Author Archives: Mike

Every day can sound just like Jazz Fest with new album from Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Mike

We’re down to just two sleeps away from the start of the annual New Orleans Jazz Festival, so if you’re beginning to look ahead for some music to hold you over between your Jazz Festival weekends (besides listening to any … Continue reading →

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Catfish releases title track video from band’s final album

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Mike

Last August, we told you about a superb mini-album from UK blues-rockers Catfish. Sadly, the band’s very talented guitarist and singer Matt Long lost his battle with cancer just a few months later, in probably the most tragic loss to … Continue reading →

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Janiva Magness will keep you coming back with latest album Back for Me

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Mike

We recently spotlighted one of the singles off blueswoman Janiva Magness‘ new album Back for Me (Blue Élan Records), “a slinking, edgy, ‘you done lost your good thing now’-kind of track with some gritty vocals, grungy guitar, and terrific grooves” … Continue reading →

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Tony Holiday teams with guitarist/singer Eddie 9V on single “She’s a Burglar”

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Mike

It’s been a while since we’ve mentioned Memphis blues-soul singer Tony Holiday here. Holiday’s got a new album coming out next week on Forty Below Records, and here’s the opening track: a greasy, soulful take on the Freddie King classic … Continue reading →

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Matt Schofield Trio unleashes fiery single Can’t Catch My Breath

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Mike

For those who may not know him (even though we’ve talked of him often here on these pages, including this 2011 interview), Matt Schofield is a UK blues guitarist and vocalist now living in Florida. Matt’s latest album Many Moons … Continue reading →

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Louisiana neighbors Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Bobby Rush show off their Young Fashioned Ways on superb joint album

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Mike

Recently, we highlighted the lead song off the new album collaboration from blues-rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd and traditional bluesman Bobby Rush, a shuffling number with stinging guitar from Shepherd, gritty vocals and harmonica from Rush, and some swinging horns that, … Continue reading →

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Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen keep things bouncing with new single “Uptown Downtown”

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Mike

You may recall us telling you last month (to the day, in fact) about the first single off Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen’s upcoming album: a very uptempo take on the Cleary classic “So Damn Good”. The lyrics … Continue reading →

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Janiva Magness sounds mighty good to us on single “I Was Good to You Baby”

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Mike

Blues soulstress Janiva Magness is back with a new album this month that we’ll tell you more about soon, but here’s a quick taste for you in the meantime, in the form of a slinking, edgy, “you done lost your … Continue reading →

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Limited edition LP offers further listen to American Folk Blues Festival’s earliest years with previously unreleased recordings of Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon, T-Bone Walker, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, John Lee Hooker, and more

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Mike

American Folk Blues Festival Live in Paris 1962 • Bremen 1963 (The Lost Recordings) There are, fortunately for us all, a good number of recordings from the American Folk Blues Festival over the years, but we’re certainly not going to … Continue reading →

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Louisiana bluesmen Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Bobby Rush easily recognized — and playing at their best — on single “Who Was That”

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Mike

Speaking of cross-generational collaborations (as we were in last week’s post on Kenny Neal and son teaming for a new single), we were pretty excited to hear about the upcoming album from two other Louisiana bluesmen, who were born more … Continue reading →

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