazz Bar, Edinburgh.
5th – John Lilly. Campsey Folk Club, Glasgow.
6th – John Lilly. Hootananny, Inverness.
6th – Lucinda Williams. Barrowland, Glasgow.
7th - Two Gallants. King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow.
7th – John Lilly. The Tin Hut Folk Club, Huntly.
9th – John Lilly. Burra, Shetland.
9th - John Williams & Richard Harvey. Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow.
10th – John Lilly. Burra, Shetland.
10th – Martin Taylor & Martin Simpson. The Iron Works, Inverness.
11th – John Lilly. Burra, Shetland.
11th – Grim Northern Social. The Iron Works, Inverness.
13th – Ron Sexsmith. Liquid Room, Edinburgh.
14th – Ron Sexsmith. Oran Mor, Glasgow.
14th – Cosmic Rough Riders. King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow.
15th – Gomez. The Iron Works, Inverness.
15th – Ben Kweller. Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow.
16th – Blazin’ Fiddles. The Iron Works, Inverness. 16th – Rodrigo y Gabriella/James Yorkston/The Veils. ABC, Glasgow.
17th – Primal Scream/Little Barrie. SECC, Glasgow.
17th – Kubichek! King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow.
20th – Espers/Edith Frost/St Judes Infirmary. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh.
20th – Shiny Toy Guns. ABC, Glasgow.
20th – Bullet For My Valentine. Corn Exchange, Edinburgh. 21st - Nina Nastasia. Mono, Glasgow.
21st – The Charlatans. The Iron Works, Inverness.
23rd – Shawn Colvin. The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow.
25th – The Alarm. Liquid Room, Edinburgh.
25th – Electric Eel Shock. King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow.
27th – The Bees. Oran Mor, Glasgow.
27th – Good Shoes. King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow.
28th – Thunder. Carling Academy, Glasgow.
28th – The Blood Arm. King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow.
29th – Thunder. The Iron Works, Inverness.
29th – Richard Ashcroft. SECC, Glasgow.
30th – Crash My Model Car/Jyrojets. The Iron Works, Inverness.

Johnny Nicholas & The Texas All Stars – Big Band Bash (Topcat Records).

Johnny Nicholas is a big advocate of the cultural diversity in Texas and has gathered a bunch of musicians to showcase Blues, Swing, Ballads, Rock n Roll, Country and Tejano on the live album, Big Band Bash. All of the musicians on the album live within a 90 mile radius of Austin or San Antonio and have decided to get together once a year to pass the music on to the next generation. The opener, Broke Again, aptly features Johnny and is big band style rock n roll – Chuck Berry with horns and fiddles, what a combination!! Baby I’m Gone features Greg Piccolo, his tenor sax and laconic vocal and he delivers a great swing feeling. The great Jimmie Vaughan joins the band for the first blues, the gritty instrumental The Ironic Twist before Johnny Nicholas returns for Down In The Alley. This is a song for Doug Sahm and is a slow, bluesy ballad that is well delivered by Nicholas. The well known Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing features John Mills and The Texas Horns and all I can say is, scorching! Mescal Road is Tex-Mex and introduces Joe King Carrasco to the audience. Unfortunately, the music is let down by the vocal which is not as strong as those that have gone before. However, it is a good fun-time song all the same. Respected guitarist Stephen Bruton lends his big reputation to This Old World Needs Love but I feel that the lyric is a little forced in places. Floyd Domino gives us the piano led instrumental All Blues and turns in an excellent performance on the keys. Johnny Nicholas is back for Good Morning Judge, no not the 10cc song, and I can’t help singing I Want To Be Like You from The Jungle Book along to it. It’s just got that beat as Baloo would say. Seriously, this song confirms what a strong stage presence Nicholas has.

Greg Piccolo gives us a sultry sax instrumental version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow before Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox re-introduce the Tex-Mex feel with Maybe Maybe. This has a few ropey moments but it all goes to prove that it’s completely live. Augie Meyers, who played organ on Mescal Road, gets his chance to shine on I’m In Love Again. He delivers this classic song in a sleepy style, supported by strong saxophone, and pulls it off completely. Trumpeter Al Gomez features on the instrumental Can’t Stop The Crying and his performance on this ballad is faultless. Johnny Nicholas makes another return for Before I Grow Old and this is slow R&B of the highest class with The All Stars showing that they are a top calibre band. Another man making a return is Greg Piccolo (great name for a sax player!) and The Hammer allows him to show all the levels to his playing – a great rock n roll instrumental. The closing track needs no introduction and it is right that Jimmie Vaughan joins Johnny Nicholas for Texas Flood. It’s not Stevie Ray but if this is the first time that you’ve heard the song (unlikely) then you’re still in for a treat. Jimmie is a good guitarist in his own rite but my favourite version will always be Stevie’s.

http://www.topcatrecords.com/

David Blue.

Memo Gonzalez & The Bluescasters – Live In The UK (Crosscut Records).

This live recording made in Oxford, Swindon and Leicester during November 2004 is an excellent introduction to the world of Memo Gonzalez and his Bluescasters. First up is the standard, yet powerful, R&B of You Got Me Rollin’. Kai Strauss’ staccato guitar is the star of the show here. I’ve Been Thinking is a rolling blues much in the Kansas City style and this is top class fare with Memo throwing in a bit of Love Me Do during his harmonica piece. The band move it up a notch for the fast-paced R&B of What You’re Doing To Me before going off into the blues with Greyhound. This features Kai Strauss on guitar and he excels on this powerful crowd pleaser. Angel In High Heels could be nothing other than rock & roll and its fast paced, lively delivery keeps the crowd in good fettle and really gets them going. With the crowd now firmly on their side the Bluescasters trot out an Elvis cover in the shape of His Latest Flame. The shuffling beat is fine but, not surprisingly, not as good as the original. The guitar break does, however, add something that the original did not have.

Howlin’ Wolf meets Bo Diddley on I Wanna Ramble/Feelin’ Good and despite talking his way through some of the lyrics, Memo makes this a highlight with Strauss really stealing the show. Louisiana Lover Man is a lonesome sundown song, a Southern style boogie that gets the crowd on its feet again but You Got What You Wanted is standard fare and nothing else. Tell Me What’s The Reason is a swing blues that has Gonzalez urging the band for more and Strauss holding it all together as ever. The band keeps up the festivity with I Wanna Ask You Pretty Baby -- Texas party music – that sums it up pretty well. This is definitely music to have a good time to and the good time continues right to the end with Big Time Operator, one of the best songs on offer.

If you want a good night out you could do worse than popping in to see Memo Gonzalez & The Bluescasters.

http://www.memogonzalez.com/
http://www.crosscut.de/

David Blue.

Eric Bibb – Diamond Days (Telarc Blues).

The word legend is used far too often these days but Eric Bibb is a well on his way to becoming one. His blend of tender blues, folk and roots music has won him fans all over the planet and I am delighted at getting a chance to review his latest offering, Diamond Days. He starts, complete with authentic crackles, with Tall Cotton and immediately his velvet voice just cradles your senses and by the time that you get to the end of Still Livin’ On you will wonder where the last 44 minutes or so have gone. Tall Cotton has a strong African folk influence with Kahanga ‘Master Vumbi’ Dekula on Hi-life guitar a standout. Destiny Blues is self-penned, as are 11 of the 12 tracks on the album, and is a quirky acoustic blues. Jenny Bohman is quite a surprise on this as it builds up very well. Eric gets a groove on for Shine On and sets up an all round, classy song. This is personified by Bibb’s silky vocal and Bohman’s short harp bursts – a highlight. So Glad is spiritual in its composition and its delivery and the plain and simple technique used is so effective. This is followed by the bluesy, bouncy Storybook Hero before Eric tells it how it is on the eponymous title track. This tale of life’s highs and lows is again delivered in Eric’s gentle style and sends out a strong message.

There’s some more mild country style blues on Dr. Shine and this is another fine example of Eric’s storytelling ability. The addition of Jim Shearer on tuba gives it a New Orleans feel. Heading Home has a contemporary feel but still gives you that comforting glow with Mats Oberg turning in some Larry Adler style harmonica. You get a feel of what an Eric Bibb concert would be like via the live recording of In My Fathers House. This is a raunchy, urban blues and shows him to be a superb live performer – I’m sorry that I missed him on his recent trip to Scotland – with the band giving it some real acoustic stick. Things are slowed down again for Forgiveness Is Gold with its anti-war message delivered by a velvet glove. If there is to be a definitive Eric Bibb song on this album then, ironically, it is the Bob Dylan written Buckets Of Rain. This is a country blues with just Eric on vocal and the superb Martin Simpson on acoustic guitar – probably the highlight of the album. The album closes with Still Livin’ On and he finishes in the same vein that he has produced throughout the album. Gentle country blues is the order of the day as he pays tribute to many of his heroes including John Lee Hooker, Reverend Gary Davis and Pop Staples, amongst others. He finishes with the authentic crackles too! There’s two added surprises in the form of a lovely version of the traditional Worried Man Blues and a video of Eric in his favourite Parisian guitar shop where he treats us to three impromptu songs on a 1930s Gibson acoustic. I have to give a mention to the fact that Eric gives us the guitar chords to some of the songs on the album sleeve just to give us mortals the chance of emulating the great man. I’m off to dust down the old guitar for one last shot at stardom!

http://www.ericbibb.com/

David Blue.

BB & The Blues Shacks – Live At Vier Linden (Crosscut Records).

BB & The Blues Shacks is fronted by brothers Andreas and Michael Arlt and derive their unique style from the blues and R&B of the 40s and the 50s. They open with the high energy boogie of Hot Shot Bop and Andreas Arlt is given the spotlight for this instrumental – he does not disappoint. Michael Arlt adds his vocal for the rock & roll swinger, You Can Always Depend On Me and he responds to the enthusiastic crowd by showing that he is a more than capable live singer. The band stay in the rock & roll/boogie vein for Let’s Get Crazy and it’s becoming more obvious that Andreas’ guitar is the focal point for the group. Having said that, the rhythm section also plays their part with barrelhouse piano from Dennis Koeckstadt and driving bass & drums from Henning Hauerken and Andreas Rock respectively. Michael’s harmonica also gets an airing on this one and it’s all very passable. Next up is She’s Got Her Eyes On Me with reverb on full and harp on a high. This is a blues based swinger and they play so well that it’s very hard not to like this lot.

Andreas Alst is such a distinctive guitarist and the bouncy, fun blues of Can’t Hide Love is the perfect showcase – there’s even a bit of the Harry Lime theme thrown in for good measure. Lose My Mind is a high octave rocker with storming harmonica and Stompin’ And Rollin’ continues the fast pace as Koeckstadt rocks the joint. They can play the blues as well and Good Night’s Sleep is a Chicago blues that sounds as if it’s straight from Chicago, not Germany. Andreas Alst on guitar is nothing short of excellent as usual and he takes the audience in the palm of his hand during the quiet section of the song. There’s more of Andreas’ guitar excellence on Hear My Baby Naggin’ and Letters From My Baby shows how well the band can flit between blues and rock & roll. The closing track, Ain’t A Home No More is a bit of a blues chugger. It plods along very well but the Alst brothers cook it up towards the end of this eight minute, ground-out boogie. The band gives it their all throughout and this is exemplified by Michael Alst who blows his lungs out to the finish.

Also available is a twelve track DVD that has six different tracks from the CD. The DVD also has background information on the band and gives you an idea of what to expect at a Blues Shacks gig. The live arena is certainly their field and they have obviously honed their stagecraft on their many tours throughout Europe and the USA.

http://www.crosscut.de/
http://www.bluesshacks.com/

David Blue.