Music Reviews
Keep up with the latest Blues releases and concert reviewsMost of our CD Reviews come to us from the tireless Peter Lauro, over at Music4Mary.com, who keep his finger on the pulse of all new releases in the Blues arena. Occasionally we have reviews submitted to us by ABS Members, and we encourage that! We also encourage reviews of live concerts, if you’ve seen something lately that was particularly noteworthy. There is a lot here, so click away!
Eric Johanson
"Below Sea Level"Release Date September 18, 2020Nola Blue RecordsPublicity Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © August, 2020 "Below Sea Level" is Eric Johanson's second solo release and his first on the rapidly growing Nola Blue Record label. The...
Kirsten Thien
"Two Sides"Screen Door RecordsPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © August 2020 I try not to make a habit of doing things like this but from time to time, as I set out to do a review of a CD, I realize that there's absolutely no better way to open than...
Hurricane Ruth
"Good Life"American Showplace MusicManagement: The Galaxie AgencyBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © July 2020 Prelude Back about seven or eight years ago - while we were all in town for the Blues Music Awards - Hurricane Ruth, Blewzzlady Rose and myself were...
Crooked Eye Tommy
"Hot Coffee And Pain"Blue Heart RecordsPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © July 2020 "Hot Coffee And Pain" is the second release for Crooked Eye Tommy, and their first on Blue Heart Records, a division of Nola Blue, Inc. The band centers around...
Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam
"Ain't No Man A Good Man"Mescal Canyon RecordsPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © July 2020 The last time Wily Bo Walker and Danny Flam collaborated on an album was back in 2015 and that project - "Moon Over Indigo" - wound up being...
CD Woodbury
“World's Gone Crazy”Self ReleasedPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © July 2020 If you should happen to run into CD Woodbury wearing his all too recognizable Shriner style hat, before you ask him if he is a Shriner – as I did when I ran into him at the...
Gregg Martinez
"MacDaddy Mojeaux"Nola Blue RecordsPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © June 2020 So when I found out that "MacDaddy Mojeaux" is the twelfth release for New Orleans vocalist and trumpeter Gregg Martinez (his first for Nola Blue Records), I kind of...
Gerald McClendon
“Can't Nobody Stop Me Now”Delta Roots RecordsPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © June 2020 Although this seasoned veteran of R&B has been around for quite some time, I only discovered him just ten short months ago when I did a review of...
The Jimmys
"Gotta Have It"Brown Cow ProductionsBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © 2020 Back in November of 2015, I started out my review of "Hot Dish" - The Jimmy's second release - by clarifying that the band was not full of a bunch of musicians named Jimmy, and that is still...
Jose Ramirez
"Here I Come"Self ReleasedPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro Although "Here I Come" is his debut release, Jose Ramirez is by no means the new kid on the block. In actuality, between his U. S. tour and his two European tours, he's not only...
Duffy Bishop
"I'm Gonna Do What I Want"'Lil Spinner RecordsRelease: May 29, 2020By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro Preface With Duffy Bishop's house rockin' performance on the stage at B. B. Kings in Memphis during the International Blues Challenge still very fresh in my mind, the timing...
The Michael Mills Band
"Stand Up"Sony DistributionMarketing: Marlene Palumbo @ Indienink MusicBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © May 2020 The Michael Mills Band, based out of the blues rich Huntington Beach, CA area, consists of: Michael Mills on rhythm guitar and vocals; Jesse Godoy...
Blind Lemon Pledge
"Goin' Home"OFEH RecordsPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro I doubt anyone of you are wondering if the name Blind Lemon Pledge appears on this artist's birth certificate, but for those who may not know what name actually does, that would be James...
The Reverend Freakchild
"The Bodhisattva Blues"Treated And Released RecordsPublicity: Blind RaccoonBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © Apr. 2020 Preface Reverend Freakchild is no stranger to us here at Mary4Music. Back when we were producing our "Mary4Music Presents: Keeping The Blues Alive"...
The Reverend Shawn Amos
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood "Blue Sky" Put Together Music Publicity: Blind Raccoon By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro With many prior releases under Reverend Shawn Amos' belt, "Blue Sky" is actually the debut release for the ensemble billed as Reverend...
Jim Gustin & Truth Jones
"Lessons Learned"Distribution: CD BabyPublicity: Blind Raccoon By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro Jim Gustin and Truth Jones are long time veterans and staples of the west coast music scene. Looking at a list of the acts they've opened for over the years is not only a...
Leroy Ellington’s Sacred Hearts
"Live And Kickin' It"Infiniti Group RecordsPublicity: Jill KettlesBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro PrefaceOn the one sheet accompanying the disc, Leroy states: "I'm proud of this live project, yes, it's live, it comes with all the hiccups that happened those two...
Taz Cru – Drive On
"Drive On"Subcat RecordsBy Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro When it comes to his musical career, between touring as far and often as he does, and releasing powerfully performed albums on a very regular basis, "Drive On" is much more than a CD title for Tas Cru -...
Cory Luetjen And The Traveling Blues Band
"Just The Blue Notes" Self Released By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro Preface Whenever I offer advice to bands competing in the International Blues Challenge the thing that is on top of my list is to stress the importance...
The Mary Jo Curry Band
The Mary Jo Curry Band "Front Porch" Self Released Publicity: Blind Raccoon By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © Feb. 2020 If the saying "Time flies when you're having fun" holds any truth, then I must have been having a ball for the last three-and-a-half...
