Richard Wilkins – Life’s For Livin’

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Richard Wilkins - Life's For Livin'

Richard Wilkins

Life’s For Livin’
Self release

Review by Anni Piper

Originally from sunny California, Richard Wilkins has made Portland his home and obviously rode the rails into the blues scene here in a big way. Wilkins is a vocalist, bassist, saxophonist and composer. That’s quite a mouthful if you try to say it out loud! According to the liner notes, Wilkins has two big passions in life: blues music and trains. Chugga chugga choo choo, indeed.

The packaging, performances and production are all great. Wilkins lays it down on bass, while Kevin Selfe rips it up on guitar. “Richmond” is a standout as one of the handful of originals on the album. It’s a country-flavored ballad with some lovely pedal steel from Don Brainard. “Hydramatic Woman” features a frenzied barrelhouse piano solo from Steve Kerin, and some super snappy snare work from Jimi Bott in this old school rock ’n’ roller.

This album’s very danceable, and I’m sure it’s also perfect for shunting, or whatever it is that locomotives do. Catch the Richard Wilkins band in our Journey to Memphis competition next month. This release is available on BandCamp and all the streaming platforms.

Total time: 43 minutes

Howlin for My Darling / Help Me / Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby / Here I Come Mama / Honest I Do / Life’s for Livin’ / You Don’t Have to Go / Night Train / Richmond / Hydramatic Woman / I Don’t Drink No More / Running On Faith

Angela Easley – Rise

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Angela Easley - Rise

Angela Easley

Rise
Class A Records

Review by Anni Piper

Lush is the first word that springs to mind when I hear the arrangements on this album. If it were a floral bouquet, Easley’s work wouldn’t be a bunch of lazy daisies but rather orchids and lilies in colorful masses, the kind of vegetation that only thrives when it’s hot and steamy. Easley has collaborated multiple times with producer Walter Scott, who has created a beautiful palette of sounds to highlight each composition.

Easley is a composer, vocalist and pianist who recorded her first album at age 14. Her impressive biography includes a recent award from the International Singer Songwriter Association. Based in Nashville, one can hear the diverse influences on her songwriting, from blues to country, gospel and soul.

Although there are a few breakup songs, the album “Rise” remains positive and hopeful. Easley writes from a place where she has come to terms with her emotions and is in a mood of forgiveness, with tracks like “I Can Let Go,” featuring the McCrary sisters. Which is nice, because I don’t think the “I’m Coming to Slash Your Tires Blues” would have had quite the same charm.

At only 26 minutes, it’s more EP length than full album, and sure to leave you wanting more.

Total time: 26 minutes

I Can Let Go / Runnin’ Out of Time / Rise / Don’t Let the Devil Down / One More Last Time / Crazy Rain

The Love Light Orchestra – Leave The Light On

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The Love Light Orchestra - Leave The Light On

The Love Light Orchestra

Leave the Light On
Nola Blue Records

Review by Randy Murphy

The joy of listening to so many new music releases is that occasionally an album comes across my desk that reminds me of why I fell in love with this music so many years ago. Such is the case with The Love Light Orchestra’s debut recording “Leave the Light On.”

Oh, man — I adore this record. It effortlessly creates the image of a smoky, poorly lit Memphis roadhouse on a steamy summer evening in, say, 1956. The record has it all — sweaty horns, a sturdy, soulful rhythm section, stirring, combustible vocals, saucy lyrics — and it’s altogether wonderful from beginning to end.

I usually try to avoid hyperbole, but every cut on this album is just terrific, from the loping blues shuffle of “Tricklin’ Down,” the energized sway of “Follow the Queen,” to the album’s only cover, a piercing rendition of B.B. King’s 1950s blues hit “3 O’Clock Blues.” This last tune offers the opportunity for the horn section (Scott Thompson on trumpet, Jason Yasinsky on trombone, Art Edmaiston on tenor sax and Kirk Smothers on baritone sax) to weave a potent spell around Joe Restivo’s incendiary guitar playing. This record is simply chocked full of splendid and authentic Memphis-style blues and soul.

It’s a difficult chore to place one cut above the rest, but if forced to pick one, it would have to be the languid “Time is Fading Fast.” Here, John Németh’s stunning vocals, at once subtle and dazzling, are to my ears, his best work on the album. And given the quality of his singing throughout the record, that’s saying something indeed. This tune begins with a gentle swing and builds to an explosive vortex of intoxicating vocals and whirling horns. Heady stuff, this.

I can’t recommend this album enough, and the fact that it’s their debut release makes it even more remarkable. I imagine, given the energy and potency of the record, The Love Light Orchestra is absolutely killer live.

Total Time: 34:18

Time is Fading Fast / Come On Moon / Give Me a Break / I Must Confess / 3 O’Clock Blues / After All / Tricklin’ Down / Open Book / Leave the Light On / Follow the Queen

Peter Veteska and Blues Train – So Far So Good

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Peter Veteska and Blues Train - So Far So Good

Peter Veteska and Blues Train

So Far So Good
Blue Heart Records

Review by Anni Piper

This album is like a textbook, and trust me, dear listeners, that doesn’t mean to say that it is dry and dull, but more an endorsement of the accuracy of the grooves that are presented to us. It just ticks all the boxes, each song like a chapter on how to play the blues.

Veteska is in the New York Blues Hall of Fame and has released six albums in seven years, two of which were chosen as the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation’s IBC entries for Best Self-Produced CD. Like many of our bandleaders, Veteska is a guitarist, singer and composer. He has great tone, great approach, and a great circle of friends. Jeff Levine on keyboards lends such excitement to the opening track, and Jenny Barnes on vocals has total control and unlimited sass in her delivery.

“Young Bold Women,” a James Cotton cover, is one of my favorites. This tune is absolutely raucous, and so much lively fun as we move seamlessly from rumba to swing. Veteska and band  – Coo Moe Jhee on bass and Alex D’Agnese on drums – are from New Jersey, a popular spring break destination, where one is sure to find young, bold women aplenty. Their state created Snooki, so surely the local gigs for Veteska must get fairly hectic.

The closing track, “Can’t We All Get Along,” is like the espresso shot at the end of a fine meal. What a way to finish with this original mid-tempo funk/soul ballad. The vocal harmonies and picturesque minor chord changes make this the perfect bittersweet ending.

Total time: 54 minutes

Done With Bad Luck / I’ve Got the Blues This Morning / I Miss You So / My One and Only Muse / Young Bold Women / Lovin’ Oven / You Gave Me Nothin’ but the Blues / Low Down Dirty Blues / Baby Please / East Coast Blues / So Far So Good / Can’t We All Get Along

Roger ‘Hurricane’ Wilson – A Spiritual Awakening

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Roger 'Hurricane' Wilson - A Spiritual Awakening

Roger ‘Hurricane’ Wilson

A Spiritual Awakening
CD Baby

Review by Kirk Anderson

Roger got his “Hurricane” nickname from decades of scorching blues guitar riffs as he performed and taught guitar for more than 50 years.  Behind him are over a dozen studio and live albums/CDs, mostly released by Blue Storm Records as well as thousands of live gigs.  I’ve always loved the way his Johnny Cash cantor in his singing played deeper than most of his contemporary blues singers but proved to be a signature that many others have copied.

Roger has worked all over the spectrum of musical life from being on the Advisory Board of the Georgia Music Industry Association to a judge at the International Blues Challenge to radio DJ to an educator to music journalist.  Through everything, his namesake has always let listeners know what to expect in his guitar style whether in the studio or on the stage.

Roger has stood toe to toe with the likes of Albert Collins, Les Paul, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Magic Slim as well as Taj Mahal, Little Milton and B.B. King, just to name a very few that I remember and saw in my research.

As the story of Robert Johnson starts with an unassuming blues guitarist with a fire in his soul making a deal with the devil, Roger’s story goes the opposite way.  His latest CD, “A Spiritual Awakening,” is the product of a lifelong search that many of us have had or are going through.  A lifetime in the blues tends to test one’s moral compass.  In the 30 years that I have seen Roger play and interact with other musicians and fans, whether he knew it or not, his moral compass always leaned in the right direction.

Brenda Lorenz’s article about “A Spiritual Awakening” in Beat Atlanta Online Magazine relates that Roger is trying to spread some positivity with this latest offering. She talks about someone who influenced Roger early in life, and that well describes how Roger became a man who shared his talent and gave unselfishly to other musicians and fans alike:

“The ‘Awakening’ begins with the beautiful artwork that adorns the cover of this album.  This is the All Saints Episcopal Church in Midtown (Atlanta).  In the early ‘60s, Fannie Mae Alonso, Roger’s grandmother and acclaimed Atlanta artist, created this inspiring work of art.  She is also credited for inspiring Roger to pursue his dream of music.”

Roger also has an autobiography called “Hurricane” (http://hurricanewilson.com/the-book-hurricane/), in which he shares with readers his experiences as a 6-year-old taking guitar lessons, through countless live performances and how the music and his life intermingled for the next 50 years.

You all know I’ve only been with the Cascade Blues Association for a few months and I am learning more and more about this wonderful group.  Many blues associations are pretty stuffy about sticking to the old Mississippi Delta or Chicago bluesmen and women PERIOD.  As I discussed the possible inclusion of this review, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the CBA is willing to open its wings to all of the types of music directly under the blues umbrella extending to its fringes.

From the opening tune, “It’s Gonna Be Like That,” you are immediately hit with that same bluesy smooth voice.  Roger’s guitar work takes a different direction than all of his other discs and live performances.  His 50 years of blues always finds its way into each of the originally penned and arranged songs on the CD.   But this CD seems to be a tribute to Fannie Mae Alonso as well as an homage to the peace he has found. These tunes also seem to document the stormy road through the blues that provided so many trials for Hurricane over the years.

It was a really nice surprise to open my mind to the unexpected subject matter which holds this CD together.  It was no surprise to hear the stellar vocals and guitar that Roger has been nurturing since he was 6 years old.

Roger lays his heart bare for the listener… something you don’t really get too much anymore.

Total time: 40:36

It’s Gonna Be Like That / God Works in Wonderful Ways / You Can’t Do It Alone / New Lease on Life / Turn It All Over to Him / Lord You Really Made My Day / Thinking Positive / Lord Knows / Everything’s Gonna Be OK / I’m On Your Side.

Chickenbone Slim – Serve It To Me Hot

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Chickenbone Slim - Serve It To Me Hot

Chickenbone Slim

Serve It to Me Hot
Vizztone Records

Review by Anni Piper

I promised myself, with some variety of Girl Guide unbreakable vow, that I would not, under any circumstances, allow myself to talk about sex when I reviewed this disc. And then, I got about as far as sucking the marrow out of those chicken bones, and the rest is history.

Any blues fan worth their salt, or their lard, will be familiar with the colorful cast that’s featured on this recording from Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios. For the uninitiated, Greaseland lies somewhere between Graceland and the Versace palace on the blues spectrum, a recording studio where mere mortals may go to be elevated to fashionista stadium filler status.

Calling San Diego home, this guitarist, vocalist and composer, Slim (aka Larry Teves) doesn’t start with a PSA about being careful what you put in your mouth. But I will. Oh, geez, I know those chicken bones are tempting, but you could choke if you’re not careful. Perhaps it would be a more sanguine, dignified death than the modern plague that is so in vogue, but I feel we are no longer keeping score at this late stage of the game.

Bandleader Slim wrangles a stellar cast of performers, most notably Laura Chavez of Candye Kane band fame. Slim dedicates an entire track, “Queen of the Wires,” to her six-string prowess. “She’s a lady she’ll cut off your head, melt your face and leave you for dead,” he shouts. It’s like Xena the warrior princess, legs akimbo, ululating (you will hear more of that in “Hey Shakalo”), jumping on your shoulders, then snapping your neck with a twist of her hip adductors. But of course, that imagery would leave us all with some kind of residual longing, and I made a pinky swear before I committed to this, that I would behave.

Marty Dodson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds on drums adds the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar to this recording along with Andrew Crane on bass. This entire ensemble knows when to stay in their lane, and I don’t mean to say that this recording is pedestrian at all. It’s passionate, inspired and frankly kick-ass.

Everything about this disc is quality, from the songwriting to the performances, production and artwork. This is so deeply reminiscent of one of my favorite albums, “Rockin’ Sugar Daddy,” by Sugar Ray and the Bluetones. I’m trying to find a flaw, because I love being the Cruella de Ville of the blues scene, but Slim is making it difficult to skin his Dalmatians. I’ll take all 100 and one of them.

Total time: 50 minutes

Serve It to Me Hot / Wild Eyed Woman / Queen of the Wires / Ought to Be Loved / Love to Be True / Squares Everywhere / Top of the Clouds / Laying in the Weeds / Crying Tonight / Hey Shakalo / I Will Stand for You / City Girl / Hook Me Up

Dionne Bennett – Sugar Hip Ya Ya

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Dionne Bennett - Sugar Hip Ya Ya

Dionne Bennett

Sugar Hip Ya Ya
Hunnia Records

Review by John Taylor

Dionne Bennett has seen – and conquered — a lot of the world. And the British-West Indian singer-songwriter has been around the block enough to find her way around without having to ask for directions.

She’s toured Europe, appeared with the likes of Dr. John, Maceo Parker and Oasis, collaborated with folks like Rhys Ifans, and recorded with jazz pianist Jason Rebello and Grammy-winning saxophonist Tim Garland.

She was even one of the “Bluettes” in the Blue Brothers musical.

So if she wants to open her newest album with Etta James’ 1968 classic, “Tell Mama,” well, hey. We’d say she’s earned the right.

But that’s only the beginning of this all-over-the-map album.

“Sugar Hip Ya Ya,” recorded in Hungary with a tight group of local musicians that producer and performer Little G Weevil pulled together, rolls easily from R&B to funk, reggae to soul, and from gospel to rock ‘n’ roll.

Little G Weevil chips in with lead guitar and vocals, along with guitarist Laszlo Borsodi, bassist Attila Herr, drummer Lajos Gyenge and keyboardist Matyas Premecz. The Jambalaya Horns – with Tamas Sovari on trumpet and Zoltan Albert on sax — round out the sound.

From that first, crisp cut, the music is full, vivid and smooth. And Bennett’s vocal versatility has room to roam, slipping effortlessly from get-up-and-dance tracks like “Spy Me” and “Get It Right” to powerful anthems like “Let It Rain,” which features a moving sample of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “We Shall Overcome” speech.

Little G Weevil wrote or co-wrote eight of the original songs on the album, but Bennett defines them.

Her “Full Time Job” will ring especially true with any musician who’s endured well-intentioned friends and family members counseling against pursuing a career onstage. And Bennett’s impressive range comes into play on the modern torch ballad, “Don’t Fall for Love.”

So go ahead and “Tell Mama.” Dionne Bennett’s “Sugar Hip Ya Ya” is definitely going places.

Don’t get left behind.

Total Time: 46:26

Tell Mama / Sugar Hip Ya Ya / Spy Me / My Life / Full Time Job / Yes We Can Can / Let It Rain / Don’t Fall for Love / Get It Right / Get Style

Mississippi MacDonald – Do Right Say Right

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Mississippi MacDonald – Do Right Say Right

Mississippi MacDonald

Do Right, Say Right
Another Planet Music Ltd

Review by Anni Piper

Fortunately for the listener, Mississippi MacDonald isn’t trying to sell us the tasteless generic recipe of his namesake. A young British blues sensation, but one with plenty of experience, this is his sixth studio album. It’s bump-and-grind blues from beginning to end from this vocalist, guitarist and composer. MacDonald certainly has a way about him — just take a listen to the saucy “Let Me Explore Your Mind.” I must say I find the prospect of some nice gentleman asking me about my fantasies far more alluring than the usual bluesman suggestion of “Why don’t you come over here and check out my little red rooster?” Or even worse, “Squeeze my lemon.” Spare me, please.

Back to the bumping and grinding for a moment. In “Your Wife Is Cheating On Us,” the only cover song on the album, MacDonald righteously belts out the Denise LaSalle (Little Milton for the male gendered version) classic. But honestly, why get uptight about it? According to the 2012 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior conducted by Indiana University School of Public Health, 4% of Americans are in a polyamorous relationship of some sort. Maybe MacDonald just didn’t lay out the ground rules to his girlfriend in a clear and succinct manner. Many relationship misunderstandings can be avoided this way, but then I suppose we wouldn’t have any blues emotions and situations left to sing about.

One element I must applaud is the use of dynamics in tracks like “If You Want a Good Cup of Coffee.” This is the first album I’ve listened to in a while that doesn’t just plod along at the same volume throughout. A tight band is given great direction by keyboardist, engineer and producer Phil Dearing. This is an excellent release, but if I were the Fairy Godmother of the Blues and could change just one thing with a wave of my magic wand, I would drop in a real horn section instead of using Dearing to take on this role. As one who has personal experience selling ice to the Eskimos, you had better make sure the ice has no cracks in it.

Total time: 46 minutes

I Was Wrong / I Heard It Twice / It Can’t Hurt Me / Drinker’s Blues / Let Me Explore Your Mind / That’s It I Quit / If You Want a Good Cup of Coffee / Keep Your Hands Out of My Pocket / Your Wife Is Cheating On Us

Gov’t Mule – Heavy Load Blues – Fantasy

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Gov’t Mule – Heavy Load Blues - Fantasy

Gov’t Mule

Heavy Load Blues
Fantasy

Review by Kirk Anderson

From their first live show at Rivalry’s on Cherry in Macon, Ga., on June 11, 1994, Gov’t Mule peppered their first set list of 13 songs with four tunes by the blues originals from Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, Elmore James and Muddy Waters.

Twenty-seven years later, Gov’t Mule has released 12 studio discs and 10 live discs along with more than 1 million downloads of band recordings of their live shows called “MULETRACKS” through their www.MULE.net website.

Gov’t Mule’s original lineup was a power trio with Warren Haynes on lead guitar and lead vocals, Allen Woody on bass and Matt Abts on drums. On Aug. 26, 2000, Allen Woody passed away and the once side gig to the Allman Brothers Band was in question. Many friends of the band chimed in to talk about loss within their own bands and how somehow finding a way forward was a real possibility.

Touring with short-term stand-in bassists Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), George Porter (The Meters) and Greg Rzab (Otis Rush, Buddy Guy) in the early 2000s gave the band time to figure it out. Gov’t Mule continued to tour under the “New School” nickname with guest bass players and keyboardists until they came back with former Warren Haynes’ band keyboardist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson, a Swedish-born-and-raised multi-instrumentalist, producer/mixer and composer in 2008 to form the current lineup.

As with almost any new CD lately, the ‘Rona virus looms large as during the worldwide shutdown, Haynes took the opportunity to keep writing as the band honed their own chops with livestreams, producing and honing their own prowess on the instruments of choice.

In one of the multitude of videos released by the band in anticipation of their Nov. 12, 2021, release of their newest studio CD, “Heavy Load Blues,” Haynes talks about talking with the band and management about how this new “Mule” album was going to come together. It was only three weeks prior to entering the studio that it became obvious that they would make a blues album. No, not three or four blues tunes. No, not most of the album. They would stretch back to their 1994 beginning. They would reach back into their world of musical influences. The answer was obvious: a mid-1950s to mid-1970s-era full album recording of the blues.

The next question was where? According to Haynes, they had to find the right studio where they could set up old-style dirty. They wanted everyone in the same room, no headphones and within earshot of each other.  No vocals booth, no Plexiglas around the drums. Every artist would be able to see each other and their inflections.  All of the recording equipment in the next room. They wanted to more sonically represent the vibe they were trying to produce for Gov’t Mule’s first blues album.

Power Station New England in Connecticut was selected. The band members set up small vintage gear.  Warren admits that most of the equipment was older than he is (born April 6, 1960).  Everything was recorded live to analog tape. Warren pulled upon his years of recording experience alongside engineer and co-producer John Paterno.

So the stage was set for recording. In the Gov’t Mule way, this is a studio effort, but with the musicians all being in one room, the takes were not a cut-and-paste hodgepodge as most studio recordings are. The Mule’s element of live music came through as a vast majority of the release has few over-dubs and little technological wizardry. Hard to get that authentic mid-’50s to mid-‘70s bluesman recording sound with millions of dollars of electronic recording equipment and tone normalizers. Listen for yourself. Did their effort work?

“Heavy Load Blues” proper is a single-disc, 13 track (80 minutes of music) recording released Nov. 12, 2021. (There is also a deluxe two-CD set released with an additional eight tracks totaling another 60 minutes of music.). In the lead-up to the release, Gov’t Mule released videos and singles of “Heavy Load Blues,” “Snatch It Back and Hold It” and “Make It Rain.”  A Gov’t Mule original, a bluesman Junior Wells cover and a cover of American composing icon Tom Waits gave us an idea of the mix of songs coming at us. These and a steady release of other “Heavy Load Blues” official and Visualizer videos are up on YouTube. Check out the band talking about and showing you how they made these tunes.

On Oct. 29, 2021, Gov’t Mule returned to their old stomping grounds — The Tabernacle in Atlanta — to play the entire “Heavy Load Blues” release in order. The Tabernacle is a decommissioned old church turned house of blues turned top-rate midsized music venue in downtown Atlanta near Centennial Olympic Park.

Most of the tunes run between 4 and 7 minutes with the cover of huge Haynes influence Howlin’ Wolf’s “I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)” which clocks in at a little over 9 minutes.  OK, so I guess we found something in this disc that doesn’t stick with the recording standards of the mid-‘50s to mid-‘70s. Pop songs usually clock in between 2 minutes 45 seconds to 3 minutes 20 seconds.

Other covers of note include Bobby Blue Bland’s “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” stretching blues to rhythm and blues to Elmore James’ “Blues Before Sunrise” to Ann Peebles’ “I Feel like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home.”  Each rendition feels familiar, while the band members insert their own feelings at the time to show how the tune influenced them.

The original blues tracks were the culmination of years of writing and a COVID-19 lockdown that made fertile ground for the writing process. The Gov’t Mule website has a description that hits the feeling of the originals into perspective.

“Woke up singing a dead man’s song …” is the opening line from the Warren Haynes original “Heavy Load,” a line of imagery that feels like the beginning of dirt. On this album, the iconic American band puts their unique stamp on a collection of blues covers and originals

According to the Nov. 24, 2021, issue of Volatile Weekly, “Heavy Load Blues” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues album chart making it Gov’t Mule’s third album to debut at No. 1. “Heavy Load Blues” also reached No. 1 on the Amazon Best Sellers in Blues chart and No. 2 on the Apple Music Blues Albums chart, No. 3 on the Music Connect Current Rock chart as well as No. 16 in Germany, No. 33 in Switzerland, No. 48 in the UK and top 100 entries in Italy and the Netherlands.

Track list

Blues Before Sunrise / Hole In My Soul / Wake Up Dead / Love is a Mean Old World / Snatch It Back and Hold It / Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City / (Brother Bill) Last Clean Shirt / Make It Rain / Heavy Load / Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home / If Heartaches Were Nickels / I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline) / Blue Horizon

Bonus disc

Hiding Place / You Know My Love / Street Corner Talking / Have Mercy on the Criminal / Long Distance Call / Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home (extended version) / Need Your Love So Bad (live) / Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (live)

Rusty Ends Blues Band – Rusty Ends Blues Band

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Rusty Ends Blues Band Rusty Ends Blues Band - Earwig Music Co.

Rusty Ends Blues Band

Rusty Ends Blues Band
Earwig Music Co.

Review by Anni Piper

There is something timeless about blues music, and that’s one of the reasons we are drawn to it like moths to a flame.

First impressions upon listening to this album were immediately of James Harman or Little Charlie and the Nightcats. This is traditional guitar-and harmonica-fueled blues driven by Rusty Ends and Jim Rosen respectively. Curious as to why this recording had such an authentic old-school sound? It’s explained by reading the liner notes. This album was made in 1996 when the aforementioned artists were at their peak. An unfortunately timed release, coincided with a record label folding, is why we are only hearing this music now. Don’t let that discourage you from giving it a listen, because although it may now officially be a period piece, that’s part of what makes it so enjoyable.

“High Powered Loving Man,” “Secrets in the Street,” and the New Orleans-inspired “High Beams are my standout tracks. Always blues-oriented, there is still a variety of feels on this album, from snappy shuffles to stoner reggae.

Louisville, Ky., is home to Ends and his band, an area that geographically isn’t really part of the South, Midwest or East Coast, but floats somewhere in between. There is a little of everything, as Ends himself puts it, “….Kentucky burgoo is just a soup or a stew that they just throw everybody in it. They throw in rabbit. They throw in squirrel. They throw in groundhog. And that’s what our music is.”

Well put, sir. This album mixes blues with all kinds of roots, and it’s had some time to simmer nicely.

Total time 52 minutes

What Next? / Secrets in the Street / Blue Shadows / I Wanna Know / A Man Can’t Understand a Woman / Sinner’s Strut / High Powered Loving Man / Something Wrong Going On / Don’t Call It Love / Heart Stealer / Broken Dreams for Sale / Sloppy Joe Blues / I’m Searching / Whips and Chains / One Step Forward / High Beams / The One WIsh