Renovation Blues Band – Nail It!’

RBB Records

www.renovationbluesband.com

16 songs – 55 minutes

The Renovation Blues Band hails from Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, and have been together for over 18 years, a fact reflected in the easy camaraderie of the musicianship on this delightful release. They play traditional jump blues with a modern edge but with an attitude deeply rooted in the 1950s and 1960s.  Recorded at Lo-Speed Studio with vintage instruments and amplification, their third album, Nail It!, is a fun-filled delight that bears repeated listening.

The band is composed of Paul Gorosh on drums and vocals, Sean Kilback on guitars and vocals and Howard Mallett on bass and vocals. They are joined by guests Darcy Phillips (piano and/or organ), Gene Hardy (tenor and baritone sax) and Morgan Rennef Onda (tenor sax) on various tracks.

Nail It! features 16 cooking numbers, six of which are instrumentals written by Kilback. The remainder of the album features a selection of classic West Coast numbers and a few lesser-known gems, opening with Benny Peters’ “Back From San Antone”, a rollicking number with a shouted chorus, which leads nicely into Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell”, which nods to Kim Wilson’s excellent cover from a few years back. Kilback and Phillips trade neat guitar and organ solos.

While the likes of “I Can Tell” and Eddie Cleanhead Vinson’s all-time classic “Lonesome Train” are staples of many West Coast blues bands, Kilback’s own “Get Back On That Horse”, the Insomniacs’ “Stick Around” and Jeff Turmes’ “She’s A Little Bit Much” offer a fresh and modern perspective whilst still sitting comfortably in the overall retro ambiance of the album. On other tracks, such as “Lonesome”, the band takes a little of Memphis Slim’s original, throw in a dash of the Hollywood Fats Band’s killer interpretation, and add their own spice to the stew. They even throw in a sublime version of Bruce Cockburn’s slow blues “Mama Just Wants To Barrelhouse All Night Long”.

The six instrumentals included in the bonus EP capture a variety of moods, all swinging, from the jazzy “Cut ‘n’ Run”, the wild “Top Gear” and the funky “Whippersnapper”. The galloping “Thumbs-Up Jump” features fellow Vancouver musicians Mike Mallon on harp, Annie Mallon on guitar and Dan Dube on piano.

Nail It! is a glorious reminder of the reckless joy of well-played jump blues. The musicianship is top class across the board, but there is a casual confidence that enhances the performances. Produced by Gorosh, Kilback and Mallet, Kilback also recorded, mixed and mastered the recording and the entire band deserves credit for capturing a very live, exuberant energy. This is a cracking release and well worth investigating.

Reviewer Rhys “Lightnin'” Williams plays guitar in a blues band based in Cambridge, England. He also has a day gig as a lawyer.

The Alexis P Suter Band – Just Stay High

Nola Blue Records – 2025

www.alexispsuter.com

14 tracks; 55 minutes

Alexis P Suter returns with an album originally inspired by Zoom writing sessions between her and her band members during the pandemic. The subsequent reunion with the Bennett brothers effectively “put the band back together” for this recording. Alexis is on lead vocals, Vicki Bell on harmony and backing vocals, Jimmy Bennett on guitar, brother Peter on bass/backing vocals and Ray Grappone on drums; keys are by Daniel Weiss and Will Bryant, Lee Falco replaces Grappone on drums on four tracks and adds percussion to three more while Byron Isaacs replaces Peter Bennett on seven tracks. Will Bryant and Lee Falco engineered the sessions and production is credited to Isaacs, Bryant and the whole band. The songs were mainly written by band members, Jimmy offering four solo compositions, combinations of Byron, Alexis and Vicki six, together with three covers.

Those familiar with Alexis’ vocal style will recognize her deep-toned contralto which, on some of these tracks, is backed by a blues-rock band in full flow. At other times the music takes on a soulful, gospel feel and Alexis shows she can handle all these styles with ease. “God Gave Me The Blues” she sings in the opening cut, asking why he would have done this, over insistent piano and weeping slide, “Some People” is on the soulful end of the spectrum while “Breathe” chugs along with strident vocals and a powerful rock guitar solo. Those three opening tracks rather exemplify what the album offers.

Next up is the longest cut here, “Be On Your Way” running well over six minutes, Jimmy rocking out on guitar as Alexis ends an unsatisfactory relationship in this powerful blues track. “My Only Need” reins back on the power, the gospel harmonies from the two ladies very effective over acoustic and slide guitar before the first cover, “It Ain’t Easy”, a 1970 song from the late Ron Davies which provides a reflective tune with gospel vocals, swirling keys and tough guitar. We get back to rocking in the next two tunes as Alexis explains that “4 Wheels Beat Two Heels” and that she needs no help to put on her “Big Girl Panties”, thank you very much! The title track is a soulful ballad with a message to anyone who is feeling down, “Just Stay High”, before “Ride All Night” steadily builds a head of steam, driven by Lee’s drums, until Jimmy comes in with a bright solo. “Isolation” is one of the songs that clearly emerged from those pandemic writing sessions.

A cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You” is just Alexis accompanied by piano and works well, a classic song given a highly respectful treatment by singer and pianist. “Love Always Wins” is a catchy piece of soulful pop with a chorus full of joy and optimism, the keys sounding like a string section before the album closes with a cover of Gloria Jones’ “Piece Of Clay”, originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and given a passionate reading by Alexis.

Fans of Alexis P Suter will be pleased to enjoy a new album from her.

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.

Steven Troch Band – The Dawning

Naked Records

https://www.steventroch.com

12 tracks/46 minutes

Here we have another Belgian band on the Naked label. This is their fourth album and the band says they are emerging into new directions, hence the symbolism oa a new day “Dawning.” The album cover has a painting of a sunrise featured on it.

Troch handles vocals and harp. Matt T. Mahony is on the lead guitar. Miss Liesbeth Sprangers keeps a steady pace on bass and drummer Dennis de Gier completes the backline. Troch sings with a nasally vocal that he calls “weathered.”  It’s got a rock sound to and and he sings and blows harp well. The guitar is solid, too. Tom Eylenbosch adds organ, banjo and backing vocals. Vic Ruggiero adds piano, Moog and the Noir vocals. Laura Vanden Heede adds her vocals in support, too.

We begin with “Be There For Myself” with Troch singing what the title says.  He plays some nice harp and the guitar work is nicely done. Next is “The Mountain;” the guitar sets a groove going as Troch delivers a jumping blues rock sort of tune.  His harp solo is well done.

“Deleted Scene” follows, a cut with a film noir detective theme. Troch growls a bit as he delivers the lead and also nails some more solos on his harp. Then it’s “Double Down,” a jumping instrumental blues with a great harp intro. Next it’s the organ taking over for a cool solo. Then the harp returns before giving way for the guitar to excel. The harp comes back again and takes us home.

“God Pulls the Strings” features darker vocals by Troch with a haunting melody, guitar and whistling. ”On the Road Again” is the lone cover and it’s a interesting take on the Memphis Jug Band song (not Willie Nelson’s).  It’s rock, not jug band style, and it kinda works.

“Stuff” is pure rock, a cut with attitude and a vibrant guitar groove. Next is “Wonder Why” and here we get banjo in a dream light blues rock song with electric guitar and all sorts of distortion.

The next cut is a western styled song entitled “Buckriders.” Its got the clip clop of horses via percussion and ringing guitar and it’s fun as the lyrics talk about tax oppression and more. Next we have “You Came Along” is a softer, rocking cut with some clean guitar licks.

Getting rich via “The Lottery” is the dream in the next cut. It’s fun as the band gives us an old-timey tune about the benefits of hitting it big. ”The Only One” concludes things. Guttural harp and a funky groove and gritty vocals make this one different.  A dirty harp blowing is offered to enjoy.

It’s certainly not your mama’s blues album. There is a little blues here and there. It’s rock, it’s a fusion of whatever was going through Troch’s mind. If you are looking for something different, try this one on for size!

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.

Harry Orlove – Mildly Popular

Riverlark Music – 2023

http://harryorlove.com

12 tracks; 59 minutes

On Mildly Popular (2024), veteran California guitarist Harry Orlove steps into the spotlight with fresh, soulful interpretations of an eclectic mix of songs. Rooted in the blues but unafraid to explore country, rock, and beyond, the album reflects a lifetime of musical depth and versatility. Though Orlove has spent decades as a sought-after sideman and studio player, Mildly Popular marks only his third solo album—following Back from the Dead (2004) and So It’s Come to This… (2013)—making it a welcome and long-awaited entry in his solo catalog.

“Down South in New Orleans” opens the album with characteristic funky NOLA flavor. A tasty instrumental gumbo forms, with Skip Edwards playing hypnotic, groovy keyboard, Orlove delivering impressive electric guitar solos, and Steve Bloom and Lynn Coulter providing percussion and drums. In a rich, saucy voice, Orlove sings “My suitcase packed, I got a one-way ticket, ain’t coming back. Life’s a pleasure, life’s a dream, down South in New Orleans.”

On another of the strongest tracks, “Hellhound On My Trail”, spicy, raw electric guitar precedes Orlove singing in a rich timbered voice, full of the blues, “I gotta keep movin’. The blues falling down like rain. There’s a hellhound on my trail.” Muscle-clad electric guitar powers the tune, accompanied by funky, hypnotic, impressive keys by Edwards. The ensemble creates a strong, full-bodied sound, and the interplay between Jay Dee Maness on pedal steel guitar and Orlove on guitar is fantastic, on this rocker, featuring a jam for parts of the track.

Pounding drums and percussion, with lively guitar and sprinkles of keyboard, kick off “Deep Ellum Blues”, the traditional song famously covered by The Georgia Crackers and the Grateful Dead. Here, Orlove presents a slower, bluesier version than the Dead, with funky, simmering instrumentals as he sings about the debauchery and low-down ways of Deep Elum; “Once I knew a preacher, preached the bible through and through. Went down to Deep Ellum, now his preaching days are through.” The guitars drone and moan, and at times venture into extended jams.

Orlove employs a deep troubadour voice on “Looking for Trouble, a slow, lingering, haunting tune about alcoholism. Eerie, ghostly keyboards back up Orlove’s straining voice, in the dark, minor key song, with the pithy musing “If you’re looking for trouble, trouble will find you.”

Smooth, polished electric guitar opens “Come On Up to the House”, the best track on the LP and a Tom Waits cover. Orlove croons rich and sweet, “The world is not my home, I’m just passing through”, as the guitars work in harmony with each other and the percussion section. Edwards offers killer keyboard solos traversing scales. This is low-key blues to put the soul at ease.

“In My Room” is another pop/ rock tune re-imagined as a blues number. Orlove employs patient, mournful guitar, both sophisticated and delicate, in an atmospheric, abstract, and emotional tune. Solid percussion threads throughout, and the song is reminiscent of the instrumental blues of Peter Green.

Steve Bloom and Lynn Coulter’s work on percussion and drums provides excellent rhythm for “Cakewalk into Town”, the Taj Mahal deep cut. The track, a testament to the ups and downs of life, is hypnotic and danceable, and endowed with a gnarly guitar solo.

“Hello Trouble” is driven by syncopated beats and energized by Edwards’ dynamic accordion. Multiple instrumental layers blend seamlessly to create a soulful, rocking sound. Over this rich backdrop, Orlove sings, “Here comes trouble, ever since you went away,” mourning a lost love.

While tracks like “Evangelina,” “Hello Walls,” “Lonesome Town,” and “World Without Love” don’t quite reach the same emotional or musical heights as the rest of the album, Mildly Popular remains a compelling collection—brimming with soul, musicianship, and blues-rooted reinterpretations that highlight Orlove’s depth as both a player and interpreter.

Writer Jack Austin, also known by his radio DJ name, Electric Chicken (y Pollo Electrico en Espanol), is a vinyl collector, music journalist, and musician originally from Pittsburgh.

One evening in 1964, pioneering blues and rock guitar player Jody Williams quietly laid his guitar into its case, snapped the locks shut and slid it underneath his bed.

Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States at the time.

It would be 35 years later – in 1999 – when Bill Clinton was the President of the United States, before Williams’ guitar would once again see the light of day.

So why did the Alabama-born, Chicago-raised legend – a performer who had recorded with Sonny Boy Williamson and shared the stage with The Drifters, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and Bill Haley and The Comets – turn his back and walk away from a very lucrative career, arguably at the height of its popularity?

According to Williams, it was cut and dry.

It was because his career was anything but lucrative, all thanks to the greed of others.

“It seems like anytime I write a song, it’s stolen and over a million records are sold. And then about 10 other people record it. You know I got to feel bad about that,” Williams recently said. “That’s the main reason I put my guitar under the bed for 30-something years – to keep from killing somebody. I just said, ‘To Hell with it.’”

So the man who laid down the explosive and highly-influential solo on Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love” and also played on classic Howlin’ Wolf sides such as “Evil” and “Forty Four” was basically MIA from the music scene for the 70s, 80s and 90s, depraving blues fans of a major creative force for three decades.

“I wouldn’t mind eight or 10 other people recording it (his songs) if I had gotten something out of it,” he said. “But to have things completely stolen, I don’t even get my writer’s royalties off a bunch of my stuff.”

Not only did Williams not play – or, for that matter, even think about playing – the blues for 30-plus years, he didn’t even bother to listen to them, either.

“I listened to some country and western and a little light jazz during those years. That was about it,” he said. That’s all I listened to for 30 years. No blues; period.”

Williams basically just vanished from plain sight overnight, leaving many to wonder if he had either passed away or maybe moved to some deserted island.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Mickey Baker used Williams’ riff for “Billy’s Blues” on the Mickey & Sylvia hit “Love is Strange.” That song hit number one on the charts in the late 50s, and was later used in the movie Dirty Dancing and even wound up in the Grammy Hall of Fame. And despite all of that – even though courtroom litigation was eventually held on the matter – Williams never received credit for giving birth to the lick used in the song, nor did he ever garner so much as one penny from the sale of it over the years. Disgusted and left with no real motivation for continuing to play music, Williams simply faded into the background.

However, just because he was finished with music, that didn’t mean that all Williams did was sit on his hands for three decades. Instead, he retreated to the south side of Chicago, raised a family, went to school for electronics and for 26 years, he was a technical engineer for the Xerox Corporation.

“I did that until March of 1994, when I retired from Xerox. Then after that, I became an ATM technician and worked on those machines at banks and places like that,” said Williams. “I was in uniform and wore a bullet-proof vest with a big .357 magnum on my hip. I did that from ’95 until June of last year, when I retired from that. I did 16 years of that. So really, I had two careers in engineering.”

And thankfully for those that appreciate great music, after retirement from the corporate world, Williams put aside his .357, picked up his guitar and now seems intent on making up for lost time.

“I’ve been playing shows, traveling the country … been to Europe, Japan and Australia and different places,” he said. “And I did those two albums for Evidence (2002’s Return of a Legend and You Left Me in the Dark from 2004) since I started back playing again. And since then, I’ve written some things, but I haven’t run across a company that I’d like to record for. Everybody’s still tryin’ to rip you off, you know? I was approached one of the last times I was down in Memphis by a record company that wanted me to record for them, but they wanted me to give up my publishing rights. I said, ‘No.’ Before I do that, I’d rather not record anything new at all.”

Newly-recorded material or not, Williams has still been busy playing the blues these days.

This past year, Williams was part of the impressive memorial concert staged for his old friend and former band-mate Hubert Sumlin at Harlem’s fabled Apollo Theatre.

“I did a couple of things there with Eric Clapton. We played “Evil” at the Apollo. Matter of fact, Clapton recorded one of my songs that I wrote for Billy Boy Arnold back in the 50s,” said Williams.

Williams’ entry in the world of music got its start on the street-corners of the Windy City, where he and Ellas Bates/McDaniel (Bo Diddley) used to perform for passers-by. Williams played harp at the time, his first instrumental love, before later switching over to the six string.

“We played these amateur talent shows at different theatres in Chicago when we wasn’t playing on the streets. And then this guy at the Indiana Theatre heard us play and that’s how we really got started,” Williams said. “We had two guitars and a washtub bass.”

It didn’t take long for the world to get introduced to the wonderful talents of Bo Diddley, as tunes like “I’m Looking for a Woman” and the now-classic “Who Do You Love” found an eager audience for this wild, new form of music.

And Jody Williams was at the heart of it all, playing lead guitar on the chug-chug-chugging “Who Do You Love.”

“I never thought that (song) would be as big as it is. A lot of guitar players say they started playing because of that song,” he said. “But when I was in the studio for that one, I just put my stuff on it … just did my thing. But I’m glad I managed to inspire somebody.”

If the Chicago blues in the 1950s was anything, it was inspirational. A person would probably have been hard-pressed to find any place in the city, on any given night, that did not have some kind of a blues band holding court. That had to have made for some serious posturing in order to secure a gig, even with so many plum spots in the city to play the blues back then.

“I don’t know if we looked at it like that or not, but there was a lot of competition around,” he said. “Everybody and his brother had some kind of a guitar they was playing or a harmonica they was blowing. It was really an amazing time.”

Williams credits B.B. King and T-Bone Walker as being the two musicians that were most influential on his own style of guitar playing. And as luck would have, Williams ended up getting to play with both of the Hall of Famers.

“I played with T-Bone and I recorded with B.B.,” said Williams. “And they were my main influences on guitar. Matter of fact, I could play B.B.’s style almost like he could. I was one of the few that could do that.”

Although the first time he met B.B. King face-to-face, he wasn’t entirely sure who he was greeting.

“We were in the studio on the first day of recording “Forty Four” – Wolf, Hubert and I, with Earl Phillips on drums and Otis Spann on piano. And while we was on a break, a couple of guys that I didn’t know walked into the studio. Then I noticed after we got back to work, this one guy was watching my hands. That’s what a guitar player does if he wants to steal another player’s licks – he watches his hands. So I said to myself, ‘This Mother … is in here ripping me off,’ Williams said. “So it went like that for awhile and he was still watching me, still ripping me off. So I didn’t say anything, I just turned my chair around so he couldn’t see my hands. When we finished that song and was listening to Leonard Chess play it back, Wolf called me over to the other side of the studio. Well, by chance, that guy that was sitting there watching my fingers was over there talking to Wolf. So when I got over there, Wolf said, ‘Jody, I want you to meet a friend of mine – Mr. B.B. King.’ And oh man, I felt bad. That studio was too small for me to run and hide in. But here was a guy that I thought was ripping me off, when I had been ripping off him! But we hit it off real good. At the end of the day, B.B. got on his guitar, I got on mine and Spann got on the piano and we recorded “Must Have Been the Devil.””

Williams and King would collaborate a few years later on a tune called “Five Spot.”

“When I recorded my album (Return of a Legend) after retirement, I re-recorded that song as a tribute to B.B. But on the album, I called the song “Jive Spot.” But that’s a tribute to what B.B. King meant to me,” Williams said.

Williams’ re-emergence into the world of blues music was through a couple of old friends – Dick Shurman and Robert Junior Lockwood.

“He (Shurman) stopped by the house one day and asked me if I could manage to see someone from the 50s that I liked, who would it be? I told him that me and Robert Junior Lockwood got along real good and I really liked him, even though I had not seen him since the 50s. Robert and I always looked like father and son,” said Williams. “Dick told me that Robert Junior was going to be down at (Buddy Guy’s) Legends on Saturday night and did I want to go see him? I told him I would go on one condition – that nobody knew who I was. But as soon as I got in there and sat down, he (Robert Junior) know who I was. We talked and had a good time that night. Oh man, that made me feel good.”

That good feeling continued to resonate with Williams and helped to encourage him to once again pick up his guitar and start unleashing his signature sound to a legion of hungry blues fans that had been starving for something – anything – from Williams for many years.

Robert Junior would later make an appearance on a couple of songs off Williams’ second post-retirement disc, You Left Me in the Dark.

Of all the many tunes that Williams helped craft for the Chess and Vee-Jay labels when he was one of the top blues session men in the world, the song that he feels best represents the ‘classic Jody Williams’ sound’ is a tune of his own – “Lucky Lou.”

“Most of the guitar players that try to play that song really can’t, unless I show them how. Tinsley Ellis played on Return of a Legend and he had been playing “Lucky Lou” but he hadn’t been playing it right. So during the sessions for that album, he asked me to please show him how to play it right,” said Williams. “So I showed him – give me a D-flat minor chord down here at the bottom – and he got it. He said, ‘After all these years of playing that song wrong, I can finally play it right.’”

Little moments like that have no doubt re-enforced Williams’ decision to return to the arena of playing the blues, even though it’s not quite been forgive and forget for him.

“All the things that I’ve done that people have stolen from me, I should be a millionaire. When I quit playing music, that left a bad taste in my mouth for 30 years,” he said. “But the things that happened to me, there’re going to happen to somebody else. And I hate that for them. But you know, there’s a lot of artists from back in the 50s – still living or not – that never did get what was rightfully theirs; songs or money.”

More hurt and disappointed by that than he is bitter about it, Williams seems to understand that if he continues to play music, he’ll probably be constantly reminded of what all he’s lost.

“I was playing down at Legends after I came out of retirement and I heard a song on the jukebox (by a newer band) that had something on it that I did when I was playing with Memphis Slim,” he said. “I heard my stuff on someone else’s record. But I guess they heard something worthwhile and decided to take it. But as you’ll notice, on both my CDs on Evidence, you’ll not hear me stealing anything from anybody. It’s all original material. And they were both nominated for Blues Music Awards.”

Mad props to James Walker for his help with this feature.

Blues Blast Magazine Senior Writer Terry Mullins is a journalist and former record store owner whose personal taste in music is the sonic equivalent of Attention Deficit Disorder. Works by the Bee Gees, Captain Beefheart, Black Sabbath, Earth, Wind & Fire and Willie Nelson share equal space with Muddy Waters, The Staples Singers and R.L. Burnside in his compact disc collection. He’s also been known to spend time hanging out on the street corners of Clarksdale, Miss., eating copious amounts of barbecued delicacies while listening to the wonderful sounds of the blues. His first book, Blues In Modern Days was published in 2014.

Eli Paperboy Reed – Sings Walkin’ and Talkin’ and Other Smash Hits

Yep Roc Records

www.elipaperboyreed.com

27 Tracks – 79 minutes

In 2004, Eli Paperboy Reed (nee Eli Husock) recorded his first album in a basement studio in Aliston, Massachusetts. It was recorded live on analog tape and was pressed for a limited run of 300 cd’s in 2005. At that time, he was primarily selling the cd by busking on the streets of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was in his early 20’s and sometimes played solo and sometimes with his band. One day while the band was playing, a Harvard student walked by and after listening to them, invited them to play a session at WHRB radio station. The session was recorded using only two mikes, one for the vocals and one for the band. The band gained attention and led to a contact from producer Ed Valauskas who worked at Q Division studios in Somerville, Ma. That led to his first studio album, Roll with You, in 2008.

When Eli graduated high school in 2002, he moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he played at the juke joints. He shifted briefly to Chicago where he played at Soul legend Mitty Collier’s southside church. By 2005, he was back in Boston where he took up busking to pay the bills. Seventeen songs were recorded in that 2004 session but only twelve of them were included on the original cd release including two originals and ten cover songs. Those twelve songs were remastered and included on this deluxe edition of the album in their original order on that initial release. Four more songs from that session are added as bonus tracks. The album then adds twelve songs that were recorded during the WHRB radio performance.

The credits for those original basement records include Eli on guitar, harmonica and vocals, Jack Leckie on acoustic bass (Eli did not want any electric bass on the recording), Eli Kessler on drums, Andrew Fenton on trombone and rhythm guitar, and Ben Jaffe on tenor sax. Reed, Kessler and Fenlon also appear on the radio sessions with the addition of Michael Isvara Montgomery on acoustic bass.

The album opens with Jimmy McCracklin’s 1961 song, “Just Got to Know”.  The recording clearly reflects the sound quality that would be expected from the lowly recording techniques that were used, but the vocals and musicianship are apparent for what would what grab the attention of others. His original song “Walkin’ and talkin’ (For My Baby”) follows.  Bill Anderson’s 1962 country song “The Tip of My Fingers” is moved to a slow waltz. “Woman Woman Blues” is a song from Ishman Bracey from the 1920’s.  Chris Kenner’s 1961 song “Something You Got” has a touch of rock ‘n’ roll. That is followed by Johnny River’s 1962 slow stroll “The Poor Side of Town”.

“I’m Tired of Wandering” was originally recorded by Arbee Stidham  in 1960. He jumps back to 1928 for his version of Tommy Johnson’s “Fat Mama Rumble”. “You’re Gonna Make Me Cry” was originally written by Don Robey and first recorded by O.V Wright in 1965. Tommy Johnson’s 1928 Song “Cool Drink of Water Blues” includes the classic line “I asked for water, and she gave me gasoline”. On his second original song, he begs her “Don’t Let Me Down” in a slow waltz. The twelve original songs conclude with a public domain song “A Dying Veteran’s Plea”

The first of the bonus songs, “Lone Town Blues” was recorded by Junior Brooks in 1950.  “A Woman, A Lover, A Friend” was written by Sydney Wyche and recorded in 1960 by Jackie Wilson. “Roamin’ and Ramblin” was recorded in 2008 by David “Honeyboy” Edwards on one of his last studio recordings. “Right Around the Corner” recorded by The Persuasions in 1994 ends the original recordings.

The radio recordings start with “She May Be Yours”, originally subtitled “(But She Comes to See Me Sometimes)”, which was originally recorded by Joe Hill Louis in 1952 and co-written by Sam Phillips. Elvis Presley later recorded the song in 1999. Sonny Boy Williamson’s 1951 song “(She) Brought Life back To the Dead” is next followed by Roosevelt Sykes’ “West Helena Blues”, Robert Johnson’s 1936 Song “Thirty-Two Twenty Blues”, and  Howlin’ Wolf’s “I’m Leaving You.

Eli returns to Tommy Johnson with “Big Fat Mama”, written in 1930.  Slim Harpo’s “I’m a King Bee” was written in 1957 and has been recorded by many other musicians including The Rolling Stones. The traditional “Rollin’ and “Tumblin'” is followed by Stop Talking in Your Sleep”, which was first recorded by The Carter Brothers in 1965. ” I Can’t Quit You Baby” was written by Willie Dixon in 1956 and recorded by Otis Rush.  He concludes the album with a hymn copyrighted in 1908 by Johnson Oatman Jr., but is known to have circulated prior to that time.

As cited at the beginning of this column, the sound throughout the album is raw, but it does provide some insight into Eli’s base sound and background into his musical interest that became the basis of albums that were to come.

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.

Paul Kaye – Ham Hound Crave

Riverlark Music – 2023

http://www.paulkayeblues.com

13 tracks; 46 minutes

Paul Kaye’s album Ham Hound Crave (2023) is a heartfelt tribute to the foundational figures of early 20th-century acoustic blues, with a heavy emphasis on Piedmont, Delta, and gospel-blues traditions. The collection spans rural Mississippi bottleneck blues, East Coast ragtime picking, and gospel-rooted fingerstyle—each track serving as a study in regional character, historical depth, and personal reverence.

As musician and record owner Andy Cohen writes in the liner notes ““Paul Kaye plays the Blues, every variety and nuance,” a true student of the blues, also bolstered by supporting blues greats like Honeyboy Edwards and Junior Wells.

On display throughout the album is practiced, masterful guitarplaying, earnest vocals, and an authentic representation of eclectic American music.

Together, the songs form an intimate, reverent, and skillful homage to pre-war blues and the guitarists who laid its foundations—inviting both casual listeners and blues scholars into a rich and living tradition.

A brooding, moody guitar riff introduces the title track, “Ham Hound Crave”, featuring gentle, precise guitar picking as Kaye sings “Cocaine on my mind… I’m going to Chicago just to get my hame bone boiled”. Rube Lacy recorded a version of the song and Honeyboy Edwards played the tune frequently, including at all night jam sessions at his Southside Chicago apartment. Kaye’s voice is rough with hints of tenderness, the voice of a troubadour, as he pours forth a slow, patient, steamy blues. Like an earnest scoundrel, Kaye calls out “Let me be your little dog til your big dog come.”

Kaye said he has invested “a significant portion” of his “waking hours” to master Blind Blake’s guitar techniques. On “Hey, Hey Daddy Blues”, intricate finger picking creates a beautiful sound projecting a quiet sadness. Kaye sings “Lonesome as a man can be, ever since you went away. I’m like a ship lost at sea.” The guitar rhythm is hypnotizing, a foot-tapping beat both simple and authentic.

“Cypress Grove Blues” is a melancholy meditation bearing soul-shivering guitar riffs carrying death and mourn. Slow guitar notes are filled with weight as Kaye sings in a falsetto whisper “I would rather be buried in some Cypress grove… I’m going away now, going away to stay. I’d rather be dead Lord… than treated this old way.”

Kaye offers a gritty, bluesy version of the Black Spiritual “You Got to Move”, popularized by Mississippi Fred McDowell and the Rolling Stones. Hot, saucy slide guitar jumps out as Kaye cries out “You’ve got to move. When the Lord gets ready, you got to move.” Lyrically the song speaks of the inevitability of death and judgement of poor and rich alike. The guitar bursts with deep, low, guttural moans, like death coming surely. Kay achieves a growling, raspy vocal tone fitting for the track, but the guitar is the central feature of the track, with sophistication, authenticity, and power. Kaye said he learned the track from Honest Tom Pomposello, McDowell’s student and bass player throughout the 1960’s, who taught him the intricacies of McDowell’s style.

On “Louis Collins”, Kaye plays a Ramsey open back banjo that sounds like a clucking hen, producing a calm, peaceful sound carrying a tragic message. The Mississippi John Hurt track with Country leanings describes the fate of Louis Collins, shot down by the sheriff.

Delicate fingerpicking and earnest, soulful vocals characterize Kaye’s cover of “Shine on Harvest Moon”, recorded on a Martin New Yorker. In a deep, resonant voice Kaye sings of how “the moon refused to shine.”

On “Pay Day”, another Mississippi John Hurt interpretation, Kaye delivers one of the best guitar performances on the album. In the intricate guitar arrangement Kaye displays exciting slide guitar work, and plays a full bodied guitar, using the entire range of the instrument. Simply, the track is sophisticated and beautiful.

Kaye closes the album on a high note in his rendition of “Candy Man”, a track he learned from Peter Pickow, the folk musician. On this classic blues tune, Kaye achieves gorgeous, delicate fingerpicking. He sings in a deep, rich timbre, with a tenderness suited to the track. The sublime guitarwork achieves a quiet elegance, once again showing Kaye’s capability as a chameleon-like blues guitarist.

While the two instrumental tracks seemed sparse, and some of the tracks lacked a certain intensity found on other parts of the album, Ham Hound Crave is a fine collection of songs. Anyone who appreciates the blues, or American roots music for that, should cherish the varied and authentic blues reproductions Kaye captures here. Above all Kaye proves himself an eclectic, masterful guitar player and a true student of the blues.

Writer Jack Austin, also known by his radio DJ name, Electric Chicken (y Pollo Electrico en Espanol), is a vinyl collector, music journalist, and musician originally from Pittsburgh.

Jon Slidewell and the Reedcutters – Poor Boy Blues

Palatine Music

www.thereedcutters.co.uk

12 tracks – 30 minutes

The UK band got its start in 2017 performing under the name of JP and The Razors. They released a couple of EPs under that name, but they took a step back when their original drummer, Ross “Razor” Chrichton, unexpectedly died in 2019, but is noted as the drummer on tracks 2 and 5. Then the pandemic hit, and the band was left in limbo.  Finally getting through that painful era, the band reformed with the new name of Jon Slidewell and the Reedcutters. The band plays old school blues in the vein of those who inspired them – John Lee Hooker, Hound Dog Taylor, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Elmore James.

Jon wrote all of the songs on the album with the sole exception of the final track on the album, which was co-written by DB Wiliams, who also plays guitar on the track. Jon plays guitar, slide guitar, bass, harmonica, tambourine and beatbox on various tracks and is the lead vocalist on all tracks. He is joined by Dave Roberts on bass, and S.A. Wright on drums. Jake Poole, who was only 16 years old when he started playing lead guitar for the Razors, also left to go to college in 2019 but returns to play lead guitar on five tracks – 1,3,6,9, and 11.

The title cut opens with Jake on lead and Jon on slide guitar with Jon noting “Sometimes I get this feeling that I am the one to lose”. “So in Love” rocks out with Jon on harmonica as he tells she is “lying and cheating…I should have seen it coming”. Next, he says, “I gave all my lovin’ to you, but you ran away with someone new”. “I won’t miss you, “The Girl Next Door” knows where I am.” Jon’s slide guitar rips through the next song as he declares “I am so tired of listening to you, I am going home to find “Someone New“.

“Half Boy Half Man” starts slow but quickly picks up steam as he determines “I get up in the morning, work nine to five. Must be a better way to stay alive”.  Jon continues his stories of love lost as he declares “Honey, We’re Thru“. Jon’s harmonica leads on “The Devil’s Make” as he says, “I don’t know where she comes from me, but she’s got to be the devil”. On “Black Cat Blues” he determines a black cat crossed his path as he tells her “If you don’t want me, set me free. There is a better place I can be”.

Jake takes the lead again on “Love Disfigured Me” as Jon tells her “Why don’t you just find somebody new?”. or “Why can’t we go back our very start?” “I am the one who should just walk away”.  He then notes “I Have been “Down So Long“, it all seems like up to me”. “Theme For Mr. James” is a rocking instrumental. The album closes with “Cloak and Dagger” as he notes “I lie here waiting in vain. I try to call her, but don’t know her name”.

The easy conclusion to made from listening to all of the songs is that Jon appears to be one of life’s losers in the game of love. Jon and Jake’s guitars have some standout moments and Jon’s slide work is definitely catching as they offer some rocking blues. Twelve songs in 30 minutes points to the fact that all are short blasts in the overall theme.

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.