Handful of Strings is the brand new solo, all instrumental album from the guitarist of the Modern Sounds and one of the artists featured in this month’s BLUES JUNCTION, guitarist, Joel Paterson. This recording has Paterson venturing into the style of recording first pioneered by fellow Wisconsin native, Les Paul. On this CD he plays all the guitars, including a lap steel and pedal steel, bass and snare drum to create an album of what Deke Dickerson describes in the liner notes as, “essential listening for any guitar geek and a must for anybody who digs guitars and guitar music.” I fall into the latter category and Deke will get no argument from me. Paterson’s virtuosity always is in service of the song and he never bores his listeners with over the top histrionics. I can’t think of too many genres of American roots music that aren’t given a nod on, Handful of Strings. Yet an album that could have sounded like a random hodge-podge of styles is, again, a fully realized project thanks to some very creative track sequencing by Paterson. This fourteen song presentation, made up of twelve Paterson originals, ends up in the blues guitar tradition of the early 1960’s. Paterson plays a two song homage to Albert Collins and Freddie King respectively to close this album. My jukebox selection however is a 50’s style rocker that precedes these two blues, Mable’s Rock.   

The Modern Sounds Sing and Play for You is the fall 2012 release of this extraordinary trio of Chicago based musicians. This band is interesting in several different ways. For starters, they as versatile as any ensemble that comes to mind. Whichever genre of American roots music they engage, they do so with authority. They are guitarist Joel Paterson, bassist Beau Sample and drummer and sound engineer Alex Hall. This band is not only comprised of three extremely gifted instrumentalists, but all three are fine vocalists as well. They even sing in three part harmony from time to time. This CD is intelligently sequenced as the first eight tracks feature the band singing and harmonizing, the last eight are instrumental numbers. It is from the last batch of songs I selected the jazz standard, Love for Sale. The Modern Sounds breathe new life into this old war horse.

The Cash Box Kings’ March 16^th release on Blind Pig Records entitled Black Toppin’ reminds listeners that this band seems incapable of making anything remotely close to a bad album. The Cash Box Kings are led by singer, harmonica player, songwriter and the album’s producer Joe Nosek along with singer and the band’s other principal songwriter, Oscar Wilson. They are joined by, yes you guessed it, guitarist Joel Paterson as well as drummer, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith. This sometimes loosely assembled group of first call Chicago based musicians includes upright bassist Beau Sample who, like Paterson, is on loan from the Modern Sounds as well as Mark Haines who plays drums on four tracks. Gerry Hundt plays electric bass and rhythm guitar on a few songs. The album’s recording engineer, drummer Alex Hall, also from the Modern Sounds plays drums on one tune. This album also benefits from fine contributions by guitarist Billy Flynn as well as pianist and organist Barrelhouse Chuck. This band plays post war style blues music in a style where Chicago meets Memphis. A great example of this is the band’s take on the Willie Dixon penned, Too Late which features Oscar Wilson on vocals.

The new album by a band called The Four Jacks, along with the new Cash Box Kings CD, is an early front runner for best blues album of the year. This EllerSoul Records release, entitled, Deal With It, bridges Texas and West Coast blues sounds not unlike how the Cash Box Kings summon up musical traditions from Chicago and Memphis. This band is comprised of guitarist Anson Funderburgh, drummer and vocalist Joe Mayer of Big Joe and the Dynaflos fame, Kevin McKendree on piano and B3 and Steve Mackey on bass. This twelve song CD features mostly original material by Maher. This is simply a well executed record for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it is the strongest and most self assured outing by Funderburgh in many years. He is a master of tone, taste,timing and restraint. This is evidenced right out of the shoot with the album’s opening number, the title track, Deal With It. His playing is complimented beautifully by the B3 playing of the album’s producer, Kevin McKendree.  

The band known as Southern Hospitality is, in a sense, a roots music super group. They are comprised of lap steel guitarist Damon Fowler, keyboard player Victor Wainwright and guitarist JP Soars. Their March 12^th Blind Pig Records release entitled, Easy Livin’ is a real revelation. It is an incredibly eclectic record that touches on several roots idioms including some blues. The record starts out with a Southern rock feel.  Thankfully without all of the overly dramatic musical embellishments that seem to be a staple of that genre. Restraint is not something one expects from this type of material but it is a very welcome feature throughout this fine recording. These three musicians are very capably supported by a terrific rhythm section made up of bassist Chuck Riley and Chris Peat on drums. These two keep the entire proceedings on track as the three front men shift gears and make some pretty sharp turns on this very satisfying musical odyssey. The album was produced and engineered by Tab Benoit. I could have gone in any number of directions but one of my favorites is the band’s take on the old Willie Bobo classic, Fried Neck Bones and Home Fries. 

Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters’ April 9^th release on Stony Plain Records is entitled Just for Today. It was recorded live at three different venues in Earl’s adopted home state of Massachusetts. Backing up the veteran guitar player are Dave Limina on piano and B3, Jim Mouradian on bass and drummer Lorne Entress. The Broacacasters are also joined by guitarist Nicholas Tabarias on a couple of numbers and vocalist Diane Blue on the song, I’d Rather Go Blind. The star here, of course, is Earl and his always engaging guitar playing. In this outing he continues to explore the worlds of jazz and applies his own blues and spiritual sensibilities to some originals as well as some interesting covers. Earl takes one of my favorite John Coltrane numbers, Equinox out for spin. The results, as you might suspect, are like much of Earl’s music, instrumental guitar bliss.

Also coming out on April 19^th is an album by another long time Stony Plain Records recording artist, The Duke Robillard Band. Duke’s latest CD features guitarist, “Monster” Mike Welch along with long time Robillard sidemen, pianist and Hammond organ player Bruce Bears, bassist Brad Hallen and on drums, Mark Teixeira. Robillard is also the subject of an interview that appears in this month’s edition of BLUES JUNCTION. Duke’s recorded catalogue is simply a stunning achievement and is unrivaled by any bluesman of his generation. He follows up last year’s Jazz trio album, entitled Wobble Walkin’ released on his own Blues Duchess label with a return to a more straight ahead blues album of mostly original material. We have been dancing to a sweet little rocker that is also a love song entitled, Laurene. This tune has a 50’s era Chuck Berry vibe to it.

Black Cat Bone had their official CD release party at the Tiki Bar on March 16, 2013. This is the debut album made up of three Southern California blues veterans. Guitarist and vocalist Stephen Webber, harmonica and vocalist Roger Baldwin and bassist Stephen Tyler. The album entitled, Some Grace was recorded live in one day, in one take at Nathan James’ studios in Oceanside, California. The highlights of this eleven song collection are the eight original songs written and sung by Webber. These have a very relaxed, spacious, down home feel to them that you don’t hear often enough in contemporary blues recordings. The tune, Hey Little Girl is a good example of this sound.

The latest Bob Corritore project again finds him backing another Chicago blues veteran; this time it’s guitarist and vocalist John Primer. The Delta Groove Music release entitled, Knockin’ Around These Blues again has this desert fox surrounding himself with an army of talent. Corritore waged his blues battle on two fronts as he recorded seven of the ten tracks in his adopted state of Arizona. On these tunes he and Primer are joined in the studio by guitarist Chris James, bassist Patrick Rynn and drummer Brian Fahey. The remaining three tracks were recorded in Chicago. That city’s blues tradition is where Corritore draws virtually all his inspiration. On these songs Billy Flynn handles the guitar duties, bassist Bob Stroger is on board and Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith is heard on drums. Barrelhouse Chuck’s piano is heard throughout this CD. The Willie Dixon penned number, Just Like I Treat You, is an upbeat tune that I pulled from one of the Arizona sessions.

The Mighty Mojo Prophets April 20, 2013, release, Flyin’ Home from Memphis is the band’s Delta Groove Music debut. This Southern California based ensemble is led by vocalist Tommy “Big Son” Eliff and guitarist Mitch “Da Switch” Dow. Eliff and Dow, who co-wrote all of the album’s thirteen songs, are joined by Alex Schwartz on drums, Dave DeForest on bass and Mike Malone on keyboards. The harp stands down on all but five of the album’s thirteen tracks this time out. On those numbers the band is again joined by harp men Alex “Lil’ A” Woodson on four tunes and San Pedro Slim on one track.  Much of the album feels like a danceable love song. Even the lone instrumental by Mitch Dow falls into this category. That tune, Jo’s Jive is what Dow says ‘what Freddy King might sound like if he recorded for Stax’. That song and I Can’t Believe could have just as easily been called, Flyin Back to Memphis as they evoke the famous 60’s sound from the capitol of the mid-south. The horns of Mark Sample and trumpet of Johnny V are heard on these two tracks along with the Louis Jordan style tune, California. The organ of Mike Malone adds to the mix and heard throughout the album gives the record more depth and texture than their first outstanding, self titled, national release in 2011 on Rip Cat records. What really separates this band from the pack are two things often missing in the recipe: 1) strong original material and 2) a great vocalist who can deliver that material convincingly. The Prophets have both.  A fine example of this is a song about an urban archetype who we have all known, Street Corner Preacher.  

South Texas Rhythm and Soul Revue is a brand new 2013 compilation of mid-sixties gems that are being released on CD for the first time. This release from Ace Records’ subsidiary, Kent Records out of the UK is a jukebox unto itself. These twenty four recordings are pulled from a variety of labels and studios owned and operated by the man sometimes affectionately, and certainly accurately. known as the Crazy Cajun, Huey Purvis Meaux. Artists from all over the gulf coast came to Houston to cut sides with Meaux. He made records in virtually every style of regional Gulf Coast musical idioms, but this collection features songs imbibed with deep soul, blues and rhythm. Some of the artists represented here are Johnny Adams, Jean Knight, Barbara Lynn and “Big” Walter Price. The song Slow Walk You Down by Johnny Copeland is a Joe Hughes original and features some very soulful singing by Copeland. These recordings represent the end of an era as regional musicians and independent labels began to fall victim to the larger pop culture machine that still dominates what we think of as 60’s music today. Down on the bayou however there was some special music being made that too few have taken the time to find. This record would have fit right at home in last month’s jukebox as we listened to many recordings from Houston. This CD, however, is brand new and I didn’t get my hands on it for inclusion in the March edition of the ezine. This record is a must have for any music aficionados who think they have heard it all before or for anyone who wants to hear music that is just plain fun.

Alan Wilson: The Blind Owl is an April re-issue by Severn Records chronicling the tragically short career of a very talented musician. This album of Canned Heat material might require a pair of headphones with peace signs or, for many of our readers, a pair of tie dye ear plugs. Either way, for me it was an interesting trip down a blues bi-way that I have never found myself traveling. Hippie blues has never been my thing and this collection at times reminds me why. On the other hand, it is a time capsule in which it is helpful to remember just how young these musicians were at the time of these recordings. This twenty song, two disc set spans the time frame of just over three years prior to the death of the singer, slide guitarist, harmonica player and songwriter Wilson. This collection features what is considered the classic Canned Heat line up that also includes guitarists Henry Vestine or Harvey Mandel, bassist Larry Taylor and drummer Adolfo de la Parra who, along with the band’s former manager Skip Taylor, served as executive producer for this project. The band’s other singer in those days was Bob Hite. He is not heard on any of these recordings as it is Wilson’s Skip James influenced vocals that are heard throughout this lovely retrospective. Skip Taylor wrote the very informative and touching liner notes wich sheds some light (for me anyway) on a musician that I was only familiar with in a tangential way. The album’s opening track is the band’s first top ten hit and an Alan Wilson adaptation of an old Floyd Jones tune, On the Road Again. This boogie clocks in at five minutes and twenty two seconds, more than a minute and a half longer than the single version that is no doubt still kicking around classic rock radio formats some forty five years later. This box set might be an interesting trip down memory lane for some and, for others, another drive down a highway from which they never found the off ramp. This is the first re-issue for Severn Records and they did a marvelous job all the way around. I am anxious to see what they have up their sleeve next.