Along with the Silver String Submarine Band, Billy Watson unleashes his tenth record of madcap harmonica.  His beautifully twisted mind works overtime to come up with some reckless and fun originals. Watson is able to make his music, his way while still retaining a feeling for classic blues. He gives it all. This is a big helping of ignorant fun to keep it off the wall and in your ear.  – C.L.

This is a solid set of straight ahead Chicago blues from the son of a master. They cover everything from Ghetto Woman by B.B. King, in which Eddie sounds stylistically similar to Fenton Robinson, to a wonderful rendition of the Jimmy Reed classic, Baby What You Want Me to Do. Here Eddie's guitar sound pays direct homage to his dad. In an effort to adapt to an increasingly younger audience, he has modernized his style by experimenting with different guitar pedal effects. The results are clearly evident on many of his rock-leaning, distorted guitar solos including a very prominent one featured on Doctor Clayton's I Got to Find My Baby. – C.L.

The prolific Duke Robillard’s September 25^th, 2015, release on Stony Plain Records is a welcome addition to his prodigious catalogue. Through the years “Duke Heads” like myself have enjoyed his various releases where he visits a variety of American musical idioms. However, this is his first extended foray into the acoustic roots of American music. It is a welcome and refreshing reminder of where this music has been. It could also represent at least one avenue to where it can travel in the future. The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard is an extremely thoughtful and well articulated reminder that blues music today, at its very best, is connected to a broad tapestry of what has come before. Note: There is a full review of this CD in this edition of BLUES JUNCTION. - D.M.

The Stockholm, Sweden, based ensemble was founded 21 years ago by singer, percussionist and songwriter Tommy Moberg. The band’s current line-up has coalesced around the dynamic performer for the past 15 years or so. The band really is a collective of some of the best musicians on the exhilarating European scene. Along with Moberg the band is anchored by fellow Swede, bassist, back up vocalist and songwriter Lars Näsman.  Drummer Per Norin and pianist Fredrik von Werner who also hails from Sweden. The line-up is rounded out by Finnish guitarist Tomi Leino and harmonica player Steve “West” Weston from London. Candyville is a twelve song adventure into a variety of blues, vintage r&B and some 50’s style rock&roll. Trickbag originals written by various band members stand beside some fun covers. This forty two minute dance party features some jump blues, Chicago blues, a rumba, a swamp blues, an original with a Bo Diddley beat. Even the hipster songwriting team of Lieber and Stoller work their way into the mix, as the band does a wonderful take on the Coasters classic, Poison Ivy. Note: There is a full review of this CD in this edition of BLUES JUNCTION. – D.M.

For his October 16^th release on Delta Groove Music, Andy Santana has resurrected the infamous West Coast Playboys. The album entitled Watch Your Step features an army of talent including Kid Andersen, long time musical companions Mighty Mike Schermer and Rusty Zinn as well as Bob Welsh, Anthony Paule, June Core, Lorenzo Farrell and others. Covers such as Carol Fran’s Knock Knock, Bobby Parker’s title track, Dave Bartholomew’s Playgirl and Go on Fool, Z.Z. Hill’s One Way Love Affair and others, along with some Andy Santana originals, make for one of the most entertaining albums of the year. Note: There is a full review of the CD in this edition of BLUES JUNCTION. – D.M.

The widely published poet and fiction writer Al Basile has also been singing, playing the coronet and writing in the blues field for the past 40 years. He was the first trumpet player in Duke Robillard’s band Roomful of Blues in 1973. Here on B’s Expression, Basile reunites with Duke and his current band, along with Roomful alums sax man Doug James and trombone player Carl Querforth, to make an album of what might be best described as 51 minutes of laid back, soul-blues. In the spirit of the 80’s and 90’s Malaco Records vibe where lyrics mattered and adult contemporary themes were a hit with African American audiences in particular, B’s Expression is an interesting sorbet to what is floating around the marketplace today. The album has touches of gospel and on the album’s final track even a little jazz flair where Basile’s muted horn puts to mind a place where Miles Davis and Z.Z. Hill are shaking hands. – D.M.

Anthony Geraci has played and recorded with a laundry list of the greatest blues musicians in the most prestigious blues nightclubs and at major festivals around the world. The names read like a who’s who of the blues. They include Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner, J.B. Hutto, Big Walter Horton, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thornton, Hubert Sumlin as well as Jimmy Rogers and that’s the short list. He was also a founding member of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. However, Geraci is probably best known as a founding member of Sugar Ray and The Bluetones and after 35 years he remains an essential component of that band, which is still going strong. On October 16^th Anthony Geraci and the Boston Blues All-Stars make their Delta Groove Music debut with their album Fifty Shades of Blue. The Boston Blues All-Stars are the same musicians Geraci has been playing with for parts of the last five decades. They include vocalists Toni Lynn Washington, Darrell Nulisch, Michelle “Evil Gal” Willson and, of course, Sugar Ray Norcia. As Geraci points out, “I don’t sing, so why not get the best.” The “best” are backed by guitarist “Monster” Mike Welch, bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward and drummers Marty Richards and Neil Gouvin. The All-Stars take on thirteen Geraci penned numbers which are full of fresh original ideas that are applied to music that comes from many shades of the blues palette. Note: There is an interview in this edition of BLUES JUNCTION as Anthony is in our Monthly Artist Spotlight. – D.M.

The Santiago, Chile, based band just released their fifth album. Formerly known as Nico and the Blues Swingers, The Blues Swingers are still led by led by Nicolas Wernakink, who wrote all thirteen tunes on this thirteen song joy ride through various blues styles from the Chicago, Texas and mostly West Coast traditions. Wernakink is also the band’s vocalist, who plays guitar and piano in this five piece ensemble. The Blues Swingers are anchored by the rhythm section of bassist Johan Pasten and drummer Edward Grez. The band’s fine harp player is Erwin Lost. Felipe Ruf plays guitar and shines throughout the entire CD. This little something is worth a listen... The entire record is a lot of fun and like the band’s name implies, it swings hard. – D.M.

For almost two decades Racky Thomas has made some of the finest traditional blues records in the modern West Coast style. His strong and unaffected vocals go along with his sturdy harp playing which always shows the mark of a deep listener and original interpreter. Over the past couple releases he has moved towards a broader blues sound with solo, duo and small band recordings. This set features some great covers of Otis Spann, Charlie Patton and Tommy Johnson as well as some great boogie duets with piano ace Matt McCabe. – C.L.

This September 18^th release on Yep Rock Records represents the second album in as many years for these true blues brothers. It was however 28 years between the time when younger brother Dave left Phil’s band The Blasters and, like the album’s title suggests, that is a lot of time lost. Like last year’s, Common Ground, it is the blues that represents that familial universal soil in which both brothers feel most at home. Where last time out the brothers worked the field originally plowed by Big Bill Broonzy, this time around it is variety of blues men who get the Alvin treatment. The brothers are backed by Dave’s exceptional band The Guilty Ones. They are drummer Lisa Pankratz, bassist Brad Fordham and guitarist Chris Miller. Innocent until proven guilty men from Led Belly to James Brown are taken out back and roughed up by the relentlessly stinging guitar of Dave and the accompanying wails you would expect from Phil. Besides the brothers and their great band, the other real star of Lost Time is Big Joe Turner. No less than four of his tunes are covered here. Lost Time takes off where Common Ground left off. The Brothers Alvin again show that real deal blues music can be presented in their unique and highly personal way without sacrificing what made this music so rich and satisfying in the first place. – D.M.

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