DELTA BLUES REVIVAL Vineet (independent) *****+
This is the debut blues release from Punjabi singer/ composer Vineet. Given this artist’s history of writing and performing global top 40 radio hits, Delta Blues Revival comes as a shock. Even moreso is the authenticity of these songs. It’s Vineet’s first foray into the blues, he’s got it down.
Vineet hooked up with guitarist Ruffus Cotton from Jackson Mississippi and ended up recording DBR entirely analog, on an 8-track reel to reel recorder, with nary a computer in sight, ending up with a gritty and real blues experience. “I was looking for purer forms of music to learn and create in” he says. “When I was making my first traditional jazz album last year some of the session musicians said my voice would suit the blues. They told me about Ruffus, and that he would be the best person for me to work with if I wanted to go down that road.”
Ruffus and Vineet worked remotely at first, then recorded in Dubai and India. “Ruffus’ main stipulation was that I write all the songs, lyrics, melodies, all of it” Vineet says. “The magic he added to my songs (as a guitar player) is indescribable; it’s changed me as a songwriter forever.” Given all of this information, it seems unlikely that Delta Blues Revival would be fit to touch the pant cuffs of a Son House or BB King, but it’s as if this thing rose up out of the Mississippi mud itself. The album is beautifully haunting and atmospheric, elemental, reflecting both artists’ wishes to hold strong to the analog methodology. “Blues gives me hope for humanity” Vineet says, “it’s almost like my savior. I specifically chose the all-analog path to protect the purity pf what I learned from Ruffus.” And in doing so he created an arresting piece of work.
Delta Blues Revival with its raw emotion and quiet, deep soul, is the very definition of blues therapy. Great, GREAT stuff.
http://instagram.com/vineetsinghhukmani
HOT TRACKS: Pour Me Another One, Delta Blues, Old Men fighting
TRIAL BY FIRE Fran Drew & The Lucky Strikes (independent) *****+
This is one of the grooviest blues albums to come along in quite some time. Nominated for “New Artist Debut Album” at the Blues Blast Awards for 2025, Trial By Fire from Fran Drew & The Strikes is a bold and fearless rockin’ blues record that takes no prisoners.
Fran has a deep, rich voice capable of reaching in and giving your soul a good squeeze and the rest of the band, including guest musicians, move together with purpose. Key to the success of Trail By Fire, I think, is the supple backbone provided by drummer Dennis Cotton and bassist Max Samson, to which the guitars and a brassy sax attack respond with swing and swagger, equal parts raw power and musical mastery. The musical confidence on display here is really something to witness.
Other musicians at work aside from those already mentioned include Gene Donaldson and Richiman on guitar, special guest sax-men Gordon Beadle and Matt Parker, Ritch Badowski on harmonica, guitarists Stephen Isherwood and Brandt Taylor, tasty keyboards courtesy of Jeff Bousfield. Fran may be leading at the mic, but Trail By Fire wouldn’t be nearly as bold and smokin’ as it is without these guys. Described as “sass collides with raw, Texas-style blues power, think Peg Bundy meets Lou Ann Barton”, this is one of those infectious albums that hits you right in the gut and keeps you on the dancefloor.
Muddy Waters famously said the blues had a baby and they called it rock & roll, and nowhere is it more evident than it is here. As you listen to Trial By Fire you can almost smell the smoky juke joints and dive bars, complete with spilled beer, where this kind of music lives. Cozying up with this is like spending a glorious evening on the wrong side of the tracks in the kind of joints your parents warned you about so hop in the car; I’m driving.
www.frandrewandtheluckystrikes.com
HOT TRACKS: Neighbor Neighbor, I Look Good In Bad, The Hunter
TOGETHER ON A ROCK The Pairs (independent/ bandcamp) *****
Not since the glory days of Simon & Garfunkel has there been such a captivating vocal sound. The Pairs, a trio of sisters out of London Ontario call Together On A Rock their 4th album in 7 years. It’s a warm, minimalist sound with acoustic guitar, some light percussion and those 3 voices blending in a way that only siblings can. This is one of the most soothing albums I’ve ever heard.
In the press kit section of their website there’s a quote by Tom Power, host of CBC’s The Q, that sums up the effect the Pairs’ music has; “I first saw The Pairs at a folk festival do a rare thing- make a noisy, wandering crowd suddenly go quiet. You could tell right then they are something rare and one of the brightest new voices in Canadian folk.” One listen to Together On A Rock- hell, the first song- and you’ll completely understand what Tom was talking about. The delicate 3-part harmonies and heartfelt songwriting are free of artifice and grand-standing. The album was recorded live off the floor, no studio tricks, and it’s just gorgeous.
Together On A Rock is one of those records that you should listen to a couple of times in a row. For me at least, the first time through I was completely taken with the sound of the thing, those 3 voices blending preternaturally on top of a breezy acoustic backdrop aided by some unobtrusive bass and additional guitar from producer Tracy Walton. Once that registers you can dig deeper into the songs themselves, which are lyrically honest and direct. Rain Is Coming Soon is about allowing the sad parts of ourselves to be, Good Bad Day is about holding each fleeting moment with reverence and gratitude, even the painful ones; and so it goes. This is truly beautiful.
HOT TRACKS: Good Bad Day, Rain Is Coming, Like A Moth
SELFISH KIND OF GAL Shirley Johnson (Delmark) ****
A great way to get to know any artist that’s already had something of a career is through a compilation. Selfish Kind Of Gal, out on mocha colored vinyl, is just such a release. These 10 soulful, bluesy numbers were chosen by Johnson herself, all favorites that she sings regularly in clubs and at festivals. If you don’t know her stuff, and I didn’t before this, by all means dig in.
Shirley Johnson is known as “Queen of Blue Chicago” and one listen to Selfish Kind of Gal is all the proof you need. The record is original songs, many from the pen of Maurice John Vaughn and including a special guest on guitar, the late great Robert Ward. As a singer Johnson reminds me of a cross between Koko Taylor, Etta James and Katie Webster… a great set of pipes, expressive and soulful that brings the lyrics alive in songs like Your Turn To Cry. No production notes came with this download but all the musicians are listed, and I like the band a lot; they swing, they groove, and when called for they really bring the funk with Ms. Johnson leading the way. It’s no wonder she chose these numbers for this special vinyl compilation, you can really feel how they’d go over in a hot club.
A must-have ingredient to back up a powerful blues voice like this is some superior licks and fine soloing on guitar and Hammond. While Robert Ward guests on a couple of numbers Luke Pytel really carries the day on guitar. There’s a great horn section here too, while bassist Lovely “JR” Fuller Jr. and drummer Cordell Teague lay a solid foundation for everyone else to build on.
After giving Selfish Kind Of Gal a couple of spins and featuring it in the spotlight on my November 16th blues show on internet radio (Hellhounds On My Trail), I need to hear a lot more of what she’s been up to. If vinyl isn’t your thing, this is available as a digital release too.
https://www.facebook.com/shirleyjohnsonblues/#
HOT TRACKS: I’m Going To Find Me A Lover, Your Turn To Cry, The Blues Is All I’ve Got
BLUESIN’ THROUGH THE YEARS Dave Weld & The Imperial Flames (Delmark Records) ****
Another compilation from this venerable Chicago-based blues label, this one on red vinyl. Bluesin’ Through The Years is a great title for this set of rockin’ gonzo party blues with the horsepower to get ANYBODY’S mojo workin’.
The material on Bluesin’ Through The Years comes from 3 albums by the band; Burnin’ Love (2010), Slip into A Dream (2015) and Nightwalk (2022). Dave Weld and Monica Myhre take turns on vocals, and the band is smokin’ hot with Dave leading the way on guitar and slide guitar. Special guests on the record include Bobby Rush, Lil’ E, Abby Locke, Sax Gordon and Tom Hambridge, all fine musicians in their own right and its hardly a surprise that they wanted to be in on this kind of fun. BTTY is one of those good old-fashioned party albums that is guaranteed to get the joint jumping… and if they ain’t jumping by the 3rd number you’d better call the meat wagon because your guests are dead.
Dave Weld’s website labels his band “Chicago houserockin’ blues, rock blues, boogie & soul” and when these guys get down to business you’d better just stand back while they let ‘er rip. Bluesin’ Through The Years is a definitely a Friday night record looking for a good time and not afraid of a fight, the kind of album you put on after everyone has had a few drinks as you say “get a load of THIS bad boy!” You can also bet the rent that before your guests leave most of them will be saying “what was that record you put on and the joint just exploded?”
Bluesin’ Through The Years isn’t just a good time, it’s a GREAT time.
HOT TRACKS: Red Hot Tabasco, Ramblin’, Looking For A Man
THE BLUES IS MY BIOGRAPHY Billy Branch (Rosa’s Lounge Records) ****
I remember Bruce Iglauer me telling once that the appeal of the blues is that it’s simple, straightforward, honest, unpretentious music, and nowhere is that more evident than on Billy Branch’s new record. The Blues Is My Biography is such a right on title for this collection of songs. “Every song on this album has special meaning to me in terms of my journey” Billy says. “This is the most important work I’ve ever done, and it’s the best work I’ve ever done.”
As it is with so many other bluesmen of his generation, Billy’s new record is as soulful as it is blue. The Blues Is My Biography was produced by Larry Batiste and recorded in Alameda and Chicago. The first single Hole In My Soul includes some tasty harmonica from Bobby Rush, and powerhouse singer Shemekia Copeland lends her formidable pipes to Begging For Change. The songs are gritty tales about what life is like for many of us out there, and of course Harmonica Man is about as autobiographical as it gets.
The Blues Is My Biography is more than just a straight-up blues record; All Your Bluff is an R&B charmer, The Ballad Of A Million Men leans on a reggae framework, the hip-hop vibe of How You Livin’, plus the title track is equal parts soul and blues. Billy Branch is just one of those artists with the chops and the nerve to go wherever his muse leads him. Just reading his bio, he’s contributed harp to a staggering number of legendary artists; Vince Gill, Billy Gibbons, Stephen Stills and Koko Taylor to name but a few.
Billy Branch has the ability to make you cry with his blues, but the musical width of TBIMB will take you to many different places. As noted above Billy says “this is the best work I’ve ever done”, and I’m thinking he could be right about that.
https://www.billybranch.com/index.html
HOT TRACKS: Hole In My Soul, Harmonica Man, Begging For Change (with Shemekia Copeland)
MOVING ON Alex Beraldo (independent) *** ½
Alex Beraldo is a man with a guitar and some stories to tell. Moving On is his 6th solo record, plus he’s done 5 more with his various bands. Country? Not really although it does have that sort of gentleness to it. He’s a road warrior as a solo artist and he builds guitars too. Alex’s modern take on folk, blues, roots music and rock & roll might be just what you’re looking for.
I suppose it would be fair enough to categorize Beraldo as a ‘roots’ artist, but his musical truth is much broader that just that. I’m hearing some classic country attitude here, some talking blues and laid back grooves, a fairly wide palette that that no doubt has John Mellencamp green with envy. Moving On is our chance to get to know this enigmatic artist with a sense of humour and a way with words. Alex spins yarns about travelling, drinking, loving, losing, living and laughing, which pretty much sums up the entirety of the human experience.
If one term comes to mind as I listen to this disc, it’s ‘classic country’, which is far better than that overly processed **** that the media is trying to force down our throats. There’s an emotional honesty at play here as Berlado wanders through these 9 cuts, dispensing honesty and wisdom as he observes his own life and that of the people around him in a vintage Steve Earle sort of way. While I’m not the biggest country fan in the world, there is something about these tunes that keeps me in place instead of wandering about.
HOT TRACKS: Go, Why Is Leaving, Nice Out Blues
