Every song on ‘Rugged Elegance’, the majority of which are Rose/ Tolchin co-writes, is a distinct portrait of someone or someplace beloved, but they all emanate from a singular place of honesty, reflection and a desire to embrace one another in times of difficulty. Its sound channels the icons who have defined her old-time roots – Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt to name three. The release ‘Rugged Elegance’ is a an anointing for your soul ! 

Christopher Wyze is anything but "Stuck in the Mud" on this captivating debut album. He proves himself to be a master of words; a keen storyteller of unique tales imbued with both the pain and pleasure of the blues. And in that 'big game,' he has already secured his place.

What series, such as this ‘Black Pearls’, bring to light, is that in the middle of the previous century a lot of really good rhythm & blues, blues and rock-‘n-roll was released. It’s just a shame that not all recordings were done via major labels. Often the songs were recorded via small local labels, so that if those songs were not picked up by the majors, they would also stick around locally. On the positive side, the Atomicat and KokoMojo labels bring together those lesser-known and often obscure songs in wonderful series.
This is now also the case on the tenth volume in the ‘Black Pearls’ series, which was given the title ‘Wiggle It!’. During 28 tracks you are once again immersed in the best rocking rhythm & blues and blues of the fifties of the previous century. Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, who as we know was not unimportant for the start of Presley’s career, is allowed to kick off with ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’, a song that has been covered many times and that immediately explains why Crudup was allowed to be at the cradle of rock-‘n-roll. By the way, also pay attention to that cool bass line. For the next track ‘Good Road Blues’, a top-notch early blues song by Wright Holmes, we even return to 1948. For a beautiful example of country blues with a beautiful blues harp, you can go to Ralph Willis during ‘Gonna Hop On Down The Line’. Lightning Slim is a legend within the blues. Rightly so if you listen to ‘New Orleans Bound’, with impressive work on the harmonica here too. You can also experience more penetrating blues harp on ‘Country Boy Blues’ by Pee Wee Hughes and The Delta Duo. ‘Just An Army Boy’ by Boyd Gilmore certainly sounds nice and bluesy. Number that needed a second start and where Ike Turner was at the piano.
More uptempo we go with ‘Goin’ Back Home’ by Cousin Leroy. Joe Hill Louis was known as a ‘one man band’, which made his blues sound quite raw. He is present here with the somewhat milder ‘Keep Your Hands Around Me’. Another blues pearl is served by Little Arthur Matthews with ‘Someday Baby’, a composition by Johnny Otis. Lonesome Sundown is also well-known, here with the excellent ‘My Home Ain’t Here’. Frank Frost and drummer Sam Carr worked together with Sonny Boy Williamson II. Here Frost is present with The Nighthawks with ‘Everything’s Alright’, on which Carr plays the drum kit and the guitarist of the day is the top-notch Big Jack Johnson. Another master on the six strings, namely Eddie Taylor, can be heard at work on Bobo Jenkins’ ‘Nothing But Love’. And there is no end to the sublime string pluckers. Mighty Joe Young is also present here. He played with many greats in the blues. You can hear him on ‘To Prove My Love’ by TV Slim. A magnificent shuffle comes from King Charles and His Orchestra in ‘You Thrill Me’, a recording from 1954. ‘Straightforward’ blues was the trademark of J.B. Hutto. Just listen to ‘Things Are So Slow’ for that. When Hound Dog Taylor died, J.B. Hutto took over his band The House Rockers. Slide virtuoso Hound Dog Taylor can of course be found here with ‘Baby’s Coming Home’. Guitarist and harmonica player Woodrow Adams worked with Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Nighthawk, among others. Adams shows his talents on ‘Wine Headed Woman’. You can hear Howlin’ Wolf just after Adams in ‘Crying At Daybreak’. Other big names such as harmonica player Little Walter, guitarist Robert Lockwood Jr., bassist Willie Dixon and drummer Fred Below make the weather on John Brim's 'You Got Me Where You Want Me'. A pearl of a blues! The title track 'Wiggle It' of this volume comes from Crook Junior and is a great blues song reduced to its essence. Another great one on the blues harp Walter Horton, also known as Big Walter or Shakey Horton, may close with 'Jumpin' Blues' under the name Mumbles. The tenth volume in the 'Black Pearls' series once again lives up to the name of the series for more than 100%, just like the nine previously published volumes.

If you love eclectic modern rock-blues, then you need to hear ‘About Time’. Highly recommended! 

With a lifetime of musical experiences, Salgado maintains a fresh approach to his music. Fine By Me (Little Village, release date June 30, 2024) is the latest evidence of Salgado wielding his impressive songwriting and vocal skills to a wide variety of styles. His music has dashes of blues, gospel, R&B, jazz, funk, rock ’n’ roll and soul at any given moment.

The 2024 comeback within the blues and rhythm & blues can be placed behind the name of the Swede Greger Andersson, better known as Knock-Out Greg. After all, with 'Serves Me The Right To Suffer', he presents his first album since 2004. Greg takes care of the vocals, harmonica and guitar. For the other instruments he surrounds himself with top Scandinavian blues musicians, The Blue Flames. On guitar we hear, besides Greg, Tomi Leino, the electric and acoustic bass were entrusted to Jaska Prepula, drummer on duty is Marcus Anderson and on the piano and organ we find Fredrik Humlin. The album has 10 tracks, including 'Suprovox Mood', an original song by Tomi Leino. As opener Greg chose 'Midnite Blues', a song by Charlie Rich. In the hands of Knock-Out Greg it becomes a rhythm & blues while retaining the country slant. Contemporary rhythm & blues of the best kind! It gets even better when Greg takes out the blues harp for the intro of the title track, a song by Jimmy Dawkins. The same harmonica also sets the Texas shuffle ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ on track. With Eric Bibbs ‘Same Well’ the slow blues makes its entrance. A song that can also count on excellent backing vocals and a wonderful organ solo by Fredrik Humlin. A version that is definitely worth it. The next song is the slightly more uptempo ‘Suprovox Mood’, an instrumental where Knock-Out Greg can go all out on the chromatic harmonica. Later, with ‘Whiskey Heaven’, another great sung slow blues follows. With ‘Bad Mouthing’ the band gives an example of how real downhome blues should sound. The addition of the blues harp gives ‘When The Birds Begin To Sing’ a somewhat zydeco atmosphere. Uptempo, Knock-Out Greg and The Blue Flames can pull out all the stops one last time for the closing track ‘Tight Skirts’. We said it more than once that the Scandinavian blues artists are no less than their American colleagues. That is proven once again here. Throughout the album, The Blue Flames manifest themselves as a band that knows the ropes of the blues. Add to that Knock-Out Greg’s beautiful vocals and ditto harp work and you have one of the blues albums of 2024 with ‘Serves Me The Right To Suffer’.

Giles Robson is increasingly turning out to be a royal harp virtuoso. Wonderful Delta Blues! This is Giles Robson’s new full length album. The last year has been incredible for Robson, seeing him sell out 10 nights on The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a major 14 date UK/EU tour with Grammy nominated Chicago blues legend John Primer and having Rollin’ Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger rave about his performance at The Mustique Blues Festival of which he was in the audience. ‘Seven Classic Blues’ is Robson’s first full length album since his much praised 2019 release Don’t Give Up on The Blues. It’s an all acoustic live album celebrating some of blues music’s most iconic songs performed in front of an ecstatic sold out audience in the UK’s renowned intimate music venue,Temperance, in the town of Leamington Spa. Highly recommended! 

With ‘Way Up!’ our own Shakedown Tim presents his latest album on the Rhythm Bomb label. ‘Way Up!’ contains 11 songs, 6 of which were written by Tim Ielegems. As The Rhythm Revue Ilias Scotch acts on keys, Kurt Lens plays the upright bass and Koen Van Peteghem is behind the drums. The trio also provides backing vocals. There are also guest contributions from Steven Troch, Tim’s former buddy at Fried Bourbon, Naomi Sijmons, Little Walter (?????? no not that one, but yes……..Tim’s dog), Bart Stone, James Harman and Bird Stevens. Opener ‘Feed My Body To The Fishes’ immediately creates a nostalgic fifties blues atmosphere with a honky tonk piano intro. And by the way, also pay attention to Tim’s excellent work on the six strings. The next track ‘Messin’ With The Blues’ is a beautiful slow blues. Here Tim is vocally supported by Ilias Scotch, while Steven Troch blows a nice piece on the blues harp. Blues artist and guitarist Tiny Legs Tim passed away, too young on May 25, 2022. Tiny Legs Tim, together with Shakedown Tim, provided unforgettable evenings at the Missy Sippy Blues Club in Ghent. That atmosphere is recreated here with gusto, which immediately forms a beautiful tribute to the late blues guitarist. The versatility of Tim Ielegems is once again evident in the rhythm & blues cover of Eddie Boyd's 'Drifting'. The album may have 'Way Up!' as its title, but there is also a 'Way Down'. Beautiful uptempo song with Shakedown on the resonator guitar, supported by Troch's tearing harp. For ‘You’re The Boss’ a Leiber/Stoller composition was used, resulting in a beautiful, somewhat sultry duet, with an excellent vocal contribution from Naomi Sijmons. Amos Milburn was a well-known American rhythm & blues singer and pianist. With a guitarist like Ilias Scotch in the ranks, Milburn’s ‘Real Crazy’ certainly had to be included. Great version!
For ‘Frolic Time’, floating on a wonderfully swinging Charleston rhythm, Tim was inspired by his dog Little Walter, who according to the liner notes is a somewhat quirky animal and who also makes himself heard in the intro. For the recording of ‘A Sinner’s Gospel’ we have to go back to 2018. Tim dedicates this song to Gene Taylor and James Harman. The latter also contributed to the recording, which took place between two concerts in Bird Stevens’ studio. And here too, you can really enjoy Shakedown Tim’s excellent guitar playing. Bluesy but also slightly jazzy, the album closes with the instrumental ‘Please Close The Door’, which puts the instrumental virtuosity of the entire band in the spotlight one last time, after which the door is really slammed shut.
With ‘Way Up!’ Shakedown Tim and The Rhythm Revue have delivered an excellent contemporary blues record. Contemporary but also with respect for the genre and the legendary blues artists. The Rhythm Revue is a well-oiled musical machine, which seamlessly connects with Shakedown Tim’s fantastic guitar playing. ‘Way Up!’??? Of course and …….highly recommended, without a doubt!

Black Cat Bones is a high-energy Blues/Rock band that has been entertaining crowds in and around Tucson, Arizona for nearly 20 years. Featuring multi-octave vocals, dueling lead guitars, and a powerhouse rhythm section, this 5-piece band offers an eclectic mix of original music and cover tunes that you won’t hear anywhere else!

Jay Gordon and Blues Venom rocking the blues and boogie at this Woodystoch Blues Festival in 2022. The band is on fire, from the depths of hel land beyond. Never interested in merely modifying the past, Jay has brought the blues into the 21st century, infusing his music with the fire and power of those heavy rock tunes. With all this he has now conquered his own place in the music world. Jay Gordon guarantees catchy blues rock guitar riffs and passionate vocals. It is the essence of his blues sound. 

An album aptly called 'Apollo III', and it is a release filled with a mix of classic blues songs, some psychedelic renditions of covers and original Rusty Apollo songs. Highly recommended! 

The release ‘Blue Eyed Soul’ is nominated for ‘Album Of The Year’ – R&B/Soul/Blues from the Josie Awards. This is one of the coolest soul/blues albums of 2024... Check it out!, you won't come home disappointed!

Sam travels between Chicago, New Orleans and the Mississippi. And that is precisely where his sound is situated. His original music is a combination of Chicago Urban Blues and New Orleans style. Now the musical journey continues with the release 'Come What May' (I'll Always Love You). Highly recommnded! 

The people with whom we live and work are often our greatest blessings. On his latest record, Comforts of Home, singer/songwriter/guitarist Chris Bergson celebrates family, both biological and chosen.  The 12 songs on the record were written by Bergson and his partner Kate Ross, with assistance on a few tracks from soul singer Ellis Hooks and multi-instrumentalist Craig Dreyer. It’s an intensely personal suite of songs that also trace some of the challenges family can pose. This long player is perhaps the best thing Chris Bergson has achieved. It's a blessing for his fans and a great statement for those who aren't as familiar with his music. 

The album ‘Brick By Brick’ is very reflective of how I have built my music career, one brick at a time. The new album by the Boca Raton, Fla. musician is his first for Little Village and shines a light on the multi-dimensional musical talents of Soars. In addition to his base of blues-rock, Soars displays his affection for the influences of gypsy jazz, country, Latin, rock and heavy metal. Highly reecommended!!

Shut Up And Play! is packed with twelve new Toronzo original songs. Sparked by his searing guitar playing, they range from fun-filled, danceable tunes like Something To Do Man to Toronzo’s memorable tongue-in-cheek anthems including the first radio single, I Hate Love, to serious social statements like Had To Go Through It To Get To It and the title track. The song Shut Up And Play! was inspired by the response to Toronzo’s online posts about racism that he had encountered, and in support of Black Lives Matter. He was repeatedly told that his job was to be an entertainer, not to express himself passionately on social issues. As you can hear, Toronzo Cannon is not a man who will bite his tongue (nor would we want him to).

The songs are highly personal, reflecting on the world we live in. With the help of good friend and acclaimed musician Richard Van Bergen and the “tube magic” at Bird Stevens’ Tub Thumper Records vintage recording studio, Dede Priest & Johnny Clark’s Outlaws added yet another layer to these tracks on their new album. Sultry blues songs, several ballads and packed rockers, colored with spicy guitar riffs, are the band's trademark. An ultimate that further develops and, above all, unfolds their style. Highly recommended release…! 

The now 72-year-old blues guitarist Johnny Laporte proves that age is just a number and is certainly no reason to sit still. After being part of the Dutch blues band par excellence, namely Barrelhouse, for roughly 5 decades, Johnny released his solo debut album 'That's Me' at the end of last year, the review of which you can re-read on this site.
And as if that weren't enough, Johnny recently published his debut novel. You will soon be able to read the review on this site. As busy as Johnny is, and because blues blood runs through his veins, he also formed the group Johnny Feel Good around him, which released their debut album with 'Age Is Just A Number'. Johnny Laporte is indeed feeling good, because all ten songs originated from the collective minds of the band members. They consist of Johnny Laporte and Armando Jansen, both on guitars, Art Bausch sits behind the drum kit, Mark Harmsma plays the bass, Pim Spetter plays the black and white keys and Jan Blaauw takes care of the vocals. The gentlemen have tons of experience. They performed at Barrelhouse, Southside Blues Revue, Livin' Blues, Jura, Blue Planet and The Oscar Benton Blues Band. There is no doubt that you can expect top-level blues. That wonderfully straightforward blues immediately captivates you with opener 'You've Gotta Rumble, with excellent guitar work from Laporte. But otherwise we already expected this. Congratulations also go to the rhythm section and certainly to Jan Blaauw, whose voice is made from good blues cloth. Then 'I Want To Show You' brings you into an attractive, somewhat swampy atmosphere. Soul blues is the support for 'The Gates Are Open'. The album has several tracks that exceed the playing time of 6 minutes, with the 7-minute 'You Don't Know Nothing' as the longest song. The song starts with a sublime guitar intro, after which a gem of a slow blues reveals itself, including the impressive piano part by Pim Spetter and Jan who pulls out all the vocal stops. The accelerator pedal is later pressed a little deeper with the uptempo 'Get Me Some Juice', to continue with the funky 'Steel Trap Mind'. Versatile, Johnny Feel Good continues its journey slower and with masterful guitar work in 'Meet You In LA'. The band then playfully closes with the rocking 'All You've Got'.
If you like super guitar work, a strong rhythm section, bluesy piano sounds and a scorching blues voice, then Johnny Feel Good is the right place for you.
'Age Is Just A Number' is one of those blues albums that I had been hoping for for a long time, but wouldn’t come. This is now a thing of the past, because with 'Age Is Just A Number' Johnny Feel Good has met this shortage 100%. Even more, Johnny Feel Good is 'the next great blues band' from the Netherlands. Highly recommended!

The album trilogy, dubbed Tres Caminos, began with the recording of “By No Means” in Michell’s home studio. With David Boucher co-producing they recorded 10 tracks in five days, all live, very simple. One pandemic later it was time to get the band back together for the second album. The same crew met up in January 2023 and recorded Daylight. This time they worked at Valentine Studio in the Valley, an ancient studio built in the early 60’s with a vibe (and gear) unchanged since then. Again, they played live, five days, and this time recorded 12 tracks. So here it is. A continuation of their concept, with a dozen new songs. Simple and straightforward. It goes down easy. Highly recommended!

After nearly forty years of musical and personal camaraderie, drummer and producer Bob Christina began studio work with Matt "Guitar" Murphy on what would become Murphy's final project. After he passed in June of 2018, the fate of the unfinished project was placed in Christina's hands. He began outreach to musicians who were friends of Murphy, played with him, or were otherwise influenced by him. The response was overwhelming.
Featured artists include Doyle Bramhall II, Fran Christina & The Original Roomful of Blues, Steve Cropper, Ronnie Earl, Sax Gordon, Jaimoe, Bill Kirchen, Chuck Leavell, Bob Margolin, James Montgomery, Tracy Nelson, Johnny Nicholas, Christine Ohlman, Lee Oskar, Jerry Portnoy, Duke Robillard, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, Toni Lynn Washington and more.

The release ‘Outsiders’, consists of nine new songs and, for the first time as Ledfoot, it sees him accompanied by a full band for a record that operates on a wider musical spectrum, albeit one still rooted in his 12-string sound. Ledfoot himself once again demonstrates his excellent songwriting and unique storytelling skills via vocal performances packed with all the requisite integrity and authority. The album title itself is also no coincidence; a collection of songs about people living on the edge, each in different ways relates the story of an outsider, those who might find themselves lost and ultimately dealt a dud hand in their life’s story, but at the same time unwilling to accept defeat without a fight.

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Johnny Burgin often travels without a band and discovers new and fruitful collaborations along the way. The album 'Ramblin' From Coast To Coast' is the result of eleven original blues tracks. Registered en route, from Dallas via Cincinnati, Rochester NY and Memphis TN. Because Burgin was recording from Coast To Coast, so nineteen musicians were used. The Chicago blues is alive and well with artists like Johnny Burgin...

Melding the talents of songwriter/vocalist/harmonica master Rick Estrin, wildly unpredictable guitar genius Kid Andersen, keyboard giant Lorenzo Farrell and drummer extraordinaire Derrick “D’Mar” Martin, the Nightcats have delivered another album of instantly memorable songs and startlingly great performances. All but two songs are originals, ranging from the most danceable tune you ever heard about drug addiction, to serious slow blues, to hard-charging rockers, to streetwise (and sometimes hilarious) songs, and the album closes with a dreamlike excursion into the crazed consciousness of the Nightcats. And, as a surprise to their hordes of fans (and the Alligator staff), Rick and the band created a bluesified version of Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows!

Beaux Gris Gris And The Apocalypse is a Californian band fronted by Greta Valenti, aka Beaux Gris Gris on lead vocals and percussion. The second supporter of the group is guitarist Robin Davey, known from The Hoax. For the other members, the duo draws from a collective of musicians, so the composition of the band is not always the same. For the recording of this album, the pair called on Stephen Mildwater and Chris Cunningham both on bass, Sam Robertson on keys and Tom Rasulo on drums and percussion. Guest musicians were hired for the horn section. The band's repertoire is difficult to pigeonhole. New Orleans is certainly a source of inspiration, just like blues, soul, folk and rock. With 'Hot Nostalgia Radio' the group is already on their third album. It contains 14 tracks, all by Greta and Robin. Energetic and heavy rocking, Beaux Gris Gris and The Apocalypse start with 'Oh Yeah!', where Greta's vocals immediately grab you by the scruff of the neck and Robin provides sublime guitar work. The tone is immediately set for the rest of the album. The band continues blues rocking with dedication with 'Wild Woman' and 'Satisfy Your Queen'. In 'Middle Of The Night' the horns provide a funky touch and on 'Sad When I'm Dancing' it is a bit quieter, while for a sublime blues ballad you can go to 'All I Could Do Was Cry'. Song that highlights Greta's enormous empathy in a song. She also shows this in the soulful 'The Runaway', 'Don't Let Go' and 'Penny Paid Rockstar'. A touch of folk characterizes 'Harder To Breathe'. The album closes with the zydeco-radiating 'Mama Cray'.
'Hot Nostalgia Radio' convincingly showcases the versatility of Beaux Gris Gris and The Apocalypse, both in the heavier and quieter work. One to keep an eye on!