The Boneshakers – Live To Be This

Gulf Coast Records

www.officialboneshakers.com

15 tracks/55 minutes

Randy Jacobs founded the Boneshakers in 1996. He’s an amazing guitarist from Detroit whose musical style is funk filled and quite cool. He worked with Sweetpea Atkinson after meeting him in Detroit in 1980. They worked with the band Was (Not Was) and they toured extensively in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. They broke up after their 1992 tour with Dire Straits. Randy and Sweet Pea then independently worked with a plethora of music icons.

When Randy wanted to form a new band, Sweet Pea called and they reunited. Bonnie Raitt suggested the name and the Boneshakers were formed. Sweetpea passed away in 2020 and his replacement Jenny Langer strives to continue and expand the Boneshaker’s legacy.  Langer is a singer with a powerful voice. At 28 years of age she was inducted into the Virginia Blues Hall of Fame. In 2020 she won the International Blues Challenge (IBC) for Best Self-Produced Album. Her partnership with Jacobs makes for a great combination of talent. This is the Boneshaker’s 11th album and is on Mike Zito’s Gulf Coast Records.

The cast of characters her is huge. Langer sings and Jacobs handles guitar, bass, vocals, slide dobro and clavinet. Greg Bissonette handles the drums, and four artists share the duties on keyboards: Jon Gilutin (six tracks), John “Papa” Gros (2 tracks), Rodney Lee (3 tracks) and Ron Reinhardt (one track).  Joe Sublett and Mark Pender provide horn support and Lenny Castor supplies percussive help. Backing vocals on 4 cuts are provided by Harry Bowens and Derrick Harris. Other guests are noted below.

The album opens with “I’ll Kick A Brick (For My Man)” and features Ron Holloway on the sax solo. This is a funkalicious cut with killer guitar, clavinet, trumpet and sax along with Langer’s killer vocals. “They Say I’m Different” has a slick groove with cool guitar and organ. Langer’s vocals are poignant and in your face. “How Do You Spell Love” is next. Langer growls and sings with power in this funk filled track. There’s some really nice guitar and well done horns here, too.

“I Need Somebody.” The vocals are great, the horns and keys are super and the guitar is solid. Another winner! The Delta mix of “Dobro Jones” follows.  It’s Jacobs on dobro and vocals and then Langer joins in for a duet– really nicely done. Charlie Musselwhite joins the fray on harp for “Evil No More.”  Stinging guitar and harp go back and forth  in this big number. Langer delivers another enormous vocal performance, too.

“I Am The Cool” has Jacobs up in front, Don Was is on upright bass, and David Garza is on sax. They are The Cool. Jazzy, funky, slick stuff and the rest of the band helps add to the coolness. “Here I Am” features Reinhardt on keys, Holly Montgomery and Leslie Fisher Jr. on backing vocals. Jacobs adds a stellar guitar solo with neat effects and Langer continues to sing with power and grit. “Salty” is next and Langer is joined on vocals by the legendary Bobby Rush. It’s an outstanding duet with excellent organ and guitar work.

“Don’t Deny Me” follows next and here we have Jimmy Carpenter on sax and Coco Montoya on guitar adding some great licks to the mix. Langer sings with nice pacing, the guitar rings clearly and the sax is beautifully done. Another amazing cut! “Took A Trip” opens with some big guitar and Langer takes over with horns in support. Jacobs picks out a delightful little solo and the organ take us homes in this bouncy and fun cut. “Tears Of The World” is a funky ballad with Tully Winfield backing Jenny. We get another stinging guitar solo and matching sax to savor here.

“Ain’t Good Enough For Me” is a breathy cut with another super guitar solo. The low country mix of “Dobro Jones” follows, similar to the prior adaptation but more Piedmont than Delta is timbre; well done! They conclude with “Cake And The Candle,” a somber ballad with Langer emoting and with an ethereal guitar solo that is followed by a quartet of backing vocalists supporting and building it up for Langer. They are Valerie Pinkston, Michael Mayo, Scott Mayo and Charlean Carmon. Jenny then takes things down and then home to conclude a beautifully done song. Very pretty and well done!

This is a great album with superb musicians giving it their all. The vocals are great. The guitar is impeccable. The horns and keyboards give us a beautiful backdrop of music to enjoy. The guests all do outstanding work. This is funked up blues with a cool and contemporary feel that I think all blues fans can embrace and thoroughly enjoy!

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.

Piper & The Hard Times – Good Company

Hard Times Records -2025

www.piperandthehardtimes.com

12 tracks; 53 minutes

Following their win at the 2024 IBC’s and their debut album, Revelation, Piper & The Hard Times now deliver twelve new tracks that blend rock, soul, funk and blues. Everything you hear is original, guitarist Steve Eagon having a hand in every song, vocalist Al ‘Piper’ Green contributing to eight and drummer Dave Colella to two. This is a fun band to see live and they show that side of their character by each having a nickname to go alongside Piper’s: Steve ‘The Conductor’ Eagon is described as the “Chief Riff Officer”, drummer Dave ‘Sexy Boy’ Colella is the “Chief Rhythm Officer”, bassist Parker ‘Porkchop Funstick’ Hawkins is the “Chief Groove Officer” and keyboard player Amy ‘The Professor’ Frederick is the “Chief Soul Officer”! Also contributing to proceedings are the “Good Company Consultants”, Eddie Meyer and Charlie DiPuma, sax on four cuts, John ‘Hotfingers’ Wallum, organ on two, Lisa Oliver-Gray and Etta Britt adding background vocals throughout.

The album sets off with a bang with the title track “Good Company” which rockets along over pounding drums, driving piano and a great guitar riff, Piper’s vocals excellent. The next two tracks add sax to the blend: “Now I’m Loving You” a confession about giving up late nights and booze for a good woman, played over naggingly catchy funk guitar with sax featured throughout; “Tear It Down” has both sax men on board as the band hits a soulful stride on a song that could be deemed political: “Anyone can be a clown, no one wears the crown”. Piper struts over fuzz guitar in his “Cowboy Gucci” before “In The Meantime” slows things down a little with plenty of keyboard work and another strong riff from Steve who goes on to add a fine solo.

“Turn The Tables” is a short track that acts as a mid-album interlude, opening with gentle guitar and just Piper’s clear and soulful vocal in which he makes clear that he will not get caught out by his girl’s behavior. The band is invited by Piper to “clock in” and responds with a busy performance on “Runaround Man”, propelled by Dave’s drums and organ stabs from Amy; hard to stay still to this one! We get back to soulful blues on “Cheatin’s Gotta End” and Piper is on top form again as he admonishes a straying lover and Steve adds a striking solo to fit the anguished mood of the song. We then get two songs written solely by Steve: an infectious groove sits under Piper who is clearly fed up with being the person everyone confides in and asks them to “Keep It To Yourself”; the funky “Not Your Fault” has more sax, this time it’s Piper who has made the mistakes. Piper invites people to “My Place” on another funky tune with good backing vocals – “hang out with me…listening to the blues”. Piper starts the last track with a spoken reminiscence about his childhood before the band comes in on “Those Days”, a joyous eight minutes of all that is best with this band as they blend gospel, soul and blues to tremendous effect.

This is an excellent sophomore album from the band, recorded on home turf in Tennessee in March/April 2025. Sadly, in June 2025 they were hit by the devastating news that Piper had cancer and the band curtailed live performances while he recovers. However, I note from their website that they do have dates scheduled in the fall, so let’s hope that signals a successful recovery for the frontman. Long may they continue to make fine music.

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’.

Eva Carboni – The Blues Archives

Mad Ears Productions

https://evacarboni.com/

11 tracks/42 minutes

Eva Carboni is a Sardinian born blues singer who began her career  in L.A. and now works out of the U.K. with Andy Littlewood and Mad Ears Productions. This is her 6th album and features unreleased songs and reworked tracks from her career.

Backing Carboni’s vocals are Andy Littlewood on guitar, keys, bass and backing vocals, Pete Nelson on drums, Mick Simpson on guitar for five cuts, Dave Hunt on harp for track 4, and Andreus Linsdell on lead guitar on track 5.

The album opens with “Someone Else’s Life” and features Simpson’s big guitar behind Eva’s vocals. She sings with feeling in this cool slow blues. “Love Me Tonight” is next, an archival mix. Somber and full of lament, Carboni sings forthrightly. Big organ, and nice guitar work by Mick are featured here.

“Turning My Back on the Blues” follows, a cut with a NOLA vibe with horns. Horn solos abound to great effect. Carboni gives us a jazzy take on the cut. “Bad Blood,” another archival mix, has a great rootsy sound with acoustic guitar/dobro. Eva gives us a breathy and spirited performance and we get a fine harp solo to listen to.

Next is “Something’s Gotta Give,” another cut with Simpson on the big guitar. Carboni sings with electronic effects to dirty up the sound; it’s a rocking blues track. “Gone Back Home” is listed as a Freedom Mix, and it has a hill country vibe to it with stomping and acoustic guitars. “The Magic” is another archives mix and it is a slow, rock blues ballad. Carboni sings with emotion.

“Unfinished Business” follows; this one is a jazzy blues cut, slow and solemn. Eva sings with dark and deep passion. Piano and organ fill in well and Simpson ads a guitar solo. Next is “A Woman Scorned,” listed as a bar room mix. It’s a shuffle with a great groove. A nice piano solo is featured and Carboni sings with a sultry tone.

“River of Life” follows, another ballad with a simple acoustic guitar lead and powerful vocals by Eva. A thoughtful guitar solo is provided, too. The final cut is “Wrong Turn,” another archive recording. It opens with organ and Eva sort of taking us to church. The song builds and Mick gives us a ringing guitar solo mid-song. Carboni sings with deep emotion and winds her way to a n emotive finish to bring things home.

This is a good album of blues and rock blues showcasing well done vocals, nice guitar and great, tight instrumental support. It’s worth a spin or two to hear it!

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.

Ryan Lee Crosby – Ryan Lee Crosby at The Blue Front

Crossnote Records

www.ryanleecrosby.com

8 tracks – 31 minutes

Ryan Lee Crosby was born in Massachusetts and now lives in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He started playing in bands at age 14 and as he grew older, became primarily interested in the blues.  He has released several previous albums and has well been recognized by many for his unique guitar playing and what is called primitive style of music. He is schooled in traditional music referenced as the Bentonia  style, which he learned from his mentor, blues legend Jimmy “Duck” Holmes. The form originated from Henry Stuckey and Jack Owens. Skip James is one of the best-known performers in the style. The style involves a fingerpicking minor key open guitar tuning called crossnote,  and falsetto vocals. Holmes learned the musical style from Henry Stuckey.

Ryan first met Jimmy in 2019 after a fan saw a video of Crosby playing at Deep Blues Fest and suggested the connection. The 78-year-old Holmes runs The Blue Front juke joint in Bentonia, Mississippi just as his mother did before him.  The Blue Front is the oldest remaining juke joint and located 30 miles northwest of Jackson, Mississippi. It has given an historic marker and is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail. The Bentonia Blues Festival was founded in 1972 by Jimmy’s mother and him. It presently continues with Jimmy’s oversight.

Ryan’s notes for the album cites, “To me, the relationship with Jimmy is the most important thing. It was truly transformative for me. It’s where the music starts and ends for me in many ways. I look to Jimmy for wisdom, context, inspiration, connection. Playing and singing with him has helped to both focus and open my playing at the same time. I see him as a teacher of what it means to be human. Everything about how I relate to the blues comes back to my interactions with him and my experiences at The Blue Front.

Ryan brought a vintage Tascam four track portable reel-to-reel tape machine to the Blue Front and recorded sessions on April 8, 2024. While he respectfully maintained the Bentonia style, he brings his own distinctive approach to the music by playing a 12-string guitar accompanying his vocals. Grant Smith adds percussion and plays a calabash; a drum made from a gourd which originated in West African music. Jay Scheffler plays harmonica and Jimmy joins on guitar and some vocals for the final four cuts of the album.

Tracks 1 and 4-8 are all traditional songs, although Ryan has revised some music and lyrics. The remaining three tracks are originals. “Going Away” opens the album establishing a solid blues vibe with Jay’s finely played harmonica blending with Ryan’s guitar before Ryan sings “I am going to catch that train and I’ll be moving on”. Ryan then proclaims “I’m Gonna Change” as he notes, “You know I love you and I don’t want to leave. That is why I’m going to change my ways”. On “I’ve Been Worried”, he picks up the pace somewhat as he proclaims, “I won’t be worried long… because the sun will come out and this will all be gone”.  He warns that “Mistreating People” “gonna come back your way…I’m sorry for what I did and didn’t do”.  Jay again offers some haunting, lingering harmonica through the song.

Jimmy joins Ryan as he declares “Hard Times” will bring you down”. You may be rich; you may be poor. Hard times will bring you down”.  The blending of the two guitars on these cuts is outstanding.  He proclaims, “I wish I was a “Catfish” wandering the deep blue sea and have all you pretty people fishing after me”. The final two songs were improvised while performing the songs. “Slow Down” warns “if you don’t change your ways, you’re gonna end up in an early grave”, which can be taken as a warning for all of his listeners but in the song is directed towards a particular woman. Jimmy adds some additional vocals citing “If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody else.” On “Tell Me”, Jimmy takes the lead vocals and asks her “How long your good man gonna be gone? If you let me in, it won’t take me long”.

The album offers light, easy blues in a very appealing format. Ryan’s guitar and vocals catch the influence of the musical style but delivers it in a fashion that has a modern touch. When Jimmy joins in, he immediately slides into the music and complements the songs. It is noted that the session extended, and additional songs were recorded for an upcoming album, Bentonia Blues / Right Now, from Jimmy. Definitely something to look forward for its release.

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.

Many musicians have maintained a day job over the years to bolster their finances, but there haven’t been many like boogie woogie piano master Victor Wainwright that have served as an air traffic controller.

“It was stressful. I went to school to be an air traffic controller. My dad and grandpa and mom thought it best that I should have a backup plan or career outside of music because they knew how hard it was being professional musician, so they encouraged me to pick out something. My neighbor at the time was an air traffic controller. He said I could come along to the air traffic control facility to check it out and I thought it was really cool. I went down there (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach) and started a four-year degree and I already started my first band and was putting out my first record. So, my dad made me promise I would land at least one plane before I gave it up!” Wainright said. “But I went on to graduate school in Oklahoma City and then eventually got a job…in Memphis, Tennessee where I took my job as an air traffic controller. I did that for a couple years and then retired. My fellow controllers turned to me after seeing me on Beale Street many late nights and wondering how I was making it in early mornings. They enjoyed the hell out of the show, but they just turned to me one day and said maybe this air traffic control job is not for you, man. Even in college I was doing a CD release party down in Daytona Beach, my second one. We had a packed house, like 500 people. So, one of our fans that had grown to know me in Daytona Beach, I introduced my dad to the crowd, they knew the story. This older gentleman walked up to my dad, and he goes ‘you’re wastin’ your f…ing money man’ (laughs). My dad said, ‘I should have known way back then that I’m going to have an $80,000 keyboard player’. He still tells that story.”

Even then, Wainwright’s musical talent was undeniable and his first record Piana From Savannah took off. He recognizes the importance of his Daytona family in his development.

“If I hadn’t moved from Savannah to Daytona Beach, I don’t think my career would be the same at all. I met very important people in Daytona Beach, like the Reverend Billy C. Wirtz, who was a big mentor of mine on the piano. Stephen Dees, who became my first producer and writing partner for the first few records I did. And I was able to create my first band outside of my family. Back then the young guy with the PA was the bandleader. You got the van or the PA, it’s your band.”

Now, after 20 years in the business, he’s directing a different kind of transport. His band Victor Wainwright and The Train has put out two excellent albums, a self-titled debut in 2018 and 2020’s Memphis Loud, with more to come.

“The Train is named The Train because of a particular reason, it’s just a huge wall of heavy, steady, chugging sound. It’s a groove engine,” Wainwright explained. “I like to write and create music with a lot of imagery like sparks and smoke rings and jumping the tracks and waving out the windows. That’s all part of the engine that we’ve created around our sound. I like to keep the audience on their toes with this big wave of sound. It’s really exciting to get on stage and share that kind of boogie woogie, church bell, juke joint, it’s all mixed together in this sound that we create. We try to make it very original too. I’m a front man piano player and there’s not many of us out there doing what we’re doing with a big band behind us like that. I really like to embrace the name of the band and the sounds that we create to share with everybody. Then to see everyone’s smiles when we’re playing that boogie woogie and blues is just an enjoyable experience.”

This style of blues is so refreshing because there just aren’t that many practitioners of it anymore. Wainwright, who has won multiple Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year honors at the Blues Music Awards, always acknowledges his roots and the influence of those past and present who are bringin’ the boogie.

“Eden Brent. Marcia Ball is still out there doing it. Jon Cleary is definitely still out there killing it. Guys like Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis were huge influences on my boogie woogie playing. Mac Rebanack ‘Dr. John’, I definitely picked up a bunch from him. I was really young and learning to play, my dad and grandpa and uncle all played music. My grandpa played the piano and they had a band, so I was carrying amps and stuff before anything. I told my dad I wanted to play like grandad, of course grandad was teaching me, but I got into this blues and New Orleans sound. ”

“My dad bought me a VHS videotape that I still own, it’s up on my shelf near my piano. It was Dr. John doing an instructional video. I think I may have learned two licks and didn’t understand a word he said in the entire video (laughs). It was just so foreign and so different and so wild for me. The appeal was there, this bigger than life guy that had conjured up this sort of doctor persona, this voodoo hoodoo, and all these things. It just sent me down the path of really wanting to learn more about blues players. So, from there I went into who influenced Dr. John. Going back to the early days of boogie woogie and it was a quite a journey. I’m still on it. I’m still learning who all these guys are and what they sounded like and what I can learn from them. This last festival I was just at…I played a Dr. John song in the middle of our set and just explained to the crowd, it was a younger crowd that might not be familiar with who he is, where some of my sound comes from. So hopefully they go back and do try to find a Dr. John vinyl in an old record shop. I think we have a responsibility to listeners of our music to people they may not have discovered yet.”

Wainwright likes to talk about his family’s role in his success. The first disc of his 2013 Family Roots double album is entitled Still Smokin’ and it features both his grandfather, Jesse Wainwright, and father, Victor Sr., playing and singing with his band. Wainwright learned a lot about piano by watching his grandfather play boogie woogie, blues, honky tonk, and other styles.

“He was a visual teacher. I learned by sight and by ear, but I can’t read a note and neither could he. He could play in a few keys and I can play in a few keys. About 75% of the way I play is just like grandpa. And he taught me by sitting next to him at the piano. He was very patient. He taught me how to turn down when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. He taught me how to play with other people and to communicate on-stage…which was extremely important. He was bigger than life. Not only taught me about piano, but also a lot about entertaining, the way come into a room. He used to always say ‘When you walk into a room you’re playing son, you want them to know who the star is.’ I’ll never forget that (laughs).”

Sometimes Jesse would surprise Victor at festival gigs and just walk past the guards with no credentials.

“He would literally just come on stage, it didn’t matter. It always surprised me. He went backstage, he would wear this hat that said ‘Security’ on it (laughs). He had an air about himself where he could just walk back anywhere and next thing you know, he was up on stage nudging me off the piano. It’s some of my favorite memories, I loved it and so did the crowd. I would introduce him as my grandfather and sometimes I would even stop the song I was doing and just let him kick off whatever he wanted to. Usually, it was like a Jerry Lee Lewis or a boogie woogie or Pinetop Perkins song. The crowd would eat it up. It’s important to show where the torch came from. A lot of people still bring up my grandfather who have seen me play live for 20 years.”

Jesse has been gone for several years, but he got to see a lot of Victor’s success. This September, Wainwright and his other noteworthy band, Southern Hospitality, were back in Las Vegas for the Big Blues Bender and he had something special planned.

“I’ve been doing the Big Blues Bender for eight years, I think. Every year we do one more for something. One More for Woodstock, One More for the Allman Brothers, One More for the kings of the blues and queens of the blues, and I’ve always helped with that, emceeing or being the MD (musical director). This year we’re doing One More for the 88s with guests like Jon Cleary, Marcia Ball, Dave Keyes, a lot of piano players. It’s been interesting because as I’ve been helping put together what songs we’re playing and the order and how the journey goes. Pinetop Smith, how that influenced Pinetop Perkins, how boogie woogie became a dance music and became blues and here’s this offset of New Orleans and here’s how we get to rock ‘n roll. I thought I knew a lot already. Putting the show together has really introduced me to even more players and how that timeline exactly worked, from the lumber camps and train yards all the way to Carnegie Hall and then through Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and today. The piano has had such an interesting history in music.”

Southern Hospitality are not currently on tour per se, but whenever they get together, it’s an event. They are fan favorites who have won multiple awards from Blues Blast and other outlets. Wainwright, Damon Fowler (lap steel guitar), and JP Soars (guitar) are the principal performers in the super-group. It’s an infectious down-home mix of blues, rockabilly, soul, southern rock, Muscle Shoals, and 50s piano rock. Their most recent record, Yard Sale from 2024, has a fun, throwback barroom vibe. They have been around for almost 15 years.

“That has stood the test of time and it’s still something really fun for JP, Damon, and I to do because we come together having led our own bands and we almost get to lean on each other and have a lot less responsibility on-stage. It’s like kicking back and drinking an iced tea or something. I don’t have to sing every song. These guys are going to kill it as a front man and I’ll have my turn to kill it as a front man and lead the band. It’s always been a breath of fresh air. We don’t do it very often. We try to keep it real special. Last year did put out a new record for the first time in ten years. It’s been a lot of fun to get back out on the road with those guys and share some new music.”

Beyond his piano playing, Wainwright also wears a producing hat. He recently produced an album by a younger blues artist, Eric Heideman. He also co-produces his own bands with Dave Gross.

“We’re just trying to achieve a sound and pick each other up and help each other get to what might be in our own heads. It’s exciting to have that possibility to be with these tremendous musicians, to be able to accomplish that. You’re like a chef in a kitchen, you’ve got all these great ingredients. It’s your job to season just enough and not to burn the roux.”

Outside of music, Wainwright is the shy sort and likes to spend time with his dogs, family, and a new Koi pond in Savannah. On-stage, he’s a compelling, energetic presence. Most of his musical time these days is spent with The Train. They are booked to play the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise in October. They are playing tracks from the last studio record, Memphis Loud, which came out just as the pandemic hit in 2020.

“To be honest, it was a tremendous challenge to put out a record during that time. I remember having some disagreement with my label at that time over releasing it when social media was, and importantly so, focused on something else as a whole. And there were multiple things going on in the world during that time, not just COVID, more. There was turmoil in the United States. I remember thinking to myself that either we’re going to cut through all of that and offer a lot of people reprieve, which I think we did accomplish, but also it is going to be quite the challenge to get the record out there during this time period. It was very challenging. We had to push really hard on the publicity. I’ve even thought about re-releasing it. Maybe put out some videos from some of that material. I felt bad pushing it. I had to make a conscious decision what was appropriate with everything that was going on in the world, how much should I be talking about something else. It became for me, a hard decision. We got through it. I’m very proud of the work and the decisions that we made.”

Wainwright’s next recording project will be with The Train. He has started the songwriting process and he would like to bring back all of the recent horn players that have contributed to the band.

“I’m just waiting for the right time. When it really comes together, I’ll know and then we’ll push the button and start recording. It’s pretty much right around the corner. I’m not going to rush it. I don’t release a record every year like some people do. I like to really think about the sounds and the approach and breathe new life and make something exciting and do something I haven’t done before.”

Writer Dave Popkin is a Music News Reporter for WBGO FM in Newark/New York. He is a regional judge for The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge and is a singer in the NJ-based band, Porch Rockers.

Mercedes Nicole – Too High A Price To Pay

Bonaberi to Paris/Self-Released

www.mercedesnicolemusic.com

13 tracks/62 minutes

Mercedes Nicole’s 2022 album Constellation was a hit and this 2025 follow on from this jazzy and soulful blues singer from the Pacific Northwest is another winner. She’s been writing and performing blues for over a decade now and has her sights set on signing with a big label and recording with many a blues great. She’s a talented vocalist whose blues career followed her work in Gospel.

Joining vocalist Nicole are Jake Sele on keys, Scotty Harris on bass, Andrew Cloutier on drums, Rod Cook on guitar, Alexey Nikolaev on tenor sax, Stacy Jones on harp, and on backing vocals are Tommy Warren, Stacy Jones, Ben Lange and Patrice O’Neil in addition to Mercedes.

She begins her album with he classic “I’ll Play The Blues For You.” Fiery guitar and restrained vocals are the cornerstone of this performance. The original “Blue Fire/aka Searching for Robert Glasper” continues the well-paced and metered vocals with guitar, harp and piano setting Nicole up nicely. “Feels Like Rain” is another storied cut that Mercedes takes on, a slow and soulful rendition. Breathy vocals and a stinging guitar are the highlights here.

Johnnie Taylor’s “Last Two Dollars” follows, a restrained cover with Nicole again giving us her signature style of vocals. Organ, guitar, harp and piano fill in nicely and we get a big sax solo to enjoy. The guitar vibrantly introduces “Life’s A Struggle,” another original. Nicole’s bouncy and breathy delivery and the guitar and piano are all nicely done. Next is “It Took A Long Time Blues,” a Lowell Fulsom classic that Mercedes delivers with feeling. Piano and sax shine in support and we also get a good guitar solo later to savor.

Her ballad “Breathe Again” follows. It’s a pretty song with soul and feeling. Mellow sax and piano help set the tone here. The Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning” features the traditional guitar and harp licks with Mercedes Nicole howling out the lead vocals. Then it’s her song “Too High A Price To Pay,” which features some very jazzy piano and vocals along with thoughtful guitar. Elmore James’ “The Sky Is Crying” is given a downtempo and slow and soulful cover with guitar backed by organ providing a sweet intro. Mercedes gives us a lament-filled and downtrodden performance that tugs at the listener’s heart.

Nicole finishes up with three original cuts.  The jazzy and slow “Essence of a Woman” has smooth jazz overtones as the sax blows sweetly in support. “Beauty for Ashes” opens with strident and soulful guitar licks as Nicole continues her breathy and solemn approach to her vocals and then shifts gears a bit to a more structured delivery with her band in support. More slick sax and guitar work to enjoy again in this one and the organ supplies some cool fills. The final track is “Ease My Soul” where we get taken to church a bit as the organ and guitar gives us some  nice licks as Nicole give praise. Thoughtful and cool stuff.

I liked the album a lot. The performances are all tight and well –crafted. The only way it could have been better would be to take one or two pf the cuts and just turn them into something that’s belted out with real power and substance. The album was very jazzy and down tempo-ed and I found myself looking for the band and Mercedes to break out into a big, vibrant number once or twice. That being said, Nicole and the band do what they do with charm and talent and give the listener a baker’s dozen cuts to enjoy from start to finish. If you are looking for a thoughtful and well crafted jazz, blues and soul filled album with talented folks, then look no further.

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.