He certainly had one of the most beautiful voices in soul, gospel and rhythm & blues and became known to the general public for the song 'Wonderful World'. Sam Cooke was born on January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was barely 15 when he became a member of the gospel group The Soul Stirrers. He stayed with until 1957 when he recorded his first album named after him for Keen Records. Cooke left the label two years later due to royalties. In 1960 he signed with RCA Victor. From then on, Sam composed blues and gospel-inspired songs.
This compilation contains 20 solo recordings by Cooke, 5 recordings from two different formations of The Soul Stirrers, of which one formation with Cooke as lead singer. These are supplemented with 1 track by The Falcons, 1 by The Simms Twins and 1 by Johnnie Taylor, each with a Cooke composition.
'Movin' and Groovin' with Sam Cooke' is without a doubt a formidable release in 'Koko Mojo's Spotlight Series'. An album that beautifully reflects Cooke's musical evolution in an excellent sound. You may already have a 'best of' by Sam Cooke on your shelf, but this compilation with songs that may not sound so familiar to you, should be next to it without apologies. An absolute winner!

​Andersen's masterful voice is the zenith and the common thread running through this record. His intimate setting on the guitar strings also provides some intimacy in the songs. Andersen takes a completely different musical direction than in the dynamic blues albums that have earned him numerous awards and prizes. The introverted singer-songwriter now shows his intimate side. And it is sown with emotional blues ballads and some folk and country inspired blues tracks. Highly recommended release ! 

​Last year the Koko Mojo released label 'Let's Go Latin', the review of which you can read again at http://www.keysandchords.com/album-review-blog/various-artists-lets-go-latin . With 'Let's Go Latin Again' there is now a sequel. Once again the emphasis is on groups that take a Latin tour with clever harmony vocals. Latin, which was created by the merging of cultures, exudes a relaxed and Southern atmosphere due to its Spanish roots. So do the 28 tracks on this album, recorded between 1954 and 1963. The fact that the genre inspired artists from various musical genres is a fact and can also be established on this compilation. This way you get delicious Latin based on rhythm & blues and doo-wop.
'Let's Go Latin Again' is the perfect album to give a summer garden party the necessary charm. However, if you listen to the album during a rainy day, slumped in your armchair with a cocktail within reach, a summer feeling will soon take over you. It's Mambo time!

​While still supporting artists in a variety of diverent musical roles, Gentilo is finally stepping into the limelight with the release of his debut album, 'Gentilo'. The ten original tracks, which are a collection of danceable songs, were taped at his Right Coast Recording studio in central Pennsylvania. Hill Country tunes, Delta inspired blues, soul and some spacy instrumentation provide an amicable atmosphere. Surprisingly beautiful!

​Willie Dixon is an integral part of the history of the blues. What he contributed to the development of the blues and rhythm & blues as we know them today is invaluable. William James Dixon was born on July 1, 1915, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Like many blues artists, Willie was also given the music through the faith community. He was barely 4 years old when he sang in the Springfield Baptist Church. In 1936 he moved to Chicago. Initially, he attempted a gareer in boxing, but soon converted to music. Chicago was the ideal place for that, where he emerged as a bassist on upright bass, songwriter, producer, pianist and singer. In the 1940s, Dixon worked on the Chess label with all the major artists of the Chicago blues, such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Memphis Slim, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. As a composer he wrote songs that have since become real blues classics. Songs that have also been covered countless times.
In short, with this compilation the Koko Mojo label honores the most talented blues bassist and author of a number of blues standards ever, namely Willie Dixon.

​Following their 2019 album, The Wild Root, the Alan Evans Trio has returned with Elephant Head. Alan Evans Trio is an inspiring and fresh line-up for organ trios. Swinging grooves, hypnotic beats and relaxing cinematic rhythm. Surprisingly handsome!

​The debut album 'Drifting', which was seeded with ten original songs and two covers, was recorded in two sessions. Bubba's powerful vocals and impressive guitar work, together with that experienced rhythm section, form a cross between exciting Texas Blues, SoCal blues rock and New Orleans funky R&B. Highly recommended album!

​With the help of some of his favorite musical soulmates, Scott Smith sets the tone and groove on the right track. Folk, rock and country met in his songs. The third album 'Leave To Come Home' was produced by Erik Nielsen and continues the contemporary Americana vibe of the first two records, but adds some new elements to the sound of the band. In addition to Smith's lead vocals and songwriter, slide guitar, harmonica, acoustic fingerpicking, banjo and pedal steel are all important elements in the intended sound for the band Just A Season.  

​In the autumn of 2021, the single 'Willow Tree' was released as a foretaste of the album 'The Night Calls'. And that's another release laced with an eclectic mix of disparate and differentiated blues styles. 

​The next artist to be spotlighted in the brilliant 'Rocks' series is Jimmy McCracklin. As James David Walker Jr. he was born on August 13, 1921, but he became known by his stage name. Not only was Jimmy a talented pianist and singer, but he was also responsible, as he pointed out, for writing a thousand songs, several hundred of which he himself recorded on more than 30 albums. He can therefore be counted among the most important musicians of the period after World War II that the Bay Area produced. Jimmy was active in the West Coast blues, jump blues, soul and rhythm & blues. This included a large number of rocking songs and it is precisely these songs that the German Bear Family bundles on this album.
The 30 songs are all rocking tracks, which originated in the rhythm & blues. But also apart from the rhythm & blues Jimmy rocks in the purest style that it is a delight.
With 30 tracks spanning the period from the fifties to the mid sixties, Bear Family offers a nice overview of McCracklin's rocking work.

​The release 'Strike Up The Band' is the new album by Professor Louie & The Crowmatix, which will be released on the Woodstock Records label. Nine of the ten songs are almost all biographical and creative originals, written by multi-instrumentalist Professor Louie, singer Miss Marie and one co-written with John Platania. Light and cheerful blues colored with beautiful guitar riffs and an engaging rhythm section. Good looking!

​After 'WildRoots Sessions Volume 1', which contained an arsenal of sixteen songs, there is now 'Volume 2'. The fifteen tracks accommodate a lot of guest artists. The emphasis is mainly on the blues sound. And those changes from light-hearted tunes to dark themes. WildRoots Sessions Volume 2, once again spotlighting the great players and singers who have been a big part of their past and current collaborations. Featuring: Victor Wainwright, Stephen Dees, Patricia Ann Dees, Reba Russell, Billy Livesay, Dyer Davis, Beth McKee, Mark Hodgson, Robert "Top" Thomas, Anthony "Packrat" Thompson, and Brianna Harris.

Surrender Hills forms a beautiful duo that keeps western country alive.  If you love a cowboy campfire, just sit down and listen, or dance a line.

​Harmonica player/producer Bob Corritore lovingly assembled this collection of old school down home Southern blues and juke joint dance numbers, the rough-edged predecessors to modern Chicago Blues, all recorded in Phoenix, Arizona between 1995 and 2012 and drawn from Bob's vast vault of recordings. 

​Once upon a time an unknown group (Iron Prophet) met up with keyboard, Melloton, Moog and accordion player Graham Maitland  of Scots of St James and Fleur de Lys fame. They were offered studio time, recorded an album’s worth of psychedelic and soft hard rock tunes which was rejected, as was the second, re-worked version. Two unissued white label pressings was the final outcome. Twenty years later, the second version was released with all sorts of amendments. Singer Ricky Sharpe also re-worked some songs. Grapefruit and Cherry Red put everything together on two compact discs. With an informative booklet – as this here is the shorter story!
The music is not shocking, but does deserve our attention. Disc 1 starts with a gentle light psych cover of Dylan’s ‘Too Much Of Nothing’, then turns to a harder beat and lots of keyboards (‘Leave It At That’), only to go prog-folky on ‘Good Year’ and switch to the softer kind of hard rock with tough-but-balanced guitar on ‘Marie’s A Woman’. That is, roughly, what Five Day Rain has to offer. Disc 2 also features some heavier stuff, but ‘balance’ seems to be the name of the game here. Multi-instrumentalist Maitland does a fantastic job here and singer Rick Sharpe surely has the right voice for all of this.  

​Few artists are more passionate about their instrument than Bob Corritore. Just like he comes up with a new album every now and then. Louisiana Red had recordings for great labels such as Chess Records and won a 1983 Handy Award as 'Best Traditional Blues Male Artist'. He has released more than fifty albums in his long career! VizzTone proudly announces the release of Louisiana Red & Bob Corritore's ‘Tell Me ‘About It’ available worldwide now! This is the latest entry in Bob's acclaimed "From The Vaults" series! At the heart of this album of finely crafted down-home blues is the close friendship and musical chemistry of Louisiana Red and Bob Corritore.  They both lived and worked in Chicago, then in Phoenix, Arizona, and continued to perform and record together after Red relocated to Europe. These 11 songs come from seven different recording sessions from 2000 to 2009.

​'Do You Wanna Dance' is the title of volume 4 in the 'Atomicat Rockers' series. Well, asking that question is actually already answering it, because the 28 rocking and rolling tracks will certainly assure a crowd filled dance floor. The photos of battered cars, which are featured on the cover as well as on the inside of the digipack, prove that people went crazy at that time and so was the music. Traditionally, well-known and lesser-known artists complement each other perfectly.
As always with the Atomicat label, a lot of attention was paid to the composition of this album. No inferior rock 'n' roll, a high-quality sound and danceability score here again for the full 100%. Features that will certainly also will be found when issue 05, entitled 'Dungaree Cutie' is released on April 8th. Definitely something to look forward to!

​Very experimental compositions of young ambitious musicians. Instrumental, jazzy and even cinematic. A band with the potential to break boundaries.

​Our third visit to Sadie's Gentlemen's Club shows us that there are no taboos. After all, the music that drives the deejay through the speakers is of such a nature that when you enter Sadie's Gentlemen's Club, she accompanies you to the artificial world, where, provided you put the necessary money on the table, all your wishes are fulfilled. The 30 tracks on volume 3 once again give you a musical insight into the ins and outs of the club where Sadie and her company rule. Well-known and lesser-known artists provide the necessary atmosphere through 30 tracks, all recorded from 1952 to 1963. They contain rousing rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll, doo-wop and a touch of jazz. Genres that fire up the flames of love during the third visit to Sadie's Gentlemen's Club.
For a next visit to the club we will have to wait patiently. That visit is scheduled for April 8, when the next volume titled 'Ecstasy' will be released.

​The album presents eight original songs by Jose Ramirez and two classic tunes by masters of Chicago Blues, Magic Sam and Eddie Taylor. Jose is also the first Latin American blues artist to sign a record deal with the renowned Chicago jazz and blues label Delmark Records. During the historic sessions, that took place in the summer of 2021 at Delmark Records Riverside Studio, Jose received blessings from 93-year-old Jimmy Johnson and 90-year-old Bob Stroger, two of the most respected elsewhere in the blues world. Those sessions with the Delmark All-Star Band confirmed that Jose is a full 100 percent Major League Blues player. The young Costa Rican interacted expressively with Jimmy Johnson in the titletrack.  It is also Jimmy's last recording after his passing on January 31st, 2022. It's still early in 2022... but this is the 'Album of the Year’! Highly recommended release..!

​Kinga Rose, a Hungarian-born singer-songwriter from Luxembourg has now her debut album 'Vision' in the stores. This mix of classical and jazz music, along with pop influences, makes Kinga Rose recognizable as an artist who mixes Eastern European and Western soundscapes. In addition to all these influences, her beautiful lyrics, which are mostly written in English, give her an unmistakable musical identity. In 2020, Kinga Rose was inducted into The Grund Club asbl, a collective of some of the best singer-songwriters in Luxembourg. Rose started the pre-production of her debut album 'Vision'. The songs are filled with string and horn arrangements by the most renowned artists from this small nation. Lata Gouveia was approached as a producer. Great..!

Soulful second album from singer-songwriter Peter Rogan, backed up with great Nashville names.   ​

​An extraordinary vocal jazz stylist and interpreter of standards, blues, original compositions, and New Gospel music, Mercedes Nicole brings to her performances a unique personality and vocal quality. Her rich, expressive voice is deepened by a refreshing vulnerability and ardor. She reveals an unending passion for probing the lyric, melodic and rhythmic nuances of her material. 

​Although he is often only known for his hit ‘Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet)’, Jackie Wilson had a lot more arrows on his musical bow. This compilation will certainly convince you of that. Jackie Leroy Wilson, born on June 9, 1934, already had a decent musical career before his big hit. In 1953, he replaced that other great artist, Clyde McPhatter, as lead singer on Billy Ward's Dominoes. Jackie had just turned 19 at the time of joining. He stayed with Ward until 1957, after which he resolutely opted for a solo career. That choice was immediately sealed with 'Reet Petite', which brought him instant world fame. The title ‘Mr. Excitement' he acquired through his live performances, but the fact that he effortlessly switched from rhythm & blues to rock 'n' roll and later to soul, makes that title even more important. Musically he was one of the greatest, but privately it did not always run smoothly. Like his father, Jackie was also a heavy drinker. His second wife fired twice at him and three of his children died at a young age. He had to pay for his stressful lifestyle on September 29, 1975, when he had a heart attack on stage and ended up with his head on stage equipment. Severe brain damage left him in a coma until his death on January 21, 1984. Jackie Wilson turned 49. His immense popularity is evident from the fact that none other than Michael Jackson paid for Wilson's funeral.
The 28 tracks on this album, spanning the period from 1953 to 1963, give an extremely beautiful picture of Jackie Wilson's immeasurable talent. The first six tracks, recorded for Federal, highlight his time with Billy Ward and The Dominoes and are rhythm & blues related, culminating in the somewhat jazzy feel and doo-wop laced 'St. Louis Blues'. What follows are 19 songs that Wilson recorded under his own name. His mega hit 'Reet Petite' tops the list, but the other songs are certainly not inferior to this. Listen for example to the sublime swinging 'If I Can't Have You', the energetic rocken 'Right Now!', the cheerful 'So Much' or 'Sazzle Dazzle', 'Love Train' that showcases Jackie's vocal range and the majestic 'Baby Workout'.
These are randomly chosen tracks, because every song is like a finely cut diamond. Songs that can all boast of excellent and formidably performed arrangements.
The last three tracks are reserved for duets that Jackie recorded with Linda Hopkins in 1962 and 1963. Fantastic songs by an impressive duo!
The fact that the tenor Jackie Wilson had an enormous vocal range, rightly puts this album in the spotlights, and don't forget that this album, traditionally with Koko-Mojo, is once again bathed in a sublimely remastered sound. An absolute must!

​This debut album, which will be released on the Belly Up Records/Blue Élan Records label, is produced by Chris Goldsmith. It's colored in with ten classic soul and R&B rave-ups. 'Let's Straighten It Out'  features versions of songs by Billy Preston, Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, Shuggie Otis and Latimore. The album was recorded in just five busy days with mostly live canned versions. Most of the songs embrace a love theme that impressed when they were originally released and are still relevant today. Sully's soulful, heartfelt vocals cross the horn section and guitar tunes. Bob 'Sully' Sullivan and Rebecca Jade alternate vocals, which makes for impressive sounds. A tight rhythm section, soulful excellent vocals, horn section and excellent musicians. Soulful and sparkling…!