NOVEMBER 2004 PLAY LIST

1). Jess Roden & The Humans "Live at the Robin" Mystic Records
mysticrecords.co.uk

Jess Roden was always one of the UK's most underrated and enduring white boy soul singers. And as this album suggests, neither his audience nor his muse has ever deserted him.

Together with a stellar line-up including one time Atomic Rooster/ bass man Nic Graham and Rod Stewart/Strider guitarist Gary Granger, plus his Granger's guitar protégé, Bill Burke, the Humans push Jess to the limit.

Recorded in 1996 in front of a sell out crowd near his Wolverhampton roots, Jess & The Humans prove that not only did they still have a cutting edge, but that the band's song-writing prowess matched the on stage sparks. The opening brace of self penned rockers "When I Call You Name" and the stage favourite "So Fine, So Young" set the standard, while the grungy "Before I Hurt Myself" is a show stopper. In between there's some sultry impassioned soul with Joe Tex's "You'd Better Believe It" and a fine improvised version of Willie Dixon's "I Live The Life I Love".

The album's climactic closing number is a full blown cover of Neil Young's Grungy "Rockin' in The Free World", which is a timely nod to the man whose influence pervades much of this impressive live set.

Here are some clips from Live At The Robin:	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
So Fine, So Young
I Live The Life I Love

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2). Roger Chapman & The Shortlist "Mail Order Magic" Mystic Records
mysticrecords.co.uk

“Mail Order Magic” was Roger Chapman's third solo album but his first comprising but his own songs along with valuable input from guitarist Geoff Whitehorn and former fellow Family member Poli Palmer.

24 years on from its original release, the album still sounds, fresh, quirky and includes a couple of Roger's biggest songs and a few of his stage favourites;

This album continues to leave the riffs in your head and the choruses on the tip of your tongue after the final notes die down. A great return to form by the new line-up.

What's in a brand name? Well in the case of Ten Years After, like several other enduring American rock bands such as The Allman Brothers, and closer to home The Man band, it's a case of new wine in old bottles and a passport to getting their new music noticed and played.

"Now" is an excellent album and in young Joe Gooch, Ric Lee and his pals have found the perfect catalyst to relaunch the band into the contemporary rock market.

The first thing to say is that "Now" is as contemporary as it could have been. Joe's scintillating guitar lines from the Steve Vai style workouts on the eastern flavoured "A Hundred Miles High" - complete with its echoes of the Beatles - to the powerful riffs on the album's stand out track, "Time To Kill" are beautifully integrated into the bands overall schema. Chick Churchill adds some lovely keyboard parts and the ensemble rock out stylishly

This album takes the exploratory rocking blues history of the band and adds a powerful vocalist, guitarist, who has become an integral part of the song writing process. Such is the success of the new line-up that the whole set sounds fresh, new and contemporary.

"When It All Comes Down", the opening cut is an impressive mix of keyboard and guitar parts, while the self explanatory titled "King Of The Blues" is a stomping boogie, full of rolling piano and a band in full flow.

Leo Lyons and Ric Lee belt out a succession of tough but intuitive grooves that underpin some excellent songs, notably "Time To Kill", but the band as a whole impress with some fine material and even a possible single in the Nickleback sounding "I'll Make It Easy For You". "Long Time Running" is an almost Southern rock sounding piece complete with slide and wah wah guitar parts and Leo's insistent bass lines. Ric Lee's adds crashing cymbals, and the track will surely appeal to the American market. The closing hypnotic grooves of "Changes" confirm that this album is one of the bands best efforts, complete with a new guitar hero in the ranks.

Here are some audio clips from Now:	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
Time To Kill
I'll Make It Easy For You
Long Time Running

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4). Stan Webb's Chicken Shack "Still Live After All These Years" Mystic Records
stanwebb.cjb.net

After nearly 4 decades of touring and 37 or so years of fronting Chicken Shack, Stan Webb has produced the kind of live album that will please all his die-hard fans and guitar fans to boot.

Stan is playing the core of this set as part of his current excellent UK tour with messrs Taylor and Mayall, and hopefully you will have picked up a copy at one of the gigs.

Recorded last year in Paderborn, Germany, "Still Live" breaks little new ground in terms of songs, but rather reaffirms Stan as a unique sounding guitarist (a kind of psychedelic blues tone) who is singing as well as at any time in his career. Then there is the presence of the "Shadow" horns" whose presence make sure Stan plays to his potential.

Long time fans will recognise enduring favourites such as "Night Life", the B side of the original hit single "I'd Rather Go Blind", which is also included here. There's also a splendid version of "Doctor Brown" and ("You Are) The Sweetest Little Thing", on which Stan adds some awesome psychedelic blues licks, that set him apart from his contemporaries. He adds some heavy-duty slide guitar in between near prefect horn parts on another tour de force, "The Chicken Shack Opera". The latter has been a Stan staple for years, but this is easily the best recorded version.

With a mix of shuffles, rocking blues and the occasional original arrangement (as on The Beatles "Saw Her Standing There") Stan Webb finally delivers the kind of album that together with his stage antics, have made him near legendary.

Here are some clips from Still Live After All These Years :	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
(You Are) The Sweetest Little Thing
The Chicken Shack Opera
(Oh Please) Doctor Brown

 

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5). James & Lucky Peterson "If You Can't Fix It '" JSP Records
bluescities.net/lucky_peterson.html

While guitarist/organ playing vocalist Lucky has carved a niche for himself in Europe, his blues vocalising father is probably less known than his son.

Apparently the two have worked together on and off since the late 60's when Lucky was the tender age of five! Either way, the pairing is a master stroke, as good player that he is Lucky is not blessed with the world's greatest vocal style... His dad on the other hand has a rough edged soulful blues voice that comes to the fore on the title track as well as on the caustic "Cripple Man" and the heartfelt "Too Young To Die".

Ironically the album's one instrumental "Get Down" is just about the stand out track, beng driven by an insistent bass line from Mike Nunno, with Lucky adding both telling organ and guitar parts.

A fine album then, that is an excellent showcase for a father and son team that works superbly well.

Here are some clips from If You Can't Fix It :	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
If You Can't Fix It
Get Down

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6) The Blues Matters Sampler Vol 1 Blues Matters Records
bluesmatters.com

There's a feeling that without a really big name Alan Pearce's Blues Matters label is destined to be a peripheral outfit in the UK. This album alone kicks that supposition well into touch. Firstly the bands to be found on this compilation from Scotland's Lights Out By Nine, and guitar star Danny Bryant to Southampton's Reconsider are the bread and butter of today's UK blues scene. And while better known names continue to pack the bigger clubs, some of the bands on this album suggest there's a posse on their trail.

Danny Bryant for example crosses over into FM rock ballad territory with the hugely impressive "Always With Me", while Lights Out offer that rare thing, some interesting lyrics as part of their blues oeuvre. Dr Ika meanwhile delivers possibly the most authentic blues of the bunch with a swampy dobro laden "My Train Go".
But above all the beauty of a collection like this is that is gives the uncommitted listener a chance to make up their own mind. And with such a wide range of material there's plenty to tickle anyone's fancy. Above all the album dispels the myth that blues in UK died years ago. It didn't and here's the proof!

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7) Dennis Rollins Bad Bone & Co "Bad Bone " JJT Records
dennisrollins.com

This Rollins project made its debut in March 2004 at the Barbican, but with this album Dennis Rollins' band has come of age. Not that this excellently worked slice of funk, hip jazz grooves are anything new. From the opening dance friendly "Shake it Down" to the following post trip hop grooves of "The Funky Funk", we are in a post Herbie Hancock groove, but none the worse for that.

The former Jazz Warriors man has also been compared to the trombone led funk and jazz of Fred Wesley, but this is akin to comparing a Rock Blues guitarist with the giants in their field. Dennis is simply seeking out his own funky grooves as on the 'bone/organ piece "Where It's At" and the commercial groove of "Wild& Free". Had he been a sax player the name Grover Washington would come to mind, but Dennis is a trombonist and as this album classily demonstrates he is working a funky jazz crossover for the current age.

Here are some clips from BadBone:	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
The Funky Funk
Where It's At

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8) The Tubes "White Punks On Dope" Spectrum Records
thetubes.com

Seems to be a bit of a retro presence in this months play list, but this was simply a case of impulse buying - saw the cd and just snapped it up The Fee Waybill led Tubes were the band that went from the rock & roll end of Zappa style parody to almost becoming a parody themselves, as they abandoned their critical edge for more mainstream goals.
On a happier note this 18 track retrospective nails down their best early career recorded moments. Once you overcome the synth barrage of "Getoverture" you are into a mix of satire, parody and great music. From the Phil Spector style "Don't Touch Me There" and the unrelenting consumer parody "What Do You Want From Life" to the full punk LA lifestyle put down of the title track, this was ground breaking stuff. Taken together with a the high production "No Way Out", "Turn me On" and "Prime Time", the Tubes demonstrate how they could shift from outrageous OTT satire to great rocking in a flash. Listen to the live cut of their Punk rendition of "Saw Her Standing There", and you will probably want to catch their forthcoming reunion gigs in London.

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9). Phil Brown & The Apaches From Paris "Cruel Inventions" Dixie Frog Records
bluesweb.com

A bit of a slow burner this one as Californian guitarist Phil Brown is all about deep guitar tones, a bluesy groove and a dark voice that he uses effectively with some deliberate vocal phrasing. Sometimes his guitar sounds like Jeff Beck as on "Grind Me", while at other times he employs some Hendrix guitar lines as on the mixed back guitar lines of "Hour To Kill", and more obviously on Jimi's "If 6 Was 9".
On "Diva" his guitar lines float above a wash of keys in surreal fashion, while on the title track he whispers out his vocals in a sensuous manner before slipping once more into an almost psychedelic groove, complete with a "Low" style Bowie vocal line. As I said this is a slow burner but on the fourth play it all made sense!

Here are some clips from Cruel Inventions:	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
Grind Me
Hour To Kill

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10). Phil Dearing & Blue Train "Drive Coffin Fast" Wastefull Music
bluetrain.biz

Even after some cursory research I don't know much about Phil Dearing, but what is clear from this album is that aside from being a fine player with an augmented band for this recording, he is an accomplished song writer with a fine debut album.

The instrumental opener "Where's The Tin" eases you in gently and the following impressive "Platform Five" is a lyrical working day slice of the blues. Phil's vocals are the right side of passable but strong enough to bring a fine collection of songs to life. "Feel The Love In Me" is the first of a number of big band arrangements with a full blown horn section, of which "Half The Time" is the most impressive.

There's also a guitar/piano led smokin' blues "St James" and a slow burning atmospheric blues "Southside", which again is nicely padded out by horns, and draws its lyrical content from London life observations. The penultimate acoustic rocker "Do Nothing" also features some ripping piano from Luke Howard one of several musical accomplished guests on an album well worth exploring.

Here are some clips from Drive Coffin Fast:	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
Half The Time
Southside

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