Join me live on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com radio for two hours of the roadhouse blues featuring new tunes from Russ Green, Markey Blue Rick Latino Project, The Record Company, Janiva Magness as well as songs by Kaleo, The Rag’N’Bone Man and Nathaniel Rateliff. Plus we’ll be remembering the hot soul and r&b voice of Aretha Franklin who passed away today. JOIN US from 3 pm to 5 pm EST TODAY and every Thursday!
Compiling a list of my favorite roadhouse blues tunes of 2017 has been a labor of love. It includes some perennial favorites and some up and coming new artists. I hope you enjoy reviewing the list and hopefully you will buy and download some of the tunes.
At number one is Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’s, Don’t Leave Me Here, from the fantastic album Tajmo. Two special talents working together have produced the masterpiece of the 2017 roadhouse blues.
Coming in at number two, Walter Trout is a perennial favorite of blues rockers and when you combine his guitar playing with that of Joe Bonamassa you get some very special mojo on the tune We’re All in this Together.
At number three is the Altered Five band song, Charmed & Dangerous, an upbeat badass song that exudes sexual energy from a group based in Wisconsin.
Beth Hart has four songs from the album Fire on Floor in the top 66 and coming in at number four is the title cut. It is a slow intense tune that plays to all of Beth’s strengths as a song writer and performer.
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band has three songs in the top 66 from his album Lay It on Down. Nothing But the Night comes in at number five. We have tickets to see both him and Beth Hart in July….can’t wait!!
At number six is the song Three Times Your Fool by Washington D.C.’s, the Nighthawks. This is a slow beautiful song for the ages from a group that has been playing the blues for over forty years!
Based out of Denmark, Thorbjorn Risager & the Black Tornado, have four songs in the top 66. At number seven is the title cut, Change My Game. Featuring a full seven piece band with a compliment of some badass horns, this group is easily my favorite European roadhouse blues band.
Californian Tommy Castro & the Painkillers returned to his roots in San Jose to record the album, Stompin’ Grounds, and has four songs included on my list. At number eight is Blues All Around Me. I have seen him in concert a couple of times and can’t wait to do it again!
At number nine is the band Tucci and the song, High Roller, that feature’s Chicago’s own Larry McCray….just some badass blues.
Rounding out the top ten is Dennis Johnson’s rendition of Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues. Dennis is a guitar virtuoso and his talent shines through on the album, Rhythmland.
Some special notes about the rest of the top Roadhouse 66:
Here is the full list….enjoy! And you can listen to all of these songs on my 24 hour roadhouse blues stream at Ben Vee’s Roadhouse Blues!
| ARTIST | TITLE | |
| 1 | Taj Mahal | Don’t Leave Me Here (ft Keb Mo) |
| 2 | Walter Trout | We’re All In This Together (feat. Joe Bonamassa) |
| 3 | Altered Five Blues Band | Charmed & Dangerous |
| 4 | Beth Hart | Fire On The Floor |
| 5 | Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band | Nothing But The Night |
| 6 | The Nighthawks | Three Times Your Fool |
| 7 | Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado | Change My Game |
| 8 | Tommy Castro & The Painkillers | Blues All Around Me |
| 9 | Tucci | High Roller (ft Larry McCray) |
| 10 | Dennis Johnson | Walkin Blues |
| 11 | Savoy Brown | I Can’t Stop The Blues |
| 12 | John Mayall | Blue Midnight |
| 13 | Van Morrison | Roll With The Punches |
| 14 | Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Feat. Mike Zito | Rock Bottom |
| 15 | James Armstrong | Second Time Around |
| 16 | Eliza Neals | Another Lifetime |
| 17 | Coco Montoya | Hard As Hell |
| 18 | Steve Krase | Brand New Thang |
| 19 | Tommy Castro & The Painkillers | Nonchalant |
| 20 | John McNamara | One, Two of a Kind |
| 21 | Beth Hart | Love Is A Lie |
| 22 | Sean Chambers | Bottle Keeps Staring at Me |
| 23 | Kenny Wayne Shepherd | Baby Got Gone |
| 24 | Popa Chubby | Rescue Me |
| 25 | Dudley Taft | I Lost My Way |
| 26 | The Nighthawks | That’s All You Gotta Do |
| 27 | Savoy Brown | Why Did You Hoodoo Me |
| 28 | Sean Chambers | Trouble & Whiskey |
| 29 | Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado | Train |
| 30 | Corey Dennison Band | Hear My Plea |
| 31 | Hurricane Ruth | Let Me Be the One |
| 32 | Anthony Rosano & The Conqueroos | Bound To You |
| 33 | Karen Lovely | Nice and Easy |
| 34 | John Ginty And Aster Pheonyx | Captain Hook |
| 35 | Sean Chambers | Gonna Groove |
| 36 | Beth Hart | Tell Her You Belong To Me (feat. Jeff Beck) |
| 37 | Kenny Wayne Shepherd | How Low Can You Go |
| 38 | Walter Trout | Crash And Burn (feat. Joe Louis Walker) |
| 39 | Samantha Fish | No Angels |
| 40 | Downchild Blues Band | Mailbox Money |
| 41 | Gregg Allman | I Love The Life I Live |
| 42 | Janiva Magness | I Can Tell |
| 43 | Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado | I Used to Love You |
| 44 | Peter Parcek | World Keep On Turning |
| 45 | Milligan Vaughan Project | Dangerous Eyes |
| 46 | Hurricane Ruth | Beekeeper |
| 47 | The Cash Box Kings | All Night Long |
| 48 | Kim Wilson | Bonus Boogie |
| 49 | Jan James | Black Orchid Blues |
| 50 | Hamilton Loomis | Sugar Baby |
| 51 | Beth Hart | Let’s Get Together |
| 52 | Billy Flynn | You Are My Lover |
| 53 | Delta Wires | Your Eyes |
| 54 | Savoy Brown | Vintage Man |
| 55 | Samantha Fish | Hello Stranger |
| 56 | The Original Blues Brothers Band | Got My Mojo Working |
| 57 | Hurricane Ruth | Barrelhouse Joe’s |
| 58 | Linsey Alexander | Where Did You Take Your Clothes off Last Night |
| 59 | Bridget Kelly Band | What You Need |
| 60 | The Magpie Salute | Comin’ Home (Live) |
| 61 | Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado | Hard Time |
| 62 | The Gordon Meier Blues Experience | Just Keep Ridin’ |
| 63 | Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm | You Must Believe in Yourself |
| 64 | Jimmy Carpenter | You Belong to Me |
| 65 | Albert Castiglia | Woman Don’t Lie |
| 66 | Tommy Castro And The Painkillers | My Old Neighborhood |
My Sunday Night playlist for my Nov 26th blues set at 6 pm PST…….. the blues is doin’ just fine in 2017!! Startin’ to think about my best of 2017 blues list…..stay tuned!!
Hope you listen to several or all of them over the next week and buy or gift them to your family & friends for the holidays!! Support the Blues!!
| ARTIST | TITLE |
| Sugar Ray & The Bluetones | You Know I Love You |
| Derrick Procell | Why I Choose To Sing The Blues |
| Jack Mack & The Heart Attack | Good Man Gone |
| Trudy Lynn | Alright Baby |
| Dave Fields | Doin’ Hard Time (feat. Joe Louis Walker) |
| Mississippi Heat | The Last Go Round |
| Biscuit Miller | She Likes to Boogie |
| Eliza Neals | Another Lifetime |
| Beth Hart | Love Gangster |
| Sugar Ray & the Bluetones | Blind Date |
| Big Head Blues Club | Hidden Charms |
| John Mayall | Blue Midnight |
| Colin James | Watch Out |
| JW-Jones | Who I Am |
| John Ginty And Aster Pheonyx | Captain Hook |
| Derrick Procell | Trouble Me No More |
| Knickerbocker All-Stars | Reap What You Sow |
| Thornetta Davis | I Gotta Sang the Blues (ft Kim Wilson) |
| Elvin Bishop | That’s What I’m Talkin’ About |
| Billy Price | What Have I Done Wrong |
| Sean Chambers | Bottle Keeps Staring at Me |
| Gregg Allman | I Love The Life I Live |
| Hurricane Ruth | Let Me Be the One |
The band began as part of a whimsical skit on NBC’s Saturday Night Live back in 1978. Fronted by Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi as Jake and Elwood, the Original Blues Brothers band generated a renewed interest in big brass rhythm and blues that literally swept the world spawning concerts, movies, and huge increases in the sales of rhythm & blues and soul music. With the release of The Last Shade of Blue Before Black, they remind us again of just what all the hub bub was about.
The Original Blues Brothers Band featuring Steve Cropper and “Blue Lou” Marini are a talent laden group of musicians that, according to Lou, like to spread the news about the blues, drink, party, and have fun (in no particular order). The party atmosphere comes through loud and clear on the new album and they invite former band leader Paul Shaffer, Dr. John, Joe Louis Walker, Eddie Floyd, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, and Joe Morton along for the good times as special guests.
I really enjoyed their rendition of the Jimmy Reed‘s tune Baby What You Want Me To Do. Blues in My Feet, Itch and Scratch, Sex Machine, and Don’t Forget about Jame Brown are some badass funk. Joe Louis Walker aces Don’t Go No Further and the band ‘s cranks out a great cover of Got My Mojo Working. I also loved You Left the Water the Running.
With the holiday season upon us, this album makes a great stocking stuffer! And if you have a party, I can’t think of a better ice breaker to get the good times rollin’!!
The Original Blues Brothers Band – The Last Shade of Blue Before Black – Severn Records 2017
It must be pretty cool to have a dad, Jimmie Vaughan, who is a legendary blues man and an uncle, Stevie Ray Vaughan, that helped define the rockin’ blues genre but I can’t imagine the amount of pressure that goes with following in their footsteps and playin a guitar! Tyrone Vaughan has done just that and acquitted himself well. Combining forces with a well known and respected Texas blues and soul singer, Malford Milligan, they have produced a fine album called the Milligan Vaughan Project.
The album was recorded in Austin in between tour dates throughout Texas and produced by David Grissom. It features original tunes written by Milligan, Vaughan, and Grissom and songs penned by Davey Knowles and Gene McDaneils. There is also one fantastic cover of Buddy Guy’s Leave My Girl Alone. Tyrone does a fine job of emulating Stevie Ray on the recording and I just know his uncle must be grinnin’ from ear to ear up there with the rest of the giants of the blues.
The music on the album is a creative mix of blues, rock, and soul. My favorite track is a hot upbeat number entitled Soul Satisfaction. Malford has a voice similar to another favorite artist of mine, Joe Louis Walker, and his gritty delivery works well on the blues rockin song Dangerous Eyes. I also enjoyed Tyrone’s guitar licks amid the social commentary of Compared to What and on the tune Driving You.
Tyrone has an exciting future in front of him and it will be interesting to see how things work out for the Milligan Vaughan Project as time goes on. But rest assured that Tyrone is not “trading on the family name”; he is very very good and deserves to be listened to….even if his last name was Jones!
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I first became aware of Dudley Taft back in 2011 with the release of Left for Dead, a great blues rock album that highlighted his unique and memorable voice. Fast forward six years, and we get his fifth studio album, Summer Rain, which is just as good. Dudley laid down the basic tracks for the new CD in his new studio outside Cincinnati (that he bought from Peter Frampton) and wrote all the songs. He is an unabashed blues rocker and his music draws on the best of both its progenitors and helps to define the genre.
Come with Me sounds like a perfect mesh of Ted Nugent and Deep Purple; his guitar soars as an insistent beat drives the song….good stuff! Dark Blue Star, Edge of Insane, and Don’t Let It Fade just crank! My favorite tune is Flying on Love…..like fine tequila..sensimilla…you take me higher…why don’t we just drink margaritas and sit by the fire…..what a damn good idea…make it a bottle of Don Julio 1942 and I will be right there! I Lost My Way and Live or Die are beautiful slow songs with great guitar licks. And the title cut, Summer Rain, features some more great guitar riffs.
Dudley dedicated his album to all the men and women in the armed forces who accept duty tours in faraway places. One of my greatest honors as a DJ has been to have troops stationed in Afghanistan tune into my live DJ sets on the Secondlife social grid and request mainly upbeat blues rock tunes to pump them up before they go out on missions. The song, Pistols At Ten Paces, is one that I will be sure to play if they ask again.
This album was a great listen! It will be officially released on September 15th and I hope it does well in terms of radio/internet play and sales over the coming months. Download it as soon as you can….you won’t be disappointed!
Dudley Taft – Summer Rain Taft Enterprises LLC 2017
To me, Al Basile is the Randy Newman of the blues. A talented song writer, as well as cornet player who has been playin’ for over forty years, Al has a nice vocal delivery similar to Randy’s and a penchant for songs that paint vivid images. His last recording, Mid-Century Modern, was nominated for 2016 Contemporary Blues Album of the year and his new album, Quiet Money, delivers some great forties and fifties style R&B and swing with the backing of Duke Robillard (who also produced the album) and several members of his former band, Roomful of Blues. If you like your blues smooth and primarily upbeat, you are gonna love it!
I enjoyed Put Some Salt on It and Simple Ain’t Easy It which feature some nice guitar playin by the Duke. On Time Is Now, Al lays down a cornet solo that is great. And my favorite song on the CD is You Got Two…..give it a listen and you tell me if he doesn’t channel a bit of Randy Newman… blues style!
Another song that really struck me on the album was Who’s Gonna Close My Eyes? It is a story of a lonely man who has outlived his family and is contemplating who will be there for his last days. It’s a pretty slow song set to an R&B beat with plenty of the horns that Al loves so much.
In an age when flash and shock value seems to count for more than they should, here’s my bet on Quiet Money…..Tasteful and thought provoking blues can still deliver!!
Al Basile – Quiet Money Sweetspot Records 2017
