PennyLeen's heavenly voice soars through the captivating lyrics. Supported by a minimalist section with only strings and rare percussion. The puzzle pieces finally fit together. The singles 'Epiphany' and 'Move On' are part of a four-track EP, which will be released later this year. 'Move On' is a poignant single. Goosebumps! 

​John Lindberg Trio is a Swedish band led by guitarist John Lindberg. On bass and backing vocals he is assisted by Nathanael Marcusson and behind the drums is Olle Tjern. On the Swedish Enviken label, owned by Patrik Staffansson, they release their new album 'Are You For Real?'. An album consisting of 14 tracks, to which 5 more songs from EPs and singles are added and which mainly contains own work. The John Lindberg Trio stands for solid, oversized rock, which is also the case on this album. On a solid foundation laid by Nathanael and Joakim, John showcases his fine guitar skills. Incessantly he shakes one riff after the other from his snare board and solos that it is a delight. In addition, he also has the talent to pen catchy songs, such as 'Bad Loving' and 'Get It On!' which definitely have hit potential. The trio slows down a bit with the beautiful 'Back At It', but with 'Bluebird' the gentlemen are back at cruising speed. A hell of a song is certainly the rousing 'Crying, Lying, Denying', while 'Wishbone' and 'Not Like The Other Guys' contain a wonderful rockabilly feel. Giving your own interpretation to classics is no problem for Lindberg. He does that excellently with Charlie Rich's 'Goodbye Mary Ann', which Stefan Nykvist provides with a nice piano tune. The gentlemen do that again in Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land'. Closing is done with a completely own version of Little Richards 'Keep A Knockin'' where Lindberg's guitar takes over Penniman's piano part.
With 'Are You For Real?' the John Lindberg Trio proves that they are ready to make it international. Something this band certainly deserves.

​The band has historically worked with a producer to help them create a distinct sound in their records but with their latest effort, Rides On, the band decided to handle production duties by themselves. The hands-on approach allowed the band to have as much fun creating as they ever had at any other point in their career. They recorded over 20 songs, including some that dabbled in electro-pop and stripped-down country before settling on the final 14 songs containing the best elements of ‘70s-driven blues rock. The Nude Party coalesced and embraced the spirit of collaboration. They’re excited to begin the next chapter of their career.

​What a fabulous mix of influences from the Belgian-Maroccan singer Aïcha Haskal.  With a few Belgian musicians, skilled on jazz - ska - latin tunes and percussion, she created an energetic spellbounding melting pot.

With volume 41 in the 'That'll Flat...Git It!' series we dive into the archives of the labels Dot and their daughter label Hamilton. The Dot label was also known for their pop covers of rhythm & blues hits from the fifties, but also recorded a lot of good rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. From that offer, compiler Nico Feuerbach selected 37 tracks for this compilation. A number of well-known names such as Leroy Van Dyke, Sanford Clark, Jimmy Newman and Robin Luke can be found here. But also a number of artists who could not generate general fame are discussed.
Rock 'n' roll with both country and blues influences or rousing rockabilly, you will find it all on this album.
And in the 34-page beautifully illustrated booklet you get all the information about the artists and their songs.
The fact that there is still a lot of interesting rock 'n' roll and rockabilly to listen to is certainly a reason to get this album.

​This very special installment of Bob Corritore’s From The Vaults series features great recordings from spectacular blues women. It surveys a wide geographic and stylistic spectrum, from hitmaking Gulf Coast legends Barbara Lynn and Carol Fran, to the heavy Chicago Blues of Koko Taylor, well known as the Queen Of The Blues, to the Phoenix’s soul/blues/gospel diva, Francine Reed who has toured for years in Lyle Lovett’s band, to the spectacular vocal powerhouse Diunna Greenleaf from Houston Texas, to the gentle wonderment of Tennessee’s Valerie June, a rising star on the Americana scene who got a start street-busking at the King Biscuit Blues Festival, to Mississippi’s Shy Perry who’s deceptive name and stature deliver a powerhouse Wang Dang Doodle, to the daughter of Chicago blues great John Primer, Aliya Primer with her very first recording done with great authority at age 17! Bob Corritore has recorded all of these wonderful woman artists with great sensitivity to their stylistic and personal indivuality! Behold a collection of spectacular, female voices, which collectively demonstrate both the undeniable power and empowering vulnerability of the feminine voice.

Eyes Closed, Dreaming' is, without reservation, a pinnacle and career highlight for the Nashville-based Canadian musician. With its beautiful melodies, inspired instrumentation and soulful vocal performances, Dawson's newest music soars effortlessly over the very high bar he's set for himself over the past three decades.

The motorcycle has always been an interesting means of transport for enthusiasts. The feeling of freedom and making 'roadtrips' individually or in group is the driving force for many motorcyclists. This also includes a certain 'lifestyle'. When the movie 'The Wild One' with Marlon Brando came out in 1953, it provided a real boost and rebellious character for motorcycle fans. You also get a fragment from that film with 'What Are You Rebelling Against' with Marlon Brando and cast.
There were far fewer safety regulations and traffic regulations, which added to the thrill of freedom. Motors and music is a marriage that still lasts today. This 33-track compilation released by Bear Family also testifies to this. Most tracks date from the fifties and sixties, the wild years for bikers. But also in the following decades, many tracks related to motorcycles saw the light of day. This album also contains a number of legendary songs, such as ‘Motorcycle’ by Tico & The Triumphs from 1961, one of the first collaborations between Simon & Garfunkel. Paul Simon also wrote the song as Jerry Landis. To get in the right mood, the album starts with the sound of a 2000 Indian Super Chief Motorcycle Rev. What follows is roaring (and you can often take that literally) rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and country.
However, you don't have to be a 'die hard biker' to enjoy 'Road Hawg!, 33 Motorcycle Street Beats', although you can of course do so with that 'leather jacket' on.

​‘Unchained’ is the seventh album by one of the best bands on the European blues circuit, Belgium's Bluesbones! The BluesBones are now promoting the new release 'Unchained'. This album includes eight new and original tracks, and includes a symphonic and almost orchestral version of 'I Cry' as an extra. The long player therefore includes a variety of blues styles. The songs fluctuate from blues rock to emotional blues ballads, swampy slide licks and exciting blues songs. A mature band, a band that explores many blues related genres. The trademark of the band!

​Ashley Sherlock is a Manchester-based singer/songwriter citing his inspirations as Jeff Buckley, The Marcus King Band, The Cadillac Three, Gary Clark Jr and Chris Stapleton. Working alongside producer Kenneth Nixon (of Framing Hanley fame) Ashley's material, recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, presents a modern outlook on the sounds of the deep south; combined with his fantastic vocal range and songwriting style. After several years, and hundreds of gigs performed as a solo artist, Ashley Sherlock formed a blues rock trio. A fantastic blend of gritty blues, falsetto vocal melodies and a dynamic rhythm section creates a unique sound. Since then, the band have received nominations for the UK Blues Awards, toured with international artists and been featured on popular radio stations.

​The 'Rocks' series spotlights musical greats in rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. Previously there have been compilations around Link Wray, Bo Diddley, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley, Scotty McKay, Ritchie Valens and Narvel Felts. Rightly so, the German Bear Family is now dedicating a publication to Charlie Feathers. Charlie was not an average performer. If many of his colleagues followed the rockabilly path that had been mapped out for them, Charlie deviated from it. For more than 4 decades he made his own version of the rockabilly that prevailed in the fifties. He mixed the genre with some country and bluesy feel, and added an unprecedented dose of rhythm. You get a nice example of his addition of country on 'Rain', 'When You Decide' and his version of 'Frankie And Johnny'. You can hear the bluesy feel in 'Can't Hardly Stand It', as well as in take 1 of 'Bottle To The Baby'. Feathers may have had a short musical career in the fifties, but he did record with iconic labels such as Sun, Flip, Meteor and King. When rockabilly was undergoing a revival in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Charlie made some recordings for the Barrelhouse Records label. Most of the recordings on this album date from the 50s and 60s. Of course you can find his classics like 'Get With It', 'One Hand Loose' and 'Tear It Up' on this album. But also recordings from the seventies such as 'That Certain Female' or the recordings he made even later adorn this compilation.
As a bonus you get the rare 'Adamsville', song that describes a bank robbery in Adamsville, by Bill Privett, on which Charlie Feathers was the guitarist.
True to tradition, this issue features highly detailed liner notes from Martin Hawkins, roots music expert and author of the book Sun Records – The Brief History of the Legendary Record Label.
The 31 tracks perfectly showcase Charlie Feathers' musical abilities. His music has such a high quality character that it still effortlessly appeals today.

​Highly acclaimed guitarist, singer, songwriter Ana Popovic celebrates her guitar-driven, eclectic music style through consistent touring, awards, and recognition for the past 25 years. In the process, she’s emerged as one of the most thoughtful, dynamic, and committed performers.

​‘The flag does not always cover the load’ is a statement that applies more than once to this new series released by Atomicat. In other words, a nonsensical song title says nothing about the song itself. The 'Wacky-A-Rama' series shows that behind meaningless titles there are enormously beautiful songs. On this first volume, compiler Mark Armstrong gathered 28 tracks that confirm this and Henrique San once again provided an eye-catching packaging. 'Bo-Bo Ska Diddle Daddle' is the first crazy title from Wayne Walker, who starts rocking with it. Wayne is followed by Wink Lewis who was mainly active in the country. By using piano and steel guitar, his rocking 'Zzztt, Zzztt, Zzztt' still has the seeds of country. Johnny Otis' band backs 'Mr. Goggle Eyes' August on 'Oh Ho Doodle Lu', which features co-produced by Otis' band New Orleans rhythm & blues . Wally Hughes' motto was 'May the music always bring you higher' and he fully lives up to that in 'Pug Nose And Pony Tail'. His whistling certainly contributes to that. With Earl Sanger and 'Whoopie Baby', including beautiful performances on fiddle and piano, we go a little more hillbilly. Slightly sultry and jazzy are the undertones of The Gimicks' '(Get Off My Tail You) Sneaky Snail'. In addition to being a songwriter and producer, Choker Campbell was also a talented saxophonist. He gives a nice example of that in the rhythm & blues 'Walking On My Thin Sole Shoes'. Larry and Lorrie made a name for themselves on TV shows in the fifties as The Collins Kids. They are present with the youthful 'Beetle-Bug-Bop' from 1955. Larry's mentor was Joe Maphis, which made Larry a gifted guitarist at a young age. Roy Hogsed provides a swinging boogie, embellished with an accordion solo with 'Let Your Pendulum Swing'. Prefer a portion of cool harmony vocals? Then you can certainly go to the vocal group The Metronomes and 'The Chickie-Goo'. A nice instrumental is 'Buzzzzz' by Jimmy Gordon. The song was co-written by Dave Burgess of The Champs. Girl group The Hollywood Chicks are present with Tossin 'A Ice Cube', a typical song for such groups. Also note the handclaps. They belong to Barry White who made his first professional recording with them in 1962. You may not believe it, but Big Brown and The Gamblers were a Belgian band. Big Brown was singer and especially shouter Roger Sauvenier. Initially the group started as a Dixieland band, but Sauvenier soon converted to rock 'n' roll. He recorded three singles on Palette, of which 'Menin Aéde Théa', which you can listen here, is the third one. Single that is highly sought after by the way. According to the data found, the song would have been sung or rather shouted in Ancient Greek. All in all a highly appreciated rarity! More famous than Brown is Screamin' Jay Hawkins. He was always special, as here in 'Orange Coloured Sky' from 1958. Instrumentally, the album closes with 'First Rhapsody For Knives, Forks And Spoons' by the aptly named Central High School Cafeteria Band and……..knives, forks and spoons were actually used for this song.
With 'Wacky-A-Rama, Vol. 1', the Atomicat label is once again launching a series that certainly has a lot to offer. The tracks, which all date from the period 1954 - 1963, can be classified into rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll and doo-wop, some of which are very hard to find. Here you get everything perfectly presented in a sublime sound quality.

​De release ‘Aide-mémoire’ is a forty-one track two CD set which draws attention to a wondrous selection of material from albums in a solo career that has only rarely been glimpsed between Watkins’ distinguished work for other artists. Most of these songs are examples of his own compositions - shaped by a broad and impeccable taste in music - with the bonus of a small clutch of fabulous renderings of some classic titles, incomparably re-modelled by the same pair of hands

The compilation 'On The Dancefloor With A Twist', released last year, was such a success that the German Bear Family Records decided to follow it up with 'On The Dancefloor With A Twist Again'. Again we get 23 tracks that musically supported the twist craze from the sixties. The uncrowned emperor of the quarrel was Hank Ballard, while Chubby Checker usurped the crown. Together with his The Midnighters, Hank is therefore present twice, namely with 'Do You Know How To Twist' and 'Miss Twister'. If you don't know Darron Lee, no problem because it was actually the same person as Billy Riley. Here he puts down a clever 'Everybody's Twisting'. The conquest of space inspired Chuck Dallis for his 'Moon Twist'. Nice harmony vocals adorn The Sprouts' 'Twisting On Bandstand'. Who transforms the twist in a beautiful way to another music genre is the Cajun Trio with 'Cajun Twist'. Blues artists who were seduced by the twist were Smokey Smothers and Freddy King. Smokey's 'Twist With Me Annie' still has a high blues level due to the blues harp. Freddy King does it instrumentally with 'The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist'. More instrumental songs come from Jimmy Spruill, Phil Baugh and surf guitar king Dick Dale.
The instrumental clapper, however, comes with 'Chicken Twist-part II', recorded in 1962 by Paul Livert and The Lions, which filled an entire side of an LP. Here you get the integral 20.15 minute instrumental song, which sounds very varied due to the alternating presence of sax, guitar, steel guitar, piano, harmonica and Hammond.
With 'On The Dancefloor With A Twist Again' Bear Family Records has a great thematic album in its catalog.