We got over a foot of snow in the past 36 hours, with more on the way. At least we have a break today, but we had to dig ourselves out so we could go to the store this morning. Good thing we have some hot albums to review to keep us motivated. Check out these amazing artists.
Artist Name: The Reverend Shawn Amos
Album Name: Kitchen Table Blues Vol. 1
Label: Put Together Music
Genre: Blues
Track Listing: 1. Ooh La La; 2. Hold On; 3. Whip It; 4. Have Love Will Travel; 5. Jesus Gonna be Here
Publicist: Blind Raccoon
Review: The Reverend Shawn Amos has been a pillar of the blues community for many years. Back in 2016, he began cooking breakfast for his friends and then entertaining them with blues covers of some of his favorite songs. These sessions were recorded and turned into his Kitchen Table Blues series. On Vol. 1, he shows his amazing and diverse talents through some interesting song choices, including “Ooh La La,” which has become famous on the Alexa commercials, “Hold On” and “Whip It.” We love the Roots/Americana vibe he puts on “Ooh La La,” and love the overall sound of the entire EP. This one belongs on repeat.
Recommendation: Drop everything and go get this amazing EP, which belongs in every collection.
Artist Name: Kathryn Grimm
Album Name: Blues Tools
Label: Self-released
Genre: Blues
Track Listing: 1. Best of Me; 2. Blues Tools; 3. C’mon Home; 4. Empty Space; 5. God is Testing Me; 6. Gone; 7. Hot Date with Buzz; 8. Lovegun; 9. Miss Celie’s Blues; 10. Talking to the Wind; 11. Trouble of this World; 12. You Make me so Happy, I Can’t Sing the Blues
Publicist: Doug Deutsch Publicity Services
Review: Kathryn Grimm is an amazing electric blues/rock guitarist who is also a great storyteller and songwriter. On this blazing hot CD, she tackles such subjects as domestic violence (“The Best of Me”), theft of her van with all of her gear inside (“God is Testing Me”), talking to people who don’t listen (“Talking to the Wind”), the regret of mistreating someone (“C’mon Home”) and vibrators (“Hot Date with Buzz”), which also includes a smoking slide guitar solo by the late Jeff Buckley. The songs are both serious and light and deserve serious industry attention, reflecting a myriad of musical styles including jazz, blues, gospel and rock. Put this one on repeat.
Recommendation: Run out and Get this one! It will quickly become one of your favorites.
Artist Name: Kenny Parker
Album Name: Hellfire
Label: Rock-a-While Records
Genre: Blues
Track Listing: 1. I’ve Got my Eye on You; 2. Baby Come Back to Me; 3. Blind and Paralyzed; 4. Bye Bye Baby; 5. Hellfire; 6. Goin’ in Circles; 7. Dance with Me; 8. I’m Missing You; 9. But Then we Danced; 10. Half Crazy; 11. Back up Plan; 12. Hard Time in the Land of Plenty
Publicist: Blind Raccoon
Review: The blues world has some distinctive styles, from Chicago to the Delta, and Detroit is no exception. Kenny Parker brings us the best of Detroit blues rock on his latest collection. From the rocking guitar and vocals of “I’ve Got my Eye on You,” to the soulful sound of “Baby Come Back to Me,” this album is jammed packed with some of the best blues you have ever heard. Every song is worthy of attention, and should be on the radar of every successful music supervisor for potential placement opportunities. These songs likewise belong on blues radio.
Recommendation: Definitely Get this one!
Artist Name: Beautiful Things
Album Name: Dream World (Revisted)
Label: Self-released
Genre: Dream Pop/Alt-Rock
Track Listing: 1, Dream World (Sky Mix); 2. Hey Hey Hey (Electric Mix); 3. When the Night Comes Down (Bliss Mix); 4. Astronaut (Space Mix); 5. Astronaut (Acoustic Mix)
Publicist: Paula Berg
Review: On this beautiful reimagining of their debut 2009 album, which was just released yesterday, singer and songwriter Dina D’Alessandro aka Beautiful Things has been joined by former Screams for Tina bass player Grahame “Billy” Budd and keyboardist/guitarist Sean X. This strange pairing has rerecorded D’Alessandro’s favorite songs from that album, breathing new life into them with a sound that is more electronic and contemporary than the original versions. The album was engineered and produced by alternative rock legend Michael Rozon (Ministry), resulting in an album that is rich in context, as the musical accompaniment elevates the vocals and lyrics to a new level. You can’t go wrong with any of these five amazing tracks.
Recommendation: This is a must-have for all true music lovers, and we guarantee that you will love these songs on the 100th listen as much as you do on the first one.
Artist Name: Paul Nelson
Album Name: Over Under Through
Label: Self-released
Genre: Blues/Folk/Roots
Track Listing: 1. Go Down Ezekiel; 2. Ghost in the Basement; 3. Color it Blue; 4. Secret; 5. Lay a Little; 6. Alice Mullin; 7. I Walk the Line; 8. Relative Work; 9. Silent Majority; 10. Over Under Through; 11. There is Weeping
Publicist: Frank Roszak Promotions
Review: Paul Nelson hails from New Hampshire and captures that rugged sound with his latest release, infusing his storytelling with the sound of folk, blues and roots music. He should not be confused with the other Paul Nelson, a multiple Grammy-winning modern blues/rock guitarist, although he has just as much talent as his namesake. Unlike the other Paul Nelson, this one writes songs that are haunting and moody while carrying on the rich folk tradition of telling compelling and memorable stories. You will not easily forget his songs or his talent, and we believe you will thoroughly enjoy these folk songs. We especially love his treatment of the classic Johnny Cash song, “I Walk the Line.”
Recommendation: If you love great songs in the rich folk/roots tradition, then Get this one for your collection.