Matthew Skoller Blues Immigrant

Matthew Skoller
Blues Immigrant
Tongue 'N Groove Records

Harmonica player Matthew Skoller has been playing blues in Chicago for decades working with the likes of Jimmy Rodgers Blues Band, Big Daddy Kinsey and the Kinsey Report, Big Time Sarah and the BTS Express, and Deitra Farr Blues Band. Skoller played an important part on the Blues Music Award winning "Chicago Blues: A Living History," produced two albums by Lurrie Bell and plays on Lurrie's new recording, "Can't Shake This Feeling." He has his new release featuring his singing and songwriting in addition to his harp work. On this he is backed by a fine band including Johnny Iguana - Keyboards; Felton Crews - Bass;, Giles Corey - Guitar; Eddie Taylor Jr. - Guitar; Marc Wilson -  Drums; with Mike Avery and Stevie Robinson - Background Vocals and Carlos Johnson - guest Lead Guitarist.

Skoller lays down a varied program of Chicago harmonica blues with some interesting twists and displays flair in harp playing and appeals as a singer. Songs range from the opening topical blues lamenting how the Walmarts and similar stores have shut down the mom and pop stores, "Big Box Store Blues," a modernization of Sonny Boy Williamson I's "Welfare Store Blues," as well as "The Devil Ain't Got No Music", which is why his home is hell. The title song mixes his life with topical themes as well as considers cultural appropriation as he asks does he need a green card to play the blues while observing how Reagan shrunk the government while the war machine expanded. This is followed by his "Only in the Blues" with his ironic lyrics about the latest young sensation outselling B.B. and Buddy, and while Foundations and Clubs claim to be keeping the blues alive, bands make 250 for four or five while playing three 60's singing to drinks.

In between a rant about the greedy with their contempt for the poor ("Story of Greed"), and celebrating "My Get It Done Woman," Skoller covers Cool Papa Sadler's "747" about his woman who left him and caught a 747 because a Greyhound runs to slow and there ain't no tracks in the sky. It is an enjoyable rendition although not as satisfying as the Joe Louis Walker recording of a couple decades back. There is an original instrumental, the appealing, funky "Organ Mouth," a solid rendition of Luther 'Georgia Snake Boy' Johnson's shuffle, "Get Down to the Nitty Gritty" (with some fine piano from Iguana), and a closing slow harmonica feature, Papa Lightfoot's "Blue Lights."

Skoller has provided us with a wonderful recording of varied performances that are splendidly played. The pace of these performances also stand out, as they never come across as hurried or rushed. Matthew Skoller finally has his own fine recording to join those excellent ones he has contributed to.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Matthew performing "Get Down to the Nitty Gritty" from Blues Immigrant.
 

Lurrie Bell Can't Shake This Feeling

Lurrie Bell
Can't Shake This Feeling
Delmark

The Mercurial Son, Lurrie Bell has a new recording on Delmark "Cant Shake This Feeling" finding this singular guitarist and singer backed by a first-rate band of Roosevelt Purifoy on keyboards, Matthew Skoller on harmonica, Melvin Smith on bass and Willie Hayes on drums. Produced by Dick Shurman, Lurrie wrote or co-wrote 4 of the 13 songs, and the other songs here are not ones that have been over-recorded with perhaps "Sinner's Prayer" being the best known.

Lurrie's unpredictability makes him such a fascinating guitarist to listen to and this is evident starting with the opening "Blues Is Trying to Keep up with Me," which he penned as well as his solo on Eddie Boyd's shuffle "Drifting," with Skoller and Purifoy also soloing. Lurrie's natural, slightly gritty vocals add to the appeal. There is some nice string popping on a lesser know T-Bone Walker number "I Get So Weary," while he unplugs for "One-Eyed Woman" backed only by Skoller. Another strong original, the slow, moody "This Worrisome Feeling in My Heart," is followed by a cover of one of Willie Dixon's lesser songs, "Sit Down Baby." Lurrie can not do much on this cover of Otis Rush's Cobra recording of this song.

A brisk Little Milton cover "Hold Me Tight," is followed by a nice interpretation of "Sinner's Prayer," that sounds adapted from Ray Charles. There is a nice walking groove of Lurrie's "I Can't Shake This Feeling," a gem that sounds like it came from Willie Dixon's pen with Skoller's backing harp sounding strong along with a typically distinctive Bell solo. Lurrie sings and plays his heart out on Buster Benton's "Born With The Blues," followed by Carey Bell's shuffle "Do You Hear." Bell also does a rendition of Willie Dixon's "Hidden Charms." If Lurrie is among the few guitarists who can conjure up Hubert Sumlin, he lacks Howlin' Wolf's vocal authority, which exposes this song as a lesser Willie Dixon lyric.

"Can't Shake This Feeling" closes with the reflective original (co-penned with Shurman) "Faith and Music" with just Lurrie on electric guitar. The music here is generally exceptional although there are a couple of lesser performances. Still, Lurrie Bell is one of most singular talents today in the blues.

I received my review copy from Delmark. I have revised for this blog the review that originally appeared in the November-December 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 369) (downloadable at jazz-blues.com). Here is Lurrie in performance.

Lurrie Bell Knows That The Devil Ain’t Got No Music

A new Lurrie Bell recording, The Devil Ain’t Got No Music (Aria B.G. Records), represents a double departure from Bell’s prior recordings. First of all the album focuses on the sacred side of Lurrie’s repertoire and secondly the performances are rendered in a stripped down vein, mostly acoustically. Part of its origins was the years growing up as a child with his grandparents in the South that Lurrie spent playing and singing in church. After moving North, where he become known for his blues guitar and vocals, Bell would sing and play many of the songs heard on this new release around his home. The Devil Ain’t Got No Music was produced by Matthew Skoller and in addition to Bell, has guests Joe Louis Walker, Billy Branch, Josef Ben Israel, Kenny ‘Beedy Eyes’ Smith, and Bill Sims, Jr.

Its a bit more informal sounding than Lurrie’s electric blues recordings with producer Skoller presenting the performances in a variety of settings ranging from the opening Swing Low, Lurrie’s personalized interpretation of Swing Low Sweet Chariot, where his guitar and vocals are backed by Smith’s percussion and Sims’ hand claps as he vocally riffs on “swing low.” Joe Louis Walker contributes slide guitar and backing vocal to It’s a Blessing, while Lurrie’s vocals and guitar are joined by backing vocal on Thomas Dorsey’s Search Me Lord. Don’t Let the Devil Ride is one of several songs on the theme of stay away from the devil with Lurrie’s trebly guitar evocative of Magic Sam with Kenny Smith’s supportive drumming. On Muddy Waters’ Why Don’t You Live So God Can Use You, Lurrie’s self-accompaniment channels Lay My Burden Down.

The title track was written by producer Skoller and based on a quote from Mavis Staples. With a small combo (with Skoller on harp) Bell notes the devil has fire, horns and a tail but the devil has no music so that’s why his home is hell. On Thomas Dorsey’s “Peace of the Valley” Bell adds string slapping while Joe Louis Walker adds whining slide accents to the fervent vocal. Smith’s percussion and Cynthia Butts background vocals are the stark backing for Bell’s delivery of Tom Waits’ Way Down In The Hole, which is where you want to keep the devil.

Bill Sims adds second guitar as well as provides the arrangement to Lo and Beyond, while Joe Louis Walker and Sims add their clapping and enthusiasm as Lurrie shouts I’ll Get To Heaven On My Own, which Walker wrote. Billy Branch is part of the unplugged small Chicago blues styled backing on Trouble In My Way, with Mike Avery and James Teague adding their backing voices.

The Devil Ain’t Got No Music concludes with a lengthy, solo rendition of Reverend Gary Davis’ Death Have No Mercy. As noted, it presents a definite different musical side of Bell. Bell sings with passion while the emphatic, percussive manner of his guitar style is evident. The unusual twists and turns his guitar playing often take is less prevalent but still it is certainly a release that is well worth checking out.

I received a review copy from a publicist for this release.

Chicago Bluesman Toronzo Cannon Is In A Leaving Mood

A Chicago native, singer-guitarist Toronzo Cannon has been playing professionally since 1997 since playing with vocalist Tommy McCracken at the Taste of Chicago. Since that time he has developed musically and developed a driving, searing style that strike me as suggestive as Son Seals. His influences range from Muddy, Elmore to Tyrone Davis and Johnnie Taylor, with his ears open to Bob Marley, John Mellancamp and Jimi Hendrix.

Delmark has just issued a new CD Leaving Mood that follows up 2007 a self-produced CD. He is backed by rhythm guitarist Lawrence Gladney, keyboardist Roosevelt Purifoy, bassist Larry Williams, and drummer Marty Binder with guest appearances by guitarist Carl Weathersby and harmonica player Matthew Skoller. Its a tight band with a rocking style. Nearly all of the songs are originals from Cannon and/or Gladney and there are a varied bunch.

She Loved Me has echoes of Hound Dog Taylor’s She’s Gone with Gladney’s slashing rhythm guitar figure as Cannon sings about his woman who committed murder in first degree before Cannon takes a searing solo. With Skoller adding harp, Cannon’s shuffle Chico’s Gone (For Chico Banks) is an affectionate tribute to the late Chicago bluesman where he issues his regrets of not saying goodbye to his friend. cannon sings about not being to get over an old lover on Gladney’s soulful Come On, while the two collaborated on the funky I Believe where his woman knows about what is going on while playing games that mess with Toronzo’s head.

Hard Luck is an original slow, topical blues about losing his job and it being hard on man when one tries to get by as the bills pile up and savings won’t go far with Carl Weathersby taking then first scorch the earth solo with the two both taking solos after the final verses. Open Letter (To Whom It May Concern), has his vocal distorted (sounding as if he was singing through a harmonica mike) as he sings about the backbiting, dog-eat-dog stuff that goes only some in the blues scene with Skoller adding nice harp embellishments on this before Cannon’ solo which makes use of the lower strings and guitar effects as Gladney and rhythm lay down in an understated manner an insistent groove. One of the few songs not written by Cannon is his sensual rendition of Nina Simone’s smokey Do I Move You, which provides a nice change in feel.”

Whether talking about the woman who will drink away Toronzo’s gig money on I Can’t Take Her Nowhere, or waiting for his woman who can make him feel so small so that he is in a Leaving Mood, Cannon and Gladney have provided us with some fresh songs and a distinctive approach that has led Alligator’s Bruce Iglauer to provide his endorsement for this “contemporary blues statement” on the back cover noting it has “a slew of striking, original songs with performances full of swaggering power and confidence.” The music at times may be a bit too upfront for my ‘taste,’ but that is a matter of preference. Cannon is a strong singer and the band here is terrific. The result is this album that certainly will make those listening to the blues taking notice.

I received my review copy from Delmark.


On "The Real Blues Forum" on Facebook, Stefan Wirz provided a youtube link. I am providing a different link since this is one the songs in the CD.