Issue 18-2 January 11, 2024

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Cover photo © 2024 Peter Jordan


 In This Issue 

Anita Schlank has our feature interview with Lil’ Jimmy Reed. We have six Blues reviews for you this week including new music from Chris Yakopcic, Tim Woods, Omar & The Howlers, KA & the Blue Devils, Mighty Mo Rodgers and Joanne Broh Band featuring Garry Meziere. Our Video of the Week is Carolyn Wonderland. Scroll down and check it out!


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 Featured Blues Review – 1 of 6 

imageChris Yakopcic – Live At The Hidden Gem

Yako Records

www.chrisyakopcicmusic.com

12 songs time – 47:19

Chris Yakopcic is a fingerstyle guitar player extraordinaire-singer-songwriter-blues singer hailing from Dayton Ohio. His rhythmic, high-energy thumb-bass picking is the perfect complement to his lyrically creative originals and his interpretations of his blues hero’s catalog. He takes on a few classic singer-writer songs as well. This live recording finds Chris in high energy mode. It is a wonder how he can rattle off the lyrics in his pleasantly pleading voice while working his fancy fingered picking magic simultaneously.

He leads off this set with his own upbeat and fast-paced “Gotta Get Goodbye Somehow”. His rhythmic guitar keeps pace with his spitfire lyrics. The same approach is followed on “When It All Goes Wrong At Once”. “The Hangover” is self-explanatory, a recounting of a drunken night. He delivers one of two originals that are close to blues. The first being “Sounds Of The Highway” that features Resonator guitar, giving the tune authenticity. The tempo is slowed down for “My Last Three Strings” with a plaintive vocal. Singer-songwriter meets bluesman on “Sweet Time Blues”. His guitar playing is melodic here and he incorporates an instrumental excerpt of “St. Louis Blues”.

He tackles two non-blues covers. I am not familiar with Leonard Cohen’s “Tower Of Song”, but he presents it as an energetic almost blues song. Tom Waits’s “2:19” is taken at a quicker pace, but otherwise it is true to form.

The remainder of cover songs are by two blues icons. He favors Robert Johnson as he includes three of his. “Traveling Riverside Blues” begins slow and deliberate and at mid-point he revs it up against manic guitar strumming, only to bring it back to a slow finish. The first song he learned to play, “Kind Hearted Woman”, is given a good reading. Chris breaks out his slide for “Preachin’ Blues” and proceeds to go to town with it. Mournful finger-picking permeates Blind Blake’s “Chump Man Blues”. It is uncanny how Chris at times reinvent these classics and all the while keeping it fresh.

This is an artist at the heights of his powers, whether it is his singer-songwriter or blues repertoire. The guitar God’s are truly shining down on this guitar wiz-kid. His guitar prowess would be enough, but no, he is also a brilliant lyricist. This record is a pleasant respite from the usual fare of blazing guitar blues. Run don’t walk to pick this gem up pronto Tonto!

Reviewer Greg “Bluesdog” Szalony hails from the New Jersey Delta.


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 Featured Blues Review – 2 of 6 

imageTim Woods – For You

Independent, 2023

www.timwoodsmusic.com

Ten Tracks,  40 minutes

Originally from Western Pennsylvania, but transplanted to Macon, Georgia, guitarist singer-songwriter Tim Woods has released his fourth solo album, For You.  Joining him on this album is Bobby Lee Rodgers, who plays guitar, bass, and keyboards.  There are also guest appearances by Paul Hornsby playing the Hammond B-3 on one track, and Erik Lawrence offering saxophone for an additional track.

The ten original songs on this album display a wide variety of influences, beginning with a clearly rock number, aptly titled “Can’t Stop Rockin’.”  “Are You Kind” shows evidence of being influenced by 70’s rock, and “Mimic” is a funky instrumental number.  Even the track entitled “Low Down Blues” is not clearly blues, as it shows traces of the influence of both the late ‘60s Beatles’ and Steppenwolf’s music.  In fact, psychedelic blues appears to be the strongest influence on this album, and is most clearly seen in “Low Down Blues,” “Believe,” and “The Story”.

Woods is a skilled songwriter, and his lyrics are frequently very inspirational, which is welcome during these trying times.  “Low Down Blues” notes, “Looking for peace in this madness…I know there are better days ahead.  Nothing will stand in our way.  I know that sometimes you feel like crying, but our love is here to stay.  Get rid of these low-down blues.  Take away these low-down blues.”

Additionally, “Believe” encourages others to “believe in yourself.  People have their moments.  They hold their fists in rage.  Me, I’m just sitting here, turning the next page.  Believe in yourself, you can make it through.”

While blues purists may take issue with the distance this album strays from ‘old school’ blues, the talent of these musicians is undeniable.  And those who enjoy the fusion of rock and psychedelic blues will easily see why this album is deserving of a place in your collection.

Writer Anita Schlank lives in Virginia, and is on the Board of Directors for the River City Blues Society. She has been a fan of the blues since the 1980s. She and Tab Benoit co-authored the book “Blues Therapy,” with all proceeds from sales going to the HART Fund.


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 Featured Blues Review – 3 of 6 

imageOmar & The Howlers – Magic Man

M.I.G. Music

www.omarandthehowlers.com

2 CDs, 13 and 8 tracks/53 and 48 minutes respectively

Omar Dykes stopped touring and recording in 2017 due to issues with the use of his arms. He is now returning to the studio and hopefully with tour again. His new album, also released in 2023, is paired up with this live show from Germany in 1989 as their his and the band’s newest albums.

The band for the live show is Omar Dykes on vocals and guitar, John Immon on guitar, Bruce Jones on bass and Gene Brandon on drums. Recorded live at the “Modernes” in Bremen, Germany on February 9, 1989, Dykes and company put on a rocking good time that was captured in this two-CD set. This version of the band was his ensemble for most of that era when they played to packed houses and festivals in Scandinavia and all over Europe. They became the darlings of the music scene across the pond, and did many a tour to the delight of their European fans.

“Wall Of Pride” opens the first CD, first released on an album of the same name. Dyke’s famed vocals that give the listener a feeling it’s Wolfman Jack are gritty and fun and there is equally dirty guitar licks to accompany the vocals. “Don’t Lead Me On” continues the onslaught, more great, driving music about woman problems. Those issues continue with “Loud Mouth Woman,” a nice shuffle that rouses the listener and makes your juices flow. Jimmy Reed’s “Down In Mississippi” is he first cover of the recorded show. Slow, grinding, dirty blues that transition into some major guitar licks and solos. Prime stuff.

“Border Girl” picks things back up, a jumping and rocking cut. “Dancing In The Canebreak” follows, a slower tempo cut that is as close as Dykes gets to a ballad here. More rousing guitar, too. “Modern Man” and “Omar’s Shuffle” are a pair of originals that are fun. A country rocker and instrumental shuffle that are both delights. Then it’s “East Side Blues,” some down and dirty slow blues with a heap of grit and grime to get the listener’s attention.

Little Johnny Jones’ 1954 Atlantic cut “Hoy! Hoy! Hoy!” gets a third Hoy added to the title and get transformed from a bit of a swinging R&B cut to a full out, wild rocking ride at 100 miles an hour! Whew! “Too Much” by Oscar Boyd is up next, another old Jimmy Reed tune. Dykes and company give it a great play. “Dimestore Hoodoo” follows, a fun, rocking cut. They conclude the first CD with Freddie Kings’s “Hide Away,” and Omar and the boys do a fine job with this classic.

“Green River,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s hit gets an even grittier performance than the original as Dykes growls out the lead vocal. Guitars wail as the Howlers do their thing. Dykes’ “Funky Time” is next, a very funky instrumental with lots of guitar licks to savor. The Animals “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” gets turned into an Omar and the Howlers rocking good time. “Bad Seed” and “Rattlesnake Shake” are a couple of slick originals featuring the band doing what they do best- rocking out and keeping the audience on the edges of their seats.

“Hard Times In The Land Of Plenty” is another driving original and it’s followed up by “Magic Man,” another hi energy original cut that Dykes tells the listeners that it takes you to his home in Macoomb, Mississippi. Whether it was the Algiers Marching Band as he claims possible or Bo Diddley, he scratches out a Bo Diddley-styled beat and grunts and growl out the lead vocals for eleven minutes to this tune that the album takes its’ title from.  The finale is “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ball,” the 1950’s Jerry McCain cut that Omar revels in as he sings and plays with passion. He and the band get a great groove going and they let I all hang out for over eight and a half minutes.

Omar and the Howlers are a party waiting to happen. High energy, rocking tunes and the signature Dykes growling vocals that he likens to a grizzly bear on steroids are trademarks of the band and something that drew and continues to draw in their fans to listen to their music. This is a great album of a show from 35 years ago that is still sounding as hot and fresh as it did in 1989!


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 Video Of The Week – Carolyn Wonderland 

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This video is Carolyn Wonderland performing “The Laws Must Change” at the White Mountain Blues Fest in 2022. (Click image to watch!)

Carolyn Womderland is performing at the Winter Blues Fest in Des Moines, IA  on Friday, February 9th, 2024.

For tickets and info on this great Blues event visit https://cibs.org or click on their ad in this issue!


 Featured Interview – Lil’ Jimmy Reed 

imageThere are few blues musicians still alive who have witnessed the entire evolution of the genre, but Leon Atkins, (better known as “Lil Jimmy Reed”), at 85-years-old, is one of them.  Like Bobby Rush and Buddy Guy, Atkins has a surprising amount of energy for an octogenarian, and he also has charisma that is quickly evident during his live performances.

Raised in a ‘shotgun’ house in a sawmill town in Louisiana, Atkins grew up listening to the live music being played in the club across the street from his home.  He particularly loved Jimmy Reed’s music.  Leon’s first instrument was actually a harmonica, which he learned to play as a pre-teenager.  Then a neighbor made him a three-string cigar box guitar and he played that until his father came into some money and offered to buy the children presents.  Atkins asked for a guitar and his father bought him a Gibson electric guitar.

“I got the guitar on a Monday and by Saturday I was playing in the club.  I didn’t have any lessons–it just came naturally to me.”

At the age of around nineteen, Atkins was asked once to fill in for Jimmy Reed, who was too drunk to play a show he had booked in an auditorium, and Atkins did so well many people thought he was Jimmy Reed.  People started calling him “Lil Jimmy Reed” and it was a nickname that he still uses to this day.  But Atkins has always held jobs outside of the music industry, beginning with a job in the sawmill, and then graduating from Barber College and cutting hair.  He then spent twenty years in the military, working in personnel.  While in the military he spent eleven years in Alaska and traveled to several other countries, including Germany.

“I had a big family and needed to provide for them, and I always wanted to be able to retire from somewhere, so it worked out for me. But everywhere I went through the military I would be forming little bands and still playing the blues.   I have 37 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and 7 great-great-great grandchildren.  imageBut most of them live in Louisiana and I live in Alabama, so we’re kind of spread out. At one point I started to quit playing the blues, but I was talking to Little Milton, and he said, ‘don’t give up.  Keep going and don’t ever stop.’  So, I kept going.  I’m not afraid to get on stage with nobody.  I know what I’m doing, and what I’m doing is something they can’t do.”

Playing the ‘Chitlin Circuit’ during those early years, Atkins witnessed considerable racism and discrimination.  Additionally, since he did not have any training on the business side of the music industry, he has also experienced people who have taken advantage of him financially.

“Sometimes booking agents steal money from the musicians.  I had a man once book me a show in Sweden, and he asked me if I would be willing to go play in Sweden for a thousand dollars.  I said yes.  After the show, the man who booked the festival asked me what I had been paid, and when he found out I had only been paid a thousand he was upset because he said he had given the booking agent four thousand dollars to hire me.  I should have known something wasn’t right.  The booking agent brought his mama, his wife, and his daddy with him to Sweden, and they were all sitting in first class while I was at the back of the plane. When I asked the guy about it, he said that it was my fault because I had agreed to a thousand, and it was none of my damn business how much money he made.”

Atkins most recently signed with Nola Blue Records and released an album that is a collaboration with the young, extremely talented keyboardist named Ben Levin, and his equally talented keyboardist father, Aron.  Atkins was asked how they ended up working together.

“Ben met me.  He had seen me on Facebook and he called me, and he and his dad sent for me.  Then we recorded that album (Return to Baton Rouge), and I think it turned out pretty good.   He loves the blues, that young boy.  Me and him like the same thing.  He would just really get into it when I play.”

Ben was eager to express his admiration for Atkins, noting, “It’s an honor for me to work with Jimmy, who’s truly a living legend of the blues. Our relationship started out as a collaboration, and I feel blessed to now call Jimmy a friend. He has taught me a lot about music, and life in general. I look forward to the next time we share the stage!”

imageWhile the festival scene in the United States seems currently to be heavily focused on blues-rock, other countries still cherish traditional blues and greatly appreciate Atkins’ work.  He noted that he has been to many countries.

“I’ve played in Sweden, England, Germany, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Lebanon, Jerusalem.  You name it!  I’ve been everywhere except Japan and China. When I played England once the crowd started screaming and hollering, and I thought they were doing that for me.  I found out later the Queen had walked in.  I didn’t get to see her, but I guess she came to hear me.  I’d like to play more festivals in the United States, though, because at 85, traveling is getting to be a bit much for me.  I just got back from England and I’m still getting over the worst cold I’ve ever had in my life.”

“I particularly liked playing on the streets in Helena during the King Biscuit Blues Festival.  I liked that even better than the main stage.  I finished my set on the main stage and went over and played all day long on the street stage.  You’re closer to the people on those stages on the streets, and you know they are coming there to really hear the blues.  And you can actually make more money there.”

After performing in nearly every country and sharing the stage with so many music legends, Atkins was asked if there was anything still left on his “bucket list” that he hoped to do, any young artists (other than Ben Levin) that impress him, and any advice he would give to young artists.

“I’d like to meet Eric Clapton.  I like the kind of blues he plays but have never had the chance to meet him before.  As far as young artists, I was impressed with my friend, Kingfish (Christone “Kingfish” Ingram).  At least when he started, he was playing the blues. I’m not so sure what he’s doing now.”

“It seems like everybody wants to play loud, screaming guitar, and that ain’t blues to me.  As far as advice goes, I don’t really have advice.  I guess, whatever you are doing, just do it your best.  That’s all I can tell them.”

Atkins is known for his volunteer work, as he brings his music to nursing homes whenever he is not out touring.

“I had twelve nursing homes that I played in before the pandemic.  That number is down now because some places are still closed due to the pandemic.  But I love playing in nursing homes.  A lot of people don’t get out of bed until I come.  Sometimes they roll the bed in there with the person still in it, until they hear me play.  To me, music is good for you.  It’s good for the soul!”

Witnessing this living legend play music live will be good for your soul too.  You can find out more about Lil Jimmy Reed, including his tour dates at www.liljimmyreed.com and can purchase his latest album at NBR ARTISTS | Nola Blue Records (nola-blue.com)

Writer Anita Schlank lives in Virginia, and is on the Board of Directors for the River City Blues Society. She has been a fan of the blues since the 1980s. She and Tab Benoit co-authored the book “Blues Therapy,” with all proceeds from sales going to the HART Fund.



 Featured Blues Review – 4 of 6 

imageKA & the Blue Devils – Anywhere

Self-Release – 2023

www.ka-musique.com

11 tracks; 52 minutes

Based in the South of France, this is the second album released by KA & the Blue Devils, a band axed round the writing and singing of Carole Grimi (KA) and her husband Jean-François Rebsamen (Jeff) who plays guitar and co-wrote eight of the eleven songs. Joining the couple are Romain Petite on keys and harmonica, Christophe Barreau on bass and Thierry Le Gail on drums; Virginie Behem adds backing vocals. KA writes and sings in both French and English with four songs here in French and seven in English. She has a strong voice and carries off the songs well, albeit with a definite accent when she sings in English. The material includes some blues, as well as rock, soul and funk elements.

A funky rhythm underpins opener “A Piece Of My Heart”, the bass prominent in the mix, before KA delivers an emotive song about what really matters in life – family and friends. The central solo is Romain’s harmonica while Jeff concentrates on the wah-wah rhythm. The title cut is also in English, opening with acoustic guitar before building in intensity as KA describes the anguish of a young girl who feels trapped and wants to be “Anywhere”, Jeff playing some dramatic guitar to match KA’s intense vocals on the outro. Switching to French KA sings a rolling ballad entitled “A La Lumière De Del” (By The Light Of Del) and “Halley Blues”, a fast-paced shuffle with fine piano and guitar that fairly rockets along. Back to English for big ballad “A World Of Colors”, lots of swirling keys and backing vocals and Jeff matching the drama of KA’s vocals in his guitar work.

The next two are more in a rock style: “Le Pacte” (The Pact) is again in French, an attractive rocker in which KA states that “I nearly lost my mind” and “signed the pact”; “It’s All Over” has a catchy core riff over which KA delivers an ultimatum to her guy, Jeff pulling out another impressive solo. “Love Is Stronger Than Anything” is a slow blues and the longest track, its six minutes allowing Jeff to take his time, playing well in a reserved style. The band sets a rocking pace on “Queen Of Rock N’Roll”, led by Romain’s terrific piano which makes it impossible to sit still while listening to this one. “La Nuit” (The Night) opens with a male spoken vocal before KA enters with a dramatic vocal, the harmonica adding a sense of loneliness to a song about how insignificant humans are: “we are all made from the dust of stars”. The album closes on a soulful note with “I Fly Ahead Above My Soul”.

There is plenty of attractive music here, mainly in rock mode but with a few dashes of blues.

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.


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 Featured Blues Review – 5 of 6 

imageMighty Mo Rodgers – Memphis Callin’: Soul Music & the American Dream

Drinking Gourd Records

www.mightymorodgers.com

11 songs – 36 minutes

A classically trained pianist who grew up surrounded by world-class blues and R&B artists in his father’s nightclub in East Chicago, Ind., Mighty Mo Rodgers may be in his 80s, but there’s a mighty fire still burning inside him, something he displays in this silky-smooth statement of love for the sounds emanating from Memphis.

Mo has been hooked on the music since his early teens, when he and a friend and regularly sneaked into the Chicken Shack, once a notorious club in nearby Gary, where Willie Dixon, Eddie Boyd, Jimmy Reed and other top talents played for an audience that worked hard in the steel mills by day and partied just as hard – or harder – at night and by the sounds of Stax and Muscle Shoals that dominated the airwaves in the mid-‘60s.

One of the deepest thinkers in the blues world, Rodgers started playing professionally while still in high school and began a lifelong exploration of songwriting while a student at Indiana State University, subsequently trading his school books for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, where he gigged with Reed, Albert Collins, T-Bone Walker, Bobby “Blue” Bland and others, including Brenton Wood, playing Farfisa organ on his 1967 hit, “Gimme Some Kind of Sign,” and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s Sonny & Brownie LP, which he co-produced.

A polished tunesmith who earned a philosophy degree from California State University-Northridge, Mo wrote songs for Motown and Chappel & Company for decades before recording the first of his eight albums, Blues Is My Wailing Wall, in 1999. But his debut could have come much earlier, as this CD shows, because four of the tracks here are long-lost treasures captured for a planned LP in L.A. in the ‘70s with the backing of the full lineup of Booker T. & the MGs – Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn and Willie Hall.

A truly international, deeply funky effort, the majority of this set was recorded in France, Italy and the U.S. Rodgers is on vocals and piano with Luca Giordano on guitar, Abramo Riti on organ, Walter Monini on bass, and Alessandro Svampa on drums. Sax Gordon Beadle led and arranged the horn section, which includes Alessandro Di Bonaventura on trumpet and Maurice Gainen on tenor sax. And harp player Darryl Dunmore and percussionist Eric Cisbani sit in, too.

The golden era of blues-infused soul lives again from the opener, “Memphis Callin’,” which pays tribute to the magical allure of the music of Otis Redding and others that once emanated from Sun Studios, Stax and more. It’s propelled by a driving beat and steady horn accents. The stop-time pleaser, “Sing for Your Supper,” picks up intensity slightly as Mighty Mo recounts a life lesson he learned from his father – that you’re only as good as the last tune you’ve sung. Giordano shines on the mid-tune break.

“Love, Love, Love” opens with a tried-and-true horn flourish before becoming a slow-and-steady ballad about getting a bad case of the blues when a relationship go south before the tempo picks up again for “Bad, Bad Luck,” which bemoans a life full of trouble, which appears to be a matter of fate. A swinging tip of the hat to “The Chitlin Circuit” follows before things slow down for “If Reincarnation Is True,” a ballad that expresses the desire to return in an afterlife to a woman once lost, found again and a soulmate for all eternity. A plea for equality and understanding follows in “The March,” which states that Rev. Martin Luther King’s dream is still alive.

Despite sitting in the can for almost 50 years, the remaining four tracks featuring the MGs follows effortlessly from what’s come before and is just as vital. Rodgers expresses homesickness for Indiana in “San Francisco (You’re a Holiday),” but states that the city always makes him feel like a little boy with a brand new toy. But as he admits in the sweeping number that follows, “Indiana (Calls My Name)” no matter where he might be.

Two more treasures — “Woman of the Rain,” a driving shuffle that describes driving down the highway and picking up a lady walking in a downpour, and “Heart Be Still,” a burner that pleads that the organ not reveal his deep love for the lady – bring the album to a close.

If you’re a child of the ‘60s or ‘70s, you’ll lo-o-ove this one, and if you’re not, well, you’ll love it, 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.


 Featured Blues Review – 6 of 6 

imageJoanne Broh Band featuring Garry Meziere – Head Full of Trouble

Double Y Records

www.joannebroh.com

10 songs – 45 minutes

An energetic and sultry alto who blends blues, soul and jazz into a seamless package, Joanne Broh’s a fixture on the Eugene, Ore., music scene who’s released other live sets before, but it’ll be hard to top this effort, which was three years in the making and features contributions from several world-class talents from the Pacific Northwest.

Joanne’s a performer with a sassy-yet-silky-smooth delivery that’s never overpowering but speaks directly to her audience while her band, which is led by guitarist Garry Meziere – who wrote seven of the eight originals on this one, provides fluid support throughout. She’s been honored as the female vocalist of the year by Eugene’s Rainy Day Blues Society and as a finalist in the Cascade Blues Association’s always challenging Journey to Memphis competition, a feeder to the annual International Blues Challenge.

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Don Ross, Broh and Meziere backed by Jon Brand and Ed Pierce on bass and drums throughout with appearances from Gus Russell and Pat McDougall on keys, Dave Bender, Tony Johnson, Linda Kanter and Joe McCarthy on horns and Jerry Zybach on rhythm guitar.

The uptempo shuffle, “Shakin’ It,” kicks off the action with the suggestion that “you gotta get up if you’re gonna get down.” Meziere’s single-note six-string attack drives the tune forward accompanied by the horn sections and Russell on the 88s. Joanne’s delivery flies strongly but lightly above the mix. The soulful “Damn Fool Baby” describes frustration about a wayward lover disappears frequently. The mid-tune break gives space for McDougall to shine. A star in his own right who fronts his own unit, he’s been the longtime bandleader for B.B. King drummer Tony Coleman and the Rae Gordon Band, too.

A Latin beat driven by Garry fuels the title cut, “Head Full of Trouble,” which finds Broh staring out the window on a dark, rainy morning and unable to shake the pain of having a heart and head full of misery after her man’s vanished once again. The tempo picks up for “I Believe,” a strong, bright statement about the future of mankind despite the turmoil that wracks us all today. It gives way to the quiet burner,  “Lock and Key,” which was penned by Zybach and uses the imagery to describe a much sweeter relationship without the need for much more detail. Once again, Meziere dazzles mid-tune.

“I’m in a Mood,” a medium-tempo shuffle featuring Russell, shifts the action similar to the opener with Broh ready to have a good time while having a little fun while dropping all the hate and spreading the love before the jazzy “Down the Line” — composed by Joanne – suggests that living in yesterday doesn’t help you live today. If you want to improve your situation, you’ll have to leave it all behind.

“Late December,” another strong shuffle that features McDougall, follows with the memory of a lover leaving for good and dovetails into “My Heart’s Been Broke,” which warns another man to listen closely as Joanne tells him where it’s at: that it can’t be broken anymore. The set closes with Paul Richell’s “Blues on a Holiday.” It’s a sweet request to a love lost to try to mend the fences one more time.

Highly polished and stylish blues at it’s best, and strongly recommended.

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.


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