Your Complete Guide to the Chicago Blues Scene
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Your Complete Guide to the Chicago Blues Scene |
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Red Hot ‘n Blues Reviews
August 2020
By Marty Gunther
Gerald McClendon – Can’t Nobody
Stop Me Now
(Delta Roots Records DR-1003)
No one working in the studio today has a better handle on urban
soul-blues than label owner/percussionist Twist Turner at Delta Roots
Records. If you have any doubt, just give this one a listen. With
veteran vocalist Gerald McClendon at the mic, this one updates sounds
that rose to prominence in the ‘60s and ‘70s and carries them forward
for a new generation.
A native Chicagoan, McClendon possesses a honeyed, emotion-infused voice
and is worthy of far more attention than he’s received in a career
that’s included only a handful of releases. He’s definitely a star on
the ascendant with this disc – a follow-up to Delta Roots’ stellar
Battle of the Blues: Chicago vs.
Oakland compilation and
Grabbing the Blues by the Horns -- his partnership with horn player
Vince Salerno – both of which hit the market in the past year.
All of the material on this CD was penned by Turner, who’s on drums
throughout with Herb Walker (Tyrone Davis, Sugar Blue), Mark Wydra (Eddy
Clearwater, Z.Z. Hill) and Joe Burba on guitars with all-star support
throughout. This one’s so good, it’s impossible to pick out “best” cuts.
It’s going on my short list for the next awards season.
# # #
Anthony Geraci with Dennis Brennan –
Daydreams in Blue
(Shining Stone Records SSCD006)
A perennial nominee for Blues Music Awards, keyboard player Anthony
Geraci teams with Boston-based vocalist/harp player Dennis Brennan for
this sophisticated collection of intimate jazz-tinged blues.
A founding member of Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, The Proven Ones and
the Boston Blues All-Stars, the duo get assists from guitarists Monster
Mike Welch, Peter Ward, Troy Gonyea and Walter Trout, bassist Michael “Mudcat”
Ward and others in a flawless production recorded at Lakewest Studio in
West Greenwich, R.I.
Among the many high points here are the originals “Love Changes
Everything,” “Tomorrow May Never Come,” “Tutti Fruitti Booty,” “Hard to
Say I Love You,” “Living in the Shadow of the Blues” and the poignant
“Ode to Todd, Ella and Mike Ledbetter.”
# # #
Johnny Burgin – No Border Blues
(Delmark Records DE-863)
A stylish guitarist/vocalist who’s been delivering old-school sounds in
Chicago in the early ‘90s, Johnny Burgin traveled across the Pacific and
gathered several of the foremost blues artists in Japan for this CD,
which proves once again that, although the music was born in the
American South, it’s an international language spoken clearly by folks
in all corners of the world.
Recorded primarily in Osaka with foreign talent and one cut recorded in
the Windy City with his own regular band, the roster includes keyboard
player Lee Kanehira, who’s made a name for herself with the Cash Box
Kings, as well as harp players Kotez, Kaz Nogio and Iper Onishi,
guitarists Minoru Maruyama, Nacomi Tanaka and Yoshi Mizuno and more
world-class talent.
Burgin handles vocals on five of the 11 cuts in a set that’s primarily
delivered in English, but has Japanese high points, too. Tune into this
one for “One Day You’re Gonna Get Lucky,” “Sunnyland,” “Pumpkin’s
Boogie,” “I Just Keep Loving Her (Mada Sukinanda),” “Old School Player”
and “Samurai Harp Attack.” You’ll be glad you did!
# # #
Goldman Thibodeaux & the Lawtell Playboys –
La Danse à St. Ann’s
(Nouveau Electric Records)
www.goldmanthibodeaux.bandcamp.com
Now 87 years old and one of the most enduring figures in the history of
Louisiana music, Goldman Thibodeaux returns to the studio for the first
time in 13 years for this live set of traditional Creole and Cajun tunes
and improvisations that are sure to keep you up and moving throughout.
Thibodeaux has been a member of the Lawtell Playboys since 1966, an
ensemble founded 20 years earlier by brothers Bébé and Eraste Carriere.
Goldman’s on accordion and vocals and leading a six-piece band
throughout. They were performing before a festive audience at a family
reunion in Mallett, La., when this was recorded last fall.
If you’re looking for something different, put on your dancing shoes for
“Two Step de St. Ann’s,” “Allons Sur Plancher,” “Je T’aime Autant,”
“Jolie Caton,” “Watch That Dog,” “Blues de Goldman” “Pauvre Hobo” and “Jongle
Moi.”
# # #
Fillmore Slim – Son of the Seven
Sisters
(Self-produced CD)
San Francisco-based Fillmore Slim is a legend on many levels. A
world-class character and once one of the most recognized pimps in the
U.S., he’s also a guitarist and songwriter of the first order who’s been
thrilling audiences for the better part of seven decades. Now in his
mid-80s, Slim leaves other artists slack-jawed when he appears on stage,
and this album shows why.
Produced by Kid Andersen at Greaseland Studios and featuring a lineup
that includes harp player Rick Estrin, who’s been working with Slim
since he was 15, Son of the Seven
Sisters finds Fillmore at his absolute best, delivering grooves that
deliver a big taste of why he’s known as the Mack Daddy of the blues.
This one’s full of self-depreciating tidbits and a whole lot of
good-natured fun along the way. Be sure to give a good listen to “Son of
the Seven Sisters,” the autobiographical “I’m a Playboy,” “Jody Must Be
in My Business” and “I’m a Badd Brotha Foya” as well as a tribute to old
friend Johnny “Guitar” Watson and a tip of the fedora to all girls named
“Mary Sue.”
# # #
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne – Go,
Just Do It!
(Stony Plain Records SPCD1413)
Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame keyboard player/vocalist Kenny “Blues Boss”
Wayne hits the high notes with this energetic collection of good-time
blues – a silky smooth mix of contemporary music full of jazzy, R&B
overtones with a taste of rap thrown in for good measure.
An ex-pat American who’s been one of the brightest stars on the Canadian
blues scene since migrating North of the Border decades ago, Kenny
shares the mic with 2020 BMA soul-blues nominee and Maple Blues winner
Dawn Tyler Watson, jazz Grammy winner Diane Schuur, Julie Masi of
Parachute Club and rapper Cory “SeQuaL” Spruell to deliver ten originals
and fresh arrangements of three covers.
Some of the key cuts on this one are “Just Do It,” “You Did a Number on
Me,” a tasty re-do of Percy Mayfield’s “You’re in for a Big Surprise,”
“I Don’t Want to Be the President,” “Bumpin’ Down the Highway,” “T&P
Train 400” and “Let the Rock Roll.”
# # #
Misty Blues –
Weed ‘Em & Reap
(Self-produced CD)
Fronted by deep-throated contralto Gina Coleman, Misty Blues is a
six-piece horn band founded in the 1990s and based out of the Berkshire
Mountains in western Massachusetts. Finalists in the 2019 International
Blues Challenge, they deliver a full set of originals here, mixing
blues, soul, funk, jazz and gospel into a blend that’s tasty and
contemporary, too.
Coleman doubles on cigar box guitar, bass and percussion, and she penned
nine of the 11 cuts here with bassist/trumpet player Bill Patriquin and
keyboard player Benny Kohn contributing the others. Her voice glides and
glistens throughout atop some of the most complex charts you’ll hear in
the blues today.
Some of the standout cuts include “No More to Give,” “Blues Coaster,”
“Don’t Send Me Home,” “Phunk ‘n Grewv,” “Keep Rising Up” and “Treat Me
Like I Want.” If your tastes run to stylish, urban blues, though, this
one’s definitely right for you!
# # #
Adam Karch –
Everything Can Change (Disques
Bros BROS11902)
A stylish, mellow fingerpicking acoustic guitarist, Adam Karch is a
native of Montreal, but delivers a hybrid brand of soothing,
Americana-steeped blues reminiscent of tunesmith Kelly Joe Phelps and
six-string master Chet Atkins as he drives his sound forward atop an
innovative, percussive technique that makes him unique.
This is the fifth CD for Karch, who’s been fronting bands in his
Canadian homeland since age 14. A collection of six originals and five
well-crafted covers, his delivery is easy-breezy and his originals are
modern but still imbued with an ageless feel.
Among the tasty cuts here are “It’s Your Song,” “Everything Can Change,”
“Porch Groove (Sunday Morning)” and its companion, “Porch Groove
(Saturday Night),” “Bitter Harvest” and “Preachin’ Blues (Up Jumped the
Devil).”
# # #
Kat Pearson – My Roots
(ToneTrade Productions)
www.katpearson.com
Based in England, but a Southern California transplant, Kat Pearson is a
pleasant alto who weaves her family’s rich heritage as freed slaves,
Oklahoma sharecroppers and current membership in culturally diverse
society into this all-original collection of contemporary,
autobiographical blues.
Pearson discovered her love for performance when sitting in with a band
on a family trip to Britain at age 18 while celebrating her high school
graduation. She takes a break from her longtime group, Kat & Co. to team
with her longtime guitarist Francisco Accurso and the Marco Marzola Jazz
Trio here.
Silky smooth, but haunting throughout, some of the top cuts include
“Cane Creek,” “Labour’s Train,” “The Truth,” “Until I Get What I Need”
and “When the Blues Is Over.”
# # #
Steve Howell, Dan Sumner & Jason Weinheimer –
Long Ago
(Out Of The Past Music OOTP 014)
www.stevehowell.ws
Here’s a great album to play for someone you adore while sitting
fireside or swinging on the veranda! Texas troubadour Steve Howell has
been delivering acoustic blues, rock and folk since the ‘70s, but dips
into his not-so-secret love for the American songbook on this one.
A talented picker himself, Howell teams with jazz guitarist Dan Sumner
and bassist Jason Weinheimer to cover several of his personal favorite
tunes, which are culled from multiple mediums and all of which are
delivered laid-back and with a strong, bluesy root.
Easy listening at its best, the disc opens with “Singin’ the Blues,” a
1920 hit for vocalist Aileen Stanley, and flows steadily throughout.
You’ll love takes on Ella Fitzgerald’s “Angel Eyes,” Percy Mayfield’s
“Please Send Me Someone to Love” and Duke Ellington’s “Do Nothing ‘Til
You Hear from Me” as well as bluesy versions of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Dindi,”
Sammy Cahn’s “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen” and Johnny Mercer’s “I Thought
About You.”
# # #
Jimmy Carpenter – Soul Doctor
(Gulf Coast Records)
www.jimmycarpenter.net
One of the most beloved sax players in the business, Las Vegas-based
Jimmy Carpenter toured internationally with Tinsley Ellis, Jimmy
Thackery, Walter Wolfman Washington and others before becoming a fixture
in Mike Zito’s band about eight years ago. As a front man, he’s an
exciting performer who blends blues, R&B and rock into a package that
swings from the jump.
This is Carpenter’s fourth solo CD in a career that began in the ‘80s
with the North Carolina-based Alka-Phonics. Jimmy’s joined here by
fellow horn players Mark Earley and Doug Woolverton in a large-band
setting that includes 10 other musicians – including Zito and Nick
Schnebelen – to deliver several originals and three covers.
You’ll love the funky “Soul Doctor,” which opens, “Wild Streak,” “Need
Your Love So Bad,” a modern take on the classic “One Mint Julip,” “LoFi
Roulette” and “Yeah Man,” a redo of a Muscle Shoals classic penned by
Eddie Hinton, one of the best and most tragic vocalists of all time.
# # #
Brad Vickers and His Vestapolitans –
Twice as Nice
(Mad Hat Tone Records MHT2000)
www.bradvickers.com
New York native Brad Vickers loves old-time music, as the name of his
group – which is taken from a guitar tuning popular in the 1920s --
implies. And all of the 11 tunes here – four covers and seven originals
– feature his seven-piece band and come across with the feel a bygone
era.
Vickers knows the music well. Before launching the Vestapolitans in the
mid-2000s, he enjoyed a lengthy career as a sideman with several of the
biggest names in blues and roots, including Odetta, Chuck Berry and
Rosco Gordon, among others. He and bassist Margey Peters share vocals in
a set that mixes traditional blues, ragtime and more.
Give a good listen to “Worried Life Blues,” the Big Maceo classic that
was a regular part of Berry’s set, “Mississippi Swamp,” the driving
“Coast to Coast,” the vocal duet “Red Dust,” Memphis Jug Band founder
Will Shade’s “Look a There Look a There” and “Brooklyn Evenings.”
# # #
Matteo Sansonetto Blues Revue –
I’m Still Around
(Wind Chill Records WC1005)
Based out of northeastern Italy, vocalist/guitarist Matteo Sansonetto
celebrates his return to action after a debilitating automobile accident
with this set of modern blues, which was recorded with a star-studded
lineup from Chicago -- where he spends time, too -- including string
masters Jimmy Johnson and Dave Specter.
A dedicated student of the Windy City sound, Sansonetto appeared on the
cusp of stardom with the release of
My Life Began to Change in
2015, but broke both hands in the wreck. He’s back at top form in this
mix of soulful covers and originals.
Among the standout cuts here are a silky smooth take on Johnnie Taylor’s
“Last Two Dollars,” the title cut “I’m Still Around,” “Tell Me That You
Want Me Too,” an unhurried love ballad, “Still Called the Blues” – with
Johnson on vocals -- and the originals “Everything’s Allright (with My
Baby)” and “Don’t Call Me in the Morning.”
# # #
Tony O – Blues O’ Blues
(Top of the Blues Records)
A native New Yorker, Tony O Melio is one of the finest guitarists in the
Chicago tradition, something that was evident to mentors Howlin’ Wolf
and Hubert Sumlin in the ‘70s when they started calling him by his
adopted stage name. A
former member of Legendary Blues Band and a Grammy nominee for his work
with Pinetop Perkins, he’s a gifted harp player, too, and hits on all
the high notes here.
Tony’s backed here by The Uptown Horns, the brass section who’ve toured
with everyone from the Rolling Stones and Ray Charles to Albert Collins,
as well as several other top Manhattan music veterans as he delivers
three originals and standards penned by B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Jimmy
Rogers and Brook Benton.
A treasure for anyone who loves old-school Windy City blues, the three
originals – “Blues O’ Blues,” “Keep on Movin’” and “Just Drive” – stand
out in a set that also includes “My Love Strikes Like Lightning,” “It’s
Just a Matter of Time,” “Lie to Me” and “You Upset Me Baby.”
# # #
Irma Thomas – After the Rain
(Rounder Records/Craft Recordings)
Here’s a new throwback for anyone who loves vinyl: Irma Thomas – the
undisputed Soul Queen of New Orleans – recorded this Grammy-winning
album a few months after Hurricane Katrina decimated the Big Easy and
destroyed her home. Fifteen years later, Craft Recordings has released
this acclaimed recording as a high-quality 33 1/3 LP.
The tunes in these grooves delivered up a message of hope that still
rings true 14 years after the original release. Irma still reigns
supreme, opening with Arthur Alexander’s poignant Muscle Shoals burner
“In the Middle of It All.”
The pleasers come hot and heavy throughout, but all hold up extremely
well despite the passage of time. Tune in to “I Count the Tears,” the
traditional “Make Me a Pallet on the Floor,” “I Wish I Knew How It Would
Feel to Be Free,” the gospel-flavored “Another Man Done Gone,” a
stripped-down take on “Soul of a Man” and “Shelter in the Rain.”
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