Kenny Neal plays Straight From The Heart a wonderful and varied blues album with impeccable playing throughout…playing with passion and a deep understanding of what blues soloing means.
Catfish are Bound For Better Days a wonderful acoustic EP with some excellent transfers from their electric counterparts.
On Come Morning Bros Landreth Soothe away the Dark Great listening, as comforting as a warm blanket on a cold night. The album has a smooth consistent flow but within that, there is a huge amount of variety in the accompaniment.
Emma Wilson Wish Her Well a great listen: full of stellar performances from a very capable band topped off by Emma’s engaging vocals. It is a mark of a strong album when you want to listen to it repeatedly to glean every nuance from the well-written songs.
Vaneese pulls no punches on Fight The Good Fight a great listen to an album packed with flawless talent from Vaneese and her large cast of musicians definitely more Soul than Blues
Eliza Neals gets Badder to the Bone a wonderful blues wrapped in rock album with a vocalist of prodigious talent alongside a star-studded cast of musicians.
Gary Cain is more than Abel on Next Stop a wonderful guitar-centric album that delivers originality, variation and enviable skill.
Brave Rival plug into Life’s Machine a stupendous album that I had to keep reminding myself is a debut…the skills on display here will be the envy of many an established band. It is a far-reaching collection of blues-based rock with many, many added elements that only repeated listens will truly reveal. Do yourself a favour and give it a listen and then buy it.
2021 - Recorded Music Reviews - one-hundred and sixty-five albums reviewed Twenty-four rocked our boats achieving FIVE DOODLE PAWS
Xander and the Peace Pirates bring Order Out Of Chaos a wonderful album that crosses genres and delivers ten tracks to lose yourself in…repeated listens will bring new elements to the fore and expand the enjoyment.
