On the cover of the brand-new Mighty Mike Schermer CD it states that there are 12 songs and 52 minutes of pure fun. Thanks Mike, you have just made my job easier. No surprise there as Mike Schermer is one of the most amiable cats prowling the blues backroads. He is also very accurate, as this record is a lot of things, not the least of which is a lot of fun. Great musicianship and production add to the festivities. However, it is Schermer’s songwriting that helps make Just Getting’ Good an excellent listen which grows more enjoyable each time I revisit this Little Village Foundation release. Is it a blues album? No, not so much but its OK to say so. If Mike is marketing this and I am writing about that in what many have dubbed a “trad rag” it’s OK. Mike has earned his blues stripes with years of service in this stodgy genre. 

Two longtime favorites here at the JUNCTION got together to record again in 2019, and here in the spring of 2022, finally released their second collaboration. Big Creek Slim aka Mark Rune is a Danish blues man who steers mostly towards the acoustic sounds of the 1930's and 40's. Rodrigo is a Brazilian multi-instrumentalist who is an internationally revered bass player. The fact that these two uber talented, kindred spirits have found one another is something in which blues fans from around the world can rejoice. Rune has released eleven albums over the past ten years. Each of them garnering tremendous accolades. Mantovani has stunned listeners since 2003 with his bass playing as a member of The Prado Blues Band. In recent years he has relocated to Chicago where he has become a member of The Nick Moss Band. Because this music was recorded in 2019, Rune didn’t have to address the elephant in the room which was of course the world-wide pandemic and America’s asinine anti-vax, anti-mask movement spurred on by latent Trumpism. It was a refreshing return to the more timeless universal themes of love and all the baggage that comes with that. Rune has made terrific solo albums, but benefits greatly from the double bass playing of Mantovani. It allows him to slide over to the piano bench and give the album some textural variety. The tasteful, low-key accompaniment of drummer Mikki Peltola adds even more flavor to this savory dish. 

Rick Holmstrom gets it. This all-instrumental album is a fun, danceable, groove laden affair where the brilliance of Holmstrom’s attack on the guitar does not impede the accessibility of the music. He doesn’t engage in unnecessary histrionics or lengthy improvisational side trips. He gets into each song quickly, says what he wants to say and gets out. Get It! sounds like an old-fashioned jukebox in the future. This program of all original tunes has Holmstrom with one eye focused on the rearview mirror and one looking straight ahead. Editor’s Note: There is a full album review of Get It! in this month’s edition of BLUES JUNCTION.

That’s My Name by Bob Stroger and a band called The Headcutters is a first-rate example of a nearly forgotten artform. They play lo-fi, post war, Chicago blues with authority. Stroger’s vocals have a relaxed, unhurried, self-assured quality that has been all but neglected in the modern blues world. The band’s accompaniment of Stroger is nothing short of sublime. If these two musical entities sound like they fit like a very comfortable pair of old shoes, there is a very good reason. 

With Duke Robillard, one can always count on more. Nobody has produced more albums over the past 40 years than Robillard. One can go back further than that if you want to talk about the seminal rhythm & blues band he founded and led for more than a decade before that, Roomful of Blues.  Nobody puts out more music on an album. They Called It Rhythm & Blues is 18 songs and 70 minutes worth of music.   There isn’t a stinker in the bunch on this March 18th, Stony Plain Records release. With They Called it Rhythm & Blues, Duke has gathered up more guests than I can recall on any CD in recent years. Even the Duke Robillard Band has more players in it. The band (including Duke) has expanded from four to six musicians. In this world where we have learned to expect less, Duke gives us more and for that we should be thankful. If anyone were to suggest that Duke sacrifices quality for the sake of quantity it might be those rare occasions where the incredibly versatile guitarist hop scotches over to the wrong genre. When this National treasure lands on rhythm & blues one can be assured that everything is going to be alright. R&B of this nature is a very big tent and Duke knows how to fill it. 

The Phantom Blues Band just released their latest CD entitled Blues for Breakfast on the Little Village Foundation label. Like ordering a chili omelet with hash browns at 11:30 at night in a 24-hour diner, Blues For Breakfast goes down good at any time. The Phantom Blues Band, which of course isn’t a blues band at all hence the “Phantom”, is in fact one of the great soul ensembles to mount a bandstand. Soul, blues, rhythm & blues, pop, gospel, world music...The Phantom Blues Band plays it all. Like so many of the great ensembles of the past, The Phantom Blues Band plays everything as if their lives depend on it. The band careens between interesting interpretations of songs originally written and performed by Curtis Mayfield, Little Milton, Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter (via Sam & Dave), Ike Turner, Sonny Thompson (via Freddy King), Sam Cooke, Jimmy McCracklin and others. These songs are taken out for a joy ride as this six-member wrecking crew rolls down the windows, revs the engine and lets ‘er rip.

Editor’s Note: For a complete Album Review see our Monthly Album Spotlight Feature in this month’s BLUES JUNCTION



For these and thousands more blues titles, click here: