roots

Joe Bonamassa Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 J&R Adventures Joe Bonamassa cannot possibly have an off switch, only one that adjusts the mode. If he’s not out promoting an album onstage somewhere in the world, he’s likely in a studio working on the next one. Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 marks his 51st in 23 years, considering […]

Dave Keller It’s Time To Shine Montpelier, Vermont’s Dave Keller has been schooled by the very best. He studied acoustic blues with guitarist Paul Rishell, and soul blues with guitarist Robert Ward. After releasing the Dave Keller Band debut in 1998 he began to be mentored by Mighty Sam McClain who lived in nearby New […]

Ray Bonneville On the Blind Side Stonefly Juno Award winner and multiple Juno nominee, the Quebec-born, well-traveled and currently Austin-based blues and roots artist Ray Bonneville returns with his tenth solo album, On the Blind Side. This is Bonneville’s post-pandemic release, and understandably may be even more introspective than some previous efforts, leaning a bit […]

David Bennett Cohen Seems Like a Good Time for the Blues Self-released Blues pianist David Bennett Cohen has been on the scene for over sixty years and yet, as hardly a household name, his resume would be the envy of many, even those that are indeed well recognized. He’s a founding member of Country Joe […]

Ghalia Volt Shout Sister Shout Ruf We have one quick clarifier before we get started.  The title may cause some, like this writer, to think this is a tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe and an album of the same name did just that. The Belgian-born, ever-evolving, once one-woman band Ghalia Volt is not in that […]

André Bisson Latchford Self-released It’s somewhat rare to hear an artist for the first time on his tenth album release and in the case of Canadian soul/R&B/roots singer-songwriter André Bisson, it raises the obvious notion of ‘look at what I’ve been missing.” Bisson has been on the scene for twenty years, boasts numerous awards and […]

Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind Behind the Veil Gulf Coast Records      Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind. What a suitable, vivacious name for this bunch, given all the ins and outs and ups and downs crisscrossing Ricci’s story. Ricci’s traits include being an on again off again drug abuser, and a spiritual, openly […]

Dave Keller It’s Time to Shine Tastee Tone In previous reviews of Vermonter soul/blues artist Dave Keller, this writer recalls a quote from Keller about preferring to be a big fish in a small pond than an artist competing with many in the same locale. Do you know any other national blues artists from Vermont? […]

Nick Wade Feeling Good Is Good Enough ESP It’s not often that a younger bluesman comes along, steeped in the country Delta blues. Enter Nick Wade, who has received a glowing endorsement from Guy Davis and Corey Harris, and surely many others who don’t grace the liner notes. Guy Davis says, “…a young cat with […]

Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps Rose-Colored Glasses Vol. 2 Blue Heart The highly decorated Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps are on a roll. They return with Rose-Colored Glasses Vol. 2, going for three in a row.  The hot streak began with 2019’s Grammy-nominated Here in Babylon, followed by the first installment of Rose-Colored […]

Lee Oskar She Said Mahalo Dreams We Share She Said Mahalo is harmonica legend, Lee Oskar’s more lighthearted, uplifting follow-up to his stunning career tour-de-force, 2022’s Never Forget, covered on these pages. This one is similar in Oskar’s melodic lines that often front fairly large ensembles, creating cinematic, expansive sonic palettes. If you’re thinking of […]

Joyann Parker Roots Hopeless Romantics Records  Too often an artist that takes on this amount of variety in style for one project ends up presenting a flat experience. Not Joyann Parker with Roots. Not by a country mile and a half. Few shift so fluidly between rock, country, blues, hard and smooth soul, and even […]