The Hitman Blues Band - Not My Circus, Not My Monkey - Nerus Records

The Hitman Blues Band - Not My Circus, Not My Monkey - Nerus Records

The Hitman Blues Band, led by Russell 'Hitman' Alexander, is a New York-based band described as a 'Modern/Alt Blues group," although I am not sure that Alt Blues is anything but an invented, not clever, PR term. Getting beyond terminology, this is a rocking (in a good sense) band with horns led by Alexander on vocals and guitar. He also wrote most of the songs. Others in the band include Kevin Bents on keyboards, Mike Porter on bass, and Guy LaFountaine on drums. There is also a full horn section of Mikey Vitale on alto sax, John Kelly on tenor sax, Eric Altarac on trumpet, and Nick Clifford on baritone sax.

Certainly, Randy Alexander is the center of The Hitman Blues Band. He certainly places his stamp on these performances with his robust vocals that showcase his phrasing, dynamics, and clarity in delivering the lyrics. The backing is bright, brassy, and tight. His own songs have some intriguing word plays, such as the opening "Not My Circus," with the album title being a catchy, memorable phrase. Highpoints include his adaptations of a couple of Blind Willie Johnson songs, "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and "John the Revelator." The imaginative recasting of Johnson's acoustic recordings in a modern rocking blues manner also showcases his slightly raspy singing. He also adds some appealing slide guitar (more Duane Allman than Earl Hooker) on "John the Revelator."

"No Place Like Home" may be more Bruce Springsteen than blues. Still, it has a forceful, emotional vocal and first-rate backing, including Brent's piano and Kelly's gutbucket tenor sax. It is a terrific performance. Also standing out is the funky reinvention of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changing." Other selections include a rollicking, ebullient shuffle, "Walk With You," and a superb melancholy blues ballad "Everybody But Me." 

If not purely blues, The Hitman Blues Band's "Not My Circus, Not My Monkey" still is a blues and roots recording of considerable merit.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is their performance of "Nobody's Fault But Mine."

Scott Ellison Skyline Drive

Scott Ellison
Skyline Drive
Red Parlor Records

Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, singer-songwriter-guitarist has this new release of blues and blues-rock that exhibit his gravelly vocals and energetic guitar. Others playing on this recording include Chris Campbell on lead and backing vocals, Ron Getman on guitar, Casey Van Beek or Jon Parris on bass, and Robbie Armstrong on drums. Ellison wrote or co-wrote all twelve songs, many in collaboration with Chris Campbell.

This recording opens with a shuffle "I'm Missing You," with some searing blues-rock guitar and subtle piano. The rhythm section helps provide a relaxed groove on a nicely paced performance. Like most of this recording, this has a standard lyric about relationships, and Ellison's crusty vocal is welcome. I live about an hour from Skyline Drive in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. I have no idea if Ellison is referring to this or another place in the title track. "Skyline Drive" is a marvelous track with a romantic lyric, a jazzy, loping feel, and an ingenious guitar solo before it fades out. Not as appealing is the graveling vocal, distorted blues-rock guitar, and somewhat ponderous rhythm on "Something About You." Given some fascinating wordplay, a lighter hand in performing this would have made this song stand out. The surging groove helps frame the urgency he sings with on "Obsession." David Bernston's harmonica and Ron Getman's slide guitar add to the attraction of this track.

"I'm All Wound Up" is driving bluesy rock'n'roll some rollicking piano and Getman's slightly frenzied slide guitar while "Women Got a Hold on Me" is a low-key, stripped-down solo acoustic performance. "Breath Underwater" is a nice bluesy rock tune with interesting guitar interplay between Ellison and Getman. Ellison intensely sings about a breakup on "The Blues Got a Hold On Me," followed by hints of 'Dust My Broom" on the frantic slide guitar and groove on "Overwhelmed."

Ellison crafts engaging songs, and he performs with energy and passion. There is a nice variety of material and musical settings, and this entertaining recording will have considerable appeal for those whose tastes lean towards blues-rock.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here Scott Ellison sings "The Blues Got a Hold On Me."

Tinsley Ellis Ice Cream in Hell

Tinsley Ellis
Ice Cream in Hell
Alligator Records

"Ice Cream in Hell" is Tinsley Ellis' 11th album for Alligator Records. There will be no surprises for fans of Ellis' mix of blues and blues-rock filled with his searing guitar and robust blues shouting. Co-produced by Ellis with Kevin McKendree (who plays keyboards (and guitar on one track). Others on this include Steve Mackey on bass and Lynn Williams on drums and percussion. Jim Hoke and Quentin Ware play sax and trumpet respectively on two songs.

In addition to his rocking blues playing and vocals, Ellis is an excellent songwriter who coins intriguing phases in his lyrics. He opens "Don't Know Beans," with "If dogs could talk, about what they see… they would really tell it all, so you don't know beans," as he tells his lover who is she going to believe, Tinsley or her loving eyes. Set against an emphatic groove, Ellis delivers a dynamic performance about a relationship blowing up. Relationships breaking up is a common theme as he sings that they will serve ice cream in hell before he takes his lover back. Besides his robust vocals, there is plenty of crisp, torrid guitar.

Then there is the brashly played shuffle, "Foolin' Yourself," a passionately sung slow, minor-key blues, "Hole in My Heart," and a slide guitar feature "Sit Down Mama" on which McKendree plays rhythm guitar. This latter number sounds like a tribute to Hound Dog Taylor with its house-rocking groove and high energy slide guitar that evokes Taylor. It also sports one of Ellis' best vocals here. Other sterling performances include "Everything and Everyone" with its Latin groove and Ellis evoking Santana's guitar playing, and "Unlock My Heart" where Ellis' guitar channels Johnny 'Guitar' Watson. There is outstanding guitar playing, solid and tight backing, and first-rate originals resulting in another excellent Tinsley Ellis CD.

I received my review copy from Alligator Records.  Here is "Last One To Know" from this CD.

Joe Louis Rocks Out On Hornet's Nest

Somewhere I read that Joe Louis Walker’s new CD, Hornet’s Nest (Alligator), is his 25th. Whether that is the actual case, it gives a sense of the substantial body of work he has recorded since his first Hightone album some quarter-century ago. Walker, recently inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame has produced some of the finest blues recordings of this time span displaying both passion and substance as a songwriter and performer.

The CD was produced by Tom Hambridge who has produced Buddy Guy’’s recent recordings and Hambridge also is on drums and contributes backing vocals. The other member of the studio band that will be familiar is Reese Wynans on keyboards. The Muscle Shoals Horn Section is present on one of the 11 selections. Hambridge contributed to 8 of the 11 selections on this (4 of which Walker contributed to).

Hambridge’s production brings a rock-tinged edge to the music here, some of which is pretty much ‘in your face.’ And this CD is not strictly blues as there is a fair amount of hard blues-rock present along with some blues. Folks with a preference for a more traditional blues sound might want to pass on this while folks that like their blues mixed with hard rock will be quite happy with it.

The title track is a but of blues-tinged rock with Hambridge pushing the groove with the subtlety of a sledgehammer operator while Walker lays down a fiery blues-rock solo against the dense backing providing. All I Want To Do has more of a laid back feel as the Muscle Shoals Horns add punch as Walker singing soulfully (although his voice sounds a bit strained here). A shuffle, Stick a Fork in Me, has a clever lyric along with a lively performance and followed by an imaginative rendition of the old Roy Hamilton hit, Don’t Let Go.

Walker plays slide on the terrific, I’m Gonna Walk Outside. Walker channels Muddy Waters as he sings “A married woman, a back door man, a loaded pistol in you husband’s hand.” Ramblin’ Soul is more heavy blues-rock as he bellows about hellhounds can’t find him as he lays lays down slide as the backing pounds things along. It is followed by a Jagger & Richards cover, Ride On, Baby, that sounds to these ears like a Bruce Springsteen cover.

Soul City is a rocker lyrically akin to James Brown’s recording of Night Train, and musically evoked the classic Stax instrumental “Soulfinger,” with screaming guitar. I would love to hear someone interpret this as a horn based funk number. “Not in Kansas Anymore,” with an opening that evokes The Who’s We Won’t Get Fooled Again, and a lyric about Dorothy, Toto, wicked witches and the Wizard of Oz, is straight hard rock.

Joe Louis Walker establishes on Hornet’s Nest that he can rock as hard a anyone out there and more than capable of playing something other than blues. Hopefully it is a recording that will enable him to enlarge his audience and  enable him to play not simply to blues audiences and venues but to  venues and events that rarely feature blues performers. Hornet’s Nest shows he continues to invest his performances with considerable power and passion although it will not be an album this listener will be listening to regularly, but that is a matter of musical taste.

I received this from Alligator. Here is the title track.

Not the Last Time To See Microwave Dave

I have been familiar with the name Microwave Dave & the Nukes, nut do not recall hearing his prior recordings. He has a new self-issued one entitled Last Time I Saw You, that has him in a power trio with Rick Godfrey on bass and harmonica and James Irvin on drums. Dave Gallaher was born in Chicago, raised in Texas, served in Vietnam, attended Berklee in Boston and moved to Alabama where he was mentored by Johnny Shines. He founded the Nukes in 1989 after touring with jerry McCain for three years as well as backing Bo Diddley.

The music here is simple hard-driving blues and rock’n’roll, delivered simply and directly. His gritty, gravelly singing may evoke Omar Dykes but does not distract from his oft witty lyrics. Drinkin’ Wine Since Nine is a simple bluesy rocker as he sings about feeling fine drinking wine with some simple, insistent guitar and driving drums. Jesus Was Smart, has Dave describes some of the complaints about himself (horny and hairy) as he notes Jesus was smart not to marry, with a nicely done rocking guitar solo. The hard rock flavor of I’ve Got a Bet With Myself (recalling the 70’s Rolling Stones) contrasts with the wistful The Worst Thing, about someone who is the worst thing to happen to the blues. His precise guitar playing and low-key vocal enhances the mood of this performance.

Tire Man is a very amusing, mid-tempo number played with restrain with some amusing metaphors about the rubber and the road. Here, Dave sings about being like his daddy, being a tire man and “that must be why I am tired of you,” while Dave gets revved up when his woman spins her pretty wheel but then she makes him shimmy when he puts on the brakes and squeals. Billy C. Farlow’s Alabama Saturday Night is a Bo Diddley rooted celebration of Alabama Women and dancing with some raw harp from Godfrey. More Bo Diddley flavor can be heard in the guitar on the title track with him singing lyrics about leaving his woman as Irvin’s slightly behind the beat drumming pushes the groove. All Nite Boogie is rollicking and relentless as he sings about having the all night boogie with no place to stay.

Goin’ Downtown is a one-chord rocker about going downtown to strut one’s stuff played with an forceful beat that suggests Hill Country Blues while “Cadillac Ride” with him playing a resophonic guitar (and a real nice solo) has Irvin using brushes, as the melody conjures up the country trucker’s song Six Days on the Road. Dick Dale meets Tex-Mex on the spirited Vagabundos as Dave sings in Spanish against the driving playing. The closing Rafferty is an instrumental that makes use of tone and dynamics to set a mood and evokes to an extent the Allman Brothers.

This is a fun recording. One would be hard-pressed to call the music on Last Time I Saw You profound. It is however full of wit and employs a wide musical pallet for some very appealing performances that bridge the blues and rock realms quite nicely. It is a recording I will be returning to listen to. It is available from cdbaby.com.

A publicist provided me with the review copy. Here he is in performance.

Dan Mahar's Lone Stone's Throw

Dan Mahar is a singer-guitarist from Sioux Falls, North Dakota, who is a former Nashville sideman and session player and toured with Country star Billy Dean. He has a new album on White Smoke Records, Long Stone’s Throw, which is a blues-rock disc in the vein of a Coco Montoya or a Tinsley Ellis. This is not to say that he is necessarily quite up to their level, but this recording will have its most immediate appeal to fans of that musical style.

He certainly is a solid singer and certainly pulls out all the stops on his solos. The band is solid and keeps a rock-solid, heavy groove going, which suits Mahar. The performances are originals, although Linda Lu sounds like a reworking of the Ray Sharpe classic rock and roll number and has nice harp from Karl Kabbage. You Don’t Have to Tell Me has a clever opening, with a riff from Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues, before launching in the quick walking tempo with twin guitars soloing against each.

I Never Meant Us to Fall is a nice change of pace, with a relaxed vocal on a r&B tinged ballad. The title track is a nicely done shuffle with particularly nice guitar, the rhythm section swings and some nice horns in the background. This writer assumes that Mahar is playing the dobro on, I Got My Baby Working, which places new lyrics to Got My Mojo Working, and again benefits from a more laid back rhythm. The closing track, Someday I’m Gonna Know, is a gospel number which he performs accompanied solely by his dobro.

For my taste, this is a mixed bag. Some of the tracks sound a bit heavy-handed and the backing is too busy. Those whose tastes lean towards a rock-tinged blues may find much more here to their liking.

This review originally appeared in the April 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 304) and I have made some minor stylistic revisions. I am not sure of my source for the review copy although it likely came from a publicist or Jazz & Blues Report.

Girls With Guitars Rock On

The Ruf Records website describes it succinctly: “The name says it all. ‘Girls with Guitars’ - the 2011 Ruf Records Blues Caravan Tour - presents three of the scene's hottest young female guitar slingers on a single stage.” The website further talks about the Blues Caravan series leading successful tours throughout Europe and the US and “This unique triple bill revue has helped introduce bright new stars” citing Ana Popovic and Joanne Shaw Taylor and refers to the new disc and tour as introducing “a trio of dynamic, up-and-coming blues talents: Dani Wilde, Cassie Taylor and Samantha Fish.” I am familiar with Cassie Taylor from her playing bass with her father Otis and Dani has been associated with Candye Kane. I did not know she was from England and unfamiliar with Samantha who is from Kansas City.

For an album spotlighting upcoming blues talents, one might expect some blues but between the opening cover of the Rolling Stones’ Bitch and the Paul Pena penned Steve Miller Band classic, Jet Airliner, the trio contribute ten performances that certainly one can’t complain if one labeled them rock tunes, with different levels of blues tinges. This is not to comment on the quality of the performances, but to observe that the fact some songs are blues-tinged and the performers are influenced by the blues doesn’t mean that recording is a blues album. I do not buy that playing music derivative of blues-rock and blues-influenced blues is extending the blues. It is simply rebadging rock as blues.

Dani Wilde’s Reason to Stay, a solo performance backed by her dobro, is a folk-blues performance and showcases her vocals as much as her dobro. Also outstanding out is Samantha Fish’s shuffle, Wait a Minute, with her best vocal here and strong guitar. But that tune is followed by the pounding rhythms of the trio’s topical Get Back, on which Mike Zito provides a heavy rock guitar solo, Fish’s playing on her own Come On Home has her heartfelt vocal on the wistful lyric of turning blue with a melody that has a Dylan-esque feel and nice guitar. Fish plays some nice atmospheric slide guitar behind Cassie Taylor’s aching vocal on Leaving Chicago, but the folk-blues edges of the song contrast with the heavy rock guitar of Fish on Taylor’s Move On.

I would say that Move On, along with Get Back, are the tracks with the least appeal to me, as I did enjoy the music on this although I would not rate it highly as a blues recording. All three are quite talented both vocally and instrumentally (I am more partial to Taylor and Wilde as vocalists, but that is a matter of subjective taste) and this is a very enjoyable collection of blues-influenced rock.

I received this from a publicist.

Blind Pig's latest releases are a mixed bag

Couple of new releases from Blind Pig to briefly note. One is the latest from Magic Slim & the Teardrops, Midnight Blues. It is an enjoyable release in his immediately recognizable sound with his grinding slow blues and highly danceable walking shuffles with his solid singing and stinging lead guitar. He is backed by his band of guitarist Jon McDonald; bassist Danny O’Connor and drummer David Simms, with guest appearances by James Cotton, Lil Ed Williams, Lonnie Brooks, Elvin Bishop, and a Gene Barge horn section. Its a typical mix of originals and lesser known blues from other singers. Let Me Love You, is a typical Slim shuffle with a driving beat and a solid vocal followed by a nice rendition of Muddy Waters’ You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had, with James Cotton chiming in on harp. Lil Ed joins for the frantic rendition of Hound Dog Taylor’s Give Me Back My Wig, that is a tad busy sounding. Little Milton’s Lonely Man, is slightly flat, but the take on Spider in My Stew, with Lonnie Brooks guesting, is much better as Slim and company grind out a most persuasive performance. The country flavor of Going Down The Road Feeling Bad, adds variety but its more of a novelty track here. Full Load Boogie, is a nondescript instrumental but followed by a terrific take of Muddy’s Crosseyed Cat with a groove that chugs along like an irresistible force. Elvin Bishop helps out on the slow-drag Carla, while Slim reworks Cryin’ Won’t Make You Stay, from a slow-drag number to a jaunty shuffle employing the Dust My Broom, groove. A few tracks may be relatively disappointing, as Slim seems incapable of producing a bad recording. This is not Slim’s most impressive effort, but its far from a poor effort.

The other new Blind Pig disc is a live release by Albert Cummings, Feel So Good, that I would describe as a blues-tinged hard rock date as opposed to a blues. A power guitarist, just supported by bass and trio. He bellows out his vocals while hammering out some sizzling guitar pyrotechnics. The opening Party Right Here, and the succeeding Why Me, have a flavor not dissimilar from what one might see/hear on CMT or some contemporary country stations, although a bit more rocked out and certainly not sung with any great distinction, and taken at breakneck tempos. Sleep, a somewhat dreamy rock ballad is taken at a slow tempo with a more relaxed vocal and nice thoughtful guitar. A medley of Hootchie Cootchie with Dixie Chicken owes more to the Allman Brothers, Z.Z. Hill and other southern boogie rockers than Muddy Waters or B.B. King which also is evident by Barrelhouse Blues, which evokes Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile, while Your Own Way, is musically suggestive of All Along the Watchtower, with a long-extended screaming guitar solo, Cummings does a creditable hard-rock rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Rock & Roll, which indicates where the core of Cummins’ musical heart is. He bellows out that the Blues Makes Me Feel So Good, but this disc must not be the blues, because it don’t make me feel that way.