Dave Riley and Bob Corritore "Lucky To Be Living"

Dave Riley and Bob Corritore have made another old-fashioned blues record, the kind of guitar and harmonica record you just don't find out there very much anymore. Their first cd together, 2007's "Travelin' the Dirt Road" was a Blues Music Award nominee for Acoustic Album of the Year and Blues Blast Music Award nominee for Best Traditional Blues Recording. This one takes off right where that one left off, and that's a high compliment. Again it's mostly an acoustic outing, rich and deep blues, full of love and loss and infectious joy. There is a big dose of Jelly Roll King music here--four of the songs here are by Frank Frost. Riley's guitar and vocals and Corritore's harp are all perfectly together like one three-part musical monster--that guitar, those deep as a well vocals, and the harp all fit together seamlessly, every part helps tell the story. Other members of the Rhythm Room All Stars Chris James (guitar), Henry Gray (piano), and Patrick Rynn (bass), guest on various tracks, but the whole disc feels like Riley and Corritore just sitting on the front porch and playing. It's MUSIC, friends--good real music. If you want to make yourself deeply happy, get both this cd and The Jelly Roll Kings cd "Rockin' the Juke Joint Down." You will not regret it. A wonderful treat.

The cd release show for this disc is October 10 at the Arkansas Blues and Heritage festival in Helena, Arkansas at the Delta Cultural Center. The cd is on Blue Witch Records, and you can buy it at http://www.bluewitchrecords.com

Dennis Jones "Pleasure & Pain"

Dennis Jones' "Pleasure & Pain" marks a big step forward for this blues guitar slinger. File this one with Todd Wolfe and Corey Stevens--all are rising guitar aces following in the considerable blues-rock shadow of Stevie Ray Vaughan. But unlike the hundreds of wanna-bees playing the same thing over and over again, Jones has the goods to break through. He writes all the songs here, and he has FUN featuring enough variety of styles in the 11 songs to hook fans of all kinds of blues. I can hear a little Jeff Beck, a little ZZ Top, a little Jimi Hendrix--but not so much that listening becomes an dull exercise in recognizing sources. There's a lot of Dennis Jones in every song here, a lot of Jones' inventive guitar work and good singing. This cd stays in the "hot stack" near my cd player way after the review was written. I especially enjoy "Kill The Pain," which has an especially fat guitar hook, and "Home Tonight," which has nice harmonica work by guest artist Jimmy Z, and "Hot Sauce," where Jones' burns it up like a demented Johnny Cash singing over stinging hot guitar work and that wonderful rockabilly beat from way back in the day. Every song here is worthy of your time, and those three are recommended for radio play.

I like Dennis Jones, and I enjoy this disc. I look forward to his next steps. You can purchase this disc at http://www.cdbaby.com

J P Soars "Back Of My Mind"

Fairly often I come across someone who has the idea that "The blues are dead!" I've always responded by playing some great music for them--music by newer artists like Albert Castiglia, Ruthie Foster, Dave Gross, the Insomniacs. Well, I have a new disc to add to that list--J P Soars' "Back Of My Mind." J P hails from Boca Raton Florida, and he surely has the chops--he & his band, The Red Hots, won the 2009 IBC in Memphis last February, and he also won the Albert King award there as best guitarist. So it is comes as no surprise that "Back Of My Mind" is a fine cd, with a full compliment of great swinging guitar moments. Soars is joined here by A J Kelly on bass, and Chris Peet on drums. Together, this trio makes up J P Soars And The Red Hots. Other musicians on the project include: Gary Rimmington on electric and upright bass, Terry Hanck on saxophone, Billy Burns on harmonica, Greg Kingsolver on piano, John Epstein on Hammond organ, and Guillermo Lojo on backup vocals. Four of the songs are J P Soars originals, and they fit in quite well with a wide-ranging batch of cool covers, including T Bone Walker's "Low Dirty Deal," J B Lenoir's "Been Down So Long," and Johnny Guitar Watson's "Gangster Of Love." My favorite tracks are the superb Muddy Waters' "Gypsy Woman," with great guitar work, and the original "Baby I Used To Love You" which features an old-timey acoustic feel. The focus throughout the disc is on the whole band, playing music as an ensemble, and some great solos are taken by sax man Terry Hanck and harp ace Billy Burns. Soars brings the great guitar playing that he is known for, and his singing is pretty good too. I'm not sure we really needed another cover of Willie Dixon's "29 Ways" or the Reverend Gary Davis's "Cocaine," but that's just a quibble. Everything here is terrific--top ten nominee for 2009.

You can buy this disc online at http://www.myspace.com/jpsoars

Missy Andersen self titled cd (Main Squeeze Records)

Missy Andersen's debut cd came out last January, and it is as cool and welcome on my cd player as a wintery breeze in August. She is from San Diego, and she got her start working there with Earl Thomas. This disc, recorded in Copenhagen Denmark, features Missy singing with a full band--Heine Andersen on guitars, Asmus Jensen on drums, Soren Bojgaard on bass, and Jeppe Juul on Hammond B-3 organ, along with Robbie Smith on trumpet and Bob Mathes on saxaphone for five tracks. The results are sometimes Lou Rawls smooth, as on "Tell Mama," sometimes sublime, as on "Same Old Blues," sometimes too busy, as on the O V Wright tune "Ace of Spades," and sometimes too cautious, as on Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain," where the arrangement seems just a tad too stock. The standout tracks here are "Same Old Blues," the Nix-penned classic, on which Missy makes a joyous and righteous noise, and her cover of the Junior Wells' classic "Little By Little," which she changes around and makes fine indeed. Those two songs alone make this disc worth seeking, and all eight songs show a lot of promise. I'm looking forward to Missy Andersens's next steps. You can hear more of Missy Andersen's music at http://www.myspace.com/missyandersenlive

Big Pete Pearson "Finger In Your Eye'

Big Pete Pearson is the King of Arizona Blues. This is only his 3rd cd in a career that began back in the 50s, but this is no nostalgia act. "Finger In Your Eye" is a fine disc, produced by Bob Corritore. Pearson wrote all ten songs here. Backing Pearson is the Phoenix-based Rhythm Room All-Stars--Bob Corritore on harp, Chris James on guitar, Patrick Rynn on bass, and Brian Fahey on drums--along with guest appearances by a who's who of great players: Duke Robillard, Johnny Rapp, Eddie Taylor Jr and Billy Flynn on guitars, Pinetop Perkins, Henry Gray (whose piano work almost steals the show on "Heartaches"), Matt Bishop, Michael Kocour, and Bruce Bears on piano and organ, and Doug James on bari saxophone. I would have LOVED to be a fly on the wall at these sessions. Everybody plays great, every song is a timeless slice of Chicago style blues, and Big Pete may be the finest living blues shouter out there. If you hesitate because you haven't heard of Big Pete before, it's time you got wise. What else can I say? If you have even one drop of blues-loving blood in your veins, you will love this disc. A welcome addition. You need to buy this cd at http://www.vizztone.com

The Mojo Roots EP

The Mojo Roots are a really good 'n hot 4 piece band that hails from Columbia Missouri. They came together in the summer of 2008 and have been playing together since then all around mid-Missouri. Thanks to my friend Chris Puyear I recently came into possession of their EP, five tracks that show a lot of energy and potential. The members are: Andy Naugle on drums, Peter Bermudez on bass, Trevor Judkins on lead and slide guitar, and Jordan Thomas on vocals, harp and guitar. These guys play an ear-friendly twin guitar and harp blues with a big fat back beat. It sounds like they have listened to The Bel Airs and learned a lot--the Mojo Roots' sound is perfectly made for live performances. The songs are all originals, written by Jordon Thomas--kicking things off is "Green Eyed Baby," a twist on the jealousy angle--sample lyric: "you better think twice before you chase me, because it just might get you killed." The next couple of songs are about different types of addiction: "Can't Quit Cigarettes" and "Fishnets." The rest of the EP is filled out with "She's Got A Smile," a love song with some especially fine harmonica playing. Last but not least is the best song on the EP, "Ain't New To The Blues," sample lyric "I may be a young man, but I ain't new to the blues." All together a very fine start indeed. On my next trip to Missouri I want to make sure I get to catch these guys live. The band is currently unsigned. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/themojoroots

Mia Vermillion "Alone Together With The Blues"

If you like the music of Patsy Cline or K D Lang or Norah Jones you need to check out this cd. Mia Vermillion's cd "Alone Together With The Blues" features two terrific talents--the vocals by Mia, and the guitars by Orville Johnson. They both come out of the Seattle, Washington area, and from the liner notes it appears that most of this disc was recorded in one or the other's living rooms. The combination of Mia and Orville is quite magical. It's not a loud or rushed presentation. It's a fine acoustic music cd, rounded out with a gentle and perfectly swinging rhythm section by Chuck Deardorf and Ben Smith. The tempos are relaxed, the vocal is front and center--and the guitar is sweet and grooving. The resulting music is tasteful and richly rewarding. Vermillion writes only two of the songs here, but they fit the overall vibe very well--and one of them, "Love's Lost And Found," might be the best track on the disc. The covers are well-chosen: a terrific take on Lil Green's "In The Dark," Leroy Carr's "In The Evening," Big Bill Broonzy's "When I Have Been Drinkin'" and a really well-done take of "I'm Going To Copyright Your Kisses," Mary Lou Williams' "Walkin.'" The cd's last track is another winner--the Lew Pollack/Paul Francis Weber classic "Two Cigarettes In The Dark" with a wonderful guest turn by Hans Teuber on clarinet that wraps up the song and the cd just beautifully.

This one may not appeal to the folks who love loud guitar pyrotechnics, but in its quiet and winning way this is a really good cd. Available online at http://www.miavermillion.com