Reviews

Link: http://www.miavermillion.com

Mia Vermillion
Alone Together With The Blues
Mia Vermillion Productions

One of my favorite 2009 local blues releases so far this year is from Anacortes, Mia Vermillion. She's a new Washington Blues Society member, and Alone Together with the Blues is a must for fans of understated, but powerful, acoustic blues. Mia has performed at a range of festivals, including the Olympia Food and Wine Festival, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, and the Jazz Walk for the 2006 Anacortes Jazz Festival. She was invited to participate in a musicians exchange in China, and she received an award for her US Armed Forces FORSCOM Festival show. Alone Together with the Blues features a core band of Orville Johnson (former Dynamic Log and world-class acoustic blues man), Chuck Deardorf (noted Origin Records jazz bassist), Ben Smith (drummer for Heart and the Lovemongers), and Hans Teuber (Origin Records reed man) with cameos from Cary Black, Mark Ivester, and Garey Shelton on a CD that features two original tunes and seven covers. I particularly like Mia's version of Big Bill Broonzy's "I'm Going to Copyright Your Kisses" and "When I've Been Drinkin'". "Two Cigarettes in the Dark" draws upon Hans Teuber's clarinet expertly, and takes the CD back, film-noir-ish, to the song's roots back in its 20's and 30's roots (and while it's clearly not a blues song - think Mia as a jazz chanteuse for a moment - it showcases the exceptional vocal range of a blues women I have just discovered through the Washington Blues Society)

Author: Eric Stiener
Repost Courtesy of The Washington Blues Society

Link: http://www.paulandannie.com

A Night in Woodstock is serious front porch blues that was played and recorded live at the Joyous Lake, Woodstock, NY. Paul Rishell and Annie Raines with Bruce Katz on keyboards and John Sebastian on harp laid down the goods. It is easy to see why Paul and Annie are nominated this year for two BMA's for Acoustic Artist of the Year and Acoustic Album of the Year. Recorded in 2005 during the filming of a documentary film on jug bands, Chasing Gus's Ghost featuring Sebastian, A Night at Woodstock is Paul and Annie's 5th CD together and their 1st live release. Their 2004 CD Goin' Home was also twice Handy Award nominated and 2000's Moving to the Country received the Handy for Acoustic Blues Album. A Night at Woodstock starts off with seven acoustic tracks including outstanding versions of Tommy Johnson's “Canned Hear Blues” and Johnny Winter's “Dallas” Annie takes lead vocals and plays stellar harmonica on “Got to Fly.” The last six tracks are electric and include “I'm a Lover Not a Fighter,” “Bad Credit” (now thats some blues right there) and “Blues Shadows” to which Bruce adds some lively piano. Paul and Annie both display some serious chops throughout this excellent CD. This is country blues at its finest.

Mojo Rodeo Records, 2008

Author: Malcolm Kennedy

Repost with Permission from The Washington Blues Society

Link: http://www.charliemusselwhite.com

Charlie Musselwhite
Rough Dried: Live at the Triple Door
Henrietta Records
www.charliemusselwhite.com

When it comes to stomping, lowdown blues harmonica it just doesn't get any better than Charlie Musselwhite, and what could be better than a live recording right from Seattle's own Triple Door” The 12 tracks contain only three covers, one being Charlie;s main stay since his first release, “Cristo Redentor” (aka Christo Redemptor) as an encore. Charlie's supporting cast on Rough Dried-Live at the Triple Door Features the same band that has performed on Charlie's '05 Real World Records CD Delta Hardware with Chris “Kid” Anderson – guitar (Terry Hank, Rick Estrin and The Nightcats) who is also in the credits as the mixer and one of the recorders along with Glenn Dennler. I could easily expound at length about each track; but there isn't room for that here. The set is jump started with the opening cut “River Hip Mama,” the barn burner from Charlie's '90 Alligator set “Ace Of Harps” (one of the three cuts included off that CD). Charlie describes “Feel It In Your Heart” as Brazilian blues, which appropriately features an infectious Latin beat. It is off the '97 Point Blank release Rough Edges as is the title track “Rough Dried Woman”. Rough Dried – Live at the Triple Door absolutely cooks from start to finish and will go down as one of my favorite CD's in quite some time.
Review by Malcolm Kennedy of The Washington Blues Society

Link: http://www.carlosdeljunco.com/

Carlos Del Junco
Steady Movin'
Northern blues Music
www.northernbluesmusic.com
www.carlosdeljunco.com

If you are a fan of blues harmonica (as I am), I am confident that you will enjoy the new CD by Carlos Del Junco, Steady Movin'. Steady Movin' opens with the decidedly upbeat instrumental “Diddle It”, which just plain smokes. It is easy to see why Carlos is a four time Maple Award winner from the Toronto Blues Society, and I think the Maple may be the Canadian equivalent of the BMA. He's a double Gold Medal winner of the Hohner Harmonica Championship in both the Blues and Jazz categories, and a Juno Award nominee (the Canadian Grammy) for his excellent CD Big Boy. Two more instrumentals follow “Diddle It”, including “Dull Blade,” Which sounds straight out of The Strangetones songbook, “Mashed Potatoes Canada”, described in the song notes on four of the 11 tracks as “A Canuck tribute to the Godfather of Soul,” with vocals by John Dickie is full of vibrant energy, and Movin' Down the Rhine”, is Carlos favorite Sonny Boy Williamson Song, as he says in the liner notes. Yes, there is a train, a big river, a boat, and a woman; now that's what I call a blues song! Of the 11 tracks, Del Junco penned five, with Kevin Breit authoring two, Kevin plays guitar and banjo and has long been a sideman for Norah Hones and Cassandra Wilson. Even though I think that this CD is uneven at times, there's no denying that Steady Movin' has plenty of blues entertainment value.

Review by Malcolm Kennedy of The Washington Blues Society

Review by Malcom Kennedy
Courtesy of Washington Blues Society

Rick Fowler
Back On My Good Foot
(Jammates Records)
www.rickfowler.com
http://jammates.com

Power chords and blazing guitars blues from the speakers right from the opening track, the blues rocker "Infected With The Blues;" but there were some surprises in store with the subtle guitars on the slow organ driven of "Fell So Much Better" with the verse "she makes me feel so much better, I look forward to feeling down." The title track is a mid tempo shuffle, and "Walk Softly" is a slow blues with a veiled warning for his lover to not do him wrong that has some really nice lines on the guitar. Some tracks are straight up blues, and other have more of a rock edge to them; but instead of over-analyzing this CD, the proof is in the listening: the more times I listen to Back On My Good Foot, the more I like it.