Blues Roadhouse

Blues Blast Magazine is ready for you to vote for the best in blues.

The magazine is offering its 15th year of awards in various blues categories, with final selection done by popular vote. The nominees are selected using a group of blues music industry professionals, including music critics, journalists, festival promoters, music venue managers, producers and musicians.

You have until Aug. 19 to vote on the mag’s website. Voting is free and open to anyone, but you can only vote once. If you’re not a subscriber, you are automatically signed up to receive the free online mag when you vote. They’ll want your email address to do all this, but hey, if you’re on the web, doesn’t everybody already know what it is?

Here are the nominees:

Contemporary Blues Album
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662
Anthony Geraci – Blues Called My Name
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters – Mercy Me
Tommy Castro – A Bluesman Came To Town
Altered Five Blues Band – Holler If You Hear Me
Carolyn Wonderland – Tempting Fate
Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames – Nightwalk

Traditional Blues Album
Diunna Greenleaf – I Ain’t Playin’
Duke Robillard – They Called it Rhythm and Blues
Kenny Neal – Straight From The Heart
Sue Foley – Pinky’s Blues
Louisiana Red & Bob Corritore – Tell Me ‘Bout It
Bob Stroger & The Headcutters – That’s My Name

Soul Blues Album
Sugaray Rayford – In Too Deep
The Love Light Orchestra – Leave The Light On
Wee Willie Walker & Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra – Not In My Lifetime
Trudy Lynn – Golden Girl
Zac Harmon – Long As I Got My Guitar
Robbin Kapsalis and Vintage#18 – Soul Shaker

Rock Blues Album
Tinsley Ellis – Devil May Care
Beth Hart – A Tribute To Led Zeppelin
Eric Gales – Crown
Levee Town – Trying to Keep my Head Above Water
Big Al & the Heavyweights – Love One Another
Chickenbone Slim – Serve It To Me Hot

Acoustic Blues Album
Eric Bibb – Dear America
Corey Harris – The Insurrection Blues
Hector Anchondo – Let Loose Those Chains
Catfish Keith – Land of the Sky
Big Creek Slim & Rodrigo Mantovani- Stone In My Heart
Tas Cru – Broke Down Busted Up

Live Blues Recording
Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band – Live on Beale Street
Hurricane Ruth – Hurricane Ruth Live at 3rd and Lindsley
The BC Combo – The Garage Sessions
Ann Peebles and The Hi Rhythm Section – Live In Memphis
Peer Gynt – Live In Hell
The James Harman Band – Sparks Flying Live In 1992

Historical Or Vintage Recording
Mark Hummel Presents East Bay Blues Vaults 1976-1988
Paul Oscher – Rough Stuff
Lowell Fulson with Jeff Dale & The Blue Wave Band – Lowell Fulson Live!
Big Jack Johnson – Stripped Down in Memphis
Bob Corritore & Friends – Down Home Blues Revue
Dave Specter – Six String Soul

New Artist Debut Album
Hogtown Allstars – Hog Wild
Memphissippi Sounds – Welcome To The Land
Malcolm Wells and the Two Timers – Hollerin’ Out Loud
Horojo Trio – Set The Record
John Winkler – Juke’s Blues
Buckmiller Schwager Band – To Memphis and Back

Blues Band
The Love Light Orchestra
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers
Altered Five Blues Band
Wee Willie Walker & Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra
Kilborn Alley Blues Band

Male Blues Artist
Sugaray Rayford
John Németh
Eric Gales
Tommy Castro
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Tinsley Ellis

Female Blues Artist
Diunna Greenleeaf
Sue Foley
Carolyn Wonderland
Vaneese Thomas
Beth Hart
Trudy Lynn

Sean Costello Rising Star Award
Gabe Stillman
Ben Levin
Jose Ramirez
Memphissippi Sounds
Robbin Kapsalis and Vintage#18
Kat Riggins

Producer Of The Year
Tom Hambridge
Kid Andersen
Tony Braunagel
Mike Zito
Jim Gaines
Eric Corne

Electric Guitarist Of The Year
Eric Gales
Ronnie Earl
Duke Robillard
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Chris Cain
Albert Castiglia

Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year
Doug MacLeod
Eric Bibb
Guy Davis
Hector Anchondo
Catfish Keith
Corey Harris

Slide Guitarist Of The Year
Sonny Landreth
Derek Trucks
Gabe Stillman
Dave Weld
Michael van Merwyk
Catfish Keith

Bass Guitarist Of The Year
Bob Stroger
Rodrigo Mantovani
Danielle Nicole
Willie J. Campbell
Scot Sutherland
Jerry Jemmott

Keyboard Player Of The Year
Anthony Geraci
Kenny “Blues Boss Wayne
Ben Levin
Jim Pugh
Victor Wainwright
Kevin McKendree

Percussionist Of The Year
Derrick D’Mar Martin
Tom Hambridge
Tony Braunagel
Kenny Smith
Alan Arber
June Core
Cedric Burnside

Harmonica Player Of The Year
Bob Corritore
Jason Ricci
Dennis Gruenling
Kim Wilson
Billy Branch
Pierre Lacocque

Horn Player Of The Year
Jimmy Carpenter
Vanessa Collier
Marc Franklin
Vince Salerno
Doug Woolverton
Terry Hanck

Vocalist Of The Year
John Németh
Sugaray Rayford
Diunna Greenleaf
Beth Hart
Vanesse Thomas

Here are the results of the 29th annual Living Blues awards for 2021.

Living Blues is one of the premier blues publications, and has been since its U.S. inception in1970, when it was the first American blues magazine.

In its May 2022 issue, the magazine announced its nominees for its 2021 Living Blues Readers’ Poll Awards. Here are the results:

Critics’ Poll

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Blues Artist of the Year (Male)         

• Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

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Blues Artist of the Year (Female)

• Shemekia Copeland

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Most Outstanding Blues Singer

• Sugaray Rayford

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Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)

• Christone “Kingfish” Ingram 

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Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica) 

• Charlie Musselwhite

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Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard) 

• Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne 

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Most Outstanding Musician (Bass) 

• Bob Stroger

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Most Outstanding Musician (Drums) 

• Rodd Bland

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Most Outstanding Musician (Horns) 

• James “Boogaloo” Bolden

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Most Outstanding Musician (Other) 

• Cedric Watson (Accordion)

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Best Live Performer

• Bobby Rush

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Comeback Artist of the Year

• Johnny Tucker

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Artist Deserving More Attention

• Crystal Thomas

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Best Blues Albums of 2021

Album of the Year

• Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662 (Alligator)

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New Recordings / Contemporary Blues

• Crystal Thomas – Now Dig This! (Dialtone)

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New Recordings / Traditional & Acoustic

• Eric Bibb – Dear America (Provogue)

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New Recordings / Southern Soul

• Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra – Not in My Lifetime (Blue Dot)             

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New Recordings / Best Debut

• Buffalo Nichols – Buffalo Nichols (Fat Possum)

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Historical / Pre-war

• Various Artists – The Matchbox Bluesmaster Series (Matchbox Records)

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Historical / Postwar

• Various Artists – Down Home Blues: Miami, Atlanta & The South Eastern States (Wienerworld)

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Blues Book of the Year

• I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya: My American Blues Story
• By Bobby Rush with Herb Powell
• Hachette Books

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Producer of the Year: New Recording

• Tom Hambridge: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662 (Alligator)

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Producer of the Year: Historical Recording

• Tom Vickers: Chicago / The Blues / Today! – (Vanguard)

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Readers’ Poll

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Blues Artist of the Year (Male)

• Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

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Blues Artist of the Year (Female)

• Mavis Staples

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Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)

• Buddy Guy

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Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)

• Charlie Musselwhite

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Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard)

• Marcia Ball

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Best Live Performer

• Buddy Guy

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Most Outstanding Blues Singer

• Mavis Staples

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Best Blues Album of 2021 (New Release)

• Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662 (Alligator)

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Best Blues Album of 2021 (Historical Recording)

• Jimmie Vaughan – The Jimmie Vaughan Story (The Last Music Company)

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Best Blues Book of 2021

• King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King
• By Daniel de Visé
• Atlantic Monthly Press

Sass Jordan — “Bitches Blues” — Stony Plain Records

Sass Jordan is a Birminghan, England-born singer/songwriter transplanted to Montreal at an early age, with a penchant for soulful, rootsy music heavy with her trademark gritty vocals.

She’s been recording since 1986, and her first single, “Tell Somebody,” from her 1988 debut album of the same name won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. An indication of her style and substance can be found in her lead role of Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway hit “Love, Janis” in 2001.

“Bitches Blues” is Jordan’s tenth album, a follow to her first pure blues outing, “Rebel Moon Blues,’ in 2020. It also continues the raw vocal earthiness that marked “Rebel.”

The latest album features three originals and five classic covers, ranging from the hard-driving opener, “Still Alive and Well” (Rick Derringer), to the powerful rocking optimism of her original closer, “Change Is Coming.” That’s a mere 27 minutes, but it’s packed with great music highlighted by Jordan’s raspy-tough vocals, surrounded by a terrifically tight backing band, the Champagne Hookers.

Between those two songs is a fine collection: An adventurous reworking of the blues chestnut “Chevrolet” with tough half-whispered vocals and piercing harp work; the original “Even,” a re-imagined version of the song from her 2008 album, “You Get What You Give,” this time with just some stunningly fine barroom piano backing; “Still The World Goes Round,” another original, with a hint of country, highlighted by some enthusiastic group singing; a spare and hypnotic cover of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s classic “You Gotta Move”; the guitar-driven, barroom ambience of Little Feat’s “Sailin’ Shoes,”  and a thoroughly rousing version of Little Milton’s “Ain’t No Big Deal On You.”

The backing band here deserves special mention for its vivid support, whether it’s stinging guitar, passionate harp, or sparkling keyboards. The music perfectly complements Jordan’s ferocious style and the smart song selection. The band is: Guitarists Chris Caddell and Jimmy Reid, drummer Cass Pereira, keyboardist Jesse O’Brien and Steve Marriner on bass and harmonica.

Sass Jordan’s “Bitches Blues” is definitely music worth hearing. Her vocals are sharp and tough, the band a razor-sharp unit, all well-suited to her chosen material.

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“Still Alive and Well” from the album

Track Listing:
1. Still Alive and Well 3:37
2. Chevrolet 2:29
3. Even 3:55
4. Still The World Goes Round 4:01
5. You Gotta Move 2:32
6. Sailin Shoes 3:52
7. Ain’t No Big Deal On You 3:30
8. Change Is Coming 3:16

It’s time to talk about Otis Verries Hicks.

You may know him better as Lightnin’ Slim, whose laconic vocal and guitar style helped to define the haunting, laid-back rhythms of Louisiana swamp blues in the 1950s. It’s often served with a side of snaky harmonica.

If you know him at all, that is. He’s one of the legions of fine blues players who tends to be largely unknown outside of certain regions, or outside the interests of mainstream blues fans.

Although there is some difference of opinion, Slim seems to have been born Good Pine, La., and moved to Baton Rouge at thirteen. Taught guitar by his older brother Layfield, Slim was playing in bars in Baton Rouge by the late 1940s.

I have to confess that even though I have some of his music in my collection, I hadn’t listened to it for years. And then, while I was listening to some music recently on the radio, as I wrote about a while back — on The Rhythm Revival with the musically precocious and loquacious Rev. Billy C. Wirtz — I heard some Lightnin’ Slim.

So, I dug back into his music. I found a bunch on my streaming service — Amazon Prime Music (no, I don’t get anything for mentioning it!). Slim has a substantial catalogue of his unique music. And it makes it clear that he was one of the best bluesmen of his time — mainly the 1950s, and mainly on the Nashville-based Excello label which specialized in this special, Louisiana-flavored blues.

Slim’s deep rich vocals and hypnotic guitar rhythms are earthy and sinuous, with a sense of urgency driving it all along. He often performed with a harp-playing partner, and one of the most frequent was Moses “Whispering” Smith, another Louisiana-style bluesman.

Slim basically had two careers, one in the 1940s and ’50s, and another in the 1970s, after he was rediscovered in Pontiac, Mich. In the 1950s, he had a number of regional hits, and his “Rooster Blues,” hit the national R&B charts in 1959.

In the ’70s, Slim performed on European tours, in the United Kingdom and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He last toured the UK in 1973 with the American Blues Legends package.

If you have never heard him, this might be a good time to grab some of his fine blues. If you have, take a refresher course.

In July 1974, Slim died of stomach cancer in Detroit, Mich. He was 61.

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Lightnin’ Slim and Whispering Smith in a 1972 performance:

Anthony Geraci — “Blues Called My Name” — Blue Heart Records

Anthony Geraci has been tickling the ivories since he was about four years old, and we should be tickled blues (not pink) that he is still going strong. (Okay, maybe the tickling metaphor is a bit lame. But there it is.)

With more than 40 years of keyboard performing to his credit, Geraci is an original member of Sugar Ray and the Bluetones and Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. For this outing, he fronts the Boston Blues All-Stars on piano and Hammond, with a bunch of talented guests who help make this a special recording.

The album is a sparkling set of 10 original, self-produced songs, half of them instrumental, but all showcases for Geraci and some talented friends.

The album kicks off with “Old Pine Box,” a whimsical little ditty, with Sugar Ray Norcia easily handling the vocals. This is the same Norcia whose Bluestones once featured Geraci on keyboards.

Next is the title track, one of my favorites here, again featuring Norcia on vocals, adding plaintive guitar by Monster Mike Welch and insistent piano from Geraci. A splendid blend of talents for some straight-ahead blues.

The first instrumentals follow: a jazzy, Latinesque “About Last Night” features Geraci’s impeccable Hammond styling, and “Boston Stomp” does exactly what it says. The torchy “Corner of Heartbreak and Pain” is up next, with a passionate vocal by Erika Van Pelt, embraced by Geraci’s eloquent piano. Geraci adds his own voice to the mix as he romps through the upbeat “I Go Ooh,” with more sturdy keyboards.

Norcia returns for the final vocal number with “I Ain’t Going to Ask” (for your love no more….), with another piano romp driving the proceedings.

The other instrumentals are “Into the Night,” as Walter Trout leads with pleading guitar; “Wading in the Vermillion,” with Anne Harris on violin and finally, “Song for Planet Earth,” an old-fashioned piano solo that allows Geraci to demonstrate his considerable mastery.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, finely crafted session that moves elegantly through an eclectic set of excellent music.

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By the way, Geraci and the Boston Blues All-Stars were a 2021 Blues Music Award nominee in the ‘Band of the Year’ category, while Geraci was nominated for the sixth consecutive time in the ‘Instrumentalist Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award) category. That was the year that Geraci finally won that award.

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“The Blues Called My Name” video:

Jim Dan Dee — “Real Blues” — Self-Release

It seems like every time you turn around, there’s some new blues music coming out of Canada.

This time it’s from an unusually named quartet of guys that calls itself Jim Dan Dee.

Why? The band’s bio puts it this way:

The name “Jim Dan Dee” comes from the expression “Everything is just Jim Dandy”, an old cliché often used with expletives inserted. Jim Dan Dee (affectionately known as ‘J.D.D.’ by their fans) is not only a blues band, but also a character; an idea that embodies the spirit of the music and Jim Stefanuk’s frontman persona.

*More on the name later.

For now, let’s just say that the band makes tough blues that is, in fact, just jim dandy. Guitarist/vocalist Stefanuk’s partners in northern blues are drummer Shawn Royal, bassist Dwayne Lau, and saxman Jason Sewerynek (a little unusual for a traditional blues combo, but a honking sax always loves the blues).

The opening track is Guitar Slim’s classic “The Things That I Used To Do,” the album’s only cover, which sets a scorching pace with Stefanuk’s razor-sharp guitar and searing vocals.

The rocking “Weep For Me,” follows, with a great honking sax solo; the title track comes up next, slow and scorching with emotional intensity; “Two Timing Woman” takes on that subject with a deadly groove; “The Doctor” offers up a fierce guitar prescription with vocals to match. Other favorites include the Stones-reminiscent “Bleed Me Dry,” with guitar and sax carnally entwined, and the rousing closer, “Money Don’t Work On The Devil.” There are plenty more in between to keep the blues juices flowing. It’s a well-chosen set of smartly written blues tracks.

All in all, Jim Dan Dee has a swaggering, hard-driving approach with a stripped-down style and rough-around-the-edges vibe. Just right for great roadhouse listening. Mix well with an adult beverage and give them a shot.

*Now, about that band name. It immediately took me back into my dark and distant musical past, and the urgent R&B of the 1956 song “Jim Dandy” by the joyously inimitable LaVern Baker. I’ve added her classic version below, following the Jim Dan Dee video.

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TRACK LIST
1.The Things That I Used To Do 3:10
2.Weep For Me 3:02
3.Real Blues 3:44
4.Two Timing Woman 2:22
5.The Doctor 4:29
6.Two Shakes Of A Lamb’s Tail 2:58
7.Bleed Me Dry 2:16
8.Hang’Em High 4:19
9.T For Trouble 3:39
10.Lost In The Dark 2:56
11.Money Don’t Work On The Devil 3:08

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“Jim Dandy (to the Rescue”

Do you remember the radio?

I’m not talking about satellite radio, Sirius radio, or any such modern wizardry. I’m talking about that magical time when the Lone Ranger, Jack Benny and Boston Blackie came pouring out of that big box in your living room. I’m talking real radio.

With music.

Music came pounding out of the one in my parents’ house, much to their chagrin, as soon as I discovered that the primeval sounds of doo-wop, rhythm & blues, blues and rock ‘n’ roll and my teenage hormones went together, as the Moonglows sing, “like two straws in a Coke.”

That music was irresistible. It shaped my youthful musical tastes, and later my somewhat grownup ones. It was also quite often pressed into service as an aid in very close, very slow dancing, another hormonal force that shaped my early years. But I digress.

As technology moved on, so did I. Soon most of my music came on record (vinyl, if you prefer), first 45s and then LPs. Then cassettes (I never did like eight-tracks), then CDs, and now, digital, when the sounds again flow magically out of the clouds.

But radio never gave up. There is still a lot of music to be found on that dial, but much of it is repetitive and unsatisfying — formatted to a particular genre or style, with little thought to the more interesting aspects of musical enjoyment. I’m talking about its rich history, its broad roots, its interwoven cultural tapestries. Who made it, and when, and how. Especially all that music that was descended from the blues that captured my young imagination.

My original hormonal source is long gone — the golden oldies and dusty discs of Porky Chedwick, the Platter Pushin’ Poppa, the Daddio of the Raddio, Pork the Tork, at a tiny Pittsburgh, Pa., radio station, where he began spinning those sounds in 1948. It’s where I began to absorb and unwrap the mysteries of all this classic American music that seemed to be waiting just for me.

All of that is just a long-winded way of saying that these days I listen to a radio program that gives me what I used to get, many years ago. I guess if you live long enough, your life comes around again. Or something.

My hormonal uptake station now is mainlined through WMNF public radio in Tampa, Fla. My main squeeze there (although there’s loads of fine programming) is The Rhythm Revival from 3-6 p.m. Fridays, hosted by the inimitable, irrepressible and extremely musically knowledgeable Rev. Billy C. Wirtz and his equally inimitable musical partner, Marvelous Marvin Boone.

Together they spin out a musical history that includes gospel, blues, R&B, country, rock ‘n’ roll, and just about anything that feels right to them.

They talk about how all this music fits together, tell tales about the performers, relive their own experiences (Wirtz seems to have had multitudinous exotic experiences of his own) in the musical world, and just generally seem to enjoy themselves, playing music they love. Often, it’s obscure music from their own collections. And quite often, it’s music on a record. Yes!

As they’re fond of saying, you will not likely hear much of this music anywhere else. That’s kind of sad, but true.

And, as it happens, it’s also music that I love. So my teen genes are happy again, despite having aged considerably. Music like this is better than the Fountain of Youth (especially since the music actually exists).

Now, however, because the pipes of the internet run far and wide, you are no longer required to move to the Tampa Bay area to hear this great music. And you can pump it through whatever speaker system you’ve built to produce the sparkling sound it deserves.

So how do you find this great stuff, no matter where you are?

WMNF public radio (that means no advertising!) is found here on your internet dial. If you can’t make it during the broadcast (yes, they’re live), there’s an online archive you where you can play the show for the week after. Here’s the schedule of all the station’s shows. And, yes, there’s a Facebook page, and it has a playlist from each show. Check Wirtz’s own page for other personal gigs.

Also, if you ever sail on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, you’re very likely to find him holding forth in the piano bar.

But now it’s time to turn on the radio.

And here’s a video/audio of The Rev at work:

Mavis Staples and Levon Helm — “Carry Me Home” — Anti Records

Every once in a while, an album comes along so filled with such wonderful music-making that it’s difficult finding the words to do it justice.

“Carry Me Home” by Levon Helm and Mavis Staples is one of those albums.

It’s a joyously live album, released on May 20, and recorded in the summer of 2011 at one of Helm’s live shows dubbed the Midnight Rambles, held at his home in Woodstock, N.Y. Sadly, less than a year later, in April 2012, Helm succumbed to the throat cancer he had battled since 1998.

Staples is the sole survivor of the Staples Singers; drummer/vocalist Helm was a staple in creating the timeless music of The Band. They became friends during the production of “The Last Waltz,” The Band’s glorious farewell concert in 1976 (still one of the best music concert films, ever, by the way).

Both represent heartfelt musical excellence in their not-so-disparate styles — Helm brought a driving sense of rootsy Americana tinged with Southern soul; Staples lifted gospel music beyond its sanctified limits into soulful secular territory. Both infuse their music with a sense of contagious joy that lifts every song beyond the ordinary. With band members from both camps, including a well-polished horn section, plus backup singers whose voices seem to pull everything together.

From the opening of the first track, Curtis Mayfield’s classic anthem, “This Is My Country,” the music feels loose and easy, even with the most serious of subjects, and you get the immediate sense of great music being committed. They update this 1968 musical statement with some 2011 political sentiments.

“Trouble In My Mind” follows, a 1924 standard that dates to the origins of recorded blues, a song that despite its title, promises hope and optimism: “Trouble in mind, I’m blue; But I won’t be blue always; ‘Cause I know the sun’s gonna shine in my back door someday.” This celebratory arrangement has Helm loping along on drums, pushing horns, guitar and keys that feel almost Dixieland, while Staples rides its crest with a tough vocal turn.

“Farther Along” is an a cappella version of an old gospel sung, beautifully done with backup harmonies from backup singers that include Amy Helm, Levon’s daughter.

Joyous music resumes with “Hand Writing On The Wall” and continues throughout, and that uplifting tone keeps the faith with the spirit of this music.

Each bluesy, gospel, soulful song that follows is a gem: A strong version of Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free;” the traditional gospel of “This May Be The Last Time;” two Helm favorites, “When I Go Away” and “Wide River To Cross,” and the soulful gospel of “You Got To Move.”

The final two songs are worth special mention. Staples adds her own take to Bob Dylan’s “You Got To Serve Somebody,” giving it perhaps the majestic vocals it needs to interpret Dylan’s vibrant lyricism.

The closer is fittingly Helm’s only real vocal turn, The Band’s evergreen “The Weight,” joining Staples as they did in “The Last Waltz, except here, Staples yields the main vocals to Helm. His world-weary voice, scarred by his battles with throat cancer, sounds entirely appropriate. It’s such a bittersweet conclusion when you realize that Levon was less than a year away from his own final curtain.

I realize that I may be overusing a few words here, such as joyful, glorious, celebratory — but the sheer exuberance of this powerful music and the people making it, is hard to overstate. “Carry Me Home” is a profoundly gorgeous work of musical art.

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I found two videos made from this concert and both are below to help give you a better feeling for the vibrancy of the music and musicians in these sessions.

Here’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free”

Here’s “You Got to Move”

Tracklist:

1. This Is My Country
2. Trouble In My Mind
3. Farther Along
4. Hand Writing On The Wall
5. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
6. Move Along Train
7. This May Be The Last Time
8. When I Go Away
9. Wide River To Cross
10. You Got To Move
11. You Got To Serve Somebody
12. The Weight

Diunna Greenleaf — “I Ain’t Playin’ ” — Little Village

You can tell as soon as you see the album cover photo and read the title, that Diunna Greenleaf means what she says. She ain’t playin’.

But when you actually hear her powerful voice and feel her commanding presence as the first song, “Never Trust a Man,” opens with: “Mama told me, girl don’t ever trust no man….,” you know that you’re listening to the real deal. And she ain’t playin’. (Just a sidelight, that song was a fine Koko Taylor staple.)

This is another in a series of fine recordings produced at Christoffer “Kid” Andersen’s Greaseland studio, where he seems to bring out the artist’s best.

Of this session, and Greenleaf, Andersen says: “Her voice tells you she is free to be herself,” Andersen says. “You just don’t find many voices like that. I think that’s something people will discover just listening to her album for the first time.”

Greenleaf’s voice is indeed the star here. This only the fifth album for the veteran Houston blues singer. But it’s been 11 years since her last, and this session will make you wonder why she waited so long. Her seemingly effortless vocals are deep and rich with the emotional content of the songs, all smartly chosen covers or originals.

There’s the rhythmic original “Running With the Red Cross;” there’s a full-throated, soaring take on The Staples Singers gospel classic, “I Know I’ve Been Changed;” a passionate working of Nina Simone’s version of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free;” there’s even a plaintive version of Vince Gill’s “When I Call Your Name,” a rousing duet with Alabama Mike; there’s Greenleaf’s own snappy “Back Door Man;” a scorching take on Johnny Clyde Copeland’s “Let Me Cry,” and it’s all wrapped up with the prescient “My Turn, My Time.” And much, much more.

But that final cut sums up this sparkling renewal of Greenleaf’s recording career — it’s her turn, her time again, and she’s making the most of it with this excellent album.

A word about Little Village, from the Little Village people:

Since 2015, the non-profit Little Village record label has been ferreting out the sounds
of American roots music from communities throughout the nation. It produces albums in a
wide swath of styles, believing that the music can speak to other cultures far from the small
communities where it resides. It has produced four-dozen collections of gospel, blues,
mariachi, cowboy, spoken-word, Mississippi Hill Country, steel-guitar workouts and soul music
to introduce to new audiences.

And not incidentally, Jim Pugh, the main man at Little Village, contributes great keyboard throughout.

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Recording “Never Trust A Man” in the Greaseland studios. That’s Greaseland’s Kid Andersen on guitar:

Here’s the tracklist from the album cover:

Here’s the full cast, from the album cover:

This blogging software I use, WordPress, is wonderful. It’s easy to use, and it has a lot of cool features. For example, it tells me how many views each post gets, and what country they come from.

I’ve been surprised at how many viewers come from all over the world. I’d like to think that’s not entirely accidental, so I pay attention.

Lately I’ve noticed an older post that seems to get one or more page views almost every day. So I did some counting.

My June 20, 2021, post about a Swiss boogie-woogie piano pounder who calls herself Ladyva (but born Vanessa Sabrina Gnaegi), has totaled 531 views in about a year. That’s a whole bunch more than anyone else I’ve written about — and I’ve written about some fairly well-known artists, if I do say so. I hope it’s not just one of you viewing every day!

With that in mind, I checked her web site to see what she’s been up to lately, and found a delicious new (at least to me) single she’s released, titled simply, “Stomp.” Which it does. Which she does.

Ladyva is simply a great piano player, songwriter, and sometimes, singer. She doesn’t seem to have done much on this side of the big pond, but check her bio for an impressive list of accomplishments.

And then listen to some more of her irrepressible music.

Here’s “Stomp”: