Buddy Guy – Ain’t Done With The Blues

RCA/Silvertone -2025

www.buddyguy.net

18 tracks; 65 minutes

He may have retired from touring but Buddy Guy is certainly “not done with the blues”, as this new album’s title suggests. Indeed, at 89 years young, Buddy sounds in terrific form here, making this album one of his best in recent years. As has been the case for some years now, the album was produced in Nashville by Tom Hambridge who also wrote most of the original material here which reflects aspects of Buddy’s life. The band includes Tom on drums, Glenn Worf and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass, Rob McNelly on rhythm guitar, Chuck Leavell and Kevin McKendree on keys, Max Abrams on sax and Steve Patrick on trumpet and, of course, Buddy on guitar and vocals; several guests sit in across the album, as will be detailed below.

The album opens with the first of two snippets of traditional acoustic blues, this one being “Hooker Thing”, very much in John Lee territory, “the first thing I ever learned to play”, says Buddy. Buddy recounts his life on the road over a jagged rhythm with Chuck Leavell’s swirling keys and a dramatic, soaring solo from the man himself, the chorus reminding us of Johnny Winter as Buddy sings “Been There Done That, I’m still alive and well”. According to Buddy, playing the blues must be good for you, as “Blues Chase The Blues Away”, a rolling blues with Kevin McKendree’s honky tonk piano, Buddy claiming that when things get tough, all you need is to hear a Jimmy Reed tune.

The first guest spot is for Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram who joins Buddy on a trip to New Orleans in “Where U At”, many of the Crescent City’s venues being name-checked on a funky tune with brass adding to the NOLA feel. “Blues On Top” is a classic blues, handled with consummate ease by Buddy whose vocals are great on this quieter tune, superbly supported by Kevin’s rolling piano. Guitar Slim was one of Buddy’s early influences and the stomping cover of his 1955 number “I Got Sumpin’ For You” is terrific, everyone sounding like they are having a great time – shame it is barely three minutes long! Joe Walsh sits in on slide and shares the vocals on another autobiographical song about Buddy’s early career struggles, “How Blues Is That” before Joe Bonamassa adds delicate guitar to a beautifully poised ballad in which Buddy offers advice from his grandfather that you should always keep a “Dry Stick” around in case it rains “as you never know what’s coming your way”. The guests keep on coming as Peter Frampton joins in on the rousing shuffle “It Keeps Me Young”; what does that for Buddy is Chicago Blues! Buddy brings the tempo down a little for “Love On A Budget”, piano again to the fore before The Blind Boys Of Alabama join him on “Jesus Loves The Sinner”, the gospel tones of The Blind Boys well blended with the steady pulse of the guitars.

Buddy speaks his mind about current matters on “Upside Down”, the focus of his rage being cost of living, rising taxes and politicians unable to work together. This is more of a blues-rock tune with horns and searing guitar leads from Buddy. In contrast the second acoustic piece is the short “One From Lightning” before a superb song, “I Don’t Forget”. Buddy recounts some of the many injustices he has seen and suffered, growing up at a time when people of color were unable to go into many establishments and were the subject of overt racism. The tune is stripped back, eerie keys and quiet backing as Buddy recounts his history: “You may tell me slaving days are gone but it don’t erase years and years of wrong; I don’t forget my people’s history, I still got scars across my family. I don’t forget the things I’ve seen, they stay in my head, I don’t forget”. Just as 2008 ‘s “Skin Deep” had an emotional heft to it, this tune is 2025’s equivalent – simply magnificent.

The album closes with three covers and a final original. Earl King’s “Trick Bag” marks a second trip to NOLA. “Swamp Poker” references an infamous Louisiana card game, the music having an appropriately Cajun sound with swampy slide. Buddy shows a different side to his music with a solid cover of “Send Me Some Loving”, first recorded by Little Richard in 1956 and subsequently covered by The Crickets, Sam Cooke, Dean Martin and John Lennon, amongst many. The blend of Rn’R, doo-wop and blues guitar n Buddy’s version works really well. Just time for a run through JB Lenoir’s “Talk To Your Daughter”, Buddy again on acoustic but joined by the main band.

Even as he approaches his nineties, Buddy Guy again shows that there is no stopping him and that he has indeed not finished with the blues yet. This is an impressive and diverse album for us all to enjoy.

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’.

Blood Brothers – Help Yourself

Gulf Coast Records

www.bloodbrothersband.com

10 songs – 49 minutes

After their impressive and well-received 2023 debut album and the rapid subsequent follow-up, Live In Canada, Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia return with another welcome slice of guitar-heavy blues-rock. Recorded at Shock City Studios in St Louis, Help Yourself comes roaring out of the speakers with the swaggering title track. Assertive, confident and a nice balance between brawn and brains.

More stripped down than its predecessor, in particular without the horns and backing vocals that gave Blood Brothers a smoother sound, Help Yourself highlights the raucous guitar interplay between Zito and Castiglia, with rock solid backing from Lewis Stephens on piano and organ, Scot Sutherland on bass and Matt Johnson and Ray Hangen on drums and percussion. The result is a testament to the solid months of touring the band has undertaken over the last couple of years, which is reflected in the tightness and dynamism of the performances.

The 10 tracks are primarily written by Zito and Castiglia, with one co-write between the pair, and one song, “Soulard Serenade”, credited to the full band. There is also powerful cover of JJ Cale’s “Low Down”.  Moving easily between the heavy blues-rock of  Castiglia’s “Can’t Be A Prophet” and Zito’s soul-rock love letter, “Alive”, there is a muscular underlay to Blood Brothers’ music that is expertly caught by Paul Weihagen’s engineering and David Farrell’s mixing and mastering.

The instrumental “Soulard Serenade” features some memorable harmony playing by Zito and Castiglia in addition by some fine soloing by both guitarists as well as Stephens’ organ, while “Low Down” has the strut and power to drag the most two-left-footed of people onto a dance floor.  There is a definite sense of genuine friendship and camaraderie in all the performances, but the guitar interplay at the end of “Low Down” is certainly a highlight.

Stephens’ organ is again put to great use on the soul-infused “The Best I Can”, which also includes some of Castiglia’s best vocals on the album, while the minor key “Prove My Love” is another irresistible toe-tapper.  “Ol’ Victrola” is a joyous celebration of the power of rock and roll. “Running Out Of Time” has a relentless urgency driven by some ferocious jungle drums.  The slide guitar on the closing track, “Do What You Gotta” successfully keeps the track on the blues side of blues-rock. There is a very in-your-face attitude to this album and one easily envisage it attracting both blues fans and rock fans.

Help Yourself is a powerful statement of intent from Zito and Castiglia, placing them firmly at the top of the current blues-rock tree. Great songs. Great playing. Great production. Very impressive.

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

Chambers DesLauriers – Our Time to Ride

Forty Below Records

www.annikaandpaul.com

9 tracks/41 minutes

Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers are a tightly-bonded musical couple, and their new album, Our Time to Ride, reflects the depth and strength of their bond. Four of the nine tracks can be categorized as love songs. This couple came from different worlds – Chambers is from Houston, TX and DesLauriers is a French Canadian from the small town of Cornwall in Ontario, across the St. Lawrence River from the state of New York.  It was blues music that brought them together – they met in January 2018 during the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and immediately clicked, and married in 2019. The world became more aware of the musical power of this couple when they released their first record, Good Trouble, in 2022. The new record displays an intriguing union of Chambers’ gospel singer passion with the DesLauriers’ blues-rock guitar chops. Chambers is a fabulous front woman, and her live performances are high-energy affairs.

One Time to Ride is a collection of all-original songs written mostly by Chambers and DesLauriers; producer and background vocalist Eric Corne contributed one track and received songwriter credit along with the couple on five other tracks. All the songs are blues-based, but there is very little adherence to the 12-bar format. These are songs with bridge sections and some surprising riff-based extensions and harmonic variations. The overall production of this record is excellent; Chambers and DesLauriers are supported by eight musicians, including a horn section and background vocals. The result is a rich ensemble sound that is artfully mixed by Corne and his colleagues at Forty Below Records. This label is becoming a force in the blues world. Charlie Musselwhite, Sugaray Rayford and the late great Joe Louis Walker are all on the Forty Below roster of artists.

The album kicks off with I Love You Just the Same, a hard-rocking, mid-tempo track based on an eight-bar blues in B minor. Chambers unleashes her powerful alto to deliver the song’s message about the resilience and consistency of her love. I was impressed by her emotionally expressive delivery, agility and vocal resonance. DesLauriers delivers solid slide guitar solos. The refrain of “I love you just the same” and searing guitar licks carry the tune to a satisfying conclusion.

People Gonna Talk is an “ignore the haters” song. It has a meaty, Americana vibe with some punchy horn lines. At times, Chambers reminds me a bit of Bonnie Raitt, and I like her gospel call-and-response with her background singers on this track. Written in the Stars is another mid-tempo, rocking love song. Chambers’ rich voice and rhythmic drive propels this track.  Believe in Love begins as a mid-tempo ballad with a beat. It opens with a reverb-soaked guitar riff from DesLauriers. Chambers kicks off the song in a duo with her husband. This song builds in intensity throughout, with Chambers leading a chorus of background singers repeating the song title as DesLauriers shreds furiously until the end of the track.

Sing  was written by producer Corne and is a plea for compassion. This ballad’s chorus urges people to “sing for the silent, sing for the suffering.”  The track closes with DesLauriers’ guitar gymnastics. Temperature One-O-Nine is a funky celebration of carnal pleasure. The prominent horn lines add a Tower of Power flavor to this song, and DesLauriers breaks out his wah-wah pedal for his solos. In The Heart of The Night has a heavy backbeat and is a tribute to New Orleans-style musical partying.

The title track, Our Time to Ride has a chugging train rhythm. This is a chest-thumping declaration of Chambers DesLauriers’ musical power. It is followed by the album’s longest track, One in a Million, which is another love song. This ballad  starts out with DesLauriers’ solo guitar supporting Chambers’ passionate vocal. Sasha Smith enters the song with a sustained drone on the organ. DesLauriers steps up for a solo vocal on this track – his only lead vocal on this album. One in a Million is a sincere and unapologetically sentimental recounting of a personal love story. The track builds intensity with the addition of a harder rock beat and a driving bass line. The tune closes with a return to a quiet solo guitar.

This is a solid, mainstream blues rock record with some creative twists, serious vocal power from Chambers and guitar virtuosity from DesLauriers. This record was mostly recorded live, and it has great authenticity due to this approach. Our Time to Ride should please folks who like contemporary blues mixed with some soul and rock.

Writer Chris Gillock is a blues harmonica player, vocalist, band leader, non-profit board member, music journalist and retired investment banker. He is also an occasional blogger – you can find his blog at https://g-freethoughts.blogspot.com/. Chris is also a music writer for the Evanston (IL) Roundtable.

Ron Hendee – Love One Another

RAH Records

https://ronhendeemusic.com

10 songs – 46 minutes

Born in Kansas, but based on the West Coast for decades, Ron Hendee is an accomplished trumpet/flugelhorn player, vocalist and arranger who might slip under your radar but who makes some mighty fine, blues-soaked R&B. And he goes all out on this disc, delivering timely messages about the need in the world for more respect, love and understanding.

A professional horn player since age 14, Ron’s sweet notes are present in many of the tunes you’ve grooved along to in the past 50 years or so. And if you’ve sailed on the blues cruise, you’ve probably seen in action as a member of Tommy Castro’s dynamic Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue, an ensemble that includes a master musician at every seat in the band.

Ron got his start in the Seattle-based band, The Springfield Rifle, which released their debut album in the ’60s, and he’s gone on to work with a who’s who across the blues and jazz spectrum, including Dr. John, Magic Dick, Lee Oskar, Deanna Bogart, Lloyd Jones and others. Now based out of Everett, Wash., he’s a fixture in multiple local bands.

This set was produced by jazz, blues and soul great Larry Batiste (Larry Williams, Anthony Paule, Sista Monica). It’s a mix of blues, gospel, reggae and greasy soul that was recorded at Infinite Studios in Alameda, Calif. The lineup includes Wilton Rabb on guitar and Michael Rogers and Troy Lampkins – Larry Graham’s rhythm section – on drums and bass, and Jimmy McKinney and David Council on keys. Juan Escovedo doubles on percussion along with sax players Charles McNeal and Johnnie Bamont and trombonist Derek James. And Jeanie Tracy, Omega Rae Brooks and Batiste provide backing vocals.

An insistent drumbeat and choral intro drive home the message “you are my sister, you are my brother” to kick off “Love One Another.” It’s a silky-smooth shuffle that gets funkier as it progresses as Hendee describes suffering from a bad case of the blues because of all the turmoil he reads in the news. People may be as different as day and night, he insists, but that’s no reason to fuss and fight.

It flows into “Turned It Over,” which celebrates having found unconditional love along with the ability to live life humbly and honestly giving up control. Ron’s accomplished the feat by ditching the lucky charm he used to get through the day and taken on the responsibility himself. He drives the message home with a brief, upbeat horn solo before an extended final vocal run. Next up, “Grown Ass Man” drives steadily from the open as Hendee announces he’s gotten so fed up of the condescending words emanating from his lady’s mouth that he’s heading permanently for the door.

The tone mellows dramatically but the soul’s on high for the sweet ballad, “Peaceful Voice,” which rejoices in finding a new, soothing companion before yielding to “Bound for Jamaica.” Driven by a reggae one-drop rhythm, the lyrics provide counterpoint as Ron describes being tired of winter’s ice and snow in the Pacific Northwest, something he plans to put in his rear-view mirror to enjoy the warm sun and white beaches of the Caribbean.

An extended drumbeat sets the stage for “Southern Fried Meets East Bay Grease,” a celebration of San Francisco Bay area funk before the keys come to the fore at the open of “I’ll Be Missing You,” a ballad of regret that in which Hendee wishes his lady would be back at his side.

Don’t fret, though. The funk doesn’t stay away too long. “What Will Jesus Say” kicks up the heat to follow as it casts a shade on preachers who live in mansions and suck parishioners dry by soliciting for more money every chance they can. The mood softens as Ron launches into the ballad, “Your Truth,” a promise to walk the right path to heaven, before the disc closes with “Funk Schwei,” a horn-fueled instrumental that will leave you craving more.

If you love blues that resides on the border of jazz and more, this one’s definitely for you. Rock solid throughout.

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.

GRAMMY-Award winning artist Warren Haynes is in a unique position. When he puts out a new record, it generally goes to number one on the Blues charts and crosses over to Rock and Americana radio. He has an international following that allows him to tour broadly and fill venues such as Madison Square Garden. He has a been a vital part of the blues scene for 45 years with The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, his own band, Grateful Dead-related groups, The Dickey Betts Band, David Allan Coe, and other configurations. His 2011 solo record Man In Motion was one of the best blues records of that decade. He’s a guitar hero of the blues and jam band scenes. He can basically do what he wants and what he wants this month is to release a very different and immediate new album, The Whisper Sessions, a nine-track, digital-only record that largely features just himself and, on several songs, his longtime compadre Derek Trucks. Seven of the songs are gorgeous, reinterpreted originals from Haynes’ chart-topping 2024 album Million Voices Whisper. The album closer is a stunning first-take duo version of The Allmans’ standard “Melissa”.

“It kind of came about as an afterthought,” Haynes said. “We were filming a bunch of solo performances and a handful of performances with myself and Derek Trucks of the songs stripped down just for promotional reasons and when I was listening back to the performances I thought there was something cool that adds insight to where the songs came from and how they sounded before we turned them into full band arrangements. The way I would interpret songs if I were doing a solo performance, which I do from time to time, but it’s really rare. The guitar takes a back seat, I’m really just accompanying myself. It’s more about the song and my voice. So, I was thankful that there were three with Derek also where we could stretch out and play guitar a little bit too. It just offers a different view into the songs. At first, I thought just the hard-core fans would like it and then I realized maybe the casual fans would like it as well.”

Million Voices Whisper was Haynes’ first solo album in a decade and it featured some of the best writing of his career. “This Life As We Know It” and “These Changes” are among the standouts. “Real Real Love” was a song his long-time bandmate Gregg Allman started, but never finished. After years playing with Allman, Haynes was able to channel his friend’s spirit to finish the tune in his style. Many of the songs seem very personal and speak to where he is in his life.

“I think they were inspired by a revelation that it’s time to concentrate on the most important things in your life, love being the predominant one, family, friends, work. I’m very thankful that I love my job. It’s something we can all take for granted sometimes if we have that luxury, but you have to remind yourself that most of the planet doesn’t like their job. I’m very fortunate to do what I love for a living and to have been doing it for so long. When the COVID lockdown thing came about, I didn’t want to write a bunch of dark, gloomy songs that I wasn’t going to want to hear in five years. So, I intentionally went down another path, looking at life through a fresh lens. With songwriters, every few years you have to find reasons to shake things up and kind of approach writing from a different angle. That’s what it’s been for me from that point forward. I’ve written a lot of dark songs through the years and it was refreshing to express myself differently. People ask me why I don’t write more happy songs. I’m like, ‘If I’m happy I don’t feel the need to write a song. If I’m happy, I just enjoy life.’ Writing can be therapeutic. It can bring out the stuff in your life that’s being repressed. I feel fortunate to have this luxury. These songs represent a new chapter and it’s important that people get a glimpse at both sides of that.”

Haynes and fellow blues guitar-ace Derek Trucks have been closely intertwined over the years, starting with The Allman Brothers, but then maintaining a long-term personal and professional relationship.

“Well, we’ve known each other since 1990,” Haynes remembered. “We’ve played together hundreds of times over the years. Our chemistry together was always good from the very beginning, but if you allow that to grow organically over time, it’s amazing how far it can take you. The two of us communicate in a non-spoken way on stage that only happens in the best chemistries if you allow yourself time to grow and the relationship to grow into itself. There’s a lot that we do that is not only unrehearsed, but kind of completely impromptu. We both really enjoy that a lot. There’s a mutual respect. There’s a lot of contrast. We have a lot of the same influences, but we have different influences too and that’s what makes for a good overall picture.”

The two collaborated this spring in the band The Brothers, a two-night sold-out tribute to The Allman Brothers Band at Madison Square Garden. Haynes and Trucks played with original ABB drummer Jaimoe, Otiel Burbridge, Joe Russo, Reese Wynans, Marc Quinones, Isaac Eady, Chuck Leavell, and others. The crowd was particularly moved when the video screens showed a montage of photos and video of original Allman Brothers members, most now gone, during “No One To Run With”.

“Thankfully I couldn’t see all the photographs. Yeah, it gets pretty emotional,” Haynes said. “Those shows were very emotional in general, but beautiful. I was so proud of everyone and the band was fantastic. I thought the shows really went beyond even our own expectations.”

Will there be more shows from The Brothers in the near future?

“We’ll see. Everybody’s busy doing their own things and that’s great. It sure is fun. I would like to see us do something in the future, I don’t know what that would be, but I’m open to possibilities. It’s a lot of schedules to juggle.”

Gov’t Mule is in the midst of their Back in the Saddle Tour, which started in August and rolls through November 1. Some of the shows are co-headlining bills with Tedeschi Trucks Band.

“Both bands are excited to be playing together. There’s going to be a lot of collaboration. It’s a win-win for the audience and they can tell we’re having fun.” When asked about TTB’s level of mastery at this point, Haynes said, “I think the band is a combination of all these amazing elements mixed together in a way that comes out defying even the combination of elements. That’s been the mission the whole time with those guys. Especially for a band like that to exist in 2025 is just such a breath of fresh air, exposing young music fans to something they might not have otherwise been able to experience live. I’m really glad they’re bringing that to the table.”

Gov’t Mule will cap the tour with their annual Mule-O-Ween extravaganza. This year the shows will be October 31 at the Warner Theatre in Washington D.C. and November 1 at The Met in Philadelphia. The name and logo for the tour kind of gives away their intention.

“We don a different costume every Halloween. We’re giving a lot of hints as to what the music is going to be. In the past we’ve done complete albums like Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy, Who’s Next, we’ve done artists like Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, it goes all over the place. So, this year we’re going to be doing what most people would guess is an evening of Aerosmith. It’s fun. I’m looking forward to digging into all those songs. Never played those songs. We played one or two here or there, but it will be exciting to do a whole set. What we normally do is one set of Gov’t Mule and one set of covers for Halloween. It will be in full regalia.”

Will Haynes attempt the impossible task of looking or singing like Steven Tyler?

“I’m not planning on doing either one of those things!” he exclaimed.

Gov’t Mule will play their traditional New Year’s Run of shows as well in 2025: December 28 at Proctors in Schenectady, NY and December 30 and 31 at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The Mule is celebrating an amazing 30 year-run together.

“Since we started as a side project to The Allman Brothers, thinking we were only going to make one album and do one tour, it blossomed beyond that in a way that surprised all of us. Once we realized that we were becoming a bona fide band, our goal was for every record to be different from the one before and with each album to bring to the surface influences that weren’t on the previous album. Even in a band like us that’s been around for thirty years, you can never bring all of your influences to the surface. We’re lucky enough that our audience allows us do it to the extent that they do. We listen to so many different types of music and so eventually all that stuff comes out in the songwriting and the recordings. I’m proud of the amount of material that we’ve generated over the years and the different influences we’ve utilized. I think a lot of people, especially if you’re not a hard-core Mule fan, may not realize how much material there is behind us. 12 or 13 studio albums that cover a lot of ground. For us it’s amazing that we can utilize in a way that we can play a different show every night, a different set list every night. One night you might get more old material, one night you might get more new material, but it’s always kind of a composite of the journey. I love that fact that we’re able to get away with that, that our audience encourages us. It keeps us fresh and excited and that’s the most important thing. In order for us to give the best show we can give, we need to feel good about it ourselves and that starts with the first note.”

Haynes has reached a different kind of vaunted status in recent years, in that he has his own signature Gibson guitar, an honor shared by the likes of B.B. King, Slash, Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett, and Marcus King.

“This is the first time that we’ve released a signature model guitar that’s in full production. We’ve released some in the past, my first signature Les Paul and a copy of my 1961 ES 335, but they were limited edition. So, it’s nice to be able to have this to the extent where people can access it. A lot of people were not able to able to purchase the early ones because the limited edition ran out so quickly. I love this guitar, it’s got P-90s instead of humbuckers, it’s a little different for me. I’m playing it more and more, which is inspiring. It’s an opportunity for guitar players to buy a guitar that has my endorsement in that this is the way I want it to feel and the way I want it to sound. Everybody is different, it may not be perfect for you, but for me this guitar inspires me to play.”

Perhaps no one has played more shows in the history of the Beacon Theatre in New York, which is owned by Madison Square Garden. Between playing the Garden itself and the Beacon, Haynes has developed relationships and often pop-ups up in VIP seats at sporting events at MSG. Man cannot live on blues alone.

“The last ten years or so, I’ve become a big Knicks fan. I loved all sports growing up. The more I played music, the more I drifted out of that. I played baseball as a kid and basketball and football to a lesser extent. Now that I live in New York, the opportunity to take my son to Rangers games and Knicks games is just fantastic and I’ve become quite a fan over the past decade or so.”

Haynes may live in New York now, but he is an Ashville, NC native. He feels for his hometown, which suffered catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Helene, about one year ago.

“It’s tough, it’s going to take a long time. The devastation was even beyond what people can imagine. They’re a resilient people, they’re doing great. From my personal perspective, most of my family that’s there relocated for several weeks and then gradually made their way back. My brother has a record store there, it’s called Records in the RAD, which stands for River Arts District. And it was completely flooded, they had to start from scratch, but they’re still there. For the most part, we got lucky that it could have been way worse, I guess. It’s going to take a while.”

Haynes has performed many Christmas benefit shows over the years in Asheville to give back and build community. One can still sense that southern thread through his soulful singing, guitar playing, and personal charm. Haynes is indeed in a unique position. He’s become an institution, while still performing at the top of his game.

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.

Kent Burnside – Hill Country Blood

Strolling Bones Records – 2025

www.kentburnsidemusic.com

10 tracks; 43 minutes

Kent Burnside sets a navy-blue mood on his new record Hill Country Blood. On the leadoff track “Daddy Told Me”, the first verse includes the lines: “My daddy told me, you’re no child of mine/You’re playing that devil music, ain’t gonna make a dime” and it gets more grim from there “My daddy left/I was eight years old/Left my momma, six little souls/From that point I knew, I had the blues.” The repetitive electric guitar riff and voice-only arrangement creates a gripping mood and certainly gets your attention and sympathy. There is some redemption at the end, “Look at me now/Look at me now”.

The title track “Hill Country Blood” is a declaration of place and culture and is certainly a blues song, but one can hear undertones of hip-hop in the beat and vocal phrasing. One of only two covers on the record, John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake”, continues the spooky feel with fuzzed out guitar, the strong juke joint harp of Damian “Yella P” Pearson, and a great groove. Those first three songs are the heart of the record.

“I Heard” provides some seriously down and dirty guitar licks (the leader plays all the electric guitar tracks on the record). “I Go Crazy” has a hypnotic Hendrix feel, but Pearson’s harp keeps it rooted in the Delta. A Junior Kimbrough cover “You Better Run” is a nod to the tradition and a vehicle for Kent’s distinctive tone and guitar slinging.

This album almost had no choice but to fulfill a southern blues tradition. There’s magic in the walls at legendary Royal Studio in Memphis, where this was recorded and so many Hi Records stars (Al Green, Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright, Otis Clay, and others) created their classics in the 1960s and 70s.

It was produced by Boo Mitchell, the son legendary Hi Records producer Willie Mitchell. Burnside, of course, comes from a long line of blues men himself. His grandfather was Hill Country Blues legend R.L. Burnside, his uncle Garry Burnside (R.L.’s son) plays bass on this album, and his cousin Cedric Burnside is a noted traditional blues artist in his own right. Kent was encouraged by his grandfather not to copy him, but develop a style of his own, which he has accomplished.

He hasn’t released much original music over his 20-plus year career, but Hill Country Blood is proof that he may have been overlooked. Burnside has plenty to offer the family legacy and fans looking for authentic blues.

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.

Big Shoes – King Size

Qualified Records

www.bigshoesband.com

13 songs – 47 minutes

The seven members with a huge background of playing and songwriting for other performers decided to bring their own music to the forefront. When asked who the band members have played with, their answer is “We just tell ’em the list of who we haven’t is actually shorter”.  The band started as a Little Feat tribute band but quickly changed to playing their own music. They initially self-released two early albums with a third released in 2022 on Qualified Records, which is producer and eminent keyboardist Kevin McKendree label. The band members are Rick Huckaby on lead vocals and guitar with fellow guitarists Will McFarlane, Mark T. Jordan, and Kenne Kramer, bassist Tom Szell, keyboardist Mark T. Jordan, drummer Lynn Williams, and percussionist Bryan Brock. The Muscle Shoals Horns also guest on a few cuts.

The album opens with a funky “Halfway to Memphis”, a musician’s dream of making it in the city noting ” I want to be just like Elvis”.  He asks “Can I Take You with Me” “where the sun shines all of the day” in a boogie. He declares “It’s like talking to a cold brick wall, you don’t care about me at all. I’m going to shut this powerline down “Right About Now”. Mark. T. Jordan’s piano is a standout in the mix with the guitars.

The guitarists battle it out on the title cut as the vocalist tells a tale of a kid sent to buy his mother “King Size” Chesterfields but is tempted by a king size ice cream cone. He proclaims” I Don’t Need Nobody” trying to run my life. I got to walk down my own path baby, play my own drum and fife.” Mark gets a piano solo amidst the guitar and horns. “Hurry Up Slowly” is a slow, countrified song as he states, “let the good times roll”. ” I will bring the wine and pour us a glass, treasure each moment as the hours slip pass. Start with a toast to the way that we knew the magic between me and you”.

“If I’m telling the truth “Every Song I Sing” is for you” with a recitation of the various styles of music he sings and notes “some takes you back, back home in blues somewhere in Dallas, somewhere in my youth where I first got the blues”. “Some make you dream, some make you sober.” He tells her to “put all of your tears in the past “’Til He’s a Memory” as she contemplates leaving a bad relationship and urges her to come to him. He determines “You Just Know” when you find the right one that led me where I had to go”.

The band jumps back into a full funk mode with a cover of Buckwheat Zydeco’s “Make It Easy on Yourself” with the Memphis horns chiming in. He invites “Yvette” to take a ride in my new Corvette. We’ll take a ride up to Lover’s leap, park the car and hop in the backseat, and fool around a while”. Not sure about the gymnastics that might be required for that, but okay if he says so.  Mark’s rollicking piano drives the song with some rock ‘n’ roll guitar. He declares there are “Too Many Bees” buzzing around this honey” as his hopes are dashed as he tries to charm “a pretty thing…but then the line starts forming”. Slide guitar gets the buzz going.  He notes that “she is like a needle in my brain “She’s a Pain” in a final cover of a song written by Jesse Ed Davis.

Shades of Little Feat still float in the band’s sound with a mix of modern country and a dollop of funk from the Muscle Shoals Horns. This is a band that seems destined for popularity with several songs that would most likely fit on the country charts, and sound like would be a hit on the festival circuit.

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.