BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
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The Top Ten Albums of 2014
1) Jim Liban with the Joel Paterson Trio I Say What I Mean
2) Lynwood Slim Hard To Kill
3) Al Blake The Blues According to Blake
4) Denilson Martins Big D
5) Big Jon Atkinson Boogie With You Baby
6) Billy Boy Arnold The Blues Soul of Billy Boy Arnold
7) Sugar Ray and the Bluetones Living Tear to Tear
8) RJ Mischo Everything I Need
9) Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin Common Ground
10) Nathan James Natural Born That Way
The Best of the Rest
11) Madison Slim Close But No Cigar
12) Big Harp George Chromaticism
13) The Mannish Boys Wrapped Up And Ready
14) Aki Kumar Don’t Hold Back
15) Kai Strauss Electric Blue
16) Dave Specter Message in Blue
17) The Knickerbockers All Stars Open Mic Night
18) Mark Hummel The Hustle Is Really On
19) Bob Corritore Taboo
20) John Nemeth Memphis Grease
21) B.B. and the Blues Shacks Businessmen
22) Bernie Pearl Take Your Time
23) John Primer and the Teardrops You Can Make It If You Try
24) Nathan James Hear Me Calling
25) Raul and the Big Time Hollywood Blvd.
26) Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers Emergency Situation
27) Ronnie Earl Good News
28) Blue Lunch Above the Fold
29) The Terry Hanck Gotta Bring It On Home To You
30) Andy T Nick Nixon Band Livin’ It Up
Best Roots – Americana Album
Barrelhouse Chuck Combo Classics
This wonderful thirteen song collection put forth in 2014 by Chuck is culled from various albums in his catalogue. Those for the most part had him playing his brand of blues piano inspired by his mentors such as Little Brother Montgomery and Sunnyland Slim. Each of these albums it seems had one track that featured a compact organ which was a ubiquitous presence on the music scene in the 1960’s. There is plenty of blues on this record, but it is the eclectic nature of this album that makes it a perfect fit for this category. This big chunk of Farfisa funk includes a couple of songs by Earl Hooker and Johnny Big Moose Walker and has a number by James Cotton that originally had Otis Spann playing a Rhem Farfisa Compact Organ. There are also songs here by Booker T. and the M.G.s, The Ventures and Joe Tex which demonstrate that talented blues artists like Chuck can take an occasional two steps from the blues and make it work.
Best New Artist Debut Album
Big Jon Atkinson Boogie With You Baby
Atkinson is a 25 year old, multi-instrumentalist who has an amazing natural feel for the blues. His instincts seem to be almost flawless. He is also an amazing unaffected blues singer, which is a very rare commodity these days. He appeared on two albums last year, The Silver Kings’ Tough Times and the Elgins’ 24 track time machine, simply entitled Volume 3 (both on Devil’s Tale Music). Here, in 2014, Atkinson has established himself as not only a member of Kim Wilson’s Blues All-Stars, he has released his first solo album, Boogie With You Baby. This Bluebeat Music release, which came out last spring is simply an astonishing portrait of a young musician who sounds like he has decades of experience under his belt.
Runner Up: Aki Kumar Don’t Hold Back
This Northern California based harp player/vocalist had been a member of the now defunct Tip of the Top band and can be heard as a side man playing on numerous projects. He works with Kid Andersen at the latter’s Greaseland Studio and is active in putting on shows in and around the San Jose area. Aki is a young industrious, multi-talented individual and we should keep our ears open for what Aki has coming down the tracks.
Best Veteran Artist Debut Album
Madison Slim Close but No Cigar
Madison Slim had a seven year stint as the harmonica player in the Jimmie Rogers Band. Prior to that he performed and recorded four albums with The Legendary Blues Band. He played the Chicago blues clubs as a young man as early as the late 60’s. In recent years Slim moved to Florida and became a member of Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones. He played on the band’s in-state gigs leaving the heavy touring schedule to Dennis Gruenling. After all these years Slim went into the studio and cut a record under his own name. He, along with guitarist Deming and his fine band, is joined by guitarist Billy Flynn, pianist Barrelhouse Chuck and sax man Terry Hanck. Often the sum of the parts don’t add up, but in this case the math is spot on. These blues heavyweights led by Madison Slim deliver a very solid CD that has this listener scratching his head and thinking, ‘What have you been waiting for?’
Runner Up: Big Harp George Chromaticism
I was blindsided earlier this year when this 59 year old put out an album of mostly Chromatic harp originals. Like Aki Kumar, George went to Andersen’s Greaseland studios and had Kid and company work their magic on a solid outing of jazz infused blues. Thatcompany I mentioned includes guitarists Little Charlie Baty and Rusty Zinn. George’s harp playing might put one in mind of some of Paul DeLay’s work, which of course is very good thing indeed. You add a vibraphone to the mix on a few tracks and I was a goner.
Best Acoustic Album
Al Blake Blues According to Blake
Lynwood Slim said of this album, “It is some of the best harmonica playing I have heard in years.” You will get no argument here, but it is the astonishingly stark musical ideas that Blake shares with his listeners on guitar that might floor many who are only familiar with his formidable harp prowess. Combine that with Blake’s vocals, which are dripping with deep southern soul, and you have something very special.
Best Soul – Blues Album
Tia Carroll Brazil Sessions
Back in 2012 I was listening to the (then) brand new release on Chico Blues Records by that Sao Paulo based label’s flagship ensemble, The Igor Prado Band, entitled The Blues and Soul Sessions. There were several vocal heavyweights in the mix, not the least of whom was Curtis Salgado. Then blasting out of my speakers came, as I described it at the time, ‘a revelation.’ It was Tia Carroll with whom I was not yet familiar. What a joy to hear a singer with command, control and a lot of soul. Last spring Carroll returned to Brazil to record and tour with The Igor Prado Band. She came back with the Soul-Blues Album of the Year. A combination of studio tracks and live performance numbers capture a singer and band in soulful synchronicity.
Best Instrumental Album
Denilson Martins Big D
This December release by the talented young Brazillan saxophone giant is the primary reason our “best of...” edition of this ezine comes out in January. As Sax Gordon so eloquently states in the liner notes to this outstanding album, “Denilson Martins can play anything it seems, but he’s chosen to apply his considerable talent to a set of traditional, old fashioned American Rhythm & Blues.” He does so with musicians who are up to the task and for Denlison, he didn’t have to travel far. The album’s producer and guitarist is Igor Prado. He brought in his fine band to make music that is as primitive as it is refined. Like last year’s December holiday treat from Chico Blues records, Low Down Boogie by pianist Ari Borger and Igor Prado, Denlinson brought in Americans Sax Gordon and Junior Watson to augment this outstanding band on a few tracks.
Runner Up: Bob Corritore Taboo
For the first eleven months of the year, this album was a shoe-in for instrumental album of the year. I heard about this project awhile back and couldn’t think of too many things that would be as hard on my ears as an all instrumental harmonica album by Bob. To his great credit, the desert fox is improving on his harmonica skills and, for the most part, eschewed the Chicago “lumpty lumps” in which he has such affection. He included several interesting musical ideas on his 2014 entry into the blues marketplace. Bob’s musical prowess is still no match for the talent he assembled here. Therein lays his greatest strength, the ability to be surrounded with artists of great musical endowment. Ten of the twelve tracks feature drummer Richard Innes, bassist Kedar Roy, pianist Fred Kaplan and guitarist Junior Watson. Two tracks feature Jimmie Vaughan and those also feature Hammond B3 great Papa John Defrancesco and baritone sax man Doug James. It is really hard to go too far wrong with a line up like this. While Bob isn’t always up to the task of executing some of the ambitious ideas he so creatively puts forth, he doesn’t really botch it up either.
Best Live Album
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats You Asked For It...Live
The fact is we have been asking for it for a long time and finally, after thirty years, one of the most entertaining and ridiculously talented ensembles in the blues made their first live album. On October 5, 2013, Rick Estrin’s birthday no less, the Nightcats documented a night of live music. It was on the bay area based band’s home turf in San Francisco. Great songs, stellar musicianship and just the right amount of show biz panache and you have the makings of a great night on the town. If that town just happens to be San Francisco and that night includes Rick Estrin and the Nightcats well you are living large my friend. This CD captures the feel, the intensity and the fun of this band at the top of their game. You can’t ask for any more than that.
Best Re-issue: Multiple Artist Compilation
Louisiana Swamp Blues (JSP Records)
This four disc package is a beauty. It was compiled and annotated by Neil Slaven who reminds listeners what a wealth of music came from the I-10 corridor between Houston and New Orleans. That upper Gulf coast region has as rich a musical heritage as any in our country. It is 102 tracks of sweaty dance music from artists you may have heard of such as Hop Wilson, Clarence Garlow, Lonesome Sundown, Big Walter Price and others that you haven’t. The detailed recording information is fun, as famous names in their own right such as Lazy Lester and Katie Webster for example perform as “sidemen.” Ace Records, also out of the U.K., has dipped an oar into the bayou with a series of fine re-issues over the past few years that touches on much of this material, but JSP just dropped the entire pirogue into the swamp and cruises all over this fertile musical landscape.
Best Re-Issue Single Artist (single disc)
Junior Wells Southside Blues Jam
This Delmark re-issue is exactly why there is such a thing as re-issues. Southside Blues Jam is perhaps a somewhat overlooked gem. Five years after Delmark’s release of one of the most celebrated blues album of all time, Wells’ Hoodoo Man Blues, this plaintive blues tour de force hit the shelves. The album features Wells’ long time running mate Buddy Guy as well as Louis Myers on guitar, bassist Earnest Johnson and Fred Below on drums. It is, however, the inclusion of Otis Spann, on his last recording session mind you, that helps make this a masterpiece. This CD is replete with laid back blues craftsmanship at its very finest. The re-issue of Southside Blues Jam also includes seven additional bonus tracks, all of which could have been included on the original release. They are that good. This expanded deluxe edition also contains a sixteen page booklet with several never before published photos. This is an essential entry in any blues library.
Best Re-issue Single Artist (box set)
The 5 Royales Soul and Swagger: The Complete Recordings 1951-1967
Rockbeat Records has re-issued in one simply gorgeous package a treasure trove that documents an essential chapter in American musical history. If it is a coincidence or not, the timing couldn’t be better, as nearly 50 years after this band dissolved, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is finally recognizing the 5 Royales. I don’t understand the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame any more than they do blues music, but suffice it to say this 2014 induction says more about the institution than it does The 5 Royales. They could have easily been included as inaugural inductees and not a single musical historian would have batted an eye. The 5 Royales combined everything from gospel, blues, doo wop and r&B and created what would become known as soul music. Only Ray Charles could make a claim of being as influential an artist. Present are the great vocals that one would expect from a band with this resume, playing in this era. In addition to that, The 5 Royales had great songwriting and simply wicked electric guitar playing courtesy of the great Lowman Pauling which separated this group from the pack. From blues to ballads to scorching r&b rave ups, this band had it all going on. This 141 song, 5 disc, complete collection is housed in a beautiful 8.5” x 8.5” 124 page hard cover book. How this band got swept under the rug, or maybe more importantly why, remains a mystery to me. However, thanks to Rockbeat Records, finally after all these years The 5 Royales get the Royal treatment they so richly deserve.
- David Mac
Copyright 2022 BLUES JUNCTION Productions. All rights reserved.
BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
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