RENE TROSSMAN FALL FROM GRACE HOLD IT! There is a long tradition of American blues artists relocating to Europe and making a decent go of it. Rene is one recent example of this, though traveling a slightly different path than most, moving from [...]
PRINCE FAR I CRY TUFF CHANTS ON U ON-U SOUND Subtitled “Prince Far I At On-U Sound 1978 – 1984”, that may be as much as the reggae DJ’s fans need to know before they buy this. But if you’re not in that small select band (no pun intended), [...]
African Head Charge A Trip To Bolgatanga On-U Sound This is African Head Charge’s first new album in a dozen years. Although they have always employed “world” sounds within their psychedelic dub, the focus here is most definitely on West African [...]
The Meters A Message From The Meters Real Gone Music The subtitle will tell many as much as they need to know before buying this release: The Complete Josie, Reprise and Warner Brothers Singles 1968 – 1977. It is a triple LP package, with the [...]
Lee Fields Sentimental Fool Daptone Records This is soul singing legend Lee Fields’ first new album in three years, and also his debut album for Daptone Records, though he has had 45s on the label before. It is also a strong, no-nonsense soul [...]
Horace Andy Midnight Scorchers On-U Sound Jamaican singer Horace Andy is known to the world in general for his work with UK trip-hoppers Massive Attack (there is a remake of “Safe From Harm” here); reggae lovers know him for a string of high [...]
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Dirt Does Dylan NGDB One American folk-(ish) institution pays tribute to another, even more elevated American folk(-ish) institution. The Dirt Band is multi-generational these days, with lead vocalists/ guitarists Jeff [...]
The Staples Jr. Singers When Do We Get Paid Luaka Bop When the Staples Jr. Band formed in 1971, the iconic Memphis label Stax had The Staple Singers as one of their main acts, singing, if not strictly gospel, inspirational soul material drawing [...]
John Mayall Road Show Blues (Reissue) Cleopatra Records This album has been reissued a goodly number of times since it saw the light of day in 1980, something of a fallow period for the Godfather Of British Blues following a decade when his [...]
NEVILLE STAPLE FROM THE SPECIALS AND BEYOND CLEOPATRA RECORDS Former member of Two-Tone legends The Specials, singer Neville keeps alive the sound, approach, and energy of the late 70s – early 80s style, maintaining the love and respect [...]
Rene Trossman Live In Prague Hold It! Guitarist and singer Rene Trossman cut his blues teeth in the small clubs of Chicago back in the ‘80s, which he sings about this on the fine shuffle “Down At Rosa’s”, before he settled in Prague in the Czech [...]
Hipbone Slim And The Kneetremblers Tremblin’ Dirty Water Records Hipbone Slim’s universe collides with ours every so often. On the evidence of this 40-track double CD set, it’s probably happened around 1956, 1963, 1968, 1982 and, very [...]
Steve Cropper Fire It Up Provogue/Mascot Label Group Stax Records was one of the most revered labels of the 60s and 70s – at least where gritty, funky soul music is concerned. Steve Cropper was one of its leading architects; originally guitarist [...]
Lee Fields & The Expressions Big Crown Vaults Vol. 1 Big Crown Records “Genre: Soul/ Funk” this download states, and ain’t that the truth. Field’s soul roots go back to the classic era of the ‘60s, and it is apparent on this “from the [...]
Dr. John Gumbo Blues Cleopatra Records Dr. John was a raspy-voiced, early ‘60s, New Orleans born, rock ‘n’ roll and R&B guitarist and arranger, late-’60s night-tripping voodoo rock king, piano-playing ‘70s walking encyclopedia of Crescent [...]
Junior Wells Blues Brothers Cleopatra Records Blues legend Junior Wells was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1934 and died early in 1998. A powerful singer and master harmonica player, he played with many Chicago blues greats, sealing his status [...]
Big Sugar Hemi-Vision (Deluxe Edition) Universal Music A quarter of a century on from its original release, the platinum-selling Hemi-Vision gets the big “deluxe” treatment. This reissue comes complete with newly-released lost takes, acoustic [...]
Squirrel Nut Zippers Lost Songs Of Doc Souchon Southern Broadcasting Jimbo Mathus and his crew continue to convert and subvert vintage jazz on this set, “inspired by all the mysterious characters from the history of New Orleans jazz music”. [...]
The Wailers One World Sony Music The Wailers–indivisible from Bob Marley of course, but the band has always been about creative musicians, needing not only to make a living but also as an outlet for their own music-making. Of course, as [...]
Lee Fields Let’s Get A Groove On Daptone “How soul music used to be back in the day/When it was all rough, yeah, and nasty and genuine!”, sings Lee Fields on the bluesy, accurately if unimaginatively titled opening number, ‘Intro By Mr [...]
Swamp Dogg Sorry You Couldn’t Make It Joyful Noise/Pioneer Works Press Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams (Jr.) began recording at the age of 12 in 1954 and has gone on to record disco, country, rock, blues, and soul music. After dropping out of [...]
Various Artists If You’re Going To The City: A Tribute To Mose Allison Fat Possum Records Mississippi-born Mose Allison passed away November 15, 2016. If You’re Going To The City: A Tribute To Mose Allison is a posthumous nod to the man [...]
Ronnie Wood With His Wild Five Mad Lad: A Live Tribute To Chuck Berry BMG Back in the early to mid ‘60s, Chuck Berry was virtually deified in Britain. There were long debates about whether he was “rhythm and blues” or “rock ‘n’ roll” – these [...]
Various Artists Down In Jamaica: 40 Years of VP Records VP Records After the death of Bob Marley in 1981, international interest in Jamaican music decreased sharply, particularly once the sound was altered with the digital revolution which [...]
