bluesinthenorthwest.com

The evening session got under way on the main stage with a rousing uptempo RnB blast from The Dirty Robbers, led by ex-Cadillac Kings guitarist Oliver Darling - also to be seen in Mike Sanchez’s band, and in the absence of keyboards, the superb Paul Garner on second guitar - also to have graced The Cadillac Kings guitar slot, together with the rhythm section of Craig Rhind (bass) and Matt Cowley (drums). A spirited hour featured mainly tunes from their first album, kicking off with “Ain’t Nothin’ Shakin’ “, and Richard Berry’s oft-covered “Have Love Will Travel”, with a dip into some classic Peter Green for “Watch Out”, from the “Blues Jam in Chicago” album . . . a set highlight. The eloquently titled “Lemon Squeezer” was a taster from the forthcoming second album, with more dips into the first album for a corking “Lonesome Woman Blues” and “Mary Lou”.

Either side of The Producers, Naomi Mather and Rory Ellis played second sets . . . not much to add to Lionel’s fine words, just to echo his sentiments really. Naomi Mather is a real talent, a product of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, and she possesses a quite beautiful voice, and is a deft guitar picker and slide player, her “Born At The Wrong Time” EP comes highly recommended, with the second set featuring a reprise of the strutting “Can’t Do Nothing”. Ashamedly I must admit to not having heard of Rory Ellis before the festival… Wow!, he was without doubt most people’s star of the day! Coming across as a Melbourne hybrid of Johnny Cash, Steve Earle and Tom Russell, his rootsy tales of childhood, politics and more were just superb, with his strumming guitar and banjo work beautifully fleshed out by Alex Roberts more intricate guitar and lap slide - this guy having driven six hours from Poole to play the set! A reprise of “Work” saw some audience participation, with another treat being the lovely “Railway Parade”, his deep, rich voice and story telling winning over the crowd.

Back in the mid to late 1990s’ The Producers were without doubt one of Britain’s most popular blues bands, but split, actually playing their last North West gig at Hooker Blues Club in Wrexham . . . fitting then that their first gig back in the area should be here at the festival. Original members Harry Skinner (lead vocals and guitar) and Dave Saunders (bass) are now joined by Ray Drury (keyboards) and Biff Smith (drums). A beautifully delivered set featured some sparkling guitar from Harry Skinner, who also was on top form vocally, with newcomer Drury excelling on the keyboards. New material included “I Got Blues” and “Some People Say”, with a dip into the back catalogue for “Bitter And Twisted And Blue” . . . with the great “Take Me The Long Way Home, another new song, being well received. It’s nice to have such a fine band back on the scene!

Bringing a quite fabulous day to an end were possibly the best live band on the circuit at the moment - The Stumble - who after a recent storming headlining slot at the Warrington Blues Festival, could not fail with their uptempo mix of blues, soul and more! The area in front of the stage soon became a full dance floor as an extended over-curfew (only slightly!) set of favourites were performed. Set highlights were rip-roaring opener of Hound Dog Taylor’s “Gimme Back My Wig”, the stomping “Maudie” and a slide driven “The World Is Tough” - the title cut of the band’s first album. The band got soulful on “Bus Stop”, from the second album, “The Houngan”, but were back with the blues on a ferocious “Meet Me At The Bottom”. They were afforded the first encore of the day, purely due to time demands, and played the show-stopping “All Over Again”, a gorgeous slow blues, with brilliant guitar from Colin Black and impassioned vocal from Paul Melville. This band go from strength to strength, and are pretty unstoppable at the moment. The full line-up is Paul Melville (vocals), Colin Black (guitar and harmonica), Jonny Spencer (guitar), Simon Anthony (saxophone), Dave Heath (bass) and Boyd Tonner (drums).

Thanks from me to the organisers - particularly Pete Evans, Paul Taylor and Ian Williams - and to all volunteers and helpers. This was a great festival - reasonably priced, good beer, etc.,  and long may it prosper, see you in 2010.

GRAHAME RHODES

All pictures from both reviews supplied by Grahame Rhodes; these and more have been uploaded to the bluesinthenorthwest.com photo archive.

THE STUMBLE

“The Houngan”

(Star Jam Music: STU 475986-4)

As promised here’s a review of one we missed out on at release time – the second album from The Stumble – currently riding high as one of these shores finest bands, with their explosive live shows putting them on equal footing with anyone on the blues circuit at the moment – with the added bonus of them being firmly North West based as well!

“The Houngan” follows on from the excellent “The World Is Tough” – a 13-track mix of rocking blues, funky soul, a touch of country, and more – all impeccably performed and played by the band – Paul Melville (vocals), Colin Black (guitar and harmonica), Jonny Spencer (guitars), Simon Anthony (saxophone), Dave Heath (bass) and Boyd Tonner (drums).

Colin Black has long been one of my favourite guitar players and his slashing slide opens the album on the storming “It’s A Lie”, with a sort of Duane Allman meets Elmore James feel to his playing; the next track, “Bus Stop” sees the band in soulful mood, with a 60s Stax feel – Simon Anthony’s sax prominent here and customary gritty vocal from Paul Melville.

The pace is taken down on the lovely “Flesh and Bone” – firmly in soul territory again, with a hook to die for and ensemble backing vocals from Messrs. Anthony, Tonner and Melville, with blistering solo from Colin Black. The sinister title cut, “The Houngan” – a High Priest in the Voodoo religion in Haiti – rides on a guitar groove courtesy of Jonny Spencer and Boy Tonner, with Colin Black switching to harmonica – very fine indeed!

Elsewhere the boys rock out on “Maudie” – dominated by Simon Anthony’s sax, with a great solo, before a lovely arrangement of the timeless “Nobody’s Business”, with Colin Black showing his mastery of all things Peter Green / BB King, with beautiful guitar work and tone, and an aching vocal from Paul Melville – quite superbly performed recently at the Warrington Blues Festival.

“Your Love For Me” is a dip into the late, great Bo Diddley’s style, with this time, Jonny Spencer laying down the fine slide guitar; the country blues of “Georgia Sun” is another album highlight, with Jonny Spencer on Dobro and Colin Black again switching to harmonica.

“Headshot” is again reminiscent of classic Stax soul with another truly convincing vocal from Paul Melville, with the album finishing in rampant style with a romp through Howlin’ Wolf’s “Meet Me At The Bottom” – ending as it started with Colin Black’s slashing slide.

Anyone who has caught the band live don’t need telling by me how good they are, and it’s nice to report that this second cd truly reflects how good their show is – having seen the early incarnations of the band several times, it is gratifying to see how they have progressed to the ‘top of the tree’ – long may they prosper!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.thestumble.com

“A Time And Place”

Here’s an interesting release from Sheffield guitarist and writer, Robin Hoare – a heady mix of blues, soul, funk and jazz – but always just in the blues camp, dominated by his fiery, fluent guitar work, and ably assisted by a fine band, from the cream of the Steel City – and all self-written, bar one track by bass player, Danny Fox.

Robin Hoare started playing in band at the age of 16, learning his trade from some of his home city’s finest jazz and blues musicians, and by 18 was fronting band on the local live circuit, appearing at the Burnley Blues Festival in 1994, before going out under his own name in 2002.

Hoare deals in funky, horn-filled blues as heard on the first track “Living On The Easyplan” – his ode to the credit crunch, with some Albert Collins-inspired leads and brass to the fore; the following “Time Is The Healer” dips into rocky territory, before the slow jazzy blues of “A Tale To Tell”, with Dale Storr’s subtle keyboard work shining, with some lovely tinkling piano.

The mood switches on the laid-back funky “Tell Me”, with a nice band performance here and the string section of Jonathan Draper (cello) and Helena Reynolds (violin), with Hoare adding some acoustic guitar flourishes and solo. The instrumental “Lullaby” almost veers into Mark Knopfler territory – with just Danny Fox on solo bass guitar in a very quiet, laid-back jazzy mood – very nice indeed!

“Aleena” turns up the gas, with more fluid guitar leads – another song with a more rocky feel, before a return to pure blues on “Like A Game”, with Dale Storr’s organ work very impressive here. “Online Gambling Games” is a wry commentary on the modern day addiction of the title – more fluid guitar work and soloing; with the closing “Found Myself A Friend” moving into a BB King type groove – a swinging jazzy shuffle.

For anyone who likes their blues mixed up with some jazz, soul and funk grooves, this is well worth checking out and a fine effort from all concerned – Robin Hoare is a fine player, but must admit to not being knocked out by his voice – check him out at Colne in August.

GRAHAME RHODES

www.robinhoare.com

www.myspace.com/therobinhoareband

ARTHUR LOUIS

“Black Cat”

(Black Cat Records: BLACKCATCD002)

 Those with pretty long memories may remember Arthur Louis from way back in 1974, when he released a fine debut album, with Gene Chandler on vocals, Eric Clapton on no less than seven tracks, and his bass player in those days was an 18-year-old Mike Oldfield – spawning a hit single version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” that your humble reviewer used to own – if I remember, on the Plum label.

 Thirty odd years down the line, the Jamaican-born, Brooklyn-raised singer/writer/guitarist has released a fine soulful blues album, with a reprise of some old tunes, together with a sprinkling of new ones – backed by a fine British cast, featuring notables such as Steve Simpson, Noel McCalla, Blair Cunningham, and two fine horn sections – one being the in-demand Kick Horns – Simon Clark, Roddy Lorimer and Tim Sanders.

 The 12 cuts on offer are all self-penned bar a dip back to the afore-mentioned “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”, with its reggae-infused arrangement that Eric Clapton was so taken with that he recorded it himself; and the co-written with Keith Miller, “One Day I’m Gonna Wake Up” – with its summery soulful feel, with nice acoustic guitar and some funky keyboards.

 Arthur Louis possesses a lovely, relaxed sort of voice and his guitar work is sharp and to the point, no overlong flashy solos here. The title cut, “Black Cat” has a deep soul edge, again with his Jamaican roots present as it goes into a loping reggae beat – very nice indeed. “The uptempo “Rescue Me” has some impressive fluid guitar at the start, with the horns very prominent, and again rides on a funky, soul kind of groove.

 The band rock-out on “Fast Car” – some more fiery guitar here in the shape of a very fine solo; “If I Ever Needed You” is a ballad with aching vocal and guitar from Arthur Louis, and top backing vocals from Sonia Jones, Noel McCalla and Steve Simpson – one of the album highlights.

 “Birthday” brings to mind Procul Harum’s “Whiter Shade Of Pale”, with its organ intro and features yet another top vocal performance from Arthur Louis and the backing vocalists. Proceedings come to an end with “Rose A London”, with a funky bluesy feel and lashings of more fine guitar and horn work – a fitting end to a most enjoyable release.

 GRAHAME RHODES

 www.arthurlouis.co.uk

“THE RADIO KINGS”

(CoraZong Records: 255 117)

After some 10 years apart, The Radio Kings return, with this self-titled album, as ever fronted by the Boston-based duo of Brian Templeton (vocals and harmonica) and Michael Dinallo (guitars) – with the 11 tracks on offer crossing into all spheres of ‘American music’ – from blues to summery pop, with soul and funk leanings.

The two main men are accompanied by Steve Sadler (lap steel), Dean Cassell (bass), Andy Plaisted (drums & percussion) and Ducky Carlisle (percussion and clavinet), and together the seven new songs on offer, with four covers, are all very agreeable, but maybe not reaching their 1990s’ peak, when they started out as a straight blues band before diversifying into more rootsy material.

The Memphis-flavoured soul groove of “Can’t Keep A Good Man Down”, with Dinallo’s slide guitar prominent, gets things off to a lively start, followed by the poppy “Donna” – with Templeton’s sweet harmonica, some lovely harmony vocals and a nice summery feel. Magic Sam’s “She Belongs To Me” is one of the album highlights, with its nice rolling tempo and fine playing again from the whole band.

Michael Dinallo’s “Watch The Trains Roll By” again features his impressive slide guitar work and tasty solo, with Steve Sadler’s lap steel giving it a very grand ‘Americana’ feel. The acoustic country blues of “The Moanin’ Blues sees a shift in direction, with Templeton’s amplified harmonica on top of Dinallo’s acoustic guitar – definitely another standout track!

Elsewhere, “Everything’s Gonna Be All Light” sees them in heavy funk mode, with a blues edge; the standard “Pallet On The Floor” is turned into a uptempo shuffle, and the ballad “I’m Not Dreamin’ “ again shows the variety of music on offer. The traditional “You Got To Die” sees the band in a country blues mode, more nice lap steel.

Proceedings end with Don Robey’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Cry” – a hit for Southern soul man O.V. Wright – covered in fine style here and a fitting end to a most enjoyable comeback – with Brian Templeton’s aching vocal, and Michael Dinallo’s sparse tremolo guitar pouring on the heartache! Good to have you back guys!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.myspace.com/theradiokings

www.corazong.com

THE WARRINGTON RHYTHM AND BLUES  FESTIVAL

The Pyramid Arts Centre: 23.05.09

The splendidly-appointed and located Pyramid Arts Centre was the ideal venue for this first day-long festival, organised by Dave Sawyer and wife Shirley – and what a triumph it turned out to be. With a strong bill, good bar and food facilities, and the North West’s top blues DJ, Chris Powers, spinning the tunes between bands, a great time was had by all.

Following on from the sterling work that Ray and Barbara O’Hare have done for years to bring top-class blues to the town, which was acknowledged from the stage by at least one band, the promoters had a good mix of local bands, some of the cream of the North West, and a top national band – not to mention an acoustic stage, to give the day an even more varied feel.

They were rewarded for all their efforts with a pretty packed venue, who I am sure will all be back next year – for, surely, this must be repeated! As previously mentioned the real ale bar was a sure-fire hit, with a quite excellent selection of reasonably prices ales – just about lasting the day out, with good food available downstairs in the café all day.

Smokehouse Blues:

The day’s entertainment kicked off on the main stage with the ever-popular Runcorn lads, Smokehouse Blues – with the monster tone harmonica and big voice of Johny Hewitt, and long-time musical sidekick, Barney Barnett, with his pure, earthy, no gimmicks, guitar work - along with the relatively-new rhythm section of Russ Williams (doghouse bass and vocals) and Mark Donaldson (drums).

The band delivered a great hour of Chicago blues and swing. Highlights included the rumba of “Early In The Morning”; a great swinging “Caledonia”, with Russ Williams vocal; and a song from the late, great William Clarke – “Feel Like Jumping” – dedicated to one Mr. Ken Peace Esq. However, best of all, was a stripped-down “Nine Below Zero” from the master, Sonny Boy Williamson – some breathtaking acoustic harmonica from Johny Hewitt on this, and nice guitar from Barney Barnett.

Work commitments mean the band haven’t been around as much as usual live-wise, but they are always totally committed to pure blues and are well worth catching – with Johny Hewitt’s harmonica playing now up with anybody in these shores – a great start to the day!

The Escape Committee:

I must admit the thought of a rock band at a blues festival had me slightly worried – but fear not, The Escape Committee, locally based in Warrington, were quite excellent with their beautifully sounding classic songs, and in frontman, Pete “Frammo” Frampton have a great guitarist and singer. The band’s fine rhythm section comprises of Phil Wright (drums and vocals) and Steve Foster (bass), with, on this occasion, long-serving Climax Blues Band keyboard player, George Glover guesting.

They opened up with the Jennings/Hooper composition, “Never Make Your Move Too Soon” – covered by the likes of BB King and Bonnie Raitt; with a storming “Unchain My Heart” and a Dylan-inspired “I Shall Be Released”. Other treats were David Crosby’s “Long Time Coming” and the Steve Winwood-penned “Can’t Find My Way Home”, from the Blind Faith days – all very nicely played indeed.

A raucous “The House Is Rockin’ “ from Stevie Ray Vaughan went down well, another highlight of the set. As they say ‘you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover’ and that was certainly the case as far as The Escape Committee were concerned for me. They also seemed to have the best of the sound, with Frampton’s guitar and George Glover’s piano and organ work, sounding just fine!

Soul Provider:

Just about all cramming on to the stage, the 12-piece local band, Soul Provider, performed a set of well-known blues and swing covers, with a touch of jazz – with a huge six-piece horn section and three lady lead singers – starting with the old chestnut of “Flip Flop And Fly” and James Brown’s “I Feel Good”, before a touch of Ray Charles with “Hit The Road Jack.

A very varied set also included the Wilson Pickett hit “6345-789”, the copper-bottomed classic “Son Of A Preacher Man” and the anthemic “Sweet Home Chicago” – encoring with the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit, “Proud Mary” – here given more of the Ike and Tina Turner feel to it!

Lucy Zirins:

At this point I have to admit to slipping out of Soul Provider’s set to catch a couple of numbers by Lucy Zirins and a bit to eat!

The young Lancashire lass – just 17, and hailing from Burnley – had drawn a good-sized crowed to the acoustic stage. She has a beguiling voice and is no mean player on her National steel guitar. It seems strange to see a girl of such tender years playing such an old song as Son House’s “Death Letter Blues”, but she carried it off in fine style – gaining a much deserved encore, for which she performed a lovely version of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready”.

With a recent support slot for Louisiana Red and Michael Messer under her belt, a demo CD ready to go, and increased number of live shows, I think we will be hearing a lot more of Lucy Zirins.

The Cadillac Kings:

Second last up on the main stage were the quite brilliant ‘kings of blues and swing’, The Cadillac Kings – and here you must excuse my bias, as they are one of my favourite bands, with the current line-up being exceptional, as they tore the house apart in a fabulous hour-and-a-bit set!

The band – Mike Thomas (lead vocals and slide guitar), Gary Potts (harmonica and vocals), Mal Barclay (guitar and vocals), Henri Herbert (piano), Paul Cuff (doghouse bass) and ‘Uncle’ Roy Webber (drums and vocals) – are rapidly becoming ‘national treasures’ and are the ultimate good-time festival band, filling up the dance floor in minutes and putting a smile on everyone’s faces!

The previous night, at The Ironworks, in Oswestry, the band had recorded some 20 songs for a forthcoming live album, with many of them featuring in the set here – some new covers and a few penned by Mike Thomas, with his trademark wry lyrics – possibly the best being the finger-on-the-button “Old Age Is Coming” . . . true indeed for some!

Other new numbers were a sparkling take on Brook Benton’s “Kiddio” – a song often performed by the great Mike Sanchez, with the band’s arrangement similar to his; and a rousing instrumental from Mal Barclay – “Cats Meow” – his Les Paul Gold Top sounding quite magnificent, in a vintage way – indeed, his playing was superb all set.

One of the band’s strengths is that they possess four vocalists, and apart from Mike Thomas, the other three were all featured. Gary Potts, as well as his customary top-drawer harmonica work, sang the great James Harman’s “Stranger Blues” and his own “Hot Rod V8 Ford” – an ode to his hobby away from the band. The afore-mentioned Mal Barclay took a turn on “T-Bone Boogie”, with master drummer Roy Webber singing the Texas shuffle of “Tell Me Why” – one I very much hope makes the cut for the live album.

Combine all the above with Henri Herbert’s boogie-woogie piano and the rock solid Paul Cuff on doghouse bass, making up the fantastic rhythm section with Roy Webber, and quite simply, they are just sensational – and are back in the North West for three dates in October!

GRAHAME RHODES

EDEN BRENT

“Mississippi Number One”

(Yellow Dog Records – YDR 1616)

This seems an appropriate time to review this fine release, as both the performer and the album are ‘award winning’ – as Eden Brent scooped the title of ‘Acoustic artist of the year’, and the album ‘Acoustic album of the year’ at the recent Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tennessee – formerly the W.C. Handy Awards.

Hailing from Greenville, Mississippi, Eden Brent’s blues and boogie piano – learnt from the veteran Boogaloo Ames - are prominent on this mix of blues, jazz, soul, gospel and pop, with the title referring to Mississippi State Highway 1, which runs parallel to its more famous neighbour, Highway 61 – with the album starting out as a solo record in 2006 as a tribute to her home and afore-mentioned blues highway, before becoming an ensemble piece.

Critics have described Brent as “Bessie Smith meets Diana Krall meets Janis Joplin”, and her fine, distinctive voice certainly has shades of those ladies. A generous 15 tracks feature her sparkling piano work, and prominent brass . . . with hardly a guitar or harmonica in sight . . . . most unusual in today’s blues, but are certainly none the worse for it!

The core band, apart from Eden Brent herself, features the rhythm section of Jimmi Kinnard (bass) and James Robertson (bass), with the organ of Rick Steff featuring on a good few tracks. The opening boogie of “Mississippi Flatland Blues” gets things off to a rousing start – lots of great piano and a fine vocal, she then gets funky on “He’ll Do The Same Things To You”, with punchy horns from Jim Spake (tenor saxophone) and Marc Franklin (trumpet).

The release contains three songs written by her late mother, Carole Brent – a fine actress and singer in her own right – with the smoky jazz of “Love Me ‘Til Dawn” particularly appealing, another gorgeous, warm vocal here. She turns to some country blues on the fun “Fried Chicken”, just accompanied by Rick Chancey on acoustic harmonica and guitar. The title track, “Mississippi Number One” is very autobiographical – about home and the road – and boogies along driven by her piano and the tight rhythm section.

George and Ira Gerswhin’s beautiful “The Man I Love” is another highlight – just voice and piano; with another solo performance on the traditional “Careless Love”. The full band get funky again on her own “Meet You Anywhere”, with the added bonus of the very fine Reba Russell on backing vocals.

Other highlights are the jazz-tinged “Afraid To Let Go”; a rousing boogie on her mother’s song “Close The Door”; but possibly best of all, a solo take on the immortal, classic “Trouble In Mind” – surely one of the best blues songs of all time – here with impassioned vocal and rolling ivories, a treat indeed! The closing “Until I Die” dips into gospel territory . . . with terrific backing from a six-piece choir.

In this era of loud guitars and over-produced recordings this is somewhat of a treat – produced by the lady herself in Memphis – and sounding just fine. Her ‘mama’, whom this album is dedicated to, would be very proud of her!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.edenbrent.com

www.yellowdogrecords.com

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR

“White Sugar”

(Ruf Records: RUF 1147)

Here’s an impressive major label debut from a young lady who seems to have been around for ever on the British blues scene, despite her still tender years – born in 1986. Joanne Shaw Taylor has had the female blues guitar market pretty much to her self in the UK since she first toured at aged 14, and on “White Sugar” she shows a maturity, both in songwriting and playing, way beyond her age.

Recorded in Tennessee, with crack producer Jim Gaines (SRV, Albert Collins, Bobby Mack) at the helm, and the top rhythm section of Steve Potts on drums, and David Smith on bass, the album’s ten tracks possess nine originals, and just one cover – a mighty version of The Hoax’s “Bones”, off the “Humdinger” album.

Her vocals are both sweet and tender, and gritty when required, with her fiery guitar licks of the highest calibre. The opening “Going Home” is a mid-tempo rocker that builds; with the following “Just Another Word” riding on a Memphis soul groove, with some lovely clipped funky guitar. The afore-mentioned “Bones” struts in fine Texas style, with the rocking “Who Do You Want Me To Be?” containing more biting guitar, and backing vocals from two ladies simply known as Vicky and Heather.

“Time Has Come” has echoes of The Hoax again, a rolling blues with lashings of sweet guitar; the title cut “White Sugar” has a New Orleans rumba feel to it, with a switch of pace on the very nice “Heavy Heart” – a soulful poppy song, with nice vocal and nice groove.

Taylor digs into a Texas feel again on “Watch ‘Em Burn”, driven by the excellent throughout Steve Potts and David Smith; with the closing epic 8-minute plus “Blackest Day” being a gritty slow blues with some sweet leads, building to intense solos, and smouldering vocal – a very fine end to a most impressive album.

It’s easy to see how Joanne Shaw Taylor has been feted by musicians such as Dave Stewart – this is a very classy effort from the girl from the Black Country of the West Midlands, and comes highly recommended! With the likes of Dani Wilde arriving on the scene now it looks like the UK will have a few lady blues players to savour!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.joanneshawtaylor.com

www.myspace.com/joanneshawtaylor

www.rufrecords.de

“Highlights from The History of Rhythm & Blues: 1925-1942”

(Rhythm and Blues Records: RANDB002)

Anyone looking for a great sampler to hear some of the classic early rhythm and blues could do worse than to check out this 25-track release – highlights from a 4-cd set, “The History Of Rhythm And Blues, Volume One, 1925-42 (RANDB001) – with excellent sound quality given the age of some of these recordings, but best of all, a 28-page booklet with comprehensive analysis of each track.

Containing a mix of several styles – country blues, piano boogie-woogie, urban blues and gospel, swing and jive – the release contains some big names of the time such as, Bessie Smith, Leroy Carr and Sonny Boy Williamson, alongside lesser-known people such as Louie Lasky, Doctor Clayton and Rufus & Ben Quillian.

For fans of some of the early blues guitar greats this features Blind Willie Johnson’s timeless “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine”; the original “Rollin’ And Tumblin’ – “Roll And Tumble Blues” by Hambone Willie Newbern; and one from the recognised master of the pre-war blues, Robert Johnson – represented here by “Preachin’ Blues”.

Jazz and swing from the period is from the masters such as Count Basie – with his 1936 “Boogie Woogie”; Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson, together on “Roll ‘Em Pete” and Jay McShann’s “Confessing The Blues” – all great stuff indeed.

To show the quality of this compilation, in the middle of the running order we are treated to Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy and Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup in succession – with the chosen tracks being some of their well-known songs, and despite being around 70 years old, all sounding just great!

As an introduction to early blues and more this compilation takes some beating – and to anyone doing research or a historian – I would imagine pretty essential, well done to compiler, Nick Duckett and to all concerned.

GRAHAME RHODES

www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk

THE JAY TAMKIN BAND

“Sorted”

(Rokoko Records – distributed through Weinerworld: WNRCCD5045)

Hailing from ‘The English Riviera’ town of Torquay comes this first release from The Jay Tamkin Band – fronted by the 22 years old guitarist and vocalist, with the rhythm section of Pete Searle (bass) and Nick Ramos Pinto (drums) – firmly in the blues-rock camp, but with enough variation and subtlety to make it an interesting listen.

Jay Tamkin seems to be well on the way to establishing himself and band firmly on the scene, with support slots already with Ian Siegal, Sherman Robertson and Chris Farlowe, and a healthy number of gigs forthcoming – including three at the prestigious Maryport Blues Festival in July.

Those admirers of the likes of Aynsley Lister, Ian Parker and Oli Brown will find plenty to like in the twelve tracks on offer here, kicking off with the melodic rocker “Get In Your Way”, followed by the moody blues of “I Remember When” and the funky groove of “Love Don’t Keep Me Down” – with its spiky lead lines and Tamkin’s gutsy vocals.

The two tracks that show his diversity are “Intermission One – Nice ‘N’ Jazzy” – an acoustic Django Reinhardt-style instrumental; and later, “Intermission Two – La Frescura”, another delightful acoustic piece with a nice Latin tinge to it, and some very fine fingerpicked guitar work.

Elsewhere the band rock hard on “Jedi”, and Tamkin lays down a Texas shuffle on “Troubles” – and he freely admits that listening to the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan inspired him to pick up a guitar. Another tough rocker is “Your Friends Are Mine”, with more funk grooves on “Tomorrow” – showing off his fluid guitar lines.

The SRV influence is stamped on “Got A New Reason” and the closing “Leavin’ This Town” – two driving blues-rockers, but containing enough ‘light and shade’ to make them not self indulgent, with the solid rhythm section of Pete Searle and Nick Ramos Pinto being really tight behind Tamkin.

GRAHAME RHODES

www.jaytamkinband.com

www.myspace.com/jtbluesband

Jay has dates in the northwest…..

• 28th May - The Norfolk, Stoke-on-Trent - CANCELLED
• 28th May - Fenton, Leeds
• 29th May - John Paul Jones Tavern, Whitehaven
• 30th May - The Central, Egremont
• 31st May - The Fletcher Christian, Cockermouth
• 23rd July - Alexander’s, Chester
• 24th-26th July - Maryport Blues Festival

THE LOVING CUP

“Goofer Dust”

(self-release: LC0001)

Over the last couple of years the Deeside-based country rockers, The Loving Cup, have gone from strength to strength, and are now a potent force on the live scene, with their swaggering country-flavoured rock, with a blues edge – think a mix of The Flying Burrito Brothers, country Rolling Stones and early Black Crowes – and “Goofer Dust”, their second album, is a fine snapshot of the live show.

The band – Jarred Livesey (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Gareth Catterall (lead and rhythm guitar), Andy Vickers (lead and slide guitar), Manuel Delmonte (bass, on the cd only), and Neil Roberts (drums) – have written all the material here, but bolster the live set with some classic covers from the likes of the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and The Faces.

The sound is fleshed out here by the gutsy blues harmonica of Pete Reaney, who features on several of the tracks, including the opening “Deadman Jump”, with his harmonica and a scratchy acoustic steel guitar intro before the band power in, driven by the twin guitars of Catterall and Vickers; the following “Blood On The Sidewalk” is in similar vein, with Jarred Livesey’s great voice to the fore, with the guitars meshing beautifully again.

The straight country tune “Waiting For My Luck To Change” takes the pace down, with some lovely pedal steel guitar and banjo from Andy Vickers; the boys remain in country territory on the lovely “Troubles Weigh Me Down”, with the pace taken up on the live favourite “Candyman” – more top slide work from Andy Vickers here.

The rousing “Bring Along Your Lovers” has a hook as catchy as they come, with “Two-Hundred Dollar Ring” being firmly in the classic Americana camp, with guest Hammond organ here from Dave Goldberg, and another storming performance from the whole band. The plaintive ballad “You’re The Only One” sees another top vocal from Jarred Livesey – one of the albums highlights for me.

It’s great to have a band as good as this on our doorstep – catch them at a venue near you this year, as they gig regularly, with Telford’s Warehouse scheduled to see them at least a couple of times – where you can pick up this fine release!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.the-loving-cup.co.uk

www.myspace.com/thelovingcup

MARY FLOWER

“Bridges”

(Yellow Dog Records: YDR 1642)

The marvellous Portland, Oregon-based Mary Flower first came to my attention with a session on the Paul Jones blues show on BBC Radio 2 – and now here is her third release for the Memphis-based Yellow Dog Records – a most appealing rootsy mix of blues, ragtime, folk and jazz, recorded with many of her home city’s finest musicians. “Bridges” being so titled due to the many bridges that cross the Williamette River, and the ‘bridges’ between the diverse set of musicians that accompany her.

Mary Flower is a quite wonderful fingerpicker and slide guitarist, with a rich voice and this mix of original material and songs going back to the 20s’ and 30s’ is all beautifully performed and produced – a generous 14 tracks, that as previously mentioned, cross many musicial genres.

The opening “Rhythm Of The Road” tells of her 35 years as a musician, with its easy rolling feel, driven by Tony Furtado’s banjo and bottleneck slide guitar; the jazzy “There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth The Salt Of My Tears” was first recorded by jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, with Janice Scroggins piano prominent, and harmony vocals from Duffy Bishop and Rebecca Kilgore.

The legendary Bessie Smith’s “Backwater Blues” is given a lovely sparse arrangement – just Mary Flower’s plaintive, aching vocal and guitar with more impressive piano from Janice Scroggins; her superb acoustic picking is highlighted on the original “Columbia River Rag”; the 1929 song “The Ghost Of St. Louis Blues” has a nice Dixieland jazz feel, with Doug Bundy’s clarinet prominent.

Mary Flower shows of her lap steel playing on the blues of “Slow Lane To Glory”, with the ragtimeand gospel-flavoured “On Revival Day There’s Going To Be The Devil To Pay” being one of the album highlights – just Mary and Janice Scoggins again on this track. The instrumental “Daughter Of Contortion” sees another sparkling solo guitar performance, and indeed, another demonstration of her stunning fingerpicking.

Big Bill Broonzy’s “Big Bill Blues” has one of the album’s best vocals, while Hoagy Carmichael’s “Up A Lazy River” features bluegrass star Tim O’Brien on fiddle, with him switching to mandolin on the closing “Blue Waltz”, with Courtney Von Drehle contributing some very nice accordion.

To sum up, a lovely release from a very fine artist and well worth checking out – 51 minutes of sheer quality – all beautifully performed by all the musicians concerned!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.maryflower.com

www.yellowdogrecords.com

JOE PRICE

“Rain Or Shine”

(Blues Acres Productions: BAP#2)

To look at the cover of Joe Price’s latest recording you may think he was a Nashville country picker if you didn’t know otherwise – but the giveaway that he certainly isn’t is the steel bottleneck on his left hand – he’s a downhome bluesman with a preference for some ass-kicking, stomping country blues – both acoustic and electric.

“Rain Or Shine” features Joe solo predominantly, with his wife, Vicki Price on guitar and vocals on three cuts – and all recorded live in the studio. Based in Lansing, Iowa since 1982, Joe Price has supported many big names such as John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, Homesick James and more as they came through town.

The ten tracks here feature a half-and-half split of vocals and instrumentals, beginning with the stomping “Hornets Nest” – written in his wood shed as he was surrounded by hornets, with his National steel guitar kicking up a storm. The following “Joe’s Guitar Stomp” sees a switch to electric, with a tone as thick as you will hear, and I would imagine one to get the folks up dancing live!

The sad tale of “Too Little Too Late” takes the pace down – more biting electric slide here; before the instrumental “Nellie Bell” – his ode to his National steel guitar. The self-explanatory “Steel Guitar” reminds me a lot of fellow Iowa resident Catfish Keith, with the acoustic slide tone similar – wife Vicki adds a vocal and guitar to this, which rocks along in fine style.

The travelling blues of “Last Stop Now” has a world-weary vocal, with more infectious slide guitar; “Blues On 12” sees him playing a 1958 Stella 12-string guitar, with a rich, almost piano like sound. The houserocking “Beer Tent Boogie Woogie” takes the pace up, and as Joe says, “I’ve played in beer tents for 40 years. This is what can happen.”

The closing “Rock Slide” features the only two other musicians on the album, apart from his wife – her son Keni on drums, and Al Naylor on trumpet – to bring a most appealing release to a storming end. Anyone who likes their blues not too-polished and downhome will certainly enjoy this!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.joepriceblues.com

“THE HEXMEN”

(self-titled, self release)

Now here’s a treat for anyone who enjoyed those glorious post-punk days of the very late 70s’ and early 80s’, when the likes of Nine Below Zero, Dr. Feelgood, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Lew Lewis, etc., delivered their energetic punk-tinged r&b – around this time The Hexmen were born in Liverpool – fronted by George Wickstead on harmonica and vocals – aka George Hexman – and they boasted a shifting line-up of members of such bands as Afraid Of Mice, Psychedelic Furs, The Boo Radleys and more – with even the great Charlie Whitney of Family being a sometime-Hexman!

The current line-up, took shape after a Liverpool jam night in 2008 and are – George Hexman (harmonica and vocals), David Woods (guitar), Joan Bimson (bass) and Raymond Wong (drums) – and they have recorded a most enjoyable blast through some r&b/blues classics, with no less than the first four tracks ones that featured on the classic Nine Below Zero “Live At The Marquee” release.

The opening blast through “Ridin’ On The L&N” shows what they are all about – George Hexman’s tough harp and vocals, the spunky guitar of David Woods and the driving rhythm section of Joan Bimson and Raymond Wong. They then, in order, hit us with “Woolly Bully”, “Sugar Pie” and the great Otis Rush tune, “Homework” – and you can’t argue with an opening salvo like that.

Elsewhere highlights are the Peter Green song “Looking For Somebody”, Van Morrison’s “Gloria”, and a few liberties taken with Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying” – ‘borrowed’ for the tongue-in-cheek “Look At The Tears Roll Down Sefton Street”, with some biting guitar from David Woods and tough vocal. Roy Head’s oft-recorded “Treat Her Right” – another tune associated with Nine Below Zero – is given another high-energy performance.

I would suggest this band make for a great live experience, with plenty of gigs on the books, check out their websites!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.thehexmen.co.uk

www.myspace.com/thehexmen

LOUISIANA RED & MICHAEL MESSER

‘Going Up The Country’ at Worthenbury Village Hall: 25.04.09

A chance to see one of the older statesmen of the blues is not be missed, especially when the gig is fairly local, so well done to Pete Evans for bringing the legendary Louisiana Red to a sold-out Worthenbury Village Hall, in the company of ace British slide player, Michael Messer – a visitor last year in his own right.

Louisiana Red is one of those colourful old bluesmen whose life almost echoes the history of the blues – born Iverson Minter in Bessemer, Alabama in 1932, losing both parents very early in his life and being brought up by various relatives, recording his first records before a stint in the army, before hitting the road in earnest – indeed, he has around 50 albums to his name now!

He battled manfully with his voice at this gig as he was getting over laryngitis, and it’s probably fair to say that his guitar fingerpicking has probably diminished with his advancing years, but coaxed along by Michael Messer’s sympathetic accompaniment he delivered two sets that featured classic blues and many of his own songs.

His recording career has seen many autobiographical songs, he started the evening with probably the most famous, “Red’s Dream”, and later did “Ride On Red” – a song the late, great Rory Gallagher recorded – and the self-explanatory “Story Of Louisiana Red”.

The first set actually opened with Michael Messer solo on the blues chestnut “Rolling And Tumbling”, showing off his fine slide guitar work, before being joined by Louisiana Red. Other highlights were some classic covers – Robert Petway’s “Catfish Blues”; Mississippi Fred McDowell’s very well know “You Got To Move” – with Red recalling Mick Taylor’s slide playing on the Rolling Stone version; and the legendary Robert Johnson’s “Last Fair Deal Gone Down”.

Louisiana Red seemed to be determining what to play next on the spot, so it was credit to the skills of Michael Messer as he dropped in behind Red’s guitar work, quite often with some excellent slide work, coupled with some humorous exchanges about various type of bottleneck’s.

Second set standouts were the opening Muddy Waters tune, “I’m A King Bee”, a nice “I Wonder Who” – another song Rory Gallagher featured; and a nice version of “Stella”. Where Red’s fingerpicking struggled somewhat, he played some tasty slide and seemed to be quite touched by the audience’s response!

GRAHAME RHODES

www.louisiana-red.com

Pictures from Ian Williams.  For more, check out the bluesinthenorthwest.com photo archive.