The rising star of Chicago blues gives you a few love songs but also an impressive live concert. Keep watching him!

A voyage through the world in diverse musical styles. Be surprised!

‘Grandpa’s Mill’ has become Colton Bowlin’s very personal country album. In the 12 tracks, he looks back on a life of hard work in a small community. The title of this album was not chosen at random. In his teenage years, Colton worked six days a week at ‘Grandpa’s Mill’. Colton promised his grandfather that, before the man passed away, he would make an album in his honor, and Colton kept his word.
The tracks are all bathed in a quiet, relaxed country atmosphere. Bowlin has pulled it off beautifully in terms of both melody and lyrics. In the opening track ‘Clinton County’, he looks back wistfully on the past, a beautiful time that is unfortunately over, but also offers inspiration for ‘Set Me Free’.
He reflects on his relationship with his grandfather in the closing track and title track of this album. A classic ‘old school ballad’ is also right up Bowlin’s alley, as is evident in ‘Dirty River’. ‘Grandpa’s Mill’ is Colton’s tribute to the often raw and hard life of ordinary people in a small community. ‘Don’t whine, just keep going’ is the message, although reminiscing about what has passed and what felt good is certainly not to be missed.

‘Book Of Paul’ is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter Paul Cauthen. The album features 13 original songs written by Cauthen, who received assistance from a number of co-writers.
The sound Paul presents is undeniably unique. In a way never heard before, he blends country soul, outlaw country, funk, and gospel creating, blessed with a powerful baritone voice, a sound that is tailormade for him.
That unique sound is immediately evident in the first track, which is also the title track. In the follow-up, ‘Ain’t No Crime’, outlaw country takes the upper hand.
‘Texas Swagger’ is released as a single. A song that, due to its unpredictability and the very idiosyncratic performance of the backing vocals, can certainly serve as a model for Cauthen’s musical achievements. The funk feel can be found in ‘Breakaway’, while ‘Chain Smoking’ brings Cauthen’s quieter side to the surface; a duet in which Paul receives vocal support from Delaney Ramsdell. Cauthen is also a storyteller. He talks about the often lonely life of an artist an the road in the uptempo ‘Cigarettes & Billy Graham’.
With a dose of gospel, the album closes with ‘The Voice Inside (Silence)’.
‘Book Of Paul’ is a remarkable album. Although the country influences are clearly present here, the album might be a bit difficult for country purists due to a lack of country. Nevertheless, ‘Book Of Paul’ is an album that has a lot to offer and is therefore more than worth listening to.

A mediterranean musical trip from Marseille – a fascinating masterpiece! 

This next chapter in Bob Corritore’s blues adventure showcases stunning collaborations with some of the top performers on today’s blues scene. Story-telling songs with great singers and champion bands provide the ultimate setting for each of the featured guests and Corritore’s masterful harmonica. Bob has the unique ability to bring out neverbefore captured aspects of well-known singers, achieving exciting and heartfelt performances! From Bob’s cornerstone of straight, traditional Chicago Blues to his explorations with early R&B, Mississippi country blues and soul/blues, Bob Corritore captures the nuanced purity of each style, creating a guided tour of the many aspects of Blues, its tradition and extensions.

A musical tribute to Africa with a mix of Afro-Cuban rhythms and melodies

Great compositions and professionally executed.  This band deserves international attention.

Well crafted songs, mostly horn driven. And some boogie piano with a honest voice.  What more do you need?

This successful series, which focuses on the energetic rock 'n' roll and rockabilly of the fifties and early sixties, continues with the 53rd volume. This volume focuses on the Los Angeles-based labels Challenge and Jackpot. These labels were already featured in volume 51, but the archives of both labels certainly contain a large number of tracks that are more than worth listening to. As already proven in previously released volumes, the German label Bear Family Records once again dives deep into the catalogs of the featured record labels. It does not stop at just the well-known songs released by the labels; fortunately, attention is also paid to those recordings that are not immediately part of the collective memory. This is also the case in this volume. A number of the artists who were part of volume 51 are also present on this volume. Additionally, there are also artists making their debut on volume 53.
But let's listen to the tracks. The opener is immediately the well-known Wynn Stewart, from whom we get a driven and fast alternative take of ‘Come-On’. He returns later with ‘She Just Tears Me Up’. Up-and-coming talent follows immediately with ‘Great Day In The Morning’ by The Four Teens. Legend Huelyn Duvall is present twice. The first time with ‘Juliet’, an infectious rockabilly number. Later on the album, he returns with ‘Hum-Dinger’. You also get ‘Juliet’ in the version by Jerry Arnold. The Champs became instantly famous with ‘Tequila’ from 1957. Here they are present with two songs recorded a year later, namely ‘Go Champ, Go’ and the raw, sax-characterized ‘Midnighter’. When Dave Burgess was not working with The Champs, he recorded under his own name. ‘Lovey Dovey Baby’ is a fine example of this. Dave Burgess also scored as a songwriter for fellow artists. For this, be sure to listen to Hedley and Lee with ‘Trouble’. Chuck Rio was also part of The Champs, although he left the band after the success of ‘Tequila’, he was responsible for the song's great success. He recorded ‘Denise’ under his own name, a gem of a rocker.
Kimball Coburn serves up delightful doo-wop in ‘Cute’, in which he is backed by a sublime vocal group. Solid, rocking rhythm & blues is represented by pianist Al Downing. In ‘Oh! Babe’, he can count on the musical support of The Poe-Kats.
Because of his tenor voice, Prentice Moreland was part of various vocal groups. He demonstrates that he could also make it under his own name in ‘Teacher Drives Me Crazy’.
Jerry Fuller released about 20 singles, only four of which made it into the charts. As a songwriter and producer, he gained more appreciation, although ‘Anna From Louisiana’ is a cool track and pay attention to the harmonica part as well.
A nice ‘spoken song’ with a rocking foundation is ‘Bad Dad’ by Gene Davis. Originally, Gene had a fondness for country, but when he moved to Los Angeles, the rockabilly bug caught him.
The Rangers deliver some nice instrumental, guitar-driven work in ‘Mogul Monster’. The same goes, by the way, for Bob Regan and the incredibly impressive ‘Tarantula’. Incidentally, Bob was the husband of Lucille Starr. Alan Pierce and The Tonekings provide instrumental surf with ‘Swampwater’. A final instrumental comes with the buzzing ‘Buzzzzz’ by Jimmy Gordon.
Volume 53 is a wonderful addition to the 51st volume, which also paid attention to the labels Challenge and Jackpot. Both volumes are, by the way, more than worth purchasing.

Having already spent more than four decades and boasting over 30 albums and singles, the Texan Dale Watson can rightfully call himself a living legend. His Americana consistently features a sublime mix of honky-tonk, outlaw country, western swing, and rockabilly, dubbed ‘Ameripolitan’ by the master himself.
On his new album ‘Unwanted’, Dale once again masterfully blends roots genres. True to tradition, the lyrics, wrapped in beautiful melodies, cover topics such as heartbreak, love, and hard life lessons learned during his life on the road.
Dale recorded the 12 tracks with two bands, namely The Memphians and The Lonestars. Additionally, he called upon a number of guest musicians.
Willie Nelson is a big fan of Watson, and that admiration is mutual. This is evident in the opener ‘Willie Waylon And Whiskey’, featuring Nelson, Jennings, and the whiskey that apparently connects the men. The follow-up, ‘She Was My Baby’, is a beautiful track in which Dale strikes a nice balance between a bluesy and country foundation. For a massive tearjerker with an authentic country vibe, you can turn to ‘If You Really Love Me (Outlive Me)’. This immediately proves that Watson has a firm grasp of the various country genres. ‘Just Yesterday’ also falls within that genre.
In ‘What The Hell Happened To The Cadillac’, Dale muses on change, yet is left with just as many questions.
A love duet and country go hand in hand. ‘You’ve Got My Heart’ ensures this, featuring beautiful harmonies between Dale and Celine Lee of The Lonestars. A plea for the continued existence of the honky tonks comes with the uptempo ‘Don’t Let The Honky Tonks Go’.
Lyrics are often not very meaningful. You certainly shouldn't project this flaw onto Watson's lyrics. For that, be sure to listen to the formidable ‘Life Is Like A Song’. Watson surveys his life in the final track, which is also the title track.
All tracks are bathed in brilliant melodies, in which pedal steel, piano, and fiddle are indispensable alongside guitars, drums, and bass. Add to that Dale’s weathered and still powerful voice, and you know that ‘Unwanted’ is yet another top album by Watson.