Chicago Blues Lifters – Blues Scouts

Big Eye Records

www.ChicagoBluesLifters.com

12 tracks/42 minutes

I got wind of this album and then got a review copy in the mail. I was curious as to what this was going to be like. A cadre of some of Chicago’s finest blues men and women assembled to produce an album for us. I hoped it would live up to what it purported to be, and it did.

The album features a painting of a young boy with a big hat on his head and a huge tie draped around his neck. In his shirt pocket is a shiny harp, but the standout in the painting are two big, old drumsticks he holds up for us to see. One of the sticks has a surreal set of six metal guitar tuning pegs on it, an interesting twist. Entitled “The Blues Scout of America,” painter Dujaun Austin Sr. gives us an equally intriguing cover for a dozen new intriguing Chicago blues tunes. Produced by Kenny Smith and Michael Freeman, this album assembles a fine cast of other musicians who deliver the goods.

On the album are Smith on drums, three guitarists with a ton of talents, two pure singers, two bass players and a drummer. Billy Flynn, Ari Seder and Joey J. Saye. Flynn is a long standing guitar God. Seder many know for hos great bass work, but here he aptly handles the six stringed axe with ease. And Saye is a young and up and coming talent who is going to be enjoyed for many decades hence. Elder statesman Bob Stroeger sings and plays bass. Also sharing bass duties is Brian Burke. Willie Oshawny “Piano Willie” is on the 88 keys and sings for us, too. Michael Avery, the fantastic West Side vocalist, and Kimberly “Hot Sauce” Johnson, an Illinoisan who ventured out for music education and the theater before coming to Chicago to explore her roots in Gospel. blues and soul here, are the two vocalists who share their great voices with us.

Michael Avery fronts the band well for the lead cut that he penned, “I Just Want To Love You.” Nice guitar work and a little sweet harp make for a great kickoff. Billy blows harp, Ari and Joey are on guitar here with Brian on bass and Kenny on drums here and for all tracks.  “Stick A fork In It” follows, an Ms. Johnson fronts the band on a track she wrote. Same players minus Flynn on this one. Another fine vocal performance and some stinging guitar also grabs the listener.

“You Hurt Me Baby” is Flynn’s song and he sings lead here. He and Ari play guitar and Stroeger is on bass. The guitar flows smoothly as Billy sings with feeling. Saye wrote and sings “That’s My Name,” a song that swings well. He is joined on guitar by Billy. Piano Willie tinkles the ivories, and Bob is again on bass. We get a cool guitar and then piano solo to enjoy here, a fun cut overall.

Avery and Seder co-wrote “Gone With Bad Self.” Avery lays out a funky performance vocally and the guitar licks add to that ambiance. Flynn and Burke are also on this track, a cool song with a nice groove. Avery also supplies backing vocals and does an outstanding job. Flynn’s “Chicago Shuffle” is next. Stroeger plays bass and fronts the band and Johnson backs him up vocally. All but Ari and Brian appear here. Nice piano solo and overall work, some solid guitar, and a little violin by Matthew Stedman flesh this out fully.

“Get On The Lift” was written by Kenny’s wife. It features all three guitarists, Avery and Johnson on vocals and Stroger in a speaking part. It’s funky, it’s cool and it makes you want to dance. Soulful and cool, this one’s really a lot of fun and will lift you up!  Saye goes solo on his cut “Window Pane.” It’s just him on guitar an vocals as he takes us on a slick, downhome ride through this song.

“Ari’s Riff” follows, a fine instrumental with he, Billy, Bob and Piano Willie laying out a great groove together. It’ll make your head bob and foot tap in time to the jiving music. Great guitar and piano to savor on this number. Johnson returns with her “Too Much Too Little,” along with Ari, Billy, Joey and Brian. She sings with an attitude that grabs at you. Slide and cool effects on guitar help to sell this one.

Stroeger’s “World’s In A Tangle” has him lead the band and play bass. The guitar trio back him and the violin returns to good effect. We also get another harp solo and more from Flynn. Nicely done! Piano Willie gets the finale with Fire Fire Fire: as he sings and plays for us. Ari and Billy handle guitar, and Stroeger is on bass. Oshanwy plays some slick stuff on the keys and sings a pretty and slow blues. Well done and great conclusion to this fine album.

I am always cautious when an all-star cast comes together for an album. Will it live up to the talents they all possess? In this case, I most certainly can say yes. The folks assembled here working together on this endeavor are a unit. They work as a musical team to deliver a dozen super performances. There is no one-upmanship There is no “look at me” here. We have eight great artists who really love the blues and work to give us some outstanding new tunes to enjoy. This one is a winner- go grab a copy now!

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Steve Jones is president of the Crossroads Blues Society and is a long standing blues lover. He is a retired Navy commander who served his entire career in nuclear submarines. In addition to working in his civilian career since 1996, he writes for and publishes the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music festival and works with their Blues In The Schools program. He resides in Byron, IL.

Frank Catalano & Lurrie Bell – Set Me Free

Catalano Music

www.catalanomusic.com

9 tracks – 48 minutes

Chicago’s Frank Catalano started playing saxophone when he was 7 years old. Over the years, he played with numerous artists across many genres from jazz to the blues and everything in -between. He played with his mentor Von Freeman at age 11, Pearl Bailey and Louie Bellson at age 12, and Tony Bennett at age 16. However, at age 16, he was in a horrific car accident that cut off a finger on his hand and left his life in jeopardy. Following reconstructive surgery, he eventually was able to restart his career. At age 18, he toured with Santana.  He released his first solo album Cut It Out on Delmark Records in 1988.

Others Frank has performed with over the years include Charles Earland, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy McGriff and David Sanborn. More recently he played at the Chicago Blues festival with Los Lobos and at The Hollywood Bowl with The Smashing Pumpkins. In 2001, he patented a sampling keyboard attachment for the saxophone.

Lurrie Bell, like Frank, is a Chicago native. The son of famed harmonica player Carey Bell has also had a storied career. He started playing guitar at age 6.  In his teens he played with Eddy Clearwater, Big Walter Horton, and Eddie Taylor. He then toured with Koko Taylor for four years. His recording debut occurred in 1977 on Carey Bell’s album, Heart ache and Pain. He then formed The Sons of The Blues which featured Billy Branch on harmonica. In 1989, he released his first solo album, Everybody Wants to Win. However, undiagnosed bipolar and schizophrenia put Lurrie in a tailspin that led to periods of homelessness. After a diagnosis and treatment, Lurrie released Can’t Shake This Feeling in 2016, which received a Grammy Award nomination. Lurrie was inducted into the Blue’s Foundation’s Blues Hall of fame in 2024.

Both artists have had to overcome their own adversities to rise to their present heights. In 1995, Bob Koester, the founder of Delmark Records and record producer, had both artists under contract. Now almost thirty years later the two have reunited for a Chicago blues album with a touch of jazz. In addition to their obvious instruments, Lurrie provides all vocals with Tom Vaitsas on piano, Aaron Mitter on bass, and Kurt Lubbe on drums.

The album opens with a cover of “Everyday I Have the Blues”, shown on the album as just “Everyday”. Written by Memphis Slim and previously recorded by numerous artists including B.B. King, their version features smooth vocals and a light guitar from Lurrie backed by Tom’s jazzy piano before Frank’s sax comes sailing in. Next up is Elmore James “The Sky Is Crying”, also famously recorded by Stevie Ray Vaughan. The song retains the smooth sound of the previous song with Lurrie’s expressive vocals flowing through.

The title song, “Set Me Free” received an early release as a single and received a 2024 Blues Blast Magazine nomination for Best Video. Lurrie says he “can’t get her out of my head” as Tom’s piano again tears up the scenery on the piano and Frank’s sax jumping in. “Shaking” is a very jazzy instrumental with Lurrie adding punctuating guitar similar to something George Benson might play. A cover of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind”, here just listed as “Georgia” keeps the music and vocals comfortably flowing.

“Tuna Town” features Frank’s sax on an original instrumental with Lurrie providing a guitar solo.  Fats Domino’s “I’m Ready” continues in the laid-back mode established throughout the album, but still delivers a punch with the instrumental prowess of the group. “Kicking” is another bouncing instrumental featuring Frank’s sax and Lurrie kicking in a very bluesy guitar run. The album closes with a cover of Etta James’ “At Last”

Frank Catalano produced the album. He established the goal that he wanted a careful blend of jazz and blues that would appeal to people on both sides of those genres. He has certainly successfully produced an album that crosses and comfortably combines both thresholds. He has brought together a talented group of performers in Tom Vaitsas, Aaron Mitter, and Kurt Lubbe. And of course, Frank and Lurrie are each given their own space that delivers an album that clearly demonstrates their love of the music in every note they play.

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.

Shemekia Copeland – Blame It On Eve

Alligator Records

www.shemekiacopeland.com

12 tracks/47 minutes

The voice that emanates from Shemikia Copeland is unique, powerful, fierce, and gripping.  As she sings the listener instantly knows who they are listening to. They are treated to the finest sounds emanating from anyone’s vocal chords in the blues world.  She is a treasure.

Born in Harlem, NY, in 1979, she was weaned in her father’s Cotton Club beginning at the age of eight. Ten years later she recorded her first album for Alligator Records and the rest has been history. Copeland has been a dynamic force in the blues world since then, releasing fantastic albums and setting the standard with her work. Her work has received dozens and dozens of award nominations and she has also won a host of them; she is the most decorated artist in the blues.

This album is her fourth working with Will Kimbrough, featuring a dozen new tracks ranging from women’s reproductive rights dealing with life’s day to day issues. The songs are newly written except the final two; “Down On Bended Knee” is a Johnny Copeland cut and “Heaven Help Us” was made famous by the great Stevie Wonder. Copeland leads the vocal charge, Kimbrough is guitar and adds more instruments on 5 other tracks, Lex Price handles bass duties and Pete Abbott is on drums.

The album begins with the title track. Copeland tells us of the problems resulting from society’s perception of the original sin and how that has resulted in centuries of paternalistic indignities heaped on women. Shemekia sings with authority and feeling as she sings the sarcastic lyrics. Great slide work in this cut, too, and Jim Hoke os on sax.  Next is “Tough Mother,” a song about how what life has dealt the women she sings of  ]has created in her a toughness and resilience that should not be messed with. It’s a rocking and rollicking cut with heavy guitar riffs and a great groove. Luther Dickinson is on guitar for these first two tracks.

“Only Miss You All The Time” is a somber and touching ballad where Copeland sings of a past love that has eroded that she cannot get over. Beautiful stuff. “Broken High Heels follows, a rocking and rolling tune with more well-done guitar riffs.  Copeland sings with passion as she about dancing in a graveyard in broken high heels. This song certainly rocks out in deliberate fashion!

“Wine O’Clock” is a humorous piece about how life’s daily problems push mothers to the elixir in a bottle of wine to restore their faith in life.  She’s got the blues and wine is the answer to them. We get some more vibrant guitar work, here by Charlie Hinter, and a stinging solo to savor on this one, too. Copeland asks the question, “Is There Anybody Up There?” in a cut about the hate that’s out there and the hope that someone in heaven is listening. Alejandro Escovedo joins her on this duet that rocks out.

Jerry Douglas joins her on lap steel and Keing Gordon on guitar for “Cadillac Blue,” where she sings and lap steel blazes along with her. Her baby’s eyes are Cadillac blue and she sings about the man who caused that for her. It’s a great cut and the lap steel makes it even better. “Belle Sorciere” is a sad tale of love with a haunting melody and a chorus delivered in French. The song was written by Pacal Danae of the French group Delgres, a moving piece. Cara Fox adds her cello on this one.

“Tell The Devil” has DaShawn Hickman on Sacred Steel and it’s rousing good time.  Copeland takes us to church as the guitar and organ (Kimbrough) aid mightily in the performance. It’s a great cut! Swe go down home with “Tee Tot Payne,” a true story of the man who taught Hank Williams how to play the blues. Douglas again plays lap steel, Kimbrough adds mandolin, and they and Copeland deliver another winner.

On her Dad’s cut, Copeland delivers a forceful performance. Strong guitar playing supports the vocals as Copeland give it her all. The guitar playing is stellar and so well done. She concludes with “Heaven Help Us All.” Slide guitar and organ support are solid as Shemekia gets great backing again from Lisa Oliver Gray and Odessa Settles on vocals; they also add their super vocal touches to “Tell The Devil.” All in all, a fine set of tunes that Copeland adds to her extensive songbook!

This is another award-worth effort by the woman who has been called queen and even the empress of the blues. They are all well-deserved titles. Her being dubbed blues royalty comes from her amazing talents, hard work and dedication to her craft. She is an amazing talent, and she delivers the goods every time she records or performs for an audience. This new album will surely garner many an award nomination!

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Steve Jones is president of the Crossroads Blues Society and is a long standing blues lover. He is a retired Navy commander who served his entire career in nuclear submarines. In addition to working in his civilian career since 1996, he writes for and publishes the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music festival and works with their Blues In The Schools program. He resides in Byron, IL.

Willie Buck and the Delmark All-Stars – Live at Buddy Guy’s Legends

Delmark Records

www.delmark.com

10 tracks

Born in 1937 in Houston, Mississippi, Willie Crawford was the son of a minister and loved to listen to music on his family’s wind up Victrola. He heard BB King play at Sally’s Juke Joint. Too young to go in, he sat outside and listened. He also sang around the clubs locally near his home.  In 1953 he left for Chicago and became Willie Buck and was a regular on Maxwell Street. He played and sang with all the big names. He was a bass player along with singing until he broke his wrist in 1964. He owned his own club for 4 years and then owned a towing and auto service. His diligence paid off and he was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2004. This is his fourth Delmark album.

The Delmark All Stars are Thaddeus Krolicki and Billy Flynn on guitar, Scott Dirks on harp, Johnny Iguana on piano, Melvin Smith on bass and Willie “The Touch” Hayes on drums. Hayes passed away after this recording; this was the last session recorded with Willie. Six of the tracks are Willie’s, one is a jam and the remaining three are Chicago blues classics.

The album opens with the band jamming on an instrumental entitled “Jumping” before Willie comes on the stage. Willie them breaks into the classic “Kansas City” before laying into five of his own tunes.

“Tried To Work Something Out” begins his original cuts, a cool straight blues with some pretty guitar and piano work. Willie gives it his all here and then lets the harp take us home. ”What We Were Taking About” follows and Willie does another fine job as do the guitar soloists.

“Let’s See If We Can Come Together” is next, a gritty, slow blues that gets down and dirty. Guitar, harp and piano add to the grit and grime. Up next is “Snow,” a traditional blues cut with Willie howling out the lead in another slow and delightful cut. Greasy harp and backing by the guitars and piano add well to the mix.

Willie then talks to the crowd before going into Muddy Water’s “Rock Me.” The band works hard in support. Willie then does his song “Walking And Swimming,” another slow and classic sounding tune. He concludes with “Hoochie Coochie Man” which is right up his alley. He delights in the Muddy Waters cut and he and the band again give it their all.

It’s fun to hear one of Chicago’s elder statesmen out and about plying his craft ad working the crowd at Buddy’s club. Willie Buck is joined by Thaddeus Krolicki, his right-hand man, and an all-star band doing what he does best- singing the blues!

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Steve Jones is president of the Crossroads Blues Society and is a long standing blues lover. He is a retired Navy commander who served his entire career in nuclear submarines. In addition to working in his civilian career since 1996, he writes for and publishes the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music festival and works with their Blues In The Schools program. He resides in Byron, IL.

Winner of multiple Blues Music Awards, Vanessa Collier consistently portrays an excellent role model for the young women in the world.  She is a bright, extraordinarily talented musician and songwriter, with a positive personality who has held true to her values, battled sexist attitudes, and has maintained control over her music and her career.

Vanessa was born in Texas and while her parents were not serious musicians (her mother played a little flute in high school and her grandmother played piano in church), she was exposed to a variety of music.  After picking up the saxophone at age nine, she was hooked, although for a while she was equally as passionate about basketball.

“I loved playing basketball, and I was fairly good.  I played all through high school and some division one schools were looking at me, but my love of the saxophone won out.”

She attended Berklee College of Music where she noted that one of the most influential teachers was Livingston Taylor.

“He had a lot to do with helping me get over stage fright.  He stressed eye contact, which was hard for me, because I tended to look at the floor, but that disconnects you from the audience.  He taught me to finish my lyrical phrase looking at someone in the eyes.  It changes the connection between the artist and the audience.  He taught me a lot of those little things.  Being an introvert, I tended to make myself small and not want to be noticed.  I liked corners—just listening and watching everything that was happening.  So, learning to be the front person took a different kind of energy.  I had to learn how to take up space, spreading my arms out wide and gesturing to emphasize the lyrics.  I learned to make everything more powerful and still be me and genuine.”

Vanessa graduated from Berklee College of Music with a double major in performance and production engineering, and the latter has proven to be extremely useful for her when it came time to record her albums.  She also learned some important details about the industry of which many are unaware.

“I did learn a lot of general business practices.  You learn the different scales of pay for session musicians, and how to work within unions.  I wanted to understand contracts and learn about things like breakage clauses.  Those started when we only had LPs and about 10 percent would break, so the artist would never see the revenue from that ten percent.  But now that we have CDs, none really breaks, but the ten percent clause is often still in there.  Those are the little contractual things to watch out for.  A musical career as a band leader and touring artist is like running a small, but quite complex business, but nothing prepares you totally for what the real world is like.”

Having that extra knowledge likely helped to give Vanessa the confidence to stand up to some sexist attitudes that are unfortunately still present many places in the music industry.

“The more you are hands-on, the more in control of your actual career you will be. Record labels want to hold on to an antiquated view of women’s roles.  One thing that baffled me coming straight out of college and working with an independent label was the comment, ‘we can’t sell records with a serious looking woman on the cover’.   They said you had to be smiling and look cute, but they don’t ask that of my male counterparts.  You look at male artists and they often look ‘bad ass’ on their album covers.  Another comment came as recently as 2021, when I was scheduled to play at a festival and there was another woman on the bill.  The festival coordinator actually said, ‘we can’t have two women back-to-back’.  That didn’t make sense to me–she plays guitar, and I play saxophone, and festivals always have male artists playing back-to-back.”

After graduating from Berklee, Vanessa toured with Joe Louis Walker, including shows in numerous different countries.  The tour ended with them spending a month in Turkey, which was an especially fond memory for Vanessa.

“It was my first experience with food outside of the US and it tasted so fresh, and the people were so kind.  And Joe pointed out something important to me.  He said, ‘you’re 22 years old and the women in this country aren’t allowed to do what you’re doing.  The fact that you are in front of eighteen-year-olds who get to see you doing it, that’s something special.’  I hadn’t realized it until he pointed it out, but it was something special.  He always treated me like a daughter, and I appreciated that.”

Another extremely important mentor for Vanessa is her mother, who is a college professor and a CPA, and currently serves as Vanessa’s manager.  Vanessa noted that a lot of her decisions have been guided by her mother.  Her mother’s background in finance and knowledge of contract law makes her an excellent selection for her role as manager, although Vanessa notes that her mother “uses both sides of her brain more than what you might assume from a CPA.  She’s very open-minded and creative”.

Vanessa often mentions her admiration for her mother during her shows, and frequently performs her song which is a tribute to her mother, ‘Two Parts Sugar and One Part Lime”.

Vanessa is a favorite at blues festivals and this past year she was booked at many of them.  While each has their own personality, and all are appreciated, she noted that one stood out a bit more than the others.  It felt like a special honor that she was asked to play at the Chicago Blues Festival.

“When I signed with a booking agent seven years ago, I was asked what festivals I hoped to play, and I had said that the Chicago Blues Festival and Jazzfest have always been on the top of my list.  To get there and have this surreal moment on the big stage, it was just a dream come true.  Most of my band hadn’t played it either, so they thought it was cool to finally get to play there.  We were all feeling so blessed, so grateful to be there.  Even though it was raining, the Chicago crowd was right there with you.”

Vanessa’s fans were very excited when she began collaborating with the remarkably talented guitarist, Laura Chavez, who appears on her last five albums and often tours with her.

“We met when I was making my second record with Ruf Records.  Laura gets hired for a lot of Ruf releases, since Thomas Ruf is such a big fan of hers.  I went with the studio band for the album and there she was on guitar.  Laura is a ‘one-take wonder’.  We’re built similarly too—we both just want to be respected for the craft.”

Some songwriters talk about being grateful for the “notes” app on their smart phones, as they are constantly jotting down ideas for potential songs.  Others carve out a time and sometimes even a special place to do their writing.  For Vanessa, it’s a combination of both.

“My first two records were written while I was driving.  I would teach lessons and go out on the road for three days and come back and teach for three days, six hours straight.  I had ten students and taught back-to-back.  I drove an hour and a half each way and would come up with either a lyrical idea or a melody while driving and record it on my phone.  You spend days in the car having these melodies bouncing around in your head.  I’ve written a lot that way, with just a little nugget to start it out.  But I have to set aside a time to sit down to fully write it out.  I had also started a practice this year, called ‘Object Writes’.  I was introduced to this technique in my songwriting and lyric writing classes at Berklee, and I have some information about it up on my website.  You pick any object—literally anything.  It could be a clock or a pencil.  And then you write sense bound, using your five senses.  For example, if the object is a ladder leaning against the house, you write what you are hearing and what you are smelling and then it doesn’t have to be a ladder anymore; it can be summers at your grandmother’s house smelling the cinnamon.  It really helps your writing take you to a certain place.  My songwriting teacher has a metaphor—‘let your first line be a bag of dye that drips through the rest of the verse.’  And, when you write sense-bound, it tends to do that.”

The influence of this technique can easily be spotted in many of her songs.  For example, the song, ‘When it Don’t Come Easy’, offers a powerful visual image:

“There’s a hooked nose man hidin’ in the craters of the moon.

He’s been aimin’ his spotlight on all my faults.

I try to slip in between the slats of the light, but I’m havin’ no luck at all.”

 And Vanessa’s frustration with individuals in the industry who try to pressure her to present an overly sexualized image rather than focusing on the music, or otherwise try to control aspects of her artistic expression can be heard in several of her songs, such as the following excerpt from ‘Honey Up’:

 I’ve tried it your way, but now I’m gonna try it mine

Cause I’m tired of spinnin’ my wheels just to grease your palms

When you’ve been tryin’ to hold me down all along

See, I already was somebody before you came along

Thinkin’ you built me, nah…now you’re just wrong.

 As a gifted songwriter, Vanessa often finds people inspired or obtaining a sense of healing from her songs.

“When they come to the merch table, it’s often the song ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ that they mention.  But the song that was probably the most cathartic for me to write was ‘When it Don’t Come Easy’.  I was going through one of the most challenging times when I wrote it.  It was very visceral.  I can still feel the pain when I play it.”

Her gift for songwriting is highlighted on her newest album, Do it My Way, which was just released on Phenix Fire Records and contains eight original tracks. On this album, Vanessa again collaborates with Chavez, along with many other impressive artists.

“This one is a little bit of a left turn—a little more soulful and funky.  I was inspired by Sharon Jones, James Brown, a little bit of Aretha and old school Memphis soul, with lots of horns and lots of background vocals.  In addition to Laura on guitar, I’ve got Doug Woolverton on Trumpet, Scot Sutherland on bass, Byron Cage on drums, Charles Hodges (from Memphis) doing some organ work, Maureen Murphy (from the Zac Brown Band) doing some background vocals.  I also play flute on it and resonator guitar.  I’m very proud of this record.  It is an album that is very focused on songwriting.  ‘Wild as the Rainstorm’ is a song for my sisters, but also a song for all young women.  It says, ‘who cares what social media says—be weird and be awesome’.  ‘Take Me Back’ is one of my favorites, and has an old school Memphis type of vibe, and ‘Rosetta’ celebrates Sister Rosetta Tharpe.”

Vanessa also wrote a song for her mom on her new album, Do It My Own Way, called “Warrior”.  This song celebrates her mother’s courage to stand up to injustice, noting

“She’s goin’ out. Gonna stand up for what she believes.

She’s goin’ out. Gonna dig a trench and dig it deep

Cause if nobody cares, oh then evil succeeds.”

 “My mom has always been an absolute warrior– strong and steadfast and smart. I’ve watched her fight for me, for my sisters, for her students, and in general for anyone who doesn’t have a voice. She can’t help but to speak up when something isn’t fair or just and she is first to offer help, even when it causes issues in her own life to do so. This song ‘Warrior’ is about her own legal battle standing up against a major university she used to work for. I’ve watched from the sidelines as the university took her job away after she made multiple reports of discrimination and retaliation. Let me also share that my mom works hard, and she is an exceptional teacher and is beloved by her students, earning top evaluations for the entirety of her career.

When asked about her plans for the future, Vanessa discussed her desire to do an acoustic duo album with Laura Chavez.

“During the pandemic, I did a lot of shows with Shemekia Copeland’s guitarist, Arthur Neilson, and some with Laura and I felt how different and cool it can be when you are not in a full band structure.  So, then I had this idea of just playing with different guest guitarists.  Or maybe some record in a different vein entirely.  Maybe it wouldn’t even have to be under my name.  Maybe it will be completely out of left field.  I’ve been listening to a lot of different stuff because I have a wide varied musical taste.  Lately I’ve been listening to Hermanos Gutierrez, an instrumental band with two guys playing guitars.  My boyfriend got me into that band.”

Most full-time musicians find it very difficult to make a dating relationship work, but Vanessa may have discovered the formula for success.

“He is in the military, so he is used to deployment.  That makes it so much easier, when someone understands that I need to be away.  Like I am home for a week, and then out on the road again in October for another three-week tour, but he understands about that.  We have been together now for almost a year and a half.”

Vanessa noted that she has seen numerous changes in the music industry post COVID, from the disappearance of CD players in cars, to venues being much more hesitant to take a chance on newer artists.

“A lot more venues are canceling shows when they don’t have pre-sale tickets that are high enough.  I know a lot of people might want to purchase tickets at the last minute, but they should understand that it can be very important to the artist not to wait until the day of the show, or you might not get to see them.  Buying early helps make sure your favorite artists can stay on the road.”

When asked if there was any artist with whom she hoped to be able to one day share the stage, she did not hesitate in answering.

“Bonnie Raitt.  I have so much respect for Bonnie Raitt as a human and humanitarian for women and for social change and doing the right thing.  Plus, she plays crazy good slide guitar and seems like a bad ass.  I would also love to play with the Wood Brothers out of Nashville (Oliver and Chris Wood).  Oliver has been a big influence on my songwriting, and they put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.”

With her abundant talent as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, it’s not surprising that Vanessa Collier is gaining fans at an exponential rate, and that she was described as simply “amazing” by Buddy Guy when he shared the stage with her on the Legendary Blues Cruise.  As audience members, we are fortunate that she also is extremely conscious of the power inherent in her status and her influence on young women.  We can be certain that she will continue to show them that she can, in fact, do it her way.  Do yourself a favor and go see Vanessa Collier soon.  And, if you have a daughter, bring her too.

To learn more about ‘object writes’, view Vanessa’s tour schedule and merchandise, or access her lyrics, visit www.vanessacollier.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.

The Honey Badgers – Shakin’

Independent

http://www.thehoneybadgers.net

13 Tracks – 48 minutes

The six piece band from Adelaide, Australia debut album was recorded over a three-year period. The band was selected by their Blues Society to represent them in the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. They became one of six finalists in the competition, making them only the second Australian band to reach that peak of the event.

The band first formed in 2016 as a four-piece band led by Benny Brown and Nigel Bourn. The band expanded to six musicians, but in 2021, Benny decided to quit live music and had to be replaced. The current line-up for this album is Nigel Bourn on tenor sax, Peter Hollow on lead vocals and guitar, Peter Nixon on backing vocals and bass, Geo Heathcote on baritone sax, tenor sax and harmonica, Tim Frears on vocals, trumpet, flute, alto & tenor sax, and Mario Marino on drums. Benny does appear as a guest on one track.

Peter sings I “keep to tryin to make it right, but all you do is want to fight” on the opening track, “Broken Boy Blues”.  On the horn-driven title song, he is driven wild every time she gets to “Shakin'”.  The album slows down with a slick guitar lead as he declares “Since You’ve Been Mine” “my troubles have been through”. He notes that he has been “Drinkin’ and Thinkin'” but “just can’t get over you”. Peter has another strong guitar run mixed with the horns.

On “Don’t Touch”, he tells her to “take your fingers out of my wallet, nothing there belongs to you”.  Geo’s harmonica sails through this song. They get some funk going as they sing about the man from down south, the “Delta Man”. Things start rocking as he explains that she “may look like an “Angel in Red”, but she is the devil in bed”.

“The Woman I Love” “tells me she loves me. She’s as fine as can be.” has a touch of rock ‘n’ roll with the harmonica trading off to a sax run. They slow things down again with a very bluesy guitar solo leading into Peter declaring that you have left me “Cold and Sore” followed by a jazzy sax solo. Next, he states, “I got a dollar in my pocket and gonna buy a drink and “Gunna Light Another Cigarette”.

He exclaims ” It does not matter “What You Do” to me when your arms are around me tight.” “Black Cat Bone” is presented as an instrumental solo. The album concludes with “Bang Bang” which lets Peter have one last guitar solo amongst the horns.

As stated throughout, the albums songs are very horn-drenched. Some fine sax mixed with Peter’s guitar and solid vocals do provide some quality songs. If you are looking for pure blues, this is probably not an album on your radar. But if you enjoy blues rock with substantial horn arrangements, then you may find this to your liking.

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.

McKinley James – Working Class Blues

Archive Records

www.mckinleyjames.com

11 tracks/38 minutes

Having a musician as a parent can be a good thing. Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter McKinley James has played and recorded with his father Jason Smay, for a half dozen years. Since Dad is a big-time drummer who has played with Los Straitjackets and JD McPherson, among others, it would be a natural thing to include Dad and form a band. They did but dropped the trio just to he and Dad and this duo went into the studio to play the songs they’d done on the road together.

He spent his late teens in Nashville after moving there with his Dad and family from upstate New York. Steeped in the blues, his sound is not traditional. He mixes R&B, soul and rock into a modernized mélange of sound that is kind of like the Louisiana hill country meets Texas rock. His music is all original, has a driving beat, and gets your attention. The songs deliver their musical message and move on; this is not a jam band sort of sound. It’s in your face, listen to this and it’s done. 3 to 4 minutes per track, plus of minus, James gets his point across and makes the listener, well, listen.

James does all the guitar and vocals while Dad handles the drums. This power duo delivers a full and deep sound as they navigate from song to song. Whether it’s a simple shuffle like “Call Me Lonesome” or Texas-styled blues rockers like the opening track “Movin’” and “Get To Me Baby,” or a jumping bogey like “Crazy Over You,” McKinley James offers a captivating sound that is making him noticed in the blues rock world.

He can get a funky groove going to delight the listener like he does in “Say Goodbye” or offer up slow ballads like “Till It’s Gone,” “Say Goodbye” or “Just A Little Bit” that will equally grab at you. Tunes like “Always On My Mind,” “Leadin’ Me On” and “Wait And See” are throwbacks to early rock but delivered with a fresh and updated charm and sound.

His voice is a little haunting, a little old school, a little soulful and just something that makes you pay attention. He lays out some good riffs as Dad powers the cuts with his strong percussive presence.  This is a great inaugural album for an up-and-coming artist that will help get him notice. I look forward to seeing him when he passed through the Midwest this fall. Until then, this album will suffice – it’s well worth many a listen!

Blues Blast Magazine Senior writer Steve Jones is president of the Crossroads Blues Society and is a long standing blues lover. He is a retired Navy commander who served his entire career in nuclear submarines. In addition to working in his civilian career since 1996, he writes for and publishes the bi-monthly newsletter for Crossroads, chairs their music festival and works with their Blues In The Schools program. He resides in Byron, IL.