​With volume 20 we were still in Louisiana and New Orleans, but with volume 21 we turned our noses towards Tennessee and Arkansas. Rhythm & blues is also part of the cultural heritage in these states. The album is subtitled ‘On The Floor’ and is taken from Chicago Sunny Boy, a harmonica-driven instrumental blues, which he recorded for Meteor in 1953. Chicago Sunny Boy is maybe better known as Joe Hill Louis.
Over 28 tracks, your ears will once again be spoiled with excellent rocking rhythm & blues and mid-century blues from well-known and lesser-known artists from Tennessee and Arkansas.
It's a fact that if you follow the complete Southern Bred series, you have the very best blues and rocking rhythm & blues from the American hotbeds in your record collection.

​Hughes Taylor hails from Macon, Georgia. He was drawn to the blues almost immediately when he first picked up a guitar. Hughes is therefore an experienced guitarist with a beautiful voice. Tayor has developed his signature style with that fiery blues rock. He has already grown again as a musician, songwriter and producer. The songs were pinned together during the pandemic and recorded at the legendary Capricorn Sound Studios. Musically it is a mixture of blues, blues-rock and Southern rock. There is enough diversity in the release 'Modern Nostalgia' to keep it all interesting. 

​Stash is an all-star super band from Los Angeles. The trio consists of artists such as Ted Russell Kamp, Joey Peters and drummer Rich McCulley. The first two are multi-instrumentalists who take care of all the instrumentation. So now there is the release 'Walk The Walk', the trio's debut album. For these thirteen tracks they went to McCulley's Red Hill Recording studio, and to The Den in LA, where Kamp has been living for a while. They cover the full spectrum of Americana and combine it with handsome country, rock, blues and soul. Highly recommended…!

​This ninth album by Diane Durrett with her band contains 8 tracks with soul, blues, funk and gospel. It puts her writing skills in the picture, and it’s proof that the pandemic was after all good for something! 

​Guitarist/vocalist Jeffrey found his soulmates in Adam Rossi (drums, percussion, keys) and bassist Bill MacBeath. The release 'Beware Of Worthless Imitations', Volume 1 (1999-2019) provides a varied overview of his rich musical empire in twenty tracks. His sound is lavishly spiced with great rock 'n' roll, blues, rockabilly and exciting Americana. Nothing yet for under the Christmas tree yet? Well, the release 'Beware Of Worthless Imitations' is an absolute must!

​In addition to being a singer, known for his country repertoire, Tennessee Ernie Ford was also an actor and TV host. Musically he scored a mega hit with his version of 'Sixteen Tons'. Long before 'MTV Unplugged' launched acoustic album recording, Ford had already recorded two acoustic albums, known as the 'trio albums'. He did that for the first time in 1964 with the album 'Country Hits.....Feelin' Blue', on which he was accompanied by upright bassist John Mosher and guitarist Billy Strange. Eleven years later, in 1975 to be precise, he released his second acoustic album with 'Ernie Sings & Glen Picks'. As the title already predicts, here it is Glen Campbell who strikes the six strings, while Chuck Domanico can be heard on the upright bass.
The Bear Family label is now releasing these two albums together for the first time. You immediately notice the enormous depth that these albums contain.
The exclusive liner notes from Dr. Ted Olson, Professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, which include never-before-published photos from the recording sessions as well as track data, add value to this stunning release. This release of two rather rare Tennessee Ernie Ford albums is without a doubt one of his most impressive releases and is an asset to both Ford fans and lovers of good music in general.

​Stundom= Sometimes it works between musicians.  In the case of the Danish trio Stundom it upgrades their repertoire.

​The band The Old No. 5S from Kansas City released a third album in the summer of 2021 with 'Moment To Lose'. The rich sound palette is a mixture between raw blues, rock 'n' roll and psychedelic tunes. The band The Old No.5S diverges just enough to keep it all exciting.

Contrary to Liverpool (beat) and London (R&B), the West Midlands scene did not really give birth to a particular genre. In fact, what is called ‘Brumrock’  encompasses all the genres that had been springing up left and right, as is clear from its icons: The Spencer Davis Group (+ Traffic), The Move (+ Ace Kefford, ELO, Wizzard), Judas Priest, The Moody Blues ( + Denny Laine) and Tea & Symphony.
This 3CD box presents the usual mix of famous groups with big hits, famous groups with unknown songs and, most importantly, forgotten and less familiar names such as Ideal Milk, Jardine or Salamander. Some would become big in a different setting (e.g. when former Moody Blues member Denny Laine joined Wings) or spend years morphing into a specific sound (the rather average ‘N Betweens would later conquer the Continent and thereafter their homeland as Slade). Though this collection features no more than half a dozen previously unreleased tracks, its many forgotten and overlooked artists, from the light psychedelic Tea & Symphony to the exuberant Jimmy Powell and the hard rocking Bedlam, not to mention Extreem, Velvett Fog or Ideal Milk, make this Brummie Rock compilation interesting.
As usual, Cherry Red Records have provided a great, 48 pp. booklet. Radio 68  plays several generous helpings on 12, 14, 15, 19, 21 en 29 December. 

​This is the second volume in a series of homages to the Phillysound. This is a marvelous compilation, with remakes of classic hits and new tracks in that spirit. The Phillysound was the brainchild of Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell. Soul fans, like me, will adore this one!

​Two years ago they proudly promoted the album 'Commons', the successor to the debut release 'Up River Overseas'. Old Salt became the winner of the '2017 European World of Bluegrass Award'. Old Salt saw a lot of concerts missed due to the pandemic and the accompanying lockdown. But don't worry, because they're back with a great EP. Five timeless songs were colored with contemporary lyrics and arrangements. The band processes themes such as uniformity, loneliness, isolation and the associated loss. These are the subjects that many people have been confronted with in the past two years. The live energy is palpable in the tracks.
Old Salt stands for a major international breakthrough…!

​A singer-songwriter as living example for other musicians how to write, to perform and to touch (your mind).

​'Atomicat Rockers' is the latest series to be launched by the label Atomicat. Over 5 volumes we are treated to the rocking and rolling songs that accompanied the often wild life of the youngsters in the fifties.
The first part is titled 'Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie' and judging by the cover it was also heavy in the middle of the last century. Composer Mark Armstrong collected 28 songs for this collection that reflect the atmosphere of that time. Rock 'n' roll and rocking rhythm & blues recorded between the early 1950s and early 1960s.
With this new series, Atomicat has once again hit the bull's eye. Incidentally, the first part immerses you in a beautiful sound quality, in the songs that gave color to the lives of young people in the fifties. With 4 issues to go, we can already close with 'an unmissable series'.

​The most successful instrumentalist in the world, sax master Kenny G, has released a new album. The first in 6 years time.  He composed songs in the tradition of the jazz standards of the ‘50s and ‘60s. It looks like he added new tracks to the Great American Songbook! A must have!

​A soothing (esoteric) debut that can have a healing and purifying effect. Very enjoyable!

​This is the first time that German musician Christoph Sebastian Pabst and singer Valeska Rautenberg work together. Their debut EP contains 4 tracks, plus the instrumental versions. It’s perfect ambient music. The best way to enjoy it is to close your eyes, let your flow and forget everything around you. 

​Mr Tchang creates a unique sound. He keeps the traditional blues alive, takes you to the deep south, to the swamps and to that urbanized sound from Chicago. Sam Tchang is a virtuoso guitarist and talented singer. He entered the Gumbo Lad studio with the Bluz Explosion and recorded thirteen original songs. The extremely tight rhythm section is formed by Pascal Delmas and Antoine Escalier, respectively Europe's best drummer and blues bassist, and Sylvain Tejerizo on saxophone. Victor Puertas from Barcelona complements the band with his blues harp, clavinet and Hammond organ. Mr Tchang Bluz Explosion is the highest level among the European blues musicians. Highly recommended…!

​Instrumental songs are certainly not inferior to their sung brothers. Moreover, they often also draw our attention to the talent, craftsmanship and instrument mastery of the artists. Just like the two previously published volumes in the 'Whip Masters Instrumentals' series, volume 3 also offers a lot of beautiful things. A total of 30 tracks that show a rich and diverse picture of the roots genres.
With the exception of 1 track, all songs were recorded between 1950 and 1963. The exception is Urban Zotel, who also contributes to the composition of the 'Whip Masters Instrumentals'. ‘Backtrail’ is a formidable guitar-driven outer space song recorded last year, which stands with one foot in the past and the other in the present.
Rock 'n' roll, Western Swing, rhythm & blues and dark murder songs, you get them all neatly presented by composer Mark Armstrong. Wonderful album!

​The musical project Dreamhunter stands for the Brazilian Dj & producer Felippe Camargo. On his new album he mixes lounge with downtempo, nu-jazz and old school lounge from Café del Mar on the isle of Ibiza. Magnificent music, to dream away and to relax. A very interesting introduction for me with unknown Dreamhunter. 

​As usual Astral Swans offers a few unique psychedelic songs: mindfucking experimental but also beautiful harmonic with the female contributions.

​Although the chance that a German-language rock album ends up in your mailbox is extremely small, it is certainly not zero. After all, Till Kersting's 'Cirkuskind' is one of those. His previously 3 albums were in English, but now he does it in his native language. You can also take the title of the album literally, because Kersting really grew up in a circus family. The often hard life there has certainly not done him any harm as an artist. During his 20 years as a guitarist, he even lent his skills to the grandfather of German rock, legend Peter Kraus.
During 8 songs, including beautiful ballads, Kersting clearly shows what he is capable of. He displays his weathered voice and his versatile creative guitar work with verve.

​'Do Me Right' is the debut album by the new Belgian roots formation The Ragged Roses. However, the members are not completely new in the field. Front woman is singer Katrien Van Proeyen. Anyone familiar with the Belgian roots scene will immediately associate her with the bands Shotgun Sally and Cat & The Bearded Monkeys. In her new band, Katrien also surrounds herself with a number of well-known names. There is Bart Rico Ulens on guitar, Sebi Lee on upright bass, piano, sax and backing vocals and Jimmy Van Iersel on drums.
Mix Wanda Jackson with Etta James, Dick Dale, Cramps and Nick Curran and you have The Ragged Roses. We couldn't describe it better. Don’t miss it!

​Mala Oreen sings like a fragile little bird : a warm sweet melancholic voice. She takes you away from reality and opens your heart for love, peace and happiness. In short: passionate folk songs.

Congolese born singer-songwriter & guitarist Marius Billgobenson released his second album and choose smooth jazz to bring his message. He mixes jazz, blues, pop and R&B influences with dynamic rhythms and singing of his homeland Congo. Music with a message of love!