Cover photo © 2023 Reed R. Radcliff

 In This Issue 

Mark Thompson has our feature interview with DaShawn Hickman. We have ten Blues reviews for you this week including new music from Gene Butler Band, Shakura S’Aida, Bob Margolin, Marcel Smith, 11 Guys Quartet, Weezil Malone Band, Frenchie Moe, MO Blues Association, Umberto Porcaro and Kevin William Ball. Scroll down and check it out!

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In September, blues fans gathered in Peoria, IL for the 2023 Blues Blast Music Awards weekend. The two night affair featured a “who’s who” line-up of nominated musicians. There were plenty of memorable performances. One artist who definitely made an indelible impression both evenings was pedal steel guitarist DaShawn Hickman, who was nominated in the New Artist Debut Album category for his Drums Roots & Steel album, as well as for Slide Guitarist of the Year. Judging by sales at the CD table, Hickman made a lot of new fans for his inventive take on sacred steel music.

“What a great experience that was, beyond what I thought it was going to be. First, it was it was an honor to have been nominated in the two categories I was in being the new kid on the block. And then to be around so many of the great blues players of our times. Hey, that’s the goal. If you can get people on board with you, and they dig what you’re doing, then the assignment was accomplished.

“The interesting thing about being a steel guitar player, a lot of people have never heard it in the form that I grew up playing it in. Most people hear it in country and swing music, stuff like that, but they’ve never heard it in the sacred steel form. For those people, the first time hearing it, it’s kind of a shocking experience. And that’s a lot of what the conversations were like – I heard about you, but I had no idea that you could make that thing sound like that. I’ve been a fan of steel guitar all my life, but now I’m definitely a fan after hearing you play.”

Growing up, Hickman’s mother was learning to play the lap steel guitar. When he was about five years old, she asked him if he wanted to learn the instrument. She ended up giving it to him, and he has been playing ever since that day.

“My Mom got to be really good, and she encouraged me. If it’s something that you want to do, you do it. She could play, up until she passed in 2009. The lap steel guitar is mainly a six string, but you can get them in eight string, I’ve seen them go as high as ten strings. You will see some that have legs, but for the most part they sit in your lap. They’re usually tuned to an open G, or open A, kind of like the dobro.

“The movements are all over the place, versus with a pedal steel, which you can get configured to 10, 12, 14, strings, then you have double 10s that actually have 20 strings, but they’re two separate necks, or double 12s, two separate necks with 24 strings. So like a guitar player bending his strings, I have the ability to press a pedal and get the same effect. And I can do it on the fly versus having to physically bend my strings. And I’m able to get more chords, more single note runs. It’s a lot of moving parts with the pedal steel, everything on that guitar moves except for the wood.

Hickman uses a Carter pedal steel. It’s a single 12 string instrument with 7 and 5 string arrays, 7 pedals, and 5 knee levers. But Hickman only plays it as nine string, taking three strings off of it, unless he is playing on a recording session, when he will add the three strings, which allows him to get more chordal tones. As a matter of comfort, the nine string arrangement works best for him.

“Growing up I played more six string and eight string lap steel than I did pedal steel. I didn’t get into pedal steel until I was around 14 or 15. I just found that those same strings that I was using on my eight string lap steel, I could do the same with the pedal steel and still get everything that any other steel player gets. People say, man, you’re missing the G sharp. And I was like, well, no, I’m not missing it. I can just go up here and do the exact same thing that you’re doing.”

The guitarist still lives in his hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina, where he was born on December 17th, 1981. “I’ve moved away a couple of times, but I always find myself coming back home. I just love Mount Airy, it’s a beautiful place to live.”

The switch from lap steel to pedal steel came as a result of an encounter with another player at a regional church convention.

“I had heard pedal steel in the church because we have our national convention up in Nashville, so I would hear guys like Chuck Campbell, Glenn Lee, those guys playing pedal steel. But you know, it really didn’t capture my interest. But this particular summer, a guy by the name of Denard Elliott was here from Florida, playing a double neck Emmons pedal steel. That was the first time I had seen one up that close and personal, you know, to see how it worked.

“ It really caught my attention, the way he was playing it. And I wanted to dive into that because it seemed like it was a whole lot easier to play some of the things that I was doing on the lap steel that cause me to have to move so much. He was just in one position doing those things. My mom and I had stopped by the Emmons shop, which was in Burlington, North Carolina at the time. And she bought me my first one out of that shop.”

For Hickman, music-making was for church, or playing with other family members. His instrumental prowess was a well-kept secret.

“Growing up, nobody really knew that I played pedal steel guitar, only the people that I went to church with. Me and my cousins, we didn’t play out or anything like that. It was solely for church services. In church, the majority of the musicians learned how to play multiple instruments. So I played the bass, I played the steel, and I played drums.

“People that knew me thought I was a drummer, because things at school or somebody’s house, I was always playing the drums. So nobody even knew that I played pedal steel. And most of them still, even on Facebook now, are just finding out that I play steel guitar. So it definitely wasn’t a “girls dig the guitar player” thing with us, cause nobody knew unless you came to the church and you saw it. Our friends in the neighborhood just knew the guys on the hill played music.”

Hickman grew up in the Church of the Living God, Keith Dominion, which makes the steel guitar a major focus of the worship service. The Jewell Dominion is another branch that utilizes the guitar. That may be the sole difference that separates those entities from other Penecostal Dominions of the faith.

“ I was about 18 years old my first time playing outside of the church. It was a family band with drums, bass, and two steel guitars. My cousin was also playing steel guitar at the time. We went to a steel guitar convention in Florida and a fellow by the name of Malcolm Carroll, who was from Durham, North Carolina, was there. He didn’t know that the sacred steel thing was going on in North Carolina. Our first outside gig was at a place called Bully’s Basement and it was a party Malcolm had every year in celebration of his recovery from cancer. He’d been in love with this music for a long time but just didn’t know it was this close by.

“At that time we were using my grandmother’s name as the band name. Her name was Mabel Allen. So we went by Mabel’s Boys. Later on we changed the name to the Allen Boys. Looking back, I kind of think Mabel’s Boys probably would have stuck better. It would have been more catchy.

“We were fortunate enough to do some really good things, mainly playing in the North Carolina area. We did a lot of the festivals in this region. We were well on our way. And then life just happened. You know, you have some that go off to college and things like that. And it kind of just fizzled out. But we were very fortunate too. In a short period of time, the band like it went from doing like maybe two festivals a year, then the last two years of us being able to play together, 2006 and 2007, I think we hit all but ten of the festivals that they have here in North Carolina.”

Once the Allen Boys came to the end, Hickman kept playing, doing his best to answer any calls or requests for his services, a free-lance pedal steel player for hire.

“I have a theory. I usually don’t say no to gigs, because they may very well lead somewhere. That was the first time I had started doing my own thing, putting together another band. It was the typical process, you go out on your own, it takes time to build it back up, because people know you for what they knew you for. But I was still able to get some really good gigs, and make some really good contacts. But, as time went on, that kind of fizzled out, too.”

Like so many musicians, Hickman ended up getting a “day” job while playing some shows on the side when he could. There was one more attempt to get the family band back together in 2018, but there wasn’t enough to keep it going. Musically things were looking bleak until a chance meeting offered some signs of hope.

“In 2021, I had a show in Greensboro, North Carolina, at a place called the Flat Iron club. Guitarist Charlie Hunter actually was there. I had met Charlie earlier at the North Carolina Folk Festival. He was the moderator of a forum that I was part of with myself, a slack key guitar player named Ledward Kaapana from Hawaii and Redd Volkaert, who played guitar in Merle Haggard’s band. We were doing demonstrations on how you could do the same things with three different instruments, three different styles of music.

“Fast forward to that night Charlie was at the Flat Iron show. After the show was over, we were standing outside. He said, hey man, take my number down because I’d like to record with you, but I want to do it a different way. And I said, okay. I hear stuff like that all the time, but it seemed like Charlie really wanted to do something.

“Time goes by, I didn’t hear anything back from him. And then just one day out of the blue, he called me and we got to talking about it. He said, what would you want to do? My response was I want to go back and pick up on some of the stuff that I grew up hearing. However, I just want to do it the way I hear it. And he was like, that’s interesting. He said, I’ve not ever heard anybody say, I want to do it the way I hear it. It goes back to what my my mom always said, you play it the way you feel it.

A bit later, Hunter invited Hickman to his house so they could begin working on the tunes that Hickman had picked out. The pedal steel player was surprised by some of the ideas that Hunter proposed.

“To know Charlie is to know that this guy’s brain is just wired different than most musicians. He hears things that most musicians typically don’t even pay attention to. Even though he’s not a pedal steel player, he was telling me things about my instrument that I didn’t even know was there, sounds that I never even thought to come across. One idea he had was to take away the drum set. Another was to not have another guitar. He envisioned me with Charlie on bass, and two percussionists. I wasn’t sure how this is going to sound because I’m so used to having drums in the background. Charlie said his favorite words, man, don’t worry about it. It’s going to be great.

Hunter sent some recordings to Brevan Hampden, an Afro-Cuban drum percussionist, and Atiba Rorie, who is a West African drummer. Soon they were both invited to be part of the new album.

“Two totally different styles, right? I’ve never met these guys, didn’t even know they lived in North Carolina. Charlie offered to set up a show at the Flat Iron so we could start building something. I had one gig with Charlie where he played his hybrid guitar, which is what he’s known for. But that night was the first time playing with him on bass, and man, it was such a magical night. I’d never heard anything like that in my entire life. For that matter, I didn’t even know that the next day we were going to the studio to lay down a record.

“That’s how quick it happened. But the response that Thursday night was… there were people in tears, and I think everybody was just blown away by what that combination sounded like. Atiba said it best, that’s just African roots right there. I mean, to experience it, there’s no way to describe it.

“Friday comes, we get into the studio, and we laid down four songs that day. Went back in Saturday and laid down everything else. And you’re talking grown men, five of us grown men sitting in the engineer room with tears in our eyes listening to some of this stuff. It was magic. For the purpose of that record, I wanted people to hear more of what I was saying than actually the feeling. I grew up learning songs and learning how to finesse around the guitar. I wanted everything to be heard clearly. We wanted the steel guitar to be the focal point. Can a typical guitar player make it sing the way I make the steel sing? That’s the foundation of what we were taught growing up. Make it sing.”

With the recording finished, Hunter started the process of trying to find an interested record label. Months went by with out a word, then Hunter would call to assure Hickman that he was still shopping the album.

“ Finally, Charlie called back and said, Hey, I sent this to this guy named Jim Pugh. He’s a record label owner, Little Village Foundation out in Berkeley, California. At first, Jim wasn’t interested. That was our first conversation and I think it was just because of the fact that it wasn’t what he was used to hearing of sacred steel. You know, the Campbell Brothers put up a high mark on what sacred steel is. And then you have players like Robert Randolph who came out initially doing it before he crossed over and was doing everything else. Jim asked about adding a drummer. I was not open to doing that, because at that point it becomes a normal Sacred steel recording.

“During that conversation with Jim , he asked if I actually grew up in the church? And I said I was born and raised in this thing. He replied, but you don’t play it like Robert Randolph or the Campbell Brothers, the people that I’ve heard do it. I responded, that’s because I’m not them. I understand what you were expecting, but this is my interpretation. You know, I just speak in my voice.

“Jim said, I don’t know what I could do with this album. I told him, listen, do me a favor. I don’t know if anybody’s ever asked you to do this. Please, just take a few days, sit down and actually listen to it. I said, I’m not saying that you haven’t listened to it, but just really listen to it. And then let’s talk. And he said, I’ll do that. When Jim called me back, the first thing he said when I answered the phone was, I want to release it. And I all I could say was, thank you! He said, I went back and I listened to it again, and dude, you’re a player!”

As the release date for the album approached, Hickman refrained from promoting it on social media, basically not telling anyone about the project despite encouragement from his wife. He preferred to trust in God’s care, while taking a great deal of pride in the finished project.

“My wife Wendy sings on the CD and on the road, she’s right there with me. She’s not missed a show in the past year and a half that we’ve been doing this. It’s good that we can do it together. It makes it more enjoyable, she’s my comfort zone because I get nervous when I’m going to new places, being around people that I’ve not played around before. You know, a lot of times people comment that I hold my head down a lot. I’m trying to pay attention to what I’m doing. But that’s also just my nerves. I don’t want to look up because I don’t want see people staring at me like, oh my God, what is he doing? So if I look up, I’m looking at her when I need a calming moment.

“I’m getting over that. But also playing pedal steel, you’ve got to focus on what you’re doing , because that instrument will tell on you in a minute. When everything moves but the wood, you have to pay attention. But it has been a great experience having Wendy able to be there. She’s the counselor. When the sound man has missed his cues or something, I get to lay it all out to her and then we just talk about it, and we let it go.”

Besides the Blues Blast Award show weekend, Hickman recently played two shows for the Harvest Festival at Dollywood, and has some local shows scheduled before the end of the year. After that, he hopes to get started on another album.

“We will be working with Charlie again, and I think this next record is going to be more expressive. We’re going to go with the same setup instrumentally, but we’re going to add some pieces. Sonically, I’d like to go for a big sound for this one. We’re gonna expand it. I believe in the inspiration of the gospel, that’s just my foundation. But we’re gonna open it up a little bit more, get a little gritty.

“ I’ve always liked the sound of organs, so we’re gonna throw an organ in the mix. We’ll have a tamed live drummer, because I want to give space for Brevan and Atiba to really express what they do as well, what West African drumming and Afro-Cuban drumming really sounds like, and let people understand what it is. Pretty much the whole thing will be original. I’m going to go back and pick up some other things that I wanted to do for the first one and throw them on there.

“We’ll mix it up. It won’t be arrangements like the original recordings. When people do covers of songs, they can try to keep it close to the original. But growing up in church, we always took songs and just remixed the music. It sounded nothing like what was on the recording, but people were like, man, I never thought that you could put that with this song. You can change anything you want to change, just sit down, learn it, and play it like you feel it, make it sing!

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Mark Thompson lives in Florida, where he is enjoying the sun and retirement. He is the past President of the Board of Directors for the Suncoast Blues Society and a former member of the Board of Directors for the Blues Foundation. Music has been a huge part of his life for the past fifty years – just ask his wife!

Gene Butler Band – Born Inside A Hard Rock

Self-Release – 2023

www.genebutlerband.com

12 tracks; 46 minutes

Born in Macon, GA, Gene Butler now calls Southern California home. He has released seven albums with his eponymous band, operating in a musical style he dubs “Concrete Americana”; the PR blurb that accompanied the review copy describes the band as “an Outlaw Country band”. There are hints of blues in some tunes, but the album is predominantly Country and Americana. Gene wrote all the songs himself and is on vocals, guitar and occasional harmonica, with Bill Angarola on guitar and B/V’s, Matt McFadden on bass and Alan ‘Shotgun’ Weissman on drums; Julie Janney, Nathalie Blossom and Gregory Gast supply additional backing vocals on a few songs. The album was recorded in L.A.

The title track opens the album and sets out Gene’s stall with jingling country licks from the two guitars and the rhythm section setting a fast pace behind Gene’s gruff vocals. “Everybody Gets The Blues Sometimes” is a toe-tapping tune with some blues content but “Fanny Have I Told You” is more in Americana style. “In The Morning Rain Or Shine” takes the tune from RJ’s “Love In Vain” for a quiet song in which Gene admits that he is not a man to tolerate “the narrow circle of a wedding band” and has to come and go as he wants. “Sweet Loretta” is a pure country tune with nice harmonies and “Going Where The Money Is” is more in garage rock style with a bit of “Louie Louie” apparent in the chorus. Gene adds some jazzy chords on the gentle “In For Stormy Weather” before we head back to the country on “Maybe Some Day” which has the moody feel of “Ghost Riders In The Sky”.

“I’ll Go Down In The Hole For You” is an expression of devotion with some tasty guitar and a bit more of a blues feel. The familiar Diddley beat permeates “Love’s The Real Thing” to get the body moving (and is the track with harmonica too) before the band hits a tougher vein as they rock out on the grungy “Stuck At The Bottom”, a track which has a very strange chorus: “My love is like the rain, stuck at the bottom of the ocean”. In contrast the acoustic guitar riff at the heart of “A Beggar For Your Love” makes for a quiet finish to the album.

There are several attractive tunes on this album and Gene writes lyrics that move away from the standard fare. However, there is little here to attract hardcore blues fans.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK who enjoys a wide variety of blues and roots music, especially anything in the ‘soul/blues’ category. Favorites include contemporary artists such as Curtis Salgado, Tad Robinson, Albert Castiglia and Doug Deming and classic artists including Bobby Bland, Howling Wolf and the three ‘Kings’. He gets over to the States as often as he can to see live blues.

Shakura S’Aida – Hold on to Love

Self-released

www.shakurasaida.com

12 Tracks – 54 minutes

Shakura S’ Aida has a resume establishing her as a multi-faceted entertainer with credentials varying from music, theater, film and television roles. Born in Brooklyn, she lived for many years in Switzerland before returning to live in Toronto. She performed as a back-up vocalist for Rita MacNeil and Patti Labelle and was a feature vocalist for jazz musicians Jimmy Smith and Ruth Brown. She credits Bettye Lavette for helping her learn how to prepare properly for a performance. She also was the lead singer for the 13-piece world ensemble Kaleefah before embarking on a solo career. She released her first album, Blueprint, in 2008. Prior to this album, her fourth, her last previous album, Time, was released in 2012. She was nominated several times for the Canadian music Juno and Maple Blues Awards and won as Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2010 Maple Blues Awards.  She also was the first runner-up at the 2008 International Blues Challenge in Memphis and was nominated for Contemporary Female Blues Artist at the 2013 Blues Music Awards. Following her IBC performance, she has toured in 32 countries.

Her acting career has found her with roles in many movies and most recently was a performer on Schitt’s Creek and as Cora Lewis on the Batwoman TV series.  In 2014, Shakura produced and performed in The Nina Project, a four-woman tribute to Nina Simone that was performed aboard the Legendary Cruise line.

She engaged Donna Grantis, who toured with and even scored one #1 hit with Prince, as her co-producer and co-writer of her new album. Donna had previously co-written music on Shakura’s album, Time. In preparation of completing the new album she moved to Martinique where she says she spent her first leisure break in a long time. She took her time enjoying herself and writing the lyrics whenever a song came to mind and shipping them to Donna to develop into the music. A few songs had actually been recorded prior to the pandemic, but that placed a hold on recording. A couple of others had been written for the 2010 album, Brown Sugar, but were not used as they did not seem to fit the album.

The album opens with the title song as she advises “Life is hard / Just hold on till you turn it around / Don’t ever think woulda, coulda, should / Cause in a little while, things will get back to being good.” “Love will help you find your way”.  A cover of Michael McDonald’s “Takin’ It to the Streets” is given a soft, bluesy touch unlike Michael’s original, more up-tempo version. “Clap Yo Hands and Moan” was co-written and produced by Keb Mo. She sings, “I know God is listening to every word I say. / I know he is with me every single day / And if you need to call to heaven but you got the devil / stomp your feet, clap yo hands and moan.”

“Glad for Today” moves into a funky mode, maybe into Gladys Knight territory, as she warns “don’t worry about tomorrow, don’t get caught up in the yesterdays”.  She seeks a soul mate in a rousing “You’re the One”. Chuck Campbell’s steel guitar rips through the song.  Larry Fulcher from The Phantom Blues Band co-wrote and Lee Oskar guests on harmonica on “(Taste Like) Honey”. Her voice goes a little deeper on the song as she says, “you taste like honey, kisses lighter than air.”

“Doodun” is sung acapella with Kyla Charter providing backing vocals as Shakura is “searching for answers that are so hard to find / opening my heart tears me apart / Words can’t say what you don’t know / feelings have nowhere to go”. The title becomes a form of jazzy skat singing.  A second cover, J.B. Hutto’s “Too Late”, follows with a jazz story featuring Colleen Allen’s sax and Alexander Brown’s trumpet giving it a feel of a smokey joint with a sad vocalist with a glass of gin in hand. Chuck Campbell’s steel guitar immediately starts to rip up the sound on a jumping “Complicated” with “no indication of when the end is in sight”. Tony Rabalao on drums stands out as well to drive the beat on this one.

Eric Gale is featured on guitar as she tells him “Your lips tell lies / Your eyes show fear” but you “Ain’t Got Nothin” “on me”. She slows things down in a slow romantic blues as she declares “Don’t Wait for Me”. The album ends with one final cover, Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”. She again turns the song into a soft blues led by an acoustic guitar and certainly makes the song her own.

The album was nominated for the Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the 2023 Juno Awards and was certainly deserving of the nomination. Shakura’s voice is constantly smooth and enticing. Her music does vary from blues to a touch of jazz and probably into roots or frequently referenced as Americana. A very enjoyable listen.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.

Bob Margolin – Thanks

VizzTone Label Group VT-SRR-007

www.bobmargolin.com

10 songs – 36 minutes

2023 marked the 50th year since Muddy Waters enlisted Bob Margolin, a young Bostonian wielding a Gibson Archtop six-string, as the second guitarist in his legendary band. Bob celebrates the anniversary in style here. It’s the same instrument Margolin used at Muddy’s side in The Band’s Last Waltz movie, and its strings provide rich accompaniment on all ten tracks of this acoustic CD.

This is truly a masterful solo effort. Serving as the album’s producer, mixer and engineer, Margolin is responsible for all of the sounds you hear here. His warm, familiar voice — occasionally in four-part harmony — and his fretwork are exceptional. His only accompaniment is the appearance of one of his border collies, Levon, whose joyful bark spices up one cut.

A step-down intro opens “Going Down to Main Street.” Written by Muddy and first recorded in 1952, the number takes on new life as Bob delivers steady rhythm while simultaneously playing lead on slide in the style he learned from the master. It’s a love song in which the singer offers to take the lady on a shopping spree, warns her about cheating and expresses his sorrow every time the woman leaves his sight. The Band’s “Shape I’m In” follows and takes on a completely different, country-blues feel from the original through Margolin’s attack, which includes singing harmony with himself.

“Mean Old Chicago,” the first of four originals that Bob rearranged to deliver on Archtop, comes with an early Muddy feel as he announces a forthcoming trip to the Windy City, where the music community is reeling because “Death was hungry this year. He took more than his share.” It gives way to “Who,” a tune with rich history. Written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Little Walter, Bob played it frequently with another legend, R&B giant Nappy Brown, and it changes the atmosphere instantaneously here thanks to Margolin’s upbeat delivery.

Bob and Muddy co-wrote “Lonely Man Blues,” which follows. A song of regret about the absence of a lady, it features multiple guitar tracks and a plaintive feel throughout and flows comfortably into the Margolin original, “Baby Can’t Be Found,” in which the woman promises to show up at a certain hour and leaves the singer in the lurch, wondering where she might be. Penned by Jimmy Rogers — who was in the Waters band 25 years prior to Margolin’s arrival, the slow blues, “Hard Working Man,” serves up more pain, cheating on the title guy – and, hopefully, eventually coming to realize what a fool she’s been.

“For You My Love” — penned by Paul Gayten and a song Bob performed frequently with Pinetop Perkins – brightens the mood before two Margolin originals – the minor-key “No Consolation,” a complaint about searching without success for compassion, and the upbeat “Just Before Dawn,” an reverie about the break of day – bring the album to a close.

Bob Margolin delivers a big tip of the hat to Muddy and his influences here. And after giving this one a listen, you’ll be thanking him, too!

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Marty Gunther has lived a blessed life. Now based out of Mason, Ohio, his first experience with live music came at the feet of the first generation of blues legends at the Newport Folk Festivals in the 1960s. A former member of the Chicago blues community, he’s a professional journalist and blues harmonica player who co-founded the Nucklebusters, one of the hardest working bands in South Florida.

Marcel Smith – From My Soul

Little Village Records

www.littlevillagefoundation.com

13 Tracks – 59 minutes

Marcel Smith gained his interest in music from studying gospel quartets and strengthened those interests further by exploring gospel groups such as The Soul Stirrers, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and The Dixie Hummingbirds. Gospel singer Willie Washington first heard Marcel singing in church at age fifteen. Willie immediately invited Marcel to join his band, The WD Gospel Singers, in 1994.

While there are certainly gospel overtones to his vocals, Marcel takes that strong, smooth delivery into a wide range of music genres. The album consists of five originals penned by Marcel and eight covers. Kid Andersen produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the recording at his Greaseland Studio. Kid also play guitar on the album. Marcel clearly is the lead vocalist and while not listed as playing any instruments, an inside cover picture shows him playing the guitar. Other band members include Derrick “D-Mar” Martin on drums; Andre Tarczy on bass, Jim Pugh on organ and piano, Rick Estrin on harmonica, Jon Otis on percussion, John Worley on trumpet and Don Dally on strings. Guests include Jerry Jemmott on bass on track 13; Mike Rinta on trombone on tracks 6,8, & 11; Aaron Lington on sax on tracks 1,9, & 10; Tony Lufrano on organ on track 8; Eric Spaulding on sax on track 2; Lisa Leuschner Andersen providing backing vocals on tracks 10 & 11; and Sons of the Soul Survivors providing backing vocals on tracks 1,3,4, & 10. Johnny Rawls also takes a featured vocal spot with Marcel on tracks 9 & 10.

The album opens with the original “I’m Coming Home to You”, a tale of a hard-working man eager to get home to his wife after each hard day. He says, “When I look in your eyes, I don’t have a care” “My work is all done, I’m going to leave it all behind. Bad news is on the radio, y’all, I really don’t mind.” A great, romantic R&B blast that should be a mantra of every working person. “If You Miss Me”, is a smooth croon as he wonders if she misses him as “all through the day my thoughts are of you.” The third original, “What Can We Do” is another R&B classic sounding song offering a social commentary about anxiety in the world today resulting from social pressure, climate, and violence. He asks that “every person take a stand”.

The first cover is Little Richard Penniman’s “Freedom Blues”, which is an apt follow up to the previous track.  This song kicks up the gospel sound as he continues to ask, “to get rid of that old man hate” and demands “Everybody gotta be free”.  Rick Estrin jumps out on the harmonica on this one. “Willie Nelson’s “Wake Me When It’s Over” slows things down again. Marcel’s smooth voice makes the song his own and the addition of an xylophone gives it a classical air. Jimmy Liggins’ “Drunk” is a party song as Marcel announces “Okay, gentlemen we are going to have a little fun.” The horns get things jumping and the song sounds like something Sly and The Family Stone might have recorded.

Jim Pugh penned the smooth, romantic song “To Be True”. Marcel pleas, “I can’t go one more day without you / cause I know what I said, and I know just what I done / but I will do right and undo the wrong”. Marcel’s fourth original “Nothing left To Burn” lets Kid Andersen rip off some prime guitar work before Marcel lets loose on vocals. He compares the burning of a building to the fire that has been burned out in their love.

As previously noted, Johnny Rawls joins Marcel on vocals on the next two songs, which immediately brings Sam and Dave to mind. The twosome opens with O.V. Wrights 1964 hit “There Goes My Used to Be” and then follows with Tyrone Davis’ 1970 song “Turn Back the Hands of Time”, which has been performed by many other performers including Otis Clay and Bruce Springsteen. Marcel keeps the emotions out in front in his final original “My Heart Told a Lie”.  Kid’s guitar quietly underpins Marcel’s smooth vocals as the song builds with the organ coming in and backing vocalists then joining and finally the horns increasing his cry “that our love is a lie”.

Marcel’s cover of Mary Wells’ 1961 song ” I Don’t Want to Take a Chance” is an expression of fear that he just cannot stand to have his heart broken again. The album ends with a “bonus track”, the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”. He opens the track with a monologue about his mother having just passed away. He states that she put the music into his soul and this song is one that she introduced to him. He acknowledges that Al Green also sung the song. He dedicated the song to his mother’s memory.

This is classic soul and R&B with a throwback sound to the music of the 60’s and 70’s. Marcel makes every cover song his own, a testament to the power of his vocals and ability to draw you into the songs.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.

11 Guys Quartet – 11 x 11

VizzTone Label Group VT-11412

www.vizztone.com

11 songs – 31 minutes

Friends and bandmates from the Boston music scene since the ‘70s, the oddly named 11 Guys Quartet delivered a pleasing all-instrumental album, Small Blues and Grooves, in 2020 after a 35-year break from the recording studio. And they return in style – and add a couple of vocals, too – with this rock-solid collection of tradition but contemporary tunes.

The band’s fronted by Paul Lenart, a self-taught guitarist/vocalist who spent his youth playing Balkan music in the Duquesne University Tamburitzan Orchestra in his native Pittsburgh before becoming a key component of Beantown’s Bosstown Sound, hitting the road as a member of Big Mama Thornton and T-Bone Walker’s bands as part of the American Folk Blues Festival tours in Europe and becoming a member of the James Montgomery Band along with 11 Guys bassist Bill “Coach” Mather.

Bassist/vocalist Chuck Purro is a Berklee College of Music grad who was a member of Massachusetts’  Colwell-Winfield Blues Band in the ‘60s and spent time as a member of Van Morrison’s band just prior to the release of the Moonchild album. And harp player Richard Rosenblatt is another industry veteran who began life as a road dog with several Boston ensembles before founding both the long-running Tone-Cool label and joining Bob Margolin in the creation of VizzTone Label Group.

They hit the ground running on this one with “Lightning Road,” a driving instrumental shuffle propelled by Lenart on slide and Rosy on reeds and exhibiting the tightness only achievable by a band of brothers who’ve played together for decades. It flows smoothly into “Black Cat Bone,” which features Rosenblatt on a blistering lead throughout atop a powerfully lush arrangement, before things slow down for the minor-key “Blues Beyond Midnight,” a number that gives Paul plenty of space to work out on the strings.

The rapid-fire, supercharged blues-rocker, “Drivin’ a Fast Car,” featuring Purro on the mic is next, propelled by Rosy’s repeating harp run. The rhythm section shines on “Texicali Mojo,” laying down a skintight, syncopated beat before the stop-time “Stompin’ Blues” keeps the action flowing strong and Paul doubles on guitar lead and mic for “He Ain’t Got You,” which describes a “bit deranged” old guy who’s got a private chef and butler, too, but has no claim to the woman he desires.

Four more sprightly instrumentals bring the album to a finish. “Jokers Blues” features plenty of guitar-harp interplay before the slow-and-steady “Possum Blues” takes listeners on a languorous musical journey. Then “The Rona Stomp” puts a positive spin on the coronavirus epidemic before the band’s “Rockin’ the Blues” to close.

11 Guys Quartet will keep you bopping along with this one. It’s a whole lot of fun.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Marty Gunther has lived a blessed life. Now based out of Mason, Ohio, his first experience with live music came at the feet of the first generation of blues legends at the Newport Folk Festivals in the 1960s. A former member of the Chicago blues community, he’s a professional journalist and blues harmonica player who co-founded the Nucklebusters, one of the hardest working bands in South Florida.

Weezil Malone Band – Desert Drive-In

Independent – 2022

www.weezilmalone.net

12 tracks: 59 minutes

Desert Drive-In, the latest album from the Weezil Malone Band, brings an eclectic mix of blues styles-funk, groove, traditional, Delta slide, and hard-pounding rock-that would bring the most hard-edged music crowd to their feet. The band is out of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Desert Drive-In is “(a) new collection of stories about the ironies of life and the people we cross on our journey.”

The band’s catchphrase is The ROCKIN’EST little band to come ROLLIN’ through town, and this latest album reaffirms that rock-n-roll and the blues are alive and well.

Larry Fitzgerald (aka Weezil Malone), who has been making music for more than 40 years, loves songwriting, telling stories and creating memorable characters. In a recent interview, Fitzgerald reflected on his own journey and the advice he received years ago from venerable blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks. Brooks told Fitzgerald, “(j)ust keep doing what you’re doing because you love it. Not for the money, not for the worship, but because you love doing it.”

“Best advice I’ve gotten in 40 years,” said Fitzgerald.

Side Note -The “Weezil Malone” moniker came from an old duet called Rathbone and Malone, featuring Fitzgerald’s long-time friend Clayton Powers as Rathbone.

Recorded live at River City Studios in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Desert Drive-In was produced by Fitzgerald and Austin Mark Ruhstorfer, who mixed and engineered the album. In addition to writing all the album’s songs, Fitzgerald handles all vocals and guitar work. The rest of the band includes: Dave Alves on bass, Karl Schantz on drums, and Dan Giacobassi on the saxophone.

On Desert Drive-In, the ROCKIN’EST little band tears it up in the funk/groove department with tracks like “Children of Night” with Schantz’s popping bass drum and Giacobassi’s brassy sax on “Easier to Steal.” The album’s title track (“Desert Drive-In”) highlights the funk with Alves’ thumping bass and Fitzgerald’s mesmerizing guitar. “Walk Away From Me” is a playful bar boogie-style number featuring a gritty guitar intro.

“Tattoo Lady” is another gritty, guitar-heavy number that showcases both Fitzgerald’s musical chops and his candid storytelling with lyrics like, A tattoo lady, I hear her cussing like a sailor at sea. “Whiskey” continues the intricate, intimate storytelling matched with Fitzgerald’s intricate lead guitar playing.

Fitzgerald and the band show off their more traditional conventional side with songs like “Take It Away,” a rambling-down-the-road number accompanied by a solid bass beat, “I Slowed Down” with its cool intro and solid refrain, and the juke-styled “Enough Is Enough” highlighted by Fitzgerald’s smooth slide guitar and finger-picking.

“The message is that there is more to all of us than just the image we portray, there’s a moral to find in every story or another layer to discover…” the band said in its coversheet about Desert Drive-In.

Those same things could be said about the Weezil Malone Band—definitely the rockin’est little band around any town.

Writer Ken Billett is a freelance writer based in Memphis. He is a Blues Foundation member and former docent/tour guide at the Blues Hall of Fame. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Ken writes about travel, music, and the Mississippi Delta.

Frenchie Moe – Soul Full Tonight

Self-Release – 2023

www.moisette.com

9 tracks; 39 minutes

Frenchie Moe came to the States from her native France in 2011 and eventually settled in New Orleans where this album was recorded. Along the way Frenchie has been mentored by several notable bluesmen, including Victor Brox in the UK, Creighton Holley and Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington. On this disc Frenchie handles vocals and guitar, with Bruce Elsensohn on keys, Andres Villafarra or Adam Crochet on bass and Keith Hawkins or Ian Petillo on drums; Sunpie Barnes guests on accordion and vocal on one track. Frenchie produced the album with studio engineer Lewis D’Aubin. The material is all covers drawn from a wide range of artists, plus one original.

Frenchie’s voice is forceful but quite high-pitched and her distinctive style takes a little getting used to; as a guitarist she avoids excess in her solos and keeps the rhythm going well on an album which is definitely on the funky side of things. Larry Williams’ “Slow Down” is transformed from Rn’R into mid-paced funk with Frenchie’s jagged guitar work set over the popping rhythm section. Two tracks are re-titled from their originals: Muddy Waters recorded “She’s Into Something” (Carl Wright) in 1959 and Frenchie calls it “I’m Into Something”, probably the closest to a straight blues here with fine piano and guitar; perhaps Frenchie thought “Crawfish Heads” was a better fit for Louisiana than Bobby Rush’s original “Chicken Heads”! Frenchie also heads to Chicago for “Fight You Like A Man” (Morris Dollison), originally recorded by Koko Taylor on her 1985 Alligator release Queen Of The Blues, and Zora Young’s “Girlfriend”.

Elsewhere Sunpie Barnes joins Frenchie for an impressive duet on Tommy Castro and Rick Estrin’s “Backup Plan” and the funk continues with Serabee’s “Invisible Man”. The sole original is the strange title “Gator Bags A Beaver” which has some solid guitar work and buzzes along over the funky rhythm though the meaning of the lyrics evaded this reviewer. “Furry Slippers” comes from jazz organist Tony Monaco and is placed as a mid-album instrumental, swinging along with Bruce’s organ weaving patterns over Frenchie’s rhythm guitar.

If you enjoy the funky rhythms of New Orleans you may want to check out Frenchie Moe and her bandmates on this album.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK who enjoys a wide variety of blues and roots music, especially anything in the ‘soul/blues’ category. Favorites include contemporary artists such as Curtis Salgado, Tad Robinson, Albert Castiglia and Doug Deming and classic artists including Bobby Bland, Howling Wolf and the three ‘Kings’. He gets over to the States as often as he can to see live blues.

MO Blues Association – Headin’ Out

Self-Released

www.moblues.org

15 Tracks – 60 minutes

The Mo Blues Association is Central Missouri’s blues society and under the national affiliation with The Blues Foundation. MO Blues is located in Jefferson City, Missouri. In 2023, MO Blues was celebrating its 25th anniversary. Rather than expending funds to send bands to the annual IBC in Memphis, MO Blues opted instead to utilize the earmarked funds to record an album of all original music featuring bands that were members of the association. It was noted that seven of the bands are local bands that play regularly in the Central Missouri area and were involved in hosting monthly jam sessions. The eighth participating band, Lady J Huston, is from St. Louis and according to notes provided by Mo Better, joined the association for the opportunity to compete at the IBC. With exception of the last group on the album, each contributed two songs to the album.

The first band on the album is Luke Blue and The Pla-Mors. The band consists of Megan Boyer on lead vocals, Dennis Ternamian on lead vocals, guitar and bass, Jimmy Steffan on guitar, and Keith Angsten on drums. Their first song, “The Blues Rhumba”, has a bit of a jazzy feel and Spanish guitar with its rhumba rhythm. Megan has the lead vocals for this one. Dennis takes the lead on a rock ‘n’ roll number that cites his honey, his money and his friends are now “Hard to Find”.

Lady J Huston has the next pair of songs. Lady J does the lead vocals, trumpet, and percussion; Frank Dunbar provides vocals, bass and harmonica; Marty D. Spinkenser is on drums; Stephon Jenkins is on keyboards; Darryl Bassett on guitar; and Lew Winer III on tenor sax. Lady J leads with “Nibble in the Middle”, as she offers that “I can give you the best of me”, a jumping number featuring the sax, some rambunctious drumming, and a harmonica run. “Pass The Honey” offers a juke joint growl to the vocals with the trumpet and guitar out in front.

Buddah Blue Features Rick Robben on lead vocals; Paul Laemmli on guitar and vocals; Scott McCullough on harmonica; Jim Rush on bass; and Joe Odneal on drums. “Mo Jump” is their lead off song, a call and response song that establishes that “Mo Jump always cures my blues”. Paul’s guitar and Scott’s harmonica stands out. On “That’s My Babe” Rick declares “She’s one of a kind, don’t come like this from the assembly line”.

Ben Green and Friends features Ben on lead vocals and National steel guitar; Matt Griffin on harmonica and vocals; Dennis Layne Schubert on dobro and vocals, and Autumn Cuddy on vocals. They open with “Louisiana Hot Sauce”, a New Orleans blast with a harmonica lead.  He asks her to “Spend Some Time with Me” in a country blues song citing “in a world of too much of everything, but not enough time…you know you keep my feet on the ground”.

Blues Highway has Gene Thomas on lead vocals and guitar; Roger Sprague on keyboards; Joe Corrado on bass; and David Roebuck on drums. On “The Circus” He says he is “working two jobs just to make ends meet”, but she has “plenty of money, honey, because your circus is still in town.” “Blues Highway” gets down in the blues as he says, “rolling down blues highway is a way of life for me. Lord knows when I wake up, blues is all I see”. Roger’s honky tonk piano is featured.

Mick Byrd features Mick on vocals and guitar, Brad Edwards on guitar; and Raymond Spillers III on cajon and percussion. “Love Too Strong” is a blues rock number with some nice guitar work. Mick growls that “the feelings that you never lose” is “Just the Blues”.

Dayne Hudek on vocals and guitar teams as a duet with David Summers on harmonica. On “Tell Me”, Dayne Hudek asks “what is on your mind, comin’ home late from the bar” and certainly, offers the blues. “Miss You” is a slow blues with David’s harmonica soaring along and seems to be a natural follow-up to their previous song as Dayne proclaiming “I wake up in the night / baby I’m a man / I’ve got needs”.

Graj Mahal has Mike Aholt on lead vocals and guitar; Curtis Williams on guitar and vocals; Wayne Castleman on sax and vocals; Shawn Crum on bass and vocals; Vanessa Vaughan on drums and percussion. Their sole song “What Do You Think About That” is another call and response song citing things that result in being called the blues.

The album is available for sale for $10 on the Mo Blues Association’s web site provided in the lead of this review.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.

Umberto Porcaro – Take Me Home

EPOPS – 2023

www.facebook.com/UPorcaro

11 tracks; 50 minutes

Umberto Porcaro was born in Palermo, Italy, plays guitar beautifully and writes his own material. This was the first time that I have heard his music but a quick look online shows that he has recorded several albums since his debut outing in 2002 and lived on the US West Coast for a few years in the mid-nineties. On this album ten songs are Umberto’s, plus one written by keyboards man Giulio Campagnolo. The rest of the band is Stanley Sargeant on bass and Federico Paternello on drums. Three guests put in an appearance each: Lurrie Bell vocal and guitar, Anson Funderburgh guitar and Marco Pandolfi harp. The album was recorded in Trieste, Italy and produced by Moreno Buttinar who sits in on drums on one track.

The two opening tracks give a good impression of Umberto’s abilities. “Run Into My World” is mid-paced with lots of expressive guitar, Umberto’s smoky vocals doing the job, with just a little accent; “Out Of The Storm” has plenty of smooth Hammond work to back up Umberto’s stylish guitar flourishes which recall BB King at times. Lurrie Bell brings some Chicago power to the shuffle “It’s My Pleasure To Play The Blues”, exchanging vocal and guitar choruses with Umberto, his more jagged style bringing a contrast in style. In this modern age one assumes that Lurrie (and Anson) added their parts remotely, but you would not know from listening to the tunes, all credit to Umberto and Moreno. Umberto requests “Don’t Push Me”, a short, snappy tune driven by urgent drumming and some wah-wah inflected guitar, so maybe the result will be to “Bring Me Down”, a slower tune with delicate guitar and warm waves of Hammond.

“Love Is Risin’” is a lovely tune with excellent guitar and double-tracked slide and the grammatically suspect title “You Was” has a moody feel; the vocals, however, sound rather strained on both these tracks. The title cut “Take Me Home” has a relaxed style with brushed drums, warm Hammond and subtle guitar fills, suiting Umberto’s vocals well before he cuts loose on guitar in the closing section. Anson duels with Umberto on “Cool World”, adding a distinctly Texan vibe to the track which rocks along attractively. We return to a moodier feel on “Rollin’ Down Below”, the heavy sound achieved without the bass player, so one assumes that the deep drone in the background is a keyboard effect; Marco’s harp adds further to the eerie feel of the track. The album closes with Giulio’s “Mountain Cheese”, a jazzy instrumental that harks back to the cool organ trio sounds of 1960’s artists like Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff.

Overall there is plenty to enjoy here, especially Umberto’s guitar work which always tastefully fits the tune. Add in the sprinkling of guests and you have a very listenable album which avoids the excess of so many guitar-driven outings.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer John Mitchell is a blues enthusiast based in the UK who enjoys a wide variety of blues and roots music, especially anything in the ‘soul/blues’ category. Favorites include contemporary artists such as Curtis Salgado, Tad Robinson, Albert Castiglia and Doug Deming and classic artists including Bobby Bland, Howling Wolf and the three ‘Kings’. He gets over to the States as often as he can to see live blues.

Kevin William Ball – Helluva Town

Self-Released

www.lancecowanmedia.com/kevin-william-ball

10 tracks – 39 minutes

Kevin William Ball was born in California but grew up in Southwest Michigan. He has been playing in various bands since he was twelve years old and has played in various genres including rock, country, bluegrass and blues. He released his first original single in 1974. In 1989, he moved to Nashville and wrote music for other artists. His own band then called Kevin Ball and The Busters released an album in 2001. Other albums followed with his focus on the blues. However, as time passed, he says that he has moved his focus into Americana music which is also sometimes in a blues vein. He cites an interest in Guy Clark and Townes van Zandt for his current direction.

Kevin plays acoustic and electric guitar on all ten original tracks that were either written or co-written by him. He also provides the lead vocals on all tracks. Dave Coleman, who produced and engineered the album, plays lead guitar on all tracks and adds bass on four other songs. Joe Bidwell plays keyboards on seven tracks and adds backing vocals on two. Several other artists guests on various instruments and tracks.

Kevin’s deep, whiskey-soaked voice kicks off the title song as he declares Nashville is a “Helluva Town”. “It will kick you down and then turn around and pick you up again”. While specific to Nashville, he says that it could apply to just about any town. “Teardrops and Tequila Shots” sounds like something Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen might have recorded. “California Kid” seems to be autobiographical as he explains his early life learning to play on a plastic guitar and his growth as a musician. Interesting lyrics tell a solid story.

On “Hard-Headed Heart”, he wails that “I can’t count the times I let a good love go bad. I just keep losing the best thing I ever had.” He describes his heart as “stubborn as a mule and just about as smart”.  “Slow Rolling” rocks out as he finds himself “on the tracks to love…I’m slow rolling but I will get there soon enough.” “Waiting On the Rain” is a deeply county song with Pete Finney’s pedal steel leading the song. He notes that “there is no mercy when it is hurting time…Here comes the blues.”

On “You Ever Get to Memphis” is another personal song written from the perspective of the times he spent in the city and was waiting for that someone special while stating that “New York City was never for me”. He says in the liner notes that the song is the story of his life. Dana Cooper plays the harmonica on this song.  Next, he says he knows “this girl, such a beautiful girl / it’s a mystery to me how she makes me feel”. It’s a “Soul Thing”.

On “Mo You Know”, “you think you got her down, all figured out, got you spinning around without a doubt, but you got to pay attention, she’s an education of the heart”. Kevin attributes the last track, “Train Song (For Skip)” to a “loud-mouthed, opiniated guy who worked sound at the Radio Cafe” named Skip Litz-Scuffy. One night, when Kevin was performing at the bar, Skip yelled “Play a f…ing train song”, which is something he yelled at every performer that played there. Kevin realized that he did not have a train song, so he went home that night and wrote the song. Next time he played the Radio Cafe, he played the song following Skip’s routine demand for one. Skip loved the song so much that he placed a live recording of the song on his website. Dana Cooper again adds harmonica to the song.

Let’s call Kevin’s music country soul, with an emphasis on the country or Americana sound. Listening to the lyrics, I find myself thinking what the songs would have sounded like if sung by Waylon Jennings, not that Kevin’s voice is a gruff as Waylon’s, but simply that the style of the music on this album seems to fit songs that Waylon would sing. Kevin’s voice while deep, is still smooth and very suited to these songs.

Writer John Sacksteder is a retired civil engineer in Louisville, Kentucky who has a lifelong love of music, particularly the blues. He is currently the Editor of the Kentuckiana Blues Society’s monthly newsletter.