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New Blues News – 6/29/2021

Debbie Bond – Blues Without Borders (Self-produced): “American Singer, guitar player and songwriter Debbie Bond has been performing for decades in the Alabama backwoods and is now a regular on the Southern US and European club and festival circuit. Influenced by raw juke joint blues and the famed sounds of Muscle Shoals, Debbie’s impressive story includes years of performing with traditional Alabama blues musicians, like Johnny Shines, Eddie Kirkland, Willie King, Shar Baby, Little Jimmy Reed and more. Immersion in Alabama roots music has deeply flavored her guitar playing, soulful voice and original song writing, giving her a contemporary and original sound, with soul, blues, and jazz influences. Debbie’s collaboration with British born keyboard and harmonica player “Radiator” Rick has added a swampy New Orleans edge to her sound. Debbie is a blues activist and founder of the award-winning Alabama Blues Project, a non-profit dedicated to promoting and preserving the state’s blues heritage. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including a “Keeping the Blues Alive Award” from the Blues Foundation, and a prestigious “Coming Up Taller Award” for her blues education work with the Alabama Blues Project. She has been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame as a “Blues Achiever” and the national Blues Hall of Fame as a “Great Blues Artist”. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this fine release.

Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones – Here to Tell The Tale (Sower): “Winner of the 2017 Ameripolitan Music Award for Best Rockabilly Female, and named the “Best Up-and-Coming Band” by Hudson Valley Magazine, Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones are NY’s premier Rockabilly, Roots Rock n’ Roll, Rhythm & Blues outfit.” (https://larahope.bandcamp.com/album/here-to-tell-the-tale) “Winner of the 2017 Ameripolitan Music Award for Best Female Rockabilly Artist, and named the “Best Up-And-Coming Band” by New York’s Hudson Valley Magazine, Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones are the Northeast’s premier Roots Rock n’ Roll & Rockabilly Twang outfit! The Ark-Tones released their 2nd full length album, Love You to Life in 2017, and they have been hitting the road hard, spreading the gospel of American music wherever they go. They’ve spent much of the past few years on the road, both in Europe, and in the US, and had the pleasure of touring with some of their musical heroes, including a 6 week national tour with The Brian Setzer Orchestra, and regional tours with The Blasters, and the Reverend Horton Heat. The band has also had the privilege of supporting some of the greats, including Joan Jett, Tiger Army, Gary US Bonds, Dale Watson, Big Sandy, Wayne Hancock, The 5678’s, Jay Leno, and America, and has performed at at a variety of national festivals….  Describing their sound, Hope explained “I would say we are a new take on an old sound. It’s been described as ‘pan-americana’ which means we use many areas of early rock and roots music as a creative launchpad. Where it goes from there is anyone’s guess, because while we appreciate old music, we don’t want to write songs that have already been written…. Born from a hybrid of Lara’s former band The Champtones, and upright bassist Matt’s international psychobilly act, The Arkhams, The Ark-Tones hit the ground running in 2012 and haven’t slowed down since. Lara and Matt can also be found as the country/western entertainers at the one of longest running family resorts in New York, the Rocking Horse Ranch, performing under the name Lara and the Hope’Alongs.The band is also known for their visually arresting videos – “Whiskey Pick” (from their debut album) and “I’m the One” (re-recorded for the new album) were official selections in the 2014 and 2016 Woodstock Film Festival. This appears to be her sixth release. Click here to listen to the songs on this release. 

Gerald McClendon – Let’s Have A Party (Delta Roots): “Chicago soul singer Gerald McClendon, the “Soul Keeper,” makes a quick return from 2020’s Can’t Nobody Stop Me Now, a major statement, which he now quickly follows with Let’s Have a Party. McClendon first got a lift from 2019’s Delta Roots release, Battle of the Blues: Chicago vs. Oakland, an album that revealed city favorites that didn’t have much national exposure. While McClendon had appeared on other projects and compilations, until then his last album under his own name was 1999’s Choose Love.  McClendon is one of the few real soul singers left although we’ve seen a slight resurgence of the genre lately with releases from artists such as Sonny Green, Robert Finley, and the late Wee Willie Walker, to name a few. Soul music gets in your blood and is the kind of ‘feel good’ music that these times desperately need. Maybe that plays into this recent wave as well. McClendon has a voice with tremendous range that draws instant comparisons to other great singers. His smooth style evokes Ben E. King and Marvin Gaye. He doesn’t have the gritty rough voice of his mentor Z.Z. Hill, or quite as much fire as Wilson Pickett or Otis Redding but he’s in the same conversation. McClendon is a master storyteller and provocateur, who will entice and entertain with both typically salacious material like Hill and the conventional love and R&B dance tunes, all of which appear again on this effort. McClendon, smart enough to not mess with a winning formula, again teamed up with the renowned producer, drummer, and songwriter Twist Turner (worked with 40 Grammy winners) to record at Delta Roots Sound Studios in the heart of Chicago. The duo employed a team of elite session men that included Johnny B. Gayden, Art Love, Dave Forte, and Harlan Terson on bass, four guitarists – Melvin Taylor, Rico McFarland, Rusty Zinn, and Joe Burba, and four keyboardists, Jim Pugh, Tony Llorens, Sumito Aryioshi and Brian James, along with Skinny Williams and John “Boom” Brumbach on saxophone, and the Delta Roots horns. Turner did string arrangements on two tracks and played drums throughout, having penned all dozen songs…. McClendon opens with a cry for resilience in “Keep On Keepin’ On” punctuated by Skinny Williams’ saxophone. He then delivers a series of well-worn phrases in the shuffle “If It Ain’t the Blues.”…The album centerpiece is “Pack Your Bags and Go,” the typical story rendered in a romantic slow dance mode with lyrics that are anything but because the man has found his lover cheating…. “You Got To Be Strong” reflects the album theme of resilience… Rico McFarland’s stinging guitar introduces the slow burning blues of the Fenton Robinson-like “Throw This Dog a Bone” and returns in similar fashion for another slow burner, “I Just Can’t Help Myself,” As this writer commented on McClendon’s previous release, you will indeed be transported back to the golden era of soul music but this one offers a more balanced mix of soul and blues as Turner calls on A-list musicians who live and breathe this music. There’s nothing here that you haven’t heard before but pairing these masters with one of best singers alive, proves to be an infectious winner once again. Jim Hynes”  (https://www.makingascene.org/gerald-mcclendon-lets-have-a-party/) Just to back it up as well: this is a certified Professor Bebop “Wax Devoid of Cracks”! Click here and scroll way down to listen to samples of all of the songs on this disc.

Adam Schultz – Soulful Distancing (Blue Heart): “Born and raised in New York City, Adam Schultz is a jazz and blues guitarist, fusing the two genres in his own unique style. Growing up in the Big Apple has exposed Adam to some incredible teachers. As an avid participant in his high school music program, Adam was nurtured by the same four music teachers for over six years. He took two weekly guitar lessons and participated in the Avenues Jazz Band. By the time Schultz was 14, he was playing onstage with prominent musicians. Clarence Spady, an award winning blues musician, took him under his wing and let Schultz guest at his regular Terra Blues gigs in New York City…. Adam says, “I’m thrilled to join the Blue Heart Records family and can’t thank Clarence Spady enough for mentoring me over the past few years. Without him, none of this would of have been possible…. The Roots Music Report writes, “…the NYC-born guitarist displays a wise-beyond-his-years knack on his axe and equal sophistication as a songwriter…shows convincing signs that he could be a formidable presence in the contemporary blues scene before much more time passes.” (https://www.adamschultzmusic.com/biography) I confess I looked to the credits constantly to see when Schultz was playing or Spady who is on six songs had taken over! Check it out! Click here for the opening song, a Johnny Watson original, “A Real Mother For Ya” with Schultz and Spady playing.

Quinn Sullivan – Wide Awake (Provogue): “A rare artist who’s always sounded older than his years, Sullivan has been touring the world since he was 11-years-old, playing storied venues such as Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl and RFK Stadium in Washington D.C., as well as India’s Mahindra Blues Festival, Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, and three Montreux Jazz Festivals. Quinn has shared the stage with his hero and mentor Buddy Guy, as well as Carlos Santana on several occasions….” (https://quinnsullivanmusic.com/about-quinn-sullivan/) Producer Oliver Leiber and Sullivan composed most of the songs with four songs co-produced with extra assistance. This is Sullivan’s second release. Solid vocals and guitar. Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop