BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
info
Enjoy these new and soon to be released albums from some talented musicians. I would again like to thank two of our ongoing contributors for their help with some of these selections, Charlie Lange and Jeff Scott Fleenor. I should add that I have heard every one of these recordings and endorse all of Charlie and Jeff’s commentary regarding these records. However, I haven’t heard the two brand new Big Creek Slim CDs.
This is the first of two new solo releases from this extremely talented singer and guitarist which features all original material written during the pandemic of 2020. Like much of the blues lexicon, the songs reflect a reality lived by the artist and show the loneliness and hopelessness that a year in isolation can trigger. Not all the songs are topical with Little Wheel Rag and That Medicine Show reflecting the rag influenced blues of the Southeastern states of the 1930's & 40's. Slim sings with an authority seldom heard in contemporary blues and his guitar playing always is right for the song. - C.L.
This solo release features fourteen original songs which deal with the reality of life in the 21st century played in a style that harkens back to the 1930's depression era. Slim plays and sings in a style similar to Son House, Charlie Patton and many of the Delta Blues greats but never imitates their unique personalities. He plays with a ferocity on his National Steel guitar and his voice is strong and natural. His boundless creativity really shows through on these solo recordings where hiding behind a rhythm section is not an option. - C.L.
Calling Me Home is the much-anticipated debut album by Abby Maharaj and her band, the Real Deal. For the sake of this review, I will refer to “Abby Girl” simply as Abby. She is a long time Southern California resident who originally hails from Tennessee. Abby and her crack band have worked together on club dates with some frequency in recent years. They have honed their chops and have developed a live show that embraces vintage American music with a comfortable smile. A warm embrace wraps its arms around several of these traditional genres on Calling Me Home. Abbey’s pliable chops bounce between ballads, rockers and everything in-between. A word about the packaging; the CD comes in a six-panel sleeve. The liner notes are marvelous and were written by Jim Washburn. Washburn is a highly respected, long time Orange County based music journalist who has written for The Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register and the now defunct O.C. Weekly, among others publications. Additionally, Abby contributes a personal message which includes a long list of supporters. I got a kick out of seeing many friends on her list. I love reading their names in print. That never gets old. Spotify THAT. Calling Me Home isn’t a blues album per se but it has a relaxed, organic, vintage feel that I appreciate and is a welcome addition to our library here at the JUNCTION. - D.M.
Paul Size is best known for his guitar playing on the 1992 release by the Red Devils, King King. Earlier, he collaborated with Johnny Moeller on the Bluebeat Music favorite, Return of the Funky Worm recorded for the Dallas Blues Society. This new release carries on the tradition of taking your time putting out something new and this one was worth the wait. Featuring Hash Brown as a guest, the CD burns through some of the classics of post war blues from Earl Hooker, Walter Horton, Frankie Lee Sims and Sam Myers. B.B. King's Do the Boogie sits comfortably alongside Ivory Joe Hunter's Shooty Booty in this mostly covers CD. Remember it's better to hear good covers, rather than bad or boring originals. -C.L.
Holmstrom is back!!! It’s always a good feelin' when you’ve got something new from L.A. Holmes to wrap your ears around. See That Light is Rick’s first self-release on his own label, LuEllie Records, which comes complete with cover art courtesy of his daughter Lusa and twelve original compositions cut by his trio, featuring bassist Gregory Boaz and drummer Steve Mugalian, to thoroughly sink your teeth into. It’s been nine years since his last release Cruel Sunrise, and as a lifelong Holmstrom devotee I’m happy to report it does not disappoint! Let us pray it doesn’t take another pandemic for Rick to grace us with his next one. – J.S.F.
Rising to the challenge of a “gigless” year brought about by the pandemic, Nathan did what any innovative and resourceful person must when facing such an insurmountable situation…adapt or die trying! Soul Count presents eleven original free-flowing, improvisational instrumental grooves compiled from numerous livestream recordings in 2020, initially conceived in an effort to continue connecting with fans. Nathan performs on all instruments; however, he’s joined on Say Willis by special guest Willis Jackson the cat, who’s star is clearly on the rise. - J.S.F.
This dynamic husband-and-wife duo has been cranking out fabulous West Coast-style blues and boogie for nearly 30 years via their illustrious combo, Little Roger & the Houserockers. Following on the heels of last year’s successful Lockdown Sessions, an ambitious double CD that assembled an international aggregation of like-minded musicians to help chase our pandemic blues away, Cookin’ at Home serves up another savory, homemade recipe seasoned with imported spices procured from Spain, Belgium and Italy, in addition to a zestful array of homegrown German ingredients. My compliments to the chef on this delectable, ancillary dish. Bon appétit! – J.S.F.
Finnish blues harmonica ace Helge Tallqvist has become quite adept at introducing us to fresh and exciting new female talent and his latest CD Voodoo Woman is no exception. Building off past successful collaborations with vocalists Ina Forsman and Emilia Sisco, Helge retains that winning formula by presenting us with his latest discovery, Charlotta Curves. Recorded at Tomi Leino’s Suprovox Analog Studio, Charlotta’s powerful pipes are evenly matched by Tallqvist's savvy ensemble featuring guitarists Jonne Kulluvaara and Tomi Leino (who doubles on bass), keyboardist Harri Taittonen, drummer Jim Korpi, as well as Trickbag’s own Lars Näsman who sits in on upright bass for two songs. Comprised of only one cover and nine original songs that echo the vintage blues and R&B sounds of yesteryear ensures this effort as another top-notch entry into Helge's ever-growing discography. - J.S.F
These sessions date back to 1998-1999 and were recorded in Oakland, California. You take twenty years off of an already aggressive guitar player like Goldwasser and listeners are left ringing wet from head to toe. Like kids who just opened a fire hydrant on a hot, Chicago summer day, Goldwasser splashes notes all over the neighborhood. These manic displays of urban Chicago style blues guitar stand in contrast with his supple, uptown, West Coast style of playing influenced by Lowell Fulson and Goldwasser’s days in East Bay clubs. His take on T-Bone Walker’s Love is Just a Gamble is a great example of this style and is simply breathtaking. Back to Paris is a nice companion piece to Goldwasser’s 2020 release, Sweet Little Black Spider. On that two-disc set Goldwasser returned with a vengeance. The second disc includes Goldwasser as raconteur. Here he weaves stories of his background and interactions with the blues giants of a bygone era. His skills in this area are remarkable and make for an entertaining listening experience. After taking a few years off as a solo artist, he became a founding member of the Mannish Boys. Those eight albums find Goldwasser as essentially a side man. Outside of label boss Randy Chortkoff’s painful cameos, Goldwasser is the only person, in that ever-changing ensemble, to appear on all of the Mannish Boys albums. It is great to have Franck Goldwasser back recording under his own name. Going Back to Paris, as well as 2020’s Sweet Little Black Spider, receive my highest recommendation. – D.M.
Eddie Stout’s Dialtone Records has just released an honest to gosh vinyl record album. That’s right, a niche subgenre of a niche market is making available a vintage way to listen to brand new vintage music. All kidding aside, Crystal Thomas’ brand new album, Now Dig This is so good you will want to buy a turntable. Before you can ask a friend to blow on your stylus, you should know what you are getting into here. This Louisiana native has some serious pipes and knows how to use them. She is simply an outstanding vocalist and is fronting a band that delivers the goods. They are guitarist Johnny Moeller, the legendary Chuck Rainey on bass whose recording credits are just plain ridiculous, Jason Moeller is on drums and the late Lucky Peterson plays the Hammond B3 organ. This combo is lethal. -D.M.
This Oakland area native and long-time East Bay resident first hit my radar back in 2012 when she appeared as one of several guests on the Igor Prado Band’s Blues & Soul Sessions. While better known guests including vocalists J.J. Jackson and Curtis Salgado likely garnered more notice, the voice and vocal delivery of Tia Carrol was a revelation. Then in 2014 she released a full album under her name with the same cast of characters entitled The Brazilian Sessions. That effort garnered Carroll a BLUES JUNCTION Productions Award for “Best Soul Blues Album of the Year.” Now, all these years later, it is a thrill to hear her back in the studio. This time she strikes it rich (musically speaking) by mining the same territory without having to travel as far. San Jose, California, and Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios is where this material was recorded, mixed and mastered for Jim Pugh’s Little Village Foundation label. With the gospel group the Sons of the Soul Revivers lending support and a five-piece horn section led by trombonist Mike Rinta You Gotta Have It, is a gut punch of vintage soul done right. Do yourself a favor and get hip to Tia Carrol. - D.M.
Sub titled Live in Stockholm with Special Guest Sven Zetterberg, this was recorded on a Wednesday night, March 25th, 1992, at Restaurant Kaos in Stockholm. This Swedish band lists the highly acclaimed, late bluesman Sven Zetterberg as a special guest. This is true; he doesn’t just sit in on one or two numbers but is a featured player on every track. Zetterberg’s singing, guitar and harmonica playing are imbedded into these recordings like the snowpack on Mount Stortoppen. As far as the sound quality of these live recordings is concerned, it is extremely adequate, if not exceptional. The song selection at first glance seems overly pedestrian and shop worn, yet the band delivers exciting performances with subtle nuanced readings of blues standards such as Caledonia, I Got My Mojo Working, Tin Pan Alley and others. The Deputies are essentially Zetterberg’s back-up band on Blues Time. They are: guitarist Jyrki Juvonen, Anders Thomasson on bass and Anders Alberg on drums. They conjure up a sound that might put listeners in mind of 50’s era Sun Records recordings which fit Zetterberg’s blues sensibilities like a pair of Bjorn Borg’s tennis shorts. This live performance is poignant as it puts listeners in an intimate live setting which at this point we so desperately miss and want to be able to return to very soon. -D.M.
Copyright 2022 BLUES JUNCTION Productions. All rights reserved.
BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
info