I was one of those folks who made regular trips to the record store on Tuesdays, and later Fridays to see what new albums were hitting the racks. That was always exciting for me, not so much to find what was expected but to run across something that I wasn't aware of while I was browsing.....not necessarily new, but maybe a disc or two that I missed along the way. Sadly, those days are pretty much gone and a lot of music seems kind of throwaway these days as far as things go, but I still love to get my hands on an actual recording and hold it in my hands, pop it in my CD player and just sit back and listen. I know that there doesn't seem to be many of us left who prefer to listen to music that way, but I certainly will until there aren't any more physical copies of recordings left. Anyway, here are a few new releases for blues fans to check out......however you choose to check them out.
Selwyn Birchwood - Electric Swamp Funkin' Blues (Alligator Records): Birchwood started playing guitar at 13, mostly rock, before discovering Hendrix and the legendary guitarist's blues influences. He toured with Sonny Rhodes after high school, attending college in the process and earning an MBA. He formed his own band after graduating and they won the 2013 I.B.C. and signed with Alligator. This is their fifth Alligator effort (eighth release overall), the title indicates Birchwood's description of the band's music, a mix of blues, funk, jazz, soul, and whatever else strikes his fancy. He produced this one himself and it has a more earthy, funky feel than his previous efforts. There's a little Chicago blues, a bit of the Delta, a little Piedmont flavor to one track, and deep soul as well. He's a masterful guitarist and a strong vocalist and his mix of traditional sounds with contemporary blues will appeal to every blues fan that I know. Here's the title track, which pretty much serves as Selwyn Birchwood's mission statement. It will knock your socks off!
Bob Corritore & Friends - Ernestine Blues (VizzTone/SWMAF Records): I love Corritore's collections of recordings with all the guest stars. He either releases a set "From the Vault" that he's done over the past 20-30 years, or he releases a set of more recently recorded songs. This is one of the latter collections, with songs cut between 2023 and 2025. The guest star list is most impressive, with tracks from Pat Thomas, Sugaray Rayford, Bob Stroger, Tia Carroll, Johnny Rawls, Oscar Wilson, Tony Coleman, Charles Wilson, Willie Buck, Jimi "Primetime" Smith, Carla Denise, and Teeny Tucker with instrumentalists Ben Levin, Bob Margolin, Johnny Rapp, Kid Ramos, Nick Moss, Billy Flynn, Anthony Geraci, and many many more. There's not a bad track in the bunch and it's all good old traditional blues. Corritore provides his usual superb harmonica throughout the disc and this is one that blues fans will really enjoy from start to finish. Here's the first single from the album from Corritore and soul/blues master Rawls, "I Love The South." By the way, I love the comic book-like covers that are such a cool part of Corritore's albums.
Laura Chavez - My Voice (Ruf Records): I first heard guitarist Chavez backing Candye Kane on some of the late vocalist's releases and I was impressed with her style, precision, and power. She's backed a host of artists such as Nikki Hill, Deborah Coleman,, Dani Wilde, The Mannish Boys, Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter, and Vanessa Collier, to name just a few, but she's never releases an album of her own until now. She doesn't sing, preferring to let her guitar be her "voice," and boy, does she ever do that on these ten instrumental tracks. She wrote five of them and the covers all have special meaning to her as well....a CCR track (her father's favorite band), a couple of cool Memphis-styled tracks, including a Booker T & the MGs tune, a Blasters cover, and a couple of Mexican tracks that reflect her heritage. These tracks move from Latin flavors to jazz to the aforementioned Memphis soul to rock n' roll to urban blues. Chavez won the 2023 BMA for Instrumentalist - Guitar and it was certainly a well-deserved honor. This excellent set goes even further to prove that it was a wise choice.
Stefan Hillesheim Band - Live at the Chicago Blues Festival (Stella Blue Music): German-born singer/guitarist Hillesheim has been in the U.S. since 2014, making his way to the Windy City about four years ago. He's always loved the blues, so the move was a perfect fit. He's also a talented songwriter and vocalist and an outstanding guitarist. This set was recorded at last year's festival and Hillesheim is backed by Dionte McMusick (drums), Darryl Wright (bass), and Sumito "Ariyo" Ariyoshi (keys). As mentioned, the guitarist's original tunes are top notch, mixing blues, soul, jazz, and funk, and the band, particularly "Ariyo" on piano and organ, provides great support. There are eight original tracks and two covers - "Big Legged Woman" and "It Hurts Me Too." I have to admit that I knew little about Stefan Hillesheim prior to hearing this release, but he impressed me enough that I'm going to follow him from now on.
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