Blues Roadhouse

 Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport — “Young Rell — Little Villag Foundation

Harrell Davenport, from Vicksburg, Miss., is “Young Rell” because he’s 19 years old.

But in blues years, he already seems ageless.

His debut album, “Young Rell,” from the musically prescient folks at Jim Pugh’s Little Village Foundation, has all the earmarks of someone who’s absorbed the soul of the blues, and is determined to add his name to that long list.

He’s certainly well on his way, having been nominated twice by Blues Blast Magazine for the Sean Costello Rising Star Award in 2024 and 2025.

Chicago harmonica legend Billy Branch says of Davenport: “In my 46 years of teaching Blues in Schools, never have I encountered anyone as young as Davenport with such a laser focused drive and ability to play the blues as it was played in the bygone golden era of the masters.”

Writing on his Facebook page, Davenport says the album is: “A full statement of who I am as a musician, rooted in the blues, but pushing it forward in my own voice whether on guitar, vocals or harmonica. The majority of the songs were written, composed, and arranged by me, drawn from real life experiences,” Davenport says. “Some go back to when I was 12 years old, others are as recent as December 31st, 2025. Horn arrangements and background vocals were done by my Unc Larry Batiste. I’m extremely glad that he was willing and able to be a part of this.”

“Young Rell” is graced with stellar accompaniment on his first recording session: Little Village founder and keyboardist Jim Pugh; co-producer and guitarist Kid Andersen; bassists Daquantae “Q” Johnson and Endre Tarczy; and drummer June Core. The horn section, featured on two songs, includes Aaron Lington on tenor and baritone saxophone and Niel Levonius on trumpet. Horn arrangements and background vocals are handled by Larry Batiste. The album was recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios and produced by Chicago blues harmonica ace Matthew Skoller with co‑production and engineering by Andersen.

What about “Young Rell’s” music?

Davenport boasts a deep blue musical vocabulary. He moves effortlessly from Delta blues to acoustic country blues, from Chicago Southern soul, using exceptional guitar and harp skills. His own songs reflect his immersion in the styles while maintaining his own voice, and his covers display his ability to recreate great music in his own image.

“Tomorrow” is a traditional blues shuffle about all those woman hanging around, complete with a feisty harp and stinging guitar. “Fatherless Child” is a mournful, autobiographical, slow blues; “Spinning” is uptempo soul with a ?? vocal; “Giving Me the Blues” laments “people giving me the blues,” with a fiery guitar solo and features Pugh’s backing organ riffs.

“Richland Swing” is a boogie-woogie guitar romp with the band blasting along. A wistful harp intro leads into “Hurt People, Hurt People,” with a timeless blues vibe, while “I Be Tryin’,” relates personal struggles with more tasty harp. Davenport delivers a masterful take on Bob Dylan’s classic “Masters of War.” “I’ll Keep It Hot for You” is a chunky, rhythmic blues promise: “I’ll be the fire that warms your soul.”

Davenport brings his finest Chicago chops to Fenton Robinson’s “I Hear Some Blues Downstairs, “Nite Creepin’” is a rollicking harp-blast of an instrumental, and the closer, “The World Don’t Deserve Your Smile,” is an eloquently written torchy blues with a belt-buckle-polishing invitation to slow drag with love as its promise.

Harrell Davenport says that “Young Rell” the album is: “A full statement of who I am as a musician, rooted in the blues, but pushing it forward in my own voice.”

The album is indeed making the statement that Young Rell the bluesman has found his voice, and it’s singing the future of the blues.

---

Here’s “Giving Me the Blues” from the album:

Tracklist:

Tomorrow – 3:51
Fatherless Child – 4:38
Spinning – 3:17
Giving Me the Blues – 3:49
Richland Swing – 3:55
Hurt People, Hurt People – 4:57
I Be Tryin’ – 4:39
Masters of War – 3:27
I’ll Keep It Hot for You – 3:23
I Hear Some Blues Downstairs – 3:55
Nite Creepin’ – 3:45
The World Don’t Deserve Your Smile – 3:28

Name Droppers — “Let’s Live Together” — Horizon Music Group

The Name Droppers are a tightly knit quartet of veteran New England musicians who have traveled a long and winding musical road in shaping their multiple talents into a high-octane blend of blues, R&B, soul and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.

The group came together in the 1980s as Charlie Karp and the Name Droppers, with the Connecticut-based Karp being a seasoned guitarist, a prolific songwriter and an Emmy-winning producer.

After Karp’s death in 2019, the remaining Name Droppers stuck together: songwriter/guitarist Rafe Klein, Ron Rifkin on piano, Bobby “T” Torello on drums and Scott Spray on bass. Torello and Spray added to their impressive resumes by working with the likes of Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Michael Bolton, Grace Slick, Felix Cavalier and the Rascals — and many more.

Now they’ve poured all that talent and experience into their sixth album, Let’s Live Together, an energetic session driven by smartly crafted original songs and creative covers, following last year’s highly regarded Cool Blue Shoes.

Everything kicks off with Klein’s whimsical Grey Haired Blues boasting that living together longer may just help turn shades of grey into still-fiery blues: “Yeah It’s true my roof is covered in snow / Don’t be fooled, there’s a fire below.” Let’s Live Together fires up next, the album’s thematic centerpiece. It’s a chunky, rhythmic anthem written by Klein, whose soulful vocals partner magically with Crispin Cioe’s soaring sax and gospel-infused background vocals by Simone Brown. Klein’s vocals pour out its eloquent message: “Lately we’ve seen a lot of sadness in the news / Each Monday morning we wake up with the blues / Have to find a way where we can do better … let’s live together.”

Rifkin takes over the vocals on the driving blues of Heartbreak City, a town without pity for lost love: “Don’t know what you’re looking for / Don’t look back, cause it ain’t here no more.” Then Brown brings her seriously soulful chops out of the background for a smoking live recording of Aretha Franklin’s classic Chain of Fools. Klein returns with his thoughtful take on Bob Dylan’s epic Gotta Serve Somebody, propelled by Rifkin’s churning B3 and Brown’s sanctified background vocals. Klein next offers a plaintive reading of Frank Durazzo’s Don’t Cry Over Me, a look at breaking up from both sides now: “You see the picture from a different view than me / I see the picture the way my love has to be.”

Klein also revisits two tracks from the band’s Charlie Karp years: The salaciously sexy Talk Dirty, and Love Lightnin’, by Karp, Klein and Bruce Carter, longing for love to strike twice in the same place: “Even lightning love runs thin when the money runs out / They say it don’t strike twice, but I wish it happens to me.”

Torello’s percussive drumming and gritty vocals drive the blues rock of his threadbare Watch Pocket, with stinging slide guitar from Jay Willie, as time slips away on his love: “Baby since you’ve been gone / There’s a hole in my watch pocket / Time keeps on slipping away … I’ll get you back some way” The Name Droppers wrap it all up by dropping a pair of big blues names with a tough take on the Muddy Waters-Bo Diddley classic, “Mannish Boy,” adding crisp down-home harp from Richard Hunter.

The Name Droppers bring a musical drive and vitality to the tracks of Let’s Live Together that make it so much easier for the rest of us to live together in the blues.

---

Here’s “Let’s Live Together” from the album:

Tracklist:

Grey Haired Blues — 3:36
Let’s Live Together — 3:56
Heartbreak City — 4:00
Chain of Fools (Live) — 4:23
Gotta Serve Somebody — 3:33
Don’t Cry Over Me — 4:19
Talk Dirty — 3:35
Love Lightning — 3:25
Watch Pocket — 3:57
Mannish Boy — 3:01

John Primer — “Tribute to Theresa’s Lounge” — Blues House Productions LLC

If you’re a blues fan (and you should be!), music from the smoky mists of the classic Chicago blues sound should always have a top spot on your playlist, your CD or vinyl collection, and most of all, in your mind.

One of the early spots where the Chicago blues simmered and cooked was a basement bar under an apartment house at 4801 S. Indiana, called Theresa’s Lounge. The term “lounge” is a bit of an exaggeration. By all accounts it was tiny, cramped basement room with no bandstand, holding about 50 patrons, opened in late 1949 by Theresa Needham.

Needham was working in a laundry on the city’s South Side when a customer asked her to open a bar, but couldn’t get a liquor license. couldn’t obtain a liquor license in his own name. She got him a license, and he gave her a job in the bar.

The club owner tried to remove Needham, but since the license was in her name, the club became hers. Theresa’s Lounge was born. first as just a place to drop in for a libation and possibly some recorded music. But, in 1954, a singer named Carl Jones brought in a band to try playing live music — and it worked.

Sooner or later, much of Chicago’s blues talent descended the stairs into Theresa’s gritty lounge to stand in the corner and ignite the nightly crowds. It became Buddy Guy’s first steady gig in Chicago. He played in the house band at Theresa’s for several years, and John Primer, whose Chicago blues highlights this “Tribute to Theresa’s Lounge,” played there seven nights a week for seven years. Surprisingly, only one live album was ever recorded there: Delmark’s “Junior Wells: Live at Theresa’s 1975.”

This session gathers an all-star lineup of musicians who got their start playing at Theresa’s, including Primer, Billy Branch, Willie Buck, Carlos Johnson, Mary Lane, John Watkins, Harmonica Hinds, Twist Turner, Bob Stroger, Jeff Brinkman, and Tony Mangiullo.

The 13 tracks here could easily be a setlist at Theresa’s, including the four originals from Primer. The blues are Chicago-straight, no chaser, filled with bluesy grit and passion. Highlights include the Muddy Waters classic “Champagne and Reefer,” featuring Willie Buck; Little Walter’s “Mean Old World” with Primer; Sugar Sweet” with Billy Branch and a very special “Mary’s Song,” by 90-year-old Mary Lane.

Theresa’s was forced out of its basement headquarters in 1983, and a second location closed in 1986. Needham died in 1992. Her lounge, which earned her the title “The Godmother of the Chicago blues,” may be history, but its blues definitely are not. The music lives on in the works of the great artists who passed through its doors, and in the tracks of this memorable recording.

---

Here are two articles that detail the history of Theresa’s Lounge:
The Chicago Bar Project
Article by Jeff Mores

---

“Up in Heah,” from the album:

Tracklist:
1. UP IN HEAH Feat. John Primer – 3:45 Daniels & Moore 
2. 7 NIGHTS FOR 7 YEARS Feat. John Primer – 3:21 John Primer 
3. THE BLUES IS KING Feat. John Primer – 4:56 John Primer 
4. SUGAR SWEET Feat. Billy Branch – 4:21 Mel London 
5. CHAMPAGNE AND REEFER Feat. Willie Buck – 4:59 M. Morganfield 
6. WE ALL NEED HELP Feat. John Primer – 3:44 John Primer 
7. SHE’S NINETEEN YEARS OLD Feat. Carlos Johnson 5:14 M. Morganfield 
8. LITTLE BY LITTLE Feat. John Primer 5:09 Mel London 
9. MARY’S SONG Feat. Mary Lane 5:07 Mary Lane 
10. CUT YOU A-LOOSE Feat. John Primer 3:14 Mel London 
11. BLUES SURVIVALIST Feat. John Primer 4:44 John Primer 
12. HERE I AM KNOCKIN’ AT YOUR DOOR AGAIN Feat. John Watkins 3:25  John Watkins  
13. MEAN OLD WORLD Feat. John Primer – 4:30 Little Walter Jacobs

Trevor B. Power Band — “Two Crows” — Farm 189 Records

Blues and roots rocker Trevor B. Power has been in and around the music industry for decades, but the New Jersey native has finally stepped out on his own as a singer/songwriter and guitar-slinging bandleader of the Trevor B. Power Band.

The release of his latest album, the rootsy, introspective “Two Crows,” is Power’s fourth release since his 2019 debut, the well-received Everyday Angel. “I wish I would have gotten started recording more seriously sooner,” the 63-year-old Power says, but he notes that “life has a way of unfolding exactly when it’s meant to.”

Backing Power on the album are two world-class musicians: drummer Steve Holley (an Englishman whose impressive resume includes a stint with Paul McCartney’s band Wings), and Dave Fields, a N.Y. Blues hall of famer who plays guitar, bass and keys, and co-produced the album.

Power’s personal philosophy is instrumental in creating his music. “We’re all going to leave this form someday, so let’s make the best of it,” he says. That perspective carries over into his lyrics: They’re powerful statements of his personal journey, artfully blended with his rugged blues rock in the ten original tracks.

“Two Crows” opens with three songs that draw darker images of the world – a grim reality check. “Bobby Lane” opens with Power’s vocal growling out the tale with minimalist blues chugging behind: “Killed a man if you stepped outta line / I was proud to say he was a friend of mine… mean Bobby Lane.” “Let It Ride” is a tough blues rocker about tougher times: “Chilly winds really get to me as I grow old / Hard times to keep smiling / But you know I gotta let it ride,” all riding fierce harp work from guest Dennis Gruenling. “Ain’t Got No Bread” rocks hard to rework the old message that crime doesn’t pay: “Living the good life ain’t easy but living the hard life will get you done.”

The album’s mood lightens as “Neighborhood” rocks with dynamic guitar riffs and Power finds himself “Feeling good in my neighborhood … Ain’t got no crime / I got me a dime in my neighborhood.” The pensive “Speck of Life” opens with a guitar-led folk-music feel and gentle background vocals by Laura Kate Marshall: “You wonder about your own mortality / Our life here is a just a speck in the universal reality.”

“Horizon” keeps adding optimistic momentum with an airy flow, a stinging guitar with psychedelic overtones and ethereal flute from Jason Fields: “We are climbing up a hill / You are right beside me … Then you make it to the top, what do see / It’s a beautiful world, lottsa peace,” with the haunting refrain of “Love, love, love.” “The Message” adds a choral effect for its anthemic statement: “Well the message is all so very clear / We’re all so lucky to even be here / I have had my trials and tribulations / Why must there be such pain in any nation.” “Puddles of Blood” expands that message with its own profound questions: “Why does the blood have to spill before the peace? / How many children have to die before the peace?”

“The Fire Burns” is a moody, spoken-word metaphor: ”I can’t imagine if a fire burned down my home / All that is left are the memories / The melted artifacts don’t really mean anything to me.” Power’s finale is the poignant “Our Time is Short,” building from a delicate acoustic intro to a passionate choral conclusion with its personal lament: “I miss you, but I will see you again / When my time is done.”

The Two Crows album art of – two crows – is a reminder that a group of crows is known as a “murder.” Although the cover displays just two, it would still be a crime to ignore the rugged rootsiness and passionate vision in Trevor B. Power’s music.

---

Here’s “Ain’t Got No Bread” from the album:

Tracklist:
01. Bobby Lane
02. Let It Ride
03. Ain’t Got No Bread
04. My Neighborhood
05. Speck Of Life
06. Horizon
07. The Message
08. Puddles OfBlood
09. The Fire Burns
10. Our Time Is Short

Russ Green — “Stone Cold” — Overton Music

Singer, songwriter and harmonica wizard Russ Green was born and raised in Chicago, but his life took a long and winding path before he found himself on the blues highway – and eventually back in Chicago.

As a Jimi Hendrix fan, a desire to create music had followed him through his studies and and successful work in the film industry. As a student, however, the cost of a guitar had limited Green to making music with the harmonica that he already owned.

That turned out to be more than enough. A blues life was born, nourished by returning to Chi-Town and working with harp players Sugar Blue, (“the Jimi Hendrix of the blues harp”) and Billy Branch.

Green is still following that path with the release of “Stone Cold,” the followup to his acclaimed 2018 debut, “City Soul,” named by DownBeat as one of the best blues albums of that year. His latest album displays Green’s maturity as a songwriter, his expressive vocals and the raw power of his harp work. Backing Green on the album are Giles Corey and Vince Agwada on guitar, Vic Jackson on bass, Felix “D Kat” Pollard on drums and Joe Munroe on keys.

“Stone Cold” is tightly coiled around Green’s razor-sharp harp, delivered with soul-rich vocals filled with inventive lyrical imagery. “I also wanted to write songs that people can think about, can have an emotional and/or intellectual connection to,” Green says.

“Lint Redux” cracks open the session with a fiery harp that soars throughout this hard-luck tale: “Nothin’ but lint in my pocket / It’s more than I can stand / That lint got so lonely, it’s gone and left me too.” “Stone Cold” rolls in on a boiling organ and a soulful vocal bemoaning his stone cold woman: “I went down to the river to see what I could see / I heard my baby tell the preacher man that she loves everybody but me.” “12 Feet of Water” opens with an orchestral vibe around a lengthy harp moan introducing a tale with mystical overtones: “There’s 12 feet of water in her living room / She called 911 and there’s nothing they can do / ‘Cause you know the rest of the house is just bone dry.”

“Hey Man” is a funky slice of tough life punctuated by high-caliber harp: “Got yourself a gun and became the stickup kid / Hey man look what you done / Got yourself a gun and now you’re on the run.” “Waitin’ On You” is a gently sung, easily swung tale of frustrated love: “You told me you love me, you love me so damn hard / All you wanted was my brand new credit card.”

“Nobody Knows” is an easy-rolling blues love poem with melodic guitar and harp interplay: “Nobody knows the story about me and my baby / The truth is they don’t have a clue / About the sweet love between me and you.” “Need You So Bad” cooks with percussion and jazz-like harp work in a plea for love: “I try to play it cool, but I am just your fool / Your wish is my command, nothing I can do.” “I Believe” opens with a mournful harp intro to a soulful vocal pleading for renewed love: “I gotta believe that I will see you again / I gotta believe that I will love you once more.” “Troubled World” is a traditional shuffle working hard for the blues life: “You gotta live, live the life you love / You gotta love, love the life you live / Cause that’s what you do when you live in the blues.”

The closer is the hard-driving “Boogie Joint” with a wickedly furious harp workout paying tribute to the blues, wherever it was played: “Thinking about how blues used to be / Seven nights a week and all night long.”

Russ Green may have taken a while to travel that long and winding path to the blues highway, but once he got there, the results are perfectly Stone Cold!

---

Here’s a recent interview with Green by Michel Limnios of BluesGr:

---

“Lint Redux” from the album:

Tracklist:

1 Lint Redux 6:38
2 Stone Cold 4:08
3 12 Feet Of Water 5:35
4 Hey Man 3:39
5 Waitin’ On You 4:41
6 Nobody Knows 4:41
7 Need You So Bad 5:21
8 I Believe 6:12
9 Troubled World 5:27
10 Boogie Joint 3:39

Carmen Ratti Band with Jill Dineen — “Come to Me” — MoMojo Records

The Carmen Ratti Band with Jill Deneen is a powerhouse blues and roots outfit from Northern California, with Ratti’s strong guitar work and Deneen’s soulful vocals creating a passionate framework for their latest album, “Come to Me.”

“This record mirrors the roots of blues while incorporating soul, gospel, rock blues and funk. These textures honor our influences and show up in many different ways throughout the album,” Ratti says.

“Come to Me” is a follow to the band’s 2021’s debut album, “The Road Back,” both produced by Kid Andersen’s increasing fabulous Greaseland Studios. The band was also a winner of the 2023 Golden Gate Blues Society International Blues Challenge.

The musical textures that Ratti talks about show up in the rootsy variety of the 11 original tracks (including two versions of the title track), all with Ratti or Deneen’s name on them.

The opener, “No Delusion,” is a funky blues by Dineen that introduces her soaring vocal style, with Ratti’s tough guitar and Tony Lufrano’s driving piano powering it all along. “Get In Line” rocks out next, another vocal showcase.

The title track, by Ratti and Dineen, is a gorgeous effort, a haunting melody overlaid with Dineen’s torchy vocal and ethereal background vocals by Lisa Leuschner Andersen. The song is reprised as the album closer, adding two more minutes of its pure enchantment.

Lufrano’s roiling organ licks kick off the chunky rhythms of “I Can See,” with a trenchant observation: “Open up my eyes, scroll through the news / “Looks like you’ve been messin’ round anyone with shoes.” Ratti’s haunting guitar powers the instrumental “Riley,” giving every note the space it needs to breathe its essence, while Lufrano adds elegant solos on both organ and piano.

“Blessing in the Blues” is a gospel-soaked slow blues masterpiece, drenched in gorgeous guitar and elevated by Dineen’s passionate vocal. Dineen keeps pushing higher on the foot-stomping “Coming Down,” highlighted by another wicked organ solo. “About You” features Ratti on his one vocal appearance, “Uncle Joe” is a bright and jazzy guitar-driven instrumental and Dineen’s take on her own “Pretty Good Man” is a scorching, bump-and-grind throwback with Dineen’s hard-to-resist demand for just one good man. The closer is that longer version of “Come to Me,” that adds even more depth and power to its anthemic plea.

“Come to Me” is an excellent album all around — from thoughtful songwriting from Carmen Ratti and Jill Deneen to the band’s musical sharpness elevating the power and passion of Dineens’ vocals. They can keep their hearts in San Francisco, but their music needs to be everywhere!

---

Here’s “Get in Line” from the album:

Tracklist:
1. No Delusion – 3:59 (Jill Dineen)
2. Get In Line – 4:29 (David Fulford & Jill Dineen)
3. Come to Me – 4:49 (Carmen Ratti & Jill Dineen)
4. I Can See – 3:52 (Jill Dineen)
5. Riley – 5:54 (Carmen Ratti)
6. Blessing in the Blues – 4:50 (Carmen Ratti & Jill Dineen)
7. Coming Down – 5:50 (Carmen Ratti)
8. About You – 4:54 (Carmen Ratti)
9. Uncle Joe – 4:03 (Carmen Ratti)
10. Pretty Good Man – 4:06 (Jill Dineen)
11. Come to Me ~ Extended Version – 6:58 (Carmen Ratti & Jill Dineen)

Musicians:
Carmen Ratti – Guitar, Vocals
Jill Dineen – Vocals
Tony “Macaroni” Lufrano – Organ, Piano Background Vocals on Coming Down
Steve Hazlewood – Bass
Randy Hayes – Drums
Lisa Leuschner Andersen — Background Vocals on Come to Me
Recorded – Mixed – Mastered – Produced by Christoffer Lund Andersen Greaseland Studios USA

The Rev. Freakchild — “Blues & Spirituals” / “Hymn Hustler” — Treated And Released Records

The spiritual and musical enigma that is the Rev. Freakchild continues to live among us, despite two self-penned “obituaries” written as album liner notes that tried without success to unplug the good Reverend.

Most recently he proclaimed his demise on his 2025 release, A Bluesman of Sorts. Indeed, his website proclaims one of his alternate realities as “The Artist formerly known as Reverend Freakchild.”

However, the Rev has chosen to reincarnate, bringing with him the first two albums of his recording career, remastered, digitized and humanized as a double album. Blues & Spirituals from 2001 and Hymn Hustler from 2003 combine to display two sides of Freakchild’s early musical personas. The results, he says, “will soothe your sorrows, and his country blues and soul-folk grooves will heal your hurting.” No word, though, about the hole in your soul.

On Blues & Spirituals, he offers an acoustic set with just guitar and harmonica, a troubadour blending traditional songs with his own soulful creations. The liner notes are not as traditional, quoting from Søren Kierkegaard, known as the first existentialist philosopher.

The first track is the traditional Jesus On the Mainline, an eloquent blues-gospel song, beautifully picked and sung. Lose these Blues is a gently swung original: “I feel like a lost feather off an angel’s wing / so Lord, won’t you please, help me, lose these blues.” Mo’ Betta Blues dips into Greek mythology for a modern ode to love: “Gonna let the love open the door, gonna make it mo’ betta, gotta make the blues mo’ betta.” Blues for No One is a swinging jazz instrumental, followed by a gorgeous rendition of another traditional gospel song, True Religion.

The Rev gives equally reverential treatment to Billie Holiday’s classic God Bless the Child. The original Rollin’ On is filled with folk overtones and harp filigrees around its contemplative thoughts: “Now you try to let it go, that love that is no longer, / No comfort, only reassurance, at the absence of God.” Cheeba-Cheeba is a whimsical sampling of lyrics from Schooly D, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan and the 23rd Psalm – and somehow makes perfect sense. Yer Blues is a slightly softer musical version of the John Lennon track from The Beatles White Album, while keeping its dark theme: “Yes I’m lonely, want to die.” Willin’ is a lovely take on a gentle folk song from Lowell George.

The Hymn Hustler tracks reveal a tougher side to the Rev’s music, with a little help from his friends. There’s some evil slide guitar, traditional blues, more mature original writing and trippy psychedelia sounds from the windmills of the Rev’s mind.

It begins with the starkly beautiful Delta blues classic, Rollin’ and Tumblin, now traditional, but first recorded by Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. The Rev fires up a wicked slide for his fiery version. He continues with In My Time of Dying, a traditional gospel song. The very original Supersubconscious Mind follows, a deeply introspective journey: “Just wading in the waters, of my Supersubconcious smoked mind / Careful not to disturb the universe, or let the devils waste my time.” Strange Magic is another inner mystery tour with psychedelic leanings: “Now you’re probably mellowing down easy / but it seems I’m still haunted by that strange magic.” Hawaiian Cowboy Lost in NYC is a unique original that pulls together the unlikely pairing of a gorgeous lap steel and traffic noise that all plays out its title. Search My Heart is an expertly picked and fiercely sung cover of this Rev. Gary Davis gospel song.

A Day Late and $ Short is an upbeat shuffle to every bluesman’s lament: “Well, I went down to the doctor, they said I was a day late / So, I went to get a drink, but the cash wouldn’t resonate.” WW3 Blues is another montage filled with mysterious voices, persistent percussion and lyrics from Dylan, Peter Tosh and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Don’t Miss Nothing is a bluesy folk original with stunning guitar behind lyrics that speak of a blood red moon and boiling seas but evolve to an earthier blues complaint: “Ya don’t miss your water ‘til the well runs dry, Ya I say, don’t miss nothing ‘til it’s gone. / Missed my baby, miss her all night long.” The closer is Memento Mori, a Latin phrase meaning “remember you must die,” a polyglot of sounds and snippets that conclude the album in a style best described as pure Freakchild.

The good Reverend’s spiritual side stems from his Buddhist beliefs. But for all of his other-worldliness, he’s a righteous singer, songwriter and guitarist. With Blues & Spirituals and Hymn Hustler, you can hear Rev explore his mind and expand your own. It seems as though the Freakchild may actually live long and prosper!

---

Here’s the Rev’s version of “Yer Blues”:

Tracklists:

Blues & Spirituals
01-Jesus on the Mainline
02-Lose these Blues
03-Mo’ Better Blues
04-Blues for No One
05-Pure Religion
06-God Bless the Child
07-Rollin’ On
08-Cheeba-Cheeba
09-Yer Blues
10-Willin’
All Songs written by the Rev. Freakchild except: Jesus on the Mainline & Pure Religion → (Traditional) / God Bless the Child (Holiday/Herzog) / Cheeba-Cheeba contains lyric content by (Schooly D, Bo Diddley, Robert Zimmerman and the 23rd Psalm) / Yer Blues (Lennon/McCartney) / Willin’ (L. George)

Hymn Hustler
11-Rollin’ and Tumblin’
12-In My Time of Dying
13-Supersubconscious Mind
14-Strange Magic
15-Hawaiian Cowboy Lost in NYC
16-Search My Heart
17-A Day Late and $ Short
18-World War 3 Blues
19-Don’t Miss Nothin’
20-Memento Mori
All Songs Written by the Reverend Freakchild except: Rollin’ and Tumblin’ → In my Time of Dying (Traditional) Search My Heart (Rev. Gary Davis) / WW3 Blues contains lyric content by (Robert Zimmerman, Peter Tosh and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)

Living Blues Magazine has opened the voting for its 33rd annual Living Blues Awards.

Voting is open until June 15, 2026. Everyone is eligible to vote, with no subscription or membership required. There are nominees in each category, but you can write in your own choice as well.

Go here to vote.

Taj Mahal — “Time” — Thirty Tigers

Taj Mahal’s timeless music has a new home in his latest album release, “Time.”

Its timelessness is emphasized by the fact that this sparkling session was recorded in 2010, when it reignited that spark of great music generated by Mahal’s work with the Phantom Blues Band, their first pairing since 2008’s “Maestro.”

The five-time Grammy winner has an uncanny ability to incorporate blues into the other worldly rhythms of brightly colored reggae, Caribbean and Latin influences, while still keeping the faith with blues, R&B and soul music.

That zesty musical blend is on full display in “Time,” a collection of songs that flow effortlessly from one genre to the next, all held together by the Phantoms — featuring Johnny Lee Schell, Tony Braunagel, and Larry Fulcher, alongside Jon Cleary, Mick Weaver, and a crackling horn section led by Joe Sublett and Les Lovitt — and by Mahal’s majestic growl of a voice.

The title track here is a previously unreleased song written by the late Bill Withers. “Time” was discovered as an early Withers demo and even turned into the futuristic album cover art. It’s a gorgeous song, with a gentle acoustic intro, treated to a reverential Mahal vocal with soulful background vocals. The refrain, “Time will see you through,” sends a hopeful message.

Elsewhere, the album opens with “Life of Love,” a rhythmic celebration of a “soulful stew” of musical influences and love itself. “Wild About My Lovin’” adds an island beat to the fun. “Crazy About A Jukebox” is tasty R&B fun, listing songs and artists dipping back into the 1950s for a romp through great old music. “You Put the Whammy On Me,” gets a little funky, while “Talkin’ Blues” is a duet with Bob Marley’s son, David “Ziggy” Marley.

The Otis Redding track, “Sweet Lorene,” gets Mahal’s soul pipes shouting before turning to the haunting blues ballad “Ask Me ’Bout Nothing (But the Blues),” written for Bobby ‘Blue” Bland, who recorded the song in 1969. “It’s Your Voodoo Working” offers a horn-fueled take on the traditional mojoj/voodoo/conjurer blues theme.

The lively closer is “Rowdy Blues,” a rollicking old-time blend of blues and jazz with Leary’s barrel-house piano driving behind Mahal’s gritty vocal. The song itself is one of two surviving records by the little-known Delta bluesman Kid Bailey. It’s a fitting finale with its emphasis on the classic blues that’s been one of Mahal’s main driving wheels since his first guitar lessons from Lynwood Perry, the nephew of bluesman Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup.

Ruthie Foster’s liner notes for “Time” are worth a note here as well: “Taj Mahal’s fearless, open-hearted spirit still shadows the whole thing with that genre-hopping joy. He leads you down the road with a history lesson, and the Phantoms carry it with honor to the Griot.”

In the end, the music of “Time” may be16 years old, but that joyful essence is very much alive right now. It’s a must for anyone’s Taj Mahal collection.

---

It’s worth mentioning (especially since I missed it the first time around) that Mahal’s previous album, the outstanding 2024 “Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa” won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. It’s a terrific concert of classic blues styles.

---

Here’s “Time” from the album:

Tracklist:
Life of Love — 3:36
Wild About My Lovin’ — 5:43
Crazy About a Jukebox — 4:00
Time — 3:41
You Put the Whammy on Me — 3:18
Talkin’ Blues — 4:36
Sweet Lorene — 2:59
Ask Me ’Bout Nothing (But the Blues) — 4:08 p
It’s Your Voodoo Working — 3:15
Rowdy Blues — 4:20

Musicians:
Taj Mahal — lead vocals, acoustic guitar, ukelele, harmonica
Johnny Lee Schell — electric guitar, backing vocals
Tony Braunagel — drums, percussion
Larry Fulcher — bass, backing vocals
Jon Cleary — keyboards
Mick Weaver — keyboards
Joe Sublett — tenor saxophone
Les Lovitt — trumpet
Ziggy Marley — guest vocals on “Talkin’ Blues”

Billy Price — “Random Madness” — Get Hip Records

For decades, Billy Price has been nurturing the classic soul music that has inspired his own career, filtering the work of its innovators through his own musical sensibilities.

And the Pittsburgh-based singer has done it extremely well, performing regionally, nationally and internationally, with 21 albums, CDs and DVDs to his credit. He’s been a Pittsburgh blues and soul icon for the past half-century.

Price’s album “This Time for Real,” with Chicago soul singer Otis Clay, received a 2016 Blues Music Award for best soul blues album. He was nominated 11 times for BMAs between 2019 and 2025 and won the 2024 Bluebird Reviews Lifetime Career Award in the U.K. His most recent recording, “Person of Interest,” was nominated for 2025 BMAs for Soul Blues Album and Album of the Year.

But in the past ten years or so, Price seems to have taken to heart a question posed by one of those soulmen whose work he has performed with considerable style: “Can I Change My Mind,” recorded by soul singer Tyrone Davis in 1968, and later covered by Price in an album with that title. The most recent answer to that question is his latest album, the smoothly soulful and deeply personal vitality of “Random Madness.”

Price, always an articulate spokesman for his music, explains the shift in his music in a recent interview with Michael Limnios on his Blues Gr blog: “It wasn’t until late in my career—sometime in the new millennium—that I started working earnestly on songwriting, and as time has passed, the music I’ve created and presented has begun to evolve beyond imitative conventions of blues and soul toward something more personal and idiosyncratic.”

In other words, his soul, his music.

Price says that the success of his previous album, “Person of Interest,“ motivated him to “continue developing my songwriting, largely with my longtime writing partner Jim Britton, keyboard player in the Billy Price Band.” Price is co-writer of all 11 tracks on “Madness.”

Joining Price to make this music are his long-time band: Dave Dodd (drums), Tom Valentine (bass), Ian Arthurs (guitar), Jim Britton (keyboards), Eric Spaulding (sax), and Joe Herndon (trumpet). Joining that core group are Steve Delach (guitar), album producer Tony Braunagel (drums), Reggie Watkins (trumpet), Sean Jones (trumpet) and Delana Flowers, Willa Katy Cotten and Carmen Miller (background vocals).

In that Limnios interview, Price says: “I allowed myself and the band to stretch beyond the musical and lyrical constraints of the styles in which we have typically worked, and I expect that there will be some number of listeners whose expectations will be jarred by this recording. At the same time, I am as proud of this album as of anything I’ve ever done before.

“The songs on “Random Madness,” from lighthearted to confessional to serious, are the most personal of my career and the natural evolution of what Tony (Braunagel) and I started with “Person of Interest.,” Price says.

This “Madness” music should only be jarring to listeners in the sense that it’s Price at his apex — the use of the veteran Billy Price Band, the smart, articulate songwriting, and Price’s smoothly mature and soulful vocals combine to lift the album into rarified soul ranks. Recording the session at The Vault studio in Pittsburgh helped to keep everything grounded. “It was important to me to be able to work at home with the band I’ve been playing with for decades, Price says.

Those horns that he’s used for decades to establish the Billy Price sound kick off the first album track, the bright, R&B flavored “I Was A Fool,” with its apologetic lyric: “Good intentions die at the gates of Hell / My epitaph will be, “He thought he meant well.” The first taste of background vocals from Delana Flowers, Willa Katy Cotten and Carmen Miller is delicious, promising good things ahead.

“I Got That Dog in Me” is a funky warning about short-tempered ways: “I’m always sniffin’, I’m always on guard, yeah I’m looking for a poodle in every backyard.” “Hungry Ghost,” is a rhythmic lament on unrequited love. “I Said What I Said” highlights a funky groove, and “Curiosity” is a wistful refrain: “What is it you’re after, what is it you’re trying to see? / Oh, if I knew the answer, you’d be the first to know / What you see is what get, I’m not putting on a show.”

“Rent Free” is a jazz-inflected highlight, with its effervescent music a counterpoint to its melancholy memories of lost love: “In the years since we parted / I never think about what used to be /I have no regrets, canceled all the debts / But you’re still living in my mind rent free.”

“Creature of Habit” is a defiantly upbeat defense of his personal defects: “You won’t find people skills on my resumé / And with a creature of habit / Bad habits don’t go away.” A spoken-word warning and lyrical guitar lines add to the mood. “Exit Strategy” struts out offering good advice: “When you’re up against the wall / Your hands will not be tied / If you have an exit strategy.”

“Dirty Knee Revelation” is a soulful, gospel-drenched quest for meaning, with gorgeous background vocals: “Burned all my bridges, ran out of hope / Searching for an answer at the end of my rope.” The background vocals.” There’s a hint of Latin rhythms on “Stickers On My Suitcase,” with its invitation to explore: “So if you’re up for an adventure / I’ve had my share / My offer’s on the table / Try me if you dare / Stickers on my suitcase, oh baby / We can get them anywhere.”

The anthemic title song, “Random Madness” opens with a hot blues spark from trumpet great Sean Jones and then leans into its aching refrain: “Tomorrow’s loss, yesterday’s gain / Equal measures of pleasure and pain / When the noise dies down, all that remains / Is random madness.”

Billy Price has been shaping his life in soul music for a large chunk of his 76 years. “Random Madness” is the eloquent result, with its always-soulful groove and its slyly perceptive lyrical insights.

---

Here’s an excellent recent interview with Price by Michael Limnios at Blues Gr.

---

Here’s the video of “I Was A Fool” from the album:

Tracklist: 

1. I Was a Fool – Billy Price, Jim Britton (3:24)  
2. I Got That Dog in Me – Billy Price, Jim Brit (4:18)
3. Hungry Ghost – Billy Price, Jim Britton, Tony Braunagel (4:45)  
4. I Said What I Said – Billy Price, Jim Britton (4:40)  
5. Curiosity – Billy Price, Jon Tiven, Sally Tiven, Tony Braunagel (4:05)  
6. Rent Free – Billy Price, Jim Britton (3:38)  
7. Creature of Habit – Billy Price, Jim Britton (3:33)  
8. Exit Strategy – Billy Price, Fred Chapellier, Tony Braunagel  
9. Dirty Knee Revelation – Billy Price, Jim Britton, Jackie Ondrik (5:04)  
10. Stickers on My Suitcase – Billy Price, Jim Britton (4:33)  
11. Random Madness – Billy Price, Jim Britton (4:44)  

Musicians:
Tom Valentine – bass
Dave Dodd – drums
Jim Britton – keyboards
Ian Arthurs – guitar
Eric Spaulding – saxophone
Joe Herndon – trumpet
Tony Braunagel – drums
Steve Delach – guitar
Reggie Watkins – trombone
Sean Jones – trumpet
Background vocals — Delana Flowers, Willa Katy Cotten, Carmen Miller