​No fewer than 14 songs written by the band and one cover show you all corners of the dance floor. Imagine yourself in a classy club in the middle of the last century, where gentlemen, dressed in three-piece suits and dent hats, try to flirt with the ladies who are thriftily sipping champagne and dressed in glittery dresses. The smoke is there to be cut, because smoking was still possible in those days. On the small stage, a five-piece band gives the best of themselves. Their suits are drenched in sweat, but the music they play is heavenly. The repertoire shows talent and craftsmanship.
If you want to enjoy Haney's Big House just like the clubbers, then be sure to purchase  ‘Hiding To Nothing’. However, don't forget to make some space for a dance floor. The chance that the infectious rhythm & blues and swing will leave you untouched is small ……… and actually nonexistent.

​Undeniably we have here four talented musicians, but that doesn't make an interesting album.
Don’t worry, play the previous album Prog Noir.  Unless you are very curious about the experimental touch featuring Gary Husband.

​And yes, we cannot really get out of it here. The Covid-19 pandemic also shattered most of John McDonough's plans. But inventive as he is, John used this time to optimize his guitar skills. The acoustic release 'Second Chances' consists of some of his favorite tracks from the albums 'Dreams and Imagination' (2014) and 'Surrounding Colors' from 2016. McDonough's fantastic and clean vocal style and guitar skills are central to every song. With a certain originality and that unbridled passion, John McDonough has delivered an acoustic masterpiece.

​The Amsterdam singer / guitarist and songwriter Johnny, in daily life Joost Abbel, has delivered a great album with this debut that makes the listener vibrate from the very first notes. Johnny must have an enormous musical background. He processes the influences of traditional folk, country and Indie in such a unique way, so that the 11 tracks are all little gold nuggets. Gold nuggets that also showcase Johnny's versatility. Musically it is all fine, but there is more. The cover is always the first introduction and it may be said, the image of Zdenek Burian illustrates the music wonderfully. Do you want more? No problem, the record contains another funny trick. With the camera of your mobile phone or with a stroboscope, the rotating vinyl reveals another surprising animation.
If you can deliver a debut album like ‘Collecting Dinosaurs’, then a bright musical future beckons.

​This is the debut from a Belgian big band with 18 musicians. They compose their tracks themselves, and bring a new sound to the Belgian jazz landscape. They have a big future ahead of them!

​I don’t like using  superlatives, because it’s so personal.  But the album Heavy Gauge certainly  remains one of my favorite albums of the year. Recommended!

Surely, Harpers Bizarre must be rated among the top harmony vocal groups in popland. Ever. Not only are their harmonies perfect, the group were also extremely good interpreters. It’s hard to improve on a Paul Simon song, but Harpers Bizarre did just that with their version (do not say ‘cover’!) of ‘59th Bridge Street Song (Feelin’ Groovy)’. And they did it again and again with compositions by then newcomers Randy Newman, Leon Russell and Van Dyke Parks (‘Come On Sunshine’). They were fortunate to have Lenny Waronker as a producer and The Wrecking Crew feat. Glen Campbell as their ‘backing band’ – but then again they did deserve it. The end-result: four albums and a series of singles on WB between 1967 and 1969, with each track spouting so much joy and happiness one cannot but dream away. Everything sounds so laid-back and relaxed, future researchers will have to conclude nothing worrying at all was going on in the sixties. Soon, the Bizarre took a turn towards easy listening, effectively making the Easy Listening charts rather than the pop charts on a few occasions. While continuing to explore new song-books, they also recorded ‘standards’ such as ‘Milord (Edith Piaf) and ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’. Though the format and their prowess remain intact, by 1969 their inventiveness – or the producer’s – went in all directions simultaneously and the Bizarre eventually took the risk of tackling McCartney’s ‘Blackbird’ - thereby making comparisons inevitable. On the other hand, ‘I Love you Alice B. Toklas’ finds them at their psychedelic best.
It’s difficult to find fault with the Bizarre and Waronkel. If you want to flee the everyday world and fill your head not with rock but with a soft, unashamedly carefree interpretation of the hippie dream, try Harpers Bizarre.
Cherry Red has assembled all four Warner Brothers albums and eight additional singles tracks (1967-69), adding a wonderful booklet. Radio 68  plays choice tracks on Sunday 14, Tuesday 16, Sunday 21, Tuesday  23 and Wednesday 24 March.  

​This album contains 12 tracks, after each month of the year. They vary from blues over bluegrass towards folk and country. Nice for those who love Americana!

​Now a beautiful musical testament is released in the form of the single "One Who's Got A Lot", recorded in Los Angeles in 2015, but previously re-released digitally in 2020. An all-star band has been recruited to support the versatile guitarist. The rhythm section consisted of pianist Tennyson Stephens, bassist Welton Gite and drummer James Gadson. Vocally Cash does sound very raw here and some sparkling piano arrangements and great guitar riffs will be etched in our memories forever. Cash McCall was a lived blues artist who is sorely missed throughout the scene. 

​With ‘Rebel With A Cause’, Bear Family pays tribute to James ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ Dean. Normally, James or Jimmy as he was called for his fame would have turned 90 this year on February 8. However, as we know, fate decided otherwise. In this new series ‘Memorial’, created by Bear Family, Dean gets to kick off. The album tells the story that the unknown Jimmy went through to become cult icon James Dean. On the basis of songs from the soundtracks of his 3 films, songs from the documentary 'The James Dean Story', snippets from interviews that Dean gave, we get a nice picture of the immortal cult icon James Dean. His immortality is also contained in tribute songs by Bonnie Tyler and The Jets. In the 36-page colorful booklet, Bill Dahl looks back on the life and career of Dean.

​Vocalist John McLean and guitarist Charles Barkatz are accompanied by solid Texas blues guitarist Derek O'Brien, Grammy-nominated bassist Chris Maresh, keyboardplayer Nick Connolly and drummer John Chipman. The band is completed with The Texas Horns by Mark Kazanoff, John Mills and Al Gomez, who add spicy, tight hornarrangements. Harpist Elaine Barber and celebrated saxophonist Alex Coke are other notable guests. The release "Shadow Man" was produced by Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff. The ten original tracks are a true melting pot of a lot of worldly artistry. The release "Shadow Man" is an album with a unique character that is filled with a lot of fresh song material. God Loves The Blues…!

​The German composer Jan Weber becomes a living extinct species.  This musical poem will probably be his last heroic creation. Recommended!

​For Bobby Vee, born in 1943 as Robert Thomas Velline, his musical career started in a strange way. Sadly, on February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were killed. The then only 15 year old Bobby Vee was brought in to replace them on the Moorhead show. Probably the youngest but extreme successful producer Snuff Garnett, who had a soft spot for Buddy Holly's sound, saw potential in the young Vee, who had something in common with the Lubbock star. Garnett's belief in Vee was justified, as it turned out, as he catapulted Bobby to teenage stardom. This Bear Family collector focuses on Vee's rock and roll years, from 1959 to 1962.
In the ‘The Drugstore’s Rockin’ ‘series, this album by Bobby Vee is a wonderful anthology of his work. Hits, compelling ballads or heavy rockers, Bobby Vee knew how to bring them all with dedication and the necessary empathy. Highly recommended!

​With the release of WildRoots Sessions Volume 1, Victor Wainwright and Stephen Dees celebrate a sixteen-year musical partnership that began in 2005. The WildRoots project knows the music and its traditions, which are steeped in a variety of music and this with exceptional songs and a lot of musical craftsmanship. So now there is 'WildRoots Sessions Volume 1', an arsenal of sixteen songs that are inspired with blues, jazz, roots, R&B and a lot of soul.
And put enough variety into "The WildRoots Sessions Volume 1" to keep all this interesting. We are already curious about Vol.2…!

​This double album is a retrospective on Deborah Henriksson’s career. She sings contemporary folk, mixed with pop and Celtic music. Her voice would be able to let you forget the stress and worries of the day. 

​Fans of saxophone music and smooth jazz will adore this new album by sax star Jazmin Ghent. This is her fourth album, with music that will hopefully spiritually brings us closer to another. I’m all for it!

​They used that same RCA RP3504 tape machine from Chris childhood to capture that fragile and gushy sound. After some crackling the song "Teeth" comes out of our woofer. The analog that we so applaud speaks to us right away. Vintage drums and guitar riffs are the guiding principle. Just like the analog voice range. The track "Leves" has that underground indie sound, and that ecliptic also forms around "Nothing". The title track with its avant-garde interspersed tunes incarnates lo-fi and psychelica. We would to admire Tiny Wine live. Nice, right…!

The underrated Christian Pfluger, aka die Welttraumforscher, explores the world with his own imagination.  You will find some beautiful songs and melodies on this overview of his hidden career.

​The most recent release in the Bear Family series ‘Destination’ contains 32 songs that focus on ‘loneliness’. ‘Loneliness’ is a theme that has influenced many songwriters since the inception of music. Blues, rhythm & blues, soul, country & western, rock and roll, rockabilly, pop and you name it, every genre has songs that broach the theme. In the time in which we now live, loneliness cuts deeply into it for many. The lockdowns, the lack of family and friends, the lack of relaxation through concerts or theatrical performances are just some of the many hardships that push people of all ages into isolation. And yet, there are also little things that can give hope and show the light at the end of the admittedly long tunnel. This compilation is a good example of this.

This ‘Best of’ album from the German band Flying Circus spreads gracefully  his wings over hardrock into progrock.  A nice portrait of 30 years superb musicianship.

​Now guitarist, singer-songwriter and radio personality Trevor B. Power returned to the Sonic Boom Studios and teamed up with multi-instrumentalist, engineer and producer Anthony Krizan. Along with many friends and special guests, he defines his sound with a muscular mix of Jersey shore rock 'n' roll infused with blues, roots and soul.

​We recently reviewed the album ‘Jump, Jive & Wail…, The Very Best Of Louis Prima, 1952-1959’. We also announced this album with duets, which Prima recorded with his then new wife Keely Smith. The songs were all recorded in the period 1949-1959 for RCA Victor, Mercury, Robin Hood, Columbia, Decca and Capitol. Hits such as ‘That Old Black Magic’ and of course ‘I've Got You Under My Skin’ adorn this compilation.
Louis Prima always gives me a good feeling. A feeling that this album also evokes. And let's be honest, isn't this an asset in these weird times?

​This instrumental album is a cross-over between East European folk, jazz, classical and other world music. Recommended to those who like Balkan & world music. The phoenix has risen from its ashes!

​On her debut album "You Ain't Unlucky", on the Blue Heart Records label, Veronica presents six originals and two cover versions. Lewis' piano structure has a swinging groove and the title track has immediately a fifties feel. In the exciting piano caput "Ode To Jerry Lee", Veronica also sets her ivory keyboard on fire. A comparison with Jerry Lee Lewis is never far away. But the talented Veronica Lewis, from New Hampshire, has developed her own and unique style in a very short period of time. Blues, roots, rock and roll or R&B, nothing is foreign to her.

​Whether you are a fan of Louis Prima or not, it makes little difference. The fact is that entertainer, actor, bandleader, singer and trumpet player Prima managed to enter into everyone's memory with songs like 'Bueno Sera', 'Oh Marie', 'Angelina' and 'Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody'.
This album is an awesome collection of Louis Prima’s hits. At the same time, Jasmine releases the album ‘The Old Black Magic ...,The Very Best Of Louis Prima & Keely Smith, 1949-1959’. You can expect a review here soon. Fans of Prima should therefore keep an eye on this site.