Showing posts with label Devon Allman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Devon Allman. Show all posts

Friday, July 25, 2025

Devon Allman - The Blues Summit

Album: The Blues Summit
Size: 104,7 MB
Time: 45:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2025
Styles: Blues/Soul/Rock mix
Art: Full

1. Runners In The Night (Feat. Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram) (4:23)
2. Blues Is A Feelin' (3:48)
3. Peace To The World (Feat. Robert Randolph) (3:35)
4. Real Love (6:09)
5. After You (4:33)
6. Gettin' Greasy With It (3:25)
7. Wang Dang Doodle (4:10)
8. Hands And Knees (3:22)
9. Little Wing (6:27)
10. Midnight Lake Erie (5:32)

In the first 20 years of his recording career, Devon Allman has made one thing very clear. He doesn’t stand still. As an artist and performer, he is always on the move, eager to stretch his boundaries, forever on the lookout for new sources of inspiration and new musicians to collaborate with. That ethos has driven him to continually create and move on. That’s why his discography to date – though it includes a number of solo albums – also shows releases with Honeytribe (with whom he debuted in 2006) and southern rock supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood as well as with the Allman Betts Band. The resumé is a work in progress, yet one that is already worthy of the musical legacy handed down to him by his late father Gregg Allman of the legendary Allman Brothers Band.

In recent years, the hard-working singer, guitarist and songwriter has focused his attention on the Devon Allman Project, touring relentlessly and spreading groovy, feel-good vibes on the 2024 release entitled Miami Moon. The band’s newest album Blues Summit is a completely different animal. Once again, it’s a decidedly collaborative effort that sees Allman’s core band augmented by big-time players like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Larry McCray, Jimmy Hall and Robert Randolph. Yet this time around, Allman displays an uncanny willingness to share the spotlight. He does more than feature his guests on this session. On roughly half of the album’s ten tracks, he lets them take center stage. And since most of his guests are big-time blues players, we wind up with one of the bluesiest albums of Allman’s career. As the title says: it’s a Blues Summit.

One of the stars of this musical gathering is Jimmy Hall, who some may know as lead singer and harmonica player of southern-rock group Wet Willie or for his collaborations with Jeff Beck. Hall puts his stamp on the record almost immediately, singing and blowing up a storm on its de facto theme song, “Blues Is A Feelin’.” The track is a big, brawny, propulsively rhythmic celebration delivered by eight musicians who share an obvious passion for the blues. Hall handles vocal duties again on the gospel-tinged “Peace To The World” (with Robert Randolph adding his trademark pedal steel guitar) and on a loose and spirited, hand-clapping, foot-stomping version of the Willie Dixon classic “Wang Dang Doodle.”

On “Hands And Knees,” Arkansas-born Larry McCray takes his turn at the mic and on lead guitar, his chiming licks and smooth tone showing an obvious debt to B.B. King. “Getting’ Greasy With It” is another McCray composition served up well by Allman and his cohorts. The funky quasi-instrumental is smothered in horns and has Memphis written all over it – no surprise since it features the celebrated Memphis Horns, guests on three songs in all. Though Blues Summit was recorded at the Sawhorse Studio in St. Louis, it often feels like Memphis, with “Real Love” being a further example; this slow and sultry soul ballad written by Allman showcases New Orleans singer Sierra Green on vocals.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

The Blues Summit mc
The Blues Summit gofile

Monday, July 10, 2017

Devon Allman - Ride Or Die

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:20
Size: 110.7 MB
Styles: Blues rock, Southern blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:15] 1. Say Your Prayers
[3:10] 2. Find Ourselves
[4:57] 3. Galaxies
[4:32] 4. Lost
[3:31] 5. Shattered Times
[4:18] 6. Watch What You Say
[4:13] 7. Vancouver
[4:07] 8. Pleasure & Pain
[2:27] 9. Hold Me
[4:49] 10. Live From The Heart
[4:35] 11. Butterfly Girl
[4:20] 12. A Night Like This

After leaving the Royal Southern Brotherhood in 2014 and issuing Ragged & Dirty, his own extended meditation on Chicago blues, guitarist/songwriter Devon Allman spent time playing with his father's road band and guested on Jeremiah Johnson's excellent Grind the same year. His solo re-emergence on Ride or Die is an exercise in spiritual and musical maturity. He plays guitar and bass, and provides passionate lead and backing vocals. He also produced some tracks solo and others with longtime compadre Tom Hambridge -- who mixed and mastered it and played drums. Guitarist Tyler Stokes, bassist Steve Duerst, and keyboardist Kevin McKendree are also aboard, with saxophonist Ron Holloway and violinist Bobby Yang. Allman wrote or co-wrote all but two tracks. Hambridge contributed one and the set closes with a surprising cover. Allman's approach is still rooted in muscular electric blues (check the slamming opener -- and first single -- "Say Your Prayers"), but wraps these sounds in hooky hard rock, vintage soul (Northern and Southern), and rhythm & blues. "Find Ourselves," with its sweet, gritty tenor saxophone and swooping B-3, directly references Muscle Shoals, and Allman effectively advises the listener to rise up and grab onto life's purpose. This theme is recurrent. The album's title is used in the crackling "Galaxies," where Allman, buoyed by a stinging guitar line, Latin percussion, and swelling B-3, exhorts: "When galaxies collide/Will you ride or die?" While "Lost" and "Watch What You Say" are acoustically framed rockers that build to dynamic climaxes, "Shattered Times" is roiling, swampy electric funk. "Pleasure & Pain" is a midtempo soul-rock appeal to a beloved other who desires oblivion to escape the difficulties inherent in everyday life. With cracking breaks, Rhodes piano, and wrangling, jazzy guitar, he and his band bring the message home with conviction. "Hold Me," with its soul piano and finger-popping vintage rock & roll chorus, touches on early Smokey Robinson and Doc Pomus. "Live from the Heart" commences with a jangly 12-string, crisp snare, and simmering B-3. It transmutes into an unlikely yet direct homage to Curtis Mayfield. Simple, wise, and life-affirming lyrics combine with an irresistible hook, making it an album highlight. The closer is an excellent reimagining of the Cure's "A Night Like This" as a midtempo rocker complete with thundering electric guitars and a honking saxophone break. Allman beefs up the arrangement to be sure, but his singing is an unguarded expression of vulnerability offered in a deeply masculine, gritty, and soulful baritone. Ride or Die is convincing in part and as a whole. It's the first time that Allman shows full confidence in his music, that he no longer has anything to prove to anyone but himself. The fine songs on this date are to-the-bone expressions of his questions and convictions delivered in a compelling musical language. ~Thom Jurek

Ride Or Die

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Vargas Blues Band - Vargas Blues Band & Company

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:44
Size: 159.6 MB
Styles: Blues rock
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:40] 1. Do You Think I'm Sexy (Feat. Javier Vargas, Carmine Appice, Paul Shortino)
[3:49] 2. Pretty Blue (Feat. Jack Bruce & Reese Wynans)
[5:48] 3. Parisienne Walkways (Feat. Javier Vargas, Tim Bogert, Carmine Appice, Paul Shoertino)
[4:07] 4. Rock Away The Blues (Feat. Junior Wells, Andres Calamaro)
[4:44] 5. Exotic Mambo (Feat. Alex Ligertwood & Reese Wynans)
[5:16] 6. Do You Believe In Love (Feat. Chris Rea)
[5:02] 7. Blues In My Soul (Feat. Devon Allman & Frank Marino)
[7:11] 8. Ridin' High (Feat Larry Thurston)
[4:19] 9. Body Shock (Feat. Larry Graham, Raimundo Amador, Chester Thompson)
[3:57] 10. Make Sweet Love 2 U (Feat. Bobby Alexander)
[5:13] 11. Blues For My Babe (Feat. Larry Mccray)
[4:24] 12. Man On The Run (Feat Tim Mitchell)
[5:34] 13. Blood Shot Blues (Feat. Preston Shannon)
[5:34] 14. Sad Eyes (Feat. Glenn Hughes)

Javier Vargas celebrates 20 years of collaborations on an album featuring Jack Bruce, Glenn Hughes, Chris Rea, Raimundo Amador and Double Trouble among others. Includes an amazing version of "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" with Carmine Appice, Paul Shortino and Pat Travers.

Vargas Blues Band & Company mc
Vargas Blues Band & Company zippy

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Devon Allman - Ragged & Dirty

Time: 48:13
Size: 110.4 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues-Rock
Released: 2014
Covers: Full

1. Half The Truth {3:07}
2. Can't Lose 'Em All {3:45}
3. Leavin' {2:42}
4. I'll Be Around {3:56}
5. Traveling {4:16}
6. Midnight Lake MIchigan {9:31}
7. Ten Million Slaves {3:22}
8. Blackjack Heartattack {3:12}
9. Back To You {5:04}
10. Times Have Changed {3:29}
11. Ragged & Dirty {2:45}
12. Leave The City {3:00}

After two albums with his jam band Honeytribe and co-founding the blues rock supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood, Devon Allman issued a fine solo album in 2013 with Turquoise. While that record focused on his skills as a songwriter as much as it did his considerable ability as a guitarist, Ragged & Dirty changes up the game again by heading north to the wellspring of electric blues: Chicago. Produced by noted drummer, songwriter, and arranger Tom Hambridge -- who has worked with everyone from Joe Louis Walker and Susan Tedeschi to George Thorogood and Johnny Winter -- this is not a set of hard boogie blooooooz numbers, but a skilled, nuanced, yet kinetic reflection on the murky terrain where Chicago's signature electric style meets vintage R&B and rock. Allman the guitar slinger is back in a big way here, fronting a small ensemble that includes the drummer, bassist Felton Crews, B-3 player Marty Sammon, and guitarist Giles Cory. Hambridge contributed four excellent tunes to the set, Allman five, and there are three choice covers. The latter include a burning read of the title track (a funky blues scorcher by Luther Allison off his 1972 Motown set, Bad News Is Coming), an emotionally resonant reading of the Spinners' hit, "I'll Be Around" -- which showcases Allman's considerable gifts as a singer -- and a poignant, thoroughly electrified take on Otis Taylor's "Ten Million Slaves." There's a hint of the Allman Brothers Band's blues attack on Hambridge's "Can't Lose 'Em All," with Cory twinning the lead guitar line. "Midnight Lake Michigan" is a long, slow instrumental where Allman gets to show off his chops, his phrasing purposely reflecting the influences of Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix. His own "Traveling" gives free play to his nasty, funky wah-wah pedal and melds Southern rock to Windy City soul blues, while "Blackjack Heart Attack" is a burning rocker whose gritty vamps and stinging leads are adorned by careening B-3 and bass fills. Ragged & Dirty is the first time in Allman's recording career that all of his strengths have been on full display. Hambridge's production is polished, yet never rounds off the edges; sounds and dynamics encounter one another spontaneously and naturally. Allman is inspired; he reveals the myriad aspects of his musical persona -- so full of contrasting yet complementary voices -- free expression, resulting in the finest thing he's ever put his name on.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek

Ragged & Dirty

Devon Allman - Turquoise

Time: 41:55
Size: 96.0 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues-Rock, Southern Rock
Released: 2013
Covers: Full

1. When I Left Home {4:05}
2. Don't Set Me Free {3:40}
3. Time Machine {3:39}
4. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around {4:46}
5. There's No Time {4:58}
6. Strategy {4:12}
7. Homesick {3:32}
8. Into the Darkness {3:24}
9. Key Lime Pie {3:04}
10. Yadira's Lullaby {2:25}
11. Turn Off the World {4:07}

After a couple of albums with his band Honeytribe, guitarist and songwriter Devon Allman scored with the Royal Southern Brotherhood. A blues-rock supergroup comprised of Allman and guitarist Mike Zito, drummer Yonrico Scott, and bassist Charlie Wooton from Zydefunk, the band's lone album hit the Top Ten on Billboard's blues chart. But Allman has proven himself restless from the start, and Turquoise is the latest chapter in his musical evolution. For those who've heard his past recordings as exercises in jam band expression, this set will come as a surprise. Produced by Jim Gaines (the Radiators, Huey Lewis, Santana, Ana Popovic, etc.), the album is a deeper, richer, collection of tunes that focuses on Allman the singer and songwriter rather than the guitarist. Joined by Scott and bassist Myles Weeks, as well as some select guests, he displays a multi-dimensional persona here, rooted in blues, Southern soul, swampy rock, and sultry funk grooves. Opener "When I Left Home" is a straight-up rocker whose lyrics reveal his autobiography with some fine lead and slide work by Luther Dickinson. The lone cover on the set, Tom Petty's "Strop Draggin' My Heart Around," is a gritty, emotionally taut duet reading that features blueswoman Samantha Fish in the Stevie Nicks role. "My Strategy" is a funky, nocturnal, midtempo ballad that revs it on the chorus. It's a love song with real power, and Bobby Schneck, Jr. provides some nice, economical guitar work. "Into the Darkness" showcases how soulful a vocalist Allman can be when he tries, employing a ragged falsetto inside his marbled, gritty baritone; he's backed by his trio, Rick Steff's B-3, and a saxophone solo by Ron Holloway. The misplaced -- and boring -- solo guitar instrumental, "Yadira's Lullaby," unbalances the album a bit, but it's a small misstep. Allman's still searching for the right mix inside his meld of Southern music styles, but that's because he's multi-talented rather than unfocused; he feels at home with all of them. Turquoise is a fine next step for a singer and songwriter who has plenty to offer.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek [-]

Turquoise

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Devon Allman's Honeytribe - Space Age Blues

Time: 45:37
Size: 104.4 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues-Rock
Released: 2010
Covers: Full

1. Could Get Dangerous {4:14}
2. Space Age Blues {5:16}
3. Salvation {4:42}
4. Sir Duke {3:47}
5. Endless Diamond {4:45}
6. Bleu Est Le Vide {1:54}
7. Warm In Wintertime {4:30}
8. New Pet Monkey {4:08}
9. I'm Ready {4:45}
10. Take Me To The Bridge {3:29}
11. Insh'allah {4:02}

Space Age Blues is the first Honeytribe recording since 2006; it is also, according to leader Devon Allman, a loosely scripted concept album where "Darth Vader meets B.B. King." Allman is not only a blues guitarist of some acumen, but a science fiction fan as well. His idea was to take a musical look at the way we relate to technology, examine how much of it has become inseparable from our lives, see what works and what doesn't, and try to encourage humanity to connect with something organic that is bigger than ourselves. But it's the music itself that matters, and Space Age Blues mostly succeeds. Its opening cut, the funky wah-wah and distortion-laden "Could Get Dangerous," features Allman in fine form, especially as he trades licks with Huey Lewis' harmonica (Yes, that one). George Potsos' bassline provides a big fat undercarriage that's highlighted by Gabriel Strange's drum kit. As fine as Allman's playing is, however, Lewis steals the track. The title cut, "I'm Ready," and "Take Me to the Bridge" derive as much from Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys collaboration as they do blues. The soul-blues of "Salvation" suffers a bit from Allman's limited vocal range, but is compensated for by Ron Holloway's emotionally expressive tenor saxophone solo, which in turn spurs an inspired guitar break from Allman. The other place his voice lets him down is on an otherwise fine reading of Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" -- the band nails it musically and the groove is enough to compensate for the vocal lack. "Endless Diamond" is a big-riff minor-key blues with a funky backbeat and hypnotic bassline. "Blue Est le Vide" is a mostly instrumental acoustic guitar number that changes the pace a bit. Album closer "Insh'Allah" (an Arabic term that translates as "God willing") is a knotty psych-rock jam band exercise. As musically forceful as this set is, the tunes here will likely come off more explosively live. Fans of Honeytribe's Torch album and those hard rock-blues aficionados unacquainted with Allman's considerable gifts as a guitarist will find much to celebrate on Space Age Blues.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek

Space Age Blues

Devon Allman's Honeytribe - Torch

Time: 39:12
Size: 89.7 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Rock, Blues-Rock
Released: 2006
Covers: Full

1. Torch {3:12}
2. Mahalo {5:20}
3. No Woman, No Cry {3:42}
4. When I Call Home {4:39}
5. Perfect World {3:36}
6. Mercy, Mercy {2:45}
7. Something I Know {4:48}
8. Heaven Has No Mercy {3:41}
9. Why You Wanna Bring Me Down {2:52}
10. 511 Texas Avenue {1:29}
11. Nothing To Be Sad About {3:02}

Devon Allman's Honeytribe hails from St. Louis, MO. Torch is the band's American debut, though a live European offering is available from the band's website. Yep, his dad's Gregg Allman, but Honeytribe has its own sound. Having grown up partly in Corpus Christi, and later in Missouri, Devon Allman and band's sound owes very little to the Allman Brothers. It's a space age jam band blues outfit that has bits and pieces of soul in the mix but the real deep edge is hard rock. Allman is a solid guitarist and has a decent voice, but he does not possess the phrasing chops of his old man; then again, it did take Gregg a long time to become the kind of singer he is now. Torch feels like a debut album. It has many solid moments, such as the burning instrumental "Mahalo," that feels like Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" played by the Santana band without words. The sense of drama is heightened by drummer/percussionist Mark Oyarzabal's taste and presence, and also by Jack Kirkner's Hammond B-3. The cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" is credible, but adds nothing to the original (why do so many people think that they can cover this song?) but it does feature guitar wizard Pedro Arevalo's tasty licks and slide. "When I Call Home" is one of those bluesy soul ballads that feels right inside a jam band. Allman's singing is what makes the tune. He is expressive, digs down deep into his belly for the lyric and lets it rip. His guitar work is beautiful and tasty but he keeps the song upfront. Again, Kirkner's organ is such a gorgeous tool in a tune like this, it floats and then grounds everything as well. The edgy hard rock of tracks like the title and "Perfect World" don't seem to work so well in the studio. Production is a problem because these cats seem to have to crank every instrument up to ten, leaving no space in the mix. There are a number of clichés here, too, such as the boogie blues "Heaven Has No Mercy," which sounds like a tune your average bar band would play at a biker road rally. The solo acoustic guitar piece, "511 Texas Avenue," is a nice relief from the bombast, and the album's closer "Nothing to Be Sad About," balances the big ringing guitars with acoustic-honky tonk-style piano and loose, back porch vocals, showcasing all the band has to offer quite nicely. Interestingly, Allman's blues guitar style owes more to Dickey Betts than it does late uncle Duane's but then, Betts has influenced plenty of the jam band generation pickers so it might just be coincidence. While Torch is not an overly impressive debut, it would be a mistake to write it, or the band off. There's room to grow and Honeytribe is surely on the right track.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek

Torch

Friday, August 12, 2016

Devon Allman - Ride Or Die

Size: 114,9 MB
Time: 48:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues Rock, Southern Rock
Art: Full

01. Say Your Prayers (3:16)
02. Find Ourselves (3:12)
03. Galaxies (4:57)
04. Lost (4:32)
05. Shattered Times (3:32)
06. Watch What You Say (4:20)
07. Vancouver (4:15)
08. Pleasure & Pain (4:08)
09. Hold Me (2:27)
10. Live From The Heart (4:49)
11. Butterfly Girl (4:35)
12. A Night Like This (4:20)

Allman has walked many roads to earn his place at the head of the Southern rock scene. Followers of the US bandleader’s thrilling two-decade career have come to expect the unexpected, from his post-millennial breakout with Honeytribe, through chart-topping hook-ups with Jack Bruce and Javier Vargas, to acclaimed solo albums like 2013’s Turquoise and 2014’s Ragged & Dirty (praised by the UK’s Blues Magazine as “reminding you why the blues can be, quite simply, the best thing in the world”).

When the vocalist/guitarist parted ways with Royal Southern Brotherhood in 2014 – having played a pivotal role in the supergroup’s all-conquering early material – there was an audible gasp around the world. Thankfully, one spin of Ride Or Die vindicates Allman’s bold step into the unknown. “I needed to have my own canvas,” he explains, “to stretch out and paint on with no rules, only my visions. Freedom in artistry is essential. Who stands behind a painter and says, ‘Hmmm, no, maybe you should use blue there, not purple’? That’s not anyone I wanna have coffee with!”

Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Stage Studios and Switchyard Studios in May, Ride Or Die found Allman in good company, with the bandleader guiding the core lineup of Tom Hambridge (drums/co-production), Tyler Stokes (guitars) and Steve Duerst (bass) – and enlisting fairydust from Ron Holloway (saxophone), Bobby Yang (strings) and Kevin McKendree (keys). With the chemistry fizzing, it’s a mix that lives, breathes and grooves, the antithesis of the cut-and-paste jobs that hold sway in the Pro Tools era.

Writing all but two of the songs – either alone or in partnership with his compadres – Allman showcases his ability to catch what it means to be human, while following his muse wherever it leads him. On songs like the thumping opening gambit “Say Your Prayers” or the brittle jab of “Galaxies”, he invests blues-rock traditions with modern attitude and smarts. “Blues was born down South,” he says, “and it’s a massive part of the culture. But blues is a very open entity in my mind.”

Beyond the blues, this is a showcase for an artist with every colour in his palette. As you’d expect from a man with a famously sprawling vinyl collection – and a tattoo of Curtis Mayfield inked on his left bicep – there are nods here to every genre and era. “This album is really about mixing all of my influences,” says Allman of the varied mood. “Soul, rock, blues, alternative and more. It’s about making an artistic statement, not about fitting into any category. I produced this album to be an eargasm of emotion.”

On a tracklisting that runs the gamut, you’ll find the upbeat, horn-bolstered soul of Find Ourselves, alongside the rueful lyric and poignant lilt of Vancouver (“If I had a time machine, if I could get back somehow, I’d change so many things, and she’d be with me now”). “Live From The Heart” is a twelve-string acoustic stunner with one eye on the apocalyptic newspaper headlines, while “Butterfly Girl” is a smitten ballad warning of a woman who’ll “seduce and hypnotise you when she enters your world”.

Sonically, too, Ride Or Die is a record that pushes the envelope, whether that’s the pumping synth line that opens the cover of The Cure’s “A Night Like This”, or the Talkbox guitar solo on Lost that supports a lyric about fading dreams. “I haven’t produced my own record since 2010’s Space Age Blues,” says Allman. “We had a blast making this record, using the Talkbox for Lost and laying down the Hendrix-inspired section on Find Ourselves.” Some musicians are content to simply spin their wheels, rehash the hits and pick up the pay-cheque.

With Ride Or Die, Devon Allman announces once again that he’s an artist on the move – and invites you to ride shotgun as he takes this career-best new album out on the road through 2016. “You can expect pleasure, pain, and energy to soothe your troubled soul,” he says. “Come take the ride…”

Ride Or Die

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Delta Sol Revival - Witness EP

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 19:46
Size: 45.3 MB
Styles: Rockin blues, R&B
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[3:44] 1. When I Found Love
[4:22] 2. Music Is My Wife
[4:45] 3. The River
[4:04] 4. There's A Wife
[2:50] 5. Witness

Tyler Stokes - Guitar and Vocals; Justin Corgan - Bass; Jake Corgan - Keyboards; Chuck Smotherson - Drums; Sub Musicians: Alex Alfaro and Matt Strueber.

Delta Sol Revival (DSR) has an eerily familiar sound…in a good way. It’s a throwback sound that’s steeped in old traditions and fueled with nuances of Latin and jazz – think Allman Brothers, but funky, mixed with Santana, and rounded out with R&B. Their music has soul and swagger, and their live shows are visceral, full of energy, and in high demand. Out of St. Louis, MO DSR has made their way throughout the Midwest. Members of DSR have shared the stage with the likes of Chuck Berry, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Cray, The Wailers, and Robert Randolph. Their EP "Witness" was recorded in Memphis and produced by Blues Music Award Winner Devon Allman.

Witness mc
Witness zippy

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Various - Black On Blues: A Tribute To The Black Keys

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:48
Size: 114.0 MB
Styles: Album rock, Blues rock
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. Ginger Baker, Iggy Pop - Lonely Boy
[4:11] 2. Walter Trout - Tighten Up
[3:10] 3. Oli Brown Band - Next Girl
[3:01] 4. Dave Davies, Huw Lloyd-Langton - Money Maker
[3:31] 5. Mike Zito, Cyrille Neville - Girl Is On My Mind
[4:08] 6. Albert Lee - Howlin' For You
[4:16] 7. Devon Allman - Little Black Submarines
[3:31] 8. Pat Travers - Everlasting Light
[3:44] 9. Tab Benoit - Gold On The Ceiling
[3:58] 10. Leslie West - I Got Mine
[3:22] 11. Larry McCray - Chop And Change
[2:26] 12. Doug Kershaw - I'll Be Your Man
[3:45] 13. Jackie Lomax - Dead And Gone
[3:29] 14. Papa Mali - When The Lights Go Out

Over the years, Cleopatra has made it something of a specialty of theirs to release tribute albums to popular artists, but 2012's Black on Blues: A Tribute to the Black Keys feels a little different than its predecessors -- not as rushed, almost bordering on the carefully considered. Of course, that impression may just be a reflection of the presence of the Iggy Pop and Ginger Baker duet on "Lonely Boy," a collaboration that pays back some dividends as the melody is perfectly suited for Iggy and Ginger swings with nonchalant assurance. It is the performance that's least concerned with the blues but it's not the only noteworthy performance, odd pairing, or comeback, either: Dave Davies teams up with Huw Lloyd-Langton for "Money Maker" and Jackie Lomax comes out for "Dead and Gone." Almost everybody involved sticks to songs from Brothers and El Camino, stripping away whatever interesting sonic flourishes the Keys or Danger Mouse laid upon the originals, concentrating on the bluesy core. Naturally, there is a lot more guitar here than on the Black Keys versions -- and the guitar tends not to be the kind of fuzz explosions Dan Auerbach favors; instead, it's a lot of cleanly articulated Stratocaster picking and overdriven tube amps -- and although it paints the Black Keys as a little more traditional than they actually are, it's generally agreeable stuff apart from the occasional gut-busting vocal (see Pat Travers' exaggerated "Everlasting Light"). And that may not be the same thing as necessary or interesting, but Black on Blues is something that most Cleopatra comps of this nature are not: it's enjoyable. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Black On Blues: A Tribute To The Black Keys mc
Black On Blues: A Tribute To The Black Keys zippy

Friday, November 28, 2014

Legends of Contemporary Blues: Devon Allman, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Samantha Fish - Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:05
Size: 144.4 MB
Styles: Southern Blues rock
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:43] 1. Devon Allman - Stop Draggin My Heart Around
[4:03] 2. Devon Allman - When I Left Home
[3:22] 3. Devon Allman - Into The Darkness
[4:05] 4. Devon Allman - Turn Off The World
[3:30] 5. Devon Allman - Homesick
[4:48] 6. Royal Southern Brotherhood - New Horizon
[3:28] 7. Royal Southern Brotherhood - Left My Heart In Memphis
[4:33] 8. Royal Southern Brotherhood - Gotta Keep Rockin´
[3:13] 9. Royal Southern Brotherhood - All Around The World
[3:57] 10. Samantha Fish - Leavin' Kind
[4:27] 11. Samantha Fish - Let's Have Some Fun
[4:02] 12. Samantha Fish - Go To Hell
[6:12] 13. Samantha Fish - Runaway
[4:23] 14. Samantha Fish - Otherside Of The Bottle
[4:12] 15. Samantha Fish - Down In The Swamp

“Tom Petty has always been one of my favorite artists,” says Devon. “This song totally takes me back to my youth. I’m really pleased Samantha and I get to turn on a new generation to this classic tune. We slowed it down a bit and made it a little sexier.

Before they even hit a chord, ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD have your attention. In the US South, where music is religion, two rock ‘n’ roll bloodlines tower above all others. In the saloon bars from Mississippi to Maryland, mere mention of the Allman and Neville Brothers casts a magic spell. Conversation falls silent. Pool balls stop rolling. Ten-gallon hats are tipped in respect and beer-bottles raised in salute. These aren’t just bands, they’re gods, and with a lineup comprising both the iconic Cyril Neville and Devon Allman, Royal Southern Brotherhood come pre-loaded with expectations. Don’t worry: they can match them.

Stop Dragging My Heart Around mc
Stop Dragging My Heart Around zippy

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Various - When I Left Home: A Contemporary Blues Collection

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 102:52
Size: 235.5 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[ 4:02] 1. Devon Allman - When I Left Home
[ 4:43] 2. Devon Allman - Stop Draggin My Heart Around
[ 3:17] 3. Spin Doctors - If The River Was Whiskey
[ 3:56] 4. Samantha Fish - Leavin' Kind
[ 5:36] 5. Jeff Healey - I Think I Love You Too Much
[ 4:48] 6. Royal Southern Brotherhood - New Horizon
[ 3:28] 7. Royal Southern Brotherhood - Left My Heart In Memphis
[ 4:33] 8. Spin Doctors - Some Other Man Instead
[ 4:08] 9. Joanne Shaw Taylor - Just Another Word
[ 5:56] 10. Savoy Brown - Natural Man
[13:55] 11. Savoy Brown - Hellbound Train (Live)
[ 5:54] 12. Jeff Healey - Angel Eyes
[ 5:52] 13. Samantha Fish - Money To Burn
[ 3:06] 14. Joanne Shaw Taylor - Who Do You Love
[ 6:02] 15. Walter Trout And The Radicals - I'm Tired
[ 5:40] 16. Walter Trout And The Radicals - Work No More
[ 4:15] 17. Oli Brown - No Diggity
[ 4:24] 18. Oli Brown - Speechless
[ 4:08] 19. Mike Zito - Death Row
[ 4:59] 20. Mike Zito - Subtraction Blues

When I Left Home: A Contemporary Blues Collection

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Various - Down In The Swamp: The Very Best Contemporary Southern Blues

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 65:05
Size: 149.0 MB
Styles: Southern blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:28] 1. Royal Southern Brotherhood - Left My Heart In Memphis
[4:13] 2. Samantha Fish - Down In The Swamp
[4:19] 3. BIG Daddy Wilson - Drop Down Here
[3:45] 4. Lightnin' Malcolm - North Mississippi
[3:52] 5. Bart Walker - Hipshake It
[6:37] 6. Luther Allison - Living In The House Of Blues
[3:19] 7. Skinny Molly - Two Good Wheels
[4:59] 8. Mike Zito - Subtraction Blues
[4:02] 9. Devon Allman - When I Left Home
[3:43] 10. Royal Southern Brotherhood - Moonlight Over The Mississippi
[4:26] 11. Samantha Fish - Let's Have Some Fun
[6:08] 12. Big Daddy Wilson - Brother Blood
[4:08] 13. Mike Zito - Death Row
[3:45] 14. Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint - See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
[4:14] 15. Cyrille Neville - Blues Is The Truth

Down In The Swamp: The Very Best Contemporary Southern Blues

Sunday, December 1, 2013

The Royal Southern Brotherhood - Songs From The Road: Live In Germany

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 69:06
Size: 158.2 MB
Styles: Southern rock, Blues rock
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[ 6:15] 1. Fired Up!
[ 5:02] 2. Hurts My Heart
[ 5:10] 3. Gotta Keep Rockin'
[ 5:37] 4. Moonlight Over The Mississippi
[ 3:53] 5. Left My Heart In Memphis
[13:06] 6. Fire On The Mountain
[ 1:22] 7. Band Introductions
[ 5:28] 8. Ways About You
[ 6:53] 9. Sweet Jelly Donut
[ 5:28] 10. New Horizons
[ 3:53] 11. All Around The World
[ 6:53] 12. Gimme Shelter

The date is October 24th, 2012. The place is the Crossroads Festival in Bonn, Germany. And the vibe is pure electricity, as modern rock’s musical dream-team tear it up for the legendary Rockpalast TV show. It’s surely no coincidence that the Royal Southern Brotherhood kick off their set that night with Fired Up! In the words of that song’s chorus, Devon Allman, Cyril Neville, Mike Zito, Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott are undoubtedly “fired up and ready to go”…

Released in November 2013, this new CD takes listeners along for the ride, fusing a blistering Brotherhood set with the pin-sharp sound and production values you’ve come to expect from Ruf Records’ celebrated Songs From The Road series. Past releases have included everyone from Jeff Healey to Luther Allison – and now the spotlight turns on the southern supergroup who have lit up the post-millennial scene. It’s hard to imagine a band more deserving of the live-album treatment. If there was chemistry afoot when the five members first convened in New Orleans over the summer of 2010, then it’s only been strengthened by the self-titled debut album that followed in 2012, and the subsequent world tour that has seen RSB raise the roof across twenty-plus countries. “We’ve got to see the world with this band,” says Devon, “and I love it.” Given that intensive bonding session, it follows that Songs From The Road finds the collective at the peak of their powers, trading on the kind of chemistry that can only be forged through miles on the clock. Devon drips molten soul from his Gibson Les Paul. Behind the congas, Cyril is a groove in human form. Mike strokes and scorches the frets, while Charlie and Yonrico are a rhythm section locked down to the point of telepathy. “We have fun and we play as hard as we can,” says Mike of the band’s high standards onstage. “If you’re not there, you better get there… or we’re gonna knock you over!”

The unofficial sixth member that night in Germany, of course, was the Crossroads crowd, still pinching themselves at getting up close and personal with this A-list band in such intimate surroundings. “It was such a beautiful evening,” says Mike of the vibe in the house, “with an amazing audience that really got into the music. They lifted the band up and made us feel good. It was such an honour to perform for Rockpalast.”

Songs From The Road: Live In Germany