Review: VARIOUS – Rockin’ Blues Party
This is not really a review, but an urging to you all to go to your nearest Sainsburys and search the shelves for this album while its still there!. Why? Because it is a 3 CD set of 60 songs, that I am sure most of you will have several already, but for £4.00, yes […]
Review: MARK T – Circle of Sounds
Following up on his highly regarded first album, here we have a quick taster of things to come with a three track EP featuring Fran Wood on vocals on track 3, which with track 1 is the second original on the EP, the second track being Marks take on Bob Dylan’s George Jackson. Somehow, this […]
Review: CHARLES BROWN – The Collection 1947-57
Perhaps my favourite blues track of all time is Have You Ever Loved A Woman, first recorded by Freddie King in 1960 and subsequently taken to the next level by Slowhand. It’s usually credited to songwriter Billy Myles. So, I was taken aback to hear Charles Brown’s 1950 recording Did You Ever Love A Woman […]
Blues Birthday: EARL HOOKER
Blues Matters Remembers Inspirational Blues Great Earl Hooker Earl Zebedee Hooker (January 15, 1930 – April 21, 1970) was a Chicago blues guitarist known for his slide guitar playing. Considered a “musician’s musician”, he performed with blues artists such as Sonny Boy Williamson II, Junior Wells, and John Lee Hooker and fronted his own bands. […]
New album from Chicago slide guitarist Joanna Connor
Joanna Connor announces new studio album “4801 South India Avenue” Chicago-based slide guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter, Joanna Connor, who is best known as one of the reigning Queens of blues rock guitar, releases her 14th album ‘4801 South Indiana Avenue’ on Joe Bonamassa’s new independent blues record label Keeping The Blues Alive on 26th February […]
Sister Gavin and The Gator announce their debut single release ‘Walking Free’
‘Walking Free’ is firmly rooted in a traditional gospel blues style with the provocative interplay between Gavin’s big soulful vocals and the contrasting delicacy of Donald’s slide guitar being the signature feature of the track. The track aims to move away from the blues rock driven modern styles in the genre by creating a nostalgic […]
REVIEW: Emma Wilson, Loveheart
Emma Wilson, like many other emerging artists, was just getting into her stride, making a name for herself and starting to get regular gigs when Covid struck. Emma freely admits how much she misses gigs , but has been hard at work honing her skills and writing material for her next album, Siren, which should […]
INTERVIEW – Sitting in… with Elles Bailey
WORDS: Colin Campbell : PICTURES: Alan Dunkley As this year 2020 comes to a close, I got the chance to talk to Elles Bailey about her recent release ‘Ain’t Nothing But’. Due to Covid pandemic, Elles like many other musicians has not been able to perform to a live audience. Unfazed by this, she took […]
REMEMBERING LESLIE WEST – GUITAR LEGEND DIES AT AGE 75
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Leslie West on December 23rd, 2020. Born in New York City on October 22nd, 1945 as Leslie Weinstein, and later changed his name to Leslie West. An innovative guitarist known for his signature tone Leslie’s first band was a young blues/soul rock band called the […]
Layla Zoe Interview by Adam Kennedy
Faced with a year like no other, full of struggle and turbulence, in a career she had dedicated the last twenty years to, award winning Canadian vocalist Layla Zoe wasn’t ready to give up yet. Pulling together friends, colleagues and fans from around the world to crowdfund, record and produce her heartfelt new album “Nowhere […]