ALBUM REVIEW: DAVE RILEY & BOB CORRITORE – TRAVELIN’ THE DIRT ROAD (South West Musical Arts Foundation)
Bob was born in Chicago 1956 picking up the harp aged 12 having heard Muddy Waters on the radio. Studied all the great players before he moved to Pheonix in 1981 where he has basically remained. Dave was born in Hattiesburg Mississippi and following a stint in Chicago he is now based in Scottsdale Arizona. […]
ALBUM REVIEW: BILLY J – RISE ABOVE (Independent Release)
This is Billy J’s debut album on which he has drawn together a superb pedigree studio band that has Dave Fields at the helm producing and playing slide guitar and piano. Additionally, there is a rhythm section that includes the late Yonrico Scott, Charlie Wooten and Todd Smallie who ply their trade in bands like […]
ALBUM REVIEW: JOHNNY NICHOLAS – MISTAKEN IDENTITY (Valcourre Records)
Regular readers will be aware that I am particularly fond of artists who set their stall out from track one, and Johnny Nicholas comes out of the traps running with She Stoke My Mojo, a cautionary tale about getting mixed up with a woman who has shady talents in southern magic. This album is so […]
ALBUM REVIEW: JOHNNY IGUANA – JOHNNY IGUANA’S CHICAGO SPECTACULAR (Delmark Records)
Johnny Iguana a.k.a Brian Berkowitz has been around the blues music scene for a while. He used to play piano for Junior Wells Here he shares his passion for this genre with an assembled all-star band, including John Primer, Billy Flynn, Bob Margolin and Billy Boy Arnold. This is a toe tapping odyssey of how […]
ALBUM REVIEW: BEN HARPER – WINTER IS FOR LOVERS (Reservoir Music)
An album of short and sweet instrumentals written for solo Lap Steel Guitar may not be an album for partying to, but there are times when music like this has a place in any record collection. With a soundscape that takes as much from the work of Brian Eno, Erik Satie as it does Blind […]
ALBUM REVIEW: Kevin Coyne & Brendan Croker – Life is Almost Wonderful
Those of a certain age and a penchant for nostalgia will remember the somewhat quirky, poetic songs delivered by Kevin Coyne, an English musician, singer, composer, filmmaker, and a writer of lyrics, stories, and poems. He was a John Peel favourite and did several sessions for the much-missed DJ. Brendan Croker is also in possession […]
