Hamilton Loomis - Basics

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 74:02
Size: 169,6 MB
Label: Ham-Bone Records
Styles: Blues/Funky Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Sugar Baby -  4:42
 2. If I Would've -  4:45
 3. Candles and Wine -  5:35
 4. Reason -  3:57
 5. Ain't What It Ain't -  5:14
 6. Breaking Down -  4:54
 7. Looking Into a Dream -  5:22
 8. Getting So Big -  4:57
 9. Cloudy Day -  5:59
10. Come and Get Me -  7:00
11. Love Can Do -  5:23
12. Prayer -  4:58
13. Funky Little Brother - 11:12

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Basics, from Hamilton Loomis and it's really great! Opening with blues rocker, Sugar Baby, bassist, Sabrina LaField also takes the mic. With just a bit of swish in the tail this is a snappy rocker with Loomis on harp and lead guitar joined by Armando Aussenac on drums. Getting into a super funky groove, If I Would've, Loomis is back up front on vocal, guitar and harp creating a purely infectious track. His electrifying guitar riffs and bass lines are tight. Super! With an easy sway, Candles and Wine has just the right feel featuring tasty guitar riffs and cool vocal backing by Aussenac, Fabian Hernandez and Chris Eger. Ain't What It Ain't is a solid rocker with cool vocal blending but what really sets this track apart is super harp and hot slide riffs from Eger. Bluesy ballad, Breaking Down, is pure Loomis and it's a thread that you can trace from release to release. Rich composition, super vocals and warm interwoven instrumentation with Loomis' certain hand on guitar soloing makes this one strong track. a really hot sax solo by Fabian Hernandez bouncing back and forth with Loomis on lead guitar coupled with strong vocals makes Looking Into a Dream another of the top tracks on the release. Funky, Cloudy Day has really nicely arranged instrumentation, punchy sax work, great rhythm and vocals. Another super Loomis creation.  Quiet ballad, Prayer, has strong R&B bones, featuring Loomis' beautiful lead vocals with rich backing vocals and a slick melodic guitar solo. Very nice. Wrapping the release is Funky Little Brother with Sarah Kimberly on keys and trumpet, Reagan Kimberly on drums, Austin Morris on guitar and Daniel Holder on bass with Loomis on lead vocal and guitar and Alex Mckown, Zach Person and Michael Bryan-Harris on guitars. Almost getting into Sly world, this is a great funky rocker and a super closer for a super release. Excellent!

Basics

Albert Castiglia - Up All Night

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 45:00
Size: 105,8 MB
Label: Ruf Records
Styles: Blues/Blues Rock
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Hoodoo on Me - 3:34
 2. I Been Up All Night - 5:27
 3. Three Legged Dog - 3:01
 4. 95 South - 3:54
 5. Knocked Down Loaded - 3:39
 6. Quit Your Bitching - 4:58
 7. Woman Don't Lie - 4:29
 8. Unhappy House of Blues - 5:44
 9. Delilah - 2:54
10. Chase Her Around the House - 3:53
11. You Got Me to That Place - 3:23

2017 release. Up All Night. It's an apt title for Albert Castiglia's seventh album: nobody sleeps when this man is in town. After 27 years of house-rocking studio albums and smack-in-the-mouth live shows, the Florida bandleader is the acknowledged master of red-raw, sweat-and-hair blues that gives it to you straight. Now, the visceral riffs and bruised soul of Up All Night make everything else sound like a lullaby. Up All Night finds Castiglia in a creative swagger after last year's acclaimed Big Dog. What wasn't broke then hasn't been fixed now, with the bluesman once again recording at Dockside Studios, Louisiana, and capturing a warts-and-all mix alongside producer Mike Zito.

Up All Night

Paul Lamb & the Detroit Breakdown - Fly In4mation

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 35:34
Size: 83,3 MB
Label: EE Records
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Fear Free (feat. Eric Gales) - 5:32
 2. Drinkin' rain - 3:41
 3. And a Little Bit More (I Want It All) - 3:56
 4. Shape to Shadow - 5:14
 5. Brotherhoos of the Misunderstood - 4:56
 6. One More Shot - 3:09
 7. My Name (feat. Joanne Shaw Taylor) - 3:38
 8. Living Words - 5:24

Detroit. Few words draw up such emotion and imagery as that one word sentence. It’s really a novel on its own, and it says more about music than most books ever could. One of the things most people forget in this modern era of music is the deep root of blues that comes from Detroit. One man who hasn’t is Paul Lamb and his band The Detroit Breakdown.
Paul grew up in Detroit, listening to a mix of great rock radio like Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton and drew from other outside influences like Hendrix and Stevie Ray as he began to play guitar. After travelling the country seeking out his musical soul and playing with the best of the best, Paul has finally found what he was looking for right here at home.
Listening to Paul Lamb and the Detroit Breakdown is a musical time capsule. It will take you through the drive and riffs of the 70’s, but also has the modern pulse that comes from recording at the legendary Rust Belt Studios(Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker) that keeps it all fresh. He’s not rehashing a memory, he’s brought this music to life.
After extensively touring Europe, highlighted by appearances at Glastonbury and touring with Walter Trout, Peter Green and many others, Paul and the Detroit Breakdown are bringing their music back home, similar to the path Hendrix followed. It all comes back around, much like it does with music and Detroit. Paul carries the torch as well as any native from this great city could ever do.

Fly In4mation

Greg Izor and Marco Pamdolfi - Homemade Wine

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 31:16
Size: 72,0 MB
Label: Blue Janus Music / Tangle Eye
Styles: Blues/Louisiana Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Alabama - 3:52
 2. Don't Get Me Wrong - 3:07
 3. Come on Mary - 2:16
 4. Nothing Can Go Wrong - 3:46
 5. Sarah Jane - 3:15
 6. Morning Train - 2:44
 7. Your Goose Is Cooked - 2:11
 8. Keep it All - 2:36
 9. Scarred and Torn - 3:50
10. Blue Dawn - 3:34

Two masters of blues harmonica have come together to create a batch of original material spanning from traditional blues to R&B. Recorded live, the natural chemistry led to a special album pushing blues forward. A must for any harmonica or blues fan!
Greg Izor and Marco Pandolfi are two masters who came together to record an album to document what they are doing now and their unique chemistry. The album, Homemade Wine, captures their friendship and common roots in harmonica-based-blues, New Orleans R&B, and folk music. 10 original songs penned by Izor and Pandolfi represent a direct link from classic blues to the future, all steeped in the tradition. Izor and Pandolfi were fans of each others' work before meeting. When they first met and played together, they started making plans to record together. It took a few years, but the final product is a labor of love. Recorded live at Homefront Studios in Austin, TX, over the course of three days, and produced by frequent collaborator Josh Fulero, the album was recorded and mixed completely analog, to capture the natural tones and sound the two made together.
Greg Izor came up with a backround in Jazz, Country, Blues, and Folk music. Moving to New Orleans as a teenager, he spent time with his mentor Johnny Sansone, eventually playing in a group Sansone created to encourage young musicians, the King Brisket Boys. He also became steeped in the city's R&B history. Moving to Austin, Izor has been at the forefront of the young lions and new crop of blues musicians, creating a community to push the music forward while staying in the tradition. He helped form the collective Peacemakers, with Mike and Corey Keller, Johnny Bradley, and Willie Pipkin. The musicians he has played with read like a laundry list of heroes: Gatemouth Brown, Eddie Bo, Marcia Ball, Derek O'Brien, Pinetop Perkins, Guitar Shorty, Eddie C. Campbell, Lazy Lester, Paul Oscher, Jerry Portnoy, and Gary Clark Jr.
Marco Pandolfi is widely respected as Italy's finest bluesman. Marco Pandolfi’s presence on the Italian Blues scene goes back more than twenty years. He has been playing in the most important events on the peninsula, winning the respect of the greatest Blues Musicians in Italy and abroad. His performances and his recordings have been reviewed by the most authoritative magazines such as: Il Blues, Blues Revue, Soul Bag, Blues Britain Magazine...). His music is played on radio programs around the world (B.B. King’s Bluesville-XM radio USA, King Biscuit Time-Helena AK, WWOZ New Orleans, WEFT Radio-Champaign, Illinois and more). Twice at the INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE in Memphis, TN (USA): in 2006 with his band Marco Pandolfi & the Jacknives (representing Roots and Blues Association of Parma) and in 2011 in the category solo/duo (representing MOJO STATION, Roma). Pandolfi has performed with some of the most famous Bluesmen worldwide, such as Richard Ray Farrell, Paul Oscher, Bob Margolin, Harvey Brooks, Preston Hubbard, Bob Corritore, Willie King, Tom Walbank, David Lee Durham, Paul Cox, King Edward, Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry, Mickey Rogers, among others.
Marco has also played in Europe and the United States in a variety of clubs, such as : The Rhythm Room, Phoenix AZ; Groundzero, Clarksdale MS and BB’s in Saint Louis MO, and has participated in important International Blues Festival: Freedom Creek Blues Festival-Alabama; Rosedale Blues Festival-Mississippi; DeltaBlues, Narcao Blues -Italy; Rapperswil, St. Gallen, Blues To Bop-Switzerland; Darlington Blues Festival-UK...). In 2008 He was the only European musician invited to the third Delta Groove All Star Blues Revue held at the Groundzero in Clarksdale, Mississippi and the special guest at the 2nd Rocky Mountain Harp Blowdown in Denver, Colorado (the previous year was the turn of Billy Branch and the following was R.J. Mischo). He was the international guest at the Way Of Blues Revue in Jackson, Mississippi. On February 2011, after an outstanding world-wide tour as Blues Harmonica solo player, Pandolfi returned to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in the category solo/duo representing Mojo Station (Rome, Italy) surprising the Beale Street IBC goers with a stunning guitar, harmonica and voice repertoire in the purest Spirit of Low-Down Blues.

Homemade Wine

The Gordon Meier Blues Experience - Magic Kingdom

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 54:53
Size: 126,1 MB
Label: Eigen Beheer
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Howlin' For My Darlin' - 6:13
 2. Stop Draggin' That Chain Around - 3:57
 3. Buddy Buddy Friends - 5:50
 4. Just Keep Ridin' - 4:36
 5. In The Open - 4:55
 6. Red Headed Woman - 4:11
 7. Gold Tail Bird - 4:13
 8. Signifyin' Monkey - 2:59
 9. She Belongs To Me - 2:21
10. Someday Baby - 4:53
11. Gypsy Woman - 5:50
12. The Stumble - 4:49

Bij het horen van de naam van deze voor mij onbekende band verwachtte ik eigenlijk een Duitse of Oostenrijkse band. Dat is dus niet zo want zanger en gitarist Gordon Meier komt uit Western New Jersey, USA. Hij is al geruime tijd bezig in het blueswereldje. Zo speelde hij ruim 25 jaar in de band the Midnight Street Shakers.
Nu is er dus een cd met zijn eigen Blues Experience, bestaande uit bassist Mark Freidman en drummer Lester Veith. Zij worden op de cd nog bijgestaan door de gasten Dennis Gruenling op harmonica, Joe Taino op de slidegitaar en organist Tom Hammer.
Soms kan een cd een leuk aandenken zijn aan een concert van een artiest of band. Dat is ook precies wat ik dacht bij het beluisteren van dit album. Lekkere, ongecompliceerde blues waarvan de nummers het vooral live goed zullen doen.
Er staan twee eigen nummers op dit album. De midtempo boogie Just Keep Ridin’ met prima slide gitaar en het licht funky Someday Baby, dat opgesierd wordt door prima harmonicawerk van Dennis Gruenling.
De rest van de nummers bestaat geheel uit covers. Howlin’ For My Darlin’ is van Howlin’ Wolf en Willie Dixon. In de uitvoering van Meier klinkt het alsof dit nummer door John Lee Hooker gezongen wordt. Dit komt met name door zijn rauwe, rokerige stem. Meier is ook lekker op dreef met priemend gitaarwerk.
John Primer’s Stop Draggin’ That Chain Around zal het zeker goed doen tijdens optredens. Deze shuffle heeft een erg meebrulbaar refrein. De cover van Freddie King’s In The Open valt mij wat tegen. In plaats van een spetterende gitaar cover krijgen we een ietwat tamme soulblues uitvoering. Gelukkig tilt Meier’s gitaarspel het niveau enigszins omhoog. Red Headed Woman van The Hollywood Fats Band (en ook bekend door Canned Heat) krijgt een lekkere laidback jazzy versie met Duke Robillard-achtig gitaarwerk. De slowblues Gold Tail Bird, van Jimmie Rogers, klinkt met name door het prima spel van Meier uit de kunst.
Heel apart is de cover van Johnny Otis’ Signifyin’ Monkey. Een prima funky groover met een humoristische porno tekst. De cover van het Muddy Waters nummer Gypsy Woman klinkt lekker authentiek. Prima rauwe Chicago blues.
Als afsluiter komt er nog een Freddie King cover voorbij. Het overbekende The Stumble krijgt door het warme orgel een lekker swingend soul jasje aangemeten.
Hier moeten we niet moeilijk over doen. Dit is een lekkere blues cd, die doet uitkijken naar de live verrichtingen van deze band.

Magic Kingdom

Jimmie Vaughan Trio & Mike Flanigin - Live At C-Boy's

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 36:04
Size: 83,3 MB
Label: Proper Records
Styles: Blues/Jazzy Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. You Can't Sit Down - 3:00
 2. Hey! Baby - 4:01
 3. Can't Buy Me Love - 2:57
 4. Saint James Infirmary - 4:34
 5. Come on Rock Little Girl - 4:17
 6. Dirty Work at the Crossroads - 4:53
 7. Frame for the Blues - 5:50
 8. Cleo's Mood - 6:28

When Jimmie Vaughan isn’t out fronting his big “Tilt-A-Whirl” band, there’s nothing he likes more than grooving in this fine trio at C-Boy’s Heart and Soul in his hometown of Austin, Texas.
These very cool recordings – oozing with the late-night club atmosphere of Steve Wertheimer’s gem on South Congress Avenue – perfectly capture Mike Flanigin’s mastery of the mighty Hammond B3 and Frosty Smith’s attentive drumming which form the bedrock for Jimmie to lay down some of that trademark peckin’ guitar.
Jimmie Vaughan’s style as a player, songwriter and bandleader can be thought of as an amalgamation of so many influences. Known for his deceptively simple yet complex attack, his clean, uncluttered style capitalizes on conveying the emotion and message within the music, He utilizes raw emotion, simplicity, and an elegance that is powerful and accessible, yet communicates exactly what he feels inside. It’s an approach that has earned him the respect of many of the greats of contemporary music, and guest appearances on such albums as B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Riding With The King, Bob Dylan’s Under The Red Sky, Willie Nelson’s Milk Cow Blues, Carlos Santana’s Havana Moon and Don Henley’s Inside Job.

Live At C-Boy's

The Gaddabouts - The Gaddabouts

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2011
Time: 41:36
Size: 95,8 MB
Label: RacecarLotta Records
Styles: Folk Rock
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Never So Far Away - 3:24
 2. Let It Slide - 4:08
 3. Remind Me - 3:05
 4. My Heart - 5:07
 5. They Say Everything - 2:39
 6. Gonna Hold on - 3:23
 7. Mad Dog - 3:00
 8. Good Day - 2:26
 9. Good for Me - 4:25
10. More Than Anybody - 4:37
11. Feelin' Better - 5:16

Musicians:
Edie Brickell – vocals, guitar;
Andy Fairweather Low – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar;
Pino Palladino – bass, guitar;
Steve Gadd – drums, percussion.
Additional musicians:
Joey DeFrancesco – piano, organ, Rhodes piano, melodica, trumpet
Gil Goldstein – accordion, Hammond B3 organ
Ronnie Cuber – baritone saxophone
Marcus Rojas – tuba
Luisito Quintero – congas
Dan Block – clarinet

A New York supergroup of sorts, the Gaddabouts is fronted by singer/songwriter Edie Brickell, anchored by drummer Steve Gadd, and featuring guitarist Andy Fairweather-Low and bassist Pino Palladino. Their eponymous 2011 debut -- released just a week after Brickell's self-titled 2011 album -- is in comfortable territory for the group’s singer/songwriter, filled with the kind of rangy, loping folk-rock that turned her into a star back in 1988, but it also has an element of serious cabaret swing and torch song, plus a bit of blues, the group so dexterous they slide into these old-timey threads without causing a ripple. The songs are all sturdy enough, but the appeal of The Gaddabouts is that relaxed, seasoned professionalism: the band has considerable chops but they never flaunt their skill, they lay back into the groove and it’s hard not to find their easy sway ingratiating.
The Gaddabouts

Sula Bassana - The Night

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2009
Time: 51:41
Size: 118,4 MB
Label: Sulatron Records
Styles: Progressive Rock/Psychedelic/Space Rock
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. In Space -  5:54
 2. Lost In Space -  6:50
 3. The Night - 15:29
 4. Meteorritt -  7:07
 5. Kosmokrator - 16:18

Musicians:
Dave Schmidt - vocals (2,5), guitars, basses, synths (Korg, Moog, Roland), Mellotron, organ, drums, gong, computer, producer;
With:
Stefan Koglek - vocals (3).

Another reissue from the the fevered brow of Dave Schmidt aka the hardest working man in music. 'The Night' was first released in 2009 on vinyl on Norway's Pancromatic Records and the 500 copies soon sold out, likewise a 300 copy repress in 2013 (on top of this, 1000 CD versions also sold out). Now Sulatron Records have released another CD edition....and those who missed out first (and second) time round, or have yet to experience 'The Night' would be well advised to take advantage and get it...now...before it sells out again!
Sula played everything on the album....everything, which is, and I quote from his website "Gibson SG; Fender Strat, Fender and Elvis basses; Roland, Moog and Korg synthesizers; Mellotron; organ; Trixon drums; computer; gong and other little stuff...". The only outside help came in the shape of Stefan Koglek of stoner / psychedelic group Colour Haze, who contributes vocals to 'The Night - part 2', mastering duties yet again fall to soundsmith EROC and the artwork is by german Sci-Fi artist Frank Lewecke.
The album itself is pure spacerock, with occasional nods to krautrock and psychedelia and, as with with all of Sula Bassana's output, the quality is exceptional, and even within the seemingly narrow label of spacerock, there is plenty of variety to keep the listener hooked. Opener 'In Space' starts with an ominous rumble followed by some synths straight out of a John Carpenter film and then the track turns into what sounds like space-lounge (and I mean that in a good way!)- it has a real Shadowsy / sixties spy film vibe about it, albeit with some fantastic spacey effects, an infectious beat and rumbling bass - an intriguing way to introduce the album. 'Lost In Space' is pure spacerock...some eastern melodies permeate the chugging motorik grooves and the cosmic electronica with some groovy mellotron added for good measure. 'The Night' is the centrepiece of the album - a fifteen minute opus split into four parts. After an atmospheric, even eerie, start the vocals of Stefan Koglek join over some workman-like guitars. It has a really 'classy' feel about it and at times you think it would fit nicely onto the B-side of Bowie's 'Diamond Dogs' such is the atmosphere it creates. The gradual build continues - some lovely psych guitarwork kicks in and the tempo is cranked up, and then it comes full circle and evolves into a gentle, hazy number reminiscent of early Floyd. 'Meteorritt' starts with some harsh guitar chords before becoming a more straightforward spacerock workout - probably the most 'Hawkwind' sounding track on the album....and that's no bad thing. 'Kosmokrator' is another lengthy track at just over sixteen minutes and is where Sula really lets his space wings stretch, like a huge cosmic eagle. There are some fab freakouts over more hypnotic motorik rhythms interspersed with periods of calm with undercurrents of spacey synths (and it climaxes with a huge gong strike!). It is simultaneously comfortable and familiar and yet sounds incredibly fresh.....this is how good spacerock should sound (I was talking to a mate the other day who was unfamiliar with the whole concept...had never even heard of Hawkwind!...and I played this track as a benchmark).
It is no surprise that the former editions of 'The Night' sold out...anyone who likes spacerock / krautrock NEEDS to have this album so get yourself over to Sulatron Records and grab it while you still can, I don't imagine it will hanging around. This is a work of supreme musicianship and craft that hits all the buttons.

The Night

Alkozaur - Fatal System Error

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 56:36
Size: 130,0 MB
Label: Musea Parallele
Styles: Progressive Rock/Neo-Prog
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Mind - 3:04
 2. White Room - 5:48
 3. Alone - 5:50
 4. No End Of The World - 5:55
 5. Dune - 4:45
 6. Dead In The Air - 7:47
 7. Quiet Sunday - 5:06
 8. Lakota - 5:40
 9. Defeat - 3:07
10. Here I Am - 6:32
11. Remind - 1:12
12. Fatal System Error - 1:43

ALKOZAUR is a French Progressive rock band, influenced by GENESIS, KING CRIMSON, PINK FLOYD, or more recently PORCUPINE TREE. The first album "Serum Of Life" (Musea Parallele, 2011) displays atmospheric, precise and unusual compositions. Here's a subtle and energetic album, with rhythms sometimes surprising, born after several years of maturation and passion. Six years after, ALKOZAUR is at it again with "Fatal System Error" (Musea Parallele, 2017). This new piece of work gives a warm energy and an original colour, the bass here taking as much importance as the guitars. The emotion of the voices and melodies, the originality and percussion of the rhythms, the sequence of themes are some of the many assets of this second album, which confirms the great talent of the group. To be discovered !

Fatal System Error

Los Deltonos - Los Deltonos

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 43:54
Size: 100,6 MB
Label: Folc Records
Styles: Blues Rock/Rockin Blues
Art: Front

 1. Intro - 0:49
 2. Sur - 3:17
 3. No Saber - 2:19
 4. La Verdad - 2:54
 5. Magia - 4:08
 6. Caviar - 2:25
 7. Colisiуn - 5:58
 8. Mas Cencerro - 2:14
 9. Sanmartin - 3:53
10. Impostor - 2:44
11. Tiempos Mejores - 3:36
12. Al Final de la Escapada - 3:53
13. Caracartуn - 2:30
14. Banda en Movimiento - 3:06

Musicians:
Hendrik Rover -vocals, guitars;
Fernando Macaya- vocals, guitars;
Pablo - bass;
Javi Arias -drums.

Llevaban tiempo Los Deltonos amenazando con una involucion, entendiendo esta como algo no precisamente negativo. Porque si su acercamiento al country y sonidos adyacentes vivio su gran momento con la publicacion de “GT” en 2005, desde entonces sus discos han ido dando pequenos pasitos de regreso a sus origenes, marcados por el blues-rock vitaminado. El ultimo de ellos, “Salud!” (2015) –si no tenemos en cuenta el minielepe “Six-Pack Vol II”–, ya ponia dificil calificarlo como musica de raices, y hacerlo con este nuevo seria equivocado.
Poco queda ya de aquello en Los Deltonos, era algo que se me antojaba necesario. Como ya he expresado en mas de una ocasion, los discos en solitario de su lider de Hendrik Rover junto a los Miticos GT’s se parecian demasiado a los de su banda y era imprescindible separar ambos proyectos. De manera consciente o inconsciente eso es lo que hace este disco homonimo. ?Ah! La mania de los discos homonimos… ?Tan dificil es ponerle un titulo a un disco? Aunque pensandolo bien quiza, en este caso, la cosa esta mas que justificada. Porque Los Deltonos se reafirman con este album, y vuelven a sonidos que nos retrotraen a “Tres hombres enfermos” (1990) o “Bien, mejor” (1992). Quiza por ello tiene mas sentido que nunca titular un disco con su propio nombre: estos son Los Deltonos en 2017 y asi se quieren mostrar.
Trece temas –a los que se suma una pequena introduccion que no llega al minuto de duracion– integran este trabajo mucho mas inspirado esta vez en lo musical que en lo lirico. Y es que Hendrik sigue siendo un esplendido letrista, pero tengo la impresion de que en este album las letras son un simple vehiculo para lo que realmente importa, la parte instrumental. No hay mas que pararse en ‘Sur’, un notable texto para un excelente blues-rock. La guitarra de Rover asume todo el protagonismo, igual que sucede en ‘No saber’, ‘La verdad’ o ‘Caracarton’ y Fernando Macaya, Pablo Z, y Javi Arias funcionan como una locomotora perfecta dispuesta a pasar por encima de cualquier cosa que se les ponga por delante. Se echan de menos frases memorables, esas dosis de ingenio a las que tan habitualmente nos tiene acostumbrados Rover y que hacen su escritura diferencial, pero su verborrea sigue estando al alcance de muy pocos. Quiza solo debemos ‘tocarle la cresta’ con ese ‘Mas cencerro’ en la que claramente ha optado por despreocuparse de la letra para convertirla en una excusa con la que marcarse, otra vez, un excelso trabajo instrumental. Minucias. Porque el caso es que los cantabros han vuelto a facturar un trabajo esplendido que no hace sino confirmarlos como la mejor banda en lo suyo de este pais. Y es que no hay grupo de rock and roll que suene como Los Deltonos. Asi que mejor lo aceptamos y empezamos a rendirles pleitesia.

Los Deltonos

Andy Layfield - On This Road

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 19:13
Size: 44,1 MB
Label: Self Released
Styles: Blues/Blues Rock
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Mr. Bankman - 3:54
 2. Roosterman - 3:52
 3. No Horses - 3:48
 4. Cougar - 3:48
 5. Matrix - 3:49

“On This Road” signifies the beginning of a new musical chapter for Andy with a primary focus on injecting energy and groove into the writing and recording process. You’ll hear a personal thread through the lyrics with 2 songs about mates (Roosterman & Cougar), plus 3 songs about financial blues and the struggles of living in the modern world (Mr Bankman, No Horses & Matrix)"
~ https://andylayfield.bandcamp.com/album/on-this-road-ep

On This Road

Threshold - Legends of the Shires

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 40:46 + 41:36
Size: 93,8 MB + 95,9 MB
Label: Nuclear Blast
Styles: Progressive Metal
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
CD1
1. The Shire (Part 1) -  2:04
2. Small Dark Lines -  5:24
3. The Man Who Saw Through Time - 11:52
4. Trust The Process -  8:44
5. Stars And Satellites -  7:20
6. On The Edge -  5:20

CD2
1. The Shire (Part 2) -  5:25
2. Snowblind -  7:03
3. Subliminal Freeways -  4:51
4. State Of Independence -  3:38
5. Superior Machine -  5:01
6. The Shire (Part 3) -  1:22
7. Lost In Translation - 10:20
8. Swallowed -  3:54

There is an exhilarating moment of revelation, approximately three and a half minutes into Stars and Satellites, the fifth track on this new album from Threshold, where the building crescendo in the wall of sound abruptly halts, leaving just an isolated keyboard and echoed vocal accompanied by a simple bass line, perfectly framed and accentuated by the silence. Fifteen seconds later the most glorious guitar solo penetrates and swells to fill the soundscape followed, 30 seconds later, by the arrival of an exquisite layered harmony which enthrals, embraces and carries you away.
The experience is richly suffused with significant resonances. Fans will immediately identify with the archetypal ‘signature’ Threshold sound it evokes. More importantly, however, they will forge clear links with the charged intensity of Subsurface (2004) and the driving energy of Dead Reckoning (2007). After the relatively simpler approach and heavier direction taken by their previous release For the Journey (2014), the band appear to have deliberately mined the musical resources of their back catalogue and rekindled the creative fire and the exuberant spirit of earlier times. It is an experience which feels, literally, like coming home.
Legends of the Shires is deeply ambitious, not just in terms of being a double album but precisely because it joyfully explores layers of progressive complexity and delights in the new found emotional excitement and expressiveness which it affords. Thoughtful echoes of the inventive depths scaled by the iconic Pilot in the Sky of Dreams (Dead Reckoning) and Ground Control (Subsurface) find invigorating focus and absorbing vibrancy in songs which are elegantly intricate and intelligently crafted.
Even a casual glance at the track listing indicates that the majority of songs exceed five minutes; The Man Who Saw Through Time weighs in at nearly 12 minutes, Lost in Transition is over 10, with Trust the Process at nearly 9 minutes and Stars and Satellites more than 7. Built around a structure of extended and continuous song writing, the album clearly displays a more natural approach which has been carefully refined and lovingly crafted. Complex song structures, the frequent changes of tempo, shifting rhythms and transient moods reflect a refined ‘craft’ being brought to bear, a compositional art which holds everything that is best about Threshold together in a wonderfully organic balance.
Yet this is no mere imitation of or slavish return to the past. Far from it. The band state that Legends of the Shires marks the beginning of “a new chapter” in their musical journey, one where “we’ve gone much deeper and we’ve been much more progressive”. Such an assured statement of intent is supported in part by the openness created by the extended song format, the new found freedom to break out of conventional restrictions and the confidence to stretch out and go beyond previous releases in playing with a variety of ideas, sounds and influences.
But it is also confirmed in much larger part by the enhancements the band have brought to the album which clearly point to a more refined sound, a greater finesse to the writing that allows a more enriched and intense musical experience to emerge. What strikes you immediately is the greater role played at all levels by the keyboards which really do infuse and permeate the music both in terms of having more prominence as a solo instrument as well as providing layer after layer of luscious textures contrasted with emphatic, supporting interventions.
These often set the stage for some of the most gorgeous melodies and frequent multi-layered harmonies you have ever heard on a Threshold album. Returning singer Glynn Morgan brings the perfect voice to lead and expose every nuance and every refinement in what is a thrilling and remarkable vocal performance. The sparkling mix provides greater separation and clarity of the instruments which in turn delivers a cleaner, more muscular sound which throws all the combined complexity into sharper relief. And even then, you will still need to listen carefully in order to catch the hidden delights and clever surprises.
Legends of the Shires is an outstanding achievement and easily the best album Threshold have ever created. Exploring deep seated and even political concerns with how we find our place in the world and the ways in which we relate to others, it conveys an inspired musical experience that hopefully marks a turning point in their sometimes turbulent story. It radiates imagination, exudes inventiveness and presents a triumphant tour de force in terms of an organic musical vision which flows with energy, bite and a compelling natural momentum. Mesmerising, at times spell-binding, it is well worth a listen.

Legends of the Shires 

Motorpsycho - The Tower

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 84:52
Size: 194,9 MB
Label: Stickman Record
Styles: Progressive Rock
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. The Tower -  8:41
 2. Bartok of the Universe -  6:07
 3. A.S.F.E. -  6:55
 4. Intrepid Explorer -  9:50
 5. Stardust -  3:34
 6. In Every Dream Home -  8:23
 7. The Maypole -  3:39
 8. A Pacific Sonata - 15:39
 9. The Cuckoo -  7:19
10. Ship of Fools - 14:41

We’re very happy to announce that Motorpsycho has recorded another studio album and that it will be released on September 8th! Titled The Tower, it is one of Motorpsycho’s hardest and most adventurous records to date. Recorded on the US West Coast earlier this year, it also debuts the band’s brand new drummer, Tomas Järmyr. You can read band insider Bob LeBad’s take on it more closely on Motorpsycho’s website here. The album will be available as a double LP with special packaging, double CD and of course digitally. All wrapped up in mind-blowing artwork, we know you’re going to love this one.
Kenneth Kapstad’s June 2016 departure from Motorpsycho left the remaining psychos Hans Magnus Ryan and Bent Sæther fending for themselves. An almost ten-year ride was over, and things were again changing in the Psychoverse.
After a fall busy at the Trøndelag teater, writing and performing the Begynnelser music live for 40 performances, the search for a replacement started, and by December 2016 Tomas Järmyr had become the new drummer in Motorpsycho. The fit was natural, and it didn’t take more than a couple of rehearsals for the old-timers Snah and Bent to figure this out: the chemistry was there from the get go, and by mid-January enough new material was ready for the band to start contemplating recording.
When the initial plan to work with Alain Johannes fell through due to conflicting schedules, the back-up plan – to self-produce with engineer Noah Shain and executive producer Dave Raphael at White Buffalo in Downtown L.A. – became reality, and in early March the band found themselves in Los Angeles, well-rehearsed and ready to record.
The band and their cohorts hoped to get most of the work done over a three-week period, and tracking began on March 6. After about ten days of recording basic tracks for the more brutal stuff at White Buffalo, the gang decamped to Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree to focus on a little more laid-back material. Three effective days with Hayden Scott and Dave Catching out there in the desert added a little light to the prevailing darkness in most of the material, and also added a little clear desert air to the proceedings. The remaining week was spent in L.A. tracking vocals and adding overdubs.
After a few weeks of further work back in Norway, Noah Shain mixed the songs in L.A. in May and Wim Bult mastered the album in Apeldoorn in late June. Dave Raphael oversaw these phases of the work, and he really is the man to blame for the sound of this record: the band used his guitars and his amps in the studio and the music was recorded by his mics, his pre-amps and his EQs. This is the sound of Awtac and Fucktone, and the band is understandably obviously really really happy with the results!
As ever stretching the boundaries of their musical understanding and looking for new ways to express themselves, this is a pretty adventurous album even by Motorpsycho standards. It is easy to hear that both the new environment and the new co-conspirators influenced the band: this sounds nothing like any previous Motorpsycho album! Musically this is in parts the hardest album Motorpsycho has perpetrated in a while, and the material runs the gamut from short and sweet to lengthy and mean – even touching on heavy or stoner rock in places. It certainly is of a rather more explosive nature than most of their last album Here Be Monsters: the sounds are gnarlier and the riffs bigger, and where the last album to some perhaps was a tad too introvert, this album reflects the period it was written and is more concerned with us than me – with changes in society rather than personal issues.  These are strange days, and the lyrics reflect this.
Surviving yet another change in personnel, Motorpsycho bounces back and shows yet again that the band is bigger than the individual players and that it intends to survive whatever challenges fate throws at it. The Tower, then, is a statement of intent from a band that is very much alive and kicking: this is the start of a new era in the Psychoverse, and the album stands as proof that there’s bite in the old dog yet!

The Tower

Solomon King & the Chosen - Jack Me up

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 40:40
Size: 93,7 MB
Label: Unsigned Project
Styles: Rock/Blues Rock
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Jack Me up - 3:37
 2. Under the Sun - 6:00
 3. Baby Does Me Good - 2:20
 4. Frankie & Johnnie - 4:57
 5. Bad to Me - 2:39
 6. Love & Happiness - 3:39
 7. Train - 5:34
 8. Whiter Shade of Pale - 5:03
 9. Be My Baby - 2:57
10. Addicted to Love - 3:51

There are those that simply play the blues and some people that have lived them, and there are those like SOLOMON KING who have done both. With songs in True Blood, a Grammy entrant nomination for Under the Sun and a new album just around the corner, it's time to revisit that Johnny Cash-esque sound wrapped up in the blues sound that made him an enigma. "That Voice" Is Back!

Jack Me up

Doug Petibone - Gone

Bitrate: 192K/s
Year: 2014
Time: 35:52
Size: 50,0 MB
Label: Dppj Records
Styles: Rock/Americana
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Love Sick - 3:55
 2. California - 3:53
 3. Sugar - 3:46
 4. Gone - 4:19
 5. Big Love - 3:30
 6. Just Right - 5:41
 7. Old Friend - 3:21
 8. Long Haul - 4:18
 9. Baby What You Want Me to Do - 3:04

Musicians:
Doug Pettibone- Guitar, Pedal Steel, Vocals
Lucinda Williams- Vocals
Anne McCue- Vocals
Chris Peirce- Vocals
Bill Frisell- Guitar
Jim Christie- Drums
Hector Espinosa- Percussion
Taras Prodaniuk- Bass
Sebastian Stienberg- Upright Bass
Phil Parlapiano-Keyboards
Rob Burger- Keyboards
Juan Covarrubias- Keyboards
Peter Schimke- Keyboards

This record will save lives, make people smart, happy, sad, fall in love, break up, make up, get married, lose weight, live longer and be better kissers!
In the music world, ‘sideman’ is a term used to describe a member of a band who supports the main act. Their employment can range from a single gig to a long, steady career with a single marquee artist. Their job is to make their employer sound good, and the amount of attention they receive can also vary widely – from nameless jobbers to players who have made supporting other artists their primary claim to fame and source of income. It can be a great gig, because the members of the band can go to the mall without being mobbed while their boss suffers the trappings of fame. Guitarist Doug Pettibone has been the right-hand-man for revered songwriter Lucinda Williams for over a decade, accompanying her both in the studio and onstage. Although playing in Lucinda’s band is his main gig, he has also worked with a long list of household names, not the least of which are Keith Richards, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Sting, Steve Earle, Elvis Costello, Jewel and Tift Merritt. But Pettibone is far being from the kind of sideman that just plays guitar next to the singer. He also writes, produces and plays a multitude of instruments with a near virtuosic flair. All of these skills are showcased on his brand new album, Gone, released in February of 2014. Far from being the vanity project of a journeyman guitarist, Gone finds Pettibone showcasing his considerable skills as an artist in his own right. All the amazing guitar parts and tones that are the hallmark of Pettibone’s playing are evident on Gone, and the liner notes read like a who’s who of top echelon musicians. Perhaps most pleasantly surprising is the confidence of his vocals as the songs veer from breezy Southern California Byrds-style pop to blues of both the jazzy and down and dirty kind.
Written by Joe Armstrong.

Gone

Charlie A Court - Bring on the Storm

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2006
Time: 47:28
Size: 108,8 MB
Label: 6K7 Music
Styles: Soul Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Big Dark Canyon - 4:43
 2. Take Me Down - 4:38
 3. Give It All to You - 4:54
 4. Broken Man - 4:43
 5. If You Go - 3:57
 6. Bring on the Storm - 4:18
 7. Isolation Blues - 3:11
 8. Heartaches of a Fool - 3:46
 9. Seeing You Around - 3:42
10. Yes You Are - 4:26
11. I've Got Dreams to Remember - 5:05
11. I've Got Dreams To Remember (5:05)

The follow-up studio release from acclaimed Canadian diamond in the rough, Charlie A'Court. The new recording dives deep into emotional ties to chronic pain, depression, helplessly in love and life on the road.
Combine a rich, rhythm & blues upbringing with soulful, adult-contemporary song writing and you have the foundation of one of Atlantic Canada's brightest new stars. 2004 ECMA nominee, Charlie A'Court has emerged as an emotionally charged and soul touching performer, whose music reaches out to others, touching audiences at venues all over. Whether it's his stirring solo performances, or his fiery full band concerts, A'Court takes the music down a direct path to the listeners' heart and soul.
With the release of his debut album, Color Me Gone, A'Court wrapped up a tremendously successful 2003, and has started off on the right foot for 2004. In 2003, Charlie placed 2nd in the acoustic division of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN., as the only Canadian competitor. At the 15th East Coast Music Awards in Halifax, A'Court was nominated for Best New Artist as well as taking home the hardware for Best Blues Artist. A'Court also made his national debut on the televised show as a performer in a tribute to Canadian rock icon, Myles Goodwyn of April Wine.
In the past year, A'Court has toured extensively throughout Canada and abroad. With headlining performances under his belt at festivals like the Stan Rogers' Folk Fest, Riverfront Jubilee, Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, Saint John Jazz & Blues Fest, Ottawa Blues Fest, A'Court has opened for high profile artists including John Reischman and the Jaybirds, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Harry Manx, Colin James, and ex-Rolling Stone guitarist Mick Taylor. A'Court has also recently launched an international career by releasing Color Me Gone in Europe. Accompanying the release were two very successful tours throughout Germany, opening for Australian slide-guitar legend Dave Hole, Sugar Blue (former harmonica play for the Rolling Stones), and legendary British r&b/rock group, Procol Harum, whose most recognizable hit is Whiter Shade of Pale.
A'Court's momentum in 2004 has shown no signs of slowing down. Charlie was nominated for Best New Artist at the Maple Blues Awards and Best Male Artist at the East Coast Music Awards earlier this year. A'Court has been writing new material for his follow-up album, released a live album in Europe with a successful tour that involved opening for classic rock legend, Vanilla Fudge, opened a Maritime tour for blues rocker George Thorogood & The Destroyers, and made a special guest appearance on Dave Gunning's new album, two-bit world. A'Court also had one of his songs, Be My Angel, included on a Keith's Beer Compilation CD in which over 45,000 copies have been distributed.
The album's debut single, "You've Got a Friend in Me" has been grabbed by radio stations across Atlantic Canada as well as receiving regular, national air-play on CBC radio. Halifax rock station, Q104 placed the single at #50 on their Top 104 Songs of 2003 and at #5 on "Route 104" - Top Ten Homegrown Tunes of 2003. The single also charted 12 weeks on the Rock 20 Countdown. The follow up single, "Carolina", was received with open arms and reached the #2 position on the East Coast Kitchen Racket - Top Ten. Charlie's modern blues style, mixed with his contemporary songwriting has created a mass appeal, enabling A'Court's material to be added to regular and heavy rotations on rock radio and adult contemporary stations.
Fueled by emotion and a desire for delivering powerful music, Charlie A'Court is grabbing a hold of the music industry and attracting the attention of audiences everywhere with gutsy vocals and his colourful yet solid guitar playing.

Bring on the Storm

Peter Ward - Blues on My Shoulders

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 50:18
Size: 116,1 MB
Label: Gandy Dancer Records
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. She Took It All - 3:08
 2. Which Hazel - 3:10
 3. Blues on My Shoulders - 3:16
 4. Collaborate - 4:55
 5. Shiprock - 2:36
 6. What Can I Do to You - 3:10
 7. It's On Me - 4:23
 8. Southpaw - 4:09
 9. A Little More - 5:17
10. On the Ropes - 3:08
11. Colletta - 3:38
12. Kansas City Blues - 4:23
13. Drummin' Willie - 4:58

Guitarist Peter Ward announces an October 20 release date for his new CD, Blues on My Shoulders, on Gandy Dancer Records. Besides Ward on guitar and vocals, special guests on the new disc include multiple Blues Music Award-winning guitar legend Ronnie Earl, Sax Gordon Beadle on sax and the members of Sugar Ray and the Bluetones: Sugar Ray Norcia (vocals and harmonica), “Monster” Mike Welch (guitar), Anthony Geraci (piano), Michael “Mudcat” Ward (Peter’s brother – bass) and Neil Gouvin (drums).
“It pleases me to present Blues on My Shoulders, my first solo project,” Peter Ward says about the new album. “I wrote the words and music to 12 of the 13 songs. I grew up wearing out the vinyl records trying to understand how Robert Jr. Lockwood, Tiny Grimes, Louis Meyers and Jimmy Rogers made songs sound so good. It's what I wanted to do. I was lucky to sit in often with my friend (and former roommate) Ronnie Earl and play alongside many of my musical heroes. A highlight was touring with the Legendary Blues Band: Joe Willie ‘Pinetop’ Perkins, Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith, Calvin ‘Fuzz’ Jones and Jerry Portnoy, who had brilliantly backed Muddy Waters for years. The way they played blues was everything I believed in, then and now. Willie Smith was an inventive drummer — and a wily character. I pay tribute to him in the song, ‘Drummin' Willie.’ The track ‘Which Hazel’ is my homage to Chuck Berry. Sugar Ray Norcia honored me by singing the heck out of ‘Collaborate,’ a tribute to Lockwood and Lonnie Johnson. I appreciate that Ronnie Earl and Sax Gordon Beadle accepted my invitation to perform on two songs: ‘A Little More’ and ‘It's On Me.’ ‘Southpaw’ is my ode to lesser-known left-handed swing guitarist Dickie Thompson, who worked with organist and front man Wild Bill Davis. My instrumental, ‘Shiprock,’ reminds me of a hallowed part of Navajo country I visited with my wife Mai Cramer, who died of breast cancer in 2002 and previously hosted a popular blues program every weekend for 24 years on WGBH-FM. She was an avid supporter of the blues and its purveyors. I think she would have liked Blues on My Shoulders. I hope you do.”
As a teenager growing up in Lewiston, Maine, Peter and his brother Michael (“Mudcat”) listened intently to blues records and went to see Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Taj Mahal and Hubert Sumlin whenever they performed in the area. Peter played blues with Mudcat and did gigs also with his younger brother Jeff, who died in 1991. “Jeff was too young to drink, but club owners would let him in so he could play bass with New York City drummer Ola Dixon and me,” Ward recalls.
Ward later moved to Boston and played in various bands, frequently sitting in with Sugar Ray & the Bluetones, who then featured his brother and Ronnie Earl, and backed blues artists such as Jimmy Rogers, Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson and Lowell Fulson.
“In the Big Apple, I was thrilled when Otis Rush told me I played chords like an ‘old man,’ Ward remembers. “In 1978, each week I drove across I-90 to Rochester, N.Y. to play blues for three nights with guitarist-vocalist Joe Beard. Beloved there, Joe had once been a neighbor of Son House. In the 1980s, I loved everything about touring with the Legendary Blues Band — the traveling and camaraderie, but especially the way we played blues in an unhurried, improvisational way. We recorded a CD for Rounder Records that featured Duke Robillard, whose brilliant guitar I had first heard at a high school dance.
“I married Mai Cramer, who spun records for Boston station WGBH-FM every weekend from 1978 until 2002, when she died of breast cancer. Her fans and I stage a fundraiser in her honor each spring for charity at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, Mass. Headliners have included Jody Williams, Luther ‘Guitar Junior’ Johnson, Lurrie Bell, Ron Levy and Eddie Taylor, Jr. In 2010, I produced Goodbye Liza Jane: Hello Western Swing, a CD of western swing (a cousin to the blues) with Herb Remington, an original member of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. In recent years I've begun writing songs, as I culled the many snippets of melodies and phrases stuck in my mind. It's fun to turn thoughts into songs and then sing them while people dance. It's been a blast, and it's not over.”

Blues on My Shoulders

Jimmy Barmatan & The Cocooners - Bourbon Church

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 46:20
Size: 106,3 MB
Label: Gaztelupeko Hotsak
Styles: Rock, Funk / Soul, Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Living Down the Higway - 4:28
 2. Bla Bla - 3:24
 3. Like the Grown Needs the Rain - 4:29
 4. Strange Fly of the Bird - 3:58
 5. Bourbon Church - 3:47
 6. Oceans of Caresses - 5:04
 7. In Memoriam - 5:20
 8. I?m Alone - 3:45
 9. Rocking & Swimming & Rocking On - 4:19
10. Back Way Home - 3:24
11. Distance With Your Lies - 4:16

The 6th record of Jimmy Barnatan transits the subgenres of the blues (soul, rhythm and blues, country, funky, blues rock ...), and in these rhythms has been based to include the showgirls and give them the important role they played in the years 50. "Bourbon Church" is a work carefully calculated in the musical thanks to the tandem formed by Barnatan himself and guitarist Sergio Gonzalez in the composition, accompanied by the usual The Cocooners with Ruben Rodriguez on drums, Dani Simons on bass return to From the roots music to create a unique and nontransferable concept that already from the beginning is adorned with gospel thanks to The Cocoonettes (Xenia San Jose, Carol Martin, Mabel Sierra, Mara Mena, Isabel Palacios, Berta Lopez and Lara Rodriguez) . Recorded in the studies Vu meter of the hand of Javier Lopez Jato "Javeta".

Bourbon Church

Anubis Spire - Spooky Action At A Distance

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 72:13
Size: 166,2 MB
Label: Eleventh House Records
Styles: Progressive Rock/Crossover prog
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Welcome to Maplecroft - 7:03
 2. Awake the Vanished - 6:30
 3. Time Is a Tyrant - 4:49
 4. Be Numb - 4:24
 5. Heartless White Line - 5:34
 6. Harryhausen in Love - 3:51
 7. Walls of Troy - 4:05
 8. Don't Know How to Roll - 5:06
 9. A Hymn for Gaia - 4:16
10. Throwback - 4:24
11. Ghost Currents - 7:37
12. From the Gallery - 4:38
13. My Soul Free and Clear - 5:03
14. Be Numb (Early Mix) [Bonus Track] - 4:53

SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE once again shows how amazingly diverse and creative this band is. From straight- ahead rock to noise and ambient, from innocent, upbeat, love songs to brooding, social commentary, the band traverses styles effortlessly. At over 70 minutes in playing length, they take the listener on a wild, sonic, journey that is custom made for those who love traveling by headphone.

Spooky Action At A Distance

Dice - Chance For the Link of a Chain

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 61:13
Size: 140,6 MB
Label: Scene Records
Styles: Progressive Rock/Crossover Prog
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Galaxy Song - 13:17
 2. A Link In The Chain - 10:11
 3. Another Place In Space - 10:01
 4. The Magic Key -  9:04
 5. The World Is Changing - 10:43
 6. Cosmic Chain (DICE-Map 4) -  7:55

German band Dice's music is very much planted in the early seventies. Chance For The Link Of A Chain is their latest CD.
The six songs that make up this record are pretty much in the 10 minutes range (+ or - a couple of minutes). Somewhat paradoxically, I consider the first 5 tracks to be ''song based'' (i.e. like ''Stairway To Heaven'' and ''Sweet Madame Blue'' were also song based). This being said, all tracks allow some great instrumentation and nice solos (some on keyboards but mostly on guitar). Often a given song will end with an extensive guitar solo. The last track is an instrumental that gives this very good album a climactic endig.
All the instruments used seem to be vintage (or they sound like it at least). There is a lot of cool organ and synth and the lead guitar has Gimour/Latimer qualities, something I appreciate a lot with the extensive soloing. The songs are dynamic but in a relaxed manner. Camel and Caravan come to my mind as acceptable references, even though none of the songs here actually remind of these two bands. Keyboard player Christian Nove also handles the vocals. He has a voice pretty close to a mellow Roger Waters. His singing fits very well with the music.
I've enjoyed Chance For The Link Of A Chain quite a lot. Low stress but always interesting music that is excellently performed. Those into Retro Prog will certainly enjoy Dice's latest effort. Recommended!

Chance For the Link of a Chain

Andy B. AND - My Roots are Showing

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2016
Time: 31:57
Size: 73,3 MB
Label: Self Released
Styles: Rock/Roots Rock
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Great Time Coming - 3:39
 2. One More River - 3:31
 3. In My Dreams - 2:28
 4. Slow Dancin' Barefoot - 4:20
 5. Mary Ellis - 3:33
 6. Break Someone Else's Heart - 4:56
 7. Better do Something 'Bout That - 3:03
 8. Incandescent Lightbulb Blues - 2:59
 9. My Baby's Gone - 3:24

Long-time member of the New Jersey band, the Voodudes, singer Andy B. (Bernstein) has put together a collection that highlights the broad range of his musical influence on an all-original program. “Great Time Comin’” unfolds with numerous biblical references punctuated by stark tones from Gary Ambrosy’s dobro. John Pittas adds a Stevie Wonder – inspired electric keyboard fills. The next track mixes country and gospel a with dueling guitars from Ambrosy and Greg Stier on “One More River”.
Andy B. has an easy-going vocal style, delivered with a deep, gruff voice on tracks like “Incandescent Lightbulb Blues,” a tribute to Thomas Edison that harks back to New Orleans traditional jazz, thanks to Tommy LaBella on saxophone and Perry Leandro on fiddle. Bob Bernstein’s pedal steel work in conjunction with Paul Daloia’ upright bass and Jake O’Handley gives “Better Do Something ‘Bout That” a pronounced western swing feel. “My Baby’s Gone” is highlighted by somber notes Dick Paul pulls out of his fiddle while “In My Dreams” has Pittas switching between accordion and keyboards, giving the mid-tempo ballad a touch of the Cajun sound.
“Mary Ellis” is modern rendering of a story surrounding a grave in movie theater parking lot in New Jersey. Once again, Dick Paul lays down some impressive fiddle work. “Slow Dancin’ Barefoot” glides along, fleshed out by horns and a backing chorus. “In My Dreams” has Andy B. name-dropping Elvis & Ann Margaret while fantasizing about dancing with the woman of his dreams, urged on by John Asti’s tenor sax.
The singer’s finest hour occurs on “Break Someone Else’s Heart,” as his voice takes on a harder edge on a song about love’s betrayal. He finally generates a emotional connection that is lacking in the other tracks. And, in the course of covering all of these musical genres, Andy B. only makes a few fleeting stops at the house of the Blues. It adds up to a wide-ranging project that will be of limited interest to blues fans.

My Roots are Showing

Embryo - Live

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 1977
Time: 64:24
Size: 148,7 MB
Label: Garden Of Delights
Styles: Progressive Rock/Krautrock/Jazz-Rock Fusion
Art: Full

Tracks Listing:
 1. Bambus Railway -  5:03
 2. You Can Turn Me On - 13:07
 3. Tiflis -  5:51
 4. Road Song -  3:35
 5. After the Rain -  3:25
 6. Bambule -  3:53
 7. No More Love -  4:34
 8. Sho Do Ima -  1:21
 9. The Orange Man -  7:08
10. Just Arrived (bonus) - 16:23

Neatly recorded in February 1976, it was released on LP in 1977 (April 0003), but has not yet appeared as CD. The gig had taken place in a town near nich. The album features the jazz-rock typical of Embryo, influenced by ethnic music, with scarce vocals and some unusual instruments like marimba, dilruba, oud, and nagasuram. Christian Burchard and Roman Bunka wrote most of the songs together. Only "The orange man" was written by Charlie Mariano. The long CD bonus track "Just arrived" was recorded in Northern Italy on March 6th, 1976, by the very same Embryo line-up and was as yet unreleased. The cover was then designed by Roman Bunka and was used for the CD without any changes.

Live

The Nighthawks - All You Gotta Do

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 42:11
Size: 97,3 MB
Label: Eller Soul
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. That's All You Gotta Do - 3:10
 2. When I Go Away - 4:12
 3. Baby, I Want To Be Loved - 3:45
 4. Let's Burn Down The Cornfield - 3:07
 5. Another Day - 3:03
 6. Voodoo Doll - 2:54
 7. Ninety Nine - 2:54
 8. Three Times Your Fool - 4:44
 9. Isn't That So - 3:52
10. Snake Drive - 3:07
11. Blues For Brother John - 3:13
12. Dirty Water - 4:07

The Nighthawks have been legends for a long time now. For All You Gotta Do, they use all of those years of experience - 43 for vocalist Mark Wenner! - combined with just as much vocal power as they have ever had, to deliver an eclectic mix of songs, a few of which may surprise as well as delight.
The album starts out easy with Wenner delivering a version of "That's All You Gotta Do" that is pure happy rockabilly. The song was written by Jerry Reed and first recorded by Brenda Lee. But then comes the first surprise, as the band changes it up with a cover of the Larry Campbell-written Levon Helm farewell song, "When I Go Away." The gospel inspiration of the tribute tune is beautifully captured on the vocals by drummer Mark Stutso, and it is a moving experience.
The Nighthawks are a Chicago blues band though, so of course they have a Muddy Waters cover, "Baby, I Want to Be Loved," originally written by Willie Dixon. Wenner handles the vocals on this one.
It's time for another surprise: Randy Newman's "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield," a lesser-known song of his that allows guitarist Paul Bell to get in some tasty slide guitar. The band learned the darkly humorous song for a performance of Newman's songs in D.C.
Everybody sings on this record except Bell, who has his hands full being brilliant (on guitar), so Johnny Castle steps up next with his own song, "Another Day," a very topical modern day protest song. Stutso then does his original song, the wry "Voodoo Doll." Love can be torture!
Wenner delivers fantastic harmonica on Sonny Boy Williamson's rocking "Ninety Nine" before Stutso tears your heart out with "Three Times Your Fool," which he wrote with Norman Nardini. The band gets to show off their close harmonies on Jesse Winchester's "Isn't That So," and then cuts loose on R.L. Burnside's "Snake Drive." Then they have some fun turning "Frere Jacques" into "Blues for Brother John." Finally, Castle proves himself a natural down and dirty rocker with his remake of The Standells' "Dirty Water," now a tribute to D.C. rather than Boston.
The goal of The Nighthawks is to have fun, and you will have fun with this album! They would never have lasted this long if they were not awesome.

All You Gotta Do

Monarch Trail - Sand

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 55:22
Size: 127,4 MB
Label: Perpetual Tree
Styles: Progressive Rock/Neo-Prog
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Station Theme -  3:52
 2. First Thoughts -  3:22
 3. Back to the Start -  7:11
 4. Missing -  6:29
 5. Charlie's Kitchen -  7:43
 6. Another Silent World -  2:10
 7. Sand - 24:31

Canadian stalwart prog artist Ken Baird returns with a second Monarch Trail album, on the heels of 'Skye', a much vaunted debut that signaled a new route for the up-to-then solo multi-instrumentalist. It must be stated once again that there are musicians out there who have a level of musical education and a personal style that aims at artistic purity (aka lack of commercialism), charming the unsuspecting listener to be wooed and charmed by the proceedings. Throughout Ken Baird's solo career from 1996 to 2009, the confirmation of a special and unique sound encompassed 5 great albums that still enjoy great appeal to me as a prog collector. Also quite interestingly, Ken does the opposite of the accepted norm by starting with a solo career and then morphing into a band format. Cool, no? 'Skye' was pretty much a well-received and critically praised inauguration that garnered quite a reputation back in 2014. Three years have passed in silence and, out of the blue, Ken has returned with a new release 'Sand' that rekindles the progressive blaze and keeps the exact same crew in place: Dino Verginella on bass, Chris Lamont on drums as well as three guitarists in Kelly Kereliuk, Steve Cochrane and John Mamone. Ken sings and handles a slew of keyboards that are unafraid to solo in massive doses. For those of you new to Ken Baird, he will astound you with his musical prowess.
Swirling and twirling synths infuse 'Station Theme' with some very unflappable retro space music, sounding like a jingle for a sci-fi program on the History Channel. The rippling piano showcases a Wakemanesque dexterity that defies logic, booming bass and propulsive drums adding to the loopy instrumental orbit. Ken has one of the most humble and expressive voices, a gentle wail that has huge emotional appeal, though certainly NOT a leather-lunged, air-raid siren howler. 'First Thoughts' is a brief lullaby, washed in cascades of stringed synths and a devilish acoustic guitar foray that simply enchants. Brilliantly simple and perfect.
Full orbital liftoff occurs with 'Back to the Start', a 7 minute rambler that uncoils its symphonic drive with near ritualistic splendor, colossal keyboards led by a gripping bass guitar assault. Ken unveils his craft on the various ivories at his disposal, shifting from delicate to bombastic, from unassuming to complex, with undeniable affluence. Guitarist John Mamone spits off a few slick licks to keep the urge going, another cinematographic piece that would fit nicely in some silver screen epic.
'Missing' weaves a harrowing path through vocal ebbs and instrumental flows, all of Ken's keyboards smoldering furiously, the synths in particular on fire through a multitude of solos that defy logic. There is a slight IQ feel in the melodies and the vocal delivery (though nowhere near the same timbre of voice than Peter Nicholls), perhaps that incisive determination that illustrates a band that has a style and likes to stick to it.
Throwing me for a loop after my preceding comment, 'Charlie's Kitchen' is a bar-room jazz piano ditty that adds slicing guitar (Ken) and a shifting rhythm section that eschews cool and crazy. It slowly morphs into a rather upbeat symphonic promenade, full of pomp and circumstance, garnished with flowery synthesizer plumes on one hand and metrical beat intricacies on the other. Dino peels off quite a four string ride on his bass guitar, showing that the rest of the crew are no slouches either. Tubular bells put this one to rest. Fascinating!
The short and otherwise spectral 'Another Silent World' serves as a clever synth-heavy intro for the lavish title track epic 'Sand', a 24 minute masterstroke that perfectly defines the artist's muse. Beginning with nearly Anthony Phillips-like fragility, all charming voice and flute-patch keyboard accompaniment, there is a bucolic /pastoral ambiance that evolves into a more symphonic coloratura, laden with menacing fright, delicate fear and unsuspecting solitude, verging on theater at times. The mood is an ever-colliding conundrum between the promise of the future and the relative comfort of the past, certainly an apt definition of modern day progressive music as it has clearly become. Arid dunes and lush oasis music. The playing grows in spirit with a sizzling guitar solo from Kelly Kereliuk, constantly challenged by the shrilling synths and the persuasive piano motifs underneath it all. I daresay this may quite well be Ken's finest moment, a thrilling voyage of sound and style that cannot fail to impress even the most casual listener. There are little hints of the classics (snippets of 'Delirium', mosaic Gregorian mellotron tiles and pulsating bridges) that only seek to elevate the pleasure, boldly go beyond the norm as if taken on a magic carpet ride into and towards the stars.
Monarch Trail is back, and fitting for a Canadian band, 'Sand' was unveiled to the public on July 1st, Canada Day. May the 150 years of celebration begin with such musical firewo.

Sand

Monarch Trail - Skye

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2014
Time: 46:01
Size: 105,9 MB
Label: Perpetual Tree
Styles: Progressive Rock/Neo-Prog
Art: Full

Tracks Listing:
 1. Liminescence - 11:14
 2. Silent World -  8:20
 3. East of Fifty -  6:10
 4. Sky Above the Sun - 20:14

Musicians:
Ken Baird - keyboards and vocals;
Dino Verginella - Bass;
Chris Lamont - Drums.
GUEST MUSICIANS:
John Mamone - guitars on tracks 1,2 and 4
Kelly Kereliuk - guitar on track 3
Steve Cochrane- classical and 12-string guitar on track 4

"....When keyboard player/vocalist Ken Baird had written some music which seemed to require more collaborative arrangements than usual, he asked drummer Chris Lamont and Bassist Dino Verginella if they’d  be willing to be a part of “Monarch Trail”. Lamont had played on Baird’s previous three albums and Verginella on the previous two, so it was a natural thing that it could be called a group.
The first stage was to set up several rehearsals for the trio to work on arranging the new pieces. Important changes were made to the charts; an extra set of bars here, a new melody line there, a different tempo over there and so on. Even more importantly, these rehearsals also turned out to be a ton of fun with no lack of shenanigans!
They made the decision to start recording the music right away and add other musicians when needed. As it turned out, there was to be a fair bit of guitar on the record, so guitarist friends were brought in providing “the right part for the right track”. True to the spirit of the project, John Mamone, Kelly Kereliuk and Steve Cochrane all had major creative input on their solos and sections.
The recording was done by Ken Baird, but in the final months of the record, Cochrane also lent his studio and his recording and mastering abilities. Drawings by Annette Roche had initially helped inspire the lyrics, so these drawings ultimately became part of the album artwork.
And so here we have it, the first album from Monarch Trail: “Skye”!
Please scroll down and click “play” to enjoy the first track from the album called “Luminescence”. Also, a link to a mix featuring excerpts from all four songs on the album should “pop up” entitled “Skye collage mix”. Or just click where it says “Monarch Trail” near the top left of the box to go to our soundcloud page".

Skye

Den Fule - Lugumleik

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 1993
Time: 57:31
Size: 133,3 MB
Label: Xource (xoucd104)
Styles: Progressive Folk
Art: Full

Tracks Listing:
 1. Tuss Ola - 3:33
 2. Nordafjells - 4:29
 3. Pal Karls Vals - 4:23
 4. Raddaschottis - 4:04
 5. Lugumleik - 5:03
 6. Dickapolskan - 3:24
 7. Langdans - 3:14
 8. Vallat - 6:21
 9. Tre Strommingar - 3:15
10. Slangpolska - 4:39
11. Kopmanspolskan - 3:50
12. Modus Mats - 3:42
13. Psalm - 3:28
14. Nordic Wolf - 3:57

Musicians:
Jonas Simonson - flutes, bass saxophone
Sten Kallman - saxophones, percussion
Henrik Cederblom - guitars, electric violin, percussion
Stefan Bergman - bass
Christian Jormin - drums and percussion
Ingrid Brannstromm -vocals (guest)

Den Fule is a Swedish folk rock band founded in the early 1990s primarily by artists dominant in the Swedish folk rock scene of the 1970s.
Den Fule (meaning "The ugly one") was formed primarily from veterans of the 1970s Swedish folk rock scene. The band produced two albums through Xource Records in the early 1990s then disbanded. Their first album Lugumleik met with immediate critical acclaim and won the Swedish Grammy for "Best Folk Music Album of the Year 1993". The album was described for the Swedish Grammy awards as a blend of jazz, rock, funk and traditional folk music.
Although the band's music is largely adapted from traditional Nordic folk music, it crosses numerous genres, combining R&B elements with rock riffs and jazz phrasing. The melodic component of the music is dominated by flute and saxophone; numerous tracks are instrumental but male and female vocals are occasionally used.
A compilation of their first two albums was released by NorthSide Records in 1997.

Lugumleik

Kate Lush - Kate Lush

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2015
Time: 31:59
Size: 73,6 MB
Label: Self Released
Styles: Blues/Electric Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. Groove Me - 3:49
 2. Tired of My Tears - 3:06
 3. Do You Know What Love Is - 4:41
 4. Dust My Broom - 4:43
 5. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever - 3:10
 6. True Fire - 4:44
 7. When You Pray (Move Your Feet) - 3:41
 8. Set Me Free - 4:02

"In this crisp, clean and punchy sounding shortish album, old school Kate Lush makes a quick and assured entry into the field of soulful blues. She's got a deep voice that sounds like it has more of the church than the club in it."

Kate Lush

JR Clark - January Rain

Bitrate: 320K/s
Year: 2017
Time: 63:18
Size: 145,3 MB
Label: Self Released
Styles: Blues/Electric Blues
Art: Front

Tracks Listing:
 1. January Rain - 4:26
 2. Big Ol' World - 5:02
 3. Train - 3:31
 4. Today I Fell in Love All over Again - 6:13
 5. Still My Baby - 3:52
 6. Something Funny - 5:44
 7. Hard Workin' - 3:47
 8. Storm Blowin' - 5:29
 9. Shakin' Margaritas - 4:45
10. Your Good Lovin' - 4:23
11. After Midnight - 4:01
12. Hot Lunch Mama - 5:10
13. It's a Man's World - 6:48

JR Clark is a guitarist, singer and songwriter from Michigan and this is his fourth studio album. His band bears the impressive title of ‘The Allstar Blues Mob’ and bassist Johnny B Gayden (Albert Collins) and Buddy Guy/Magic Slim drummer Jerry ‘Bam Bam’ Porter are certainly very experienced musicians, alongside keyboard player Willie Styles. A horn section of Johnny Cotton (trombone) and Kenny Anderson (trumpet) add additional firepower to five tracks. JR wrote all the material bar one track and Johnny B had a hand in three arrangements. The album was recorded at JoyRide Studios in Chicago by Blaise Barton and Brian Leach who adds egg shaker, tambourine and ‘Fish’ on “Shakin’ Margaritas”.
The CD opens strongly with the power of the horns driving the title track “January Rain”. JR has a good voice and plays some striking guitar, very much in the Larry McCray, Michael Burks mould. Johnny B’s bass is right up in the mix and adds a funky bottom end to the tale of the girl who is staying out late, arousing JR’s suspicion.
Fans of classic soul music will love “It’s A Big Old World” with JR’s rhythm work underpinning a fine keyboard solo before JR brings out a nicely rounded solo that fits the soulful vibe perfectly (though for this reviewer the Barry White-style spoken section could have been dropped). Similarly “I Fell In Love All Over Again” is classic Philly soul material which JR sings well in a slightly lighter voice, the horns adding to the chorus and JR’s solo fitting well with the mood created by Willie’s excellent electric piano solo.
Two tracks are dedicated to departed guitarists: “Train” is dedicated to Luther Allison and features some appropriately tough guitar and “Still My Baby” thunders along in a good imitation of Magic Slim, JR singing in a harder voice. “Something Funny” discusses hunger, homelessness and unemployment on a tune with a reggae influence. JR ups the tempo on the rocking “Hard Workin’” which has plenty of boogie piano on an autobiographical song about life as a bluesman – broken down van, late arrival at the gig, etc. “Storm Blowin’” equates relationships to storms (“I’ll pick you up when you fall down, will you do the same?”) and is a lyrical song with swirling organ and an extended and dramatic solo from JR, a definite highlight.
Similarly exciting guitar embellishes “After Midnight” as JR reflects on some of the worrying features of our society such as drugs on the streets and racism. Ringing guitars that sound a little like ZZ Top and solid rocking accompaniment feature on “Your Good Loving”. The horns return on the final track, the only cover here, James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s World”, which JR delivers well, sticking reasonably close to the original and giving us one more fine solo before the album ends.
Two comic songs lighten the serious mood of some of the songs here: on “Shakin’ Margaritas” JR has lots of fun with rhymes as Maria works her cocktail magic in the bar, watched by all the guys as uncredited flute and shakers add a different feel; “Hot Lunch Mama” finds JR admiring an attractive lady heading for her regular lunch date with some some double meaning lyrics and fine rolling piano work.
Overall this is an impressive album with no weak tracks. The horns are superb on the tracks on which they feature but the band is strong enough to entertain us throughout the album. This was the first this reviewer had heard of JR Clark but he someone to watch out for. This CD is available from CD Baby and comes recommended!

January Rain