Reviews

Lone Crow Rebellion – Coal Train Blues …the Review

Western Pennsylvania is land of rolling hills and hardy individuals. For generations, families have mined coal, worked the steel mills, and more recently manned the drills of the natural gas industry. They are known as hard working down to earth people. From these sturdy roots, Lone Crow Rebellion has emerged as a fine contemporary blues rock band payin’ their dues in clubs and concert halls in the northeastern part of the United States. Their music is also infused with elements of southern rock which makes them a near perfect roadhouse blues quartet! And their talent has earned them stage appearances with blues luminaries Coco Montoya and Popa Chubby. The band consists of Greg Long on lead vocals and guitar, Pete Horm on bass, John Samanka on keyboards and harmonica, and Jason Sopic on drums. 

Their new album, Coal Train Blues, captures the essence of the area they all live in. As with many great blues recording, the songs and lyrics on the album deal with real people addressing life as they find it. The title cut is a remanence of working the coaling mines and then trying to make a living divorced from those deep dark tunnels. On Great Day for Singing the Blues, the guitar riffs alone are worth a listen on a tune that drips Lynyrd Skynyrd all over it. And the keyboard finesse on Blues For Better Days compliments a fabulous blues tune.

My favorite song on the new album is Cruise. With a Steely Dan feel to it, it is just some fantastic chillin’ blues. With regards to straight up rockin’ blues, my favorite cuts are Sneaking Out and Orphan Boy Blues. And a perfect fusion of blues and southern rock can be heard on The River. I also enjoyed the song Real Bad Man with its hints of the Doobie Brothers.

Authenticity is a big thing in the blues and Lone Crow Rebellion’s brand of blues just rings true to me; their new album reflects the lives they lead and the music they love. I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening some time soon than visiting a club or concert hall where Lone Crow Rebellion is playing with a cold beer in hand and surrounded by friends laughing and dancing to some world class blues! I hope it happens for YOU real soon!!

Lone Crow Rebellion – Coal Train Blues (2024)

#blues #bluesmusic #bluesrock #bluesnews #bluesreviews #contemporaryblues #lonecrowrebellion

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 for BMFR and at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut. He also has a personal 24 hour stream devoted to the Roadhouse Blues… WRHB as well as a Youtube channel.

Knight to Blues Four – The “Chess Project” Gambit

Marshall Chess is the son of the legendary Leonard Chess who co-founded Chess Records with his brother Phil in Chicago back in the late 1940’s. He has had an illustrious career of his own including serving as President of the Rolling Stones record label. Now at the age of 82, he has brought to fruition a project over two decades in the making with the release of New Moves: The Chess Project. His vision as executive producer (along with his son Jamar) was to rework some Chess classic songs from their catalog using a world class group of musicians and make the recording relevant in the 21st Century. The musical gambit has succeeded!

Longtime Rolling Stones backup vocalist Bernard Fowler is elevated to a starring role on the new recording and what a voice he has!! The Chess project band also includes Eric Gales, one of my favorite contemporary bluesmen, playing guitar along with Skip “Little Axe” McDonald. Percussions are provide by Keith Leblanc (who also produced the album). Bass duties are handled by Paul Nowinski, Mohini Dey and MonoNeon. Reggie Griffin plays the keyboards, Alan Glen and Ralph Rosen are on harmonica and Mark Kaplan is on tenor sax. They are an absolutely superb and tight group of contemporary blues artists!

My favorite song on the recording is a cool funky version of the Sonny Boy Williamson tune, Help Me. The beat is irresistible and Bernard’s voice is just spot on righteous!! I also loved High Temperature which is a modern reworking of the Mississippi Hill Country sound…oh yeah!! Moanin’ at Midnight makes ya want to get up and just groove!! I also enjoyed Tell Me, Nine Below Zero, and , particularly, the harpin’ on Smokestack Lightning!

Leonard, Marshall, and Phil Chess

It is certainly a financial gambit in the 2020s to assemble a large group of talented musicians and focus on reworking songs that are primarily from the 1950’s. And the blues market will determine whether it was worth the investment. However, from the perspective of creativity and artistry, there is no denying that New Moves: The Chess Project is a work of the first order and one of the great recordings of 2024. Chess Knight to Blues 4….checkmate!!

New Moves – The Chess Project (CZYZ Records)

#blues #bluesmusic #bluesnews #bluesreviews #contemporaryblues #czyzrecords

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 on BMFR and at http://www.benveeblues.com from his home in Connecticut. He also has a personal 24 hour stream devoted to the Roadhouse Blues… WRHB as well as a Youtube channel.