FULL SPREAD Erin McCallum (independent) ****
That’s the perfect title for McCallum’s latest record. Full Spread can arguably be labeled a ‘roots’ record and yet she visits a variety of styles across these 9 tracks; country, R&B and New Orleans groove, with stories directly related to the human experience. Passionate and expressive vocals not unlike Janiva Magness and superb musicianship make this a ‘must listen’.
McCallum herself describes the styles on display here simply as “music”… I like diving into a new record without any preconceived ideas of what to expect. The first single, released in May, also opens the record. I Need A New Lover is a blues stomper she wrote with her guitarist and co-producer Teddy Leonard, but that’s just the tip of this formidable iceberg; Good Intentions is a blustery rock track, You Have It All is catchy R&B and Good, Good News is driven by a cool Bo Diddley meets Nola groove. Want some country? Give Lost Myself In Loving You a spin.
The people involved in bringing Full Spread together shows you the kind of respect McCallum has in the roots music community. The sound engineer is the award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Bowskill and it was mixed by the ridiculously talented Steve Marriner, both of whom contribute their musical talents to the tracks, with Marriner playing bass on each. The agreeable mix of musical styles overall make this quite a road trip album.
Full Spread first appeared on my radar when Brandon Isaak, another performer I respect and enjoy, was talking it up on Facebook. I contacted Erin for a download and I’m sure glad I did. Not only am I digging the disc on a Saturday afternoon here in Victoria, as each track plays I’m imagining which of my internet radio shows might be the best fit. This is a record that takes you down deep, so enjoy the ride.
HOT TRACKS: Good, Good News, Home (acoustic), I Need A New Lover
LIVE AT THE RHYTHYM ROOM Teskey (independent) ****
This is raw, soulful bareknuckle rockin’ blues that will have your big toe shooting up in your boot in no time. Live At The Rhythm Room, recorded at Bob Corritore’s legendary club in Phoenix, bristles with Friday night excitement, driven by Brandon Teskey’s exciting guitar.
LATRM is 11 cuts in all, as much hard rock as it is blues, mixing tracks from their debut White Wolf with songs destined for their upcoming release Blue Dreams. Teskey’s guitar work is riveting and his vocals have a rough edge that invite comparisons to George Thorogood. The band is a trio by the way, including Matt Baldwin on bass and Brandon Gaddy on drums, laying down some powerful grooves that really let Teskey himself soar when he steps up for a gut-wrenching solo, which is where the lion’s share of the magic here comes from.
These coal-fired steam-powered songs have a tendency to throw you up against the wall, which makes a track like the soft and soulful Gave My Love Back to Me stand out all the more. BT is a serviceable singer but hardly spectacular… makes me wonder if he has another voice in his arsenal besides the faux Thorogood I’m hearing on this album? That’s ultimately a minor quibble as the music and musicianship on display here has a sort of effortless way of giving you the goosebumps. The press info says Live At The Rhythm Room will appeal to fans of The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., Marcus King, Gretta Van Fleet, Rival Sons, Royal Blood and classic rock power-trios; if that includes you, this puppy is right up your alley.
BT plays a ’65 Gibson ES-335 as well as a ’66 Telecaster and a ’65 Strat, and he uses them very, very well. His solos aren’t merely ‘look how fast I can play’ but more geared towards making you feel something, adding to the emotional impact of each number. More interaction with the audience to make you feel like you were at the gig would’ve been nice but you’ll forget that when a track like Blue Dreams has the paint peeling from your walls.
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HOT TRACKS: Gave My Love Back To Me, Blue D reams, In The Garden Again
THE BEST OF JUDAS PRIEST Judas Priest (Epic/ Legacy) ****
Bought this on vinyl the other day at Ditch Records on Fort Street in Victoria because I’m a collector and need to have all of Judas Priest’s legit releases on vinyl- only Nostradamus eludes me. Released in June, no doubt to give fans something to buy while the band is out on tour all 10 cuts here are hits, making this a decent introduction to the band’s music.
For many fans myself included we found JP in the 70’s, but they didn’t really hit their commercial stride until the 1980’s. The Best Of Judas Priest covers 1978 to 2024, a period during which they released 15 studio albums, only 7 of which are represented with these 10 tracks, but as my British friends would say they’re all bangers. Most of the JP compilations I’ve made over the years for road trips have included every single one of these songs. A record company cash grab to capitalize on a current tour maybe, but it’s a good ‘un.
The sonic quality of TBoJP is top notch, mastered by longtime producer Tom Allom along with Matt Colton. Songs like Painkiller pour out of the speakers like molten lava while The Sentinel still holds the drama that made it a crucial part of the band’s live repertoire when we first heard it on 1984’s Defenders Of The Faith. The album isn’t sequenced chronologically but rather how a fan might have put it together. British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance are represented by a pair of cuts each while we get individual selections from Turbo, Killing Machine, Painkiller, Defenders, Point Of Entry and Invincible Shield with each being worthy of inclusion.
The Best Of Judas Priest is not a comprehensive overview of the band’s career and was never meant to be; just a bunch of choice tunes to remind us how good and powerful this band really is. My only complaint is the inclusion of Electric Eye without the Hellion intro as it originally appears on record and on stage… whoever made that call should be flogged. TBoJP is a strong and enjoyable set, whether you’re familiar with their catalog or not. Turn it up- WAY up.
HOT TRACKS: Hell Bent For Leather, Heading Out To The Highway, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
DOWN HERE Eddie 9V (Easy Eye Sound) *****
Eddie 9V’s first album for this label is a captivating charmer. Produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Down Here manages to capture a sweat-soaked live vibe on a studio record. Described as Southern soul, blues, rock & roll and raw instinct, this disc has balls.
Down Here is the result of intense writing sessions at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, where Eddie opened himself up to a new way of doing things after years of doing it all himself. “I write all the time, but it was the first time I’ve ever done a writing session in Nashville” Eddie 9V says. “You’re dealing with songwriters who are at the top of their game and that was incredible for me. I learned to focus solely on the writing.”
Of making the album, Dan says “we spent more time writing than we did recording, which meant we could focus on getting a good take. It was all about capturing that magic moment, that fire.” There’s more than one way to skin a cat as they say, and the way Auerbach ran these sessions has yielded spectacular results. There’s a looseness to Down Here that feels like a bunch of talented players relaxed and in the pocket, all rowing in the same direction. The album is described as “the sound of an artist taking everything he learned in smoky clubs, roadside stops and thousands of miles on the highway- and pouring it into the most honest, unfiltered record of his career.” One spin of this thing and you’ll feel exactly what they’re talking about.
Down Here is rough around the edges in some places, smooth and gentle in others as it takes you to some rather interesting places. “I hope when people hear this record they feel the soul of it” Eddie says. “I want them to feel like they’re sitting in the studio with us as we’re making music.” I think you’ll agree he’s right on the money there.
HOT TRACKS: Satisfy the Way I Do, Blowin’ Up, Can I Sleep In Your Backyard
LOST IN AUSTIN Miss Robin Banks (Dallas Blues Society Records) ****
Here is a spirited helping of Texas blues by way of Canada. Lost In Austin has a blues soul with just the right amount twang, as one might expect out of Texas. That’s where this record started, with the vocals being recorded in Canada. LIA is a crystal clear, spirited record that will sit down on your turntable (or cd player) and make friends right away.
Lost In Austin began at Alnico Recording Studio in Austin. “That’s where some magic happened with my friends and former bandmates Drew Allain (bass) and Johnny Moeller (guitar, Fabulous Thunderbirds) along with Johnny’s brother Jay (drums, Sue Foley)” Robin says. Other players invited to dive in include Steve Mariner and Roly Platt on harmonica, keys from Bruce Bears, and pedal steel courtesy of Dale Rivard. The disc has an easy good time vibe, a real Texas thing.
Accidents happen, and in this case that’s a good thing. “This record wasn’t planned” Miss Banks reveals. “I had no idea it was coming until it was right up on me. There was no budget. Just a dream, a couple of opportunities and some signs from the Universe. We went in and two days later there were 10 songs- 8 of which came from my pen, my brain, my heart. A collection of flowers I didn’t know existed had somehow bloomed for me.” 7 months later she was back in Canada to record vocals and that’s when she invited Marriner, Platt and Rivard to add their magic dust to Lost In Austin.
If someone were to ask me “what does music from Texas sound and feel like?” LIA is a disc I wouldn’t hesitate to put on. It’s a sly combination of country and blues, mixed together in a way you just won’t find anywhere else. Banks’ sultry and evocative voice and some fine playing with a retro yet crystal clear sound is something that will stick with you for a good long while.
HOT TRACKS: Cold Cold Feelin’, Not Today, Talk Dirty To Ya
SPLIT THE SHEETS Sunjay (independent) *****
Nailing Sunjay’s latest album down to a specific genre is no easy task. Split The Sheets is a collection of love song covers from the past 70 years put through a blues/ soul/ Americana groove treatment, and the results are glorious. Sunjay makes them his own while respecting the originals, and that’s no mean trick. “It was tough picking love songs, there are literally millions of them” he says. “I wanted to do a mix of known and lesser known ones, and put my own spin on them.” Split The Sheets makes good on its promise to show you a good time.
STS is Sunjay’s 10th album and the final chapter in a trilogy honoring his influences that started with Black & Blues Revisited in 2022 and continued with 2024’s I’m Just Like You. As the PR sheet observes, “he didn’t just carefully curate these tracks, he let them move in, have a drawer in the dresser and keep their toothbrush in the bathroom. They inhabited his soul in the way any meaningful relationship should, and the results speak for themselves.” If I had to label Split The Sheets anything I suppose I’d call it country but the music is really deeper than that. Despite the fact that he didn’t write these songs he really inhabits them as if he did.
If you’re aware of any previous versions of these songs, it’s fun to compare… like his take on Killing The Blues versus the one on Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’s 2007 masterpiece Raising Sand, or what Lyle Lovett was able to do with My Baby Don’t Tolerate. Sunjay’s versions are different and yet they capture the same heart and soul of those earlier versions. STS manages to strike the almost impossible balance of honoring your influences while trusting your instincts to make these songs definitively your own. He obviously took Waylon Jennings’ advice to heart; “(he) talked about how you get sick of playing covers.” Sunjay notes. “You have to make a noise in your own way and keep doing it.” This is one of my favorite records of 2026.
HOT TRACKS: Killing The Blues, Who Do You Love?, Hundred Dollar Valentine
