Joanne Shaw Taylor Spinning Blues on The Blues Album a Stupendous album that may be covers, but one that also illustrates how perfect a musician Joanne is and how she continues to grow and brings the blues bang up to date by using her smoky vocals and stunning techniques to brilliant effect.
Five Points Gang have an APB on Wanted a great listen for an album of quality blues with a few other flavours mixed subtly in. It may not be earth-shatteringly new but they feed their influences and write new old songs: that is very difficult to do and they do it very well.
Big Daddy Wilson shares his Hard Time Blues a great listen; varied, skilled instrumentation and vocals with blues aplenty and some soul shining through on a couple of tracks.
Joe Louis Walker plays Eclectic Electric a great listen that delivers the promise of the title: it is eclectic and JLW’s mastery of the guitar (with a few stellar guests) provides the beguiling electric side.
Samantha Fish shows her guitar licks on Faster - a Wonderful album of hybridised blues-rock that works and works very well indeed with Samantha’s trademark guitar sound still preserved and her vocals stronger than ever…buy it and listen multiple times to appreciate the many and varied levels this ‘new direction’ reveals; then sit back and enjoy.
Starlite Campbell Band playing The Language of Curiosity a great listen for an album full of excellent musicianship delivering a new nostalgia.
Dig Lazarus say Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time- a great listen for an album packed with energy, riffs, energy and riffs! It does have some great twists and turns to explore too and I am sure their next one will be even better.
Blind Lemon Pledge packs A Satchel Full Of Blues a wonderful album and each listen will uncover more layers than a very large onion! It is clever, complex, varied and impeccably played.
Blind Raccoon Nola Blue Collection Volume 3 a great listen with some wonderful artists a great listen with some wonderful artists but, as with all compilations, its value depends upon how many of the songs you possess elsewhere
Halley DeVestern Band on The Lake Geneva shoreline with Money Ain’t Time is a great listen for a live set that showcases a talented vocalist and band giving the audience (and themselves) a good time in the process.
