THE GREAT WOMEN IN BLUES Lisa Mann’s Northwestern All-Stars (Roseleaf Records) *****
This is as breathtaking a live blues record as you’ll ever to hear. Lisa Mann’s Northwest All-Stars, with Oakland’s Terrie Odabi lending her considerable and authentic blues vocal power, have made a record for the ages in The Great Women In Blues; truly essential listening.
Since 2010, Patrick Kaiser has hand-selected premier blues artists to perform at the Groove Now concert series in Basel, Switzerland. He asked singer Lisa Mann to put together a Pacific Northwest ‘super group’ to perform at the 2023 series, the result of which is TGWIB. The band is ridiculously talented; Lisa and Terrie at the mic plus sweet guitar work from Ben Rice and Jason Thomas, Jimi Bott on drums and Lisa on bass. There’s a raw energy to this set and the audience is positively engaged, plus superior musicianship… lightning in a bottle you might say.
You can tell a lot of thought went into The Great Women In Blues, from Terri Odabi’s acapella version of Wade In The Water that starts the disc to the inclusion of songs known by Mavis Staples, Rosetta Tharpe, Koko Taylor, Etta James and more. Lisa Mann and Terri Odabi take turns at the mic, each singing lead on about half the tracks. This was produced by Mann along with Kaiser and Bott, and the results are flawless. A great live album will either make you feel like you were there or wish you were, and The Great Women In Blues does both.
As far as the songs themselves go there are some stone cold classics amongst these 11 cuts like Ball & Chain, I’d Rather Go Blind and I Sing The Blues. Lisa is a fine singer but when Terri Odabi steps up for her turn things get real in a big hurry as she brings the audience along for the ride. If you want to hear great blues this is it, baby!
HOT TRACKS: I Sing The Blues, Let The Juke Joint Jump, I Don’t Hurt Anymore
RESCUE The Fractals (independent) ****
Here’s the EP from Philly alt rock powerhouse The Fractals. Rescue packs a wallop into just 4 songs. They effortlessly bend and blend genres into an attention grabbing and tuneful brace of songs with sugary pop smarts and obtuse lyrics, Odds meet early Barenaked Ladies. What’s not to love?
In the 90’s 3/4ths of The Fractals were a band called Huffamoose, who got signed by Interscope records based on their mainstage performance at Woodstock ’94. These guys- well most of them- have played together for over 3 decades now and you can feel that intuitive relationship as they play together. The Fractals are singer/ guitarist/ songwriter Kevin Hanson, bassist Jim Stager, drummer Erik Johnson, plus keyboard player and ‘theremin enthusiast’ Mike Frank. “We had a blast recording this” Hanson says of the EP. We are so excited for our fans, old and new, to hear it. We’ve got a lot of years and a lot of miles together, and making music for us is still a joy and an adventure. We just rely more on ESP these days.”
From jaunty alt rock to delicate ballads, The Fractals range far and wide in just 4 songs. Rescue is most definitely worth checking out.
https://www.facebook.com/thefractals/
HOT TRACKS: Christopher Walken, Dark And Stormy
DECEIVED Alan Arena (independent) ****
Here is an album of songs about life from a man that’s been there and done that. ‘Heartwarming’ is an over-used description, but listening to Deceived gives me an informed case of the fuzzies. There’s a lot of life squeezed into these songs, 9 stories we can all relate to.
Alan Arena had 2 top ten albums in the New England area when he elected to move away from Boston to become a caregiver for his best friend, who had been stricken with Huntington’s disease. He thought music might end up a footnote to his past when a venue and studio called The Music Room opened in Cape Cod. A partner in the joint was guitarist Paul Nelson, who played alongside Johnny Winter for 14 years. Paul asked Alan to play a couple of his originals and that set the wheels in motion for Deceived. They even collaborated on some of the music.
Paul arranged the band for Alan’s new album, even made him a stage manager at The Music Room where he opened for a number of national artists. Deceived, though with blues traces, is hardly a blues album. I’m feeling some funk and even jazz, and you’ll certainly notice some blues conceits on a track like Devil In The Bottle, which I’ve already played on my blues shows for internet radio. Hell, if you’re really jonesing for swanky blues, check out Mother Earth- Memphis Slim, a number that was covered by Heart in ’77.
I can’t put a definitive label on what sort of music Deceived might be exactly, I can only say that it’s real enjoyable. It was smartly produced by Paul Nelson, who was talking to Alan about collaborating on an album of his when a heart attack took Paul out while on tour. Listening to this tonight, that collab would have been amazing. This is solid, life-affirming music.
https://www.facebook.com/alanarenasongs
HOT TRACKS: Raised On Radio, Deceived, Mother Earth- Memphis Slim
JUST STAY HIGH The Alexis P. Suter Band (Nola Blue Records) ****+
Talk about coming straight from the heart. Just Stay High (not a drug reference by the way) is a collection of songs about change, lessons learned, observed and pondered… a collection of tales masterfully told and musically sumptuous, what she calls “a front row seat to our psyche.”
As with many records I’ve covered in the last few years, Just Stay High had its beginnings during Covid times via a series of Zoom writing sessions between Alexis and her collaborators. “Our writing journey began during the pandemic, at a time when we knew we needed to stay on the path of conscious creativity” she says, “spending many days collaborating and brainstorming to make our dream come to life. Just Stay High is exactly what we did, and now through our gifts of music we bring a message of consciousness for the world to heal.” That’s a tall order for a musical enterprise but it feels like they’re on the right path.
To describe Just to Stay High in one word, I’d say ‘steamy’. The group has been making music together for a couple of decades now, and was even a part of Levon Helm’s legendary Midnight Rambles in Woodstock, New York. They play around with some funk and aren’t afraid to show their sense of humor in a song like Big Girl Panties but when they want to get down with serious blues, you won’t find anything better than Be On Your Way… first time I heard that it took my breath away.
Kudos to the producers, engineers and mixers for giving Just Stay High a vital, organic sound and feel. Even with serious messages and deep lyrics, nothing about this album feels forced or contrived. It’s the kind of record that makes you feel connected to the things that matter.
HOT TRACKS: God Gave Me The Blues, Be On Your Way, My Only Need
WALK THIS ROAD The Doobie Brothers (Doobie Doo Music) *****+
The shadows grow long and the sun will set sooner rather than later, but you’d never know that from The Doobie Brothers’ 16th album. Walk This Road has no right to be this good this late in the game. Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and longtime guitarist John McFee welcomed smoky-voiced keyboard player Michael McDonald back into the band- this is The Doobs’ strongest set since 1991’s Brotherhood.
I saw a 50th anniversary special about The Doobies on PBS last year with all of the above taking part and thought if they could harness what I was witnessing in the studio to make new music, such an album would be good to excellent. At 5+ stars, I’m calling Walk This Road excellent. This feels and sounds like classic Doobie Brothers, a real early to mid-70’s vibe. Despite McDonald’s profound effect on their sound, changing it to more of a blue eyed soul thing when he joined in 1976, the blend of songwriting and vocals here (particularly with Johnston’s full engagement) proves that the whole is so much than the sum of its parts, a satisfying balance of power and artistry. Ultimate Rock sums it up well in their review of this disc when they say “Walk This Road is comforting music made for dispiriting times; a throwback to their pre-McDonald period and the six years with the singer that marked their golden era. The record goes for a balance of rock, soul, pop and pristine adult contemporary for every type of Doobie Brothers fan.”
The band has made some good, solid records since getting back together for 1989’s Cycles but if you’re a fan of their 70’s stuff in particular you’re going to really enjoy Walk This Road… maybe even love it as much as I do.
HOT TRACKS: Walk This Road (with Mavis Staples), Learn To Let Go, Call Me
LIVE AT ROCK IMPERIUM FESTIVAL Ronnie Romero (Frontiers) *** ¾
Romero is a powerful Chilean rock singer who caught Ritchie Blackmore’s attention for his last go at Rainbow. Live At Rock Imperium Festival was recorded at the famous Spanish festival and showcases Romero’s startling vocals in front of a very talented band. If you’re not familiar with his stuff and what he can do as a singer, this disc is the perfect place to jump in.
LARIF follows the studio records Raised On Radio and Raised On Heavy Radio which found Romero paying passionate tribute to the music that influenced him growing up. As for the new record Ronnie says “I really wanted to have a live album out, to show everybody how much I enjoy playing music and the capabilities of the musicians I have by my side. It’s also a step forward in my solo career.” The band heard here includes Joes Rubio on guitars, Fran Gil Torres on keys, Andy C on drums and Aurelian Dinca on bass and vocals. Andy C is masterful in guiding the band rhythmically and Torres’ guitar playing is acrobatic and inspiring when he’s not laying down bone-shaking riffs with Dinca following his lead to thicken the sound.
This is riff-centric heavy rock, melodic yet flirting with maximum heaviosity. The band isn’t afraid to change it up as they do with Crossroads, which was written in 2023, Romero calling it “a very special and unexpected song. Jose Rubio came in with this bluesy riff, so the songwriting was totally improvised, and it’s become a fav for the audience at our shows.” I have no doubt of that- the bluesy swing of this number spoke to me right away.
As a singer Romero is a cross between fellow Rainbow alums Ronnie James Dio and Joe Lynn Turner, as powerful as that description implies… in fact they even play Rainbow In The Dark here, and they nail it. This disc is hella-decent hard rock, real denim & leather stuff.
https://www.facebook.com/ronnieromeroofficial
HOT TRACKS: Crossroads, Castaway On The Moon, Rainbow In The Dark
