The Royal Rhythmaires are the subject of our May Monthly Artist Spotlight feature. Their brand new, self released debut album entitled Shuck And Jive gives listeners a fresh look at some old school style rhythm & blues. This Fort Worth, Texas based ensemble features the wonderful singing of newcomer Jai Malano. Malano and the rest of the band sound like they would be right at home on a Central Ave. nightclub circa 1950. The old Roy Brown tune Love Don’t Love Nobody gets TRR's honkin’ horn driven treatment as do the rest of the tunes on this great record.

Billy Boy Arnold sings Big Bill Broonzy is the brand new alliterative, Electro–Fi release by an old master who seems to get better with age. This collection of tunes finds Arnold covering yet another pre-war blues master.  On his previous outing the consummate Chicago blues man covered tunes by John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson. There isn’t a bad track on this disc and I could have gone in any number of directions but I chose to go with one of my all time favorite Broonzy penned tunes, Goin’ Back to Arkansas.

Northside Soul is the title of the June, 2012, release by Eller Soul Records artist Marion James. James', who recorded with the legendary Excello Records out of Nashville in the 1960’s, new album is a mix of James originals and carefully selected covers. It is one of the latter that caught my ear. James does a wonderful take on the old Duke recording by Little Junior Parker, Next Time You See Me. She takes the mid- tempo, 12 bar shuffle and turns it into a New Orleans second line. James’ reading of this tune is the most creative and daring I have ever heard of this often covered Earl Forest/Bill Harvey penned classic.  

Vocalist and harmonica player, R.J. Mischo will release his tenth album and his Delta Groove Music debut, Make it Good, on May 15th. This CD finds the veteran Minnesotan in the company of some first call Texas musicians including  guitarists Johnny Moeller and Nick Curran, bassist Ronnie James Webber and drummer Wes Starr.  It features a couple of stripped down numbers recorded up the road in The Land of a Thousand Lakes, where Mischo is accompanied by fellow Minnesotan, Jeremy Johnson.  I went back down 1-35 where the rest of the album was recorded in Austin, Texas, to pull the album's opening track, an up temp rave called Trouble Belt.

Al Blake’s upcoming release is entitled The Road Less Traveled. It is a solo record from the front man of the old Hollywood Fats Band and Delta Groove Music recording artists, The Hollywood Blue Flames. The songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and harmonica player handles all the instrumentation and vocals save a couple of tracks where he is joined by Fred Kaplan on piano and snare drum. The entire record is a big helping of pure, deep soulful blues and it is a masterpiece. An Al Blake original that he has had kicking around for some time but is finally going to get to be heard by the public is Precious Time. It is a haunting tune that is as poignant as it is beautiful.

The Mannish Boys' Delta Groove Music, May 15^th release entitled Double Dynamite is a double CD that is in the Mannish Boys tradition of featuring a generous helping of special guests. The album's two distinctively different discs are the result of the brilliant  sequencing by the record's co-producer Jeff Scott Fleenor. Disc One is entitled Atomic Blues. It is a low down, Chicago style blues album with one mid tempo shuffle after another. The band and their guests take on numerous blues standards including familiar tunes written by “Little” Walter Jacobs, Muddy Waters. Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson 2, Robert Nighthawk and others. There are a couple of Randy Chortkoff originals and one brand new James Harman tune. The Frank Frost tune Never Leave Me at Home has always been one of my favorites and has original Mannish Boy, Finis Tasby out front on vocals.

The second disc on the new Mannish Boys album is called Rhythm & Blues Explosion. On this disc you will find horn arrangements, some B-3 organ and back-up vocals. The entire disc has a west coast feel and is my personal favorite between the two discs. It also has a James Harman original and even an instrumental take on the James Brown tune Cold Sweat. My favorite track however just might be the T-Bone Walker classic, You Don’t Love Me. It again features Finis Tasby on vocals. The tune also has Kid Ramos on guitar, Fred Kaplan on piano and Bill Stuve on upright bass.

The Blasters' Rip Cat Records debut, Fun on Saturday Night, scheduled for a June 17, 20 12, release is their first studio recording since 2005. Upon hearing the CD in the Rip Cat Records recording studio last month, I was struck by how familiar so many of the songs sounded even though none of these tracks have been previously released. This is due to the fact that many of these tunes have already been staples of the bands live performances for years. One familiar song I have not heard the band perform is the June Carter/Johnny Cash classic, Jackson. This is done as a duet with Phil Alvin and guest vocalist, Exene. I have heard this song just once, a month ago and still can’t get it out of my head.

The first posthumously released CD of material from Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins is the April, 2012, Blind Pig Records album entitled Heaven. The album was recorded on November 24, 1986, when Pinetop was only 73 years old. It is an album made up of mostly solo acoustic piano and vocal performances by the legendary musician. He does updated versions of Sweet Home Chicago and Pinetop's Boogie Woogie that he recorded some thirty years earlier in Memphis. Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Otis Clay sing on one track each. The most surprising tune to show up on the album might just be my favorite. It is a solo piano interpretation of the jazz standard, Willow Weep for Me.

Harmonica player extraordinaire,  Dennis Gruenling contributed a wonderful essay on George “Harmonica” Smith. So it got me to playing some of Smith’s recording out here on the jukebox. One of these is the 2009 release of a previously un-issued Muddy Waters concert. The CD is entitled, The Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Fillmore Auditorium – San Francisco November 4-6 1966. I believe the album’s title is self explanatory, but I think it would be helpful to point out that, at 15 songs and 74 minutes, it is a big helping of previously unissued Mud. This is always cause for celebration. The CD features the harp playing of George “Harmonica” Smith. The album’s sound quality is surprisingly good and it gives the listener a chance to hear how Muddy and company sound live during this period of his career. The band really stretches out on the song She Moves Me and features some incredible harp work by the great George “Harmonica” Smith.