Blues Roadhouse

Tom Buenger — “Blues From Caucasia” — Self-Release

Tom Buenger’s second album, “Blues From Caucasia,” has been around for a few months, and it’s well past time that I should bring this delightful effort to your attention.

Buenger is a singer / songwriter based in the Seattle, Wash., area, who performs solo, or with a few other talented musicians, all well-suited to the direction of his music. His original style is mined from basic blues and gospel, but goes wherever his rootsy musical spirit takes him, often into rock, soul and Americana. This session expands on his debut album, “Suburban Gospel.”

Buenger’s musical companions here are guitarists Teresa Russell from Los Angeles and
Rafael Tranquilino from Mexico City, plus guitarist Chris Eger, bassist Richard Williams and drummer Cyrus Zerbe. Even though there’s a taste here and there of lively electric guitar, it seems fair to call this primarily an acoustic album, which gives it a more intimate feeling and a down-home, old-timey touch.

The album opens with the spirited light-blues “Above The Sun,” with a hand-clapping gospel feel punctuated by Buenger’s floating harp lines. “Start a Fire” is a torchy love song that showcases Buenger’s multi-instrumental skills on piano, acoustic guitar and harp. plus a soulful vocal turn.

“That Ain’t Right,” is a tough blues with tougher vocals and a percussive backbeat behind Buenger’s vivid acoustic guitar. “What You Gonna Do” is a little soulful philosophy about life’s indifference, as “the world don’t give a damn about your big master plan…. so “when it comes right down to livin’, do what you’re gonna do.”

“Mean Things” is an easy-riding blues that adds a light electric touch in a gentle counterpoint as the music makes his demons sing and dance. “Get With Me” is two-step plea to a woman he’s got his eye on, flavored with a little honky-tonk kazoo. The vocal showcase, “Don’t Stop” draws on lovely vocal harmonies with a hopeful message: “Don’t stop till you reach the other side.”

“Feel Alright” is a soulful love ballad with a touch of classic R&B at its heart. “Fight No More” finds Buenger in an intricate tapestry of delicate harp, acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies with himself in a terrific call-and-response style.

Two solo acoustic blues tracks close it all out: The first is Buenger’s own finger-picking creation, “Talk To Me,” with a sweetly sensitive vocal. The final cut is the classic “Soul Of A Man,” by Blind Willie Johnson, which Buenger beautifully shapes into a vocal duet and an elegant phrasing of music that is the soul of a man.

This is an excellent album, filled with finely tuned original music, rooted in the spirit of the finest blues traditions. You should enjoy it soon.

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“That Ain’t Right” from the album:

Tracklist and credits:

Above the Sun – 2:43
Recorded and Mixed at Plumtree Studios,
Mastered by Rafael Tranquilino
Tom Buenger: 90% — Vocals, Harmonica
Chris Eger: 5% — Electric Guitar, Bass
Richard Williams: 5% — Drums

Start a Fire – 5:31
Mixed & Mastered by Rafael Tranquilino
Tom Buenger: 80% — Vocals, Piano, Acoustic
Guitar, Harmonica
Teresa Russell: 15% — Electric Guitar
Cyrus Zerbe: 5% — Drums

That Ain’t Right – 3:12
Recorded and Mixed at Plumtree Studios
Tom Buenger: 90% — Acoustic Guitar,
Harmonica, Vocals
Richard Williams: 10% — Drums, Bass

What You Gonna Do – 4:43
Mixed & Mastered by Rafael Tranquilino
Tom Buenger: 85% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Rafael Tranquilino: 15% — Electric Guitar

Mean Things – 3:21
Recorded and Mixed at Plumtree Studios
Tom Buenger: 90% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Chris Eger: 5% — Bass, Electric Guitar
Richard Williams: 5% — Drums

Get With Me – 3:46
Recorded and Mixed at Plumtree Studios
Tom Buenger: 80% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocals,
Kazoo
Chris Eger: 10% — Electric Guitar, Bass
Richard Williams: 10% — Drums

Don’t Stop – 3:30
Mixed and Mastered by Rafael Tranquilino
Tom Buenger: 100% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocal

Feel Alright – 3:49
Mixed and Mastered by Rafael Tranquilino
Tom Buenger: 60% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Rafael Tranquilino: 40% — Drums, Bass, Electric
Guitar

Fight No More – 2:45
Mixed and Mastered by Rafael Tranquilino
Tom Buenger: 100% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

Talk To Me – 3:58
Recorded and Mixed at Plumtree Studios
Tom Buenger: 100% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

Soul of a Man – 3:26
Mixed and Mastered by Rafael Tranquilino
“Blind” Willie Johnson: 100%; Columbia
Tom Buenger: 0% — Acoustic Guitar, Vocal

The Dig 3 — “Damn the Rent”

This album has been around for a couple of months now, and much to my chagrin, I’m just getting around to it. My very bad, since it’s easily one of the finest blues efforts I’ve heard this year.

What makes it special is a rare combination of musical style and substance, performed with considerable skill and gritty authenticity.

The Dig 3 is sort of an old-timey, gutbucket trio featuring guitar and smart vocals by Andrew Duncanson of Kilborn Alley Blues Band, sharp harp by Ronnie Shellist, and the one-man-band that is Gerry Hundt — he plays Farmer FootDrums and percussion, bass, guitar, harmonica, and mandolin. They got together during the pandemic, released their splendid rootsy debut album, “The Dig 3,” last year, and their sophomore effort, “Damn the Rent,” is hot on its heels.

The production here is clean and pure, with the first 10 tracks all being cut live in the studio in a day. It’s clean and pure, but at the same time raw and gritty, with unmistakable passion for the music. And the music, all original, feels just like it’s been freshly dredged from its swampy origins.

The set opener “Take a Ride” drives along over a wicked Bo Diddley beat with plaintive harp fills all wrapped in a torrent of percussion. “All the Love That I Got” is soul with a beat stirred into a winsome blues shuffle. “Big Water” is a rolling boogie with Shellist adding tough harp lines.

“Big Toe” adds bluesy fuel as Duncanson wails “just dip my toe in gasoline.” The instrumental “Chuck and Willie” adds organ riffs to fierce guitar and soaring harp. It’s a gem of a blues track.

“Coconut Curry Dance” is a rollicking upbeat track, as tasty as its title. “Gold Tooth” is another slow boogie with Hundt on mandolin and introducing a line that contains the album title, “damn the rent.” “Blanco Boogaloo” is another instrumental, featuring a snaky harp by Shellist. “Red-Tailed Hawks” is an open-road song, driving hard on a “cold hard road and them red-tailed hawks.” The vintage sound of a raspy kazoo resonates in a snaky tribute to the “Old Dog.”

The final two cuts are very different. Recording at a different studio as the The Dig 3 BIG, a quintet without Shellist adds backup singer Lauren Dukes, bassist Aaron Whittier and drummer Rick King. Hundt plays guitar and organ. “Southern Fantasy,” from their debut album, has a thumping bass and a funky counterpoint to all that’s gone before. “All the Love That I Got” is a smooth soulful take by Duncanson, again in a different vein, but still stemming from the same musical roots.

How to best say it? “Damn the Rent” is a damn fine album. If you’ve never heard The Dig 3, you need to. If you have, do it again. Dig it.

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Minor partially related digression:

The name of The Dig 3 got me to thinking (no snark, please): It reminded me of the Big Three Trio, the group that in 1946 launched the career of the legendary Willie Dixon (The three were Dixon plus pianist Leonard “Baby Doo” Caston and guitarist Bernardo Dennis (later replaced by Ollie Crawford).

A quick search of the interwebs also revealed that in 1962, Cass Elliot, Tim Rose and James Hendricks formed a group called The Big Three and began playing clubs and coffeehouses in New York City. That led to, among other things, the Mugwumps, and later, the Mamas and Papas.

Aren’t you glad you read this far?

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“Big Water” from the album:

Tracklist:

1. Take A Ride
2. All The Love That I Got
3. Big Water
4. Dip My Toe
5. Chuck & Willie
6. Coconut Curry Dance
7. Gold Tooth
8. Blanco Boogaloo
9. Red Tailed Hawks
10. Old Dogs
11. Southern Fantasy
12. All The Love That I Got

Sue Foley — “Live in Austin Vol. 1 — Stony Plain Records

“Blues is the soul of music. Period.”

That’s how Sue Foley described the music in 1993, in a brief video remembrance of her attraction to the blues and her arrival in Austin, Texas, from Canada a few years earlier (watch the video here).

Since then, Foley has made her mark on the blues world with fiery guitar work, tough vocals, plus a sensitivity and passion for the blues and roots music that livens every note.

Foley is a multiple award-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist who’s been featured on dozens of her own and other albums and tours extensively, but also writes about the blues, teaches guitar, and brings to her music an understanding of its rich history.

All of that has led to her latest album, “Live in Austin Vol. 1,” as she pulls together eleven original songs and covers in a sparkling live performance that illustrates the bright arc of her musical career. Recorded live at Austin’s Continental Club last May, Foley gives us some first-ever live recordings of early hits, plus some sharp covers.

Foley’s band here is made up of her usual mates, Corey Keller on drums and Jon Penner on bass, with the stellar addition of Austin guitarist Derek O’Brien, who coproduced Foley’s first two albums.

For the session opener, Foley reaches back into her 2006 alubum of the same name for the auto-erotic, hard-driving “New Used Car,” with typically tough solos, followed by another original, the equally ferocious “Walkin’ Home.”

“Highwayside” has a country-rock twang, but Foley’s sensuous take on Howlin’ Wolf’s “Howlin For My Darlin'” puts her squarely back into a historic blues vein as she calls out a fiery solo by guitarist Derek O’Brien. Her “Queen Bee” is a smoothly honeyed version of the Sim Harpo swamp classic, “King Bee.”

The instrumental “Hooked on Love (Lucky Lou)” lets Foley stretch out on a guitar showcase rich with tone and notes wound tightly for maximum pleasure. Her version of Bob Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street” replaces his sharp-edged vocals with a slightly softer lyrical take and elegant guitar solo.

Foley moves back into deep blues history with another cover — the Memphis Minnie chestnut, “Me and My Chauffeur Blues,” which could easily have been paired with the attitude of the opener, “New Used Car” as its driving wheel. The sultry shuffle of Foley’s original “Better” is another sensual take — “I will love you better than your other girls can…”

The set closer is a strong cover of Cheap Trick’s ’70s rocker, “High Roller,” as Foley leaves us breathless with its furious pacing.

This terrific live album is a capsule version of Sue Foley’s wide-ranging talents that have brought her to her current spot — just sittin’ on top of the world of blues music. Let’s hope volume two isn’t far behind.

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Sue Foley video bio from 1993:

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“New Used Car” from the album:

Tracklist and credits:

1: Introduction by Steve Wertheimer (00:29)
2: New Used Car (3:47) (Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)
3: Walkin’ Home (3:22) (Sue Foley, Robert Grant, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)
4: Highwayside (4:03) (Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)
5: Howlin For My Darlin (4:59) (Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett, Hoochie Coochie Music, Arc Music BMI)
6: Queen Bee (4:19) (James Moore, Embassy Music Corp, BMI)
7: Hooked On Love (aka Lucky Lou) (4:07) (Jodi Williams, ARC Music, BMI)
8: Positively 4th Street (5:25) (Bob Dylan, Sony Music Entertainment)
9: Me and My Chauffeur Blues (4:27) (Ernest Lawler, Songs of Universal Inc., Wabash Music Company, BMI)
10: Better (4:52) (Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music, SOCAN/ASCAP)
11: High Roller (5:01) (Richard Alan Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin W Zander, Adult Music, Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc., BMI, SESAC)
Recorded Live at The Continental Club, Austin, TX, May 19, 2023
Produced by Mike Flanigin
Featuring:
Sue Foley – Guitar, Vocals
Jon Penner – Bass
Corey Keller – Drums
Derek O’Brien – Guitar
Angela Miller – Background Vocals, Tambourine
Lauren Cervantes – Background Vocals

1: Introduction by Steve Wertheimer (00:29)

2: New Used Car (3:47)
(Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)

3: Walkin’ Home (3:22)
(Sue Foley, Robert Grant, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)

4: Highwayside (4:03)
(Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)

5: Howlin For My Darlin (4:59)
(Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett, Hoochie Coochie Music, Arc Music BMI)

6: Queen Bee (4:19)
(James Moore, Embassy Music Corp, BMI)

7: Hooked On Love (aka Lucky Lou) (4:07)
(Jodi Williams, ARC Music, BMI)

8: Positively 4th Street (5:25)
(Bob Dylan, Sony Music Entertainment)

9: Me and My Chauffeur Blues (4:27)
(Ernest Lawler, Songs of Universal Inc., Wabash Music Company, BMI)

10: Better (4:52)
(Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music, SOCAN/ASCAP)

11: High Roller (5:01)
(Richard Alan Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin W Zander, Adult Music, Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc., BMI, SESAC)

Recorded Live at The Continental Club, Austin, TX, May 19, 2023

Produced by Mike Flanigin
Featuring:
Sue Foley – Guitar, Vocals
Jon Penner – Bass
Corey Keller – Drums
Derek O’Brien – Guitar
Angela Miller – Background Vocals, Tambourine
Lauren Cervantes – Background Vocals

For those of you who are interested, here are the Grammy nominations in the two categories reserved for blues music. If you’re interested in the other 92 Grammy categories, you can check this complete list of all the nominations.

Category 47. Best Traditional Blues Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.

Ridin’
Eric Bibb

The Soul Side Of Sipp
Mr. Sipp

Life Don’t Miss Nobody
Tracy Nelson

Teardrops For Magic Slim Live At Rosa’s Lounge
John Primer

All My Love For You
Bobby Rush

Category 48. Best Contemporary Blues Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.

Death Wish Blues
Samantha Fish And Jesse Dayton

Healing Time
Ruthie Foster

Live In London
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Blood Harmony
Larkin Poe

LaVette!
Bettye LaVette

Marcel Smith — “From My Soul” — Little Village Foundation

Great soul music isn’t hard to find if you want to visit the old masters, mostly long gone, but whose music still burns brightly — Johnny Adams, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Al Green, Solomon Burke, and many more.

It’s much harder to find someone making contemporary soul music magic that ranks with the classics, and when you find it, it needs to be recognized and appreciated.

That’s why “From My Soul,” a magnificent new album by Marcel Smith, a relative youngster and newcomer to the style, needs to get that recognition and appreciation.

Like many great soul artists, Smith has musical roots deep in the gospel tradition. When  he  was just 15, quartet gospel veteran Willie Washington heard Smith solo in his church. Washington offered him a spot in his new quartet, the WD Gospel Singers. Smith’s history in gospel music since then has given him the professional polish and the vocal chops that fill his secular music with soulful power.

For this album, Smith has returned to Christopher “Kid” Andersen’s Greaseland Studios and the Little Village label for his follow-up to 2018’s “Everybody Needs Love.” Andersen is effusively supportive: “It is that elusive quality of making you believe what he sings, making you care about the story, and care for him as a person, that puts Marcel right up there with the legendary greats of the idiom,” he says.

The musicians who back him here are all notable because of their sharp support of Smith’s vocals. They his include Derrick “D’Mar” Martin on drums; Endre Tarczy on bass; Jim Pugh on organ and piano; Kid Andersen, producer, guitar, and miscellaneous instruments; Rick Estrin on harmonica; Jon Otis on percussion; Jerry Jemmott on bass on track 8; Mike Rinta on trombone and horn arrangements on tracks 6, 8, and 11; Aaron Lington on saxophone, horn arrangements on t racks 1, 9, and 10, and string arrangement on track 3; John Worley on trumpet; Don Dally on strings; Tony Lufrano on organ on track 8; and Eric Spaulding on the sax solo on track 2. Backing vocals are provided by Lisa Leuschner Andersen and Sons of the Soul Revivers.

The album features five songs co-written by Smith, plus eight others that pull from some unlikely sources, but they all come together in a perfect union of sweet soul music.

The album kicks off with the horn-laced, R&B-flavored “I’m Coming Home To You,” with the glorious backing vocals of the Soul Revivers. The carefree lyric and upbeat music set just the right mood for all that follows. “If You Miss Me” follows, a slow, smooth ballad tastefully delivered with a classic small-combo feeling, with Smith’s vocals and lovely falsetto sliding gracefully alongside a sensuous Spaulding sax solo.

“What Can We Do” asks that question about an anxious world, with the Soul Revivers soaring in the background. “Freedom Blues” roars to life with a similar theme, riding on a strong Rick Estrin harmonica line.

A soothing cover of Willie Nelson’s “Wake Me When It’s Over” softens the mood as Smith does a great job of making this song his own. Another cover, this time an audacious take on Jimmy Liggins’ “Drunk” cranks up for the dance floor.

“To Be True” softens the mood again, a lilting love song so smoothly delivered that you know he’ll get the second chance he’s asking for. “Nothing Left To Burn” explores a more rhythmic pulse behind an exciting vocal take.

The great soul man Johnny Rawls joins Smith for two gorgeous songs: “There Goes My Used To Be” and “Turn Back The Hands Of Time,” the first a soaring ballad, the second a Stax-like anthem filled with crackling horns.

Smith pours his heart and considerable into the sweetness of “My Heart Told A Lie,” then sustains the tender mood on “I Don’t Want To Take A Chance.”

The closer is an emotional tribute to the memory of Smith’s mother, delivered with a spoken intro — a powerful nine-minute live version of the Bee Gees “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart.” It’s a soul-powered masterpiece and a fitting finale to this stirring album.

“From My Soul” is simply a great album, rich with the irresistible emotional power of sweet soul music.

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Here’s “Turn Back the Hands of Time” with Johnny Rawls:

Tracklist:

1. Coming Home to You
2. If You Miss Me
3. What Can We Do
4. Freedom Blues
5. Wake Me When It’s Over
6. Drunk!
7. To Be True
8. Nothing Left to Burn
9. There Goes My Used to Be
10. Turn Back the Hands of Time
11. My Heart Told a Lie
12. I Don’t Want To Take a Chance
13. How Do You Mind a Broken Heart

The short answer to that intriguing question is: Most likely.

Her groundbreaking and influential music — a heavy dose of hard-driving electric guitar backing both spiritual and secular performances with her powerful vocals — has too often been lost in the musical wilderness preceding the 1950’s explosion of the music that came to be called rock ‘n’ roll.

Born in Cotton Plant, Ark., in 1915, as Rosetta Nubin, she was playing guitar at age 6, and attended church conventions with her mother, Katie Bell Nubin. They moved to Chicago, where her mother preached, and Rosetta married another preacher, Thomas Tharpe. By 1938, they moved to New York City, where Tharpe got a spot at The Cotton Club.

She worked with Lucky Millender’s Orchestra, performing and recording both gospel and secular songs such as “Four Or Five Times.” A few years later, Tharpe and pianist Sammy Price recorded her biggest hit, “Strange Things Happening Every Day.”

Tharpe recorded her first four sides in 1938 during a session that included her first hit, “Rock Me,” along with “That’s All.” Four years later, Billboard magazine praised her for “the rock-and-roll spiritual singing” in her re-recording of “Rock Me” with the Lucky Millender Orchestra. Tharpe also recorded with the great boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons. And boogie-woogie piano itself laid claim to forming the early underpinnings of rock ‘n’ roll.

After that auspicious beginning, Tharpe’s career lasted well into the 1950s, influencing countless early guitar rockers and many others.

Chuck Berry once said his entire career was “one long Sister Rosetta Tharpe impersonation.” On stage, she did an early version of Berry’s duckwalk. Little Richard called her his greatest influence and Tharpe was the first to put him on stage.  Little Walter Jacobs, the legendary blues harp player, credited his music to one of Tharpe’s biggest hits, “This Train.”

Tharpe finally made it into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, but despite that honor, and despite her massive body of work, her talent and influence are not well known today.

I’d like to help remedy that with the Tharpe documentary that follows. It’s about an hour long, but it’s worth it to sample her long and influential career and help to restore her place in music history. Below that are two early recordings that illustrate her style. Enjoy.

“Up Above My Head”

“This Train”

Various Artists — “Jingle All the Way” — Blue Heart Records

Merry Christmas, baby.

And yes, I do know that my previous review was also a Christmas album, and that “Monster Mash” is still echoing in your ears.

But it’s that time of year. Time to think about how to get through Halloween and Thanksgiving without running out of festive holiday spirit before Santa comes down your chimney to snack on the milk and cookies you’ve left out (in my house it’s bourbon and fudge, which I enjoy myself. Santa can find his own. Plus I don’t have a chimney).

What better way to get through the season than with music that suits the occasion? Especially if it’s music that’s merry, bright, and freshly created by Blue Heart Records, offering its own version of a blue Christmas with its debut holiday album, a compilation by the artists at Blue Heart and Nola Blue Records.

The Texas Horns tear open this sparkling package with a sharp set of horns and a cheerful vocal chorus, updating the traditionally more solemn “Silver Bells.” Benny Turner makes the soulful plea in the very bluesy “I Want Some Christmas Cheer,” as he struggles for a visit with the one he loves: “Gotta see my baby, she’s in Chicago….”

The holiday chestnut “Santa Baby” gets a sultry update from Lil Red & the Rooster, and the equally classic “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” romps with a New Orleans vibe by Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps. Rick Vito launches a rocking guitar-driven “I Was A Bad Boy This Year,” since “all that rockin’ put a hole in his stockin’.”

Jim Koeppel offers whimsical advice in “Slim Down Santa,” suggesting he “lose a little wait or you’ll need another reindeer Christmas night” and hinting at what a naughty Mrs. Claus has in mind. Clarence Spady offers some funkified spirit for the season in “Christmas.”

Bobby Gentilo struts his way through James Brown’s “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto,” and Croatian bluesman Tomislav Goluban creates a dazzling harp-laced instrumental version of “Amazing Grace.” Mark Cameron turns in a clever spoken-word “Nick’s Place,” with a distinctive view of all the hard work at “a place they call the pole…”

No bluesy holiday album should be without a version of the Johnny Moore classic “Merry Christmas Baby,” and Laura Tate doesn’t disappoint, with a rousing, sax-spiced R&B version. Vaneese Thomas follows with her own full-throated plea for “Peace and Goodwill.” Peter Veteska and solo piano backing offer the wistful and poignant “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” Tiffany Pollack revives the lyrically and melodically gorgeous “River,” in a delightful reading of the too-seldom heard Joni Mitchell song.

The closer finds Teresa James backed by the Texas Horns in a gently swinging, socially conscious, “Even Santa Gets the Blues,” where “Hard times are everywhere you go, even Santa’s got the blues….”

So, since Santa knows if you’ve been bad or good, it’s better to be good and listen to this special collection of holiday music.

That’s the best way to have a merry Christmas, baby. Start early with this spirited album.

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Here’s a version of “Santa Baby” by Lil Red & the Rooster:

Track Listing:

Texas Horns – Silver Bells Benny Turner – I Want Some Christmas Cheer Lil Red & the Rooster – Santa Baby Teresa James – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Rick Vito – Bad Boy This Year Jim Koeppel – Slim Down Santa Clarence Spady – Christmas Bobby Gentilo – Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto Tomislav Goluban – Amazing Grace Mark Cameron – Nick’s Place Laura Tate – Merry Christmas Baby Vaneese Thomas – Peace and Good Will Peter Veteska – I’ll Be Home For Christmas Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson – River Teaxs Horns featuring Teresa James – Even Santa Gets the Blues

Big Harp George — Big Harp George Does Christmas” — Blues Mountain Records

Big Harp George doesn’t know if you’ve been naughty or nice – but he’s got a special Christmas gift ready for you either way.

It’s an album of unconventional Christmas music that reflects his unconventional songwriting mind. It’s music that’s lyrically sharp and clever, with lots of Big (chromatic) Harp, but still very Christmassy – in an irreverent Big Harp George kind of way. It makes you think that if Mad Magazine ever released a Christmas album, this would be it.

Big Harp George (George Bisharat) is a San Francisco Bay Area blues singer, songwriter, and chromatic harmonica wizard. The chromatic has a jazzy, sophisticated voice, and combined with Bisharat’s smart songwriting, makes for a distinctive musical package.

It was music that captured Bisharat’s imagination in his early teens, but he set that aside for a successful career as a criminal defense lawyer, an award-winning professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law, and expert commentator on law and politics in the Middle East.

But the music was hard to resist, and about 12 years ago, Bisharat tuned in again. He recorded his first album, “Chromaticism,” in 2014, which earned him “Best New Artist” award nominations from the Blues Foundation and Blues Blast Magazine, as well as high praise from music critics for his blues-laced chromatic style. Four more successful albums followed, with his most recent being “Cut My Spirit Loose.”

But now it’s time for Christmas giving. Bisharat has been writing and recording holiday songs occasionally since 2018, when he cut “Where’ll I Be for Christmas?” with the late “Little Charlie” Baty on guitar. He’s added a few more here and there to round out this holiday album of what he calls “decidedly nonstandard tunes.”

The hard-rocking “nonstandard” opener is “Bad Santa,” in which naughty triumphs over nice, and this salacious Santa’s gifts are best left undelivered: “Bad Santa, you ain’t welcome in my home….”

“Carioca Christmas” has a Latin vibe, with a strong chromatic solo. “Reindeer On Strike” jingles in with “this reindeer standin’ up for what’s right…” and notes “little scab elves” on its way to listing reindeer grievances that speak impishly of their plight. “War on Christmas!” attacks that politically delicate topic armed with explosively sarcastic ammunition.

“Snow Shuffle” is bluesy instrumental that could easily drift into a Christmas dance tune. “Coquito Girl” is another Latinesque number flavored with a “rum and coconut” yuletide libation. “Where I’ll Be For Christmas?” features Baty with a spirited guitar solo on a gently swinging, bluesy track around the lament that “my family’s turned its back on me and I don’t have no place to go…”

“Fireside Waltz” is exactly that; an instrumental perfect for a old-fashioned dance on any occasion. “These Three Kings” wisely forgoes that traditional theme and focuses instead on Freddie, Albert and B.B. as the three blues kings in a tribute to those masters, with guitar lines that evoke their eternal presence. In a spoken final verse, George takes a serious minute to wish everyone a “most joyous holiday season.”

“That Grinch is Me” offers a slow and easy blues with a contrarian lyrical counterpoint: “You see pretty presents wrapped in in ribbons and bows, I see recycling and the landfill where it goes.. “

The closer, “It’s New Year’s Eve,” is a swinging finale with a heady harp solo that speaks optimistically of what might be coming next, even though “the world is in an uproar.”

Big Harp George has indeed unwrapped a collection of “decidedly nonstandard” songs for this delightful holiday album. The tunes are filled with sharp-edged lyrical delights and decorated with solid musical trimmings. And George’s harp works a special Christmas chromatic magic.

His goal, Bisharat says, “was to make good music that people would be tempted to listen to all year round.” He’s right, of course. And wouldn’t that make every day Christmas?

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Here’s “Where’ll I Be for Christmas?”:

Track List:

1. Bad Santa (3:57)
2. Carioca Christmas (4:04)
3. Reindeer On Strike (4:03)
4. War On Christmas! (3:59)
5. Snow Shuffle (4:34)
6. Coquito Girl (3:37)
7. Where’ll I Be For Christmas? (5:15)
8. Fireside Waltz (4:30)
9. Thee Three Kings (4:21)
10. That Grinch Is Me (4:43)
11. It’s New Year’s Eve (5:16)

Peter Veteska and Blues Train – “Full Tilt” — Blue Heart Records

“Full Tilt” is the title of Peter Veteska & Blues Train’s seventh release in eight years, but it might just as easily be the musical motto for this hard-charging band of East Coast rock ‘n’ blues guys. They’ve been playing full tilt for enthusiastic fans up and down the coast since they hooked up in 2013.

They’ve done well. The band’s 2021 release, “Grass Ain’t Greener On The Other Side,” was chosen by Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation as their entry in the best self-produced record competition at the 2022 International Blues Challenge.

Now, as a followup to last year’s highly touted “So Far So Good.” the Jersey guys are back on track and headed for a stop near you with “Full Tilt” – loaded with eight crisp new tunes from Veteska and four smartly chosen covers.

In addition to the power Train trio of Veteska on vocals and guitar, Alex D’Agnese on drums, and Coo Moe Jhee on bass, they get plenty of help here from Jeff Levine on B3 and piano, Chuck Hearne and Rick Prince on bass, Mike Scott on sax, Tony Perruso on trumpet, Jen Barnes with vocals, and Mikey Jr., adding harp and vocals. It’s all tightly packaged by producers Veteska and Joseph DeMaio, of New Jersey’s Shorefire Recording Studios.

Everything gets rolling on this energetic session with “Go Find Another Man,” a bluesy track filled with tough love advice featuring Mikey Jr.’s blistering harp throughout, bouncing off Levine’s punchy B3 work. “I Wasn’t Wrong” follows with Jersey’s Jen Barnes taking a fiery vocal turn, once again wrapped in B3 and Veteska’s tight riffs.

“Sad and Blue” sounds exactly like what it says, with a torchy Veteska vocal over still more eloquent B3. The first cover turns up as the band soars through Albert King’s “I Get Evil” with Scott’s sax and Perruso’s trumpet laying down strong horn lines. “Pack of Lies” is Veteska fronting a lover’s lament about how “those sweet kind words were all just pack of lies.” Next, “2:00 in the Morning” is a hard-driving duet with Barnes while a wicked guitar solo highlights two lovers passing unseen in the night.

The Beatles’ “One After 909” gets the rocking Train treatment, with Veteska and Mikey Jr. sharing vocals and Mikey adding some train-coming-down-line harp. Barnes returns for another scintillating duet as Jen and Peter swap scorching vocals on “Take Back What You Own.” Levine’s gorgeously understated piano leads Veteska into a sensitive reading of “Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down and Out)” the classic written by pianist James Cox in 1923 and turned into a blues anthem by Bessie Smith.

“Slow Down You” is a searing slow blues that gives Veteska a splendid showcase for his powerful vocals and razor-sharp guitar, adding yet another bluesy B3 solo midway. “Man About Town” is a blazing instrumental that features Scott’s sexy sax trading blows with Levine’s rocking B3 in a romping album highlight.

The closer is an early holiday (or anytime) treat as Veteska croons the R&B classic “Merry Christmas Baby,” written by Johnny Moore, featuring Levine’s gift-wrapped piano stylings.

This is a great sounding album, no doubt due in large part to session production values as well as the all the talented musicians. As Veteska notes on the album cover, it was “recorded live with minimal overdubs. The goal was to produce a finely tuned studio album without sacrificing the vitality and spontaneity of our live performances. Seeking that balance opened a pathway to honing the Blues Train sound and distinguishing “Full Tilt” from my previous releases.”

If that’s not enough, he adds: “No guitar pedals were used.”

That should be more than enough to keep this hard rocking blues band running at full tilt until the next Train leaves the station.

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Song samples from “Full Tilt”:

Track list:

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram — “Live in London” — Alligator Records

As if it’s not enough to create a magnificent album of live blues, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram doubles your pleasure here with, what else, a double album overflowing with passionate music from this exciting young guitar slinger.

It’s just been four years since the young Kingfish (he’s now 24) exploded on the blues scene from his hometown of Clarksdale, Miss., with his 2019 debut album, “Kingfish,” and then his second 2021 effort, “662.” That album won the GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, won the Blues Music Award for Best Blues Album, and topped both the DownBeat Critics’ Poll and the Living Blues Critics’ Poll. Since his debut, Kingfish has been nominated for and won 10 Blues Music Awards. He’s also won 11 Living Blues Awards.

Since then, he’s been appearing at concerts and festivals worldwide. I saw him on one of his blues cruise appearances (that’s the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, a floating festival not to be missed), and he’s even more impressive in person. This live session, recorded for an SRO crowd at The Garage in London, gets you as close as possible to that exhilarating experience where artist and crowd join in a musical celebration.

On one hand, there’s a lot of great music on these 17 tracks that I could describe. On the other hand (that other hand can be so annoying!), it’s very easy to reduce my workload and say that they are uniformly full of dazzling guitar, sharp lyrics, and the enthusiasm of a live concert. So here’s a sample.

The session begins what has become a signature tune, “She Calls Me Kingfish.” It opens with a haunting keyboard overture, then turns into a fiery guitar exercise that suddenly eases into a slow-burning interlude before resuming its wicked pace.

The Kingfish uses this concert format to show off his considerable guitar wizardry, with lengthy tracks that give him the freedom to showcase several styles within one extended song, just like “She Calls Me Kingfish.” With the crisp support of his road band — keyboardist Deshawn Alexander, bassist Paul Rogers, and drummer Christopher Black — Kingfish can offer a concert within a concert. It’s a powerhouse of a live set.

There are a multitude of guitar highlights, and one of the finest comes about a third of the way in — the slow-burning fire of Kingfish’s newly written instrumental, “Mississippi Night,” ten minutes of scorching blues that leaves no note unburned.

There are two masterful acoustic tracks that dip into the deep blues of “Been Here Before” and the autobiographical “Something in the Dirt” about growing up in Clarksdale. The emphasis on vocals, here and throughout, demonstrate further maturity from this young bluesman.

Pacing is everything in a concert, and not every song is designed to light your fire. “You’re Already Gone” is a remorseful ballad with a tasty B3 solo and a dramatic pause midway, that eventually fades gently into the night. “Outside of This Town” is another long-play tough burner with guitar solos filled with electricity.

The closer is “Long Distance Woman,” an astonishing 12-minute, two-part concerto that gives the first part to an elegant piano solo from Alexander that morphs into a funky B3 ride that gives way in the second part to furious Kingfish guitar and sharp lyrics. (Spoiler alert: The first part is not included on the LP version of the release.)

That’s just a sample of the fine music here. It’s all equally worth your while, and as close to a concert experience as you’re likely to get until you see Kingfish in person. You should do both as soon as you can.

Kingfish has been called the future of the blues, probably because he’s just getting under way, and expected to keep up the good work. But the good news is that the future is now, as this impressive performance demonstrates, so you don’t have to wait.

Even more good news: The blues is here to stay.

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Here’s a short version of “Long Distance Woman”:

RACK LIST

DISC 1
1. She Calls Me Kingfish
2. Fresh Out
3. Another Life Goes By
4. Empty Promises
5. Hard Times
6. Mississippi Night (Instrumental)
7. Been Here Before
8. Something In The Dirt

DISC 2
1. You’re Already Gone
2. Listen
3. Rock & Roll
4. Not Gonna Lie
5. Midnight Heat
6. Outside Of This Town
7. 662 
8. Long Distance Woman (not included on LP)
9. Long Distance Woman