​Just as white artists started playing the blues and rhythm & blues originally belonging to the black artists, there were also black artists who were influenced by the white country & western. Although it was not always easy to define those recordings as country & western. The black rhythm & blues still regularly resonated in those recordings and many records were also released as rhythm & blues. The title of this first volume 'When Two Worlds Collide' puts this fact even more in the spotlight. Compiler Little Victor aka The 'Mojo' Man collected 28 tracks that contain both rhythm & blues and country & western. Sublime songs by well-known and lesser-known black artists.
Koko Mojo kicks off the 'Rhythm & Western' series with a volume that already makes you longing for more.

​Now Fred Verhaegen is back in the spotlight with the captivating record 'Overkant'. A masterpiece comprising nine Dutch songs. The Schelde is of course not the Mississippi, yet Fred has that southern accent. He wrote all the songs together, sang and played almost all the instrumentation and he only found a lonely soulmate in accordionist Tinne Vandenbusche. And that's what the blues is really all about. In addition to his lived-in voice and acoustic strings, the songs are also swindled with that aged bluesy harmonica throughout his songs. Highly recommended...!

​John McDonough's acoustic guitar, passionate vocals and personal lyrics result in a modern folk and bluesy sound. Only five tracks color 'We'll Answer The Call', and yet the EP has so much variety in its arrangements. Each number has a symbolism and a legendary meaning. Wonderful EP! 

​Documentary of traditional Roma/Gypsy songs performed with lyrical and musical melancholy.  

​Jon Spencer is now on his second album with The Hitmakers. Garage rock is his trademark, fat New York rock 'n' roll. But not the well-trodden and popular disposition of these forms of music. Spencer is just in conventional form. Like a chameleon, Jon squeezes through his blackened sound. Get ready for a great party if you ever get the chance to see Jon Spencer live.

​A fascinating refreshing album that avoids the predictable.

​Gary Cain's raw, yet smooth vocals lend themselves perfectly to the movement music style. Just like he also plays guitar, bass, drums and percussion. The original songs dive right off the git with Gary's lively, agile guitar swings and catchy riffs. Handsome release! 

​Brad Absher sounds like the places he’s been. In his warm, Southern soul music, you can hear Tulsa’s earthy dignity and the swampy carpe diem of Lake Charles. Thundering sax with plenty of swing calls up New Orleans, while gritty grooves nod to Houston, and more subdued moments of empathy hint at time spent much farther away. Like two old friends telling us a story, Absher and his electric guitar trade lines with lived-in familiarity that invites the rest of us to listen––and dance. 

​What a great singer Alice DeMicele is, and with producer Bret Levick she forms a golden duo.  Strong arrangements, powerful and inventive vocals convince every skeptic.  Very recommended!

​Vaneese is an incredible talent that has been blossoming for quite some time. As the daughter of Rufus Thomas, she has a heavy legacy to bear. Vaneese switches smoothly from Beale Street to the Mississippi Delta and the Delta juke joints. Vaneese Thomas soars in gorgeous album, ‘Fight the Good Fight’.  Highly recommended ! 

​The double album includes a dozen vocal tunes and another disc of seven instrumental tracks, recorded in Boston and Brookline, MA between 1993, '94 and '96. Beautiful but also very surprising album! 

​Charlie Musselwhite is no less than a legend. He is not only a blues harp virtuoso, but also a country blues guitarist with a lot of depth, warmth and subtlety. With 'Mississippi Son' the circle is complete for Musselwhite. He returns to his Mississippi roots after decades of living in Memphis, Chicago and San Francisco. On each of the fourteen tracks, including eight originals, Musselwhite's vocals and deep harmonica playing perfectly in his simple and hypnotic guitar work The release ‘Mississippi Son’ is great front porch country blues. Highly recommended release !

​Two fantastic new releases on Fruits de Mer Records in June 2022.  The Chemistry Set will blast you away with excellent mindswirling songs and Rob Gould did brew another rich ‘Dome’ on his brilliant album of 2007.

​Muddy Waters sang ‘The Blues Had A Baby And They Named It Rock 'n' Roll’. Babies do grow up, become adults, want to stand on their own two feet and leave the parental nest. That's how it went with rock 'n' roll and this immediately explains the title of this first volume 'My Baby Left Me', in the new Atomicat series 'R & B Goes R & R'. On this first compilation you get 28 songs, originally by black artists from the rhythm & blues, which were covered by white artists and thus became rock 'n' roll. In addition to well-known recordings, there are also a number of recordings that were originally released on small independent labels. An additional fact was that jukeboxes were often filled with covers of well-known songs, in order to circumvent copyrights.
Not only did rock and roll gladly borrow from the black artists within the rhythm & blues, but the genre also ensured that listeners went in search of the original so that many rhythm & blues artists still, although not always financially, got the recognition they deserved.
Our curiosity for this new series is already been aroused. The second volume, entitled 'Rock and Roll Music', will be released shortly. We will keep you informed!

​Where do you belong? What’s your home?  Miriam Moczko is digging in the family history with a lot of melancholy in her answers.  

​With their abundant shiny chrome, the immensely sized 'dream cars' repeatedly appeared in the rock 'n' roll in the fifties. Brands abounded. Just think of Chevrolet, Plymouth, Pontiac, Edsel, Buick, Mercury and Chrysler. But if you really made it, you showed off a Cadillac. Not surprisingly, many artists dreamed of owning a four-wheeler like this. Sun boss Sam Phillips even promised a brand new Cadillac to his artist who was the first to sell a million singles. Carl Perkins won it with his hit 'Blue Suede Shoes'. Sometimes that dream became reality, but often it remained a dream. A dream that was then expressed in music. The Cadillac brand was founded on August 22, 1902, thus celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. Given the brand's relationship with the music, it's clear that Mark Armstrong bundled 30 tracks, which spotlight the brand in various ways. For example, the album contains 9 tracks, in which artists in the rhythm & blues and blues sang their love for the vehicle. The rockers and hillbillies did the same in 10 songs. Four groups chose the car brand as their band name, after which seven interpreters incorporated Cadillac into their lyrics. In short, diversity is not lacking on this compilation. This is also reflected in the musical genres. You will find rhythm & blues, blues, doo-wop, rock 'n' roll and hillbilly.
You have to admire the staff at the Atomicat label. How they do it, it’s a mystery to me, but time after time they amaze you with the angles with which they compile their albums. We can only conclude that this compilation around the 120th anniversary of the Cadillac brand is another high flyer. Your car may not be a Cadillac, but with this album on the road you sure get the feeling of drivin' in a Cadillac.

​'Sacromud' is another brilliant Labilia production. They are five seasoned musicians, soulmates who entered the studio. Vocalist Raffo Barbi, multi-instrumentalist Maurizio Pugno, keyboard virtuoso Alex Fiorucci, bassist Franz Piombino and drummer/percussionist Riccardo Fiorucci form the core of the band. Pungo and Barbi jointly provided the text and the music arrangements. They introduce us to their sound with the single 'The Hider & The Seeker'. The musical plurality is immediately fabulous. It’s overground blues, a new place of ‘new blues’. It's one of the most contrasting records we've heard lately. There is really not a single powerless, fragile or breakable song to be heard. ‘Sacromund’ is an excellent release, packed in a very neat digipack with an eye for details! Highly recommended! 

​After a series of self-released vinyl singles, PM Warson emerged in 2021 with the album ‘True Story’, combing elements of vintage R'n'B and Soul with an authenticity and energy that appealed fans and critics alike. Not one to wait around, despite the various challenges of the pandemic, Warson returns, just over a year on, with his second offering ‘Dig Deep Repeat’. 

The sweet voice of the Spanish/Italian Zaira Magurano fits perfectly with the virtuosity of Peppe Aiello’s acoustic guitar and Antonio’s Stragapede’s mandolin.  Sentimental, passionate and vivid songs as prove of the rich musical roots of Neapolitan music.

​Jumpin’ the Broom is the result of 10 years of contemporary blues collaboration, carving out a new path of blues that spans a cross-genre musical audience. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions. Great!

​With the pandemic a new americana band saw the light.  The Remittance Men brings us mainstream countryfolk songs with a lack of punch (due to covid?) but a lot of potential.

​Black Cat Biscuit spices up their sound with a diversity that moves from boogie to rock 'n' roll and everything in between! A pinch of urbanized blues, a portion of raw slide guitar, swamp blues, boogie and Texas Blues shuffles. The release 'The Way It Is' is like an extraordinarily cocktail that is concretized with original and varied song material.

​Dreampop songs from the Dutch singer-songwriter after his success with the single ‘Telescope’ from the album ‘Slow Traveler’ (2018).  Made with covid restrictions in mind, not the most uplifting music. But you will love ‘Need A Friend’.

​‘Straight From The Heart’ is a fitting title for a record that salutes the many loves of Neal’s life. Kenny Neal has been breathing that typical electrified swamp sound from South Louisiana for years. So now there is his new self-produced album 'Straight From The Heart', on the renowned Ruf Records label. The eleven tracks were recorded in his home studio and mixed at the Royal Studios in Memphis with engineer Boo Mitchell. In addition to some tributes, we find zydeco, a rare ballad and a lot of great blues songs. What a wonderful release! 

​The album is ten original songs dealing with love, death, lust, rejection, empowerment and simple painful heartbreak. The music on the record arcs over Blues, Northern Soul, Rock & Gospel. Emma achieved this by bringing together the cream of the UKs musicians Mat Hector (Drummer, also with Iggy Pop Band) Mark Neary (Bass, who works for Noel Gallagher) and Adam Chetwood (Mark Ronsons 'go to' guitarist and Imelda Mays touring band). The album was recorded in a traditional "Live" setting which has created a rich beautiful band feel with Emma's truly sensational voice being the main feature.