Fontaine Brown "Tales From The Fence Line"

I should have reviewed this cd several months ago, but maybe late is better than never. This cd is crunchy rock-blues, with really strong vocals and playing. And a great band! Backing Fontaine Brown on vocals, guitar, harmonica and piano--are Jim Brock on drums, Don Dixon on bass, Mitch Easter on guitars, Kelly Ryan on backing vocals and Peter Holsapple on Hammond B-3 and keys. You've heard of all those guys before--those guys are all stars, veterans of making great music. And here they deliver a tight lithe supple sound that supports and carries the songs, all written by Fontaine Brown.

Mr Brown has been writing songs and making music since 1962, and the experience shows--these songs are uniformly tight and loose and fun all at the same time. Things kick off with "Ain't No Brakeman" which sounds like it should have been a hit on college radio back in the mid 80s. Then the title track, a fun blend of mandolin and Hammond B-3 with the vocals floating light. Then "Detroit Saturday" which hangs together around a greasy harp riff and a fat drum thump. Then "Closer To The Flame" a Stax keyboard riff with Wet Willie-style vocals. By now you begin to get the idea--this is a wide melange of styles, rooted around those great vocals and that great band. Special points go to "Lost In The Sensation" which is a sweet ballad in the style of "Bare Trees" era Fleetwood Mac.

There are no great surprises here, but it is a joy to hear this cd. You can get it on Manatee Records, or at www.cdbaby.com.

Review: Shirley Johnson "Blues Attack"

Shirley Johnson, along with Eddie C. Campbell, are being announced as the headliners of the 2009 Chicago Blues Festival--and I just received Shirley's most recent cd "Blues Attack" in the mail. Seems like a good time to give her a spin and review. This disc sounds both new and old at the same time--it is blues with a healthy dose of R&B and splash of gospel. I first listened to it on a Saturday morning drive through the country, and it was perfect company. Johnson is a SINGER--her voice is rich and wide and deep. She is a 15+ year veteran of the Chicago blues club scene, and on this disc the arrangements harken back to that classic soulful Delmark sound of the mid 70s. Musicianship is top notch throughout--the combination of Cordell Teague on drums and Lovely 'JR' Fuller on bass, along with Roosevelt Purifoy on piano/Hammond B-3 organ, are simply, solidly perfect. On song after song the guitars cook, the horn section sings, the backing vocals are exactly where you think they should be. This may not be cutting edge music making, but it is a solid tight ensemble. On "Just Like That" I had to stop the car and look at the liner notes to see that it wasn't Magic Sam on that great guitar solo! No, just the combination of Luke Pytel and Herb Walker ripping note after great note. Then Johnson revives and torches the Cropper/Floyd "Unchain My Heart" and completely takes it back from Ray Charles and Joe Cocker. This one song is worth the whole cd.

If you are a fan of Chicago blues, or a fan of great female vocalists, or a fan of classic soul, this cd belongs in your collection. Great work Shirley. Thanks! You can buy it direct at http://www.delmark.com

Dave Fields "All Wound Up"

There's just something about 3rd cds--by the time an artist has gotten to their 3rd cd they either have it figured out or they don't. Well, Dave Fields has it, that magic something that makes him a major talent, a musician to reckon with. In this, his third solo release, Fields shows off a bundle of blues styles with taste and talent. Fields wrote all these songs, and he plays guitar and organ and bass and piano and sometimes drums. He brings the hot and heavy rockin blues in Hendrix style on "Train To My Heart" and the energetic party blues on "Let's Have Ball" and the slow heavy blues Robin Trower style on "Cold Wind Blowin'" and the in your face screaming guitar style on "Screamin'" and in the New Orleans combo style on "Still Itchin'." And there are a couple of great guests here too--Ada Dyer brings her great gospel-flavored voice to "Ain't No Crime" and "Guide Me To The Light" and Billy Gibson brings his great harmonica playing to four songs including "Big Fat Ludus." But throughout this is a Dave Fields' showcase, and it cooks from beginning to end. This is a great cd--it needs to be played loud and often. Every time I have sat down to listen to it I find I'd rather listen to it than write about it. Go listen to your favorite blues radio station for one hour, and if you don't hear one of these songs call up your DJ and say "Why are you not playing this?" It deserves to be there--this is one of the 4 or 5 best discs I've reviewed in the entire time I've had this blog, along with "Hope Radio" by Ronnie Earl, "These Are The Days" by Albert Castiglia, "We Can Get Together" by Sean Costello, and Mavis Staples' "We'll Never Turn Back." Dave Fields is somebody every blues fan needs to know about. You can buy this cd at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/davefields2

Review: Paul Reddick -- "Sugarbird"

This is Reddick's fourth cd for Northern Blues, following Rattlebag (2002) and Villanelle (2006) and Revue (2007). It is a really delicious cd. Paul Reddick's work reminds me of the great music by The Band--and this disc, like "Music From Big Pink," shines with a deeply burnished musical wisdom. The first two or three times you hear this you might not be impressed--but then when you keep listening you'll make connections and you'll see the links and you'll began to notice that there is a lot going on under there, a lot of good stuff going on. Speaking on intelligent musical types, this disc is produced by Colin Linden, who also plays guitar and contributes two of his own songs. Players here include The Band’s Garth Hudson on accordion on three tracks, LA bass player extraordinaire Hutch Hutchinson from Bonnie Raitt’s band, Nashville drummer Bryan Owings (Emmylou Harris, Shelby Lynne), and the core of Blackie & The Rodeo Kings’ rhythm section, Gary Craig (drums) and John Dymond (bass). Alternate bassist Dave Roe, from Dwight Yoakam’s band, worked with Johnny Cash for 12 years. Arrangers Chris Carmichael and Darrell Leonard are also make significant contributions on strings and horns respectively. And the songs--the songs are the best part of it all! Reddick fills out this cd with a truly Dylanesque set of songs. He is a songwriter of rare ability--he should be declared a national treasure in Canada.

A special treat--the lyrics are available at: http://www.northernblues.com/cd_sugarbird.html

Review: Nicole Hart "Treasure"

I have been a fan of Nicole Hart for several years--I used to play the NRG Band Live disc at KJLU nearly every Sunday night when I was on the radio. Nicole has always had a great voice, and a way to "sell" a song, and a really good band leader in Lance Ong. I've always thought that the key for her is strong material. Well, "Treasure" is her major label debut (on Blues Leaf Records) and she has captured all that Nicole Hart magic on one disc. Nicole sings her ass off, and she gets strong musical support from a group of New Jersey's A-listers, including Sonny Kenn, Ron Rauso, and Marc Shulman on guitars, Swami and Ian Carroll on drums, and Sandy Mack on harmonica on two tracks. She covers a wide range of styles from country to R&B to hot blues to mid tempo ballads. The strongest songs here include a hot cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground," featuring the aforementioned Lance Ong on keyboards. Albert Castiglia brings his tasteful guitar to one track, a wonderful Patsy Cline-ish cover of Percy Mayfield's "You Were Lyin' To Me." And Hart does a bravura take on the Fletcher Henderson/Henry Troy song "Gin House Blues." There is a sweet cover of Paul Kennerley's "Heart Trouble" which cuts the take by Martina McBride. And there are two Hart/Ong originals, including the title track, which fit right in.

Do you get the idea I like this cd? It's real good. Give it a spin and you'll agree with me. You can buy this cd at http://www.BluesLeaf.com.

Review: Marshall Lawrence "The Morning After"

Marshall Lawrence is a fine acoustic guitarist and blues singer from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. "The Morning After" is his second release, following the 2003 cd "Where's The Party?" Here he continues that successful formula: fiery slices of delta-flavored acoustic slide guitar with just enough backing to fill out the sound. Lawrence is backed by Russell Jackson on bass and the combined harmonica talents of John Wilds and Sherman "Tank" Doucette. These are the last tracks John Wilds recorded--he died during these sessions. Wilds' mastery of the harp is evident here, but Doucette does a fine job of filling his shoes.

Lawrence writes nine of the 13 tracks here, and on the originals he gets the tone exactly right--they fit among a fine set of covers, including Blind Willie McTell's "Blue Sky Is Fallin'," Tommy Johnson's "Bye Bye Blues," Charlie Patton's "Moon Goin' Down," and Taj Mahal's "Light Rain Blues." The Tommy Johnson track is easily the highlight of the disc, with an infectious joy--like his take of Big Bill Broonzy's "Key To The Highway" on "Where's The Party?" Lawrence uses his guitar and absolutely reinterprets the classic number in a new way. It's still delta-style country blues, but new. In fact, I think Lawrence is following in the footsteps of some very important artists like Bernie Pearl and Corey Harris and Taj Mahal in the way that he is at once historical musicologist and contemporary interpreter.

This is a fine disc and shows the growth of an emerging artist. "Where's The Party?" was a good debut, but this one is even better. I look forward to Lawrence's next steps. You can buy this cd at http://www.doctorblues.com

Review: Delta Wires "Live at 105 Degrees"

The DELTA WIRES website starts its description of the band with this:

"The DELTA WIRES is a big, high-energy harmonica and horns blues band from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area. They were Finalists out 100 blues bands from all over the world, in the Blues Foundation's 2008 International Blues Challenge held in Memphis TN, and were voted "BEST BAND" 2008 Oakland/East Bay in Oakland Magazine's annual readers' poll. The DELTA WIRES have recorded 5 CDs, were voted Best Live Band by readers of the East Bay Express in 2002, played the San Francisco Blues Festival in 2008, have appeared at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival 8 times including 2007, headlined the Shasta Blues Society’s Redding Blues by the River Festival in 2005, have played Crescent City Blues Festival, Central Valley Blues Festival, Oakland Blues and Heritage Festival, Napa Valley Mustard Festival, and many others...."

Quite a start, eh? What else do you need to know? Go buy this disc--you're going to love it! When I started listening to Delta Wires' latest cd I heard one tight, hot blues band! They are a 7 piece band: Ernie Pinata on harmonica and lead vocals, Richard Healy on guitar, Tom Gerrits on bass guitar and vocals, Tony Huszar on drums, and a 3 piece horn section: Jim Orsetti and Danny Sandoval on saxophones and Larry Jonutz on trumpet. This disc was recorded at Northern California Blues Festival on June 21, 2008, Fair Oaks California. Things start out strong with Willie Dixon's "Monkee Man." Right out of the box the band is a powerhouse clicking on every cylinder. The disc's sound is an updated Louis Jordon west coast jump blues sound, but I mean that in the most complimentary way. "Monkee Man" is followed by a fine band arrangement of Rice Miller's "Pontiac Blues" and the Chuck Blackwell/Leon Russell song "Big Legged Woman." With each tune I am more and more impressed. Ernie Pinata is a strong singer and harp player, and the band is tight and full. You can tell these guys have spent lots of time together on stage. (They have played together since 1970.)

The more I listened the more I began to think of Delta Wires as a west coast version of the Canadian band Fathead. Maybe they're just a notch below the top echelon of blues talent, but these guys are good at what they do, REALLY GOOD at what they do, and these guys put it all out there when they're on stage. They give good value for time spent with them--especially if you see them live. I notice that this cd is predominately covers, which may be part of why Delta Wires isn't given their due. But then again, aren't most of the songs on the Mannish Boys cds covers too? I like Fathead, and I like Delta Wires, and I liked Omar & the Howlers. A LOT.

Next time you have a hundred mile drive in front of you pick up this Delta Wires disc. It will make a great soundtrack for your next road trip. And you'll find that it will be an enjoyable trip no matter where you might be going.

You can and should buy this disc from the band's website: http://www.deltawires.com/