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Late Summer 2019
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...took a while
Little Village Foundation
2019
...took a while is an absolutely delightful piece of work in which Mike Duke's sharp pop sensibilities run parallel to (and often intersect with) his soul/r&b roots. The seamless incorporation of four newly-recorded cuts into the fifteen total comprise is indicative of another admirable continuity: this composer/vocalist/keyboardist produced these cuts over a period of some forty-years time, following his estimable work as a linchpin member of Dixie rockers Wet Willie then into the next two decades and beyond, for Huey Lewis and The News as well as contemporary r&b icon
Delbert McClinton
vocalsb.1940

Elvin Bishop
guitar, electricb.1942

Sitting O Top of the Blues
Deep Rush
2019

Bobby Rush
vocalsb.1933

Kingfish
Alligator Records
2019
Notwithstanding the hype on behalf of Christone Ingram, on Kingfish the young Missisippian does proves himself both precocious and prescient if a bit too correct for his own good. The pragmatic recruitment of Tom Hambridge as producer brings in additional pedigree (he's worked with

Buddy Guy
guitar, electricb.1936

Joe Louis Walker
guitar, electricb.1949

Gary Clark, Jr.
guitar
Mississippi Bar BQ
Catfood Records
2019
On his label debut, guitarist Zac Harmon expands the conventions of the blues even as he maintains its traditions. "Gypsy Road" conjures an air of danger even as it rocks, while "So Cold" exalts through its uplifting horn arrangement and the frontman's lead guitar. Throughout the eleven tracks, the musicianship of studio pros The Rays is virtually indistinguishable from that of Harmon's road band, whether on the sultry likes of the titlesong or the driving likes of "Desperate Love." Contrasting the horns there with silken tones of background vocals is indicative of the astute production values the likes of which Jim Gaines has honed through his work with

Santana
band / ensemble / orchestra
Stevie Ray Vaughan
guitar1954 - 1990

Strange Path
True North Records
2019
Leeroy Stagger's nsistent acoustic guitar at the foundation of tracks like "Mother" and "Deeper Well" combines with the heavy echo on his voice to create a distinctly ghostly air during the performances of his original songs here. In keeping with the title of this LP, the Albertan contrasts his roots-rocker persona with prominent synthesizer on the cryptically-titled likes o f"Jesus + Buddha," yet that arrangement is no more creative than the one for "Leonard Cohen Is Dead" wherein jagged electric guitar caroms around. Meanwhile, the graphic design of the triple-fold CD digi-pak confirms Stagger's eccentricity, not to mention his immersion in this, his second album of 2019: an enclosed poster contains all the lyrics as well as detailed credits featuring the names of

Los Lobos
band / ensemble / orchestra
Elvis Costello
vocalsb.1954
Rodney Crowell
vocals
Bonnie Raitt
guitar and vocalsb.1949
Tracks and Personnel
...took a while
Tracks: Little Miss Ponytail; Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do; Doin' It All For My Baby; Let Her Go And Start Over; Let Me Be Your Fool Tonight; That's What's So Good About The South; I'm Not Sad Tonight; Ain't No Easy Way; Honey I Love You; Torn & Scarred; I Can't Let You Go; That's What She Does For Me; When You Had It All; Coming 'Round Again; Nicasio.
Personnel: Mike Duke: vocals , piano, synthesizer, drum machine; Ronnie Brownguitar; Kid Andersen: guitar; Ray Honea: guitar; Rick Kurtzguitar; Larry Berwald: guitar; Gary Vogensenguitar; Wayne Perkins: guitar; Elvin Bishop: guitar solo; Frank Bohan: guitar; Jack Pearson: guitar, percussion; Jim Pugh: Hammond B3; Jimmy Hall: sax, backing vocals; Bruce Gordo: accordion; Lloyd Meadows: harmonica, washboard, background vocal; Paul Hornsby: bass; Jack Hall: bass; Phil Yeager: bass; Ike Harris: bass; Leif Bonderanko: drums; Don Jones: bass; Timm Walker: bass; Steve Ehrmann: bass; Steve Ehrmann: bass; William Allums, Jr.: drums; Kevin Hayes: drums; Bill Connell: drums; Don Finney: tenor sax; Larry Finney: trumpet; Roger Dennison: trombone; Angela Strehli, Lisa Leuschner Andersen, Dallis Craft: background vocals; Lolly Lee, Louise Davis, Alice Bargeron: background vocals.
Sitting On Top of the Blues
Track Listing: Hey Hey Bobby Rush; Good Stuff; Get Out of Here; You Got the Goods on You; Sweet Lizzy; Recipe for Love; Bobby Rush Shuffle; Pooky Poo; Slow Motion; Shake Til' You Get Enough; Bowlegged Woman.
Personnel: Bobby Rush: vocals, harmonica; Patrick Hayes: guitar, organ; Vasti Johnson: guitar, bass, drums; Paul Sinegal: guitar; Roddie Romero: guitar; Lee Allen Zeno: bass; Tony Hall: bass; Terrance Higgins: drums; Doug Belote: drums; Raymond Weber: drums; Kieko Komaki: organ; Alonzo Bowen: saxophones; Michael Campo Trumpet; Terrance Taplin: trombone; Joe Krone: piano.
Kingfish
Tracks: Outside Of This Town; Fresh Out (Featuring Buddy Guy); It Ain't Right; Been Here Before; If You Love Me; Love Ain't My Favorite Word; Listen (Featuring Keb' Mo'); Before I'm Old; Believe These Blues; Trouble; Hard Times.
Personnel: Christone "Kingfish" Ingram: guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals; Buddy Guy: guitar, vocals Marty Sammon: piano, Hammond B3 Organ ; Keb' Mo': Guitar, acoustic guitar, Resonator guitar; Rob McNelley: Guitar; Billy Branch: Harmonica Tommy MacDonald: bass; Tom Hambridge: Drums, percussion; Chris Black: drums.
Mississippi BarBQ
Tracks: Gypsy Road; So Cold; Smoke and Mirrors; Mississippi Barbq; Desperate Love; Baby Pleez; Making a Dollar out of Fifteen Cents; Sunday Morning After Saturday Night; Lord Save Me from L.A.; Since You Been Gone; Knocking on Heaven's Door.
Personnel: Zac Harmon: guitar, vocals; Jtexas Slim: guitar Johnny McGhee: guitar; Dan Ferguson: keyboards; Cory Carmichael: keyboards, vocals; bob corritore: harmonica; Mike Middleton: trumpet; Andy Roman: alto sax; Nick Flood: tenor and baritone sax; Drake Dominigue: trombone and tuba; Chris Gipson: bass; Ralph Forrest: drums; Bob Trenchard: bass; Richy Puga: drums; Munyungo Jackson: percussion; Janelle Thompson, Shakara Weston, SueAnn Carwell: background vocals.
Strange Path
Tracks: Mother; Deeper Well; Breaking News; Strange Attractor; Nobody Alive Gets Out Of Here; Jesus And Buddha; These Things; Hey Hey! (For Gord); Leonard Cohen Is Dead; Get Ourselves To Love; The Light.
Personnel: Leeroy Stagger: vocals, guitars; Brad Barr: guitar, vocals; Tyson Maiko: acoustic guitar, bass; Paul Rigby: guitar, Ryland Moranz: guitar, vocals; Michael Ayotte: piano, organ, synthesizer; Pete Thomas: drums; Steve Berlin: baritone saxophone; Belle Plaine, Emily Triggs, Mariel Buckley, Justine Van Der Grift, Ken Stead: vocals.
Tags
Blues Deluxe
Doug Collette
Little Village Foundation
Delbert McClinton
Jack Pearson
Elvin Bishop
Deep Rush
Alligator Records
Buddy Guy
Joe Louis Walker
Keb Mo'
Gary Clark Jr.
Catfood Records
Santana
Stevie Ray Vaughan
True North Records
Los Lobo
Elvis Costello
Rodney Crowell
Bonnie Raitt
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