Rating System...

***** Classic, Essential Purchase

**** Very Good. Majority of songs above average

*** Good. Solid disc with little filler

** Mediocre. A few above average cuts- mostly filler

* Avoid it.

Reviews added throughout the month so check often

NEWEST REVIEWS LISTED FIRST

Walter Trout "The Outsider" (Megaforce) LISTEN

***** Some critics were lukewarm towards Trout's last disc ("Full Circle") due to it's superfluous guests artists. "The Outsider", however, is about the Trout. Thirteen originals, buttloads of guitar and lotsa throaty wailing. But not merely testosterone-drenched guitar/screaming rants but raw soulful rock. Sure he's known for electric guitar bluster, but his dusty acoustic arrangements here are superb. Folks may overlook or simply forget what a rich singing voice he possesses. Cuts like "All My Life" and "The Next Big Thing" are the kind of songs Jon Bon Jovi dreams about. I mention that irksome one only because he's made several heavy-handed attempts to write bluesy acoustic folk songs that merely aspire to a knockout like Trout's "Turn Your Eyes To Heaven". Additionally, I make reference because "The Outsider" has serious crossover gold-record Bon Jovi -sellingmainstream potential. But, hey, I don't want to detract from Trout's masterpiece with such references any longer. (A better reference would be Don Henley who I kept hearing on the fine "A Matter Of The Heart". Yeah, fans of the Eagles will adore this record).

Fans of the heavier crunch needn't fret (pun intended) about all this emotional balladry since we got rockers like "Don't Wanna Fall",  "The Restless Age", "Welcome To The Human Race" and the grinding 12-bar slowie "The Outsider". I can't find a single fault with this disc- no hoary covers, no filler, no nonsense. Simply a perfect Contemporary Blues/Rock set.

Nellie "Tiger" Travis "I'm A Woman" (CDS) LISTEN

Review by Steven Alvarez

*** 1/2 Ms. Travis is one of the hottest Divas in the Soul Blues about now. She's done it with attitude and a truly soulful voice. She's the Gladys Knight of Southern Soul. Of course in her hometown of Chicago she's mostly known as a 12-bar Blues belter who sings several days a week at local pubs. But in the chittlin' circuit she's becoming a huge favorite.

Like her last CD, "Wanna Be With You", this new one is mostly produced by Floyd Hamberlin Jr. and that has it's plusses and minuses. He has a tendency to program/write his share of monotonous cuts like "Mama Didn't Raise No Punks" and the pedestrian "I Saw It On Oprah" but more often he comes up with some of the catchiest programming around like the hilarious ditty "Slap Yo' Weave Off" and the booming, anthem "I'm A Woman" which is the best song about female empowerment I've heard in years. Hamberlin also serves up two knockout ballads. "Don't Talk To Me" is an emotional tornado sung by a scorned woman and "Running On Empty" a devastating number about a dying marriage. Travis is a powerhouse on the microphone.

Also included is a terrific duet ballad with soulman Stan Mosley ("Who Knows You") and Travis' signature song "Amnesia".  This is a very good CD, as good as anything on the circuit, but I have a feeling Nellie hasn't even hit her peak yet.

LISTEN The Blues Experience with Cash McCall "The Vintage Room" (Dixon Landing Music) *** 1/2 Despite having a career stretching back to the 60s Cash McCall only has two LPs to his name. 1983's "No More Doggin'" &  1987's "Cash Up Front". He does, however have a Top 20 R & B hit to his credit (1966's "When You Wake Up"). The Blues Experience was formed by pianist and songwriter Alex Dixon, who raids grandfather Willie Dixon's songbook (he kept it in the family at least!) and crafts 7 sturdy "originals" to go with three Willie Dixen covers and one co-write with McCall (real name Morris Dollison). The latter is a sentimental, acoustic ballad titled "Mama". A fine Chicago Blues LP period that gets better with repeated listens..

LISTEN Rick Fowler "Back On My Good Foot" (Jammates Music) ** 1/2 Blues/Rock guitar music.  Lumbering rhythms and big riffs ala British Blues of the 60s. Are you a fan of Cream era Clapton? The record sounds great but too generic. Had Fowler been a stunning singer or picker that wouldn't matter.

LISTEN  B.C. Read "Bowl Of Sugar" (Blue Budda) *** Fifteen solid originals from Canada's acclaimed B.C. Read. Good time, good-humoured blues cuts like "A Blues Man Has Got To Wear A Hat", "Why Do Girls Do That?" & "(Get Yourself A (Garbage Man)". Made me think of John Hiatt,  Larry Garner, Taj Mahal and others I can't place. Enjoyable.

LISTEN Josh Boyd & The V.I.P Band "(self-titled)" (Superboyd) *** Funky Hard Rock & Bluz from a surefire guitar hotshot. Guitar fans will find many groovey riffs and fast-fingered solos here. Boyd makes the grade behind the mic as well (think Lenny Kravitz). All in all a rock guitar fan's treat. Key cut: "Free"

LISTEN Al Smyth "Comfort Me" (self) ** 1/2 Hard rockin' Blues based around the guitar prowess of Al Smyth. He's a flashy, entertaining picker. He's not that great a singer though. Fortunately Sherri Williams (another one) takes the vocal chores on three cuts. Raucous, noisy, energetic- but not my bag.

LISTEN The Homemade Jamz Blues Band "Pay Me No Mind" (Northern Blues) *** Impressive outing by second place finalists at the 23rd International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Considering the (family) members are fifteen (Ryan Perry), thirteen (Kyle Perry) & eight year old Taya Perry you'd be forgiven should you be cynical. Lead singer/lead guitarist Ryan Perry has that youthful, energetic shout like another teen prodigy once possessed (Johnny Lang). Looking forward to when his voice matures. File this under: Better than it should be.

LISTEN Lil Cliff & The Cliffhangers "God Bless Women" (Shankbone) *** Some originals like the tongue-in-check title cut and tight covers ("Living With The Blues"). Well executed Blues templates led by the memorable vocals of Lil' Cliff Bernard (reminiscent of Joe Louis Walker). Worth checking out. Key cuts: "Gospel (Of the Blues)", title cut.

LISTEN Motor City Sheiks "Hombres Perfecto" (Top Flite) ** Straight up Chicago-styled Blues, Rockabilly and Tex-Mex cuts mixed with some English and some Spanish vocals. Some of the cuts are unlistenable ("Not Now Jr"). Some are decent but hoary ("She's My Baby", "What Ya Gonna Do"). The instrumentals, like "Commanche", are fun though.

LISTEN Swamp Cabbage "Squeal" (Zoho Music) *** Rootsy swamp-Blues from Jacksonville, Florida trio led by Walter Parks. Raunchy, crunchy music in the ZZ Top vain with a hint of Tom Waits. But what the hell does he mean by "Jesus Tone"? Key cuts: "Jesus Tone", "New Voodoo Boogaloo"

Duke Robillard "A Swingin' Session With" (Stony Plain) LISTEN
Amos Garrett "Get Way Back" (Stony Plain) LISTEN

Reviews By Stanley Greene

Duke Robillard "A Swingin' Session With" (***) This is now the 25th LP from the prodigious guitarist since 1985. Prior to working under his own name the Duke was one of the founding members of Roomful Of Blues, played guitar for Robert Gordon, joined the Legendary Blues Band and finally formed Duke Robillard & The Pleasure Kings in 1981.

This isn't the first "Swingin Session" by Robillard but this set of Jump Blues, standards and midpaced Blues would probably work as well as any of his LPs with the swing crowd. As always the performances are impeccable; he's joined by notable session men Bruce Katz, Doug James, Scott Hamilton, Sax Gordon and many more.

Amos Garrett "Get Way Back: A Tribute To Percy Mayfield" (*** 1/2) "Hit The Road Jack", "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "River's Invitation" were just three of the classics penned by the late Percy Mayfield. Acclaimed guitarist Amos Garrett has long been a fan of Mayfield, once dubbed the "poet laureate of the Blues", and he delivers a tasteful tribute to the man who gave him "direction" after hearing his first Mayfield song.

 Garrett wisely skips the two most familiar covers ("Hit The Road Jack" & "Someone To Love"), but picks equally timeless classics like "Stranger In My Hometown" & "River's Invitation". His lazy baritone and understated guitar solos are a lesson in restraint; the kind of weary delivery only a master can make seem so easy.

Rue Davis "Return Of The Legend" (Boomtown) LISTEN
Cicero Blake "It's You I Need" (Hep' Me) LISTEN
Kenne' Wayne "You're The Best" (Good Time) LISTEN
Leon McMullen "Can I Take You Out Tonight" (Sound Mindz) LISTEN

Rue Davis "Return Of The Legend" (****) The boastful title is true, albeit in a limited sense. Davis has never scraped the national charts nor sold enough records to catch the attention of the I.R.S. but in the so-called chitlin' circuit he is indeed legendary. Perhaps he's mostly known for his uncanny ability to sing like Johnnie Taylor, ZZ Hill, Al Green and other legends. A reality highlighted on his out of print Avanti CD "Sings With Friends" . Of course he's also an in demand songwriter with over a hundred published songs recorded by himself or his peers. "Return Of A Legend" has popped up on Rue's sixth record label in a dozen years. This time Davis gives the producer chores to someone else, one Carl Marshall.

Oddly, though the set boasts mostly originals it opens with a couple covers. Of course "Down Home Blues" & "I Believe In You" are exquisitely sung but too familiar as of late (Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" also makes an appearance later on).  Nevertheless there's ten new co-writes between Davis and Marshall. The downhome Blues "I'm Gonna Keep Loving You" shows no cover was needed. Better is the very Tyrone-like "I Wanna Be Loved", vintage modern Soul. Like putting on your favorite tube socks on a cold day it just warms you up. "I'm Giving Up The Streets" is another midtempo roller with Davis settle down and "staying home with my baby". This is followed by the knockout slowie "I Promise". Pure Johnnie Taylor supreme (sorry Rue we know you are your own man). One wonders who does JT better? His son Floyd Taylor or Rue? The possible single "Tell Me When Was The Last Time" is pretty great too.  We've already got our money's worth at this point.

It's not all slow rollin' as "Let's Have A Real Good Time", "Sophisticated Lady" & "Let's Do This Thing" pick up the pace for your boogie needs (but are noticeably inferior in comparison to the other tracks. "Do This" is particularly clunky, sounding like something Marshall himself cut before he got his producer chops). He's never really gone away but this still feels like a triumphant return.

Cicero Blake "It's You I Need" (**) It's a delight to hear the ailing Blake sing some "new" material after a five year hiatus (although some of the tracks appear to be reissues from some bygone session or obscure LP). During this recording break he suffered at least one stroke and a debilitating car accident. The fabulous title cut and album kickoff, a Deep Soul ballad, portended one great Soul album. Sadly, Blake is let down with low budget backing and poor sound quality. The downhome Bluesers "Saturday Night Feelin" & "South Side Saturday Night" sound like they were dubbed from a  third generation cassette. Same goes for the wimpy R & B cut "Stranger In My House". Perhaps the worst is "Somewhere Private" where it sounds like Blake is singing the track through headphones used as a microphone (I've done this before so I know what is sounds like). The mixing is wretched. Again, this is not Blake's fault. He's still a fine singer but this is bootleg quality. Some decent songs are wasted (such as the closer "Livin' Double"). As said earlier the title track is a keeper but even this has an irritating footnote. Track 1 is called an "Extended" version but it appears again at Track 4 in a "Regular" version that is 6:44 in length (only twenty seconds shorter)...? This disc was a huge disappointment and a waste of Blake's talent.

Kenne' Wayne "You're The Best" (*** 1/2) The "Licka Sticka" is back with a mainstream-leaning collection of slick Soul/R & B. Already the title track is climbing the Adult Urban Contemporary airplay charts, sounding like 80s era Lenny Williams. If Wayne wasn't already branded a "blues" singer we may not even be talking about it. Coincidently, Mr Williams himself has found a career resurgence in our genre as well. Track 2, "Games", has a Hip Hop beat and swagger that may turn off some "Blues" (as in Southern Soul/Party Blues) fans but may hook some of that coveted FM airplay. "I Can't Tell" is an R & B creeper with sexy female backups. All three of these written by the super talented Mr Sam (aka 'Mr Sam) and Ezra 'EZ Rock' Williams. The pair are credited with seven cuts while Ves Garrett provided four. Garrett wrote the bumps "Is There A Party In Here", "Get Cha Some" & "One For The DJ", as well as silky slow jam "No Love In The Club". Grade A material.

The hands down winner though is Fallie/EZ Rock's "Georgia Pine" where Wayne unleashes one of his best and most assured vocals to date. The cat can phrase in and out around an icy organ as good as anyone. A career best fo' sho. File this one in the Omar Cunningham/Willie Clayton/Sir Charles Jones/TK Soul category of "Southern Soul"- Contemporary R & B with a helping of "Southern Soul". (It's all Soul or is it all Blues?. Though truly different both a Lee 'Shot' Williams and a Kenne' Wayne can show up on the same playlist or format and it's all good).

Leon McMullen "Can I Take You Out Tonight" (****) It took some digging to find but this throaty singer's debut LP ("Just A Few Words") convinced Deep Soul fans Leon McMullen was an artist to watch. He's got one of those raspy Southern Soul voices that remind you of the revered sixties soul scene and we Soul Music nerds can't get enough of that.

Good news friends, McMullen returns with another set of Soul Blues grit, UAC (Urban Adult Contemporary) R & B  and a bit of Sam Cooke shag. From the opening kick of the Memphis mover "Midnight Rendezvous" you know you're getting what you want from this project. It's also a rather programmable number not surprisingly pitched as a single.  "Don't You Wanna Party" is a Funky bit of piano-lead Funk that made me check the credits for the Producer. Some cat named Jimmy Underwood. Jimmy knows how to produced McMullen. He also wrote or co-wrote nine of the ten cuts. "We Belong Together" is a stunning Deep Soul ballad that makes us critics swoon. McMullen testifies mightily. The title track is what I would imagine Sam Cooke would sound like if alive today. While the slow marching "After This Night Is Gone" is what I wish Bobby "Blue" Bland still sounded like today. Great horn horn arrangement (uncredited). The airy sound is either an intentional throwback or perhaps an indicator this is some obscure session that's just now seeing the light of day. Whatever the case I'm glad it's here. And you will be too.

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