Colonial Records may not immediately ring a bell, but the label was not to be underestimated. The label was founded in 1951 by Orville Campbell in the small college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. During its 14 years of prolific record label, they released records in a variety of styles, including comedy, bluegrass, pop and even gospel, as well as sublime rock and roll. With its many reissues, Colonial is often unfairly overlooked. But that is now changing with this limited edition of 500 copies 10" vinyl LP. Bear Family Records rummaged through the archives of Colonial and distilled the 12 most rocking and sensational tracks. Gems are certainly the first rock 'n' roll recordings of artists from North Carolina who later built up brilliant music careers. Think of George Hamilton IV, John D. Loudermilk (Johnny Dee) and Billy 'Crash' Craddock. Also formidable rock 'n' roll comes from Doug Franklin, Henry Wilson, E.C. Beatty, The Franklin Brothers, Ebe Sneezer, The Goldtones and The Bluenotes, who served as backing vocals on many Colonial recordings. The Bluenotes also included the immensely talented guitarist, songwriter and arranger Joe Tanner, while Doug Franklin built up a fantastic musical career behind the scenes in New York. The first track 'Are You Ready' is immediately a rock 'n' roll bullseye. Excellent composition by Campbell and Tanner and brilliantly performed by Henry Wilson with excellent vocal backing by The Bluenotes. The Franklin Brothers are present three times. On all these tracks, including the title track of this album, they rock like the best and their harmony vocals put the songs even more in the spotlight. Johnny Dee takes his foot off the gas a bit with his own composition ‘It’s Gotta Be You’ and adds a touch of pop in a subtle but sublime way. Rockabilly at the highest level comes with ‘If You Don’t Know’ by George Hamilton IV. As the title suggests, ‘The Oriental Shake’ by the rock band The Goldtones starts out oriental, but quickly turns out to be a very original rocker. Top song! E.C. Beatty may, in a somewhat Cash style, close side 1 with ‘Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!’. That Joe Tanner was an enormously talented songwriter is shown by Doug Franklin, backed by The Bluenotes, on ‘Mighty Low’. Ebi Sneezer then adds a bit of extremely tasteful country to the song on ‘That’s All I’ve Got’. On a jungle visit, including the screams, E.C. Beatty treats you with ‘Tarzan’, a song from 1960, after which The Bluenotes once again do their performance as a vocal backing group full justice in Bill Craddock’s ‘Birddoggin’’.
In short, ‘So Real!, Colonial Rockers From Chapel Hill, NC’ is already one of my favorite releases of this year.
What should certainly also be mentioned is the simply excellent sound quality and in the beautiful 10-page booklet you will learn everything about Colonial and the artists on this album from musician and historian Lightnin’ Wells.
And ‘last but not least’, 'So Real! - Colonial Rockers from Chapel Hill, NC' will be released in a limited edition of 500 copies. So be quick, because this is a unique opportunity to add the impressive rock-‘n-roll of this label to your collection. An absolute must!

The Rising Moon: great musicians, all young musical freebooters from that avant-gardist evolution, and this from a young improvising jazz composition. A sound world reveals itself and develops into a mediative sound palette. A magical experience, experimental and contemporary soundscape coincide. Prominent guitar, subtle bass lines, and many musical developments embrace your superconscious.

This album 'XII' has all the hallmarks of why we came to love Burrells sound; catchy melodies, meaningful lyrics, great acoustic guitar riffs and sincere vocals. Folk, Americana and blues as a benchmark. As a successful artist, Burrell has become a fixture in the live music scene

Janiva Magness’s 17th album Back For Me is a treasure chest of lesser-known gems by well-known artists (Bill Withers, Ray LaMontagne, Allen Toussaint, Doyle Bramhall II, Tracy Nelson) produced by her longtime collaborator Dave Darling. The album features ace guitarists Joe Bonamassa, Sue Foley, and Jesse Dayton as they each put their stamps on their respective special guest appearances. Back For Me is a powerhouse set moving from the Chicago-via-Texas churn of “Masterpiece” to the aching gospel-soul-funk of Bill Withers’ “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh”. There’s heartache and heartbreak, but at the same time self-awareness and accountability and the strength and power that comes from that. In other words, it’s the blues.

His latest album, “Live in Boston,” brings his stage act to remote audiences, showcasing his band’s dynamic live performance. The set list blends folk rock, Americana, and alternative influences within a 13-track setlist that offers a balanced mix of energetic and mellow moments, capturing the raw authenticity of their live shows with polished production that highlights their songwriting and organic sound while maintaining the excitement and instinct that you would expect from a great live show. 

With ‘Rinky Dink’ the new series ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’ recently got off to a flying start. With ‘Boss Black Rockers’ and its successor ‘More Boss Black Rockers’ we got a formidable insight into the beautiful vocal rocking rhythm & blues that talented black artists recorded in the middle of the previous century. That beautiful instrumental rhythm & blues was also recorded at that time, is evidenced by ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’. Just like on the first volume, ‘Zeen Beat’ also contains 26 instrumental works cut from the best wood. Numbers that saw the light of day by both smaller combos and large orchestras. Songs that are often the breeding ground for excellent horn work. We experience that right away with opener ‘Wiggle Tail’ by orchestra leader and songwriter Googie Rene, which is followed by Nick and The Jaguars who show a fine example of high-quality surf rock with ‘Cool And Crazy’. Lightning-fast rocking work on the six strings follows with ‘Ho Ho’ by Icky Renrut. A little research taught us that Icky is none other than Ike Turner. Tommy Ridgley was a fixture in the rhythm & blues scene of New Orleans. Rightly so when you hear the catchy ‘Jam Up Twist’. Drummer Earl Palmer can be heard on well-known recordings of Fats Domino, Little Richard and Smiley Lewis, among others. Here you hear him under his own name at work on ‘Drum Village’, a song that consists of two parts. It is very nice that the KokoMojo label places both ‘parts’ behind each other. The slower, with its wonderful piano decoration ‘Let It Roll’ by Cliff Davis and The Turbo-Jets also consists of two parts, and here too you get both parts nicely presented one after the other. Memphis Slim made a career as a blues and boogie-woogie pianist. In the latter capacity he delivers an excellent ‘Slim’s Thing’. And also pay attention to the sublime solo on the upright bass by none other than Willie Dixon. Slim returns later with ‘Steppin’ Out’. Chicago guitarist Lefty Bates worked with many greats, including the El Dorados, the Flamingos, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and Etta James. No wonder when you hear his talent on ‘Rock Alley’. Earl Washington was a jazz pianist by nature. His rocking rhythm & blues side is at the forefront during ‘Wolf Call’. The blues was a breeding ground for many artists on the harmonica. Little Boyd is perhaps a little less well-known. Undeservedly so, because his ‘Harmonica Rock’ is simply one of the best. The blues harp is also abundantly present on ‘Midnight Jump’ by Walter J. Westbrook. The Upsetters were at the cradle of Little Richard’s career. You can hear them at work under their own name during ‘The Strip’. Trumpeter Gene Redd played in Cootie Williams’ band, among others. Gene presents the title track of this volume, the jungle beat-driven ‘Zeen Beat’. The father of saxophonist Louis Brooks was active in a New Orleans jazz band. You can clearly hear that he passed on his love for the New Orleans sound to his son in ‘Frisco’. Guitarist René Hall closes with ‘Flippin’’.
That in addition to great vocal rhythm & blues in the previous century, a lot of catchy instrumental rocking rhythm & blues was also made, is crystal clear with this series. We are already looking forward to the upcoming third volume, with the name ‘Shaggy Dog’. To be continued!

After the Best Dutch Blues Album award winning album 'Change Myself' from 2023, Robbert Duijf has a new album to promote with 'Silver Spoon'. Twelve tracks, full of blues, folk and Americana songs. Just as we have known Robbert for years. It is a differentiated album, a journey through the deep south of America, a transposition to the Delta. Where the blues originated, on the plantations during the hard labor in the cotton fields. Delta blues, a dash of gospel and American folk. Robbert quickly deceives us in glorifications. Robbert Duijf, as a musical healer he embraces his ‘Silver Spoon’. 

Memory/Tribute to the one and only Jeff Beck!!! "Last Sunset" features music that Nicolas Meier wrote while playing in the Jeff Beck Band. Enjoy!!!

Steve Howell is from  Marshall, a region steeped in tradition, and so he finger picks the guitar content to recreate country blues. This is his nineth album overall. 

Wonderful opus in Cretan (Greek) tradition with stunning lyrics.  Open your boundaries and your ears for this exceptional work.

Porcelain Angel is Rees Shad's 17th solo effort in which he returns to his Americana roots with fresh tales and some of the most memorable characters yet revealed. Porcelain Angel marks a refining of Rees Shad’s recipe for blending various musical genres with entrancing narratives where we are introduced to captivating characters. A number of wonderful guests join Rees and his band The Conversations on this album. Eleanor Dubinsky, Kemp Harris, Wanda Houston, Rick Ruskin, R.B. Stone, Dario Acosta Teich, and Natalia Zukerman are all featured here, and are the fine filigree in the stories that Rees weaves. 

​​At the end of last year you could read the review of the first volume about Chuck Norris in the series ‘Right Hand Man’ on this site. That volume dealt with the recordings that Chuck made under his own name, as well as the recordings of colleagues in which he was involved as a guitarist, during the period 1946-1955. The second volume also starts in 1946 but extends further to 1962. Now you also get 28 beautiful tracks on which many well-known names can be found.
The album starts with ‘You Gotta Give It Up’ by Frank Haywood And Monroe Tuckers Band. Chuck’s first recordings tended more towards jazz. This wonderfully swinging and slightly jazzy number is therefore right up Norris’ street, resulting in sublime guitar work. Chuck effortlessly adapted to the repertoire of his employer. He shows this on the soulful slow blues ‘When I Had My Money’ by Jimmy Witherspoon, as well as in Percy Mayfield’s ‘Two Years Of Torture’, which is situated in the same genre. Later, you get Percy again with the swinging and well-known ‘Louisiana’. An equally beautiful slow blues comes with ‘I’ll Be Lonely’ by the Floyd Dixon Trio, with a wonderful piano part by Floyd. Chuck lets us hear a smooth-sounding guitar a little later on ‘Just A Poor Boy’ by Roy Hawkins. On the instrumental ‘Rockin After Hours’, which Norris recorded under his own name, we hear him fantastically duel with the sax of Maxwell Davis. Under his own name, you hear Norris later on with the bluesy ‘Messin Up’ and ‘Let Me Know’.
On the Leiber & Stoller composition ‘Riot In Cell Block #9’ by The Robins, you hear Chuck as well as co-composer Mike Stoller on the piano. The blues solo that Chuck plays on Little Willie Littlefield’s ‘Lump In My Throat’ is a rare beauty. Although Helen Humes made formidable recordings, she did not always get the recognition she deserved. Convince yourself during ‘You Played On My Piano’, a song from 1952. Norris also delivers cool work on the six strings on the instrumental ‘Cool Caravan’ by Rhythm Cats.
Although session musicians like Norris played on many well-known tracks, they were not always clearly audible in the final mix. This shows how little these competent musicians were often appreciated. This is the case on ‘The Wallflower (Roll With Me Mr. Henry)’ by Etta James, where you have to prick up your ears to discover Norris’ beautiful rhythm work. Where this did not happen is certainly on Linda Hopkins’ ‘Three Time Loser’, Dinah Washington’s ‘Don’t Hold It Against Me’ and ‘People Are Talking (Pt2)’ by Rollee McGill.
The group around Johnny Otis was a breeding ground for talent. Johnny Guitar Watson was also part of it for a while. Watson can be heard together with Norris in the closing song ‘Sweet Loving Mama’ from 1962.
This second volume also makes it clear what contribution Chuck Norris had to recordings by fellow artists. His guitar playing undoubtedly ensured that many songs by now well-known artists were sent to a higher level through his input. Great album!

Live album from folkrockers O’Tridal searching to find a contemporary sound on a traditional base.

Jennifer Porter is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, and pianist known for her distinctive voice and vibrant performances. With a career spanning decade, Porter has established herself as a prominent figure in the world of Blues and Roots music. Jennifer Porter’s Sun Come and Shine Redux, was released on Valentine’s Day, and is a reissue of her 2021 album. With her smooth voice and top musicians, she delivers a timeless masterpiece. The mix is refined, the arrangements sublime and the music breathes pure class.

In four years, the band grew from remote covers to an Americana rock formation with a fantastic live Mambo Studio. Turmoil is a band you will definitely hear more of, with this new album they will also travel to the country in 2025 to introduce the public to their fresh take on ‘old school’ guitar-driven music. 'Coming Home' is the debut album from the Dutch Americana/Rock quartet: Turmoil. Coming Home is a collection of 10 songs with the common thread being: change, new beginnings and ultimately Coming Home.

A celebration of Santrofi’s roots and a leap into the future of Highlife

Micki Free's work blends blues, rock, and Native American sounds into a powerful, distinctive voice. His work in the studio, on stage, and beyond reinforces a commitment to uplift and amplify Native voices in the industry. His ongoing legacy continues to inspire and influence musicians and fans alike. Now there is the EP ‘Dreamcatcher’, which is coloured with five studio songs, and the extra bonus track ‘Dreamcatcher’, which was recorded live in Las Vegas. The track is a great instrumental showcase with Fee on guitar and flute. ‘When The Devil At Your Door’ is a mid-tempo ballad with many great guitar riffs. Billy Rogers’ pounding drums, those considerably funky bass lines of Jon Stenber and Free’s heavy guitar riffs colour songs like ‘My Sweet Honey’. On to ‘Night Crawler’, in which Free plucks his strings very cleverly, and in which Mark ‘Muggie Do’ Leach’s keyboard virtuosity comes into the spotlight. In the fun and danceable ‘We Are One’ an acoustic guitar embraces the melody, while Free’s electric counterpart waltzes between the verses. Highly recommended!  

Volume 7 in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series has ‘Red Hot’ as its title. A title that applies to all 28 tracks. Songs that mainly originate from the fifties and early sixties. Two tracks date back to 1949, namely the still current sounding ‘I’m Gonna Rock (Till My Rocker Breaks Down)’ by Connie Jordan, as well as the closing track and title track of this album, by The Five Scamps. In addition, well-known, lesser-known and perhaps obscure names. With the first track, ‘Im Clappin’ and Shoutin’’ by Bumps Myers and His Frantic Five, we are immediately treated to an exciting jumping rhythm & blues via our speakers. Readers of this site will have already discovered that the undersigned is a fan of Joe Turner. Together with his Blues Kings he treats us to ‘The Chicken And The Hawk (Up, Up And Away)’, incidentally a song by the composer duo Leiber and Stoller. Someone who certainly contributed to the birth of rock-‘n-roll is orchestra leader, saxophonist and singer Jimmy Preston. Convince yourself during ‘Let’s Hang Out Tonight’. Roy Hamilton theeën swings nicely in ‘You’re Gonna Need Magic’, supported by a wonderful background choir. Female group The Copesetics only made one single. It is incomprehensible that no one believed in a sequel to the beautiful harmony ‘Believe In Me’. Jimmy Ricks, blessed with a deep bass voice, was once part of the vocal group The Ravens. You can hear him solo with ‘Do You Promise’, which contains a nice dose of soul. Many artists who made solo recordings once belonged to vocal groups. This also applies to Earl Wade. He sang with The Crystals, The Opals and The Cadillacs. You get him solo here with the super rocking ‘Let Me Miss You’, which is also reminiscent of Little Richard. When you talk about vocal groups, you can’t ignore The Platters. Enjoy them again with ‘Humble Bumble Bee’. Just like Johnny Otis himself, his music needs no introduction. As infectious as ever, he is here with ‘Hey Hey Hey Hey’. Fans of instrumental work will certainly enjoy ‘The Party Stomp’ by The Egyptians. In the original version by Jess Willard, ‘On A Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor’ was a hillbilly boogie. Bob Williams serves up a completely unique version of that song. Big Al Downing was a black musician in The Poe Cats, one of the first and perhaps the first rock-‘n-roll groups in which white and black musicians found each other. Big Al is present with ‘Please Come Home’, a gem of a rocker. Covering from a commercial point of view is timeless. That also applied to Roy Brown, who covered Buddy Knox’s hit ‘Party Doll’ in the hope of reaching a younger audience. Incidentally, ‘Priscilla’ by Eddie Cooley and The Dimples also rocks. The famous Billy ‘The Kid’ Emerson started his career at Sun Records. He did not record the great ‘I Never Get Enough’ for Sun but for Mad in 1962. Joe Houston made a career as a saxophonist. He performs top on the largely instrumental ‘Rock That Boogie’.
As always, the seventh volume in the ‘Hi-Strung R & B’ series has become a formidable album. In addition to well-known artists, you will discover artists and their songs here for the first time, more than likely.

lthough he’s often closely associated with the Lone Star State since originally taking up residence in Dallas, Texas in the early ’90s, vocalist/guitarist Shawn Pittman is actually an Oklahoma native. For decades Pittman has played with and for musicians like Sam Myers, The Texas Blues Guitar Summit (with Anson Funderburgh and Mike Morgan), Double Trouble, Susan Tedeschi, The Moeller Brothers and many others, but also set some serious landmarks with his own, much lauded albums. 

The famous hippie anthem ‘Let’s Get Together’, a wonderful tune about peace, love and brotherhood, was written by Dino Valente, co-founder of San Franciscan group Quicksilver Messenger Service or QMS. Now, Valente didn’t record with QMS till their fourth album, 1970s ‘Just for Love’, which is now available as a remastered cd on BGO Records.
QMS were a typically American blues-based psychedelic group until Valente took control of this album: he wrote all the songs but one and does most vocals. Valente is a traditional, melodic composer [‘Let’s Get Together’ stands as proof] and a soft-spoken singer, which changed QMS’s sound. This is a rather quiet recording, with many a slow, melodic tune; still, there’s plenty of experimental and psychedelic guitar courtesy of John Cippolina. Some parts seem to be on-the-spot improvisations, but their minor hit ‘Fresh Air’ is Valente & QMS at the top of their game. Regretfully, the booklet dates from 2004.
Radio 68  plays the entire album on Wednesday 12 March, from 12 noon till 12 midnight CET. 

Eastern and Western musical trends fraternally united.  That is what the world needs: innovation!

His great band the Jumping Matt & His Combo entered the studio with a renewed line-up in the fall of 2024: Viktor Hamvas joined Combo, playing keyboard and piano. Drummer Dániel Molnár and bassist László Csizmadia are responsible for the usual top-charting rhythm section. After thirty years and sixteen albums songwriter, vocalist and harmonica player Mátyás Pribojszki AKA Jumping Matt continues to find new and interesting ways in which to engage listeners! 

The successful series ‘Boss Black Rockers’ was followed up with the equally high-flying ‘More Boss Black Rockers’. For a while it seemed that nothing more would follow, but fortunately KokoMojo now comes up with the series ‘Boss Black Instrumentals’. The first volume that was recently released is entitled ‘Rinky Dink’, named after the song by trumpeter Cootie Williams. Cootie was once part of Duke Ellington’s orchestra and after listening to ‘Rinky Dink’ you will undoubtedly understand why Duke hired him. But there is more. With 26 instrumental tracks, this first volume provides an insight into the formidable instrumental repertoire from the heyday of rhythm & blues and blues. With the exciting ‘Malibu’ by Bob Reed and his Band we immediately get a beautiful example of guitar-driven rhythm & blues. Harmonica virtuoso Little Walter lets the Mississippi saxophone take the lead on ‘Flying Saucer’. More sublime work on the blues harp comes with ‘Boogie Beat’ by Levi Seabury. Lafayette Thomas was also featured in the series ‘Right Hand Man’, also released by KokoMojo. Here you can hear this guitarist at work on the bluesy ‘Cockroach Run’. The black and white keys create, played by Piano Red for an atmospheric ‘Wild Fire’, after which a roaring sax is the ‘leading instrument’ on Red Prysocks ‘2 Point 8’. The 2-part ‘Johnnys Houseparty’ by multi-instrumentalist Johnny Heartsman is certainly impressive. You get to hear the 2 parts one after the other. In the first part the guitar dominates, while part two focuses on the sax and keyboard. The live feeling that emanates from both numbers is also very infectious. Another top song is the gypsy jazzy feeling artistic ‘Destination Mars’ by Frosty and The Diamonds. Blues guitarist Elmore James became famous for his ‘straightforward’ raw performances on the slide guitar. He shows it off again here during ‘Elmore’s Contribution To Jazz’. Elmore is followed by the equally famous Ike Turner with ‘Rock-A-Bucket’. Bandleader Preston Love wrote quite a few songs with Ike. You can hear Preston and his band at work in the swinging ‘Country Boogie’. In the zydeco genre, accordionist Clifton Chenier is one of the greatest. Rightly so when you listen to the rocking ‘The Big Wheel’. Lazy Lester was talented as both a harmonica player and a guitarist. He shines on the bluesharp during ‘Lester’s Stomp’. Johnny Otis and his orchestra should not be missing here either. Otis has quite a few catchy songs to his name, including the two-part ‘The Midnight Creeper’. You can already get the first part on this compilation. Saxophonist Joe Houston evolved from jump blues to ‘early rock & roll’. A fine example of his skills can be heard on ‘Shuckin’.
The ripping sax sounds of ‘Walkin With Mr. Lee’ by Lee Allen stylishly end this first part of the ‘Black Rockers Instrumentals’.
It is clear that KokoMojo puts the instrumental work of the black artists in a awesome way in the spotlights with this new series. We can already look forward to ‘Zeen Beat’ soon, the second volume of this once again fantastic series. To be continued!

After years of burning up the Blues Highway with a trunk full of original tunes, Max Hightower mellowed down at the vintage-style BigTone Studio in NOLA.  There he captured a raw, unfiltered blend of New Orleans funk and greasy Southern blues that ain’t “Nothin’ but the Truth.”