Album Reviews
ALBUM REVIEW: BILLY ECKSTINE – THE BILLY ECKSTINE COLLECTION 1947-1962 (Acrobat Records)
Billy Eckstine started out as a trumpeter and then became a big band leader in the early 1940’s. He later took the step of going on a solo career and this collection of seventy-four songs on three CD’s is the latest delve into the archives. He was a crooner of his day...
ALBUM REVIEW: SONNY GREEN – FOUND! ONE SOUL SINGER (Little Village Foundation)
Veteran LA based blues and soul singer brings his wonderful vocal prowess to this set of vintage songs mixed with newer material. Kid Andersen handles production duties and also adds his superb guitar chops to the mix. The classic I’m So Tired features Green’s gritty...
ALBUM REVIEW: JIM STANARD – COLOUR OUTSIDE THE LINES (Manatec Records)
Colour Outside the Lines is an album of mature lyrics, married to a soundscape that blends in elements of pop, Appalachian music, Bluegrass, and folk. The eleven tracks, all written and sung by Jim Standard, who also adds acoustic guitar, look at modern relationships,...
ALBUM REVIEW: ADAM’S CURSE – WHAT THE ANCIENTS KNEW ABOUT YOU (Bad Reputation Records)
This is the debut album from Adam's Curse a trio formed by ex Glyder guitarist and songwriter Bat Kinane. During the noughties Glyder released five albums and toured around Europe as a well-respected classic rock style outfit. Joining Kinane is Bassist John Treacy who...
ALBUM REVIEW: BEN LEVIN – CARRYOUT OR DELIVERY (VizzTone)
Whilst a lot of the world has been in lockdown, the question Carryout or Delivery has been one that we have all pondered during 2020. Recorded amid the pandemic, US-based blues artist Ben Levin chose to make this present-day conundrum his album title. The twelve-track...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...