​Inspired by the current and formerblues-rock pioneers, the band Beauwater was founded in 2008 in St. John's, Canada. And in that short span of time they have built up a versatile sound and fan base. Singer / guitarist Jonathon Reid, Greg Newhook (bass) and drummer Mike Maddox are now holding their third studio album 'Who Works For Who?' under the baptismal found. The basis remains solid blues rock, although the band aromatizes many songs with deep bluestunes. T The title track is an instant blast of a rock song. The dance is deployes…!

​This new album with southern soul is for me a real discovery. I thought that this sound had gone forever. This must be also great to hear in a live setting! Highly recommended! 

​This album will appeal to jazz as well as to jazz funk lovers. It shows Justin perfect as guitarist and bandleader. 

​Simone Kopmajer knows how to capture the magic of Christmas with this album full of Christmas joy. This is an album that I recommend!

​You may remember UK band Fancy because they had a top ten hit with ‘Wild Thing’ in 1973. That’s In the US, where they were really popular for a few years. Also, you may remember them because Ray Fenwick (Tee Set, After Tea, Spencer Davis) and Mo Foster (Affinity, Nucleus, Michael Schenker) were the core of the band, the former writing most songs with producer Mike Hurst. Fancy produced a mixture of Stevie Wonder, basic seventies rock and funk, which is sometimes labelled as ‘glam rock’. This mixture works rather well with tunes like ‘Wild Thing’, a new song like ‘Move On’ (Mike Hurst / Ray Fenwick) and even Leiber & Stoller’s ‘I’m A Woman’. It does not work  properly at all on ‘One Night’ (don’t try beating Elvis), whereas other self-written tunes such as ‘Touch Me’ (their second hit) sound entirely outdated. The band is at its best on the second album, when they were turning towards a jazz-blues-soul feel, e.g. ‘Bluebird’ (released a Ray Fenwick & Fancy), Stevie Wonder’s ‘ I Was Made To Love Him’ (Fancy had a female singer) and Mose Allison’s ‘Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy’. This approach allowed them to show the talent on board, but didn’t yield any commercial success. After the usual ‘smash hit – tour - LP- another hit - second LP’ carrousel, the group called it a day in 1975.
This re-mastered re-release by Cherry Red (3cds) comprises all their recordings, including an unreleased live set at Ronnie Scott’s (of average sound quality), plus an unreleased radio interview. Bonuses are a new song by Fenwick and one by Foster.
The story is told in a nicely illustrated 20-page booklet. Radio 68  (www.radio68.be)  plays excerpts in ‘Rock On’ on Wednesday 30 December. 

​The debut EP of the Belgian-Chilean singer Marylène Corro contains 5 original tracks, that take you on a poetic journey, with English and French songs, situated in jazz and French chanson. 

​Tassin brings a coherent album, that pulls us to the frontier between dream and reality. And the tracks form a uniform total. Jazz with hints of blues, rock and film music. 

At a time when American soul artists rarely performed over here, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band’s live shows displayed a wonderful sample of all things bright en soulful on Atlantic, Stax and Motown. His dynamic dance parties appeared on live albums that sold rather well. Typically, his only studio album sold poorly. The British adored Washington – the hand-clappin’ & foot-stompin’ show put on by this  black American stationed in the UK was as close to authentic soul as you could get, including a seven-piece band with horns and organ. For a while, Washington couldn’t do wrong and was even rewarded with hit singles such as ‘Michael’.  Was he a mere imitator or cover artist? Surely not. He sped everything up and rolled any song into the funky, sweaty soul mould, including evergreen ‘Que sera sera’ or a Beatles tune such as ‘Day Tripper’.  All in all, Washington was a stage animal who needed an audience that longed for a party. Recordings will never do him 100% justice. This re-mastered 3cd compilation on BGO Records gathers all his sixties albums, singles and EP tracks on Pye, a handful of unreleased Pye studio outtakes plus a series of singles issued later. As we have now been familiar with American soul music for decades, I’d say that Washington’s relevance today lies in his rendition of lesser-known soul songs (e.g. Eddie Floyd’s ‘Raise Your Hand’), straight pop such as The Troggs’ ‘Hi Hi Hazel’ and even the aforementioned ‘Que sera sera’. He’s always powerful and witty too. For some reason, I have returned a few times to his only studio album, Shake A Tail Feather, an underrated piece of work showing that there was a lot more to Washington than shouting and stomping. The attraction ended when pop went psychedelic and we got access to the original artists. Nevertheless, Geno Washington returned to the stage and can still be seen entertaining audiences all over the UK.
A selection from his LPs can be heard in ‘Long-playtime’ on Radio 68  on Mondays 28 December and 04 January.

​The Vancouver-based rock band Terminal Station confirmed with their third full-length release. The winter blues have already disappeared! Hell yeah..!!

​Jere Valkonen has a lot of potential but also has difficulties to choose his musical direction.  Nevertheless you will find a few beautiful composed songs on this debut. Next album hopefully with English translation!

Blues troubador Andy Cohen is not only a great fingerpicker guitarist on acoustic strings, but also a great pianist. Here he mixes his own children's songs with tasty versions of classic blues legends like Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Blake. But there are also exciting folk songs and tunes from Tin Pan Alley. In addition to children, these vocal and instrumental delights also allow adults to sing along happily and dance along with the performance.

Expected with Andy Cohen concert blues from Mississippi, Piedmont, Memphis and Chicago. As well as some ragtime, gospel and original tunes. Now he is promoting his latest album "Tryin 'To Get Home". And again he prefers himself as an excellent fingerpicking blues guitarist. But also his barrel house piano should not be missed..!

​This is a solo piano album from veteran Fred Hersch, who hopes to bring some warmth into our lives, in this times of isolation. The album is an answer to the tumult in the world and contains 10 solo piano pieces. 

​The end of the most comprehensive cd documentation of the Krautrock era.  An influential style for the next generations to date.  Strongly recommended.

​This new compilation consists of 2 cd’s. The first is called “jazzy lane” and the second “soul lane”. Again a masterpiece from Papik, as we’re used to. Highly recommended for fans of modern jazz & soul.

​This is the 4th album by Japanese saxophonist Michiyo, and a very excellent one. For me it’s a real discovery, and a proof that smooth jazz is universal phenomenon!

The release 'Live At The Isabel' is a very enjoyable and varied album by a strong singer. Miss Emily has songwriting credits for nine of the fifteen songs and opens her show with the melodic slow blues "Sometimes It's Better To Lose". Handsome..!

​What do a Polish violinist, a pianist from the Netherlands, and a cellist from Paris have in common? Well, they form a traditional piano trio, and their common language is music, which led to a range of expression. 

​The Belgian piano trio Donder got help from Norwegian harmonium player Apeland. On their fourth album, their minimalism gets a sacral meaning. This is jazz music for trained ears!

​‘Chicksville U.S.A.!’ unleash no less than 33 erotic and naughty songs on you. Nowadays these topics are no longer taboo, however it was in the 50s and 60s when these songs were recorded. Exciting rock and roll, sultry seductive songs, both vocal and instrumental, will not leave you indifferent.
Also informative you will never be hungry at Bear Family. Not even now, because in the 15-page booklet, illustrated with numerous photos, Marc Mittelacher guides you through all the tracks. Used at the right time, ‘Destination Lust - Chicksville, U.S.A.!’ might be ………… the rest you can fill in yourself!!!!!!!

​Bill Booth and Bill Troiani are both established and experienced American musicians who have lived in Norway for many years. They have played together as a duo and in different bands over the years, but strangely enough they have never recorded and released music together. Until now!
In this way they create their own and unique sound. "Til The Blues Have Gone" is The Bills' debut album. The new songs follow traditional elements of deep blues, swing and country. They combine all this with a distinct vocal mix, Billy T's driving bass, Bill Booth's bluesy fiddle and guitar work and the rhythm of drummer Alexander Pettersen. The trio went to The Anneks Studio, Ellen’s Cellar and canned thirteen unadulterated blues tracks. Great stuff…!

​One of the few jazzrock albums that brings peace and serenity in your head.  Exceptional!

Gordon Giltrap plays in the top league of British ‘folk’ guitarists where you will meet luminaries like Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Wizz Jones and Ralph McTell. All four had tasted success and artistic recognition when twenty-year old Giltrap released his first album on Transatlantic, only to deliver another one the next year. Giltrap’s source is undoubtedly English – or British if you like – folk music, even if he later broadened his scope to prog and classical music. But let us stick to this BGO re-release of Giltrap’s fist two LPs. The influence of someone like Al Stewart (°1945) is obvious on a composition like ‘Won’t You Stay Awhile Suzanne’  and it’s no secret that Pete Townshend’s repetitive riff strumming inspired ‘Gospel Song’ . Still, newcomer Giltrap had a lot more to offer. For a start, he wrote all twenty-four songs himself. Some instrumentals (e.g. ‘Fast Approaching’) allow him to demonstrate the complexity of his approach, whereas ‘Lucifer’s Cage’, another instrumental, will later be re-worked in prog fashion.
If you like Britfolk with a touch of everything else that is worth listening to (e.g. jazz, Spanish guitar) and are not afraid to lend your ears to some virtuosity and dexterity, try Gordon Giltrap and visit his website along the way.
This single CD by BGO Records re-releases Gordon’s first two LPs as re-mastered  by Andrew Thompson. There are no extras, but a nice booklet gives you an overview of the master’s wonderful career. Radio 68  plays choice tracks on Sundays 20 and 27 and Tuesdays 22 and 29 December, starting at 11 a.m. GMT

​The next artist to be featured in the ‘Rock’ series is Frank Virtue. Frank could only score once, namely with the song ‘Guitar Boogie Shuffle’, which allowed him to reach the Top 10. On this compilation you get two extra 'guitar boogies', namely an early version of the Esquire Boys from 1953 and 'Guitar Boogie Twist' from 1960. More important and more interesting is that this collector gives a nice picture of the musical evolution that Frank went through in various settings. From rhyhtm & blues to rock and roll he eventually became a master of instrumental guitar songs.
Well-known, less well-known and obscure recordings that Frank recorded in various settings for both small and budget labels put his virtuoso guitar work in the spotlight. Extensive information about Frank's career, his chronological discography, supplemented with illustrations and rare photo material can be found in the 36-page colorful booklet written by Chicago music journalist Bill Dahl. Recommended!

​Sixteen smooth modern sunset disco tunes which invite to move at sunset. But you must imagine the party, the ladies and the cocktails around the pool yourself!