Ledfoot and Ronni Le Tekrø - Limited Edition Lava Lamp (Album Review)

May 04, 2023 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Americana, Blues, Singer-Songwriter

Ledfoot aka Tim Scott McConnell and Ronni Le Tekrø seem, at first look, like an odd pair. Tim, born in Florida, has been based in Norway for many years, adopting the Ledfoot moniker in 2007 after a string of solo releases on major labels and as frontman of The Havalinas. Ronni Le Tekrø is best known as the guitarist in TNT, Norwegian rock royalty, enjoying considerable international success since their formation in 1982. The Norwegian connection would seem to be the cement here, and ‘Limited Edition Lava Lamp’ is their second record as a duo.

Jack Broadbent - Ride (Album Review)

April 14, 2022 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, Singer-Songwriter

Jack Broadbent’s 2019 album ‘Moonshine Blue’ was an impressive release that found the singer and guitarist dabbling in various genres. Jack wasn’t a slave to his reputation as an excellent slide guitarist and bluesman and seemed content to go wherever his muse took him to showcase his talents as a singer, songwriter or, as I put it, folky troubadour. For his latest release, at least at first glance, he’s seemingly sticking to the blues, but there are still plenty of twists and turns along the way on what might well turn out to be his best and most cohesive release yet.

Emily Wolfe - Outlier (Album Review)

August 02, 2021 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Alternative Rock, Blues, Pop

Imagine for a moment you have your career path mapped out. You can see the road ahead; you know where you’re going, or at least where people expect you to go. Do you drop into cruise control and take the highway or throw a hard left and take that unpaved back road? It will be an adventure, and you might initially lose a few followers along the way, but the rewards could well be worth the risk.

USM - United State Of Mind (Album Review)

March 02, 2021 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, R&B, Reggae, Soul

United State of Mind shouldn’t work as well as it does. On paper the idea of Robin Trower the guitar ace and Procol Harum founding member - who sold millions of records in the 70s and 80s with his brand of power-trio, blues-rock - forming a band with Maxi Priest the British singer who enjoyed chart success in the 1990s (‘Close To You’ was a US No.1 in 1990) with a sound that merged elements of reggae and R&B seems at the very least unlikely (The pair aren’t quite David and Bing but it’s a pretty close run thing). Any fears prove unfounded as there is plenty of musical chemistry on show here. Robin initially met Maxi by chance in the studio of producer Livingstone Brown who recalls “When Robin first met Maxi; I thought this cannot end well. Wow, this record is proof I was so wrong!” Livingstone Brown is the glue that holds USM together utilising his bass and keyboard skills alongside his duties as the producer on as soulful a record as you’re likely to hear this year.

Patrik Jansson Band - IV CD (Album Review)

November 02, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues

Patrik Jansson isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel on ‘IV’ but by stripping away the horn and string flourishes of previous albums the Swedish singer/guitarist shifts the focus to the songs with the emphasis firmly on a band aesthetic. This approach shines a light on new keyboardist Lars Eriksson whose contributions are vital to the overall sound and success of the album.

Shannon LaBrie - Building (Album Review)

September 25, 2020 by Rich Barnard in Album Reviews, Singer-Songwriter, Soul, Country, Blues

Shannon LaBrie’s 2017 album War & Peace was met with the kind of critical acclaim most musicians only ever dream of and, while it put the honey-voiced singer on the map, her musical identity remained a little elusive, with her lyrically sharp songwriting left shrouded in smokey soul and easy-country robes.

Mick Hayes - My Claim To FAME (Album Review)

September 04, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, Soul, R&B

Back in the days of LP records (the first time, not the recent resurgence of interest) part of the joy of a 12” album jacket was the sleeve notes. You’d hope for a lyric sheet but if all else failed there was the absolute joy of digging into all that additional info (this was in the days when I didn’t need a magnifying glass to read the small print). Many hours would be spent pouring over the credits to ascertain who played what, the colour of the bass players socks and, most importantly, where was the album recorded? Various studios gained positive notoriety for sound and a feel that you couldn’t quite put your finger on that lay deep in the grooves. Abbey Road would instantly shout The Beatles, Rockfield conjured up visions of Ozzy in a barn with sheep watching the sessions while much further afield Compass Point painted glamourous pictures of lazing by the pool cocktail in hand. Then there was the FAME studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama…

JD Simo - JD Simo (Album Review)

August 20, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, Soul, Psych

The debut solo album from JD Simo ‘Off at 11’ (review) married bluesy tones with psychedelic influences and delivered them with impressive gusto. JD had something to say musically and the chops to deliver his message, which he conveyed to the masses via over 150 live shows spreading the word the old fashioned way by putting in the miles. JD took the songs he’d written on the road into his “funky little eight-track studio” resulting in a new album that expands even further on his bluesy psychedelia adding a layer of old-school soul to the mix.

The Marshall Tucker Band – New Year’s In New Orleans! Roll Up ’78 and Light Up ’79! (Album Review)

January 15, 2020 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Country Rock, Southern Rock

The Marshall Tucker Band released their debut album in 1973, embarking on an impressive run of success that yielded a string of gold and platinum records throughout the decade. This success seems to have got a little lost in the annuals of rock history, but at their best, the band could proudly stand toe to toe with Southern rock luminaries Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band.

Jack Broadbent - Moonshine Blue (Album Review)

November 20, 2019 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, Folk, Jazz, Singer-Songwriter

With the likes of the Montreux Jazz Festival “the new master of the slide guitar” and Bootsy Collins, “The real thang” singing his praises the casual observer might be fooled into thinking that Jack Broadbent was some kind of guitar-slinging wunderkind, storming out of the bayou on a mission to destroy all with his blazing guitar work. In reality, I’m guessing it’s pretty hard to find a bayou in Lincolnshire and Jack’s obvious guitar prowess turns out to be a small part of the story.

JD Simo - Off At 11 (Album Review)

March 19, 2019 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, Classic Rock, Singer-Songwriter

Nashville-based singer and guitarist JD Simo is currently touring the UK (March 2019) with guitar great Tommy Emmanuel CGP so his credentials as a guitarist will not be in question. I’d incorrectly assumed that JD was a straight-ahead bluesman; an assumption blown out of the water by ‘Off At 11’. The blues play a major part in JD’s sound but jazz fans and psychedelic rockers will find much to enjoy as JD and his terrific band; Adam Abrashoff (drums) and bass player Luke Easterling play up a storm on a freewheeling set that owes as big a debt to Miles Davis and The Grateful Dead as it does the Lightnin’ Hopkins and BB King.

Buckets Rebel Heart - 20 Good Summers (Album Review)

August 28, 2018 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, AOR, Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock

Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell might be a new name to some but the guitarist has played with plenty of notable names in a career that dates back to the 80’s. Colwell’s credits include being one of three guitarists in ASAP with Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden fame, key involvement as a songwriter/guitarist in the reformed Humble Pie on the 2002 ‘Back On Track’ album plus stints in many other acts including Samson, Urchin and The Entire Population Of Hackney.

Steve Dawson - Lucky Hand (Album Review)

June 14, 2018 by Rich Barnard in Acoustic, Americana, Instrumental, Blues, Folk

In our house, space is a very precious commodity. Instrumental guitar records have to work extremely hard to earn their place on the CD shelves (yes, I do know what Sonos and Spotify are, and no, no thank you). No matter how impressive, super-noodling is not enough if there is no musical heart beating beneath. Thankfully, the latest release from celebrated Canadian guitarist Steve Dawson has that beating heart and yes, he has the hands to match.

Althea Grace - Dreamers EP (Album Review)

January 15, 2018 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Blues, Pop, Singer-Songwriter

Chicago based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Althea Grace has packed plenty into her eighteen years. Althea played her first show with the highly respected; Grammy-winning Los Lobos aged eight, an association that continues to this day. More recently there was a debut solo album at fifteen and even more recently touring and recording with Gabe Burdulis in the duo Future Stuff. This would bring her to the attention of guitarist Doyle Bramhall II whose credits include Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and (for those of us with long memories) Arc Angels with Charlie Sexton and the Double Trouble rhythm section.

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer - Apocalipstick (Album Review)

October 17, 2017 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Alternative, Americana, Blues

Inventively named Canadian act The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer recently visited the UK to play a few shows. The name instantly gets your attention “The who’d a what now” was one version of the name I heard recently. It actually all makes perfect sense as Shawn Hall aka The Harpoonist plays harmonica (actually lots of harmonicas) and Matthew Rogers plays guitar hence The Axe Murderer. The guys were in London to support their latest release ‘Apocalipstick’ and played one of the most inventive and crowd-pleasing shows I’ve seen in quite some time. The duo, with Dawn Pemberton adding some impressively soulful vocals, really is a force of nature in a live setting. Explaining what they do doesn’t seem to do them any justice but I’ll give it a try.

Martin Simpson - Trails & Tribulations (Album Review)

August 31, 2017 by Jon Amer in Acoustic, Album Reviews, Folk, Blues

Martin Simpson, a master of acoustic blues, releases his 20th solo album in 40 years. ‘Trails & Tribulations’ arrives in the wake of a triumphant headline set at the Cambridge Folk Festival and in heated anticipation of his appearance at London’s Kings Place in support of the album launch. The album follows ‘Vagrant Stanzas’ which was warmly received by critics in 2013 and the collaborative ‘Murmurs’ from 2015 which saw Simpson join forces with Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr to dramatic effect - performances noted for their sense of “majestic, intuitive and joyful playing”.

Little Steven - Soulfire (Album Review)

June 06, 2017 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Blues, Soul

Steven Van Zandt aka Little Steven aka Miami Steve recently apologised for the gap of nearly twenty years since his last solo release. To be honest this refreshing approach is welcome, but unnecessary, as Steve had hardly been spending his days sipping cocktails, while counting his money, on some far flung beach. In the intervening years Van Zandt has successfully worked as an actor, first catching the attention of the masses in The Sopranos and followed that with the fish-out-of-water gangster tale Lilyhammer. He also found time to turn his hand to radio as a DJ / program director (Underground Garage / Outlaw Country) and launch his own record label (Wicked Cool Records). Then there is the little matter of his day job with the E Street Band. Does this man ever sleep?

Scott H. Biram - The Bad Testament (Album Review)

February 23, 2017 by David Vousden in Album Reviews, Americana, Blues

‘The Bad Testament’…there it is. Right in front of your eyes in the title to his latest album Scott H. Biram lays it out for all to see. Biram is on a mission to tell it like it is, take no prisoners and bring his testament to the people. It won’t be an easy ride, people who can’t handle a little profanity better look away now, or wait for the ‘Clean’ version, but I very much doubt that’ll be coming along anytime soon as Biram doesn’t strike me as someone who likes to compromise.

Brigitte DeMeyer & Will Kimbrough - Mockingbird Soul (Album Review)

February 10, 2017 by Jon Amer in Acoustic, Album Reviews, Americana, Country, Blues

Brigitte DeMeyer & Will Kimbrough’s first collaborations began some 6 years ago (first on DeMeyer’s 2011 release, Rose of Jericho and Savannah Road in 2014), while continuing to forge successful solo careers themselves. Brigitte DeMeyer’s work has received very favourable reviews comparing her blues-folk-rock to early Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow with the gutsiness of Little Feat’s initial outings. She has opened for Bob Dylan and toured with John Mayall. Similarly, Will Kimbrough’s solo and band work has been championed by critics both sides of the Atlantic with vocal, lyrical and style comparisons to John Lennon, Billy Joel, George Harrison and Neil Flynn to mention just a few. He has toured and collaborated with the likes of Todd Snider and Emmylou Harris. DeMeyer and Kimbrough’s career path together has seen them hone their song-crafting skills, showcasing their talents across North America and Europe. Based in Nashville, this is their first album as an official duo and brings their love of, and influences from blues, gospel, early jazz and country music together; “the good stuff” as Kimbrough calls it. DeMeyer characterises their seamless blend as acoustic soul.

Billy Hector - Old School Thang (Album Review)

October 18, 2015 by David Vousden in Blues

2015 finds New Jersey blues guitarist Billy Hector on top of his game. Hector has been plying his trade since the 70’s and it shows on a fine set that displays his undoubted abilities as a singer-songwriter-guitarist. The Hector story starts in the 70’s in a band called The Shots that became the house band at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, where Springsteen and Southside Johnny started out, before a stint as guitarist for Hot Romance would lead to The Fairlanes and eventually he formed the Billy Hector Band in 1993. Musically Hector had found himself at ease with a range of styles from horn-driven R&B to bluesy rock and all of these influences are still recognisable on ‘Old School Thang’.