​As a blues artist, D.K. Harrell is committed to preserving the blues. He is an artist who wants to bring his perspective on the blues to the world while embracing the music and style of B.B. King and other great blues artists. Highly recommended release…

‘Back In Style’ is the fourth album by Chicago’s 'triple blues threat'. It delivers a blistering fusion of traditional and contemporary blues harp & slide guitar! Recorded in Chicago by Grammy & Blues Award winning Producer/Engineer Michael Freeman, 'Back In Style' features standout performances by some of the 'Windy City's' finest blues musicians! The 12 original songs on this new album build upon Mack’s lineage as a musician, songwriter & record producer, featuring high-quality production, while embracing the honesty of the blues!

​The Murlocs from Melbourne released the album 'Rapscallion' in 2022, on which the garage sound was sporadically given a psychedelic touch. The band has a lot of inspiration, so they prove with their next studio album, the 'Calm Ya Farm' released on green/white flamed vinyl. An album that shows a completely different side of The Murlocs. Their intention was to make a country rock album, which had to be an extension of 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo' by The Byrds, but also had to contain the seeds of British pub rock from the seventies. Both data can certainly be found in the 12 songs, but the most important element is undoubtedly that The Murlocs manage to translate this to today. The greasy, distorted sound gives way to heavenly sounding clean guitar work and catchy vocals, both artfully wrapped in beautiful songs. That becomes immediately clear with the formidable 'Initiative', with the better guitar work. The 'Common Sense Civilian', set on track with a nice harmonica intro, gives the song a somewhat bluesy feel. Harmonica that will also be discussed extensively later, such as in the somewhat psychedelic 'Captain Cotton Mouth'. That the band is musically extremely versatile and talented, is evident from 'Russian Roulette', which flows seamlessly into 'Superstitious Insights' via the same handsome harmonica and bass. With 'Queen Pinky', which remarkably has the sixties in its genes, the band slows down a bit. A song that can certainly have a bright future with some airplay. One of the most beautiful songs for me is the slow 'Smithereens', a hell of a composition. The instrumental 'Forbidden Toad' showcases the immense instrument control of the quintet. Artfully and expertly dosed notes and chords, no more or no less. Super!
As a matter of fact, two members of the band are part of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, namely Ambrose Kenny-Smith and Cook Craig.
With 'Calm Ya Farm' The Murlocs will certainly attract a new group of fans. If authentic country rock can appeal to you, then 'Calm Ya Farm' can too. To discover!

Paul Boddy & The SlideWinder Blues Band guarantee a solid game of Texas and Chicago driven blues. 

​Radiating The Soulful & Energetic Appeal of the Blues  Lady Adrena Creates Pure Magic with EP ‘Recipe for The Blues’. Her stunning new EP is a depiction of all the learning, techniques and style learned over the years which she has acquired. As an adult, life’s priorities started to change and her everyday struggles began to take precedence over the music, but in her heart, Adrena knew her musical calling. Unknown to Adrena, life was providing her with the right kind of tools, skills, and the lyrics and stories to craft her future songs. Stream Lady Adrena’s spellbinding new EP, ‘Recipe for the Blues’ and delve into her world of riffs and melodic tunes.

​The series may be called 'Rockin' USA', but Canada was also a serious player in the field of rock 'n' roll. Not only did the country import a lot of music from the States, but it also had its own artists who loved the genre in their homeland. It is therefore not surprising that the Pan American label dedicates several volumes in this series to Canada. For example, the third visit to the country is entitled 'Yeah Baby', a song by Danté and The Evergreens, who pour raw rock 'n' roll with a great doo-wop sauce. Before we get there, a number of tasteful tracks have already been passed. Jim Morrison opens the album with 'Ready To Rock', a song that immediately puts you on the right track. Rock 'n' roll was so established in Canada that the country had its own 'King of Old Rock 'n' Roll with Barry Boyd. That this title was not unjustified, he shows together with The Frantics in 'You're For Me'. Another Canadian rocker was Ted Daigle. He sank his teeth into that Chuck Berry classic 'Sweet Little Sixteen' and he doesn't do it unkindly. Dick Damron, who you hear here with 'Gonna Have A Party' kicked it even further. He won the CCMA award three times. In 1983 he received it for best male vocalist, in 1985 for best entertainer and four years later for best instrumentalist. His 'Gonna Have A Party' is therefore a rocker of stature. Another formidable Canadian guitarist was Ronny Roy. You can hear him as the leader of The Midnighters in the instrumental intoxicating 'Siam'. More guitar-driven instrumental work comes with 'Scotch Boogie' by Ken Davidson. Also noteworthy is 'Button Your Lip' by The Hachey Brothers and Mary Lou. Beautifully 1954 hillbilly decorated with fiddle. They are followed by Luke Simmons and His Blue Mountain Boys who give 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky' a distinct country feel. Traces of Country also includes ‘If You Don’t Know’, which George Hamilton IV recorded in 1956. 'Rock And Roll Riot' by Stolz Brothers scores again with the addition of steel guitar, which also provides a rocken country touch here. Roy Orbison's ‘Ooby Dooby’ has been covered several times. Here you get the version of Janis Martin, one of the first female artists to make waves in rock 'n' roll. Naturally, Canada imported the song.
The Willows provide a lot of infectious doo-wop with 'Church Bells May Ring'
French-speaking Canada is represented by Les Mégatones with the well-known 'Ruby Baby' that the gentlemen provided with a French text. Molière's language is also the basis for Leo Benoit's 'Rock 'n Roll Dans Mon Lit', which also contains some zydeco through the use of accordion.
A not bad song is certainly also 'With You Tonight' by Bob Davies, who still had an excellent and especially striking voice. You can hear Davies a second time with the equally formidable and certainly not everyday 'Thinking Of You'. That special also applies to closing track 'Odd Man Out' by Larry Lee.
It should be clear by now that Canada had a lot to offer. And we haven't heard everything yet, because even with the 'Visit 04' already in the pipeline, we stay in Canada.

​“There are musicians that play together and may do it extremely well,” Joanna said about the Best of Me recording sessions. “Then, there are musicians that move as one, that share moments of creating music that is mystically telepathic. The group of musicians we assembled here created a free-flowing and fiery blend of soul, rock, funk and country, all rooted in the blues.

​Looking for world music?  Go to Muziekpublique, a label from Brussels.  The band Jawa tries to preserve the heritage of Sufi music:  an exciting culture!  I’m sure this album is not the last breath.

That typical 12BBB sound is preserved and maintained, and the twelve songs are a live registration from the Dutch Bluezy Blues Festival Ridderkerk in 2022. The highlights of this showcase have now been brought together on the long player 'Live'. This is more than a nice souvenir of their swinging live performances. Highly recommended live release! 

​The Heavy Heavy from Brighton is formed by Will Turner and Georgie Fuller. 'Life And Life Only' initially appeared as their debut EP, but was expanded with 4 new songs for this vinyl release. Not only are the duo extremely versatile, but Will and Georgie also know their classics. That soon becomes clear. The two know the sixties sound, which catapults us back in time more than half a century. Please note, the duo does not copy, but puts the uplifting sound of the sixties in a contemporary jacket. Do you want references? Well, think of pop bands like The Hollies, The Kinks, The Mamas And The Papas, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Turtles, Jefferson Airplane and Fleetwood Mac at the time of Peter Green. It goes without saying that 'Life And Only Life' is bathed in a relaxed sixties and sometimes also 'flower power' atmosphere. Seven of the ten tracks are original songs. The other three are covers of 'Guinnevere' (Crosby, Stills & Nash), 'Real Love Baby' (Father John Misty) and 'Desert Raven' (Jonathan Wilson). The beautiful harmonies and inspiring guitar parts draw all your attention throughout the album.
Opener 'All My Dreams' immediately reminds of the glorious sixties. Beautiful harmony vocals on a heavenly melody! Not to mention successor 'Go Down River'. This is pop at the highest level. Dreaming, floating, nestling between your ears are just some of the emerging certainties. A mesmerizing retro guitar riff is the perfect basis for 'Man Of The Hills', where my mind wanders to The Mamas and The Papas. Later you also get that song in a live, electric version, which gives the power feeling a serious boost. What a song! On the last track of side A 'Sleeping On Grassy Ground' Georgie showcases her vocal talent in a stunning way.
Side B opens dynamically with 'Why Don't You Call?' a formidable uptempo Brit pop song. With the closing track, the 'Guinnevere' known from Crosby, Stills & Nash, the duo gives the song an impressive contemporary makeover, in which the harmony vocals of Will and Georgie sing the stars of heaven for the last time.
In addition to the vocals, Will also takes care of the guitars, organ, bass, percussion, harmonica, piano and mellotron. Georgie completes stylishly with her impressive voice. For the album, the two called on drummer Chris Reynolds.
'Life And Life Only' is a relief. At a time when negativity often reigns supreme, The Heavy Heavy's 'feel-good music' exudes a powerful dose of positivity. Add to that the sublime version in 'coke bottle clear vinyl' and you have a beautiful album in your hands, both audibly and visually. An absolute must!

​The lyrics for the album '55' were penned by Ellis Paul, who provides his songs with his vocals and acoustic guitar arrangements. He finds his soulmates in Laurie MacAllister on background vocals, Radoslav Lorkovic (piano and keyboards), bassist Mark Dann and drummer Eric Parker. Ellis Paul is also celebrating his 30th anniversary as a touring musician. What’s a better way than with a new album release. With '55', his 23rd recording, the award-winning songwriter will make an altercation with his fans. Handsome and admirable!

​Eric Heideman is a young musician from Salt Lake City, Utah. His breakout release, ‘Third Degree Gravity,’ was recorded with a team of Grammy nominees and Blues Music Award and International Blues Challenge winners. Producers Victor Wainwright and JW-Jones, along with master engineer Dave Gross, brought their formidable talents to the table for this record. The album 'Third Degree Gravity' floats through classic blues, soul, funk and Americana.

​With 'Presley Style (Lost Elvis Songwriter Demos 1961 - 1963)' Bear Family Records releases an extremely remarkable album. After all, all tracks are demo recordings of songs written for Elvis. Presley's management required professional demos of all songs submitted to Elvis. These were recorded with the accompaniment of a band or full orchestra, because it was also extremely important for the songwriters that Presley chose one or more of their songs. These could be songs that would be used as a single or in his films. The film songs were specially composed for certain scenes after the songwriters had read the script. For the vocals, P.J. Proby's voice is extremely suitable, so that he sang these demos in the period 1961 - 1963. That happened in America before the Texas-born Proby settled in England and had many hits there. Besides Proby, the musicians were also not the least. Glenn Campbell was the guitarist, Leon Russell was at the piano, David Gates was the bass player and Hal Blaine and Cricket drummer Jerry Allison switched behind the drums. Bear Family Records has carefully digitally restored and mastered these recordings.
It soon becomes clear why P.J. Proby was chosen to sing these demos. Not only does his voice match the King's, but P.J. can also easily empathize with the songs. Not all songs on this album were handpicked by Presley. A few that he did not retain, although they were certainly not of lesser quality, you can also listen to them here.
For Presley fans, this album is a wonderful insight into the way Elvis heard the songs written for him. The fans of P.J. Proby will get to know their idol from a different side. In any case, it is a win-win situation for both.
In the 34-page booklet, illustrated with beautiful photos, Elvis expert Trevor Simpson describes everything about these demos.

​Not obvious to combine classic cello playing with a flamenco guitar.  On ‘Zwaluwe’ you will notice that father and daughter find each other in music and nature.

Strangers No More offers an all-encompassing view not only of the places Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors have been, but where they’re headed next, too. From ageless folk music to atmospheric Americana to soulful rock & roll, the album marks an ambitious new chapter in the band’s story and is due out June 7th via Magnolia Music.