Early Times & The High Rollers – The Corner

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Early Times & The High Rollers

The Corner
VizzTone

Review by Greg Johnson

Blues guitarist Early Times started his career working in Northern California joining up with artists like Johnny Heartsman and EC Scott. He is also known for hosting a show on Sirius XM’s BB King’s Bluesville station. With a handful of recordings since 1990, Times is releasing The Corner, his first disc since 2017’s Hit & Run.

Early Times has a knack for writing descriptive stories filled with eclectic characters, which can easily be seen in his lyrics on the new album; perhaps most vividly in the track “Do What She Do” populated with people like Mary in the Cha Cha Hat. He is not a guitarist that puts too many notes within a song; just enough to give the right edge to deliver his music and he shows this in the instrumental number “Rosie’s Herbs N’ Things” and the jazzy “Say, Man.”  But less notes does not mean that he’s a lesser guitarist. On the contrary, he knows exactly what is necessary to bring the perfect mood and flow for each number. There is a nice string-work interaction by him and guest Popa Chubby on “She’s About To Lose Her Mind.” There is also a nice jump of stylings between the songs, as you have rockin’ tracks like “Charmlemagne,” a Bob Dylan-esque feel to the closer “Return Of The Queen” and a slower acoustic piece “Someone Help Mary.”

Overall, The Corner is a fun trip to make to escape the every day distractions happening in the world. Early Times will take you in with his all original views of life and the people who live within it. Musically this is a terrific disc, packed with great vocals and stories, and produced by the amazing Jay Messina. Recommended!!

Total Time: 36:12

Come On, Let’s Ride / On The Corner / Do What She Do / She’s About To Lose Her Mind / Rosie’s Herbs N’ Things / He’s Got A Jones / Say, Man / Charlemagne / Someone Help Mary / Return Of The Queen

Jimmy Reiter Live

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Jimmy Reiter

Live
Pogo Pop

Review by Greg Johnson

A nicely done live performance by German bluesman Jimmy Reiter with a sharp band that sizzles in its presentation. Velvety smooth delivery with fluid guitar playing leading the way through two sets of shows recorded in Osnabruck, Germany and Vienna, Austria. This is the fourth recording and first live disc for a musician who has been named the top contemporary blues artist in the country in 2015, and his band, Reiter on guitar, Nico Dreir on keys, Jasper Mortier on bass and drummer Bjorn Puls, named best in 2018. They are joined on these live dates by sax players Dmitry Suslov and Jurgen Wieching.

Reiter is an exceptional songwriter and his original pieces fit nicely next to songs written by Willie Dixon, Allen Toussaint, Dr John, Luther “Guitar Jr” Johnson, Peter Green and Luther “Snakeboy” Johnson. A highlight has to be the 12-plus-minute “Give It To Me Straight,” where Reiter brings out various guitar riffs and can even draw the audience to a rapturous attention with nearly silent moments. Another standout is the closing tribute to Reiter’s guitar heroes Freddie King and Magic Sam, simply titled “Jimmy’s Boogie,” it is an absolutely infectious instrumental as it builds its pace right up to the end.

The main focus on these performances are without doubt Jimmy Reiter’s guitar playing. Front and center throughout, it is marvelous and straightforward start to finish. He can hold you spellbound at one moment and want to jump and dance the next.

Total Time: 1:18:43

Waiting For My Luck To Change / What You Need / What’s In It For Me? / Too Many Cooks / I Shouldn’t But I Do / Hard Times (Have Surely Come) / I’ll Take The Easy Way / Give It To Me Straight / Woman Don’t Lie / It’s Easy When You Know How / I’m Givin’ In / Hooked / Who’s Minding The Store / Jimmy’s Boogie

Harvey Brindell – Pennies on the Dollar!

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Harvey Brindell - Pennies on the Dollar!

Harvey Brindell

Pennies on the Dollar!
Self Release

Review by Greg Johnson

Long before Harvey Brindell moved to the Northwest, he had made himself quite a reputation playing the blues in the Midwest. Rubbing elbows with world-renowned artists such as Magic Slim, Jimmy Thackery, Shawn Holt, Guitar Shorty, Mike Zito and numerous others, as well as being a regular act playing on the stage at Lincoln, Nebraska’s, famed Zoo Bar, Brindell has earned his rights to play the blues. That is certainly true listening to his first recording since arriving in Portland a few years back. There is an authentic Chicago-sounding delivery that purrs full of jumping blues.

Brindell hooked up with a number of friends that he met over the years mixing a collection of original songs at Jimi Bott’s Portland studio, Roseleaf Recording. The talented friends Brindell brought into the songs include the likes of John “Honeyboy” Turner (who he used to record with back in the Midwest), Mitch Kashmar, JW Jones, Johnny Burgin and of course Bott.

The album itself is sensational with not a sore spot to be heard anywhere. It flows with exceptional playing from all, especially Brindell’s guitar work and vocals. “Pennies on the Dollar” opens with a bouncing beat as Brindell explains the tribulations of working for next to nothing when it is all said and done, the true life of a musician. “The Old Zoo Bar” is a tribute to the renowned club that has hosted the greatest blues artists during its 50-year history, with Brindell naming several. “Short Flight” is a nice tuneful instrumental, while he lets you know of his adoration for his old stomping grounds in a couple of tracks about Omaha. Brindell definitely has a knack for turning a phrase blues-wise as he does repeatedly. A favorite personally is “Mississippi Medicaid” with a humorous take on “alternative” medicine only found in the South that just might include a few unorthodox ingredients like a black cat bone, mojo hand, John the Conqueror root and a little gris gris, too. But honestly, this album hit it quite enjoyably start to finish. Well done!

Total Time: 36:52

Pennies On The Dollar / Need Him And Weep / Take The Boy Out Of The Country / The Old Zoo Bar / Blues For Omaha / Mississippi Medicaid / Short Flight / That’s The Blues / Omaha Bones / Queen Of High Waters (Des Moines 1993)

Joyann Parker – Out of the Dark

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Joyann Parker - Out of the Dark

Joyann Parker

Out of the Dark
Hopeless Romantic Records

Review by Greg Johnson

Minneaapolis-based Joyann Parker releases her first disc in three years with the outstanding Out of the Dark. She is backed by her talented band that includes Tim Wick on keys, Brad Schaefer on bass and Bill Golden on drums, plus her songwriting partner, guitarist Mark Lamoine, with whom she penned all 11 pieces.

If you haven’t yet heard Joyann Parker, prepare yourself for an incredible vocalist who soars with a beauty and determination stretching her voice to peaks very few can find.

Standout guest performances include harmonica on “Bad Version of Myself” handled by Rory Hoffman, and the twin guitars of Lamoine taking on acoustic alongside the slide work of Paul Mayasich on “Either Way.” Throughout the album Parker enhances her work with a variety of approaches with background vocalists, horns and even strings on a couple of tracks. They can come across funky, rockin’ or jazzy, but definitely it’s the blues.

The recording of Out of the Blue began more than a year ago, but like so many others they were sidelined in finishing things up right away as the pandemic took hold of the world. It allowed her to rework a number of parts, making them just right, and the extra time paid off with a collection of very expressive and strong songs to work with. The release coming a year later than expected is a perfect example of how some things worked out for the better. This is an album that brings to the forefront a vocalist of world-class proportions and sounds better with every spin on the player. Check it out!

Total Time: 40:50

Gone So Long / Carry On / Bad Version Of Myself/ What Did You Expect / Either Way / Predator / Dirty Rotten Guy / Come On Baby (Take Me Dancing) / Fool For You / Hit Me Like A Train / Out Of The Dark

Leadbelly Calls – Tribute To Huddie Ledbetter

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Leadbelly Calls - Tribute To Huddie Ledbetter

Leadbelly Calls

Tribute To Huddie Ledbetter
Grand Cru Records

Review by Greg Johnson

German musicians Timo Gross and Adax Dorsam share a fond love for the legendary American folk and blues artist Lead Belly. Joining with a band, they have created quite the unique take on a dozen of the master’s songs, which often utilize non-traditional instruments with the blues, such as sitar, saz, charango and jaw harp. It brings about contemporary readings while still maintaining their original Old World feel.  It mixes traditional takes on tracks mixed with more modern readings, using formats like electronic, country and rock approaches mixed slyly with the blues for a heavily listenable delivery.

The album opens with an intense biographical reading of who Lead Belly was. That is followed by a rambunctious take on “Black Betty” that may lean more toward Ram Jam’s or Larkin Poe’s versions. Yet it still sounds entirely original and takes on Lead Belly’s feel behind the number. “Cottonfields” is up next and includes a bit of country-styled guitar work. “Where Did You Sleep” (aka “In the Pines”) is one of Lead Belly’s most haunting numbers, and comes across exactly as such, even with sitar filling that sounds quite like a mandolin here. The album continues with a number of Lead Belly’s most known songs, including “Midnight Special,” “Goodnight Irene” and “The Gallis Pole.” Each has their own take that is fresh and alive.

Timo Gross is known for his vocal delivery and his guitar work. Adax Dorsam is an exceptional producer and composer who has worked on various artists’ material in Europe along with his own and is a master of multiple instruments.

Leadbelly Calls is a terrific collaboration bringing the works of Lead Belly that have long been in the repertoire of many artists since he first recorded them back in the 1930s and on. But these takes are not time-worn, they’re exceptional and ear catching. This is a tribute that is a knockout and one that is going to garner a lot of new fans not only to Lead Belly, but to these two German artists on an international level, too. Very highly recommended.

Total Time: 52:32

Prologue Leadbelly / Black Betty / Cottonfields / Where Did You Sleep / Take This Hammer / Western Plain / It’ll Blow A Poor Man Down / Blow My Blues Away / John Hardy / Midnight Special / The Gallis Pole /  My Baby Left Me / Good Night Irene / Epilogue Western Plain

Veronica Lewis – You Ain’t Unlucky

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Veronica Lewis

You Ain’t Unlucky
Blue Heart Records

Review by John Taylor

Listen to a few bars of a Veronica Lewis song and you just might begin to believe in reincarnation. How else could a 17-year-old play 1950s-style boogie-woogie and blues so convincingly?

Whatever else you want to think, take this as gospel: Her debut album, “You Ain’t Unlucky” – set for a Feb. 19 release – is a sparkling dash of energy that feels pretty refreshing after a winter like this.

Lewis’ three-piece combo (she sings and plays a rip-roarin’ piano, while Don Davis slips in some spirited sax and Mike Walsh delivers on drums) has rolled out a real-deal record in the tradition of old-school recording sessions.

“I imagined I only had one shot to lay it down in the studio,” Lewis says, “as if I walked into a recording studio somewhere back in time, like Sun or Stax, and the producer just pressed the record button and said, ‘OK, kid, let me hear what you’ve got.’ ”

Here’s what she’s got: a smooth, rangy voice with a twist of vibrato that belts out six original songs and a couple of tributes to two of her heroes, Louis Jordan (“Is You Is My Baby”) and Katie Webster (“Whoo Whee Sweet Daddy”).

The album opens with the title track’s no-nonsense advice to cheer up and not feel sorry for yourself.

“It might not feel good, but that don’t mean it’s bad,” she admonishes. “Lemme tell you, it’s just another one of those things.”

But Lewis is just getting started.

“Ode to Jerry Lee” is a raucous salute to another of her influences, Jerry Lee Lewis, while her take on “Is You Is My Baby” takes a dusky tone – Lewis shows the versatility of her voice as she conveys the loneliness and insecurity of a worried lover.

Her “Put Your Wig on Mama” is a groover that Lewis wrote for her mother — apparently Mama had better get ready for a loud, sweaty night on the dance floor.

And “Clarksdale Sun” simmers with the knock-you-down heat of a Southern scorcher.

Throughout the recording, Lewis’ keyboard drives the sound, interacting naturally with her voice and Davis’ sax. Walsh’s backbeat keeps the sound tight.

Nope, nothing unlucky about this album at all. This one’s all talent and heart. It’s a keeper of a debut.

With any luck, we’ll be hearing a lot more about Veronica Lewis from now on.

Total time: 32:15

You Ain’t Unlucky / Clarksdale Sun / Put Your Wig On Mama / Is You Is My Baby / Fool Me Twice / Whoo Whee Sweet Daddy / Ode to Jerry Lee / The Memphis Train

Skylar Rogers – Firebreather

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Skylar Rogers - Firebreather

Skylar Rogers

Firebreather
Self Release

Review by John Taylor

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 left America’s second city in ruins. Now, 150 years later, Skylar Rogers — whose soul might’ve been forged in those flames – is setting the blues world ablaze with her first full-length album, “Firebreather.”

Trust us, this native Chicagoan’s self-described “soul-rockin’” blues really smoke.

Citing Tina Turner, Etta James, Billy Joel, Koko Taylor and even AC/DC as influences, Rogers sets off a powerful collection of original songs fueled by her upbringing in some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods. Her band, the Blue Diamonds — guitarists Stephen J. Hill and Marty Gibson, bassist Jerry Ewing, keyboardist Pete Zimmer and drummer Bradley Arl – brings some serious muscle to the room, but Rogers’ sinewy voice holds its own.

From the rock-driven title cut to the rock-solid “Hard-Headed Woman,” the groove of “Back to Memphis” and the house-rockin’ “Like Father Like Daugher,” the music is convincing, authentic and original. Rogers wrote or co-wrote all of it, with the help of Arl, her drummer.

She draws lyrics from pain she’s endured in her own life. A few highlights:

— “Gonna get lost in the music until my soul is finally free,” she vows in “Back to Memphis.” “I’ll let Memphis heal my broken heart one note at a time.”

— In “Like Father Like Daughter,” she describes how the student has become the teacher: “You taught me how to say bye-bye, how to walk away, how to sweep it all under the rug and hope that it don’t come back to bite you someday.”

— And on “Insecurities,” she offers tender advice to people struggling with self-images on confidence.

Themes of strength and inspiration are run throughout the album. Rogers’ music and faith have clearly guided her through miles of good – and not so good – times.

“Music,” she says “survives the worst, and celebrates the best.”

“Firebreather,” recorded at Sawhorse Studios in St. Louis, follows Rogers’ 2019 debut EP, “Insecurities” and her first national tour. As national health restrictions allow, she plans to tour more this year.

Let’s hope that means she’ll be heading out our way. We could use some warmin’ up around here.

Meantime, keep this album handy. You’re gonna want to listen to it again and again.

Total Time: 39:00

Hard-Headed Woman / Back to Memphis / Work / Like Father Like Daughter / Failure / Firebreather / Movin’ On / Drowning / Thankful / Insecurities

Ed Neumann & Friends – Mr. Blue

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Ed Neumann & Friends - Mr. Blue

Ed Neumann & Friends

Mr. Blue
Roseleaf Records

Anybody familiar with the blues in Portland will instantly be familiar with the name Ed Neumann. A stalwart on the music scene, he has played with perhaps everyone at one time or another, including a long-time stint in the legendary Jim Mesi’s band, as well as hosting a number of jams around the city. One of those jams has been taking place at The CI in Tualatin for a number of years and brings in many of the best players each week. A few of those are gathered here on Neumann’s latest disc, Mr. Blue, recorded at Jimi Bott’s Roseleaf Records.

The base of this collection of 12 tracks is without doubt Neumann’s prowess on the B-3, and his charcoaled vocals make his performances instantly recognizable. Mostly cover songs that Ed has made his own through the years, such as “Cry to Me,” “Body & Fender Man,” and “Steal Away,” he throws in a couple of his own self-penned numbers that fit in perfectly, “April’s Swing” and “Mr. Blue.”

The band backing Neumann is a strong unit that has worked with the very best themselves, with Jimi Bott on drums, Jim Solberg on bass and the vocal lead on “Steal Away,” and guitars by Rouke Vanderveen and Mark Shark who is also the featured vocalist on “Keep Your Hands To Yourself.” This is an A-Team band delivering an over-the-top, first-class performance. Hands down a lot of fun is found on this recording. And despite the title of the closing number, “Too Much Cool,” there’s never enough cool when it comes to Ed Neumann and his friends.

Total Time: 54:42

Mojo Mambo / I Wanna Thank You Baby / Keep Your Hands To Yourself / Cry To Me / Steal Away / April’s Swing / Body & Fender Man / Good Rockin’ Mama / Mr. Blue / Squeeze Me In / Teeny Weeny Bit / Too Much Cool

Dave Keller – You Get What You Give

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Dave Keller

Dave Keller

You Get What You Give
Tastee Tone Records

Review by Greg Johnson 

Like so many of us, witnessing the murder of George Floyd by the police on a Minnesota street last March brought about fury and disbelief in our public services and government by their actions, and non-actions, following the event. It was one of way too many such occurrences that have taken place over time.  

Vermont-based Dave Keller, arguably one of the finest soul and R&B vocalists of our time, was among those who were outraged. Though a white artist, Keller recognizes that the origins of his career and the music he performs is wholly based in the black community. He wanted to respond in a manner that could not only pay tribute to that fact, but could also help movements such as Black Lives Matter. And being an artist, he saw that route with his music. So he recorded an album featuring duets with many of his favorite friends, with all proceeds resulting from its sales going to groups working for racial justice and equality. 

The idea was widely accepted and he had many people wishing to help with the project. But being 2020 and living in times of public shut-downs, having many of those friends being able to record directly in a studio with him was next to impossible. But he gathered his working band and some of his regional buddies were able to show up to lay down tracks. Others, living farther cross country, were sent recordings of Keller and the band which they in turn offered their parts to the mix, which was all pieced together back in Vermont. It all comes across seamlessly, sounding as if they were all in the same room with one another. 

Participating friends include blues legends like Joe Louis Walker and Johnny Rawls, highly regarded vocalists like Trudy Lynn, Annika Chambers, Dawn Tyler Watson and Minnesota’s Annie Mack. Lesser known artists across the country include New England religious performer Brother Bob White and spoken word artist Toussaint St Negritude. 

Everything comes together through Keller’s stellar songwriting and his voice leading the charge. This is an amazing recording, and despite the reason behind its making, it stands proudly beside his earlier, highly acclaimed releases. Thank you, Dave Keller, for such an enlightened project and for music we want to hear again and again. 

 

Total Time: 56:17 

One More Tear / That Thing We Do / You Get What You Give / The Evil That Men Do / Scratchin’ At Your Door / Your Kind of Fool / God Is Love, Love Is Everything / The Spark / Make It to Tomorrow / Land of the Lonely / Precious Lord Take My Hand / The Kiss I Want / I’m Gonna Let It Shine 

Danielle Miraglia Bright Shining Stars 

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Danielle Miraglia

Bright Shining Stars
VizzTone

Review by John Taylor 

If Danielle Miraglia says she can walk through barbwire, outrun the hound dogs or give a shining star a new home, we’re inclined to believe her. The Boston guitarist and singer, whose fifth album is becoming her most successful (it hit No. 15 on the Billboard Blues Charts) has just released an acoustic collection that we can’t get out of our heads.

We’re not sure we want to, either. Putting her own subtle twists on traditional classics like “C.C. Rider” and “When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too),” covering Janis Joplin’s “Turtle Blues” and Bob Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” and adding some fresh new compositions of her own, she’s tied together an album that’s tough as rawhide, but smooth as blended whiskey.

Her website bio says she holds a “strong steady thumb on an old Gibson and an infectious stomp-box rhythm.” Her music says she embodies the best of Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and Joplin herself. By turns, she’s playing blues with elements of country, folk, roots and rock.

She gets some help from Laurence Scudder (a member of Boston-based Glory Junkies band) on viola, Peter Parcek on guitar and Rich “Rosey” Rosenblatt on harmonica. But Miraglia’s talents carry this one. 

 Her versatile voice is riveting, and her lyrics are spellbinding — chilling sometimes. 

Take these menacing lines from “Pick Up the Gun,” for example: 

   I pray every day 

   I don’t need to repent. 

   It’s no sin if it’s self-defense 

   — so go on, kid, pick up the gun 

   Gimme a reason to shoot. 

Or this line from “You Can Love Yourself:” 

   When nobody loves you 

   You’re feeling like dust on an empty shelf. 

This a recording that’ll have you hitting the repeat button repeatedly — it’s a work to savor, share with your friends and then listen to all over again. 

And it’s one that makes us eager to see what Miraglia will come up with next, because it sounds like she’s just getting started. 

 

Total Time: 36:11
 

Sounds Like Home / C.C. Rider / You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go / Pick Up the Gun / Turtle Blues / Famous for Nothin’ / You Can Love Yourself / Meet Me in the Morning / When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too) / Walkin’ Blues / Bright Shining Stars