CD Review Archives - Page 9 of 25 - Cascade Blues Association

Various Artists

2020 May, CD Review

Crawling Up A Hill – A Journey Through The British Blues Boom 1966-71
Grapefruit Records

This is an extensive look at the British Blues scene beginning with the release of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton and pushing through an eclectic mix of bands that were all performing their take on the genre. It’s definitely not the first compilation of British Blues, but it is the first to offer an overall look that is not aimed at a specific label such as the prominent Blue Horizon which is still represented by Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, and Duster Bennett. Within its fifty-six tracks it covers a blend of rocking numbers, country blues, covers of well-known American originals, and a touch of psychedelic, which considering the time frame, should be expected. There’s even a little humor thrown in with The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and the Liverpool Scene.

Because the collection offers only one tune from each artist, there’s a good variety of music here and plenty of the performers on this three-CD collection will be familiar right off, including Savoy Brown, Free, Spencer Davis Group, Taste, Alexis Korner, Graham Bond Organisation, Jeff Beck, Status Quo, Ten Years After, Jeremy Spencer, Bloodwyn Pig and Stone The Crows. And you’ll find many of the future heroes of British blues and rock scene playing in outfits before becoming huge stars: Robert Plant, Rory Gallagher, Christine Perfect, Gary Moore, Dave Edmunds, and the band Quiet Melon who was basically an early version of The Faces. And it should be noted that the acoustic performances from highly successful acts in their homeland like Ian A. Anderson, Jo-Ann Kelly and Mike Cooper are more than exceptional.

Packaged in a small box, there is a 40-page book that offers background about each of the included acts in order of their appearance on the discs, plus a little history about the British music scene of the time in England and Ireland. Much of what is found is truly hard-to-find on their own, so it makes a good deal here indispensable. It is a well put together collection, thoughtfully covering a period of time with acts that explored and pushed the boundaries of the blues and set the feel for what a good deal of British music was to follow.

Total Time: 3:50:02

56 Tracks

Anni Piper

2020 May, CD Review

Blow Up Doll
Sugar Daddy Records

“Blow Up Doll” is Anni Piper’s first recording since relocating to Oregon several years ago. Produced at Jimi Bott’s Roseleaf Recording, Piper brought together an impressive collection of some of the area’s finest musicians and laid down an incredible mix of original and cover material of rousing musical depth and accuracy. Piper is in fine form, both vocally and instrumentally, and her songwriting here is some of the best she has ever produced. There is never a lull throughout the disc, and her accompanying musicians offer fiery support for her performances, all the more impressive since much of the disk was recored live in the studio, often using the first take.

Piper’s originals compositions often take their inspiration from her life experiences. These tunes deal with the failed relationships of those who needed to be in control and her new resolve to move forward. The title track, “Blow Up Doll,” a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition last year, details a former partner who treated her as something to just cast aside once he found what he was looking for. “Big Bengal” describes her new direction in relationships by focusing on her pet cat, while the closing “24 Guys Named Dave” is a humorous tune about dating only guys named Dave and what they’ll offer to her.

On the tracks that Piper covers, they’re all completely redone in her own fashion and may take a moment before they’re recognized. “Get Right Church,” “Cake Walk Into Town” and “Sailin’ Shoes” are great examples of how well she teams up with guitarist/vocalist Bob Shoemaker. Other first-rate covers include Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac” and Willie Dixon’s “Built For Comfort; and again Piper has treated them as her own making them fresh and exciting.

There is a bevy of tremendous guitar playing throughout the album aside from Shoemaker’s remarkable work, including great riffs from Joseph Barton on “Contagious” and interplay between AC Porter and Ben Rice on “Big Bengal,” and Troy Johnson lays it out nicely on “Uncrustables.” Other artists contributing are Steve Kerin on keys, Melonie Owen on vocals, drummers Dave Melyan, Jeff Hudis and Jeff Aboott, and of course engineer/producer Jimi Bott delivers nice percussion, too.

“Blow Up Doll” is one of those albums that will be considered as one of the best of the region when this year comes to an end, and it should be played for a great deal of time long once this year is over. Anni Piper has created a true gem here.

Total Time: 45:30

Uncrustables / Get Right Church / Big Bengal / Pink Cadillac / Blow Up Doll / Two’s Company / Cake Walk Into Town / Built For Comfort / Contagious / Sailin’ Shoes / 24 Guys Name Dave

Tom Gilberts

CD Review

Old School
Polymerase Records

Review by Greg Johnson

On his sophomore release, Old School, guitarist Tom Gilberts continues to display his full-tone sound and tasteful string work. He hits the notes just as they’re supposed to be—with meaning and clarity. Once again, the music selections are more instrumentals than songs. And that is just fine with me, because it is performed with a dimension of subtlety that says more within his music than words are ever going to convey. Not that the tracks that are sung don’t hit home as well, Gilberts offers some nice wordsmith that fits in his output here perfectly.

The album also brings Gilberts back to the proven teamwork of Terry Robb in the producer chair and Dennis Carter behind the engineer mixing at Falcon Recording. And it just isn’t going to get much better than Dave Captein on bass and Brian Foxworth on drums, both Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductees. Their inclusion offers such a clean flow throughout the disc and the perfect foil behind Gilberts’ stunning guitar work. The music itself crosses the basics of blues, jazz and rock; all of it coming together in mix that holds your attention and tastes just right as it should. Definitely another fine outing from Mr Gilberts that’s going to find a lot of playing time for me.

Total Time: 38:19

“Lady” Luck / Zoot Suit Shuffle / Ass, Gas Or Grass / Sun Vibe / Old School / The North Fork / My Paper Bag / You Missed Me / Brown’s Camp / Nighttime / The Fuzz

Tinsley Ellis

CD Review

Ice Cream in Hell
Alligator Records

Review by Randy Murphy

One could quite quickly exhaust a long list of adjectives trying to describe Tinsley Ellis’s new album, Ice Cream in Hell. “Searing? Sure. “Gutsy?” You bet. “Combustable?” Beyond any doubt. But this recording, Ellis’s 18th to date, never succumbs to the shopworn guitar pyrotechnics or vapid blues postering one hears in many new blues-rock releases nowadays. A subtle power lies beneath Ellis’s guitar playing and earnest vocals that he always uses in the service of the tune, never to call attention to his own considerable talent. It’s a neat trick to maintain some musical constraint while still offering boozy, gut-chomping, and heat-igniting blues. Not many can pull it off, but Ellis, judging from this release, has obviously sorted out how it’s done.

The album has several standout cuts: the raw but understated “Hole in My Heart,” the funky groove-laden “Evil Till Sunrise,” and the horn-drenched, mid-tempo “Last One To Know” that features some of Ellis’s finest guitar playing. All of these tunes, indeed the whole album, illustrate the appeal of Ellis’s music—while flirting with other musical styles and offering hints of other genres, Ellis remains rooted firmly in rich blues soil.

But the pinnacle of the album is its title track, “Ice Cream in Hell,” that soars light-years beyond the routine, cliche-ridden “woman-done-me-wrong” theme through the use of a delightful metaphor: “I won’t face another day puttin’ up with all of your crap/ When they serve ice cream in hell/ I’m going to take you back.” “Ice cream in hell” is a brilliant analogy for “ain’t gonna happen.” One does wonder though if that ice cream’s going to be served with Devil’s food cake on the side.

This is a simply a terrific album that stands up to repeated listing and never fails to reward a listening session. Highly recommended.

Total Time: 50:54

Last One To Know / Don’t Know Beans / Ice Cream In Hell / Foolin’ Yourself / Hole In My Heart / Sit Tight Mama / No Stroll In The Park / Evil Till Sunrise / Everything And Everyone / Unlock My Heart / Your Love’s Like Heroin

Richard Ray Farrell

CD Review

Three Pints Of Gin
Blue Beet Records

Review by Greg Johnson

There are those artists that, when you hear they have a new recording, you just can’t wait to get your hands on it and give it a spin. Richard Ray Farrell is exactly that type of musician to me. Whatever he seems to put together is always beyond expectations, whether performing with other artists in a duet (as he has done with harp masters Steve Guyger and Marco Pandolfi), with a full band, or simply on his own. For his latest disc, Three Pints Of Gin, it is in the mode of the latter, and with startling results.

An exceptional guitarist and songwriter; qualities that have always worked to his advantage, Three Pints Of Gin raises the bar as he straps a harmonica into a rack alongside that trusty acoustic guitar of his. All the tracks presented here were laid down live in the studio with no overdubs whatsoever. It is a masterful display of traditional blues.

All but three of the selections are Farrell originals. Those three being Lonnie Johnson’s “Lazy Woman Blues,” Fulton Allen’s “Funny Feeling Blues,” and the traditional “He’s In The Jailhouse Now” (most recognized by the early versions from Blind Blake and Jimmie Rodgers).

But if there is any question on the skills of Richard Ray Farrell’s own ability of writing original music, you’re going to become a true believer as you take your first listen to this amazing recording. It takes quite an adept musician to perform on both guitar and racked harmonica to make things flow smoothly and flawlessly. Farrell does just that as demonstrated right out of the gate with “Juke Joint Swing.” That’s followed up with some great popping guitar on “Everything’s Right.” You’re definitely going to enjoy the lyrics as well as the instrumentation. They’ll make you smile and think. I cannot point to one song over another, they’re all a ton of fun, be it “Triflin’ Preacher Blues,” “Buttercup,” the gorgeous “Listen To The Falling Rain” or the closing gospel-like “I’ll Be Comin’ Home.”

After you’ve listened to Three Pints Of Gin and fallen in love with Farrell’s creativity, do yourself a favor and go back and pick up his entire catalog. This is an artist who truly deserves to be heard time and again.

Total Time: 55:20

Juke Joint Swing / Everything’s Right / Oh Begonia / Triflin’ Preacher Blues / Three Pints of Gin / Lazy Woman Blues / Buttercup / Gotta Have Love / Ice Man / Funny Feeling Blues / Bohemian Life / He’s in the Jailhouse Now / Listenin’ to the Fallin’ Rain / Dope Shootin’ Woman / Evenin’ / I’ll Be Comin’ Home

LaRhonda Steele & Karen Haberman Trusty

CD Review

Spirit Of Freedom
Self Release

Review by Greg Johnson

This is a stunning work documenting the Civil Rights movement from first-hand recollection in spoken word by Karen Haberman Trusty alternating with song presentation by the incredible LaRhonda Steele. Though her stories may have taken place in the South, segregation is clearly the focus being addressed as well as her involvement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

LaRhonda presents well-known songs from the movement period, mostly based in gospel and blues. Accompanied on piano by her husband Mark Steele, she performs pieces such as “Everybody Wants Freedom,” “Keep Your Eyes On The Prize,” “This Little Light Of Mine,” and Nina Simone’s powerful “Mississippi God Damn.” She also directs attention at the City of Portland, noting we need this change to occur here as well.

The historical significance between the occurrences from the 1960s related in the storytelling bares importance with today’s Black Lives Matter as Haberman Trusty informs us that bringing about equality amongst races still has a long path ahead, even fifty years later. Addressing this issue is still important and Spirit Of Freedom is something that should be listened, and played in our schools.

Total Time: 45:12

Everybody Wants Freedom / The Rally / Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round / Segregation / Guide My Feet / White Supremacy Then And Now / Over My Head I Hear Freedom In The Air / SNCC / Keep Your Eyes On The Prize / Jail Song / I Woke Up This Morning / Never Turn Back / Freedom Summer / Mississippi God Damn / Murders In Mississippi / In The Mississippi River / Call To Action / This Little Light Of Mine

Ben Rice & RB Stone

CD Review

Out Of The Box
Middle Mountain Music

By Greg Johnson

As the old adage goes, what’s more fun than a barrel full of monkeys? Why two barrels of course. And so what can be more fun on an album than a cigar guitar player. Well, you know where this is going . . . two of them make it that much more exciting. That’s what you’re getting here as two of the finest cigar box musicians, Ben Rice and RB Stone, collaborate here. Not just for a number or two as might be expected in an onstage performance or a guest shot on an album, but for the complete project.

Rice and Stone got together at Jimi Bott’s Roseleaf Studio in Portland and laid down eleven original tracks. They simply tear things up right out of the gate with the opener “Hot Rod Mama” and do not let up for a second right through to the final note of the instrumental closer “Lobo Jam.” Touching on numbers that are swampy and rockin’, even a little Delta=fied. Rice and Stone are joined by Dave Melyan on drums and bassist Joseph Barton, with Bott tossing around a bit of tambourine. A variety of cigar box instruments are used between the two guitarists, and Stone offers a touch of harmonica on “Hoodoo Workin’ Overtime.”

Yes sir, this is one fast-paced, raucous display of cigar box heaven. And it’s definitely a lot more fun than a barrel full of monkeys . . . and I am sure a lot cleaner, too.

Total Time: 38:50

Red Hot Mama / Easy Rollin’ Down The Road / Hey Politician / Hoodoo Workin’ Overtime / The Swamp East Boogie / Jesus Needs A Gig / Meet Your Maker / Bad Blood On Mean Whiskey / Crushin’ On The Bartender / Train Of Time / Lobo Jam

Watermelon Slim

CD Review

Traveling Man
Northernblues Music

By Greg Johnson

Sometimes to truly capture a musician’s talent you need to witness them in their most vulnerable setting — on a stage, bare-bone solo, with nothing to back them but their voice and instrument. That was the way I first came to know Bill Homans, better known as Watermelon Slim. When I first met him back in 2003, I had the opportunity to listen to him not only on stage but in personal living room settings as well. Don’t get me wrong, he is superb with a band behind him, too. But to see him perform on his own is simply the ultimate in experiencing his stories and the passion he puts behind them.

You get that exact feeling with his new double-disc live release, Traveling Man. Recorded in two small club settings in Oklahoma back in 2016, Slim walks you through a series of his songs from throughout his career, extolling tales of life on the road as a trucker and the ups and downs of being a bluesman. He has lived a life with many detours and he shares them while working the magic of his slide guitar and harmonica behind his always age-worn vocals. It’s personal and it’s intimate, and it’s true Watermelon Slim at its best.

Total Time: 1:38:13

Blue Freightliner / Truck driving Songs / Northern Blues / The Last Blues / Scalemaster Blues / 300 Miles / Jimmy Bell / Highway Blues / Smokestack Lightning – Two Trains Running / Frisco Line / Holler #4 / Let It Be In Memphis / Into The Sunset / John Henry / Archetypal Blues / Oklahoma Blues / Devil’s Cadillac / Dark Genius

Gary Moore – Live From London

CD Review

Live From London
Mascot Label Group / Provogue Records

By Greg Johnson

This recording comes from a December, 2009 show in London’s Islington Academy, a smaller theater that makes the performance truly an intimate setting. Sadly, it was also one of the last shows that Gary Moore ever played as he was taken from this world a few months later, far too young. It captures arguably one of his absolute best shows to be made available to the public from this blues-rock guitar icon.

The set-list is filled with Moore staples, including covers by the likes of Albert King (“Oh, Pretty Woman”), John Mayall (“Have You Heard”), Otis Rush (“All Your Love”), even Donny Hathaway (“I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”). And of course, no Gary Moore show would be complete without his best-known numbers “Still Got The Blues” and “Parisienne Walkways.”

Live From London is packed full of vicious, intense, and incendiary guitar playing, but always spot on through this performance with crystal clear sound and tone. This is exactly the type of showcase we needed to remind us all how proficient and spectacular Gary Moore was when he strapped a guitar over his neck. Blues rock at its very best.

Total Time; 1:18:00

Oh, Pretty Woman / Bad For You Baby / Down The Line / Since I Met You Baby / Have You Heard / All Your Love / Mojo Boogie / I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know / Too Tired – Gary’s Blues 1 / Still Got The Blues / Walking By Myself / The Blues Alright / Parisienne Walkways

The Prime Movers Blues Band

CD Review

The Prime Movers Blues Band
Modern Harmonic

Review by Greg Johnson

Much like their contemporaries The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Ann Arbor Michigan’s The Prime Movers Blues Band took a grasp on the classic sounds of Chicago and placed a bluesy groove on The Motor City music scene. These recordings have never been compiled and issued together since the band was formed in 1965. The people behind the music may not be exactly those you’d name if calling out blues musicians, as many went on to create their own unique voices in other realms, but they certainly lay down the good correctly here.

Brothers Michael (harmonica) and Dan Erlewine (guitar) were the foundation of the group (both who are nowadays writers and music historians for AllMusic and Guitar Player magazine). They were joined by Robert Sheff (now known as avant-garde artist “Blue” Gene Tyranny), Jack Dawson (Siegel-Schwall Blues Band)on bass, and one James Osterberg on drums (now better known as Iggy Pop).

This recording shows some truly inspiring performances by the almost mythic band and serve as a nice serving of history. But it pays to remember that live recordings during this period were not always the best of quality, especially when done in small clubs, so there is some clarity that does not come through. Tracks are mostly standards, with inclusion of “Yonder’s Wall,” “Rock Me Baby,” “Every Day I Have The Blues,” and the closing “I’m A Man” with Iggy taking on the lead and pretty overpowering the rest of the band (again an observation of live recording at the time).

Total Time: 64:13

Endless Blues / Every Day I Have The Blues / Walkin’ By Myself / Yonder’s Wall / You Better Watch Yourself / Rock Me Baby / Orange Driver / Walkin’ Through The Park / All These Blues / I’m A Man