Boom Boom Steve V & the Knockouts - Tuff Love

www.bluesonstage.com/stevev

Quality: Highly Recommended

Style: Post-War Harp-Driven Blues

From the opening original tune, "Come Out Swinging," to the set-ending "Sad Hours," Tuff Love offers up 10 cuts of harp-fueled blues courtesy of Boom Boom Steve, one of the mainstays on the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota blues scene. Boom Boom Steve is an in-demand harp player in the Twin Cities blues community, and he regularly performs at Greater Twin Cities Blues Music Society benefits like September’s Blues Harp Extravaganza. I met Boom Boom Steve several years ago through my day job (www.casey.org), and was pleased to meet a kindred spirit in the blues. His new CD, like the name of his band, is a knockout.

In 1952, Little Walter had a number one hit with "Juke," and "Sad Hours" landed in second place on the charts that same year. I especially liked the fat-toned, upbeat "When I Was Young," and the straight-ahead driving blues of the title cut; proof positive that Steve V & the Knockouts are in full command of some tasty original blues mixed in with a few reverential covers. The engine room of Dwight Dario on drums and John Schroder on bass keep the groove moving, and when they aren’t playing as Knockouts, they’re behind local blues players like the Twin Cities’ Big George Jackson. Guitarist John Franken, an alumnus of the local Joel Johnson Band, expertly plays a number of styles on this CD, from Texas-tinged blues, post-war Chicago blues, and the West Coast-flavored "From Stardom to Obscurity" - while I’ve never heard John play before listening to Tuff Love, I think that he’d be considered a "guitarists’ guitarist" for his diverse approaches to the blues on this CD.

Guest Knockouts on this CD include Bruce McCabe on piano and Wurlitzer (he burns up the keys on Lester Butler’s "HNC"), Jeremy Johnson on guitar on the covers of Little Walter’s "Sad Hours" and "Come Back Baby," and Mark "Good Time" Williams pitching in background vocals on the title tune. The CD closes with a nod to Little Walter, with Boom Boom Steve taking the Mississippi saxophone to new heights on the "Sad Hours" instrumental. I’d like to think that Little Walter would have appreciated and enjoyed this cover version of this song, and I can’t give it any higher praise than that.

This Fall, I had the great pleasure of seeing Boom Boom Steve play live with the Fabulous Minnesota Barking Ducks (a band with a considerable legacy in the Twin Cities’ blues community) at the Whiskey Junction in Minneapolis (http://thewhiskeyjunction.com), and I highly recommend Boom Boom Steve and this venue (great pizza, great staff!).

Reviewer Eric Steiner is the President of the Washington Blues Society, a proud recipient of a Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation. Please contact Eric at president@wablues.org  or visit www.wablues.org for more information on the Washington Blues Society

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Jason Ricci & New Blood - Done With the Devil

Eclecto Groove Records

www.jasonricci.com

12 tracks/61:03

Through their many appearances over the years at Big Cities Lounge, Jason Ricci and New Blood have developed quite a local following. It is always fun to count the number of harmonica players in the audience at one of their shows. But Jason is not the whole show, a point he firmly emphasizes in the liner notes on the band’s latest release. Last year Shawn Starski was named one of "The Top Ten Hottest New Guitar Players" by Guitar Player magazine. Todd "Buck Weed" Edmunds is a monster bass player, equally at home playing James Brown funk or big band jazz. Drummer Ed Michaels is the most recent addition to New Blood. His skill as the timekeeper provides a solid foundation for the band’s improvisational forays.

Ricci has always been an eclectic musician. He has solid credentials as a bluesman, having played with the likes of Big Bad Smitty and R.L. Burnside in juke joints throughout the Mississippi delta. But his musical tastes go way beyond the simple 12-bar blues format. Check out the supercharged cover of The Misfits punk classic "I Turned Into a Martian". Ricci shouts and howls through the lyrics as Starski fires off a taut guitar solo over Michaels powerful rhythm. Then Ricci unleashes one of his dazzling harmonica runs, playing complex lines at a pace faster than the mind can comprehend. The band tackles the jazz classic "Afro Blue", with Ricci taking the opening solo at a breakneck pace, using a simple diatonic harmonica to create an intricate solo full of technical brilliance. After Starski and Edmunds turn in solid solos, Ricci finishes the track with more outstanding blowing, including a quote from "My Favorite Things". Producer Phillip Wolfe fills in the arrangement on Hammond organ. The band also stretches out on the Edmunds instrumental, "Ptryptophan Pterodactyl", with Wolfe on the Fender Rhodes keyboard.

The disc also features plenty of blues material. Willie Dixon’s "As Long As I Have You" is propelled by Michaels big beat . Ricci hoarse vocal contrasts with the clean guitar lines Starski contributes. Michaels handles the vocal on his original , "Keep the Wolf From My Door". The track’s menacing tone comes from Starski’s outstanding guitar work and a booming bass line from Edmunds on the sousaphone. The band goes acoustic on "How It Came to Be", with Starski singing his composition and playing the dobro. The title track is a high-energy rockin’ blues piece with more stellar harp playing from Jason. The band plays tribute to a friend lost to cancer on "Holler For Craig Lawler".

The soulful "Sweet Loving" has a strong vocal performance from Ricci and some sparkling melodic guitar playing from Starski with another solid contribution from Wolfe on organ. Jason is even better on the autobiographical "Broken Toy", his impassioned vocal and harp playing effectively conveying the dark emotional content of the track

After playing hundreds of gigs for each of the last few years, Ricci and his band mates have developed into a musical powerhouse. They have the talent and skills to head in any direction that their musical muse takes them. Producer Wolfe has done his job, keeping the band focused and reining in some of the excess of prior projects. The end result is the strongest release yet for Jason and New Blood. This one should please their many fans and garner them some attention from discerning listeners around the world.

Reviewer Mark Thompson is president of the Crossroads Blues Society in Rockford. IL

Review courtesy of Crossroads Blues Society.

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Seth Walker - Leap of Faith

Hyena Records

www.sethwalker.com

12 tracks/44:25

While his name might not be familiar to most of you, the latest from Seth Walker is his fourth release in the last twelve years. Walker spent the last decade honing his craft in the vast musical community of Austin, Texas. He possesses a smooth-as-silk voice with good range and also plays guitar. He is backed by a solid group that includes award-winning Canadian guitarist Colin Linden and Kevin McKendree on keyboards. Several tracks feature a string section with all the parts played and arranged by Chris Carmichael. Walker and Nicholson co-wrote eight of the tracks and Walker penned "Lay Down (River of Faith)".

The opening track, "Can’t Come With You," has a jaunty rhythm and a soulful vocal from Walker. Linden’s slide guitar sparks the arrangement. "Rewind" sounds like a lost James Hunter track. Walker can’t quite match the supple nature of Hunter’s voice but the cut is still a gorgeous ballad with string accompaniment.

The title track was on a release by Delbert McClinton back in 1997. Walker handles the up-tempo groove with ease but his voice lacks the gritty edge that McClinton used effectively on his version. Linden contributes another engaging guitar solo. The pace slows down on "I Got a Song", giving Walker the chance to be a crooner ala Sinatra. Nicholson’s lush arrangement never overwhelms Walker’s voice while establishing the late-night feel that is the essence of the track. Percy Mayfield’s "Memory Pain" is a short piece pushed by a horn section and McKendree’s piano.

"Dig a Little Deeper" sports another soulful vocal from Walker over McKendree’s swirling chords from the Hammond B-3 organ. The pace slows down on "Lay Down (River of Faith)" and the band switches to acoustic instruments but Walkers passionate singing makes this piece one of the disc’s highlights. Nick Lowe’s "Lately I’ve Let Things Slide" gets transformed into a country ballad .

Walker breaks out the boogie beat on "I Don’t Dance", which should become a theme song for men all over the world ! Seth proves that he has the vocal chops to handle the deeper blues material. And when the band cuts loose on the rocking "Something Fast," Walker’s vocal rides the beat but avoids the temptation to push too hard in response to the band’s relentless pace. "In the Dark" sports a Bo Diddley beat and some wicked guitar licks from Linden. The disc ends with another ballad, "Falling Out of Love". Walker’s phrasing expertly captures the inherent longing in the lyrics.

Walker is mining the same musical territory as other singers like J.J. Grey and Eric Lindell - the place where blues, soul, rock and country get so entwined that the resulting mix can’t be classified but it sure sounds cool. His voice may not be as distinctive as those two but this release provides plenty of proof that Walker may be the best singer of the bunch. Nicholson’s production keeps the instrumental solos to a minimum, placing the focus squarely on Walker, whose easy-going vocal style makes every track a delight.

Reviewer Mark Thompson is president of the Crossroads Blues Society in Rockford. IL

Review courtesy of Crossroads Blues Society.

For other reviews and interviews on our website CLICK HERE.