The Blues Blog (12) A regular round-up of new releases Emerging fully formed from their home base of Boston in 1991 the first incarnation of The Radio Kings played a storming blues-based rock n roll of a standard to rival The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Still led by singer Brian Templeton and guitarist/producer Michael Dinallo, this eponymous fourth album (on Corazong Records) marks their welcome return to studio and road after a decade-long sabbatical. The rest seems to have done them no harm whatsoever and this new set serves up an admirable selection of Memphis/rock/pop infused numbers. Of the seven newly-penned songs from the band’s principals the down and dirty “Moanin’ Blues” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” have instant appeal, and there’s some affecting lap steel behind the charming “I’m Not Trippin’”. Meanwhile, covers of Magic Sam’s “She Belongs to Me” and O.V. Wright’s “You Gonna Make Me Cry” hark back to their earliest live shows. With fifteen years in the business behind him Paul Mark can almost claim “old trooper” credentials for himself. On “Blood and Treasure” (Radiation Records) his conventional bass/drums/Hammond organ support from The Van Dorens is nicely complimented by soaring backing vocals by Susan Marshall and Jackie Johnson to impose an enthusiastic Cocker-esque soul atop the general barroom swagger. Up-tempo M.O.R. rock production renders the overall sound clear and accessible and brings out the best in some strong instrumental performances. The existential lyrics on the likes of “Everything is Nothing”, “Perp Walk” and “Feed the Machine” make a valiant attempt to avoid over-familiar themes with some surprisingly contemporary commentary. The Insomniac’s “At Least I’m Not With You” (Delta Groove) is a mightily impressive second effort for a band which surfaced as recently as 2007. There’s no doubting the enormous contribution of singer/guitarist Vyasa Dodson, but taken as a whole this is as tight and together a band as you’ll hear this year. Dodson shines on his own “Maybe Sometime Later” and on the Little Richard-penned “Directly From My Heart to You”, while the Penniman influence is also evident on both the title track and “She Can Talk”. Relaxed and authoritative but bursting with energy the album benefits from impressive guest appearances by premier league harp men Al Blake and Mitch Kashmir on “Lonesome” and “Hoodoo Man Blues” respectively, the latter showing them at their most assured and convincing. Straight from the School of Take No Prisoners, Mick Stover’s Gentlemen’s Blues Club presents “The Sky’s On Fire” in a manner that starts as it means to go on, with the thundering biker anthem “Red White and Blue”. As might be expected from having a leader and main songwriter who plays bass as well as singing, the thirteen studio cuts offered up here benefit from a ground-shaking back beat against which his sidemen draw from their respective histories with Slash, Iggy and David Lee Roth to raise a formidable sonic front. For their first on Blues Boulevard, Stover and co. have raided their three earlier releases for choice cuts which, whilst not all full-on rockers (“Longhorn Honeymoon” is positively soulful) boast titles including “The Bastard”, “Shotgun Wedding” and “Walkin’ Dead” that certainly suggest a manifesto of sorts. A gritty but balanced collection by a nice in-yer-face outfit, they top off with three live bonus cuts that prove they can crank it up even higher on stage. To the purist blues listener Jason Ricci and New Blood’s eclectic and hard-hitting assault (featuring Chromatic, Diatonic, Chord and Polyphonia harmonicas; electric and acoustic Dobro guitars; tuba; and electric and acoustic bass – since you ask) might present something of a challenge. That they choose to point this arsenal at cover versions of Glen Danzig’s “I Turned into a Martian” and Sun Ra’s “Enlightenment” could seem like full-on provocation. While “Done With the Devil” (Eclecto Groove) does it’s level best to tear up the rule book however, it’s never less than focused and respectful, and in spite of its spirited innovation remains steadfastly rooted in the blues. Ricci himself asserts his growing reputation as the most exciting young harp player around, boldly taking his instrument where none have gone before, borrowing greedily from jazz (without becoming jazz) and the Mississippi Mafia (without locking himself into a Delta rhythm). “Broken Toy” and “Life of Denial” stand testimony to his talents as both singer and songwriter, while “Hollering for Craig Lawler” and “Afro Blue” are good examples of his skill in fusing disparate sounds into songs which are both startling and listenable. Fronting an impressive outfit of similarly motivated and highly skilled progressives there’s every chance that recognition won’t be far away, probably beyond the confines of his present genre. Pinpointing the geographical genesis of the blues is a popular parlour game in some circles, with advocates pressing the respective cases of West Africa, Southern U.S.A. and (in the case of a Mr. V. Morrison of Belfast) even Ireland. For all the music’s global proliferation however it’s rare to hear mention of Brazil as being a twelve bar hotbed. Big Gilson hails from Rio de Janeiro, and while he may be unfamiliar to UK audiences his last fourteen years have found him gigging extensively around Europe and the Americas, opening for Johnny Winter and B.B. King and in the company of Duke Robillard, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim and others. New release “Sentenced to Living” (Blues Boulevard) was recorded and mixed in Rio with fellow Brazilians Pedro Leas and Gil Eduardo on board as the Blue Dynamite rhythm section, augmented by a sizeable support cast of keyboards, brass and backing vocals. There’s some energetic guitar work on display from time to time, with occasional excursions into a fuller, funkier Exile-era Stones-style r&b on tracks such as “Ready”; but on the whole, it’s disappointingly predictable, with little evidence of any South American influence to add flavour and originality. Neil B. www.corazong.com www.paulmark.com www.deltagrooveproductions.com www.musc-avenue.net www.eclectogroove.com Next