Every week our staff of CD Reviewers bring you the best in Independent CD releases. Making a Scene is considered the number 1 resource for the independent musician and the fans that love them.
The Jimmys Gotta Have It Brown Cow Productions The Jimmys are an R n’ B band formed by Jimmy Voegeli in 2008. By day the Wisconsin native works on his family’s fifth generation dairy farm with 200 Brown Swiss dairy cows. At night Voegeli is an award winning musician. In the liner notes Voegeli thanks […]
Chris Shutters with Jimmy Burns Good Gone Bad Third Street Cigar This is odd combination that works evenly and unevenly, depending on the tune. but guitarists/vocalists Chris Shutter and veteran Chicago bluesman Jimmy Burns (billed as Special Guest) have plenty of high moments on this collaboration. To the plus side, there is ample variety with […]
Guy Belanger Eldorado Bros From the North comes the most sought-after harmonica player in Quebec, releasing his sixth and perhaps best album. Guy Belanger brings a mix of originals, both vocal and instrumental, as well as inspired takes on covers. Following the opening “Carving the Wind” he makes Van Morrison’s “Bright Side of the Road” […]
Brian Scanlon Brain Scan Self-released Even before listening to Saxophonist Brian Scanlon’s debut album, this writer couldn’t help but chuckle at the album title, knowing how often “Brian” has resulted in the typo “Brain.” That alone was a good omen. Scanlon is a first call studio musician, who has worked on dozens of movies and […]
Warren Storm Taking The World By Storm APO Records Warren Storm was born Warren Schexnider in Abbeville, La. in 1937; not far from Lafayette. Storm learned to play both drums and guitar from his father, a Cajun musician. He befriended fellow Abbeville native Bobby Charles and they would visit New Orleans to listen and learn. […]
Angel Forrest Hell Bent with Grace Independent In 1988 Canada’s Angel Forrest began a musical career that would span three decades. Her debut recording 1996’s “Secondhand Blues” featured her versions of selected covers including Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads”; Ruth Brown’s “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean”; Howlin’ Wolf’s 1969 single “Evil”; and B. B. King classics […]
Making a Scene Presents Rhetta’s Top 50 Indie Blues Releases for 2019! In No Particular Order Tennessee Redemption Tennessee Redemption Tullie Brae Revelation JP Soars Let Go of the Reins Eliza Neals Sweet or Mean Eddie 9V Left My Soul In Memphis Jimbo Mathus Incinerator Mike Zito Rock N Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry […]
se Making a Scene Presents Viola Krouse’s Best Releases of 2019 Viola Krouse lists her favorite releases for 2019 and they made the list for three important reasons; first, they are damn good, second, the music crossed her record player at some point during the year, and third, they made an impact. The top of […]
Frank Bey All My Dues Are Paid Nola Blue Records Frank Bey was born in Georgia in 1946 and started singing gospel in the family band at the age of four. Being brought up in a strict household the young Bey had to sneak out of the house to sing secular music. When he was […]
Sugar Blue Colors Beeble Music James Joshua “Jimmie” Whiting better known as Sugar Blue was born in Harlem in December 1949. His mother was a singer and dancer at the Apollo Theater. His aunt gifted him with his first harmonica and he wailed along with Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder songs. He was further influenced […]
Who by The Who In the history of popular music many legends have been born. Some shone so brightly they lit up the entire heavens. But sadly their flame blew out all too soon. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison to name but a few. There are also those who have survived the changes and […]
Soul Box Good Stuff The band Soul Box is everything that the name implies. Simply put this band lays down some grooves that, uhm, well, are really great tunes to, ah… do it to. Soul Box has just released their second offering “Good Stuff” and yeah, you’re going to want to dig out the candles, […]
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes Cypress Grove Easy Eye Sound Jimmy Charles “Duck” Holmes was born in Bentonia, Mississippi in 1947. The seventy-two-year-old Holmes is the last torchbearer of the rural style known as Bentonia Blues. He is also the proprietor of the Blue Front Café on the Mississippi Blues Trail and the oldest surviving juke joint […]
Making a Scene Presents Richard Ludmerer’s Top 40 Blues CD’s of 2019 (in no particular order) Chris O’Leary Seven Minutes Late Watermelon Slim Church of the Blues Sugaray Rayford Somebody Save Me Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Kingfish The Texas Horns Get Here Quick Jimmie Vaughan Baby Please Come Home Albert Castiglia Masterpiece The Cash Box Kings […]
Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Top 10 Indie Songs of 2019 Although this list contains 10 songs that really impressed me in 2019. The ranking does suggest the importance of one song or artist over another however it’s rather that these artists have shone brightly on my musical radar. So let’s get started. Spain […]
It: Chapter 2 (DVD release) It’s difficult to adapt a Stephen King story to the screen. I take that back. It’s often almost impossible to do so. That’s why most of his best reviewed and most popular film adaptations rely more on story and character and less on special effects, CGI and general cosmic, shapeshifting, […]
Neil Young and Crazy Horse Colorado Colorado finds Neil Young reuniting with his past. l It has been 50 years since Young first collaborated with Crazy Horse. This is their 12th collaboration over the years. One original member has died and Nils Lofgren fills the void, playing with Young for the first time since 1982. […]
Diane Blue Look for the Light Regina Royale Records Diane Blue had shared the stage with Luther Guitar Jr. Johnson; Irma Thomas; Big Jack Johnson and others. She released her independently produced debut recording in 2006. Four years later she won the Massachusetts Blues Challenge and went on to compete in the International Blues Challenge […]
Making a Scene Presents Jim Hynes’ Top 30 Jazz Releases of 2019! These are in no particular order Click on the Album art to purchase on Amazon .. Click on the Artist’s Name to read the review! Betty Bryant Project 88 Beverley Church Hogan Can’t Get Out of This Mood Charlie Dennard Deep Blue Clifford […]
Making a Scene Presents Jim Hynes’ Picks for Top 20 Roots Releases for 2019! These are in no particular order.. Click on the Release image to purchase on Amazon – Use the artist name to go to the Review of the Release Benny Turner and Cash McCall Going Back Home Jason Ringenberg Stand Tall Adam […]
Jack Mack & The Heart Attack Live From Centennial Park, Atlanta 1996 SSR Free Roll Records The Eagles had just broken up and Glenn Frey hadn’t yet started his solo career. In 1982 he found some friends to have fun with and the R n’ B cover band Jack Mack & The Heart Attack were […]
Van Morrison Three Chords and the Truth Van Morrison is a wonder. Three Chords and the Truth is his 41st album and he is 74 years old, and he sounds marvelous! The album is all straightforward music with no fancy effects. The backing band, including Astral Weeks guitarist Jay Berliner is part of the reason […]
Louis Anthony deLise The Professional Songwriter The Professional Songwriter is a textbook aimed at writers who are dedicated to being successful as a songwriter. It is essential reading for anyone in that position, although it might have been better divided into two books, one about music theory and one about the music business. This is […]
Big Dave McLean Pocket Full Of Nothin’ Black Hen Music Big Dave McLean has been active on the Canadian blues scene since releasing his 1989 debut recording “Muddy Waters for President”. In 1992 Mclean was a Juno Award winner; the Juno Awards are Canada’s equivalent to our Grammys. The veteran bluesman has been an influence […]
Dom Martin Spain to Italy Where do I start as it’s all been said before about this young man from Belfast, Northern Ireland. The right place at the right time springs to mind. My first time to meet Dom was on the 7th of March this year at renowned rock venue Whelan’s in Dublin. Dom […]
Whitney Tai Sleepwalking to the Moon Patrick O’Heffernan Sometimes Whitney Tai’s music is fragile, delicate, barely entering your ears. At other times it is fierce, dense, demanding of every one of your senses. But either way, it touches your heart with a power that is hard to define but instantly recognizable. “Sleepwalking to the Moon” […]
Yasser Tejeda & Palotré Kijombo Self- released Surely, you’ve already identified this as Latin music and possibly Latin jazz. Yet, that’s only partially right. it’s broader than either one. Yasser Tejeda’s music on Kijombo is, at least in the U.S. and many countries, the seldom heard roots music of the Dominican Republic, here re-imagined by […]
Raquel Cepeda Passion – Latin Jazz Self-released Houston-based jazz vocalist and songwriter Raquel Cepeda is a multi-talented artist with an interesting story and an auspicious debut. She uses the word ‘passion’ liberally. It’s the name of her band, her album, and her life force. From the liner notes, these excerpts from Cepeda will provide a […]
Katy Hobgood Ray Featuring Dave Ray I Dream of Water Out of the Past You may have already read about Katy Hobgood Ray on these pages with Richard’s interview. If so, (and even if not) you realize that she’s a versatile artist, probably most conveniently labeled as a folk-blues artist but that term does not […]
Chris “Bad News” Barnes Live Vizztone Label Group Chris Barnes was a member of Chicago’s legendary Second City comedy troupe; and a writer and performer for Saturday Night Live, Seinfield, 30 Rock, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He began his blues music career as an opening act at New York Cities’ “Tramps” where he would take […]
Five Grand Stereo Sex and Money Everyone who is a lover of music,has a special period in their lives. This is most likely in their early teens to mid twenties. A lot of growing up is done during that period. A lot of firsts take place, first love , first date, first kiss,and first job if […]
Rae Gordon Band Wrong Kind of Love Independent Rae Gordon’s debut album “Blue Lemonade” landed in the top ten on the Billboard Blues Chart in 2013. She followed-up with “Dirty Flowers” in 2016. In January of 2017 “Rae Gordon & the Backseat Drivers” finished third in the band competition at the International Blues Challenge. Gordon’s […]
Ben Racine Band Live A Montreal Independent Canadian guitarist Ben Racine formed The Ben Racine Band in 2009. Their debut album “One of a Kind” received a 2013 Maple Blues Award nomination. Racine followed up with his sophomore recording “Grand New Brew” in 2015. The Ben Racine Band began touring with Dawn Tyler Watson, and […]
John Fairhurst The Divided Kingdom John Fairhurst believes in a revolution for positive change that would help the ordinary people of this world. You can say it’s all been done before, what’s new I hear you say? Well I believe that society has a constant need for people like John Fairhurst, someone who believes in […]
Matty T Wall Transpacific Blues, Vol#1 Hipsterdumpster Records Matty T Wall is an Australian guitarist who has played flamenco, swing jazz and funk. After listening to Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan he worked backwards. Wall remembers “I discovered Robert Johnson and he made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, I […]
Odds Lane Lost & Found Gulf Coast Records Odds Lane are Doug Byrkit, guitar, bass and vocals; and Brian Zietlie, drums. The pair first met while in high school. Their working relationship has lasted over 25 years as they have toured internationally with numerous artists. Twenty-one years ago they met Mike Zito who at the […]
Eddie 9V Left My Soul in Memphis Eddie 9V, pronounced 9 Volt, is a phenomenon on his own. He is only 23 years old but under a different name he has been playing Atlanta clubs since he was 15 years old. In 2014, he and his brother competed, with their band, in the IBCs. So […]
Lucky Peterson 50 – Just Warming Up! Jazz Village Lucky Peterson is the son of the late James Peterson, former owner of the Governor’s Inn, a blues club in Buffalo New York; with at least five albums of his own. Born Judge Kenneth Peterson, Lucky was a child prodigy, discovered by Willie Dixon, when he […]
Mary Black Orchestrated Gifthorse Mary Black, long considered Ireland’s premiere female vocalist, has been recording now for three decades but this is a first. Like early Emmylou Harris, Black is an interpreter, not a writer. Yet, she has a sizeable catalog from which she chose 11 songs to be orchestrated by Ireland’s acclaimed RTE National […]
Fay Victor Barn Songs Northern Spy You may have never heard a vocal album like this one, unless, of course, you’ve heard Fay Victor before. Called by some an avant-garde vocalist and luminary on the contemporary avant-garde scene, Victor’s website has a slightly different descriptor – sound artist. Victor is many things – a composer, […]
The Diva Jazz Orchestra DIVA + The Boys MCG Jazz Perhaps we should start with MCG Jazz, an interesting organization that brings us the music. It is a social enterprise of Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, a subsidiary of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, a non-profit arts and learning center in Pittsburgh, PA. MDG Jazz preserves, presents, and promotes […]
Rozina Patkai Taladim Tom-Tom Rozina Patkai is a jazz singer, songwriter and visual artist based in Budapest, Hungary. This is her third release, a special one in which she sets the poems of world-famous artists to music. Herein are poems by Nathaniel Barratt (“Lorelei”), T.S. Eliot (“Song”), William Blake (“Laughing Song’), Jane Tyson Clement (“Sea […]
Santiago Bosch Galactic Warrior Self-released Fusion lives. The adage says every fifty years or so, trends reappear. There have been plenty of very good recent fusion albums from the likes of Hudson, Shijin, Gerry Gibbs, The Funky Knuckles and many, many others. What is striking about the new release from keyboard ace Santiago Bosch, among […]
Willie and the Bandits Paths The story of the “blues” started out in the southern states of America among the cotton fields and plantations. The music came from deep within, filled with emotion. The stories that were told sang of the “Sorrow” and “Trouble” that prevailed at the time. In “2019” the blues has evolved, […]
Bernie Mora & Tangent No Agenda Rhombus Records The San Antonio based guitarist Bernie Mora stepped out front in 2013. He formed his band Tangent and they released their debut recording “Dandelion”. Tangent is an instrumental jazz fusion group that mixes funk, and rock into their sound. Their music can best be described as Spyro […]
Skip and Dan Wilkins Quartet Someday Deer Head Just as this recording form the Skip and Dan Wilkins Quartet is essentially an homage to the Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, PA, my review is a kind of homage that same venue, relatively local for this writer. Yes, it’s a rather unlikely spot to […]
Alan Rosenthal Elbow Grease Street of Stars Don’t let the glasses fool you. Just like pianist Bill Evans had that professorial look, pianist Alan Rosenthal does too and just as Evans produced a distinctive piano sound, Rosenthal produces unexpected improvisations, albeit more akin to Monk. Rosenthal is also an astute and versatile composer. He composed […]
Jackie Allen A Romantic Evening With – Live at the Rococo Avant Bass This live concert from renowned jazz vocalist Jackie Allen is available as a CD or with an accompanying Blu-ray disc. You may have already seen this as it has aired on several PBS outlets across the country. There’s a bit of a […]
Black Stone Cherry Black To Blues Vol. 1 & 2 Mascot Records These are two EP’s from Black Stone Cherry; the covers are basically the same. Volume#1 was released in 2017, one year after The Rolling Stones released their 2016 cover album “Blue and Lonesome”. I noticed that the six songs on the first EP […]
Hudspeth & Taylor Folie A Deux Self-released In the vein of those great acoustic blues records from the ‘60s and ‘70s on the Vanguard, Arhoolie, and Shanachie labels and such, come the Kansas City duo of guitarist Brandon Hudspeth and vocalist/percussionist Jaisson Taylor for their debut, Folie A Deux. That term, according to medical terminology […]
