The Why & Wherefores –Alright (Dusty Records).

This is Emily Druce & Steve Jones’ latest incarnation and they stray slightly from the blues path with roots and rockabilly coming into play. Joining Druce & Jones in The Why + Wherefores are Martin Wydell on tuba & sousaphone, Marc Layton-Bennett on drums & percussion and John Barker on lap steel. Alright takes them away from the blues and they go electric. This is a very Bohemian, jaunty opener. Black And White has gentle sounds with Neil Innes guesting ob bassand Rev Gal takes them back into the blues arena as Jones takes on the vocal. This is a beefed up electric blues with added percussion from Layton-Bennett -- high impact blues rock. The One I Left Behind has Druce back on vocals and Innes on bass for this uptempo swing blues and one of familiar territory. Rough Diamond is slowed down and folk influenced. Druce’s fiddle gives that boho feel to Wolf which has them swapping the vocals again.

Rollin’ And Tumblin’ is not a blues as you would expect from the title but a return to Bohemia. Illuminated is early Eddi Reader in delivery and pleasant enough without being outstanding. Way Out West has a punctuated bass and this lays the foundation for a laid back groove. I feel that the fiddle is a little unnecessary on this one though. I Thought I Loved Somebody Else is a heavier blues based thumper and far better than the pretty stuff in my opinion. Last Go Round is another slinky one and they finish with a brave cover (the only cover on the album) of Bob Marley’s Lively Up Yourself. This is slower than the original but it does maintain the slight reggae feel that has just been under the surface on some of the earlier tracks. However, it is not up to the standard of the original but the slide guitar is a bit of a novelty.

www.myspace.com/thewhywherefores

David Blue.

Danny Bryant’s Red Eye Band –Watching You (Roots Collectibles).

Fans have been crying out for the re-release of Danny Bryant’s 2002 debut album and now the wait is over. On its original release the album was declared as marking the arrival of a new blues star and given his most recent success with 2008’s Black And White, it makes sense to go back and see how much he has progressed. The eponymous title track is a rousing start and the type of chugging blues rocker that he has gone on to perfect. Since You’re Gone highlights the early guitar skills and it is there for all to hear. This slow Chicago blues has added gritty vocals and it is no surprise to see him performing so well today when this is where he started! Living In The Lions Den is an acoustic based rocker with a strong vocal whereas Crying For My Baby shouts out Status Quo with a strong mid-paced boogie. Search For You is slow and atmospheric. It’s not his best vocal but confirms he was a raw talent. Nothing raw about his guitar work however.

Heartbreaker is another mid-paced rocker with the flaming guitar licks that he now performs with aplomb. Purple is a pleasant instrumental with superb guitar and a big solo spot for Bryant. Follow On has that gritty vocal again and it is very well suited to this big rock ballad. Dancing Girl starts out as an acoustic led slide blues and then boom, in comes the electric guitar and the rest of the band as they turn it into a good, thumping rocker. Falling Tears sounds as if it has a piano into before it leads into a surging power ballad. It’s pretty standard stuff but another bulging solo from Bryant confirms his early class.

This is a good point of reference for those who bought Black And White and want to dig out Danny Bryant’s roots.

http://www.continental.nl/

David Blue.

Tiny Tin Lady – Ridiculous Bohemia (Tiny Tin Label).

Ridiculous Bohemia is Tiny Tin Lady’s second album and follows on from their critically acclaimed debut in 2006. For the new album, the all-girl group from Merseyside has added Kat Gilmore on violin to the established line up of sisters Beth & Danni Gibbins on guitar and vocal and Helen Holmes on bass. They have honed their skills supporting acts such as Fairport Convention, Midge Ure & Jah Wobble and have performed at more than 30 festivals. The first of twelve original songs is Fall Into Line, which has a crystal clear vocal, a quirky beat and lovely harmony. Anti-Social Sciences has a Corrs feel, perhaps this is down to the three part female harmony – good song. Green And Brown And Grey is not the most endearing of titles but the Corrs theme continues and the fiddler just makes them sound like them all the more. In My Room is another sedate, folksy offering and these soft sounds are just perfect for drifting away on. They are quickly adding themselves into my chill out playlist. Dubble Bummage is more up-tempo but that title needs further explanation. Pretty Eyes is classy and those harmonies are just perfect.

I’ll stay away from the obvious comments about Seven Weeks Of Strip Poker. It has a Russian vibe and a high pace, something they don’t do often enough. It shows that there is more than one level to Tiny Tin Lady. Growing Pains is graceful and has that slight Celtic influence that has been just under the surface since the start – very good. The Road To Ridiculous Bohemia is a bit tame, unfortunately. The introduction of violin does give them that Bohemian feel nonetheless. The eponymous title track is higher paced but they are losing it a bit and struggling to keep up the standards of the earlier part of the album. Love Is A Duel is a calm, pretty song but why have a minutes silence at the end? Perhaps it was for the loser! The final track, My Heineken Keg, is good fun and an exercise in finding words to rhyme with keg.

http://www.tinytinlady.com/

Dave Arcari – Got Me Electric (Buzz Records).

Got Me Electric is Dave Arcari’s fifth album and features nine originals along with four covers. He has sprung a couple of surprises and plays acoustic and Telecaster guitars as well as his beloved National. The eponymous title track heralds the return of the wild man but there is only so much that you can do as a solo artist. However, he may garner more recognition on the back of what Seasick Steve has managed to achieve. Whatever happens, you know what you are going to get from Mr Arcari. Nobody’s Fool is engaging and You Oughta Know is a great re-working of an old song. I may have been premature in stating that the wild man is back as it seems that he may have mellowed a tad on No Easy Way and he has rounded things out a little more. Close To The Edge is out of Radiotones back catalogue and Arcari often successfully raids his old songs from time to time for a bit of re-jigging. Another success, although there will be those that say he leaves himself open to accusations of a lack of new material. The one thing that is constant is that he always keeps his Scots accent. One More Heartbreak dispels all thoughts of mellowing as he really goes for the throat. This is classic Arcari and a great version of the Frankie Miller song.

Blind Willie Johnson’s Soul Of A Man is a country influenced blues and Arcari keeps it simple. It is Robert Burns’ 250th anniversary this year and Arcari has chosen to include Parcel Of Rogues. There will be purists jumping from roofs but I’m sure that the bard would have loved to hear his words interpreted in this way and given the full Arcari treatment. Hear Me Coming is back to the blues but I feel that this would benefit from a full backing band. Homesick And Blue is electric and a little on the rockabilly side whereas Journeytime Is Over is archetypal Arcari if there is one, although not in the blues shouting area. There is a certain formula to our Mr Arcari and the man is not for turning. Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues is electric and grungy, revamped and how!! Just wait for it and all of a sudden you’ll be in the middle of a riot. This is him at his snarling best. He closes with Bound To Ride, another revamped Radiotones song but this time he has managed to create a wall of sound just from one man and his guitar.

This is a remarkable album in more than one way!

http://www.davearcari.com/
http://www.thebuzzgroup.co.uk/

David Blue.

Paul Rishell & Annie Raines – A Night In Woodstock (Mojo Rodeo Records).

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines first met in 1992 when Raines sat in with Rishell on a gig in a Boston bar. Those who were there must have suspected that they were witnessing the beginning of a long standing partnership. A Night In Woodstock is their first live recording and also the first release on their fledgling Mojo Rodeo label. The pair has racked up hundreds of gigs and it is evident throughout this recording of how comfortable they are with each other. The opener, Blind Boy Fuller’s Custard Pie, is acoustic country blues which has a Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee style guitar and harp feel to it. A Night In Woodstock is a live album in every way and this is the best medium for the wailing vocal on Canned Heat Blues. This Tommy Johnson classic is superbly executed. Johnny Winter’s Dallas has slide guitar and is a classic blues of huge proportions. The first original song is Got To Fly, which has guitar and harp in the Terry/McGhee style again but it’s Raines who takes the vocal this time though. There’s not enough emotion in it for me but it is admirable taking on both harp and vocal. It’ll Be Me/I’ll Be Looking For You is sedate but has precision guitar from Rishell and moaning harp to make up for it. Louis Armstrong’s Old Man Mose is far more upbeat. It’s not a blues however but should be filed more under jazz/Americana.

Blues On A Holiday is laid back and nothing special but Can’t Use It No More has John Sebastian guesting. This gives us a more impassioned vocal and the added drums and piano are welcome. I’m A Lover Not A Fighter has country influenced guitar picking from Rishell and the impressive harp helps build it up to a good ‘un. Moving To The Country is an electric chugger. More of a country rocker this time and has the requisite vocal. Maybe just a little too much plodding for some people’s liking but the harp is as good as ever. Bad Credit is a vibrant, upbeat blues and Blue Shadows is mid-paced, rhythmic blues rocker with deliberate lead guitar. The show finishes with the classy Orange Dude Blues and this will leave you wanting more. Your wish shall be granted when the planned DVD comes out soon.

http://www.paulandannie.com/

David Blue.

Memo Gonzalez & The Bluescasters – Dynomite (Crosscut Records).

Texas born frontman Gonzalez and his multi-national Bluescasters have been performing their brand of blues, swing, rock, soul and funk to audiences throughout Europe and the USA for a few years now and they have transferred that craft onto their latest album for Crosscut. Bad Luck is a slightly low key opening, not normal Bluescasters fare but well played nonetheless. However, Dynomite Nitro has the big R&B sounds that the band have become renowned for and One Day, One Kiss, One Night is a pounding Dave Edmunds style rock n roll. Please Come Home is a slow, swinging blues with strong guitar work from Kai Strauss and highlights Gonzalez’s presence. Strange Kind Of Feeling is bouncy R&B from a tight band held together by the rhythm section of Erkan Ozedemir on bass and Henk Punter’s drums. Slip Away has a big vocal performance and is a soulful R&B.

The Freddie King song Double Eyed Whammy stays in the R&B field that they are comfortable in and Strauss’jagged guitar is a near match for the great man’s. Mary Lynn is an electric blues with a country feel and What’s In A Name is eight and a half minutes of superb harmonica blues -- a highlight! Gonzalez’s voice is on the mark and the harp is of classic proportions with Strauss beefing things up on guitar. D Jump is a harmonica led jump blues and is good party stuff. Lonely Boy is a swinging, electric blues and Fat Boy is a big finish. This instrumental has both guitar and drums to the fore. The only question unanswered is that of whether it is an homage to the Fat Boy Stratocaster.

An excellent follow up to Live In The UK.

http://www.memogonzalez.com/
http://www.crosscut.de/

David Blue.

Joanne Shaw Taylor – White Sugar (Ruf Records).

Joanne Shaw Taylor first burst onto the scene at the tender age of 16 when she was discovered by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame. The following summer she toured with Dave, Candy Dulpher and Jimmy Cliff and has been honing her blues themes ever since. Her debut album, White Sugar, has been produced by the legendary Jim Gaines and he has pushed her to the limit. She opens with Going Home, a beefy opener which suits her smokey voice. She is the complete package as she is a more than competent guitarist too. She has been described as the love child of Dusty Springfield and Stevie Ray Vaughan so just close your eyes and imagine what she sounds like. Just Another Word is a mid-paced funky rock and Bones is gritty blues rock with a scorching solo which slides along very well. Who Do You Want Me To Be? is high energy and Time Has Come is a slow, classic blues with a big solo.

The eponymous title track is a funky, biting blues but Kiss The Ground is an altogether more rock influenced sing although it is nothing out of the ordinary. Heavy Heart is soulful and a strange change of direction towards the end which is a little bit unnecessary. Watch ‘Em Burn is a pulsating rocker and shows how good a guitarist she is. She closes off with Blackest Day, a classic blues with one of her big, blossoming solos. As far as debut albums go I think that Joanne Shaw Taylor has shown that she had tremendous potential.

http://www.joanneshawtaylor.com/
http://www.rufrecords.de/

David Blue.