This week, we are introducing a new topic at FBF called "Friday Blues Picks," where we recommend a couple of new albums for blues fans, along with an oldie but a goodie that covers blues from the past. There's a lot of great new releases out there, so let's check out a couple!
I finally got so far behind on my reviews for Blues Bytes that I had to "reset," which meant starting fresh and leaving my stack of review CDs (over 100) behind. I hated to not review any and all albums sent to me, but things have been so hectic in my and my family's life for at least six years that I was just unable to catch up, so I do apologize to all those folks who submitted albums for review over the past year (I was at least 15, probably 18 months behind), but it just wasn't meant to be.
As it is, I still have problems getting through all of the ones I'm being sent now, and some of the ones I get are also sent to other reviewers at Blues Bytes, so we try not to double up. What that means is that I can squeeze some of those albums in at Friday Blues Fix from time to time (hopefully at least monthly) under "Friday Blues Picks."
First up is a remarkable album from a young (21 years old) man named Dylan Triplett. He's from St. Louis and comes from a musical family.....his father and uncle are both jazz musicians. He began singing at age 9 and his vocals have a maturity and confidence of someone twenty years older. He's equally suited for the blues and soul genres, as displayed on his debut album, Who Is He? (VizzTone Records). The album was produced by Larry Fulcher of the Phantom Blues Band and includes a host of guest musicians , including fellow Phantoms Johnny Lee Schell, Joe Sublett, and the late Mike Finnigan, as well as guitarists Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Sean McDonald, Tru Born, and Dr. Wayne Goins. The song list is mostly covers, but Triplett wrote two very good songs......"Junkyard Dog" (listen below) and the slow burner "I'll Be There Waiting." The covers are a diverse lot, ranging from Bill Withers' soulful title track, Lonnie Brooks' "Feels Good Doin' Bad," Jimmy McCracklin's "She Felt Too Good," and the Marvin Gaye hit "That's The Way Love Is." The most interesting track is the album closer, Miles Davis' "All Blues," which features Triplett scat singing, showing that he could find a place in the jazz market as well. A fine debut release from a young man with a bright future.
I was a late arrival to the North Mississippi Allstars. Truthfully, I didn't really get into them until I saw them live at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian, MS back in 2014, just off the release of their World Boogie Is Coming album. Where that set was mostly acoustic, most of their recordings are definitely classified as "Brave New Blues," mixing rock, funk, punk, hip-hop, and whatever other genres they're into at the time. They've released several albums since then, and I can say that they are constantly moving forward with their sound, never really falling back on where they have come from. Set Sail (New West Records) follows that tradition. The Dickinson brothers are still in place, of course, but there are a few new faces, such as vocalists Lamar Williams, Jr. (son of the late Allman/Sea Level bassist). gospel singer Sharisse Norman, and soul legend William Bell. The band's sound goes from swampy funk and blues (the title track and the shimmering "Bumpin'"), greasy Memphis-flavored soul ("Never Want To Be Kissed," a tour de force from Bell), and dusty, sweaty Delta blues ("Rabbit Foot"). I was not familiar with Williams or Norman, but their vocals are most impressive and Luther Dickinson's guitar work is right where it needs to be on every song every time. Most impressive to these ears was the incredible William Bell, 82 years old, who sounds just as sharp and vibrant as he did in the 60's on his Stax recordings (I saw him at the Riley Center about five years ago and he was amazing). His lone contribution to the album is "Never Want To Be Kissed," and, oh my, it's magnificent, but trust me, you'll be listening to all of Set Sail over and over again.....it's gotten plenty of repeat listens on my player over the summer......just a nice set of southern music that goes down very nicely.
One more before we go....I discovered Jasmine Records, a U.K. label a couple of years ago. They collect music from many years back in a variety of genres, but their blues collections are super, whether they collect a single artist's music or an anthology set. I will be talking about several of these collections over the next few months, but I wanted to start out with a particularly strong anthology called Lone Star Guitar Attack: The Kings of Texas Guitar. This set features 30......yes, THIRTY....sides of the toughest Texas guitar from the 1950's and 60's. There are some familiar names present, such as Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (three of his hottest tracks for Peacock, Long John Hunter (four tracks from Yucca Records), and Albert Collins (two tracks each from Kangaroo Records and Hall-Way Records, plus two previously unreleased tracks backing Peppermint Harris), but the real finds here are from less-familiar artists, like Clarence Garlow, Goree Carter (whose 1949 side "Rock Awhile" might just be the first rock n' roll record), Jesse Thomas, Ray Sharpe, and Clarence and Cal Green. If you're in the market for some smoking Texas guitar, this is the place to start......just a fantastic collection.
Okay, that's all for now. You now have assigned listening for the weekend. We'll be back in a week or two with more Friday Blues Picks, so stay tuned.
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