Cover photo © 2024 Marilyn Stringer

 In This Issue 

Mark Thompson has our feature interview with Lorenzo Farrell. We have four Blues reviews for you this week including new music from Danielle Nicole, Roger “Hurricane” Wilson, JJ Grey & Mofro and Bob Corritore & Friends. Scroll down and check it out!

Danielle Nicole – The Love You Bleed

Forty Below Records

www.daniellenicolemusic.com

12 songs – 55 minutes

A double threat as both a world-class vocalist and a decorated bassist, too, Danielle Nicole hasn’t been in the studio since earning a Grammy nomination for the album Cry No More five years ago, but she’s destined to earn another with this long awaited CD, which exhibits all the grit and determination needed to transverse the world of romance and all the pitfalls faced along the way.

Once the darling of the industry as a member of the family band, Trampled Under Foot, Danielle launched her solo career in 2015 and has never looked back, garnering seven Blues Music Awards and multiple Blues Blast Music Awards trophies along the way. And this album — like those of her youth – is truly a family affair. Instead of teaming with her guitarist brother, Nick Schnebelen, and their dear, departed brother, Kris, however, she teams with six-string monster Brandon Miller, who’s both a force of nature as a bandleader in his own right and also happens to be her husband.

The duo teamed here to pen seven of the 12 tracks with Danielle adding five of her own. And she reinvents the sole cover, a number penned by Steve Goodman, the folk giant who was only age 36 and at the height of his career when he succumbed to leukemia in the mid-‘80s. As usual, Danielle’s powerful and expressive alto soars throughout, steeped in emotion, while Brandon provides perfect accompaniment on slide, acoustic and mandolin.

Grammy-winning producer Tony Braunagel teamed with Danielle to supervise the production, which was engineered by Duane Trower at Weights and Measures Soundlab in Kansas City and mixed by fellow John Porter, who earned a Grammy himself for his work on New Orleans keyboard giant Jon Cleary’s 2016 winner, Go Go Juice. They’re backed by Damon Parker on keys and Go-Go Ray on drums with Stevie Backe adding strings and Braunagel adding additional percussion.

Contemporary R&B drenched blues at its best, the set opens with a solitary, funky drumbeat from Go-Go before Danielle takes to the mic and delivers the first verse of “Love on My Brain” solo. It’s a pulsating number that quickly erupts and expresses bewilderment at why her man doesn’t see why she glows when he’s at her side. It’s an obsession, she admits, but she’s also certain that she had enough persistence to make him understand. The mood sweetens and slows for “Make Love,” in which she doubles down on her emotions, acknowledging the guy’s troubled by something in his past and that he needs to give himself up to romance in order to heal.

“Right by Your Side,” a Memphis-style ballad, follows with Danielle recounting mistakes from her past and vowing never to repeat them. Unfortunately, however, that’s not the case because the next tune, “How Did We Get to Goodbye,” finds her still wondering what caused the couple to go their separate ways. “Head Down Low,” meanwhile, departs from the theme momentarily. It’s delivered from the point-of-view of a mother who yearns for her son who left home after taking the bait of someone described as a snake.

Brandon powers the rocker, “Fireproof,” a beefy statement that – whatever transpires – Danielle will rise from the flames. Their version of Goodman’s “A Lover Is Forever,” which is delivered as a duet between her voice and his acoustic guitar, tears at the heartstrings as it emotes the pain one lover feels when the other gets ready to say goodbye. The original that follows, “Say You’ll Stay,” continues the theme with a quiet, full-band arrangement and Miller on slide.

A pair of rockers — “Fool’s Gold,” the admission that what had appeared from a distance to be a true love wasn’t, and “Walk on By,” the acceptance to leave the man behind after getting close – follow before the soulful ballad, “Who He Thinks You Are,” describes the man waiting for his lady to return and her knowing that one day he’ll come to terms with the knowledge that he’s wasted his time and there’s no one to blame but himself. The closing acoustic number, “Young Love on the Hill,” looks back sweetly at the struggles in the rear-view mirror while driving down the road.

Don’t miss The Love You Bleed. It’s a masterpiece chockful of emotion.

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.

Roger “Hurricane” Wilson – Songs & Stories as Told in Macon, Georgia

Bluestorm Records

www.hurricanewilson.com

13 songs time – 62:04

An out of character live solo acoustic concert from the electric guitar blues-rocker, recorded at the Macon Arts Center. It is mainly a singer-songwriter affair except for two blues cover songs. An un-credited background singer helps out occasionally. His voice and guitar are recorded well, but the constant crowd noise is apparent throughout including during the songs as well. Roger’s voice has a warm quality and he is an excellent finger-style guitarist. He wrote six of the songs.

Many of his songs come off as country-tinged singer-songwriter fare. the premise of “I Got Chased by a Three-Legged Dog” portends to be the worst title for a country song, but other than that line it isn’t that bad. Political correctness is the subject of “I Just Don’t Know What I Believe Anymore”. “I Never Got To Say Goodbye To Willie Guy” is a country-ish ballad. A positive message and upbeat guitar accompaniment permeate “Everything’s Gonna Be Ok”.

He handles a cover of Marc Cohn’s “Walkin’ In Memphis” well, giving it more of a country music slant. Roger reflects on his upbringing on “On Howard Avenue”. His voice isn’t quite up to the vocal energy required for The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie”. “The Ride” is a fantasy about being given a ride by the ghost of Hank Williams. He again gets a bit country-fied for Blind Willie Mctell’s “Statesboro Blues”. He turns in another blues cover on Muddy Waters’s “Can’t Be Satisfied”. The subject is once again Hank Williams in “Montgomery in the Rain”.

A change of pace for the electric guitar slinger. Well done performances only with ever-present crowd noise. His sturdy and warm voice is comforting. Not a half bad singer-songwriter affair.

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

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JJ Grey & Mofro – Olustee

Alligator Records

http://www.jjgrey.com

11 Tracks – 50 minutes

Florida native JJ Grey is releasing his first album in nine years. Olustee is his tenth album release. JJ Grey released his first album, Blackwater, in 2001 on the independent label Fog City. That was followed three years later with Lochloosa on the same label. JJ was then signed to Alligator Records in 2007, where he released his next six albums, including The Choice Cuts, a best of album which was only released on vinyl. In 2015, he switched his next release, Ol’ Glory, to Provogue. For this new release, he returns once again to Alligator for his first self-produced album.

JJ started his career playing at raucous Jacksonville bars where the stage was protected by chicken wire, all the while working his day job at a lumber yard. However, his albums quickly gained national attention and soon he was on the stage in major venues and playing some of the largest festivals in the country and throughout the world including Montreal, Australia and Japan to name a few.

JJ plays guitars, dobro, keyboards, harmonica and provides the lead vocals on the album. He is joined by Todd Smallie on bass, Eric Brigmond on keyboards and backing vocals, Pete Winders on guitars, and Eric Mason on congas and percussion. The band is joined by trumpeters Dennis Marion, Marcus Parsley, and John Reid; Kenny Hamilton on sax and flute; Paul Curtis on bassoon; and Quinn Carson on trombone. Lev Zhurbin joins on the fadolin, a six-string instrument played like a violin, but capable of creating the sounds of that instrument as well as that of a viola or cello. Katie Dawson, Nikki Dawson, Laiken Love, and Sage Grey provide the backing vocals. And for first time on an Alligator Records release, the Budapest Symphony Orchestra provides backing on some songs.

The album opens with the plaintive “The Sea” with JJ extolling his love of the ocean. You can feel the waves crashing in as he paints a beautiful picture of the tranquility of the sea amid a quiet piano and acoustic guitar. He cites ” I belong to the sea/ Home of the free”.  He picks up the pace on “Top of the World” with his backing vocalists answering his call as he declares “If you came to change the world, let me show you the door.” and the horns moving you into New Orleans. He quiets things down again with “On A Breeze” as he intones “Sail to light my love, may you see peaceful skies and all you deserve.”

The title song rocks out with the story of the tragic fires that engulfed seven counties in Eastern Florida in June 1998 that resulted from massive lightning strikes in the dry countryside. JJ’s guitar gives the feel of the flashing fire as he declares “Ya better run, better run / just as fast as you can that heat is getting closer / hear it roar, hear it roar/ all the way around Olustee like a flaming hurricane.” The fire closed 135 miles of I-95 from Jacksonville to Titusville and forced the postponement of the annual Pepsi 400 held at the Daytona International Raceway. He quiets things down again with the sole cover on the album, John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind”, a cry for the preservation of the Florida Everglades.  “Progress came and took its toll / and in the name of flood control / they made plans to drain the land / now the glades is going dry”. The trumpets become a central part of this song as JJ again makes you feel his own hurt from the repercussions of man’s actions in the swamps.

He gets things jumping again with “Wonderland” as he joyously states “I feel that rhythm now girl you know / you make me want to shout Hallelujah / Oh and throw my hands to the sun.” He next asks her to “Come sit here beside me / let’s pull ourselves near to the warmth of this fire and watch the stars all appear” on “Starry Night”, a very soulful love song with full orchestration. With “Free High” he continues the joyous declarations that can take you back to something Sly and The Family Stone could have sung. He declares, “I’m rolling, I’m laughing / I’m jumping and I’m clapping/ I’m dancing, I’m reeling / I’m floating on the ceiling / I’m loving, I’m living”.  All of which should give you a feel of the happiness he is proclaiming.

JJ delivers a bit of R&B on “Waiting”, a tale of procrastination as he explains, “Well I’ve never been all I could be / and I know i it ain’t never been nobody’s fault but mine”. “Rooster” gets a bit of strut going as he explains “The woman is the soul of a man…she can keep it all together when you can’t / she’s the spring from which I flow / teach me many things I don’t know / but I’m a rooster, and that’s a fact /; so, you know how I’m gonna act”. “Deeper Than Belief” ends the album with a circumspect song as he faces his place in the universe – “Feeling it spinning slow / The face of all created made me feels so small / but not alone.”

JJ Grey is an avid outdoorsman and a passionate advocate for protection of the untrammeled environment in Florida. His songs clearly range from the nature in and of the swamps and waterways of the state to an expression of the love he has of his life there. His vocals deliver a clear, soulful eloquence to his feelings for both. The songs are not really the blues, but his expressiveness certainly delivers the soul of the man with an impression of the concerns and love he feels. And in some regard, that is also the blues.

Reviewer 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.

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Rick Estrin and the Nightcats have long been heralded as one of the top blues band in the world. Their live performances are a splendid mixture of fine music delivered with an entertaining style that is beloved by audiences. Estrin is the consummate showman, while guitarist Kid Andersen is consistently nominated for awards acknowledging his impressive skills, And then there are the high flying excursions of drummer Derrick D’Mar Martin.

Tucked away on one side of the stage, Lorenzo Farrell can often be overlooked in the midst of his band mates’ stage activity. But make no mistake, his role is essential to creating and maintaining the rhythmic foundation that drives the band’s sound. Without a bass player, it falls to Farrell to play the bass lines on the piano or organ, sometimes utilizing both instruments at the same time. While he is handling that responsibility, he also manages to add sonic textures that bring extra layers to the arrangements.

“It doesn’t matter what the instrument is, you’re providing a certain function in the band. A lot of what I’m doing is using a synthesizer to get a very close sound to the sound of an electric bass or an upright bass. To me, a Hammond organ has its own kind of bass sound that is wonderful, but it’s not exactly the sound I’m going for. So I had to learn how to kind of adapt a keyboard or synthesizer to get that kind of sound. And then once you have a sound you like, it frees you up, you know. It only takes one hand, most of the time, to play bass on keyboard.

“That’s the whole reason why I do it, to give myself the potential to fill in other sounds in the song. When I started playing keyboards, I’d already learned a lot about what it means to play bass. I think keyboard players who had not studied the bass beforehand would have a lot more difficultly learning how to play bass lines. If you don’t have to constantly cover the bass part playing keyboards, there’s a lot more freedom. The thing about the bass is it has to keep going basically through the entire song. You can’t screw that up, it’s the top priority.

“You can get a much fuller bass sound on the organ, but the electric piano is a lot easier to carry around. I just always loved the organ sound. It’s such a nice addition to the palette of tones and sounds you can get in the blues. The Hammond organ is such a beautiful, beautiful invention. But the instrument is heavy to drag around, so that is one drawback. It’s worth it if we can get venues to provide a Hammond organ. It’s hard to duplicate that sound.”

In 2003, a friend of Farrell’s, drummer J. Hansen, was playing with Little Charlie and the Nightcats, co-lead by Estrin on vocals and harmonica. In those days, Farrell was playing electric and upright bass. After getting an audition with Hansen’s help, he was offered the job.

“I didn’t know Rick or Charlie Baty at that point. Oh, it was incredible. I mean, they were a wonderful duo. They had been together professionally since the 70s, and to be dropped into this situation where I’m playing with two of the greatest living blues musicians together and touring the world, it was an incredible education. Charlie was a really special guitarist. I learned so much in those days from playing with him.

“We’d always do a trio song in the beginning of the set. And he had a lot of jazz in his playing. I think one of the reasons I got the gig is that I could handle those jazz tunes, playing bebop tunes like “Cherokee,” playing fast tempos, improvising. Thank God that Rick is still with us. Being able to learn about real Chicago blues with him as a mentor has been priceless.”

Born in Kentucky in 1976, Farrell’s family moved to Bloomington, Indiana, and later to California. His father was a university librarian, eventually settling at UC Berkeley as the university archivist.

“My family on both sides loved music. My dad and all my uncles studied classical piano when they were kids. That was very important to my grandfather. They were really into classical music. There was a story about them meeting Arthur Rubenstein one time backstage when they were kids in Long Beach, California. They liked classical music and everything else just didn’t measure up. They definitely weren’t snobs, but they loved classical music and they do to this day. They still go to the opera and the symphony, but they also were children of the 60s, so I remember looking at their vinyl albums that had their names on it from whatever fraternity house they were in.

“On my mom’s side, they were from Kentucky and were more into folksy music, more country kind of stuff. So there was a lot of music in the house when I was growing up. My parents sang quite a bit and they loved the Beatles, so we’d always hear the Beatles around the house. They asked me when I was about five if I was interested in piano. I jumped at the chance because I thought it was a cool instrument.

“I never fell in love with the classical the way I did with the Beatles or pop music, or rock and roll. By the time I got to high school, I was losing interest in it, but I loved music and I loved the idea of being in a band, and there was an opportunity to join the Berkeley High School Jazz Band, which is a world famous high school band. But they already had a piano player, but not many people wanted to play bass, I guess because it’s kind of in the background. I was happy to pick it up and learn it in order to keep playing music. So pretty quickly I was in this world class jazz band, and was able to travel around California, go to Japan playing bass, playing jazz, so that was pretty exciting.

But the transition from piano to upright bass wasn’t without some trials and tribulations.

“Physically, it was pretty demanding right away because the string bass is kind of a beast of an instrument. You get blisters and bloody fingers, but it was a pleasure for me because I was going from not much musical satisfaction, struggling through Brahms and Chopin on piano, to all of a sudden playing with great fun, not just by myself, but interacting with great musicians and learning from great musicians. So that kind of took off, setting my path for 20 years of playing bass.”

Education was very important to his family, and the bass player loved school. He was able to attend UC Berkeley, continuing to play music in the school’s jazz ensembles.

“It’s hard to make it as a musician. I mean, everyone knows that. Some people think of us as superstars who are making millions of bucks, but that’s very rare. I thought music was great, but how am I going to make a living doing this? I didn’t really have any other great idea. So it just made sense to go to college. That’s kind of what people do. It’s kind of a default if you don’t know what to do, go to college, try some things, and get a degree. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to UC Berkeley, which is a great school.

“I had the opportunity to study abroad in India for six months. That whole period I had little involvement in music, but it was a great alternative path to explore. I went to Delhi to study religion. I was really interested in philosophy of religion. So technically, I was studying Indian philosophy, but a lot of Buddhist philosophy, history of Buddhism. This was in 1997, so I’m sure things have changed a lot, but for me at that time it was being in a culture and a place and a world that was basically totally different than everything I had known up until that point. The food, the music, the way of life, the economy, the population density, you know, it was all totally different and yet it was working just fine for people there. It was a totally different world and yet it was doing all right.

“We spend so much time on the road with Rick Estrin, going to all kinds of places from top of the line spots in Switzerland, funky places in Brazil, and everything in between, and none of it is that shocking to me. I’m very comfortable traveling and being in different worlds, probably because that experience in India helped expand my mind and comfort level. I remember most days, the hot water and electricity would go off. And we were living in Delhi, India, a world capital. It is important to learn how to adapt, and it helps be grateful for what you’ve got while also being prepared for when things get difficult.”

Graduating in 1999 with a degree in Philosophy, Farrell spent several years gigging around the Bay area primarily playing jazz and some swing & jump blues with bands like Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums.

“I recognized so many sounds in blues music from growing up, listening to rock and British bands, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin. The first time I really got into real blues, I think it was because I was playing jazz, and then playing dance music, playing jump blues, as there’s a lot of connections there. I was inspired by the great jazz bass player Ray Brown, then Willie Dixon, and James Jamerson, who played on so many of the early Motown hits.

“And, of course, the living legend Jerry Jemmott. When you meet him and when you get a chance to record and play with him, you can see why he is indeed a legend. His name pops up again and again on these timeless records that everybody knows. It’s not an accident and it really shows the importance of the bass player. Jerry’s just got an unstoppable groove, plus a wonderful attitude and presence wherever he is. He’s always about the team, making the lead artist shine, providing them the great groove and a great backdrop against which to do their thing. It’s not like that means the bass player has no personality. I mean, it’s actually far from it. Jerry’s got such a distinctive sound, groove, and musical personality, and yet it’s somehow always in service of whatever the vocal artist needs. He doesn’t rest on his laurels, even though he’s one of the most recorded bass players alive today.”

Little Charlie Baty decided to do a “soft” retirement in 2008. It was a time of change, with Kid Andersen being added to the band. Farrell was tiring of playing solely bass. It seemed like the time was right for another shift in the band.

“I wanted to do something new. There’s been a number of great musicians, starting with Jimmy Smith, I would say, or Wild Bill Davis, who’d been able to play bass lines on the keyboard, the Hammond organ. That was something I really wanted to do. And luckily the band was all in favor of it, and they’ve given me this space to bring that into the Nightcats.

“For piano, two of my favorites are Otis Spann and Lucky Peterson. Lucky is another great who is sorely missed. I was able to spend some time with him in various situations on the road. I found him to be a real inspiration. Another hero of mine is Les McCann. We just lost him recently. I wouldn’t call him strict blues, but he was soul jazz, and he did wonderful stuff. Jim Pugh is another great player. On organ, it’d be Lucky Peterson again, then any of the great organ jazz players like Jimmy McGriff and Richard “Groove” Holmes. I also should mention Billy Preston on all these instruments. Billy Preston and James Booker on all the keyboards are two of my favorites.”

The band’s 2012 release on Alligator Records, One Wrong Turn, was the first to highlight the bass player on keyboards as well. Soon after, he was sticking to keyboards exclusively. He hasn’t picked up a bass guitar for at least seven years, fearing that the muscles he had worked so hard to build up may now have atrophied. Among his work with other artists, a highlight was taking part in Little Charlie’s Organ Grinder Swing project, Skronky Tonk, on Ellersoul Records.

Glad to be free of the Covid years, Farrell is excited about the many opportunities that are coming to fruition.

“I love what I do, so that is the focus. The Nightcats have a new album coming out May 10^th on Alligator Records entitled, The Hits Keep Coming. Rick’s such a great songwriter. He wrote a lot of stuff on the album. Then there’s a Leonard Cohen cover, which is pretty cool, an unusual step for us, but I think it worked out great. I think people will enjoy that. And then there’s a Muddy Waters cover too. The rest I think is all Rick, other than a couple instrumental things that we collaborated on. And there’s some great guest artists on it. We’ve got Jerry Jemmott and The Sons of the Soul Revivers, a fine gospel group. One of my favorite tracks is the title track, “Hits Keep Coming”, and that’s one of they’re on.”

In his spare time, Farrell is involved in a production company in the state of Washington, where he lives.

“ I really believe in the value of live music, which needs more support than it’s getting. There is a hunger and appetite for great live blues and jazz locally. So in the last couple years, with some partners, I’ve started a company called LTV Presents. We’ve been able to bring some great musicians to this area that wouldn’t otherwise have been here. Guitarist Duke Robillard is one name. We’re going to bring Rick and the Nightcats soon. We’ve had the award-winning Chicago blues artist John Primer, and we’ve had the Greaseland All Stars. Most of our shows have been in Tacoma, including the Tacoma Dock Street Blues and Jazz Festival. This year is going to be the fourth edition, on August 25^th. We just confirmed Tia Carroll as one of our headliners.”

Farrell is also proud to be a part of a fundraiser taking place on March 28 at Harlow’s in Sacramento, CA that will feature Estrin and the Nighcats, Anson Funderburgh, Alabama Mike, Marcel Smith, Kyle Rowland, and Quique Gomez.

“It was a real tragedy when we lost Little Charlie in 2020. He died during the Covid lockdown era and almost no one was able to go to his funeral. One of the things that’s been satisfying in recent years is the band and I have been organizing with the Sacramento Blue Society and Mindy Giles to stage the Little Charlie Memorial Concert in Sacramento. The Sacramento Blue Society created a Little Charlie Baty Memorial scholarship fund for talented young musicians. When things started opening up in 2022, that was the first year we did it. We’re coming up on the third annual this March. That’s a great event for people to know about and support if they can.”

It has been quite a ride for the multi-talented musician, who certainly appreciates everything that has come his way throughout his musical career.

“I love the role I have, keeping the bass going. You know, like I said, I love to play with great musicians, to improvise and interact, so I’m just having a blast up there playing, especially watching these guys do their thing.”

“The hope is to keep doing this as long as we can. I mean, the band is in such great shape right now. We’re all dedicated to it. It’s definitely the best it’s ever been. You know, it’s challenging these days with how expensive travel is. And like I said, it’s never been easy to be a musician. But we’ve got such a good thing going here. So, I just want to keep playing with this band as much as we can, for as long as we can.”

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!

Bob Corritore & Friends – Phoenix Blues Rumble

VizzTone Label Group/SWMAF Records

www.bobcorritore.com

12 songs – 48 minutes

Phoenix, Ariz., has become a hotbed of rock-solid, award-winning traditional blues albums in the past 20 years thanks to harp player/producer Bob Corritore and the vast number of recordings he’s made at his nightclub, The Rhythm Room, and studios around town. He finally turns the spotlight on local talent with this sensational compilation, and it’s among the best he’s put out.

Maxwell Street-trained reed blower has earned dozens of honors through the years, but – as usual – he allows the spotlight to shine on others and takes a back seat throughout the 12 tracks here. They were recorded during nine sessions between 1987 and 2017 and feature a handful of national acts and six others that truly deserve your ear. All of them are members of the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame.

Produced by Corritore, Clarke Rigsby and John Wroble, the set includes the late Chico Chism, who served as Howlin’ Wolf’s drummer for years before moving to the Southwest, Phoenix-based Grammy nominee Sugaray Rayford and Mississippi-born, Windy City-trained Dave Riley, all of whom made Phoenix their home. They’re joined by Big Pete Pearson, King Karl, Dino Spells, George Bowman and Tommy Dukes, all of whom started life in Louisiana or Mississippi, and Chief Schabuttie Gilliame, an Egyptian transplant. They’re backed by a revolving lineup that includes several of the biggest names in the business.

The guitar chair includes Johnny Rapp, Rusty Zinn, Kirk Fletcher, Big Jon Atkinson, Danny Michel, Johnny Burgin, Junior Watson and Chris James while Henry Gray, Matt Bishop, S.E. Willis and Fred Kaplan make appearances on keys. Doug James handles sax with Paul Thomas, Mario Moreno, Troy Sandow, Yahni Riley, Kedar Roy and Patrick Rynn taking turns on bass and Richard Innes, Brian Fahey and Rena Beavers drums.

Chism kicks things off in style, handling the mic and powering the rapid-fire shuffle that drives “Big Fat Woman 489 Lbs.” It’s a joyous expression of love for the plus-sized beauty. One of the most popular and distinctive vocalists on the local scene, Chief Schabuttie Gilliame follows with “Come to Me Baby.” It lopes steadily, driven by Corritore’s fluid harp runs and skintight rhythm. He yields to King Karl, a guitarist and singer who served as the featured vocalist for R&B giant Lloyd Price.

His uptempo take of “Walking in the Park” delivers the same feel as when it was first recorded in the ‘60s. And he follows it up with the Cajun classic, “Mathilda,” capturing the essence of the Gulf Coast in every note, giving way to Dino Spells who describes his search for his lady in the hard-driving “Jennie Bea.” George Bowman, whose family moved from the cotton fields in ‘60s, slows things down with his original, bittersweet ballad, “I Was a Fool,” yielding to Tommy Dukes, whose family followed the same path, for the rock-steady shuffle, “Real Bad Day.”

Bowman takes the mic again for “Nine Times Out of Ten,” a rapid-fire, stop-time pleaser, before the Chief’s gravel-inflected voice returns for “Leopard Speckled Baby,” the description of his freckle-covered lady. Dave Riley’s lyrics play call-and-response with Corritore’s harp in the delightfully playful “Laughing Blues” before Sugaray Rayford describes his three-legged racehorse, “The Glide.” The disc closes with Big Pete Pearson’s slow-and-steady ballad of longing for a lost love, “I’m Evil.”

Phoenix Blues Rumble is blues at its best. Some of the artists here might be foreign to your ears, but their all deserving and at the top of their game. 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.