TALKIN’ HEAVY DK Harrell (Alligator Records) *****
If you want to talk about exciting blues guitar players, DK Harrell’s name has to come up in that conversation. Talkin’ Heavy is not his first album but it is his Alligator Records debut, a soulful explosion and exploration of the blues… what Living Blues calls “a jubilantly raucous, crispy, fully realized sound enriched by unselfconscious virtuosity (and) musically adventurous, biting and exploratory.” Harrell is just what the blues can use.
In Talkin’ Heavy I hear the past, present and future of the blues, as if the DNA of BB King, Albert Collins and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram have been combined to create a new ‘super bluesman’. Recorded at Greaseland Studios and produced by Kid Andersen, Talkin’ Heavy combines a soul man’s voice with righteously stinging guitar. A young man (he’s 27), it sounds like he’s got some serious blues mileage under his belt. As DK sees it, “the past gives a blueprint that you can add yourself to. I keep progressing by keeping all the genres in the mold. And I keep exposing my music to younger folks everywhere I go. I’m hell-bent on crossing the blues over to a new generation of fans.” By God he’s got the chops to do exactly that.
You can hear some gospel influence in tracks like Good Man and as a guitar player his single note runs are biting and reminiscent of BB King- it didn’t surprise me to see him on the album cover playing a Gibson ES 355 as B did. He first heard King at the age of two and responded by singing along, received his first guitar At the age of 12 and spent hours watching every King video he could find, so it’s hardly surprising to hear so much of his hero in his own work. He studied lots of the other masters too of course, and that explains the ‘historic’ feel of Harrell’s blues, but it’s the soulfulness of these numbers turns that into something new.
If you want to label Talkin’ Heavy, call it blues with real deep soul. This disc reminds me of the first time I heard BB King; it’s that good.
HOT TRACKS: A Little Taste, PTLD, Vibe With Me
KISS THE RING Dyer Davis (independent) ****
Some southern fried blues/rock here from one of the finest practitioners. Kiss The Ring, Davis’s 4th album according to his website, is a riff-powered good time not to be missed.
A guitar sound with attitude and a rough n ready rock powered shout really make Kiss The Ring stand out. As I noted when I reviewed his last album Dog Bites Back in earl ’23, Florida born and raised Dyer was initially inspired by his dad’s record collection, his influences deeply rooted in 60’s and 70’s classic rock and blues… The Faces, The Rolling Stones and so on. “I started playing guitar when I was 4 years old “Dyer says. “The British blues scene really stuck with me- especially bands like The Yardbirds and Cream when they covered Albert King. That led me to go back and discover the originals, and that’s when I fell in love with the blues.”
Produced by Davis himself, Kiss The Ring is neither too slick nor too rough around the edges… a neat balancing act. The album draws from a much broader palette than just the blues and lyrically these songs cover a wide range of topics of life, love, and hope. The music itself, whether he’s rockin’ out or pulling it down for the country-esque ballad Have Mercy, it feels like you’re getting to know who this guy is. The combination of blues angst with rock & roll bravado on the album is compelling, particularly on the title track; he’s got the blues, but he’s pissed off too… the dude is much more than a one trick pony; he feels this stuff in his bones.
As a guitar player I’m hearing Jimmy Page muscle in some of these numbers, but KTR doesn’t stay in a hard groove as Davis takes us on a musical adventure to match the personal adventure of his lyrics. That last album of his made my “Best Of 2023” list, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kiss The Ring do a repeat on that… guess we’ll find out in December.
HOT TRACKS: Baby, Have Mercy, Kiss The Ring
KITTY HAWK EP Dave Goddess Group (independent) ****
Here’s another set of raggedly charming genre-busting tunes from this NYC singer/ songwriter. Kitty Hawk is casually excellent roots rock for the most part, which Dave himself describes as “think Tom Petty following the flightpath of The Byrds.”
It’s readily apparent on Kitty Hawk as well as his other records that Dave isn’t a chart chaser or wannabe hit maker, he does what he does simply because he wants to. As a songwriter, Goddess goes at his songs of passion and truth in the right way. “It’s a voluntary act” he says of his craft. “I don’t even know why I do it other than to please myself, and that’s not easy. Hopefully an audience can connect with what matters to me and hear something that matters to them.” A song like Tinfoil Hat examines the world of disinformation we live in, while songs like Hey Romeo and Pretty Soon It’ll Be Too Late are self-explanatory.
In listening to the musical and spiritual timbre of Kitty Hawk, it’s no surprise to learn that Goddess counts The Band, CCR, The Dead, Neil Young and Bob Dylan as influences. “I soak (them) in and filter them through my own off-kilter brain” he says. “In the end you realize the most unique thing you have to offer is yourself.” Throw some Steve Forbert and maybe even Blue Rodeo into that mix of influences and you have an accurate idea of what’s going on here.
Is Kitty Hawk the best album of the year? Probably not but damn, it’s a charmer.
HOT TRACKS: Tin Foil Hat, Lucky Guy
GREASE TO GRAVY Terry Hanck (Little Village) ****+
I talk a lot about guitar and harp-centric blues, but something special happens when tenor sax is the focus- particularly in the hands of Terry Hanck. Grease To Gravy is a joyous listen as it grooves from soul to blues to New Orleans second line funk and rock & roll. This disc includes 5 covers including a jazzed up version of Wilson Pickett’s Don’t Let The Green Grass Fool You, plus 7 originals led by Hanck’s engaging voice and imaginative saxophone.
Grease To Gravy is one of those records you feel as well as hear. “I always want the song to have that groove in it and get some kind of feeling across” Terry says. “Even when I do someone else’s song,.I want it to feel natural.” Produced by Kid Andersen (what isn’t these days) this disc has a clean, unfussy sound as Kid knows how to present this stuff. Andersen and Hanck know each other well- as a 21 year old Norwegian blueser, Kid emigrated to the US to join Terry’s band. Hanck has the expressive voice of a soul singer, which can’t help but draw you even further into the songs, which are fresh and stimulating yet comfortable and familiar too.
Yeah there’s some blues mixed involved, most evidently on a track like Come Back Baby but I’d call Grease To Gravy more of a soul set than anything else. I love Hanck’s voice, and having the sax instead of a guitar as a solo instrument is a refreshing change that gives the album some extra swank and grooviosity. You’ll enjoy the old-timey rock & roll feel of an instrumental like Overall Junction, and the fact that not one of these songs feels like filler.
Grease To Gravy is one of those unabashed musical pleasures and treasures that make me thankful I decided to keep writing reviews, so I can tell you about this too. Top to bottom, this is one of the grooviest albums you’re going to hear in 2025.
www.littlevillagefoundation.com/terry-hanck/
HOT TRACKS: Best Years Of My Life, Run Run Baby, Midnight On The Reef
BLUES BACK PAGES Fred Hostetler (Mukthiland Records) *****
Hostetler handles a few different styles- indie, folk rock, Americana- but the title of his latest album gives you a big, fat clue as to what you can expect here. Blues Back Pages is a collection of 12 blues-based tracks, pulled from his prolific number of recordings since returning from a 17 year trip to India. The songs have aged liked fine wine or a good beer… a little rough in spots, but that’s a part of their charm.
Of his return to America Fred says “I (was) determined to finish something I started in 1977 when I declined signing to Max’s Kansas City Records as a solo artist. Now 40 years later I started over again with 8 years of continuous releases. I felt some of my earlier work, especially the blues songs, were lost but deserved to be heard in a more focused blues setting.”
Blues Back Pages is an historic trip through Hostetler’s vault of deeply personal songs, self-produced, recorded and performed, resulting in a stark intimacy that seems rare these days. The songs were mixed by Eric Troyer and Robbie Cribbs, who also contributed some backing vocals; otherwise this is just Fred and his acoustic guitar. It’s a personal record, but he admits it’s far from perfect, and therein lies some of its beauty. “Some songs have been remastered or partly rerecorded” he says. “Some things just don’t turn out as well as expected while others shine. It’s all part of the journey.” That could also describe the other 3 discs of his I have in my collection, kind of a rugged JJ Cale vibe, and I’m down with that all day long.
Blues Back Pages is 9 Hostetler originals plus covers of Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine And Mose Allison’s Your Mind Is On Vacation. This is an album of startling vulnerability, head and shoulders above the other albums of his in my collection. Despite or maybe because of the professed imperfections, this one is a bullseye.
www.facebook.com/bluebynature/
HOT TRACKS: Taming The Wolf, Your Mind Is On Vacation, Ain’t No Sunshine
OH YEAH! Willie Buck & Bob Corritore (SWMAF RECORDS/ VIZZTONE) ****
This is the latest installment in Bob Corritore’s legendary “From The Vaults” series. Oh Yeah! Features Willie Buck on vocals for some delicious old-school blues. Recorded during 3 sessions between 2021 and 2023, plus a cut from 2010 and featuring a dizzying list of contributing guests, Corritore has hit another one over the left field fence without breaking a sweat.
Oh Yeah! Is real tough sounding Chicago blues, no doubt because Muddy’s guitar player Bob Margolin plays on most of the album. I count 11 other contributors on the back of the cd cover Anthony Geraci, Bob Stroger, Ben Levin and Jimi Prime Time Smith among them. The disc is impeccably produced (of course) byCorritore, Clarke Rigsby, Kid Andersen and John Wroble. Willie Buck is a classic blues singer, sounds a lot like Muddy, and Bob’s tasty harp work is a spice in the recipe that really makes you sit up and take notice. This is old school Chicago blues as it is meant to be played and heard.
Willie Buck and Bob Corritore’s musical relationship dates back to the late 70’s when Willie invited Bob to join his band. Even though Bob relocated to Phoenix in the 80’s the two have remained close friends and get together often to perform. The all-star backing bands on Oh Yeah! make it sound easy as the grooves they lay down for Willie & Bob to play over are locked in and righteous. There are a couple of Muddy Waters songs here (She’s Alright, Baby Please Don’t Go) with the rest of the stuff here fitting that vibe and feel.
I’m a huge fan of Bob Corritore’s “From The Vault” series of releases and this is one of the best, most inspired albums yet.
HOT TRACKS: Baby Please Don’t Go, Let Me Find Out Your Name,Money Can’t Buy Everything
