Papaleg Acoustic Duo - Back to Mississippi

Size: 296 MB
Time: 47:00
File: Flac
Released: 2008
Styles: Acoustic blues
Art: Full

1. I go back to Mississippi (4:12)
2. Cool Drinking Water Blues (3:38)
3. Mama Talk to Your Daughter (4:13)
4. Long Distance Call (3:58)
5. C.C.Rider (3:47)
6. Once a Day (4:03)
7. Wake up this morning (4:24)
8. Pony Blues (3:48)
9. Feeling Good (4:24)
10. Me and My Baby (3:20)
11. Sugar Cane (2:41)
12. Judge Harsh Blues (4:28)

Representative of archaic blues, the acoustic one, played on the streets, in small clubs and at specialized festivals. A "busker" career that reflects the philosophy of true bluesmen, free from any musical constraints and capable of entertaining the public. He has acquired his own way of conveying emotions through the resophonic guitar, thanks to the study of the masters of the delta (Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Furry Lewis, Mississippi Fred Mc Dowell).After the experience with Papa Leg Band, PG met Marco Tinari with whom the Papa Leg Acoustic Duo adventure began in 2005, bringing the Mississippian Delta Blues Sound to the main Italian and foreign festivals. They tour in Europe (Poland, Finland, Switzerland and Holland) and in the United States (Mississippi and Tennessee), collaborating with several prominent artists (Jimbo Mathus, Olga Munding, Rich Del Grosso, Bill Abel, Jon Short, Elam Mc Night) and recorded two popular CDs, “Railroad Blues” (2007) and “Back To Mississippi” (2009).In 2011 PG began a solo career, continuously traveling on the roads of the blues. He returns to the recording studio, first as a guest of Paola Ronci, then of Jona's Blues Band, to finally arrive at his first solo work "At Home" (2015) which achieved considerable success in the specialized press, also repeated by the subsequent "Tales And Other Stories” (2016). After the collaboration with Gipsy Rufina on an album with folk blues flavors in the Fucense-Reatino dialect "Statale 578" (2020), in October 2021 he released his third solo album "Bad Days" and in 2023 he created, with RoughMax and Giannasso, the album: “Dispersi”.

Back to Mississippi FLAC

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Foghat - Return of the Boogie Man

Size: 395 MB
Time: 56:31
File: Flag
Released: 1994
Styles: Blues-rock, rock
Art: Outer, tray, front

1. Jump That Train (5:16)
2. Louisiana Blues (5:47)
3. Motel Shaker (4:38)
4. Play Dirty (5:01)
5. Nothin' But Trouble (4:50)
6. Talk to Me Baby (3:57)
7. I Just Want To Make Love To You (4:17)
8. Take Me To The River (5:15)
9. That's Alright Mama (4:18)
10. Feel So Good (3:04)
11. I Want You To Love Me (5:33)
12. Writing on the Wall (4:27)

Return of the Boogie Men is the thirteenth studio album by British hard rock band Foghat, released in 1994. This album reunited the original members of the band, Dave Peverett, Roger Earl, Rod Price and Tony Stevens. Price had left the group after the completion of 1980's "Tight Shoes" release; Stevens had departed following the recording of "Rock and Roll Outlaws" in 1974. Beginning in June, 1994, Foghat toured through the end of 1996 to promote "Return of the Boogie Men". Two performances at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon on October 25 and 26, 1996 were recorded which resulted in the 1998 live album, Road Cases.-

Return of the Boogie Man FLAC

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The Juke Jumpers - Border Radio

Album: Border Radio
Size: 89,2 MB
Time: 38:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1980
Styles: Blues/R&B
Art: LP front & back

1. Cadillac Boogie (3:50)
2. My Little Jewel (2:48)
3. What Goes On Behind Your Back (2:44)
4. Wiggle Your Hips (2:19)
5. Cuttin' Cane (2:26)
6. Horne Street Bounce (3:46)
7. You're Humbuggin' Me (2:50)
8. I'm A Little Mixed Up (2:48)
9. Sunglasses After Dark (2:33)
10. You Don't Love Me (6:38)
11. Me And The Devil (3:09)
12. The Jump (2:23)

The Juke Jumpers went through numerous changes in its lineup, and its membership never stabilized for long periods. When the Fort Worth band was first established in 1977, it was comprised of guitarist Sumter Bruton, vocalist and bassist Jim Colgrove, drummer Mike Buck, and guitarist and vocalist Bud Johnson. The group landed a steady gig in the city as the New Bluebird Nite Club's house band, but not before Buck and Johnson dropped out. Mike Bartula stepped in to take over Buck's duties on drums. Johnson's departure prompted Colgrove to take over on guitar and drop the bass, which was taken over by newcomer Jack Newhouse. By 1978, Jim Milan stepped in as the group's bassist.

That same year, the Juke Jumpers were ready to record Panther City Blues, the group's first release. The album was put out by Fort Worth's Flying High Records and featured Hungry Chuck's piano player, Jeff Gutcheon. The lineup shifted again the following year when former Double Trouble saxophonist Johnny Reno came aboard. He was present for the recording of the band's sophomore release, Border Radio, which was put out by Amazing Records, another label based in the band's hometown. Before making their Amazing Records album The Joint's Jumpin'!, the Juke Jumpers expanded from a five-piece band to a six-man combo in 1980, with the addition of Craig Simecheck on piano. An extensive touring schedule followed, with the band traveling across Louisiana, the Midwest, and its home state of Texas.

In 1994, the Varrick label put out the band's Jumper Cables album. The release featured Robert Harwell on saxophone. Harwell, who formerly worked with Delbert McClinton, stepped in when Reno opted out to form his own band. The group expanded its touring, but in the spring of 1985, the Juke Jumpers disbanded. The breakup didn't last long, however, and bandmembers got back together in 1986. Their first gig was at J & J's Blues Bar, which had just opened its doors. The nightspot welcomed the Juke Jumpers back consistently for seven more years.

Before recording a live album for Amazing Records late in 1987, the band grew with the addition of a second saxophonist, Rene Ozuna. That same year, the group was featured in the film A Tiger's Tale. Drummer Doyle Bramhall stepped in the following year when Bartula dropped out. Performances followed at Holland's Blues Estafette, and the Rhythm & Blues Festival in Belgium in 1989. Bassist Mike Judge took over for Milan the following year. The lineup, however, refused to stabilize. By 1991, Simecheck, Judge, and Bramhall had departed. Bartula came back to the group, which also added keyboardist Ruf Rufner and bassist Tom Reynolds. Three years later, the group disbanded. Reunion performances took place in Fort Worth in 1997, 1998, and 2001. /Bio by Linda Seida, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Nelsen Adelard - Unplugged

Album: Unplugged
Size: 81,7 MB
Time: 35:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Blues
Art: Front, inside, tray, cd

1. Four Winds Blow (3:00)
2. Shake Rattle & Roll (4:42)
3. Gotta Boogie (2:38)
4. Back Door Man (5:30)
5. Woman By My Side (2:53)
6. Boogie Woogie Blue (3:08)
7. She Moves Me/Standin Round Cryin (5:44)
8. Don't Stop Now (3:13)
9. No Good To Cry (Bonus) (4:09)

Nelsen Adelard has built a formidable reputation as a harp player, but on "Unplugged" his harp takes a back seat to his acoustic guitar playing, as he works through a selection of originals and covers that steer away from your typical acoustic blues fare. In fact, the opening track, "Four Winds Blow", is the only country blues on this set, a rambling blues replete with plaintive slide and melancholy vocals.

The second track then sets the scene for the rest of this CD, as Adelard swings into a Big Joe Turner medley of "Shake Rattle & Roll" and "Honey Hush" replete with keening slide and sinewy sax, Mark Norris's squalling sax then stretching out, in unison with Adelard's vocals, over a thudding backbeat. "Gotta Boogie" does exactly that, a slab of swinging R&B fired by jumping sax and tantalizing guitar picking and vocals - whilst Wolf's "Back Door Man" and Adelard's own "Woman By My Side" both ride funky riffs - the former featuring wailing harp, Adelard's impassioned vocals echoed by Mikey Mo's wild guitar - whilst on the latter, smokey sax mirrors Adelard's strutting vocals.

The infectious "Boogie Woogie Blue" has a strong Little Charlie feel, with harp and sax swinging in unison; a Muddy Waters medley of "She Moves Me/Standin Round Cryin" features Adelard's compelling vocals riding a mesmerizing riff and moaning harp - whilst "Don't Stop Now" is a jumping West Coast Blues replete with hip vocals and swinging harp and sax. The set is rounded out with a live cut, the tough "No Good To Cry". Another fine CD from Adelard that will appeal to lovers of West Coast blues, R&B and all lovers of good-time blues. /Mick Rainsford

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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The Blind Boys Of Alabama - Echoes Of The South

Album: Echoes Of The South
Size: 97,8 MB
Time: 42:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Gospel
Art: Front

1. Send It On Down (3:37)
2. Work Until My Days Are Done (3:31)
3. Friendship (4:10)
4. You Can't Hurry God (3:06)
5. Jesus You've Been Good To Me (6:12)
6. The Last Time (3:57)
7. Keep On Pushin' (3:27)
8. Paul's Prayer (3:24)
9. Wide River To Cross (4:08)
10. Nothing But Love (3:25)
11. Heaven Help Us All (3:33)

Following the death of Clarence Fountain in 2018, the Blind Boys of Alabama released Work to Do with singer/songwriter Marc Cohn in 2019. After resuming an intense post-pandemic touring schedule in 2021, they returned to the recording studio in 2022 with producers Charles Driebe, Matt Ross-Spang, and Ben Tanner, as well as a crack quartet of studio aces who re-create the feel of '40s-era live gospel.

Echoes of the South is joyous and bittersweet. Inspired by their debut appearance on WGSN radio in Alabama, this music honors the entire aesthetic of the live radio programs that made them. The bittersweet part is the result of the deaths of veteran members Ben Moore and Paul Beasley after recording the album, which is dedicated to them. 91-year-old founder/leader Jimmy Carter, the last remaining original member, focuses on tradition here: This is the music of gospel quartets to be sure, but also the music of the ongoing Civil Rights' struggles of both the Blind Boys' early career and the 21st century.

Opener "Send It on Down" has been covered by everyone from Willie Neal Johnson & Gospel Keynotes to the Gaither Vocal Band (the stomping, joyous take here leaves the milquetoast latter version in the dust). "Work Until My Days Are Done" (closely associated with Albertina Walker and Dedicated Men of Zion) is rowdy with rollicking handclaps, choral shouts, tambourines, and a hard-swinging instrumental quartet. It's a gospel house rocker. A deep soul version of Homer Banks' classic "Friendship" - closely associated with Pops Staples - is at once stirring and welcoming in its conviction. The fiery testimony in "You Can't Hurry God," likely written by Dorothy Love Coates, is a wooly paean to the spiritual values of faith and patience with a swaggering piano that ultimately inspired the Motown production and songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland to compose "You Can't Hurry Love" for the Supremes.

They answer it with "Jesus You Been Good to Me," a deep soul-gospel jam with the best vocal acrobatics on the record thanks to Beasley's soaring, resonant falsetto - it recalls Curtis Mayfield during his time with the Impressions. Speaking of Mayfield, the Blind Boys deliver a tender, contemporary reinvention of his "Keep on Pushin'" in bluesy waltz time with a hip B-3 in interplay with the vocals. "Jesus You’ve Been Good to Me" evokes an affinity for the all-loving deity with a loose, grooving arrangement. "Nothing But Love," composed by Fountain, offers testimony to the power of unwavering belief.

A gritty, gravelly take on songwriter/producer Ron Miller's Stevie Wonder anti-war, anti-gun, pro-Civil Rights vehicle "Heaven Help Us All" is showcased as a rocking, stomping, gospel benediction and closes the record. Ultimately, it offers an inspiring lyric focus that exhorts us to forget cheap grace and overly simplistic words as a means to salvation. It begs us to live in this wounded, bleeding world with hope amid darkness, difficulty, and tragedy. If this rootsy, raw album is the group's last, they can be very proud: It's one for the ages. /Thom Jurek, AllMusic

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Robben Ford - The Blues Collection

Size: 164.6 MB
Time: 70:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Excuse My Blues (4:15)
02. Love Me Or Leave Me (6:22)
03. Blue Stu (7:29)
04. Blue And Lonesome (8:26)
05. That Will Never Do (6:10)
06. The Cotton Creeper (5:04)
07. Still A Stranger (3:37)
08. Take Out Some Insurance (5:41)
09. Help The Poor (5:57)
10. Mellow Down Easy (6:31)
11. Going Down Slow (5:12)
12. Pretty Woman (5:59)

Robben Ford's "The Blues Collection", is a sampling of blues recordings featuring the remarkable guitarist stretching from 1971-72, through 1982-84 and finally 1991-92. Included are four instrumental tracks - "Excuse My Blues", "Blue Stu", "The Cotton Creeper", and "Pretty Woman", the last of which was recorded live at the Notodden Blues Festival. Harp fans will be thrilled to hear brother Mark Ford blowing on six ot the cuts, and Charles Musselwhite on three others. Four of the tracks are previously unreleased ("Excuse My Blues", "The Cotton Creeper", "Take Out Some Insurance" and "Help The Poor") and the Jimmy Witherspoon track "Going Down Slow" was also recorded live at the Notodden Blues Festival. Robben Ford is without a doubt one of the most creative and honest men to play, write and arrange in the blues idiom. He feels it as well as understands it. He is Robben Ford, and there is none better.

The Blues Collection MP3
The Blues Collection FLAC

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Nirek Mokar - Back To Basics (Feat. Sax Gordon)

Size: 96.4 MB
Time: 41:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues, Woogie Boogie
Art: Front

01. Nini's Special (5:18)
02. What I Drink (2:52)
03. Twist A La Huchette (4:32)
04. Hot Bread (3:02)
05. Shuffle Chelou (3:54)
06. Maira (4:31)
07. DD Rider (4:40)
08. Back To Basics (2:55)
09. Swing And Limp (4:49)
10. Besco Boogie (1:41)
11. Late Harvest (3:04)

Nirek Mokar is a 21-year-old Parisian who grew up in the 17th arrondissement. It was by having the chance to listen to and see all the great Boogie-Woogie specialists play at the "Paris Boogie Speakeasy" where his father worked when he was very young that he fell in love with the Boogie Woogie piano.

Only 10 years ago and following the advice of his elders, he began self-taught on the piano at the ''Paris Boogie Speakeasy'' because he didn't have a piano at home!

Passionate about this music and also about Blues, Swing and Rock'n'roll, he devotes himself to it whenever he can. Showing astonishing maturity and an exceptional swing, he quickly became the little darling of Boogie lovers from all over Paris, but not only that.

Nirek regularly plays with his Boogie Messengers at the famous jazz club, Caveau de la Huchette, in Paris. he has already been invited to play in numerous festivals in France, but also abroad. He had the chance to open for the late Lucky Peterson. He plays with singer Eddie Gazel in the group ''The One Eyed Cats'', and collaborates from time to time with singer Emilie Hedou or with the famous American saxophonist and entertainer, Sax Gordon. Nirek recently started teaching Master Classes or Blues Workshops. He also gives Boogie Woogie, Blues and Rock'n'Roll piano lessons.

Back To Basics (Feat. Sax Gordon) MP3
Back To Basics (Feat. Sax Gordon) FLAC

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Misty Blues - Tell Me Who You Are: A Live Tribute To Odetta

Size: 130.6 MB
Time: 56:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues, Folk, Gospel
Art: Front

01. Glory Glory (Live) (3:23)
02. Go Down Sunshine (Live) (4:47)
03. Take This Hammer (Live) (4:54)
04. Hit Or Miss (Live) (7:52)
05. Blues Everywhere I Go (Live) (5:21)
06. How Long Blues (Live) (3:14)
07. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (Live) (3:55)
08. Dink's Blues (Live) (5:08)
09. Easy Rider (Live) (5:14)
10. Midnight Special (Live) (5:33)
11. This Little Light Of Mine (Live) (6:44)

Beloved roots music group Misty Blues goes live and acoustic on their new release Tell Me Who You Are: A Live Tribute To Odetta in an homage to one of the greatest American singers of all time.

The record brings us Misty Blues and low-toned, big-voiced lead singer Gina Coleman performing folk standards associated with legendary American folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta Holmes. Often referred to as “The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement,” Odetta was an important part of the folk boom of the 50s and 60s and influenced major artists including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin. She numbered iconic civil rights figures Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. among her admirers and Rolling Stone ranked her at number 171 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Making this record has been on Gina Coleman’s radar since the 90s. Coleman had a brush with Odetta at the Bottom Line club in New York City as a guest of Arlo Guthrie that left an indelible impression on her and was a seminal moment in her musical journey. It finally manifested in May of 2023, when Misty Blues recorded these songs acoustically in front of a live audience. It was a big stylistic shift for the normally electrified band but Coleman and the rest of Misty Blues rose to the event and did a formidable job. MB is no stranger to the edges of their genre and have no trouble expressing Coleman’s often-stated belief that African-American folk music is most certainly part of the blues.

Coleman begins the album alone, delivering a solo a cappella rendition of “Glory Glory.” Odetta also sang it alone and Coleman does a wonderful job of immediately achieving the same emotional resonance as the original. You can easily hear how much this material means to her and that this is more than just another show in Misty Blues’ 24-year career. She quickly commands the attention of every soul in the room.

“Go Down Sunshine” is a rollicking, 12-bar shuffle that steps the line between Coleman’s folk-ish vocal phrasing and the song’s blues format. Misty Blues rocks the pocket a bit harder than the original version does but they also make it jump with life. Coleman’s vocals are bold and fully present, leading the band exactly where she wants them to go. Piano man Joel Nicholas also stands tall on this one, showing off some sweet chops.

The lively “Take This Hammer” pays genuine respect to Odetta’s version while also putting a blues band’s spin on this classic tune. Coleman injects more of her personal style into her vocal presence, a move that ups the song’s level of blues content considerably. Aaron Dean shows all the way up on saxophone, ripping off licks that sparkle and shine.

“Hit Or Miss” is a heavier blues that functions as an empowered anthem and statement of identity. Coleman puts herself out there in every way in this moment and sparks the other musicians to dig in and find something. They open up the groove and jam in the middle, turning this folk standard into an acoustic funk excursion. No bets are hedged and everyone is listening to each other and responding in real time. It’s pure human energy of the finest kind.

Misty Blues closes the record with a blissful and joyous version of “This Little Light Of Mine” that will lift your heart up to Heaven. Eileen Markland is a pleasant surprise on violin and Joel Nicholas again slays on piano. By this point, you’ve realized that Gina Coleman and Misty Blues are the only crew around who could do justice to these songs and Odetta’s enduring legacy and you’re just happy to be hearing it happen. Tell Me Who You Are: A Live Tribute To Odetta is required listening for blues fans near and far and is also an outstanding reminder of Odetta’s permanent place in the history of American music. Spin it and you’ll feel it all. ~Mike O’Cull

Tell Me Who You Are: A Live Tribute To Odetta MP3
Tell Me Who You Are: A Live Tribute To Odetta FLAC

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Joyann Parker - Hard To Love / Roots

Album: Hard To Love
Size: 115.1 MB
Time: 49:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Memphis (4:07)
02. Envy (3:39)
03. Home (6:27)
04. Dizzy (2:43)
05. Jigsaw Heart (5:08)
06. Who What When Where Why (4:04)
07. Bluer Than You (3:06)
08. Ray (3:23)
09. Evil Hearted (4:00)
10. Take My Heart And Run (2:17)
11. Your Mama (3:48)
12. What Happened To Me (3:18)
13. Hard To Love (3:20)

The classically trained pianist Joyann Parker has a degree in music from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Parker had previously sang in church and with a wedding band but only discovered the blues four years ago. After singing Aretha Franklin’s soul classic “Chain of Fools” Parker received an invitation to join a Minneapolis based blues band. In 2015 Joyann Parker and Sweet Tea released their debut recording “On the Rocks”. As a result the band was a quarter-finalist in the International Blues Challenge and their album became The Minnesota Blues Societies choice as “Best Self-Produced CD”. Parker also headlines a show called “The Music of Patsy Cline” and states “old school country and blues are very close…when I listen to Patsy Cline I hear a blues singer…singing from her soul”. Parker has already been compared to both Etta James and Shemekia Copeland.

The band on “Hard To Love” includes Parker, vocals, guitar, piano and trumpet; Mark Lamoine, guitar and background vocals; Tim Wick, piano and organ; Michael Carvale, bass; and Alec Tackmann, drums and percussion. The album is produced by Parker with co-producers Lamoine and Carvale.

All of the songs are co-written by Parker and Lamoine. Parker states “I believe part of being a songwriter is taking your story and weaving it with other people’s stories…I write songs that somebody, somewhere may hear and then say, “how does she know me?”

Parker evokes Memphis on the opening track with the lyric “by the time I get to Memphis I won’t need you anymore”. “Envy” is a soulful Memphis groove with some great organ from Wick and a fabulous vocal from Parker. Wick plays both organ and piano on “Home” featuring a tasty guitar solo from Lamoine. On “Dizzy” Parker’s voice is mesmerizing.

The funky “Who What When Where Why” features an infectious bass line from Carvale and Parker on trumpet with additional horns from Gunhild Carling. Parker plays piano on “Bluer Than You”. On the New Orleans styled “Ray” it’s Wick on piano again with another great guitar solo from Lamoine.
“Jigsaw Heart”; “What Happened To Me” and “Evil Hearted” are new versions of songs reprised from Parker’s debut album. On the latter Parker is playing lead guitar.

“Take My Heart and Run” features Lamoine on a resonator guitar; Parker’s vocal is just fabulous. “Your Mama” is a great piece of songwriting with Wick once again tinkling the ivories as Parker sings “tell your mama she’s got to go”. Parker’s vocal is sublime on the title track “Hard to Love” as she transcends genres.

Parker is a great songwriter and vocalist with a crackerjack band. This album is one of the year’s best. ~Richard Ludmerer

Hard To Love MP3
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Album: Roots
Size: 113.2 MB
Time: 48:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Roots (3:08)
02. Faintly Optimistic (4:11)
03. Wash It Away (3:46)
04. Closing Someone Else's Blinds (3:24)
05. What's Good For You (3:40)
06. Juxtaposition (4:06)
07. Old Flame (4:28)
08. Ain't Got Time To Cry (3:08)
09. Forsaken (2:59)
10. Miss Evangeline (3:02)
11. Going Under (4:27)
12. Stay Home Mama (4:48)
13. Sconnie Girl (3:08)

Joyann Parker grew up in Mellen, Wisconsin. She taught herself to play the guitar and started studying classical piano at age four. She earned a degree in instrumental education from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. She then moved to Minneapolis where she briefly taught music in elementary schools. After another stint as a stay-at-home mom, she became an assistant to Mark Lamoine, a lawyer, who ultimately became the guitarist in her band and her-co-writing partner.

Joyann grew up listening to country and classic rock music. She initially did a Patsy Cline Tribute show which won the top prize at the Midwest Country Music Awards. She also had a revue, Classic Ladies of Country, featuring songs from female country stars from the 1950’s to the 1970’s. But after discovering Muddy Waters, followed by Robert Johnson, and then many more blues influences, she turned her interests to blues music. Her band, Joyann Parker and Sweet Tea, represented the Minnesota’s Blues Society in the 2015 International Blues Challenge.

Roots is her third album release. The core performers are Joyann on guitar, keyboards and vocals, Mark Lamoine on guitar and backing vocals, Tim Wick on keyboards, Chris Bates on bass, and Bill Golden on drums and percussion. All songs on the album are originals.

The album opens with the rocking title song as she declares ” I put my roots down, down in the ground” and she has to make sure they are solid after being “upended by the hurricanes of life”. “Faintly optimistic” sounds like a song Bob Seger might have written as Mark performs a duet with her as he declares “this time we might make it” and she responds, “we will have to wait and see”.

Things slow down with “Wash It Away”, a moving, soulful song identifying how she hopes to turn her life around after acknowledging that “the pain is going to come, and the rain is not going to wash it away.” That is followed by “Closing Someone Else’s Blinds” as she “does not want to lose you…but we’re all out of time”, and “it is killing me to be your back-up plan.” “What’s Good for You” gets thing rocking again as she identifies “I’m a tornado, boy, and I just can’t help but destroy everything in my path.” You don’t know what’s good for you, but I know it’s not me”.

“Juxtaposition” is a smooth reggae with guest Scott Graves on trombone and she notes “You’re so mixed up, can’t keep your stories straight.” “Old Flame” continues with a quiet, jazz feel with Steve Roehm adding marimba and again “I just feel the pain whenever I see you.” She continues with a flamenco feel with “Ain’t Got Time to Cry” and “I ain’t gonna let you lie to me one more time”. Paul Odegaard accents the song with his trumpet.

A slide guitar opening drives the blues number “Forsaken” as she cries to the heavens “Everybody left me here on my knees”. “He has taken the soul from me”. “Miss Evangeline” jumps into the country with Chris Silver on mandolin. “You made a promise, now you’re gonna keep it. You’ll break her heart, but mine was first in line. My daddy’s shotgun ain’t real patient.” She slows things down again with the keyboard led “Going Under” as Joyann sings that she has “Nothing left but sleep, nothing left to keep”.

“Stay Home Mama” has a New Orleans feel as she gets up at 6:00 AM as “Mama needs a little time to herself, before having to give to everyone else”. This is a fun song about the travails of a woman having to stay home with her kids who “cannot even go to the bathroom by yourself”. Scott kicks in on trombone again as she clearly delivers the blues of a woman who has no time for herself. The song ends with the son proclaiming, “I pooped”. She ends on a positive note celebrating Wisconsin on “Sconnie Girl”, as she states “I was raised to speak my mind. Work real hard, and still be real kind. Ain’t nothing better than a Wisconsin girl”.

Joyann delivers clear and powerful vocals on every song, sometimes bringing to mind the vocals of Ann Wilson from Heart, particularly on the harder rocking songs. As recited above, many of the songs are dealing with a failed relationship. As such they could be considered as something of a downer, but somehow Joyann’s power leads you in the belief that she is conquering that loss and ready to move on. And the lyrics are certainly written in an intriguing and sometimes fun way. ~John Sacksteder

Roots MP3
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Tommy Lee Cook - Tommy Lee's Jonesin'

Size: 117.7 MB
Time: 50:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Birds And Bees (4:27)
02. Gimme My Money Mista (1:19)
03. Turpentine (3:13)
04. Let It Rain (4:33)
05. Souleater (4:34)
06. Satisfied (4:23)
07. Tommy Lee's Jonesin' (4:18)
08. Funky Shoes (3:30)
09. Dancing With My Baby (5:24)
10. Consequences (4:59)
11. Working Musician (3:54)
12. The Boys From Buckingham (5:51)

South Florida has quite the raging blues scene, and Tommy Lee Cook is just the latest example of that . Tommy Lee’s Jonesin’ is an intoxicating blend of blues grease and southern rock charm. With his gravelly voice and southern drawl he inhabits the characters of his songs and really brings them alive… not too many guys can say they have that in their toolbox.

Tommy Lee Jones is a complex guy, as interesting people tend to be. Like it says on the website, he’s “a musician and author, studies history and raises mules. He’s a down-home boy who goes head-to-head with the word nerds in New York City, a mule-loving man who pens novels and songs, a soul food lover.” Sounds like a fascinating cat to me, and that really comes across in his songs. It’s similar to when you listen to a Robbie Robertson album like Storyville… you find yourself helplessly drawn into the narratives, and Jones’s facility with the written word conjures lyrics that practically demand you to dig deeper and get to the bottom of the story. You can see what he’s singing about in your mind’s eye as each song plays… it’s the rough equivalent of getting so deep into a good book that everything around you disappears.

Tommy Lee Jones and his band aren’t in any particular hurry here; the songs unfold at their own pace on Tommy Lee’s Jonesin’, particularly cuts like Souleater and Satisfied. The effect is nigh on hypnotic, with sparse guitar work, rumbling bass and some atmospheric keyboard work that underscores the mood. I could listen to these particular tracks all day- hell, I’ve played them half a dozen times already today because they feel so… damn… good.

Tommy Lee’s Jonesin’ is loose and dangerous, a blues fueled fever dream that you won’t want to wake up from. As you listen it’s like watching a dozen films play in your head, one after the other. This is one record that really captures the imagination and takes you places. ~John Kereiff

Tommy Lee's Jonesin' MP3
Tommy Lee's Jonesin' FLAC

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John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Live In 1967 Vol. 3

Size: 93.4 MB
Time: 40:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Electric Blues, British Blues
Art: Full

01. Brand New Start (4:15)
02. Tears In My Eyes (6:58)
03. Stand Back Baby (2:39)
04. Greeny (7:33)
05. Talk To Your Daughter (2:58)
06. Your Funeral And My Trial (4:06)
07. The Stumble (4:54)
08. Double Trouble (6:51)

The Godfather of British Blues, John Mayall, is proud to announce the upcoming release of his newly restored album, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Live in 1967 – Volume Three. It is the 3rd and final Volume in the series. This recording features the original lineup of Fleetwood Mac – Peter Green, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood. 2016’s Live in 1967 – Volume Two was hailed as a “welcome second helping” by Rolling Stone.

One of the most influential bands in Classic Rock history, recorded by dedicated fan Tom Huissen who took his one-channel reel-to-reel tape recorder to five London clubs in 1967, these historical performances were unheard of for fifty years. Recently, Mayall obtained the tapes & began restoring them with technical assistance from Eric Corne of Forty Below Records. Corne adds, “While the source recording was very rough and the final result is certainly not hi-fidelity, it does succeed in allowing us to hear how spectacular these performances are.” Over a 2-year period, the band also featured Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones.

Mayall, who turned 89 last November, earned his 2nd Grammy® nomination in 2023 for his last album, The Sun is Shining Down. The Sun is Shining Down was Mayall’s 5th studio album co-produced with Eric Corne, for Forty Below Records, a fruitful partnership that began with 2014’s A Special Life. Mayall’s recent Forty Below releases have featured a diverse group of guests, including Joe Walsh, Todd Rundgren, Little Steven Van Zandt, Joe Bonamassa, Marcus King, Rush’s Alex Lifeson, and The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell.

Live In 1967 Vol. 3 MP3
Live In 1967 Vol. 3 FLAC

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Jhett Black - Babel

Size: 97.9 MB
Time: 41:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Roll Out (3:13)
02. Mamma Told Me Not To (3:46)
03. Eve (3:28)
04. Babel (3:41)
05. Gold (4:19)
06. Wayward Son (3:45)
07. Eulogy (4:10)
08. 12 Bar Blues Again (3:21)
09. Devil Ain't An Only Child (4:48)
10. Sonic Tonic (3:56)
11. Going Down (3:23)

After the successes of Jhett Black’s debut EP, Roots, and wins at the International Blues Challenge in 2022, Jhett embarked on a self-produced excursion alongside Glenn Halverson (who mixed and mastered the album) and co-producers Al Basile and Callie Sioux, growing up and out of traditional territories of the blues while maintaining the integrity of the genre. Babel is being distributed by Smith Entertainment Distribution.

Originally from New Mexico but now based in Chattanooga, Jhett Black released the first single from the new album, “Wayward Son,” on July 21st, which will be followed by “Gold” on August 18.

The dark and heavy content of Babel, which includes 10 original songs, plus a searing cover of the Freddie King classic, “Going Down,” is emphasized with the smooth and intimate croons of Jhett’s bass/baritone voice that explodes into passionate growls that breaks down the boundaries between rock, soul, and blues.

Resonator slide guitars howl and drone with traditional dead-thumb stylings against overly fuzzed guitar tones that carry most of the melodic content, while the heavily swung shuffles of drummer Dusty Skins holds down southern grooves with reverence and intensity.

The lack of bass guitar on the record emphasizes the relationship between guitar and drums, while layers-upon-layers of luscious synth tones brings the sound slamming into the modern pallet, giving the sound a decidedly Lead Belly-meets-ZZ Top feel. All lead vocals and most of the album’s other instruments were performed by Jhett Black.

Years of incessant touring throughout the US and Europe in multiple projects, while also promoting and buying talent for concerts around his home in New Mexico, Jhett has left his scars open and exposed in the record’s album artwork, as well on tracks like “Sonic Tonic” and the title track, “Babel.”

“The music industry can be a dark place, and so can my music-the place where the blues comes from-but light shines brightest in the dark,” says Jhett Black. “I like to use a dark canvas with a big splash of light in the corner to remind us of the hope that’s available to us. I engage in the blues genre with respect, but I’m a firm believer in balance.”

This “balance” can be felt on tracks like “Wayward Son,” co-written with his Louisiana-raised father-in-law, Walt Evans, which battles head on with abuse and social neglect, wrapping with a powerful message of forgiveness rather than despair.

The yin and yang of Jhett Black is in full display in concert with a decidedly Southern Gothic swagger, while intense and driving murder ballads are followed up by intimate and powerful acoustic renditions of gospel songs. “I don’t like to leave room for me to relax too much on stage or get too lazy,” says Jhett Black regarding his live performances. “I like running lean and mean, whether it’s just me and Dusty on stage or whether I’m performing solo. It forces me to cover more ground vocally and instrumentally. I don’t want to leave a stage feeling like I could have given more.”

This blue-collar approach to the stage can be seen in intimate listening rooms where Jhett backs up his solo performances with his open tuning slide playing while using kick drums and foot percussion to drive the rhythms; while the band shows always feel like there’s more people on stage than there are.

Callie Sioux, Jhett’s wife, is often featured on upright bass and harmonica, while local and regional musicians are invited up for improvisation over blues and roots standards. While far from homogenized sounds, the multifaceted live performances and recordings of Babel maintain a humble and honest grasp on American Roots and Blues. ~Michael Major

Babel MP3
Babel FLAC

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Marc Wöhler - Blue

Size: 201 MB
Time: 36:33
File: Flac
Released: 2018
Styles: Acoustic blues
Art: Front

1. Train Blues (2:57)
2. Business Man (2:51)
3. Blue (3:07)
4. Stand up Again (3:02)
5. Man Like Dog (2:38)
6. I Will See You on the Other Side (3:04)
7. Just Can't Do What 1.000 People Tell Me to Do (2:46)
8. My Mistakes (2:36)
9. Take It Like a Man (2:56)
10. Heart for Free (3:01)
11. Dry Your Teardrops (4:12)
12. Money Is Not Rich (3:15)

After almost 25 years of living a rock 'n' roll life with Ten Beers Faster and lots of alcohol, one day I decided to grow up. Growing up also means no longer needing recognition. I wanted to process my life and the knowledge I had gained for myself. Just for me. I picked up my guitar, stopped drinking and started working through everything musically. ​ But I quickly realized that you can't get very far with three fingerings on the guitar and I thought about learning a fourth fingering. So I took lessons from our former rehearsal room rental company and studio owner. Said and done. At the end of the guitar course I started talking to Peter Apel. I told him about my “project” and he wanted to hear it. Oddly enough, He liked it. He offered to help me arrange and compose and play the guitar for me. Very good. Then I could concentrate more on singing. Until then, it should still be like a diary just for me. So I played everything to Peter. With just 3 moves from me, Peter was able to take my thoughts and melodies out of my head and play exactly as I had imagined. When we finished the first 12 tracks, he said if we got it mastered it would sound a lot better. I said well. But more than 3 people should not know about the project. It should only stay in my heart and living room. ​ But somehow more people heard about it and liked it. And then the project took on a momentum of its own that I couldn't stop. Masterer Achim Gätjen also liked it. He placed me with the music label Fuego. We'll see what happens next...

Blue FLAC

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Manlio Milazzi & JJ Appleton - North of the Sea

Size: 325 MB
Time: 52:10
File: Flac
Released: 2022
Styles: Blues, harp-blues
Art: Front

1. Tipitina (3:42)
2. Crazy Head (3:57)
3. Found True Love (3:30)
4. Stormy Monday (4:22)
5. Careless Love (6:06)
6. Heavy Heart Blues (3:19)
7. Stove Hot Ouch (4:05)
8. Going Down Slow (5:51)
9. One More Parade (3:56)
10. Move up to the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue (4:29)
11. Shake It Baby (4:57)
12. I Got Loaded (3:50)

It was a dark & stormy night – a late night jam in Denver at an international music conference. Guitarist/Vocalist JJ APPLETON and Harmonica Player MANLIO MILAZZI were brought together by a mutual friend and collaborator: Harmonica legend Jason Ricci. “You guys should meet”, he said. The musical and personal chemistry was instant. “We MUST tour together !!”. JJ APPLETON’S musical history includes 2 critically lauded acoustic blues/roots albums with Jason Ricci, 3 independent solo albums, and he was previously signed to AATW/Universal UK . JJ has made television appearances on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Good Morning America and Carson Daly. He was handpicked by David Bowie as the original guitarist for Bowie’s award winning musical “Lazarus”. As a producer JJ has produced recordings for Kesha, Grace Gaustad, Erin Bowman and Darius Rucker. MANLIO MILAZZI is one of the premier harmonica players of his generation and has been awarded at the World Harmonica Festival in Trossingen and at the International Blues Challenge. A former disciple of the harmonica genius Carlo Del Junco, MILAZZI has played with some of the greatest of the contemporary blues scene such as Bob Margolin, Peter Karp, Chris Jagger, Tonky De La Pena, Enrico Crivellaro among others. Manlio is endorsed by Seydel and plays Seydel 1847 harmonicas exlcusively. APPLETON and MILAZZI are joined by Simone Serafini on the upright bass. One of the best bass player in the business, Serafini regularly tours with some of the top blues and jazz artists of the European scene such as Rachel Gould, Enrico Crivellaro, Tonky De La Pena, Eliana Cargnelutti and more.

North of the Sea FLAC

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Gato Gordo - Sobreviviente

Size: 342 MB
Time: 53:34
File: Flac
Released: 2011
Styles: Blues, country-blues
Art: Front

1. Sin nada que hacer (Spanish) (4:12)
2. God Bless You New Orleans (5:17)
3. Let me Out (8:35)
4. The Hucklebuck (5:11)
5. Blues en Sol (Instrumental) (5:18)
6. Bring it On Home (5:04)
7. Life Goes On (9:08)
8. Kansas City (4:06)
9. Sweet Home Chicago (6:40)

Genaro Palacios, leader of the group Gato Gordo, who in 1985 formed La Banda de Blues, which performed in most the Guadalajara forums. He then travels to San Diego, California, where he is invited by Mr. Fro Brigham to the Mr. Fro Brigham and His Preservation Band, which participates in the presidential campaign of Jessie Jackson, the first African-American candidate in the United States. In 1993, Genaro returned to Guadalajara and formed Gato Gordo with two local musicians: Javier Soto on drums and Germán Quintana on bass. A group whose sound is based mainly on blues and the variety of styles that are derived from that musical root, such as rock, jazz, rockabilly, swing, country, and also mixing it with other traditional New Orleans rhythms.

Sobreviviente FLAC

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The Juke Jumpers - On Stage

Album: On Stage
Size: 169,2 MB
Time: 73:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1988/2007
Styles: Blues/R&B
Art: Full

1. Farther Up The Road (6:08)
2. Georgia Slop (4:48)
3. Hot Dog (4:52)
4. Lips 'N' Fingers Bar-B-Q (3:51)
5. Lone Star Saturday Night (3:23)
6. Never Make Your Move Too Soon (6:10)
7. Merry Christmas Baby (6:10)
8. Okie Dokie Stomp (2:42)
9. Rocket In My Pocket (4:53)
10. T-Bone Shuffle (7:39)
11. Somebody's Been Rockin' My Boat (3:56)
12. Long Distance Call (11:31)
13. Bluebird Boogie (7:14)

The Juke Jumpers went through numerous changes in its lineup, and its membership never stabilized for long periods. When the Fort Worth band was first established in 1977, it was comprised of guitarist Sumter Bruton, vocalist and bassist Jim Colgrove, drummer Mike Buck, and guitarist and vocalist Bud Johnson. The group landed a steady gig in the city as the New Bluebird Nite Club's house band, but not before Buck and Johnson dropped out. Mike Bartula stepped in to take over Buck's duties on drums. Johnson's departure prompted Colgrove to take over on guitar and drop the bass, which was taken over by newcomer Jack Newhouse. By 1978, Jim Milan stepped in as the group's bassist. That same year, the Juke Jumpers were ready to record Panther City Blues, the group's first release. The album was put out by Fort Worth's Flying High Records and featured Hungry Chuck's piano player, Jeff Gutcheon.

The lineup shifted again the following year when former Double Trouble saxophonist Johnny Reno came aboard. He was present for the recording of the band's sophomore release, Border Radio, which was put out by Amazing Records, another label based in the band's hometown. Before making their Amazing Records album The Joint's Jumpin'!, the Juke Jumpers expanded from a five-piece band to a six-man combo in 1980, with the addition of Craig Simecheck on piano. An extensive touring schedule followed, with the band traveling across Louisiana, the Midwest, and its home state of Texas. In 1994, the Varrick label put out the band's Jumper Cables album. The release featured Robert Harwell on saxophone. Harwell, who formerly worked with Delbert McClinton, stepped in when Reno opted out to form his own band. The group expanded its touring, but in the spring of 1985, the Juke Jumpers disbanded.

The breakup didn't last long, however, and bandmembers got back together in 1986. Their first gig was at J & J's Blues Bar, which had just opened its doors. The nightspot welcomed the Juke Jumpers back consistently for seven more years. Before recording a live album for Amazing Records late in 1987, the band grew with the addition of a second saxophonist, Rene Ozuna. That same year, the group was featured in the film A Tiger's Tale. Drummer Doyle Bramhall stepped in the following year when Bartula dropped out. Performances followed at Holland's Blues Estafette, and the Rhythm & Blues Festival in Belgium in 1989. Bassist Mike Judge took over for Milan the following year. The lineup, however, refused to stabilize. By 1991, Simecheck, Judge, and Bramhall had departed. Bartula came back to the group, which also added keyboardist Ruf Rufner and bassist Tom Reynolds. Three years later, the group disbanded. Reunion performances took place in Fort Worth in 1997, 1998, and 2001. /Biography by Linda Seida, AllMusic

Note: A reissue of the Juke Jumpers Live! LP that was originally issued on Amazing Records in 1988. This CD has an additional four tracks that were previously unissued and appear on CD for the first time.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

On Stage mc
On Stage gofile

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Johnny Rawls - Walking Heart Attack

Album: Walking Heart Attack
Size: 81,6 MB
Time: 35:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Soul
Art: Full

1. Walking Heart Attack (3:25)
2. Trying To Live My Life Without You (3:20)
3. Free (3:39)
4. Tell Me The Truth (3:18)
5. Born All Over (3:19)
6. Heal Me (3:08)
7. One More Sin (3:58)
8. Lies (3:13)
9. Hungry Heart (3:20)
10. Mississippi Dreams (4:18)

Soul and bluesman Johnny Rawls, one of the last of the original deep soul singers, is back where he belongs, returning to Catfood Records after a rather inexplicable six-year absence. From 2008 through 2017 Rawls issued a strong string of eight albums on the label. Three of them made Downbeat magazine’s Critics Choice Best of the Year List. Now, with Walking Heart Attack Rawls taps into that winning formula – writing songs with label head Bob Trenchard, recording with The Rays, a terrific band for four horns and two background singers; and laying down the tracks at Trenchard’s favorite studio, the Sonic Ranch, near El Paso, TX. Rawls produced and Grammy-winning Jim Gaines mixed at his studio near Memphis, TN. These ten tracks include originals from Rawls, Trenchard, co-writes between the two, one by label mate and outstanding songwriter Derrick Procell, and some classics, one of which will probably surprise you.

Rawls has an immediate presence. As soon as he hits the stage, it’s impossible not to feel and begin dancing to his soulful grooves. The former guitarist and bandleader of soul legend O.V. Wright has been doing it for over fifty years and harnesses all the ingredients that make for great soul music. The Catfood situation suits him so well, with the great writing of Trenchard and now Procell, as well as a band that knows how to frame his vocals perfectly, The Rays – Johnny McGhee (guitar), Bob Trenchard (bass), Richy Puga (drums), Dan Ferguson (keyboards), Andy Roman (tenor saxophone and solos), Mike Middleton (trumpet), Nick Flood (alto, baritone, tenor saxophones), Frank Otero (trombone), Jon Olazabal (percussion), and backing vocals from Janelle Thompson and Shakara Weston. /Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine

Walking Heart Attack mc
Walking Heart Attack gofile

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Popa Chubby & The Beast Band - Live At G. Bluey's Juke Joint NYC (2 CD)

Album: Live At G. Bluey's Juke Joint NYC
Size: 154,8 + 156,7 MB
Time: 67:05 + 67:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues/Rock
Art: Front

CD 1:
1. Motorcycle Mama (6:29)
2. Another Ten Years Gone (6:50)
3. Hey Joe (9:12)
4. Dirty Lie (8:01)
5. 69 Dollars (7:14)
6. Godfather Theme (Speak Softly Love) (2:45)
7. Dirty Diesel (3:48)
8. Grown Man Crying Blues (13:56)
9. Over The Rainbow (8:46)

CD 2:
1. It's A Mighty Hard Road (5:07)
2. I Don't Want Nobody (8:01)
3. I Can'’t See The Light Of Day (6:55)
4. Embee's Song (5:52)
5. Steel Horse Serenade (6:58)
6. Hallelujah (10:30)
7. Heart Attack And Vine (4:06)
8. Sweat (4:18)
9. Nobody Wants You When You’re Down And Out (5:33)
10. Sympathy For The Devil/Chubby's Story (10:27)

The new album was recorded at G. Bluey’s Juke Joint in Long Island City, New York, on October 24 and 25, 2022, and features Popa Chubby (guitar and vocals), backed by his all-star “Beast Band,” which consists of Mike Merritt (bass); Mike DiMeo (keyboards) and Stefano Giudici (drums). “This record is a reunion in a lot of ways,” stated Popa Chubby. “Rejoining with my long-time ally and bassist extraordinaire Mike Merritt and recording in my old Manny’s Car Wash engineer Glen Forrest’s studio. The icing on the cake was Mike Dimeo on keys. Add the Centurion Stefano Giudici on drums and you’ve got some heavy blues rock! It’s a live best of for the ages!”

“In the early ‘90s, Popa Chubby was the house band at New York City’s Manny’s Car Wash,” says the man, himself. “I hosted the jam every Sunday that saw everyone from the Allman Brothers, Stephen Stills, Joe Sample, Odetta and many more pass through. The apprentice Soundman was Glen Forrest. I had a small recording studio in the West Village and I hired Glen to work for me. He proved himself beyond my expectations and with great vision and perseverance set out to create the ultimate recording environment. He landed in Long Island City, New York, where he holds court over three floors of a building which house the studio, lounges, art galleries and warehouse. We recorded the record there because it gave us a great vibe, sound and an intimate live in the studio setting.”

Born Ted Horowitz, Popa Chubby is a long-time, New York City veteran blues rocker, who also produced and mixed his upcoming new album. He’s been hard-rocking the blues in his fierce and soulful way for more than 35 years. Over the course of his career, he has been a force to be reckoned with on the guitar, and his tempestuous, soulful playing has never been more powerful. An imposing figure with a shaven head, tattooed arms, a goatee and a performance style he describes as “the Stooges meets Buddy Guy, Motörhead meets Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix meets Robert Johnson,” Popa Chubby is an endearing character who has become one of the genre’s most popular figures.

Live At G. Bluey's Juke Joint NYC (2 CD) mc
Live At G. Bluey's Juke Joint NYC (2 CD) gofile

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Reidar Larsen - Boogie Bastard

Album: Boogie Bastard
Size: 110,2 MB
Time: 47:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Blues, piano blues
Art: Full

1. Boogie Woman (3:34)
2. Come On If You're Coming (3:25)
3. Bring Me Flowers (3:39)
4. Amo's Blues (2:25)
5. Sunnyland (2:29)
6. I Forgive You (5:52)
7. Grand Prix (3:51)
8. It Was A Big Thing (3:15)
9. Who's Been Talking (2:17)
10. Reconsider Baby (3:09)
11. It Hurts Me Too (3:36)
12. Roll 'Em Pete (3:16)
13. The Big Boat (3:14)
14. Keep Your Hands Off Her (3:24)

Born in Oslo in 1955, the son of a piano builder/tuner, it was fairly natural that Reidar’s fascination with the instrument began at an early age with lessons from age 7, and an early diet of albums by the British blues exponents of the 1960s, The Animals, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac and Stan Webb’s Chicken Shack. Many of these albums were supervised by legendary UK blues producer Mike Vernon who also produced Reidar’s 2nd album ‘Red, White & Blues’.

A collaboration between Fleetwood Mac and pianist Otis Spann particularly appealed to the nimble fingered young Larsen who was soon checking out the likes of Eddie Boyd, Champion Jack Dupree, Memphis Slim and Professor Longhair. Reidar is a highly respected musician working with numerous Norwegian artists, and a much in demand piano man for touring blues stars supporting such names as Lowell Fulson and Peter Green.

In addition to his 10 studio albums, Reidar has also recorded 2 live sets at New York’s legendary Cotton Club with the venue’s own gospel sensation, Anne Sinclair and The Spirit Of Love Singers with whom Reidar and the band have also toured Scandinavia on several occasions. He often makes guest appearances on other acts albums and features on 4 tracks on the latest set by Louisiana Red.

Long recognized as one of the finest blues acts in Scandinavia, Reidar & The Storytellers, his regular band since 1997, are in big demand and play over 100 gigs a year.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Boogie Bastard mc
Boogie Bastard gofile

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Nic Clark - Everybody's Buddy

Album: Everybody's Buddy
Size: 107,9 MB
Time: 46:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues, roots
Art: Front

1. Laughing At The Rain (3:37)
2. It'll Be Alright (3:34)
3. Try To Understand (3:50)
4. Good Advice (3:57)
5. Hurricanes (4:05)
6. She's A Fighter (2:51)
7. Don't Count Yourself Out (3:48)
8. Anxiety Blues (3:39)
9. How I Met The Blues (6:02)
10. Flying Blind (3:14)
11. Everybody's Buddy (3:50)
12. Breathe Slow (3:33)

If you’re ever in need of a friend, simply put on the new studio album, Everybody’s Buddy, by Mexican-American musician Nic Clark and let his uplifting and honest songs pass through those tough life moments. Produced by guitar-phenom Charlie Hunter in his new hometown of Greensboro, NC and set for release on Little Village, Everybody’s Buddy is a reflection of an everyday Generation Z kid trying his best while facing unsurmountable challenges that most Americans deal with daily. Nic Clark pours his emotions out on Everybody’s Buddy, and there’s a dose of humanity every step of the way. Charlie Hunter (guitar/bass) and George Sluppick (drums) dig into each track with Clark for deep in-the-pocket grooves, punchy pop numbers, and percussive vamps.

Everybody's Buddy mc
Everybody's Buddy gofile

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Duke Robillard Organ Trio - A Smooth One

Album: A Smooth One
Size: 139,1 MB
Time: 60:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front, back

1. 'Deed I Do (6:48)
2. Rhythm Willie (6:10)
3. Body And Fender Man (5:56)
4. A Smooth One (6:31)
5. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You? (5:51)
6. Red Top (7:08)
7. Jitterbug Waltz (4:40)
8. Jumpin' At The Woodside (6:48)
9. Exactly Like You (5:17)
10. Sweet Georgia Brown (5:18)

Duke Robillard was one of the founders of Roomful Of Blues in the early 1970s and replaced Jimmy Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds in the 1990s. He was a sideman for Robert Gordon and Bob Dylan, a core member of the New Guitar Summit with Jay Geils, Gerry Beaudoin and also Randy Bachmann in the 2000s, among others, and has now managed 37 (!) albums of his own.

Organist Alberto Marsico has no fixed style, whether soul, gospel, blues or jazz, he feels at home wherever he can effectively use the sound of his Hammond. In the course of his career, Alberto has worked with musicians such as Jimmy Witherspoon, Bobby Durham, Kenny Burrell, Ed Cherry and Lynwood Slim. The trio is completed by drummer Mark Teixeira, a longtime companion of Duke Robillard, who has also been in the service of blues greats and roots rock musicians such as Al Kooper, Kim Wilson, Toni Lynn Washington, Sugar Ray Norcia or Larry Campbell.

More or less the coincidence and the musical appreciation of each other brought the three musicians together to realize a joint studio project and record a classic organ trio album in Italy. Guitarist Duke Robillard on the album "A Smooth One" by The Duke Robilard Organ Trio: "This album shows what can happen when you bring three like-minded musicians together for a few hours in the studio. I hope the fun we had recording it now carries over to the listeners."

A Smooth One mc
A Smooth One gofile

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Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Americana DeLuxe

Album: Americana DeLuxe
Size: 126,5 MB
Time: 54:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Swing, jump blues
Art: Full

1. The Boogie Bumper (3:38)
2. Mr. Pinstripe Suit (3:37)
3. King Of Swing (4:58)
4. Minnie The Moocher (4:43)
5. You And Me And The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby) (3:35)
6. Jump With Me Baby (6:09)
7. Maddest Kind Of Love (5:04)
8. Go Daddy-O (3:12)
9. Please Baby (4:59)
10. Mambo Swing (5:07)
11. Jumpin' Jack (4:47)
12. So Long-Farewell-Goodbye (4:35)

For their major-label debut, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy don't change their tune at all, which is a good thing. Like their two indie releases, Americana Deluxe is a rollicking set of big-band swing, performed with energy and tongue-in-cheek. The group runs through a number of standards and originals, and while their ironic humor may irritate purists, their vigorous, exciting performances make the album a delight. /Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic

Note: Not to be mixed up with their selftitled debut album from 1994 as the album cover prominently displays a stylized "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" logo and does not feature the phrase "Americana Deluxe" on it.

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Blackburn Brothers - SoulFunkn'BLUES

Album: SoulFunkn'BLUES
Size: 102,2 MB
Time: 44:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Soul/Funk/Blues mix
Art: Front

1. Bobby's Blues (4:41)
2. She's A Heartbreaker (3:54)
3. Let The Devil Play (4:06)
4. Soul Brother (4:15)
5. Won't You Let Me Go (3:39)
6. Sister Rosa (3:33)
7. Why Do I Do (What I Do) (4:09)
8. Be My Wife (3:30)
9. Freedom Train (4:04)
10. Little Sister (3:43)
11. I Don't Ever Want To Be Alone (4:31)

Blackburn Brothers are a band of brothers, literally - consisting of Duane (lead vocals, organ, piano), Brooke (guitar, vocals), Cory (drums, harmony vocals), Robert (guitar, harmony vocals), and cousin Nathan (bass guitar). Longtime bandmates make up the horn sections with Neil Brathwaite (tenor saxophone) and Ted Peters (trombone). Musically, the Blackburn name has been forever imprinted in our ears by Bobby Dean Blackburn, a veteran R&B artist who gained legendary status in the Toronto music scene, performing the city circuit for over 50 years. Beyond the music, the family name is tied to the history of the Underground Railroad.

In the liner notes of their new album, SoulFunkn’BLUES, singer-songwriter/actress Shakura S’Aida writes: The Blues that the Juno-award nominated Blackburn Brothers create is part of their inheritance, a legacy that began with Elias Earls, an enslaved man born in Kentucky in 1792 who escaped slave owners and found freedom in Canada. The Blackburn Brothers’ music is authentic and always about a message of history, freedom, legacy, family, black unity, and love. SoulFunkn’BLUES is an eleven-track tribute to all the trailblazers and all the ancestors and forgotten tribes who taught the Blackburn Brothers the importance of history, blues, soul, groove, rhythm, and life.

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Coco Montoya - Writing On The Wall

Album: Writing On The Wall
Size: 136,9 MB
Time: 58:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. I Was Wrong (3:49)
2. Save It For The Next Fool (4:19)
3. You Got Me (Where You Want Me) (3:33)
4. (I'd Rather Feel) Bad About Doin' It (4:05)
5. Be Good To Yourself (3:16)
6. Stop (5:43)
7. Writing On The Wall (4:16)
8. Late Last Night (4:52)
9. What Did I Say (5:33)
10. A Chip And A Chair (4:39)
11. Baby, You're A Drag (4:47)
12. The Three Kings And Me (5:27)
13. Natural Born Love Machine (4:25)

To hear Coco Montoya’s aching, spiraling guitar solos, the unaware would never guess that Montoya began his blues career as a drummer for the late Albert Collins. Yet, the self-taught, left-handed Montoya absorbed his tutelage from Collins and later from John Mayall before embarking on his solo career. Writing on the Wall is his eleventh album and sixth for Alligator. For the first time with said label, Montoya brings his road-tested band into the studio rather than relying on session musicians. Central to the sound is noted keyboardist and songwriter Jeff Paris (Keb’ Mo’, Bill Withers) along with bassist Nathan Brown and drummer Rena Beavers. The veteran, versatile bluesman Tony Braunagel produced while Paris co-produced. These 13 tracks include five originals and eight covers. Yes, guests appear as well - Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lee Roy Parnell, Dave Steen, while Braunagel also is the drummer on four tracks.

Strap yourself in and get ready for highly combustible material throughout, with just a few opportunities for one to catch a breath. The program commences with the heartfelt vocal and slashing guitar of the mid-tempo stomper and lead single “I Was Wrong,” written for Montoya by songwriter Dave Steen, who also penned the following “Save It For the Next Fool.” Steen is involved as a writer or collaborator on five tunes as is Paris. Coco sings both with poignant emotion, with Paris’ multiple keyboards imbuing the latter as well as background vocalists on the choruses while Montoya’s guitar soars. “You Got Me (Where You Want Me)” is an older, Don Robey-penned song popularized by Bobby “Blue” Bland, where the guitarists Montoya and Ronnie Baker Brooks trade fire.

Stinging guitar colors the ode to hedonism, Paris’ “(I’d Rather Feel) Bad about Doin’ It.” “Be Good to Yourself” features Paris’ pounding piano and those insistent beats from Braunagel that have marked hundreds of blues album. Montoya sounds unleashed in his hard-edged vocal and equally piercing guitar licks. “Stop”, a tune from the late Lonnie Mack that’s long deserved to be covered more often, is a clear highlight. This slow blues gives Montoya the perfect launching pad for a trademark spiraling guitar excursion. He does Mr. Mack proud. The rollicking title track is a collaborative effort between Paris, Steen, and Montoya featuring tasty keyboards from Paris. “Late Last Night” and “What Did I Say” are both Paris/Montoya co-writes, the former a mid-temp rocker while the latter is a breezy ballad, that shows a completely different side of Montoya and the band, not revealed until this point, eight tracks in. Rather than conveying anger, the tone is apologetic and sincere.

“A Chip and Chair” rings with power chords and guest Lee Roy Parnell’s wild, slicing slide guitar while “Baby, You’re a Drag” sees Ronnie Baker Brooks returning, this time both exchanging guitar and vocal verses with Montoya. It’s blues ‘guy talk’ about woman troubles with these two veteran bluesmen having a good time laying it down. Slow simmering blues appear again with Steen’s “The Three Kings and Me.” Yet, unlike on “Stop,” Montoya stays relatively restrained, offering quick incisive guitar fills rather than a lengthy solo, which he’ll likely do in a live performance. With a bit of symmetry, Montoya and the band close with the Paris/Montoya co-write “Natural Born Love Machine,” following a similar tact as the opener, and if one were to guess, the album’s next single as it has the rocking groove and searing guitar that are hallmarks of this album, one of Montoya’s best. /Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine

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Jeff Beck & The Big Town Playboys - Crazy Legs

Album: Crazy Legs
Size: 95,1 MB
Time: 41:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1993
Styles: Rockabilly
Art: Full

1. Race With The Devil (2:00)
2. Cruisin' (2:22)
3. Crazy Legs (2:03)
4. Double Talkin' Baby (2:15)
5. Woman Love (2:35)
6. Lotta Lovin' (2:04)
7. Catman (2:24)
8. Pink Thunderbird (2:31)
9. Baby Blue (2:36)
10. You Better Believe (2:09)
11. Who Slapped John? (1:55)
12. Say Mama (2:13)
13. Red Blue Jeans And A Pony Tail (2:18)
14. Five Feet Of Lovin' (2:11)
15. B-I-Bickey-Bi-Bo-Bo-Go (2:12)
16. Blues Stay Away From Me (2:24)
17. Pretty Pretty Baby (2:26)
18. Hold Me, Hug Me, Rock Me (2:15)

Crazy Legs is Jeff Beck's tribute to the player who inspired him to pick up the guitar, Cliff Gallup of Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps. The fact that this collection of rockabilly tunes is also one of the liveliest albums of Beck's long career also underscores the fact that the brilliant guitarist is one of rock's greatest underachievers. Apparently unable to sustain working relationships with players as strong as those in his early groups, Beck has become a top-dollar guitarist for hire who has traded sustained musicality for isolated moments of virtuosity. But slumming with the Big Town Playboys, a respected British revival group, Beck is not just flashy window dressing but the lightning rod in a red-hot combo.

Beck has said that his biggest challenge in mastering rockabilly, a style that calls for the guitarist to mix single-note runs with snappy clusters of chords, was learning to play without the volume and distortion that has informed his playing since his mid-'60s tenure with the Yardbirds. That's what gives Crazy Legs its swing, for instead of dominating the music with sheer sonic muscle, Beck achieves the same end by bouncing his encyclopedic bag of riffs off a rippling rhythm section of drums and stand-up bass. Throughout these 18 well-chosen selections, Beck is equally apt to whip out a propulsive rhythm ("Lotta Lovin'"), a string of arpeggios ("Blues Stay Away From Me") or a wildly scrambled solo ("Cruisin'"). If guitarists earned degrees, Crazy Legs would be Beck's thesis toward a doctorate in rockabilly.

Crazy Legs is unlikely to be more than just another odd patch in Beck's crazy-quilt career. Rockabilly, after all, has been a retro novelty ever since the early Beatles covered tunes by Carl Perkins. The Playboys are certainly less self-conscious than the Stray Cats, who enjoyed 15 minutes of fame in the 1980s, though you can bet your ducktail that the Playboys wouldn't be on a major label without Beck on guitar. In that regard, Crazy Legs is oddly akin to Eric Clapton's Unplugged, for in both cases, celebrated guitar gods respectfully re-create the music that had first stirred their passions. Beck doesn't add anything new to the rockabilly vocabulary, but he plays this music as well as it's ever been played. So while Crazy Legs is ultimately redundant, it also rocks like crazy. /John Milward, Rolling Stone

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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