June Core is a long time Northern California based, first call drummer. He had worked out of Cleveland with Johnny Shines as well as Robert Lockwood Junior before relocating to the Golden State almost 30 years ago. Core became a founding member of the legendary Soul Drivers which also featured Mighty Mike Shermer and Andy Santana. After that it was a long stint with Little Charlie and the Nightcats and on to Charlie Musslewhite’s band. This brand new “solo” outing hits on many blues flavors and textures and features many of the great musicians Core has worked with through the years including the aforementioned Shermer, Baty and Musselwhite. These eleven tracks of all original music also feature the prodigious talents of Jim Pugh, R.J. Mischo, Kid Andersen, Chris Cain, Rick Estrin and others, as well as terrific vocal turns by John Blues Boyd and Alabama Mike.

This album, as the name implies, is a tribute album to the great Howlin’ Wolf which was recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California. This is an all-star assemblage of the Northern California blues mob who pay homage to one of the most celebrated bluesmen of all-time, Howlin’ Wolf. These blues greats take a bunch of old Wolf tunes for yet another spin around the block. The good news is that the vocalists do not even attempt to emulate the one of a kind, vocal stylings of the Wolf. The bad news is that like most projects of this nature, it just makes you want to go to the source material. There was an interesting choice to include commentary from some of the album’s participants including longtime Wolf emulator, Tail Dragger. These are mixed in with the musical tracks. All in all, great tunes played the right way with the respect they deserve.

Big Creek Slim (aka Marc Rune) is a Danish artist who plays blues with a command and deep understanding of the subtleties of acoustic blues.  His natural vocals and accomplished guitar playing are always in service to the song and never flashy.  From covers of Tommy Johnson to Muddy Waters he shows an intuitive understanding of the genre and its power. His original songs fit comfortably alongside the many classics he covers here. - C.L.

Once again, this veteran blues institution hits it out of the park. On Groovin’ In Greaseland, Estrin and company put together a solid collection of originals which feel like songs that you have already been listening to your entire life, yet they are as new and fresh as a bakery at sunrise. These songs, and of course for the most part Estrin originals, fit my ears like a comfortable pair of shoes that still have a lot of miles left in them. Each song is an individual, self-contained gem that has listeners following this great band to several destinations along the blues highway. Highly recommended. (For a full album review, check out our Monthly Album Spotlight Feature.)



One of the most impressive traditional blues bands today, The Cash Box Kings' Alligator debut is a strong, good time collection of hard core blues, topical songs and old-fashioned rockers.  Featuring the sturdy vocals of Oscar Wilson, along with Joe Nosek's accomplished harp, the band is exciting and enjoyable and features the double threat of Billy Flynn and Joel Paterson on guitars.  One of the best of the year. – C. L. 

Twenty-five years ago, the Los Angeles based blues-rock band, The Red Devils released its one and only LP, King King. The album was named after the Hollywood nightclub at which the band had a long residency and where this live recording took place. King King went from an opening salvo on the way to super stardom for the Red Devils to just a sort of perpetual legendary status with the death of the band's singer and harmonica player, Lester Butler in 1998. However, Butler and the Red Devils transcended genres, as well as continents. A cult following in Western Europe sprung up almost immediately and continues to this day. One of the band’s biggest devotees is the Dutch bluesman, Peiter van der Pluijm. Big Pete has now hooked up with some of the original Red Devils including guitarist Paul Size and drummer Bill Bateman and recorded a whole new batch of songs from their June 2017 European tour. A quarter of a century later, that in your face, aggressive, raw sound is still there. New original material mixed in with some select covers highlight this set. (Editor’s note: Charlie Lange of Bluebeat Music has a limited amount of Big Pete autographed copies of The Return of the Red Devils available on his site.)                                         

This British guitarist’s brand-new album is a true case of truth in advertising. Here Corcoran and this great band pay homage to that time in music where instrumentals ruled the world and the guitar God wielded supreme power over the land. From Duane Eddy and Albert Collins to Lonnie Mack and Freddie King, on music of all stripes from blues to surf and from movie soundtracks to bachelor pad exotica and jazz, the mighty instrumental had a guitar heavy influence. Corcoran taps into this time and place and the results are spectacular. Here seven original tunes tie together four covers which include a menacing take on Henry Mancini’s A Shot in the Dark, a horn heavy reading of Milt Jackson’s Bags Groove and swinging versions of Guitar Gables' Congo Mombo and Albert Collins' Don’t Lose Your Cool. Highly recommended…



One of the great stories to emerge from the world of blues and vintage soul music is the rediscovery and career renaissance of the great Willie Walker. These thirteen tracks feature Walker, who after all these years is still at the top of his game. His performances here leave no doubt that he is in a class by himself. As for guitarist Anthony Paule, he sounds like he has found the perfect vehicle for his talents. He along with his partner in life and music, Christine Vitale, wrote or co-wrote many of these songs and have emerged as a formidable songwriting team. Covers include the Eddie Curtis penned 50’s classic Lovey Dovey from the Atlantic Records vaults and the Issac Hayes/Dave Porter penned Your Good Thing (Is About to End) from the 60’s era Stax catalogue.  (You can read a complete album review on this release in the September edition of BLUES JUNCTION.)



After nearly 30 years and more than a dozen albums, one of the world’s preeminent blues bands is back. Not that B.B. and the Blues Shacks went anywhere. They just strolled through the world of soul-blues for a few years. On Reservation Blues, they return to their strength, straight ahead West Coast meets Chicago 50’s and 60’s era blues. Once again guitarist Andreas and harp man/vocalist brother Michael, the Arlt brothers, reassert themselves as a dominant force in the blues world on this, their Rhythm Bomb Records debut. This September 29, 2017, release is a beauty.

Chickenbone Slim is the alter ego of the San Diego based bluesman Larry Teves. On this album Teves goes north to Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios in San Jose and makes a damn good record. All original tunes with some fresh ideas that tap into universal themes and a kind of sideways look at life make for a fun romp through the world of vintage Americana, a little country and mostly blues. Guitarist and vocalist Teves also puts to good use the prodigious talents of multi-instrumentalists Andersen and Jon Atkinson. Bassist Scot Smart and drummer Marty Dotson round out this line-up who handle this material with intelligence and fearlessness.



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