2008 end of the year roundup

2008 has been a very good year for blues lovers, with an armload of great cds released. I heard really good releases this year by veteran artists like Magic Slim, Buddy Guy, BB King, and Byther Smith. I heard really good releases by newer artists like Moreland & Arbuckle and Eden Brent and Samuel James. I heard blues music that you might have missed from artists like D. Johnson, Jo Buddy & Down Home King III and Gina Sicilia. Those ten blues artists I just named each made worthy cds in 2008, each of them plenty good enough to capture an hour of your time. Let me speak a few words about the methodology I used. I eliminated the collection-sets, and I eliminated best of sets, and I eliminated re-issues. The ten artists following are all terrific, and, with one exception, should be making great music for years to come. These are my top ten cds of 2008.

1. Albert Castiglia “These Are The Days.” (Blues Leaf) Not necessarily because Albert made the single best blues song of 2008 in his remake of ‘Night Time Is The Right Time’ but because ‘Loan Me A Dime’ is just as good. And ‘Catfish’ is the best Dylan cover of the year. Albert made an entire cd without a weak link. His singing and his guitar work are both top-notch, and I expect in 10 years he will make 5 or 6 more cds just as good or even better than this one.

2. Sean Costello “We Can Get Together.” (Delta Groove) Sean’s cd came out in February and he left us in April. His death breaks my heart still, because Sean was a shining star on the rise. The cd he left us is just great, with great vocals, great guitar work, great writing-- but it will always be tinged with the lost promise. It is still hard for me to listen to’Going Home.’ Sigh.

3. Bernie Pearl “Old School Blues.” (Indy) After listening to Sean Costello this seems a joyful antidote. This 2 disc set is a shining musicology lesson of the history of the blues and a finger picking celebration of life and love and loss. Bernie makes good music and lifts the spirit. I wish this guy would come east and play at Eddie's Attic some night with an acoustic guitar--it would be great to hear him. A special shout out to Mike Berry for great bass playing throughout.

4. Dave Gross “Crawling The Walls.” (Vizztone) This cd was supposedly recorded live in the studio. At first I was doubtful, but then I listened to it again and again, and I began to say “well, maybe.” This disc snuck up on me--the more I let it talk to me, the more impressive it became. Dave Gross is one helluva good guitar player and singer, but he may be an even better arranger and producer. This is a fine fine release.

5. Janiva Magness “What Love Will Do.” (Alligator) For those of you who think this is a token pick, you don’t know Janiva. She can sing rings around ALL the other women singers out there, and this is the best cd she has yet made, and she is sexy as hell. This is my BMW pick--she belongs on this list every year on sheer talent. She may one day be the best of them all.

6. Ian Parker “The Official Bootleg.” (Indy) I was talking with Geoff Achison last summer about Guitar Player magazine naming him one of the Top 10 Guitar players, and he told me that his favorite guitar player was Ian Parker. After that, I stayed up one whole night listening to Ian through the headphones, and as the sun began to rise in the East I got what Geoff was talking about. He reminds me a little of the young Chris Whitley, which is high praise indeed.

7. Steve Guyger “Radio Blues.” (Severn) I first heard Steve when he did “Living Legends” with Paul Oscher. He is my favorite blues harmonica player, and he just keeps getting better. Don’t believe it? Listen to him. He made two great cds this year, and I love “Radio Blues.” It just barely beat out Dennis Gruenling's cd "I Just Keep Loving Him," which is a fine tribute to Little Walter.

8. Chris James & Patrick Rynn “Stop And Think About It.” (Earwig) The best road trip cd in the bunch. These two guys are half of the Rhythm Room All Stars in Phoenix Arizona, and the way they lay down the goods it tempts me to make a road trip all the way out there to catch them live. The most pleasurable trip I ever drove from Atlanta GA to St Louis MO was with this fine cd in the player on repeat. I may have to buy another copy of this just so I can listen to it in the house.

9. The Mannish Boys “Lowdown Feelin.’” (Delta Groove) This was a difficult choice for me. The Mannish Boys or Nick Moss & the Flip Tops? Both made fine music in 2008. I finally decided on The Mannish Boys because this is their fourth great cd. Good honest blues music. This collection of great West Coast players is built around the great drum work of Richard ‘Big Foot’ Innes, who has been making great blues music since the mid 60s. Nick Moss can look forward to being on the 2009 list.

10. Guitar Red “Lightnin’ In A Bottle.” (Backspace Records) Debut cd from an incredible street musician here in Decatur Georgia. Billy Christian Walls’ energy and joy at making music is infectious--I have seen people who missed appointments because they could not stop listening to him and go back to work. One man, one guitar, one voice. I think they only made 400 copies of this cd. I have now bought 5 of them at Decatur CD and given all but one away.

And while I'm wrapping up 2008, I'm already looking forward to the 2009 releases, especially the next cds from John Nemeth and Moreland & Arbuckle.

Anni Piper "Two's Company"

"Two's Company" is Anni Piper's 3rd release, after her self titled 2004 disc and 2006's "Texas Hold 'Em." There is something exciting about an artist's 3rd release. They finally come into their own, and there is a clarity and passion on a 3rd disc that was only hinted at in the earlier releases. Well, this disc is the real Anni Piper--after winning the 2005 Australian Blues Music Award for "Best New Talent" on this cd she brings the goods in abundance. She fronts a crackerjack band which features Richard Steele from the Austin Texas band "The Small Stars" on guitar. Piper starts this set with Leroy Carr's "Blues Before Sunrise" and it is a joy--tight, strong, confident. "Live to Play" comes up next, and it is fine--one of five songs here that also appear on her debut. Then there is a short but really good acoustic gem "Man's Woman" which features Allan Vander Linden on guitar. Then a vocal showcase "Untrue" which is followed by "Jailbait," featuring a nice nice guitar dual between Richard Steele and Marcus 'Bro' Adamson on slide. Absolutely smoking, the best song on the disc. And the entire second half of the cd continues the promise of the first....listen to "Mystery of Love" and "Love's Truly Blind." There are half a dozen songs here that would sound great on your favorite blues radio or on your cd player at a party. The thing I like best about Anni Piper is her vocals--she can sing anything from the deepest to the poppiest blues (i.e "Watchdog") and she makes it all work. On the title track she sounds like Bonnie Bramlett back about 1970, with those vocals framed beautifully by a guitar break by Vander Linden and Adamson doing their best Eric Clapton licks. "Come In My Kitchen" is not the Robert Johnson song but an original--ten of the 12 songs here are by Piper or Piper/Vander Linden.

It seems that a lot of women blues singers start out trying to sell their looks, trying to get seen more than heard. Well, Anni Piper looks good--but she sounds even better. I write here often about new artists that are coming up, and Anni Piper has the goods. This is the kind of cd that I wish Sheryl Crow and Todd Wolfe could have made together 15 years ago.

Dave Gross "Crawling The Walls" *****

Vizztone has a winner in Dave Gross, guitarist, vocalist, producer, bandleader, songwriter. Only 23 years old, his third cd "Crawling The Walls" follows his 2007 release "Take The Gamble." "Take The Gamble" was a really good disc, produced by and featuring the great Duke Robillard. It was clear by the interplay between Gross and Robillard on the first song on that disc that Gross was not intimidated by the company he was keeping. I did not expect him to be this much better this soon, but "Crawling The Walls" ups the ante in every way. The first time I put it in the cd player I was thinking" this will be good," but I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it. But my jaw dropped--this disc is jumping from beginning to end! It's not "slap you in the face" obvious, but this is a deeply satisfying piece of music-making art.

The core band has Scott Hornick on bass, Michael Bram on drums, Mike Lattrell and Conal Fowkes on piano, Matt Munisteri on 2nd guitar and guitar-banjo, Rob Chaseman on alto sax, Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet, Gerry Niewood on clarinet sax and baritone sax, and Doug Sasfai on tenor sax. Dennis Gruenling guests on harmonica on two songs. The label says everything was recorded "live" with no overdubs--all I can say it sounds really good, organically right. There are five originals and six covers--by such stellar artists as John Willie Henry, Ike Turner, the unjustifiably overlooked Don Robey and Charles Warfield. The subject matter and the tone varies widely: from a nice rock song "Rock In My Shoe" to smooth R&B in "It's My Life, Baby" and "You're Not The One" and "Find Yourself Another Man" with a couple of old fashioned 1920"s swing and jazz in "It Was Born In The 20s" and my favorite song on the disc "Baby Won't You Please Come Home?".

The varied themes and styles are all linked together by Gross's masterful guitar work and vocals. I can tell you--I've been listening to blues for over 35 years-- making music of this quality is simply not as easy as he makes it look. There are maybe a handful of acts out there who might be able to make a record this good--and none of them are 23 years old. Hopefully this guy will be making music for several more decades. I look forward to the future of the blues with Dave Gross in it. This is one of the very best cds of 2008. Everybody who reads this--go buy this disc.

Review: Jon Paris "Blue Planet" Blues Leaf Records

The thing about blues music is there are always deeper roots to be explored. Before James 'Blood' Ulmer there was Howling Wolf. Before Howling Wolf there was Elmore James. And before Elmore James there was Robert Johnson. And before Robert Johnson there was Charley Patton.

Well, lately I've been listening to newer stuff, particularly Chris James & Patrick Rynn and Ian Parker and Matthew Stubbs and Todd Wolfe--and all this listening seems to lead me back to Albert Castiglia and Michael Bloomfield and Peter Green. And to one other guitar slinger, who may not be as well known as these others I've mentioned: Jon Paris.

Jon Paris is well known as a guitar ace to blues fans around New York City, but he might not be as familiar to those of us out in the "flyover zone." He played with Johnny Winter for ten years. He also toured with Mick Taylor, who was with a little band you might remember called Rolling Stones. Well, after all that, Jon Paris put out a great cd in 2002 called "Blue Planet." The band is Jon Paris–guitar, harp & vocals; Amy Madden– bass; Sandy Gennaro-Drums. Yessir Mark, this is a slammin' three piece, and they lay down some of the heaviest blues yet done in this 21st Century! The guitar and vocals are double heavy, the drumming kicks, and the bass is rock solid. I've listened to this cd a bunch lately and it gets better every time through. The opener "Good To Go" could have been a radio hit in 2002--it sounds a little like The Fabulous Thunderbirds tune "Wrap It Up." Then Paris does the John Lee Hooker number "The Boogie" and "Til I Lost You" which sounds like Robin Trower should have done it. There is a Muddy Waters number, "the Blues Had A Baby" a Sonny Thompson number, "the Sad Night Owl" and an Elmore James number "Talk To Me, Baby" and several fine originals. Paris does an especially fine Bo Diddley-styled treatment of "Big Big City." Even though this cd shows its roots, two things stand out--it sounds like great stuff, and it does a great job of blowing on those embers to make the fire HOT!

You can buy this cd at Blues Leaf Records. http://www.bluesleaf.com Pick it up--you'll see what I'm talking about.

Matthew Stubbs and Ian Parker

I have a couple of artists I want to tell you about--some really good new players coming on the scene and bringing an energy and craft to their music. Matthew Stubbs and Ian Parker both have new cds out--Matthew Stubbs' cd is "Soul Bender" and it is on Vizztone, and Ian Parker's new cd is "The official Bootleg" and it is as best I can tell an Indy release.

Let me talk about each cd a bit. Matthew Stubbs may only be 25 years old, but he is a fine electric guitarist. "Soul Bender" is my introduction to this artist, and this cd is a rarity--all original instrumentals played over a tight solid rhythm section and with soulful horn accompaniment which includes "Sax Gordon" Beadle. He starts things off with an uptempo surf-ish workout on the title cut, and then he does a nice Bo Diddley-ish number, and then with "Rivelli's Mood" things start getting GOOD. I keep thinking I'm listening to a Steve Cropper record. "Jacksonville Jerk" and "20 Gallons of Beadle Juice" wouldn't be out of place on a mid 60's soul record coming out of Stax--& that's high praise. There's a sax and guitar number "Stomping on Thru" that could be from an old Boots Randolph record. "Stubbs Sauce" burns smooth and sweet like the BBQ sauce it's named after. This cd just pulls you in--there aren't any extra notes, there aren't any any cliched riffs--all there is here is good cool instrumental music. Matthew Stubbs is now playing in Charlie Musselwhite's band, as well as playing with the "Soul Bender" band. A real good cd. An up and comer.

Now let me talk about Ian Parker. He is a fine young English guitar player with taste and touch rare for anyone twice his age. "Bootleg" is recorded live in the UK February 2008. Seven of the ten songs here are originals--there are also covers of Memphis Slim's "Everyday (I Have The Blues)" and Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and perhaps most curiously, a cover of U2's "With or Without You." It's a 4 piece band--Ian on guitar, 'Morg' Morgan on keyboards, Steve Amadeo on bass, Wayne Proctor on drums. They make up a really good band--they play tight like they've played together for years, yet loose enough for Parker to twist the melody here and there without kurfluffle. The band just pulls you along with their fine playing. Several of the songs are near 9 minutes; "Don't Hold Back" is the longest cut here, just over 11 minutes, and it is the only one that might have improved with some editing. But things pick up when the band kicks off "Everyday"--this song has been a guitar showcase forever--before this I always thought Robben Ford's version was my favorite. But Ian Parker here floats like a young BB King, flat out burning it up. After that comes a beautiful version of "Little Wing." I know there are great versions of this song--Jimi's original, Stevie Ray, Eric Clapton--but it is amazingly beautiful here. I found myself leaning towards the speakers just to hear Ian better. Following these two great performances the band does two nicely played but generic boogie blues tunes, "If It Must Be" and "In The Morning" which has a terrific guitar solo. Then they close with the U2 cover on Ian on acoustic guitar. It's a breathtaking moment--I can almost see the lighters swaying over the crowd.

I really like both of these cds--and I urge you to go hear these guys live. Both deserve your support.

Chris James and Patrick Rynn--"Stop And Think About It"

This is my favorite cd right now. When I had friends over the other evening, I slipped this cd into the player and conversation just stopped and smiles appeared all around the room. Chris James (vocals and guitar) and Patrick Rynn (bass and 2nd vocal) put a lot of good energy into these songs, an energy that's infectious. They are both stellar musicians in their own right--half of the Blue Four--and they have played together for 18 years. On this disc James and Rynn are both in top form. Here's how well it goes over--my friends couldn't tell whether it was a new cd or a slice of obscure late 50s Chicago Blues. Quite a compliment.

This disc is mostly original songs, and they are good. Then there are some outstanding covers. Bo Diddley's "Confessin' The Blues" and "Mona" are here, along with two from Elmore James--"Hawaiian Boogie" and "Got To Move." And there are several top-flight guests here as well--including Bob Corritore playing harp on five songs, Sam Lay and and Eddie Kobek splitting up the drum chores, David Maxwell and Julien Brunetaud splitting up the piano duties. If you are a fan of the blues and read the credits on the back of your blues cds all of these names will be familiar. This is an all-star quality band making some really good blues music.

This cd is on Earwig Records--you can access it online at http://www.earwigmusic.com/

Review: Todd Wolfe "Borrowed Time"

Todd Wolfe is a heavy blues guitar slinger. He was the lead guitarist in Sheryl Crow's band 1993-1998, and then he led the Todd Wolfe Blues Project, and here is a solo disc. There are a lot of things to like about this disc--some of it seems to echo Santana, some of it echoes Leslie West circa Mountain, some of it sounds like Cream. In tone and style of guitar, this disc also reminds me a little of Albert Castiglia's latest, "These Are The Days." (see my review of Albert's disc on this blog in 2007.) Both discs feature good fretwork, lots of original songs, good backing bands. They are both well worth buying.

The drumming by Dave Hollingsworth III here is a highlight throughout. Suavek Zaniesienko plays bass, keeping things full in the bottom, and Michael Fossa plays keyboards with taste and restraint. There are guest appearances on "Borrowed Time" by Leslie West, Susan Cowsill, Mary Hawkins. Susan Cowsill adds distinctive backing vocals on "California," a song co-written by Sheryl Crow. Mary Hawkins sings on "If This is Love," which is terrific--one of the best songs here. Wolfe's slide guitar work had me smiling and thinking of Ronnie Earl. "Baby I'm Down" has a southern rock, Allman Brothers Band feel. "You're Not The Only One" has a Cream vibe, with heavy echo on the vocals and very sweet guitar work. Wolfe tackles the Peter Green Fleetwood Mac tune "Oh Well" and does it quite well, with a train-pulling-into-the-station ending. The other cover here is Howling Wolf's song "Who's Been Talking," and I think the master would approve of this take.

Taken all together, this is a very good disc. If I gave stars, this one would be a 5 star disc. I'm excited about Todd Wolfe. He can play guitar great and he sings really well, and the future looks bright. This disc is on Blues Leaf Records.