Adam Schultz - Soulful Distancing

Adam Schultz
Soulful Distancing
Blue Heart Records

"Soulful Distancing" is the debut album under the name of 18-year old songwriter-guitarist Adam Schultz. Schultz's dad asked Clarence Spady if he would give then 14-year old Adam a guitar lesson, and Spady was so impressed he invited Adam to play a couple of songs with him at Spady's regular Terra Blues gig in NYC. Thus began Spady's mentoring of Schultz, who has developed into quite a guitarist and has quite a close musical relationship with Spady.

Spady and Douglas Schultz produced the present album. Spady adds his guitar as well as vocals on the five cover tunes. Adam Schultz wrote six songs for which Spady sang one, Michael Angelo sang four, and Ekat Pereyra sang one. Besides Adam and Spady's guitar, the core members of the studio band are Adam Cohen on bass, Robert O'Connell on keyboards, Sharon O'Connell on drums, Scott Brown on piano, Tom Hamilton on saxophone, and Pat Marcinko on percussion.

As Spady says in his liner note about Adam, "He has developed a unique style: fusing a Latin jazz influence from his music teachers with a blues influence from me, sprinkled with a bit of funk that Adam is naturally drawn to." This statement is displayed in his playing on the revival of Johnny 'Guitar' Watson's "A Real Mother For Ya," as well as his original "Harlem Tonight," a fine original that might melodically suggest "Just the Two Of Us" with a solid Michael Angelo vocal. The old Louis Jordan classic "Early in the Morning," besides showcasing Adam's keen, crisp guitar, also has saxophonist Hamilton in the spotlight.

Spady revisits Adam's "Good Conversation" that Spady recorded on his recent album, "Surrender." Then on an imaginative cover of Little Walter's "Who," Adam's lean, twisting guitar impresses more. Another song of note is the Latin-tinged funk, "Cure For the Blues," about this dancing lady who has the cure for the blues. A terrific vocal by Angelo, a churning bass line by Cohen, and more scintillating blues guitar result in a super track. Then there is a nifty cover of Tyrone Davis' "Can I Change My Mind," with a choice Spady vocal, along with an intriguing funk re-working of the old Ricky Allen recording "Cut You Loose."

There is plenty to enjoy in "Soulful Distancing." Adam Schultz is a guitarist who shows much more than promise and writes some darn good songs. Add that the under-recorded Clarence Spady sings on six of the eleven songs and strong backing from a first-rate studio band, and one has quite a solid blues with a strong dash of soul recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist.

Tomislav Goluban - Express Connection

Tomislav Goluban - Express Connection - Blue Heart Records

A new album by the Croatian blues singer and harmonica player Tomislav Goluban has him playing outside the blues in a recording that is as much Americana as blues. Goluban wrote the nine originals, and there is a cover of a Lou Reed song. He is backed by guitarist Jeff Jensen (who co-produced this recording with Goluban, David Green on drums, Rick Staff on keyboards, and Bill Ruffino on bass. Also heard on this album are vocalist Kelly Zirbes, slide guitarist Mark Johnson, saxophonist Kirk Smothers, trumpeter Marc Franklin, and Joseph Franher, who contributes backing vocals to one selection. 

Goluban is an accomplished harmonica player with a swinging style, a big tone, and a marvelous sense of tonal dynamics. His gravelly vocals have a limited range, and his phrasing sometimes sounds stilted. Still, there is an honest quality about them. All ten songs are well played, starting with the title track, a high-energy instrumental taken at a blistering tempo that showcases his formidable harp technique. With horns added, "Used to Be Someone" might evoke Paul Butterfield's horn band, and Goluban does exhibit a bit more emotion in his singing. Kelly Zirbes' strong backing vocals boost this performance. Mark Johnson's slide guitar provides atmosphere on the Lou Reed cover, "Pale Blue Eyes."

Zirbes takes a strong vocal on the driving country-rocker, "Shoestring Blues," a song that sounds like a 21st take on the classic country truck driving songs. It is followed by a swinging instrumental, "Extra Boom." This shuffle is a tribute to Goluban's harmonica hero, Little Walter, with Staff taking a greasy organ solo. Jensen displays his considerable technique and taste here as well. Things head to New Orleans with Staff laying down some Professor Longhair-styled piano. It is an amusing duet between Goluban and Zirbes followed by a swampy blues-pop "Bite Me Like a Snake" with Johnson's keen slide guitar. 

With the horns riffing, the album closes with another harmonica instrumental, "Beast Walk." Taken at a relaxed pace, Steff's organ and Jensen's tasteful wah-wah guitar each get a chorus before Goluban displays a more acoustic side to his harmonica playing, and the horn players trade fours. Tomislav Goluban may be a limited vocalist, but his straightforward singing, exceptional harmonica playing, and top-notch backing provide a definite appeal for blues and roots listeners.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is the official video for this album.

Veronica Lewis - You Ain't Unlucky

Veronica Lewis - You Ain't Unlucky - Blue Heart Records

"You Ain't Unlucky" is an auspicious debut by a young New England pianist-singer-songwriter who is 17 and yet a seasoned pro. On this eight-song release, she is backed by a drummer with a sax added on several selections. Mike Walsh handles the drummer's chair for five of the selections, with Chris Anzalone playing on two and Ben Rogers on one. Don Davis plays sax on four selections, and Joel Edinburg heard on one.

One can hear a variety of influences in her two-handed piano playing. These go back to the boogie-woogie masters of the thirties to the Chicago blues of Otis Spann, the New Orleans piano style of Professor Longhair and Doctor John, and the hillbilly boogie piano of Moon Mulligan and Jerry Lee Lewis. Starting with the Crescent City rumba blues of the title track, the roadhouse boogie of "Clarksdale Sun" to her "Ode to Jerry Lee," and the closing "Memphis Train," Lewis shows that she is an exciting pianist with a crisp attack. This listener hopes to see her add a Jimmy Yancey styled approach to her slower material, but she is still growing and maturing after all. 

Although she sings with a tad bit too much vibrato for this listener's taste, she is a robust and tuneful singer. This is a quibble, and one would expect her to be more nuanced in her phrasing and vocal dynamics. In any event, this is quite a notable debut that shows more than promise.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is the official video for "You Ain't Unlucky."