As promised, here's a look at a few more new releases. There have really been a lot of fine efforts in the past couple of months, and there are actually more new ones than we've discussed. It's an embarrassment of riches for blues fans these days. Let's check out several more great new releases. As always, you can find expanded reviews of most of these releases at Blues Bytes.
Candice Ivory - New Southern Vintage (Nola Blue Records): Ms. Ivory's roots are in Memphis, physical and musical. She had family who sang gospel and blues (her great-uncle Will Roy Sanders was a member of The Fieldstones), and she had a residency in Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead at the age of 18, recorded her first album at 21, and is equally skilled in blues and jazz. Her 2023 tribute to Memphis Minnie's music was one of that year's best efforts, and just blew me away upon hearing it. Well, her newest release also blew me away. She works in a variety of blues styles on this new album, moving from traditional to comtemporary blues, Mississippi hill country, piano blues, and Delta blues.. Contributors include Ivory's Memphis-based band the Blue Bloods, Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Ben Levin, Damian "Yella P" Pearson, and Chris Stephenson, with several international artists as well. However, it's Ms. Ivory's show and her vocals are a marvel throughout. This is an album that any blues fan will enjoy, and hopefully, Candice Ivory will continue on her blues journey for a long time to come.
D.K. Harrell - Talkin' Heavy (Alligator Records): Harrell's debut from a couple of years ago was an amazing release. Now 27 years old, the Ruston, LA native was really inspired by B.B. King, and his sound will remind you of the King of the Blues at times. His newest release, like his debut, was recorded at Greaseland Studio with Kid Andersen producing and it's a monster. It's just a fantastic set of blues, nearly all written or co-written by Harrell that touch on familiar blues themes with a modern flair, even throwing a gospel tune in for good measure. Harrell is as good a vocalist as he is a guitarist and he has outstanding support from a host of singers and musicians, the core unit being Andersen, Andrew Moss, Jim Pugh, June Core, and Derrick "D'Mar" Martin. To these ears, this release tops his debut, which is really saying something.
Anthony "Big A" Sherrod - Torchbearer of the Clarksdale Sound (Music Maker Foundation): I first saw Big A on the documentary We Juke Up in Here around 2012. He got his start playing with Johnnie Billington, who taught many of the kids in the Clarksdale area about the blues, and played with Billington until his death in 2013. He's stayed in the Clarksdale area, working with the Delta Blues Museum and playing the clubs regularly, so he's definitely a torchbearer for the Clarksdale brand of the blues. His 2016 release is a must-buy if you can find it (Right On Time), but so is this five-song EP, a down and dirty set which was produced by Jimbo Mathus and recorded in just two hours at an old storefront in town called Clarksdale Reels, with Mathus, Lee Williams, and Heather Crosse backing Big A on these tracks. He mixes the blues with the other music styles that he loved growing, mainly soul and R&B and he's a powerful vocalist and guitarist and a talented songwriter. He's proof positive that the blues is alive and thriving in the Mississippi Delta.
Various Artists - The Last Real Texas Blues Album (Antone's/New West Records): Austin's great club Antone's is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. Back in the mid 70's, the club gave the blues a real shot in the arm, providing a place for blues veterans to ply their trade, and not only did they come to play, but the club also gave a start to a host of newcomers - SRV, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Lou Ann Barton, Angela Strehli, Marcia Ball, Denny Freeman and many others. Last year, in advance of the celebration, a host of Antone's veterans gathered and created this tribute album, which consists of 18 songs, all blues classics associated with the many legends who performed over the years. There's not a bad track in the bunch with performances by Ball, Jimmie Vaughan, Bobby Rush, Benny Turner, Anson Funderburgh, Lil' Ed Williams, Derek O'Brien, Lurrie Bell, Ruthie Foster, Doyle Bramhall II, Big Bill Morganfield, John Primer, Johnny Moeller, Mike Keller Eve Monsees, Charlie Sexton, Lynn August, C.J. Chenier, Sue Foley, Kam Franklin, McKinley James, a special appearance from Billy F. Gibbons and a sweet message from 95-year-old Miss Lavelle White.
This is a magnificent set of tunes that is being sold as a single CD, or as part of a huge 5-disc, 41-track box set called Antone's: 50 Years of the Blues, that includes a couple of discs of rare live and studio tracks, a 7" single from Los Lobos, a bound book of liner notes from author Joe Nick Patoski, and a reissue of Susan Antone's book Picture The Blues, loaded with rare photos. I've only got the CD so far, but I'm dropping hints right and left around the house for the whole shebang as a Christmas gift.