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Duke Robillard Living With the Blues (Stony Plain) by Mark E. Gallo Simply click on the CD cover to order this CD NOW! It's impossible to take guitarist/vocalist/song writer Duke Robillard for granted. The only thing predictable about his music is that it will bring a smile and this is the best smile-inducer he's released since 1997's "Dangerous Place." The founder of Roomful of Blues spent a hot minute with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, but he's never been one to stick to a predictable sound or style. This is the bluesiest he's sounded in years. "Sleepin' On It" is one of the best songs he's ever cut.	Eddie Burns Snake Eyes (Delmark) by Mark E. Gallo Simply click on the CD cover to order this CD NOW! Eddie Burns is royalty on the Detroit blues front, though he rarely plays out locally anymore. The veteran first came to prominence sharing stages with his pal John Lee Hooker in the 1940s and '50s in Detroit's long lost Paradise Valley. Among the gems is a reprise of "Hello Miss Jessie Lee," originally released on Deluxe in 1952. Originally a harp player, he picked up guitar in the late 1940s and is heard ob both here. His "Go 'Head Angel," reminiscent of "Big Town Playboy," and "Don't Let Money Change You" are highlights in a solid set.
Bryan Lee 6 String Therapy (Justin Time) by Mark E. Gallo Simply click on the CD cover to order this CD NOW! The blind guitar slinger has been a New Orleans favorite for 20 years, but getting very little props out of town. Rather than just a good sounding rumor, this one oughta put his music square in your speakers. There are some similarities in style to producer Duke Robillard's own latest disc, most notably in the employment of that swingin' Roomful of Blues groove, courtesy of RFOB veteran Doug James and the saxophone colossus Sax Gordon (not to mention Robillard hisownself). From the opening "You Better Believe It" to the closing "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?" this is a jumpin' dance floor gem.	John Sinclair & His Blues Scholars Fattening Frogs for Snakes, Volume One - The Delta Sound (Okra-Tone ) by Mark E. Gallo Simply click on the CD cover to order this CD NOW! Another New Orleans fixture, John Sinclair is the Poet Laureate of the Blues. This is the latest of a series of discs on which he recites words about the greats over the top of a burning groove. This is also the first of a projected series of four discs to compliment the Fattening Frogs for Snakes book of verse. The book is a work of riveting and well crafted verses that celebrate the lives of historical blues figures. The disc offers music that compliments and illuminates the themes. The CD adds the big beat, the musical muscle that sends them to a different level, though the book, rich in visual imagery, reads just as musically. "The Delta Sound," with Jeff Grand's slide underneath, is one of my favorite "songs" of the year.
Coco Montoya Can't Look Back (Alligator) by Mark E. Gallo Simply click on the CD cover to order this CD NOW! Montoya's second effort for Alligator is a muscular, assured, musically stimulating set. From the opening soulful "Wish I Could Be That Strong" to the Four Tops cover, "Something About You," he pushes the groove. "Trip, Stumble And Fall," is powerhouse guitar work at its finest. His fret work is unsurpassed, he sings with passion without resorting to growling, and he writes songs with depth, passion and, when the muse calls for it, lyric cleverness and humor.	Ernie Hawkins Mean Little Poodle (Say Mo Music) by Mark E. Gallo When Hawkins released "Blues Advice" and Bluesified" back to back on his own label a couple years ago, he struck this writer as the most important new acoustic guitarist to emerge in years. This third outing only furthers that conviction. The opening "Lightnin's Hideaway," a version of Freddie King's chestnut played in the style of Lightnin' Hopkins, sets the tone. This is no easy generic ride. This is a man who studied with Gary Davis for a year and damn if he don't make that obvious. His fingers fly over the frets with an ease that few guitarists posses. Outside of the very cool title tune and a song called "Voodoo Soup", these are paeans to the masters - Blind Blake, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller and Gary Davis. There aren't many that could pull it off so superbly. (www.erniehawkins.com)
Doug Deming & The Jewel Tones Double Down (Mighty Tiger) by Mark E. Gallo Simply click on the CD cover to order this CD NOW! Detroiter Deming has worked with the likes of Alberta Adams and Lazy Lester but somehow just never got around to recording his own disc until now. It's a first class outing. Produced by Rick Holmstrom and Steve Mugalian, Deming and the band, Brian Miller (harp), Dale Jennings (bass) Don Greundler, Jr. (drums), along with a handful of special guests (including Greg 'Gingers' Taylor and Denny Freeman), prove that they're more than local heroes on this exceptional 12-tune taster. Swingin' from the git, they rip into the opener, "Goodbye Baby" with a vengeance and the energy level never lightens up. With glimpses of classic Muddy-Little Walter & Spann, Charlie Baty and T-Bone Walker in the mix, this is a calling card for a great guitarist and a band that overflows with talent.	Kinzel & Hyde Oklahoma Credit Card (self produced) by Mark E. Gallo Simply click on the CD cover to order this CD NOW! Stu Kinzel plays blister fingered electric guitar, dobro and 12-string. LynnAnnHyde blows deep-toned soulful harp. They're both outstanding singers on top of it. Highlights abound in each of the dozen mostly original tunes that fill this gem up. Hyde's "Got My Eye On You" is deep, deep blues with a feeling and Kinzel's "Mess With the Bread" is a shuffle of the first order. Their take on Muddy's "Can't Lose What You Never Had" is spine tingling and the "Muddy Tribute" is a slide guitar workout chock full of dazzling licks. Kinzel & Hyde have a website www.kinzelandhyde.com
A 25-way tie for new music from Jerry Portnoy, Gary Primich, Don Nix, Shemekia Copeland, Roy Rogers (solo on Evidence and with Norton Buffalo on Blind Pig), Otis Taylor, Cephas & Wiggins, Long John Baldry and Odetta (both of whom did superb tributes to Leadbelly), Corey Harris, Joe Louis Walker, the wonderful young JW Jones Blues Band, Melvin Taylor & The Slack Band, and Little Charlie & The Nightcats. Also brilliant reissues from Lightnin' Hopkins (Tomato), John Lee Hooker (Fantasy), Albert King (Stax), Sleepy John Estes (Delmark), and the Holmes Brothers (Rounder). And check out the very independent releases from the Coots, Long Dog, Oscar Jordan and a truly superior comp from the Connecticut Blues Society. by Mark E. Gallo