Birdcatcher II will be released on September 20, 2024 on Suburban Records and contains ten new 'roots noir' songs. Recorded with guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Eric van Dijsseldonk, drummer/producer Gabriel Peeters and some guests, including soul singer Malford Milligan from Texas. The album was mastered by Kevin Reeves in Nashville. Truly an album full of varied songs that are strongly connected musically, thematically and atmospherically and in which tradition is honored in a fresh and personal way. Highly recommended! 

Enchanting songs with creative arrangements.  A jazz duo made for each other.  

His unique playing style, in which he combines folk with classical, jazz and various world styles, makes him an all-round guitarist. Florian has been touring in and outside Europe for many years and has also met several interesting musicians on his travels. His heart lies in Lisbon, where he met fado musician Miguel Conchinha. In Istanbul he met Ozan Demir. In his live performances he not only shares music, but also stories and anecdotes from his travels. At the beginning of October he proudly presents his first solo album 'Islas', all compositions of which were written on ten different islands. Between 2022 and today, Florian went out with his guitar and decided to write a piece of music on acoustic guitar on a different island each time. Each island got its own composition. Great…. 

Bear Family Records’ ‘On The Dancefloor With’ honors one of the most successful American female singers of her time with the latest release around Connie Francis. With a number of songs, such as ‘Stupid Cupid’, ‘Lipstick On Your Collar’, the co-written ‘Vacation’, ‘Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool’ and the LaVern Baker cover ‘Tweedle Dee’, Connie also became known in Europe. But apart from these nice and strong songs, she had more up her sleeve. Connie could namely bring various musical genres very convincingly. Her emotional empathy in her songs was without a doubt her strong point. Whether she had to sing a tearjerker or a raw rock-‘n-roll song, she always managed to send the song to a high level. The fact that she got the music from home will certainly have contributed to that. Her father played the concertina and sent Connie to music school for accordion lessons when she was barely three years old. Through talent shows on television she slowly but surely ended up in the music business, with the known result.
For ‘On The Dancefloor With Connie Francis’, compiler Nico Feuerbach chose, in addition to the previously mentioned songs, also the effervescent rockers and ‘dancefloor killers’ from Connie’s career. In total you get no less than 32 sublime tracks.
With opener ‘If My Pillow Could Talk’ you immediately hear Connie’s vocal qualities and empathy. That song is followed by the well-known ‘Stupid Cupid’ with none other than Neil Sedaka, who was also a co-author, on the piano. As a co-author Neil would also provide her with ‘Fallin’’ and ‘Baby Roo’.
Connie could also count on enormously talented songwriters and leading orchestras. For example, this compilation contains ‘The Tiger And The Mouse’ by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. She comes across as a light jazzy rocker in ‘Ol’ Man Mose’ by co-writer Louis Armstrong and in ‘Send For My Baby’. Eddie Curtis also wrote a number of beautiful songs that suit Connie, such as ‘Gonna Git That Man’, ‘Johnny Darlin’’ and ‘Telephone Lover’. For a while Connie had a relationship with Bobby Darin, until her father did everything he could to drive the two apart. Bobby did co-write Francis’ smooth-sounding ‘Come On Jerry (Timber)’. Don Covay, who later became known as a soul artist, co-wrote the handsome rocking ‘Mr. Twister’ together with John Berry and Mark Lewis. John D. Loudermilk was responsible for ‘Hollywood’ and ‘He’s Just A Scientist’. The well-known composer Irving Berlin gave Connie the crooner song ‘The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On). That Connie could interpret various musical styles without any problems is evident from the Latin-like ‘Torero’ and ‘Malaguena’. But she also had talent as a songwriter. You can enjoy that during ‘Plenty Good Lovin’’. The album ends appropriately with ‘Goody Goodbye’. This compilation makes it clear once again that Connie Francis is a great singer, who recorded songs that are still impressive today.

And whether they are ready for the next musical revolution. Album opener ‘The Woman With A Face Of Iron’ and ‘June’ are genuinely beautiful songs. ‘God Damn’ has a bluesy vibe, just like ‘Sur Les Rives’ and ‘Rensiwez’ are instrumental chapters. The song ‘The Curtain’ is sown with incendiary guitar riffs and some piano arrangements. ‘Cake’ feat. Loverman is almost the only ballade on the release. From ‘Rose’ it goes finally to the emotional ‘Song For Dave’. 

Gary Nicholson has produced one of his most contrasting LPs. From genuine rockers it goes quickly to blues and samp, sad ballads and some country. Highly recommended.

How related can folk music be?  Valses and polkas from Finland played on an original harmonium with sweet violin.  Are we in Scandinavia or in France?

Their fifth album “All is well” was released in August 2023. On this album, Paul Bond added keys, Bas Kleine harmonica and Kees van Herk drums/percussion. All songs on this album are originals, blending the different styles that were explored on its predecessors. Singles “Head over heels”, “Carry my name” and “Downtime” were released earlier. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in the Vuurland Studio in Utrecht, the Netherlands by Ernst Grevink (aka Erny Green). Recordings for their sixth album have been finalised. For this album the brothers invited Greg Izor as a producer. The mixing and mastering is due in October 2024, the first single is expected end of 2024.

The search for unity is at the heart of Otto Kintet's music. Band leader Otto Kint's compositions form the basis for a distinctive sound with a focus on improvisation, layering, unusual time signatures and intriguing chord progressions. The diverse musical backgrounds of the group members resonate in the music that identifies as jazz with influences from pop, rock and classical music

What a wonderful joyful album that inspires and puts a smile on your face.

Vaneese is an incredible talent who has been blossoming for quite some time. As the daughter of Rufus Thomas, she has a heavy legacy to carry. From that Beale Street sound, Vaneese switches smoothly to the Mississippi Delta and the Delta juke joints. 

With their energetic live shows, Little Steve & the Big Beat have become a renowned name in the Dutch and European blues scene. Original songs, searing guitar and saxophone solos, compelling vocals, while the rhythm section lays down a big groove that is impossible to resist. Little Steve & The Big Beat create their own sound in this expressive musical genre.

Kevin Ayers defined the sound of The Soft machine’s debut album and took his talents and songs with him to embark on a unique solo career. Ayers is first and foremost a song-writer pure sang. Everything he wrote or co-wrote for The Soft machine is pure song – but given an experimental twist. Think ‘We Did It Again’ and ‘Why Ae We Sleeping?’.  At heart, there is always a Song, think ‘Puis-Je’. His dark, baritone voice does the rest. On stage, Ayers shows yet another talent, his sense for improvisation as fairly short songs or takes-at-songs [e.g. ’Plus Belle Qu’Une Poubelle’] are turned into musical journeys. Ayers soon left The Soft Machine and kept developing these talents for the rest of his life.
This Cherry Red release comprises all his recordings between 1969 and 1973: the official albums and singles, plus live appearances, BBC sessions, demos, alternate takes – you name it.  Nine CDs, all remastered, of course, plus a Blue Ray to top it all.  A real treasure trove.
All details can be found by clicking on the ‘Details’ bar on the left.
Radio 68  plays Kevin Ayers on Wednesday 23 September and 02 October, from 11 a/m. till 11 p.m. GMT

If there is one artist who revolutionized folk and rock in the sixties, it is Bob Dylan. Although he initially shocked people when he injected electric guitars into folk music, he also inspired a large number of musicians. Musicians who, together with Bob, steered folk and rock in a new direction. A direction that is still popular six decades later. Don't expect Dylan on this compilation, not even one covered song of him. What you do get are 25 fantastic songs by artists who, inspired by Dylan, released great songs. Songs that also caused a cultural revolution among the youth.
Dion, who opens this compilation with 'Two Ton Feather' and Bobby Darin, who is later featured with 'Me & Mr. Hohner', are the only artists on this album who were already famous before Bob Dylan caused a serious revolution. Dion and Darin perhaps deliver the most surprising tracks, especially if you know the genres in which they have previously achieved success. The other names, who now enjoy enormous fame, were inspired by Dylan and grew into world-famous artists in the sixties. You can enjoy recordings by David Crosby, Lou Reed, Tom Rush, Barry McGuire, Bob Seger, Donovan, Boz Scaggs, Billy Joe Royal, Leon Russell, Johnny Winter, Dick Campbell, Jackie Washington and Len Chandler among others. Recordings that reference both the acoustic and the electric Dylan. Even the Belgian Ferre Grignard, who started out as a skiffle artist, graces this album with his hit ‘Drunken Sailor’. Each and every one of these artists wrote and performed their songs within the musical framework that Dylan created, both in terms of timbre and phrasing. Songs, many of which are in the collective memory, still effortlessly stand up after all these years. ‘He Took Us By Storm’ mainly contains songs from the mid-sixties and this album was compiled with great passion, especially for Bear Family Records, by the French producer Philippe Le Bras.
In the 48-page booklet, you will find rare photos, a foreword by the late John Sinclair and essays by Iggy Pop and Elliott Murphy.
I can only say that ‘He Took Us By Storm’ is an absolute must. Get it while you can!

The release ‘The Road Ahead’ is the debut album of the band, a spectacle colored with ten tracks. Soul vocalist Remko Spaaij finds his soulmates in guitarist Max de Kok, Branco Spadon on keys, Dimitri Gelens with the bass lines, drummer Steve Cuiper and the horn section with saxophonist Jeroen van Genuchten and Pedro Jerónimo on trumpet. The opener ‘Here We Go Again’ and the closer ‘Love’ are driven by that classic Northern soul tempo. Everything in between is heavenly and beautiful soul. Sixties soul in 2024...

For those of you just discovering Raie, she’s a London-based musician who performed live for nearly fifty years before she began releasing her own original songs. Her effortless vocal prowess as a singer and her evocative lyrics as a songwriter are both steeped in a passion, and that shines through on this album too. There’s a certain magic to Raie’s voice that draws us into that soundscape. ‘Red Brick Angel’ follows up 2019’s ‘This Music Thing’ and 2011’s ‘Earthbound’ EP. This record was recorded in six days at the internationally renowned Galaxy Studios in Mol, the studio of brothers Guy and Wilfried Van Baelen. The release opens with ‘Young Love’, the promo single. The song illustrates Raie’s musical universe that likes to surround rock and country soul with her warm and expressive voice. ‘Grown Man’ is beautiful Americana, just like the exciting country and cajun song ‘Crystal Girl’, which is colored with beautiful violin arrangements. Highly recommended!

Music is universal, a stroke of sounds. And that is what Raie is so good at. She takes her listeners on a musical rollercoaster, each song has a unique story, carefully created with lush, beautiful instruments and her wonderful voice.

Raie’s sound is a blend of Soulful Rhythm ‘n Blues with a hint of Country. The EP ‘Earthbound’ dates back to 2011. And yet we don’t want to deprive you of this pleasant listening piece. The EP was produced by Wes Maebe and Rachel Bennett aka Raie. Her sultry vocal timbre happily embraces the jazzy and polyphonic ‘Wax N Wane’, and that is noted with the bluesy and acoustic ‘Talkin ‘Bout You’ and the pop-tinged ‘Blood’. Great stuf…

Halloween is approaching again at a fast pace. Chained strange creatures rattling their chains, mummies, vampires, werewolves, creaking floors, spider webs, strange, suddenly occurring inexplicable sounds, candles that go out for no reason, lights that suddenly flicker on and off, in short, a house full of horrors. To combat the fear or perhaps even stir it up, the German Bear Family Records is once again launching an album that provides the soundtrack for that period. A total of 27 tracks, that can be classified within rhythm & blues, rock-‘n-roll and doo-wop and that will confidently get you in the Halloween mood. Merv Griffin is the first to send shivers down your spine with the mainly instrumental ‘House Of Horrors’. Griffin is followed by the vocal group The Duponts, who continue that task with ‘Screamin’ Ball (At Dracula Hall). Other vocal groups that make an appearance are The Hollywood Flames with ‘Frankenstein’s Den’. A super beautiful song with spoken lyrics on a basis of beautiful backing vocals. ‘Frankenstein’ also inspired the doo-wop group The Castle Kings with the result ‘You Can Get Him – Frankenstein’, a wildly beautiful rocking doo-wop song with a sublime sax solo. More doo-wop immediately follows with The Monotones and ‘Zombi’ a cool slow. Lon Chaney’s ‘Monster Holiday’ sounds more sweetly melodic than scary, which shows that a nice melody does not have to get in the way of the Halloween feeling. The same goes for ‘Frankenstein’s Party’, a beautiful combination of rock-‘n-roll and heavenly harmonies by The Swinging Phillies. If you want to hear one of the very first productions of Joe Meek, then you can go to ‘Horror Show’ by Sharkey Todd & The Monsters. Nice and instrumental is certainly ‘Knives And Lovers’ by Frankie Stein and His Ghouls. You can experience grand and rather dignified horror on ‘Spook!’ by Henry Mancini and his orchestra. Anyone who thought that Peter Frampton was the first to discover the ‘talk box’ is mistaken. Pete Drake used it before, but not on the instrumental ‘The Spook’. There he focuses on guitar effects. If you like Link Wray and his distortion, you will undoubtedly enjoy ‘It’ by The Regal-Airs, which is also kept on track by a primal drum. Thunder, lightning and heavy rain introduce ‘The Vampire’ by Orvin Yoes.
A vocally very strong song comes with ‘At The House Of Frankenstein’ by Big Bee Kornegay. Kornegay also provided the bass voice in the vocal groups The Valiants and The Du Droppers. A rather weak imitation of ‘Jack The Ripper’ by Screamin’ Lord Sutch, is provided by Casey Jones and The Governors. The song is more likely to appeal to the funny bone. For real ‘horror’ you can better go to the sturdy, fuzz guitar drenched ‘I’m The Wolfman’ by Round Robin. ‘Rocking to the point’ Little Gerhard shows off his ‘Rockin’ Ghosts’. Rocking is also written on Dick Barton’s body. Just listen to ‘Yes, Baby, I’m Scared’.
Grandmaster in the terrifying genre, the shocking Screamin’ Jay Hawkins is featured twice. The first time with the rocking ‘Little Demon’ and later with the well-known ‘I Put A Spell On You’, in which he does his name full justice. More famous people come with Bo Diddley. He betrays himself with his unmistakable own style in ‘Bo Meets The Monster’.
With ‘The House Of Horrors’ Bear Family Records has hit the bullseye. If you want to give Halloween the right touch, this album is a must.

Contemporary Eastern-Mediterranean psych pop from Cyprus worth listening. 
Promising debut!

The King’s 20th album on their 40th anniversary proves that their magnificent big-band sound is still keeping that era alive. The multi-award-winning Kings have toured with Albert King, James Taylor, Tom Jones, Al Kooper, David Bromberg and many more, and backed everybody from bluesy Bonnie Raitt to rocking Bo Diddly. The band plays good old-fashioned jump blues with joyous emotion, horns that blaze through ten tracks on this musical romp, and Daniels and Gowdy sharing vocal duties on each one. 

Damn exciting trio with Arabic music on junk-instruments with experimental, but still melodic performances. 

Do The Rump! was recorded at Simo’s home studio in Nashville, known as  House of Grease. Apart from today’s Charles originator, the LP features other borrowed classics, from RL Burnside’s “Peaches” and JJ Cale’s “Right Down There” to Junior Kimbrough’s “Come and Go With Me.” Also included is an original written by all three musicians, “Come On.” 

Eric Devries and The Song & Dance Band is a Dutch Bluesgrass, folk and Americana band of international level. Singer/songwriter Eric Devries has a sublime band with Joost van Es on violin, Lucas Beukers on bass and producer/multi-instrumentalist Janos Koolen. Devries also has that raw voice for his high lonesome sound.

Ike Turner was not exactly a pleasant character. He was moody, irascible and aggressive. Characteristics that often made him explode over the smallest things. Not only colleagues but also his wife Tina Turner experienced his tyrannical characteristics for years. Despite these not so nice characteristics, Ike did manage to conquer a place in the history of rock-‘n-roll. In addition to being an influential guitarist, he was also a composer, talent scout, producer and pianist. The songs that he recorded in the fifties, so well before his collaboration with Tina, show his unprecedented talent. Whether he played a smooth boogie-woogie accompaniment on the piano or played guitar-infused rockers or ballads, the quality was always extremely good. It is no surprise that artists called on his band The Kings Of Rhythm for their recordings. Ike was also a master when it came to professionalism, which gave him the opportunity to switch labels regularly. He made recordings for Chess, Modern, Federal, Cobra and Sue, all of which can be found on this compilation. This compilation therefore focuses on the recordings he made in the fifties with his Kings Of Rhythm, resulting in formidable rockers and impressive instrumental work.
Ike was as pianist at the cradle of rock-‘n-roll when Jackie Brenston recorded his immortal ‘Rocket ‘88’. But there is more! To start with the enormously vocally powerful Billy Gayles, who in 1956, with support from Ike and his Kings, recorded a scorching ‘Just One More Time’. And that level remains at the top throughout the entire album. Comparing songs is therefore out of the question here, because they are all beautifully cut diamonds. Together with Tina, Ike is featured twice in the 1960 released ‘A Fool In Love’ and in the one year later recorded ‘It’s Gonna Work Out Fine’. Songs that put Tina’s vocal qualities in the spotlight.
The 33 songs on this album are of such a high level that you can almost feel how the intimidating Ike sends artists like Billy Gayles, Icky Renrut, Dennis Binder, Tommy Hodge and Willie King, whom he accompanies, to unprecedented heights.
Incidentally, the fabulous instrumental rockers plucked from the 1961 album ‘Dance’ by The Kings Of Rhythm are also not to be missed. The initial phase ended with this, because Tina Turner’s star was already shining abundantly and the rest is history. Music historian Bill Dahl has studied Turner's life and work in depth and describes Ike Turner's significance for American roots music in general and rock 'n' roll in particular in the illustrated and detailed liner notes. This edition in the 'Rocks' series is a 'must have' that should not be missing in a decent collection.

Terry’s current project is recording a song cycle of seven songs, each I think of as a scene from a film noir srtyle movie. The overall title of the project and the title of the lead song is "Looking For Redemption". Donaghue's music captures the essence of the Blues and combines it with Rock elements to produce a distinctive and alluring sound. His skill in fusing the two genres together creates a vibrant and thrilling musical experience. Donaghue always performs with passion and intensity, whether he's tearing through aggressive riffs or belting out emotional ballads.