​In the review of volume 1 of '70 Years Of The Sun Sound', which dealt with the Rockers who recorded for the label, we already mentioned the R&B Performers who are featured on this volume. In addition to rock 'n' roll and rockabilly, the Sun label also pioneered rhythm & blues. Also in this genre a large number of artists take their first steps in the studio of Sam Phillips. First steps that some of them take on the road to a great musical career. It is therefore crawling with the big names on this compilation. MaRainey, Little Junior, Doctor Ross, Joe Hill Louis, Rufus Thomas Jr., Billy Emerson, James Cotton, Little Milton, Rosco Gordon and Frank Frost all grace this disc and often with more than one song. You can therefore expect superb blues and rhythm & blues.
'70 Years Of The Sun Sound, Volume 2, The R & B Performers' is without a doubt a super album. Together with the previously reviewed volume 'The Rockers' you have no less than 60 formidable class tracks recorded by Sam Phillips in your record collection. Obligatory food!

​When you're talking about recordings that formed the basis of blues, rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll and rockabilly, it is difficult to ignore the Sun studios. Sun founder Sam Phillips (05.01.1923 – 30.07.2003) was a man with a vision for his time, who knew which direction he wanted to take with the Sun label. Always looking for a new sound, he was not only the discoverer of Elvis, but also a number of other artists would later make a name for themselves. On January 3, 1950, he opened his Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis Tennessee. The Sun Record Company saw the light in February 1952, now 70 years ago. So for Atomicat and KokoMojo the ideal moment to release two volumes of '70 Years Of The Sun Sound'. A second volume throws the spotlight on the R&B Performers, but that's for later. First we focus on the first volume, which puts the Rockers in the spotlight. Mark Armstrong selected 30 tracks, which were released at 45 or 78 rpm or as an album track. You get these recordings in a chronological order from 1954 to 1963, so that you can follow the evolution of the sound and style that Sam had in mind.
And when we go over the track list, we notice that Sam had a nose for talent. Names such as Hardrock Gunter, Charlie Feathers, Barbara Pittman, Hayden Thompson, Carl Mann, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jean Chapel, Carl Perkins and Charlie Rich seeded their musical career at Sun.
Also worth exploring is the collaboration between the Sun artists in terms of song delivery, as well as support as studio musicians.
There is this and much more to discover in this beautiful collection of Sun Rockers.
On July 1, 1969, Sam sold his Sun to Shelby Singleton for $1 million.
This album shows what a great legacy Sam Phillips left behind. If Sam hadn't been so visionary, the musical landscape would have looked a lot poorer then and even now.

​The new album 'Big Man' features ten songs and a lot of guest artists make their appearance. Big Llou opens with the soulful 'Lightnin' Strike'. Llou's bass-textured vocal timbre flows right into those sexy female backing vocals, those funky guitar riffs and handsome horn arrangements.
Big Llou Johnson has recorded a wonderful album. ‘Big Man’ is the long awaited release from one of the best loved voices in the world of blues!

​In the review of the album 'The Diddley Daddy Sound, 28 Songs Influenced By Bo Diddley' we already mentioned that artists who had an enormous influence on colleagues are not very common. Bo Diddley was one of them, but Johnny Cash can also take that credit. Was Diddley the creator of the Diddley Beat, you can credit Cash as the inventor of the Boom Chicka Boom style. A style that was also extensively discussed in the development of rockabilly. His distinct rhythm technique and vocal phrasing inspired many artists, immediately reflecting Cash's influences on popular music. Influences that can be clearly heard on these 33 tracks, which contain cover versions and original recordings between 1956 and 1963. Three recordings from the Rhythm Bomb archives can even now be heard for the first time, namely two by Rayburn Anthony and one by Jason Lee Wilson.
‘Nobody can sing Cash like Cash’ is a statement that is often made. But after listening to this masterful album it cannot be denied that Johnny inspired many artists to make great recordings. Recommended!

​The Belgium trio Hands In Motion gives percussion a new meaning, a new vibe beyond the normal.
Sounds of a global but different world.

​“Songs I Never Sang For My Father, Athens singer songwriter Marty Winkler’s 1st full CD since 2009’s "Under Your Heart", is her richest, most personal and eclectic yet. In all instances, the power behind the voice is the incomparable bass playing of her producer and co-conspirator Michael C Steele. 

​You can count on one hand artists who have developed their own style so that they are immediately recognizable. Not only do you recognize them when you hear the first bars of their songs, but they also inspire colleagues. Someone who meets this requirement is undoubtedly Bo Diddley with his unique Diddley beat. Elias Otha Bates McDaniel, as was his real name, was born on December 30, 1928. In the early 1950s, he shook up the music scene with the beat named after him, sometimes referred to as the ‘jungle beat’. His propulsive hypnotic rhythm, enhanced by drums, flavored by tremolo, has withstood the test of time effortlessly.
Mark Armstrong collected no less than 28 songs that do justice to the Diddley beat. A nice mix of Diddley-inspired songs, cover versions and songs that Diddley collaborated on, you get here in sublime sound quality.
Bo Diddley died in Archer, Florida, at age 79 on June 2, 2008.
After listening to this album you can only conclude that Bo Diddley had an enormous influence on artists who crawled into the studio between 1955 and 1963. By the way, Diddley's legacy, perhaps not always clearly, often still inspires artists today.
'The Diddley Daddy Sound' is without a doubt a wonderful compilation.

You wouldn’t expect a Dutch singer-songwriter with the talents of a real american country musician.  In Belgium and in France they would say ‘chapeau’. Respect!

​The premier Miami based label Y&T Music is very proud to announce Mandy Marylane's new EP 'Blues Shack'. It is the follow-up to her self-titled debut EP. The new record is produced by multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdormo and features Mandy's new interpretations of five classic blues, gospel and country classics. Mandy Maryland knows how to touch us with these five coversongs. 

​Katie Henry's debut album 'High Road' from 2018 was immediately nominated for a Blues Blast and IBMA Award. What followed was a storm of media attention and an international breakthrough with Ruf's 2022 Blues Caravan Revue. Katie came from New Jersey and is  promoting her second record 'On My Way' on the recordlabel Ruff Records. She's adept at the keyboard, swinging her fingers over the strings of that Gibson SG. The ten original tracks are colored with fiery guitar parts. She's driven on a keyboard, swinging her fingers over the strings of that Gibson SG. The ten original tracks are colored with fiery guitar parts. From the song 'Roll Away', which is colored with light guitar riffs and those captivating organ parts, it goes to the funky closing track 'Takes A Lot'. It's almost the signature sound for this handsome and beautiful Katie Henry.

We all should do an honest effort to accept our personal lives. Matt Patershuk shows the way!

​Since 2002 Victory Hall has been the outlet for a group of musicians from Bordeaux, led by Julien Pras. The release 'The Someday Herald' is their first album in twelve years and consists of a collage of songs and sounds mainly recorded by Julien on a 4-track cassette recorder. Light-hearted pop with boundless psychedelic inductions. An art in itself…!

Every song tells another story, beautiful interpreted by the committed Roos Meijer.  Dreamy, psychedelic folk with a clear message.

​Toby Goodshank is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Toby Goodshank made his high-profile musical debut playing acoustic guitar in The Moldy Peaches. He has a prolific solo career and recording 14 albums in a five-year. Now there there is this remastered studioalbum ‘Truth Jump Fall’. 

An interesting mix of new European and American folk tunes, that musically refers to the 60’-70’s.  Confusing in a certain way, but with great skills performed. Very enjoyable debut.

​The release 'Devil May Care' is the twentieth album for the seasoned blues rocker Tinsley Ellis. Since his Alligator debut 'Georgia Blue' in 1988, Tinsley has developed his own personal sound and style. Contrary to some blues rockers, he doesn't rely on string violence and a lot of unnecessary musical streaks. His songs tell lifelike stories and his guitar solos are created to fit those original lyrics. He has been on the route for almost four decades! Tinsley is a master of that overwhelming guitar sound. Phrases and pauses, nothing is strange to him. 'Devil May Care' is packed with memorable original songs and intense and emotional guitar tunes. Tinsley combines all this with his raw and straight-from-the-shoulder vocals. 'Devil May Care' will be released on January 21, 2022. Highly recommended release....!

​With a solid blues and rock base and a touch of Southern Rock, Nathon and Gary founded the trio Reverend Nathon. Together with his soulmates drummer Gary Delz and bassist Aaron Dees, Dees entered the studio. Nathon is currently in preparations to record his second release as "REVEREND NATHON" this January Featuring Gary Delz on Drums, Emmett Roch on Fuzztone Pedalsteel, and his Son,  Bassist and Producer Teagan Shunkwiler in preparation for a 2021 nationwide and European tour granting the subsidence of the Covid 19 pandemic. 
 Great debut! 

​Instrumental contemporary compositions based on traditional European folk structures.  

​'Rockin' Up A Storm', the third volume in the five-part series 'Atomic Rockers', does what our speakers are made for. The 28 rocking and rolling tracks again invite you to treat that volume knob to the right. Rock 'n' roll of an exceptionally high quality is the reason for this. Brilliant, catchy rock 'n' roll, doo-wop and compelling pop from the fifties and early sixties.
Like its two predecessors, volume 3 in the 'Atomicat Rockers' series is also one to blast through your speakers as often as possible. Satisfaction guaranteed!

​This new album from the Polish sax player Marcin Nowakowski comes highly recommended. It places Marcin next to his American contemporary jazz colleagues. Marcin is my favorite export product from Poland! 

​The Sugar Roots band is the brainchild of Chad Rupp. The band was formed in 2021,  yet Rupp has been active in the Portland blues scene for thirty-five years. He is a songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who scored highly in 2018 with the EP 'Murderville: The Service Industry Blues'. Now Chad Rupp, Jason JT Thomas (guitar, backing vocals), Sam Gendler (piano, organ and backing vocals), Timmer Blakely (bass, backing vocals and guitar) and drummer Chandler Bowerman form The Sugar Roots. Their debut album 'Savage's Life' contains eleven swinging blues tracks. The Sugar Roots band has a very disparate and cool debut release with the release 'Savage's Life'. 

​This Midwinter wake contains songs from Greece, Middle East, Haiti and Morocco. It’s a project by two Swedish singing groups, Kaja & Tetra. A nice idea for the coming Christmas at the end of this year, but for now a bit out of date. 

​‘The Rage To Survive’ is an album that takes the listener on a journeyof emotion that seeps through every track. Following on from the acclaimed 2019 album 'Means Of Escape', this is one of his most heartfelt and powerful records to date.

​These 43 tracks on 4 discs take me back to the eighties, when “space disco” was my thing. I even had a column in a magazine called ‘Space Disco’. Rototrons, sequencers, vocoders and synthesizers bring back cosmic atmospheres on the dance floor. A very nice nostalgic trip! 

​After Abba another Swedish reunion, rock/punk and blues on Borta På Vinden. Enjoy the positive vibes.