JP Soars Promising Debut CD

Boca Raton guitarist and singer, JP Soars, was the 2009 winner of the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge where he also won the Albert king Award for Best Guitarist. He took an unusual path to the blues having initially played in heavy metal bands. later as his musical pursuits took him into gypsy jazz he started developing a passion for the blues. He has a self-produced debut album, Back of Mind.


Soars playing on this displays none of his early heavy metal music days. He has become a deft guitarist who has become quite a versatile player incorporating elements of T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and others. On this he is backed by his Red Hots, bassist Gary Rimmington and drummer Chris Peet. There is a good mix on this recording, opening with the trio on a hopping jump blues, his autobiographical, Born In California Raise In Arkansas, followed by an augmented band that includes saxophonist Terry Hanck for Guitar Slim’s Letter to My Girl Friend, with Hanck ripping off a hot tenor sax solo before Soars rips off a hot solo in the Guitar Slim-early Johnny Watson vein. Of the songs that Soars covers, this one is probably closest to the original.


Soars’ marbles in mouth vocals with some backing vocals revive Willie Dixon’s 29 Ways, while his original Will I Ever, is a nice soul tinged ballad. His rendition of Muddy Waters’ Gypsy Woman, reworks the Delta blues into how Boz Scaggs may have done it in the seventies with a solid tenor sax solo, atmospheric organ from John Epstein and terrific guitar playing. There is a hot T-Bone Walker shuffle that almost has a rockabilly feel and J.B. Lenoir’s dirge-like Been Down So Long becomes a late-night modern blues. This disc closes with on an acoustic vein with the low-key blues Baby I Used to Follow You, and the marvelous nod to gypsy jazz Blue Drag.


JP Soars is a marvelous musician who brings a fresh approach to some classic older blues. The only negative is that his gruff vocals are not on the same level which is a shame because there is plenty to like about this. It is available from cdbaby.com.


I received my review copy from a publicist for this release and wrote this review in 2009 but I do not believe it was published.

Grady Champion's "Dreamin'"

In the liner notes of his new CD Dreamin’ (GSM), Grady Champion recalls the year that followed his winning the 2010 International Blues Challenge presented by the Blues Foundation. It was a year that brought him recognition, both locally and internationally. Dreamin’ is a follow-up to Back In Mississippi Live At The 930 Blues Cafe which was rereleased on Earwig last year. This recording is produced by Zac Harmon and Christopher Troy who provide most of the backing for Champion on this.

About the earlier record I wrote. “The albums strengths include the fact that Grady is a terrific vocalist who exhibits considerable personality and enthusiasm as he sings … He is an effective, credible harp player if not a virtuoso, with Rice Miller being an obvious influence.” These comments apply (although I might suggest Detroit’s Little Sonny is a similar harp stylist to Champion) to the present recording opening with a strutting My Rooster Is King where he forcefully sings backed by his overdubbed harp about the rooster that spreads his wings and rules the roost. The title song, has an effective employment of a vocal chorus, as he sings about dreaming of loving his girl like no one before. There is some effective tremolo laced guitar backing his vocal.


Weight of the World is an attractive soul ballad with Troy adding accordion sounding fills on his keyboards. Guilty As Charged, with an emphatic accompaniment, has an intriguing lyric about proclaiming his love while cheating and breaking his woman’s heart as a harp riff punctuates his vocal. Harmon and Champion collaborated on Same Train with an urgent vocal of waiting at the station for the train to bring his baby back. Make That Monkey Jump is a simple dance number while Cross That Bridge is a southern soul number about a couple sneaking behind their spouses and knowing its wrong but unable to stop. A straight down in the alley groove frames Thank You For Giving Me the Blues, with a strong vocal. Harmon is striking on guitar here. The backing vocals detracts from the country flavor of “Laugh, Smile, Cry Sometimes” (whose melody suggests Ray Charles’ I Got a Woman). Zac Harmon takes a spoken vocal on the closing Walk With Me Baby, that sounds like a funky 2011 equivalent of Scratch My Back as Champion’s harp adds atmosphere.

Grady Champion brings an animated, fervent style to his music and with a varied program of material. If not a world class harp player, his playing does compliment his strong singing. Dreamin’ will undoubtedly please his fans and make him new ones.

I received a review copy of this from a publicist.

Little Joe McLerran Strong Traditional Blues

Listening to the opening field holler inspired fragment “Ratty,” followed by some Delta to Chicago slide guitar “Believe I’ll Make a Change,” was this person’s introduction to the music of Little Joe McLerran, and it certainly caught my attention. McLerran was the 2009 winner of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in the solo-duo category, and his latest recording on Roots Born Reborn, “Believe I’ll Make a Change.”

McLerran was originally from the Boulder area and started playing in a band at the age of 9 playing Beatles, Bob Markey and old-time blues from Big Bill, Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt. When the family moved to Tulsa, his music grew resulting in several recordings as well as winning the IBC. The present recording includes several solo performances as well as several with his band. I appreciate his splendid musicianship as well as his creative use of older material and his band that subtly embellishes his lead.

Just like the title track is a nice adaptation of an old Casey Bill Weldon number, “Down at the Village Store” is a lively, mellow Washboard Sam shuffle, with Dexter Payne’s reed adding a bass line, while Jack Wolfe’s restrained and subdued organ adds to the performance’s swing. Special kudos must be given to drummer Ron McRorey, who uses brushes on the last number. “Cocktails For Two,” is a solid Piedmont -blues styled original with McLerran’s Blind Boy Fuller-ish guitar runs complemented by Payne’s harmonica. The low-key reworking of Leroy Carr’s “Blues Before Sunrise,” is striking again because of the down-home trio and his relaxed, moving, vocal. A bit of old-time blues is provided by the interpretation of the Delmore Brothers’ “Blue Railroad Train,” indicating his wide ears for strong material as well as a being an additional showcase for his adept finger-style guitar.

On “Duck Yas,” Payne’s slap-tongue sax and bluesy clarinet adds a bit of traditional jazz to this delightful piece of hokum blues, while the traditional gospel number“Jesus Make Up My Dyin’ Bed,” is taken at a lively tempo set by McRorey, with McLerran playing some nice, precise slide runs. It is followed by a lovely small group rendition of Blind Willie McTell’s “B&O Blues,” with Payne’s harp in the musical mix. The band is a bit more energized on a rocking rendition of Homesick James’ “Baby Please Set a Date,” and again it is striking how with how much restraint he plays with avoiding the sometimes hyperactive renditions of say a George Thorogood. After an unusual original blues ballad about a Memphis policeman on the beat, and a Big Bill inspired “She’s Got Something,” where he celebrates his “sweet wife,” Little Joe closes with another field holler. It is a fitting close to a gem of a recording.

Little Joe McLerran understands that the mere possession of formidable musical technique does not translate into strong blues performances and he understands the value of restraint, both vocally and instrumentally, in putting together strong musical performances. He is also familiar and respectful of the blues tradition, yet places his own stamp on that tradition resulting in this gem of a recording. Recommended.


This review originally appeared in the January15-March 1, 2010 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 323) on page 8. Minor stylistic changes have been made.


For FTC regulations purposes, my review copy was supplied by a publicist for this artist or recording label.

Grady Champion's Down Home Harp and Blues

Mississippian, Grady Champion, has been singing the blues and playing harmonica for a number of years, having self-produced his debut CD and then he had two albums on Shanachie before returning home to Canton, Mississippi in 2002, where he played locally with Eddie Cotton before putting together The Grady Champion revue. In 2007 he recorded the CD, “Back In Mississippi Live At The 930 Blues Cafe,” that was issued on GSM. Earlier this year, he was the winning performer at the International Blues Challenge and is appearing on a number of major festivals as a result. Earwig has just taken over the distribution of “Back in Mississippi Live.”

I have had the original release of this and have listened to it at various times over the past two years. the albums strengths include the fact that Grady is a terrific vocalist who exhibits considerable personality and enthusiasm as he sings and has a first-rate backing band with stand-out guitar from Eddie Cotton (his playing on “Lonesome Bedroom Blues,” is simply one example of his exceptional guitar playing throughout this recording). We do not need new recordings of “I’m Ready,” or “Spoonful,” but he does place his own vocal stamp here as well as on the hard-edged “Baby What You Want Me Do.” He is an effective, credible harp player if not a virtuoso, with Rice Miller being an obvious influence. Champion is also writes some very interesting original material including “You Got Some Explaining To Do,” with a nice funky groove as he tells his woman that too many of her stories just don’t add up or ring true, or “1-800-Blu-Love,” the number for a woman to call when her man ain’t at home. The latter number has a nice harp break.

There is social commentary on “Policeman Blues,” where he sings about being stopped and beaten by Mr. Policeman. It is curious how restrained Grady’s lyrics are compared to the language a rapper would use (and there is a rapper on this track who is a bit more direct about this mistreatment). Of the songs covered here, the slow, doomy rendition of “Lonesome Bedroom Blues,” stands out,” with Cotton’s afore-mentioned guitar playing and Grady’s fine singing. “Love and Memories,” is a heartfelt R&B ballad dedicated to his mother’s memory. “Wine and Women,” don’t mix and leave you with a terrible fix is the message of the rocking shuffle that Grady and Eddie Cotton co-wrote and is followed by “Brother, Brother,” which oddly evokes (in these ears) the Doobie Brothers with a nice groove and rhythm, and then a lovely ballad, “I’m Yours,” as he sings “your my heart, my everything … you can count on me, I’m your lover, I’m your friend, I’m your man.” The disc closes with a fine holiday blues, Grady’s “Blues on Christmas.”

There’s plenty of music here (71 minutes or so), and even if some of the material might be too familiar, there is much new material, some being really exceptional. It is helpful that Earwig has picked this up that along with Grady’s greater visibility from winning the IBC, should ensure that he becomes a more familiar name to the blues world.


For purposes of FTC regulations, I was sent this by the publicist handling Earwig releases.

Is this the Future of the Blues? Not Too Bright a Future If You Ask Me!

I must confess that I was not overwhelmed by the initial album by The Homemade Jamz Blues Band and seeing them play live, my impression was not changed much. Well they have a new Northern Blues CD, "I Got Blues For You," which I doubt I will listen to much any more. So what if I am older than their combined ages and they play these cute guitars. I mean at 15 years old, Grace Lee recorded with Lee Konitz and was his musical equal. She sounds like she was playing sax on some classic Blue Note Recordings. Sugar Chile Robinson recorded at a comparable age to these Mississippi teenagers, and made boogie woogie recordings marked by a rhythmic complexity and swing that exceeded his years and stand up today as solid piano blues. Not the case here. It does not help that the rhythms of bassist Kyle Perry and his sister Tara just plod along. The original songs by the trio's father Renaud come across as generic with little to distinguish them. While the oldest of the siblings, Ryan, continues to show promise as a guitarist and a singer, the songs and the accompaniment help prevent his performances from being memorable. I wish I could be encouraging about them, but they need to show more than a mere competence at playing musical instruments and show how they can swing, rock and funk it up, as opposed to merely pounding out a simple groove without any rhythmic nuance.