This album sounds like Hound Dog Taylor and Jimmie Reed playing in the back of a 1957 convertible, hurtling down a swampy back road in south Louisiania with Iggy Pop at the wheel. It is lots of fun, if not a little dangerous.  Songs by Jerry “Boogie” McCain, Papa Lightfoot, Clarence Garlow, Doctor Ross and others are taken out back and beaten to a bloody pulp. What’s not to like about that or this little band with a big sound from Holland? Little Hat is comprised of three men who like to wear big hats. These rapscallions from Rotterdam are Machiel Meijers on vocals and harmonica, guitarist Willem Van Dullemen and drummer Paolo de Stigter. What could be lost on some listeners is that despite this trio’s frenzied attack and unconventional dynamics, they are three very talented musicians. They understand what they are doing and why they are doing it.  This 2021 release on Rhythm Bomb Records was produced by Little Victor. Wine, Whiskey & Wimmen has a tough and pungent sound that is reminiscent of an over cooked chunk of liver. Despite this, or more likely because it, this album is a contender for a BLUES JUNCTION Productions album of the year. Highly recommended…  - D.M.  

As far as famous guitars are concerned it’s certainly not “Lucille”. It isn’t even the most famous guitar in the Texas Hill Country. That would be “Trigger,” but make no mistake, “Pinky” is the star of this show. That’s right, Sue Foley slings her paisley adorned, pink Telecaster all over the joint on Pinky’s Blues. Pinky’s Blues is a straight-ahead, guitar-centric affirmation of Lone Star blues traditions. Foley originals sit beside tunes penned by Angela Strehli, Miss Lavelle White, Frankie Lee Sims and others associated with Texas blues. Pinky’s Blues continues a great career renaissance that started with 2018’s Ice Queen and continues here on her sophomore outing on Stoney Plain Records. Unlike Ice Queen, which was a guest heavy affair, Foley has the spotlight to herself on this October 22^nd release. She is backed by bassist Jon Penner who goes all the way back with Foley to her earliest recordings. Chris Layton handles the drum duties. Producer Mike Flanigin plays B3 on a couple of tracks and brings in his musical colleague Jimmie Vaughan to play rhythm guitar on another. Pinky’s Blues live, in-studio sound has an organic, spontaneous feel that is as meaty as a rack of ribs, hotter than a jalapeno pepper and as cool as a pint of Shiner Bock. – D.M. 

The Kokomo Kings continue their Chuck Berry inspired rockin’ blues with A Drive by Love Affair. Featuring all original material penned by bassist Magnus Lanhammar and the tasty guitar of Ronni Audar Boysen, the band moves through tunes that have the spunk and vitality of Chuck Berry in his prime.  The band provides driving support throughout and the fun never stops till the last note.  As with many of their earlier releases, fish and fishing are a main topic of the songs. Magnus is even pictured with a fishing pole rather than a bass guitar. What's up with that?  This is a great catch. Don't miss it. - C.L. Editor’s Note: Blue Beat Music has A Drive By Love Affair in stock (direct from the band) two months before the Rhythm Bomb Records release date.  

Like the name of this band implies, the sounds heard on Welcome to the Land is part rural and part urban, part country and part city, it is where the deep south and mid-south meet. This band is made up of two musicians, Damon Pearson on vocals, harmonica and guitar and Cam Kimbrough who also sings, plays drums and guitar. They mine that Fat Possum sound and spell it with a “Ph.” The music on Welcome to the Land has that familiar Mississippi Hill Country sound with contemporary themes and imagery. This ambitious project is brought to us courtesy of the Little Village Foundation. -D.M. 

Dave Specter is a first-rate guitarist who has delighted audiences for decades with both his virtuosity and versatility. Yet, it is his impeccable taste that won this fan over many years ago. Specter has made spectacular choices throughout his 30-year association with Delmark Records. This two-disc, 28 song retrospective speaks to all of this. Six String Soul features Specter accompanying a long list of very accomplished vocalists. There performances are all first rate. They sit beside instrumentals which showcase the jazzier side of the blues. Six String Soul: 30 Years on Delmark can serve as a nice primer for those music fans who are new to the music of Dave Specter. For long-time fans of his music, I believe that this package will be just as enjoyable. It is like taking a pleasant stroll through some familiar terrain with a brand-new pair of shoes. -D.M. Editor’s note: Read a complete album review in OUR Monthly Album Spotlight feature here in the current edition of BLUES JUNCTION. 

If you died during our recent world-wide pandemic then I’m guessing you won’t appreciate what I am about to tell you. That is, some real good came from the horrors visited upon us. One of these things is that Corey Harris returned to the recording studio for the first time in three years and, just as significant, he returned to the solo acoustic blues in which he excelled early in his career. Fifteen tunes written and/or arranged by Harris cover the 100 plus year spectrum of the blues. From traditional tunes written by Charlie Patton, Skip James, Blind Blake and others to the album’s title track, this is a welcome reprieve from the “blues adjacent” acts that have come to dominate the landscape. Harris himself seemed lost in that world for the better part of the last several years. I welcome him back. The Insurrection Blues was recorded on May 21^st, 2021, and was released by MC Records on November 5th. This album is an adult dose of brand new, old blues performed with verve and conviction. -D.M.

“Playing it deep, playing for keeps. Live long, party strong!”  is the motto of Raphael Wressnig. That message couldn’t be delivered with more enthusiasm, verve and conviction than in the music of Groove & Good Times. The latest album by this Austrian Hammond organist was released on September 17th on the German based Pepper Cake Record label. He is joined by Brazilian musicians Igor Prado on guitar and his brother Yuri on drums. It picks up where Raphael’s 2018 collaboration with Alex Schultz and James Gadson entitled Chicken Burrito left off. Wressnig is a multi-genre artist who combines instrumental soul/funk/jazz and blues in various quantities and combinations which are irresistible. On Chicken Burrito, Wressnig and company perform a program of original tunes that had a decidedly 70’s soul and funk sensibility with a contemporary edge. Here they go directly to the source material in that niche, sub-genre for inspiration. Songs by James Brown, the Meters, Johnny ‘Guitar” Watson, Bill Withers and others are given the Wressnig/Prado treatment. Groove & Good Times was recorded by the Sao Paulo based blues impresario Chico Blues. Chico, along with Igor Prado, mixed and mastered the entire album. They sound like they were held hostage by the almighty groove and trust me, that’s a very good thing. They have created an entire album which sounds dedicated to and specifically designed for forty plus minutes of booty shaking good times. – D.M.

This Oakland area native and long-time East Bay resident first hit my radar back in 2012, when she appeared as one of several guests on the Igor Prado Band’s Blues & Soul Sessions. While better known guests including vocalists J.J. Jackson and Curtis Salgado likely garnered more notice, the voice and vocal delivery of Tia Carroll was a revelation. Then in 2014, she released a full album under her name with the same cast of characters entitled The Brazilian Sessions. That effort garnered Carroll a BLUES JUNCTION Productions Award for “Best Soul Blues Album of the Year.” Now, all these years later, it is a thrill to hear her back in the studio. This time she strikes it rich (musically speaking) by mining the same territory without having to travel as far. San Jose, California, and Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios is where this material was recorded, mixed and mastered for Jim Pugh’s Little Village Foundation label. With the gospel group the Sons of the Soul Revivers lending support and a five-piece horn section led by trombonist Mike Rinta, You Gotta Have It, is a gut punch of vintage soul done right. Do yourself a favor and get hip to Tia Carroll. - D.M 

The human voice is the ultimate musical instrument. This made Wee Willie Walker the ultimate head cutter. His final album was released here in 2021. It is entitled Not In My Lifetime and it is a beauty. Walker, who passed away back in November of 2019, is backed by the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra. They offer very sympathetic support to Walker who, as always, is in exceptional form. Walker’s performances here leave no doubt that he was a soul singer who was in a class by himself. As for guitarist Anthony Paule, he sounded like he had found the perfect vehicle for his talents. He, along with Christine Vitale, lead a formidable songwriting team. As far as the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra is concerned, they are an eight piece “little, big band” which includes a four-piece horn section and the wonderful keyboard work of Tony Lufrano who employs a piano, a Wurlitzer or a B3 depending on the song. The use of three backup singers fills out the soundscape to an even greater degree, helping to create a lush bed of music where Walker can really stretch out and share with us the humanity that lives in his voice. – D.M. 

Inferno is the brand-new album by British guitarist Chris Corcoran. Here, the very talented and tasteful plank spanker uses a stripped-down ensemble to deliver a program of all original tunes. Five of the tracks feature the Hammond B3 of Claudio Corona. These have a Barney Kessel meets Jack McDuff vibe which is a lot of fun. Some tracks offer soundscapes with moody thematic elements. Others sound like Duane Eddy driving to Lower Tressles in a Tesla.  Editor’s Note:  You can read more about Chris Corcoran and this new album in a review here in this edition of BLUES JUNCTION 

Eddie Stout’s Dialtone Records has just released an honest to gosh vinyl record album. That’s right, a niche subgenre of a niche market is making available a vintage way to listen to brand new vintage music.  All kidding aside, Crystal Thomas’ brand new album, Now Dig This is so good you will want to buy a turntable. Before you can ask a friend to blow on your stylus, you should know what you are getting into here. This Louisiana native has some serious pipes and knows how to use them. She is simply an outstanding vocalist and plays the trombone as well. On Now Dig This she fronts a band that delivers the goods. They are guitarist Johnny Moeller, the legendary Chuck Rainey on bass whose recording credits are just plain ridiculous, Jason Moeller is on drums and the late Lucky Peterson plays the Hammond B3 organ. This combo is lethal. This great vinyl record is now available on CD. -D.M 

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