Today I will be spinning a number of live Roadhouse blues tracks by Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Trainman Blues, Hurricane Ruth, Rita Chiarelli, Wellbad, Joe Bonamassa, and more. Join us from 3-5 pm ET on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com!
Here is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
Sonny Landreth
Native Stepson
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Tell Me (please be mine) (Live 1989)
Johnny Winter
Black Cat Bone (Live)
Luther Allison
Give Me Back My Wig (Live)
Rory Gallagher
Hands Off
WellBad
One Kiss Too Late
Warren Haynes Band
Hattiesburg Hustle
Hurricane Ruth
Ive Got To Use My Imagination
The Neville Brothers
Mojo Hannah
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Shake Your Hips (Live)
The Jeff Healey Band
Crossroads
Blues Arcadia
Seven Days A Week
Sonny Landreth
Back To Bayou Teche (Live)
Rita Chiarelli
Love You Too Much
Markus K.
The Crumbling of The Berlin Wall (live in Nazare, 25feb22)
I am publishing my annual lists early this year with the hopes that people who follow me will give the gift of music for the holidays to friends and family to financially help a group of creative people that have been particularly hard hit by public gathering restrictions. No single working group other than restaurant workers has been hit as hard during the pandemic as artists and musicians. My heart goes out to them and 2021 can’t get here soon enough!
My criteria for picking the 40 best blues rock albums that I have heard during 2020 are pretty simple: 1) A judgement of the body of work on the recording, not just the fact that it may have a hit single. (Which I address in my annual Roadhouse 66 Best Blues Songs of the Year review.) 2) In the blues community there is a lot of respect given to artists and groups that “have paid their dues” through years of recording and performing which I reflect in my weighting of selections for the list. With that stated…..get your credit cards ready and your favorite music purchase app loaded….and chose a couple or more of these albums to help the blues community survive the 2020 pandemic!!
The Top Forty Blues Rock Albums (Listings 31 through 40)
These ten selections include Australian Simon Kinny-Lewis performing a rousing rendition of “I Just Want to Make Love To You” and getting help from Robben Ford on the song “Dagger Eyes”. American expat Seasick Steve cranks out a message to all of us to give each other a break, come together, stop the hatred, and get back to “Love & Peace”. Hurricane Ruth is a blues rockin’ Mama out of St. Louis that continues to do an awesome job of rockin’ the blues with tunes like “She’s Golden”. Some of you may not know of King King out of the UK where they are a perennial blues rockin’ favorite. Their lead singer, Alan Nimmo, has a voice you just have got to hear!! Give the song “I Will Not Fail” a listen!! Sass Jordan delivers a purely blues rockin’ album that includes a great version of “One Way Out” by the Allman Brothers and covers of blues favorites “Palace of the King” and “Leaving Trunk”. The UK’s Snowy White recorded with Thin Lizzy and Pink Floyd back in the day and has put out a string of awesome blues rock albums over the years. Give a listen to “One More Traveler” and “Commercial Suicide” from his latest recording to understand why I think it is one of the very best albums of 2020.
Top Forty
Simon Kinny-Lewis
Another Day in San Jose
Australia
Top Forty
Seasick Steve
Love & Peace
UK
Top Forty
Hurricane Ruth
Good Life
USA
Top Forty
Dave Fields
Force of Will
USA
Top Forty
King King
Maverick
UK
Top Forty
Sass Jordan
Rebel Moon Blues
Canada
Top Forty
Billy Walton Band
Dark Hour
USA
Top Forty
Snowy White and the White Flames
Something on Me
UK
Top Forty
Rae Gordon Band
Wrong Kind of Love
USA
Top Forty
Robert Jon & The Wreck
Last Light on the Highway
USA
Top Thirty Blues Rock Albums (selections 21 to 30)
Our next grouping of artists includes Casey James who is a talented Texan with a Hollywood smile, a great voice, and plays a badass guitar. One testament to his talent is that Roadhouse Hall of Famer Delbert McClinton recorded the song “Bulletproof” with him on the new album. The Allman Betts Band featuring the sons of the Allman Brothers Band released their sophomore album this past summer. Give “Pale Horse Rider” and “Savannah’s Dream” a spin to understand why I believe they will be one of the great touring bands of this decade. I love the depth of sound of big bands and the seven piece ensemble that backs Thorbjorn Risager as the Black Tornado are world class. Thorbjorn’s voice has driven a number of listeners to my Blues Music Fan Radio shows to jump on chat and ask me “who is THAT singing?”. Give the title cut and “Last Train” a listen…you will understand why. Another fabulous voice of the blues is Canadian Crystal Shawanda who belts out “Evil Memory” and “Move Me” on the new recording. Dudley Taft has done well enough in the music biz over the years to purchase Peter Frampton’s studio in Ohio and record some stellar albums there. Give the title cut of Croatia’s Be Sharp Band recording and you’ll understand why I am so high on this European group. One of my picks for breakout group of 2020 has to be the Avey Grouws Band out of Iowa. They have been nominated for a Grammy and their future is very bright!
Top Thirty
Casey James
If You Don’t Know By Now
USA
Top Thirty
The Allman Betts Band
Bless Your Heart
USA
Top Thirty
Thorbjorn Risager and The Black Tornado
Come On In
Denmark
Top Thirty
Dudley Taft
Cosmic Radio
USA
Top Thirty
Alastair Greene
The New World Blues
USA
Top Thirty
Crystal Shawanda
Church House Blues
Canada
Top Thirty
Marcus King
Eldorado
USA
Top Thirty
Avey Grouws Band
The Devil May Care
USA
Top Thirty
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood
Blue Sky
USA
Top Thirty
Be Sharp Band
Ashes
Croatia
Top Twenty Blues Rock Albums (Selections 11 to 20)
This selection of albums includes new recordings by perennial favorites Joe Bonamassa, Tinsley Ellis, Joe Louis Walker, Sonny Landreth, and Joanne Shaw Taylor. All of them are super stars of the blues in general and blues rock in particular. And any of their albums would make great stocking stuffers for Christmas! The selection also includes some interesting newer artists. Eliza Neals, from Detroit, can dang sure belt out a tune with feeling. Andy Watts hails from Israel and gets contributions from Eliza Neals, Joe Louis Walker, and a gravely voiced singer by the name of Roy Young on the Supergroove recording. Hailing from New York City, you need to give the fierce vocals and gritty realism of Bette Smith’s lyrics a listen on “Fistful of Dollars”, “I’m A Sinner”, and “Don’t Skip Out on Me”. Another New Yorker on the list, from Long Island, is Kerry Kearney. His new album includes some stellar cover tunes (“Lawdy Mama”, “Mean Old Frisco”) as well as several badass originals including “Voodoo Down the River”. And last but nevah least is the new recording from Jeff Fetterman. Give “49/61” and his incredible cover of “All Along The Watchtower” a spin to understand why I love his talent.
Top Twenty
Andy Watts
SuperGroove
Israel
Top Twenty
Joe Bonamassa
Royal Tea
USA
Top Twenty
Tinsley Ellis
Ice Cream In Hell
USA
Top Twenty
Bette Smith
The Good, the Bad and the Bette
USA
Top Twenty
Joe Louis Walker
Blues Comin’ On
USA
Top Twenty
Sonny Landreth
Blacktop Run
USA
Top Twenty
Jeff Fetterman
Southern Son
USA
Top Twenty
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Reckless Blues
USA
Top Twenty
Eliza Neals
Black Crow Moan
USA
Top Twenty
Kerry Kearney
Tales from the Psychedelta
USA
THE BEN VEE ROADHOUSE TOP TEN BEST BLUES ROCK ALBUMS OF 2020
#10 – Albert Cummings – Believe
Albert Cummings first started recording in the late 1990’s and his stellar guitar playing earned him instant notice. Over the last 20 years, he has released six studio albums prior to this one. Given that he has a day job as a custom home builder, he has not toured as extensively as many of the others on this list. But that hasn’t stopped him from developing a loyal following including one Ben Vee! Give “Call Me Crazy”, “Me and My Guitar”, or his cover of “Hold On” and “My Babe” a spin to get a good feel for his talent.
#9 – Too Slim and the Taildraggers – The Remedy
If ya just want to listen to power trio blues rock to chase the black clouds in your mind away, there is no better remedy than Too Slim and The Taildraggers. Tim “Too Slim” Langford has a distinctive gravely voice and cranks out sonic pyrotechnics that are a meld of Robin Trower and ZZ Top. Give “Devil’s Hostage”, “She Got the Remedy”, and “Reckless” a listen to understand my amazement at the number of people that don’t know who this group is though they have released over TWENTY albums since the mid 1980’s.
#8 – Larkin Poe – Self Made Man
This talented sister duo has taken the world by storm over the last several years and are probably the best selling artists on this year’s list. Their music is highly accessible as evidenced by their crossover appeal to blues, rock, country, and gospel audiences. During the pandemic, I have tuned into several of their live performances on Facebook and it is incredible to watch them just wing their way through their songs while chatting, laughing, and having a generally fine time from a small room. Give a listen to “Every Bird That Flies”, “Holy Ghost Fire”, and “Danger Angel” to understand what all the commotion is about. I can’t imagine you going wrong giving this album as a gift to anyone on your shopping list!
#7 – Savoy Brown – Ain’t Done Yet
The music of Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown helped coin the phrase “blues rock” back in the late 1960’s. Over 50 years later, Kim is still producing amazing songs! The title cut is definitive blues rock, “Jaguar Car” will get ya moving in your computer chair, and “Rocking In Louisiana” is a tribute to the music and people of my home state. Every tune on this recording rocks the blues….enough said.
#6 – Anthony Gomes – Containment Blues
A Canadian blues rocker with a distinctive voice and incredible guitar talents, Anthony Gomes released his first album in the late 1990’s. Over the ensuing years, he has released eight more studio albums and garnered a very loyal following. He has the swagger of a rock star and the persona to match. While he can crank it out with the best of them, he also writes beautiful blues rock ballads like ” Until the End of Time” that is included on the latest release. My bet is if ya love blues rock, you will love “Hell and Half of Georgia”, “Make a Good Man (Wanna Be Bad), and “Tell Somebody”. And kudos to Anthony for having the courage to record “Stop Calling Women Hoes and Bitches”….I’ve had enough of the use of these hateful terms in “pop culture”…how about you?
#5 – Eric Johanson – Below Sea Level
In 2017, Eric Johanson released his debut album BURN IT DOWN on Tab Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou and spent the next two years touring with and opening for Tab. I spun it all the time during my internet radio shows. In early 2019, he made a duet recording with Tiffany Pollack entitled BLUES IN MY BLOOD. I spun it all the time again. Now in 2020, he has released BELOW SEA LEVEL and guess what? I spin it all the time!! Eric, who lives in New Orleans, does a great job of melding the blues with rock in a style that is distinctively his own. On the latest release he expands the limits of the blues with tunes like “Buried Above Ground”, “Down to the Bottom”, and “River of Oblivion”. Ya gotta listen!! Eric is a blues rock star in the making!
#4 – Mike Zito – Quarantine Blues
Some people have the talent and inspiration to make the best of any situation. Mike Zito is one of those people. A gifted singer, songwriter, guitar player, producer, and now record company owner, Mike exudes confidence with a proverbial twinkle in his eye. Another artist that I have watched on Facebook several times during the pandemic (and made my first Venmo contribution to on my phone), Mike is as relaxed playing in his home studio as he is before large audiences. I first got turned on to Mike with the release of Pear River in 2009 and he just keeps gettin’ bettah and bettah. Give “After the Storm”, “Dark Raven”, and “Don’t Let the World Get You Down” for a tiny glimpse of his talent. Oh..and by the way…the title cut is my defining song of the 2020 pandemic.
#3 – Wily Bo Walker/Dennis Flam – Ain’t No Man a Good Man
I’ve been a big Wily Bo Walker fan since I first became aware of him in 2015 and his latest collaboration with Dennis Flam is a jewel of a recording. This British artist channels Dr. John as he weaves music and storytelling into a magical series of songs. The title cut and associated “return” tune “Build My Gallows” are absolutely incredible. So much so that they got stuck in my head for days on end. “Ain’t Hungry No More”, “Fool For You”, “Walking with the Devil”, and “Night of the Hunter” should give you a good feel for his style and talent. Additionally, he does a great cover of “St. James Infirmary Blues” as well as a tune called “Did I Forget” that would fit perfectly during a set at Tipitina’s in New Orleans. If you have friends that enjoy Night Tripper style blues, this album will make a great stocking stuffer for them.
#2 – Dion – Blues With Friends
Dion started out as a teenage rock and roller back in the early 1960’s. Now in his eighties and still a fantastic artist, a literal who’s who of the music world have gotten together to pay homage to this giant of American music on the Blues With Friends recording. Billy Gibbons, Joe Bonamassa, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Sonny Landreth, Paul Simon, Rory Block, Stevie Van Zandt, Samantha Fish, Joe Louis Walker, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, and John Hammond all make contributions. This recording is not only a great blues rock album, it will almost certainly be in contention for the prestigious 2020 Blues album of the year award at next year’s Blue Music Foundation ceremonies in Memphis.
My favorite cuts are “Blues Comin’ On” with Joe Bonamassa, “I Got Nothin'” with Van Morrison and Joe Louis Walker, “Way Down (I Won’t Cry No More)” with Stevie Van Zandt, and the contemporary gospel song “Hymn to Him” with Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa.
You can’t go wrong giving this album as a Christmas present to anyone you know that loves music. On an interesting side note, this is also the first label release for Joe Bonamassa’s new recording company, Keep The Blues Alive (KTBA)….quite an impressive start!
#1 – Walter Trout – Ordinary Madness
At the age of 69, Walter Trout has released possibly the greatest album of his long and storied career, Ordinary Madness. He started out in the late 1960’s playing bars and juke joints in his home state of New Jersey alongside other bands including one that featured another blossoming talent, Bruce Springsteen. By the time the eighties rolled around, his guitar playing and love of the blues had landed him gigs with John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat and drawn the attention of John Mayall. In 1984, he became another of the legendary guitarists (e.g. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor) to play in the Bluesbreakers.
In 1989, he started his own band and became an overnight sensation in Europe. He played and released albums there for almost ten years before his United States solo debut in 1998. And during the past decade he has released eight of what I consider to be the finest albums of the blues rock genre including one, Luther’s Blues, that paid homage to the great Luther Allison.
Walter’s blues are often described as hard core, a term that reflects as much how he lived his life as the music he played. Renowned for his live performances, the constant touring lead to bouts with alcoholism that culminated in liver failure in 2014. He was able to receive a life saving transplant that year and returned to performing in 2015 with an album, Battle Scars, that chronicled his desperation and fears while awaiting a suitable matching liver.
Ordinary Madness is an unapologetic blues rock recording with songs that address his observations on life and time (“Final Curtain Call”, “The Sun Is Going Down”, “Ordinary Madness”) and thoughts on love and relationships (“All Out of Tears”, “Heaven in Your Eyes”, “My Foolish Pride”). My favorite three songs on the album are “Up Above My Sky”, “Make It Right”, and the simply incredible “Wanna Dance” which is likely to be my favorite single for 2020 when I publish my Roadhouse 66 list of the best songs of the year.
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All in all, it was an incredible year for fans of the blues rock genre. I hope you enjoyed reviewing the list and PLEASE download one or more of these albums to help the artists that you enjoy listening to.
Ben Vee started out spinning songs on terrestrial radio and at nightclubs back in the 1970’s in his home state of Louisiana. After a career in the construction business, he returned to DJing in 2011. He now hosts two shows each week on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com and writes about the blues at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut.
Join us on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com from 12 pm to 2 pm EST today for some great contemporary blues from artists like Jonny Lang, Gravel & Grace, Diane Blue, Moving Blues plus some classics by Freddie King and Omar Kent Dykes and Jimmie Vaughan.
Below is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
George Thorogood
2120 South Michigan Ave (Feat. Charlie Musselwhite)
Cigarbox Henri – New American Farmers
Sound Of The Small Box
Nathan B. Spooner
Cayuga Blues Band
Kenny Blues Boss Wayne
You Did A Number On Me
Kyle Yardley
Going To St. Louis
Diane Blue
That’s a Pretty Good Love
Evelyn Rubio
What A Way to Go
Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion
Life Goes On
Jan James
I’m Always Coming Back
Jonny Lang
Cherry Red Wine
The Lucky Losers
Half a Nothing
Jose Ramirez
Gasoline and Matches
The Ryan McGrath Band
No Good to You
Charlie Bedford
Steady Driver Man
Charlie Frey’s Blue Plate Specials
The Minister’s Daughter
Moving Blues
You Know I Love You Babe
Mo’ Jake
Uh! Uh!
Micke and Lefty feat. Chef
I´m A Steady Rollin’ Man
The SunBears
Set Fire To My Heart
Omar Kent Dykes & Jimmie Vaughan
Baby What You Want Me To Do/Bright Lights Big City
We have the Ben Vee July 9th Good Time Roadhouse Blues for ya from 3-5 pm EST on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. The show features plenty of new contemporary blues such as Cass Clayton, The Hi-Jivers, Gravel & Grace, and Odds Lane as well as some badass “keepers” by Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, Keb’ Mo’, and Muddy Waters.
Gettin’ ready to start my first Roadhouse Blues Nooner of the new decade!! Come join us on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com at 12 pm EST today, January 7th, for some great contemporary blues by artists like Robert Cray, 11 Guys Quartet, CW Ayon, Hakon Hoye, Hurricane Ruth, the Forrest McDonald Band, and plenty more.
Below is the intended playlist. If ya like em…buy em at your favorite music download site….and help the blues to thrive in 2020!!
Tune in at http://www.bluesmusicfan.com at 3 pm EST today for some more badass roadhouse blues. Got new tunes by Tullie Brae, Samantha Fox, Eliza Neals & Popa Chubby, Albert Castiglia and the Allman Betts Band!
Below is the intended playlist.
ARTIST
TITLE
Roy Buchanan
Short Fuse
Tullie Brae
Price Of The Blues
Albert Castiglia
Heavy
Anna Scionti
This World
The Gordon Meier Blues Experience
Just Keep Ridin’
Eliza Neals
Living With Yo Mama (Feat. Popa Chubby & Dave Keyes)
The equinox was yesterday and it’s now spring time in the northern hemisphere and fall has come for our friends down under. But what evah the season……the roadhouse blues roll on. Join us at http://www.bluesmusicfan.com for some great contemporary blues at 3 pm EST today…March 21st.
Below is the intended playlist just in case ya want to download a couple and help the blues to survive & thrive!
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:
Samantha Fish has songs from two different albums included on the list! On one, Hello Stranger, she channels some Amy Winehouse….give it a listen!
Sean Chambers has three songs from his album, Trouble & Whiskey, on the list. The album is one of my favorites of the year.
Hurricane Ruth, from Missouri, has three songs on the list from her album, Ain’t Ready for the Grave. She belts out tunes with power and intensity……you will enjoy… I promise 🙂
Savoy Brown, a British blues band that has been recording for fifty years, has a three songs from their album, Witchy Feelin’, on the list!
John Mayall, the elder statesman of the Roadhouse Blues, has a great song, Blues Midnight on the list.
Van Morrison makes the list with the title cut of his album, Roll With the Punches.
Newcomers Eliza Neal and Anthony Rosano & the Conqueroos are well worth a listen.
The list features 14 female roadhouse blues songs. There are more and more female roadhouse blues singers releasing albums..a fantastic trend for the future.
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!
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!!