Join me today at High Noon 12 pm EST for some end of the year Roadhouse Blues on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. I have new contemporary blues tunes by RJ and the Houndogs, Bette Smith, The BluesBones, George & Noriko, Austin John, and many more.
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.
It’s already the end of August….and 2020 can’t get done soon enough for me!! Join us today, August 27th, from 3 to 5 pm EST for the Ben Vee Good Time Roadhouse Blues show on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com. Let’s blues the day away…..together!!
The intended playlist is below:
ARTIST
TITLE
ALBUM
Andrew Alli
Chrome-A-Thick
Hard Workin’ Man
Linda Shell
Me & The Band (Me & My Guitar)
Under The Influence
The Lucky Losers
Half a Nothing
Godless Land
Savoy Brown
River On The Rise
Ain’t Done Yet
Wayne Nicholson & John Campbelljohn
Shake Your Money Maker
Elmore’s Blues
Turn On
Wasted Days
The Ghost On The Wall
JD Taylor
By All Means
The Coldwater Sessions
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Born In Louisiana (Live With Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown)
The Legends EP Vol. II
Sonny Landreth
Congo Square
KFOG Live From The Archives 2
Tab Benoit
Fever For The Bayou
Carolyn Wonderland
Swamp
Moon Goes Missing
Honey Island Swamp Band
Head High Water Blues
Demolition Day
Laurence Jones
Soul Swamp River
Smokehouse
Cadillac In the Swamp
Cadillac In the Swamp
Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson
Keep It Simple
Blues In My Blood
Wily Bo Walker/Danny Flam
Fool for You (2020 Hindsight)
Ain’t No Man a Good Man (Deluxe)
Johnny & the Mongrels
True Life
Creole Skies
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings
How Come You Treat Me So Bad featuring Janiiva Magness
Hope all is still well with you and yours! Tune in today from 3-5 pm ET on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com for the Ben Vee Good Time Roadhouse blues featuring tunes by Keb’ Mo’, Jonny Lang, Carolyn Wonderland, Jan James, Larkin Poe, and many more.
Below is the intended playlist which I publish in the hopes that you will download a tune or two and support the contemporary blues!!
Gonna be spinnin’ alot of blues rock and several tunes from the new DION album during today’s Ben Vee Roadhouse Blues Nooner at http://www.bluesmusicfan.com from 12 to 2 pm ET. Also have songs from the Quarryteen Men, Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ana Popovic, Sue Foley. Beth Hart, and many more.
Below is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
Savoy Brown
Getting To The Point
Robin Trower
Crossroads
Dion
Way Down (I Won’t Cry No More) (Feat. Stevie Van Zandt)
Layla Zoe
Desert Song
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Anywhere The Wind Blows
Ash Grunwald
Everyday
The Quarryteen Men
Corona Condom
John Cook, Rich Newman, Rory Gallagher, Spoon
Leaving Town Blues
Joe Bonamassa
Woke Up Dreaming
Albert Cummings
Call Me Crazy
Dion
Blues Comin’ On (Feat. Joe Bonamassa)
Sue Foley
81
The Rolling Stones
Living In A Ghost Town
Ana Popovic
Get Back Home To You
Beth Hart
Better Man
Widespread Panic
Pleas
Bryce Janey
Funky Guitar Blues
Savoy Brown
I Can’t Stop The Blues
Dion
I Got Nothin’ (Feat. Van Morrison & Joe Louis Walker)
Starting today’s Roadhouse Blues Nooner at http://www.bluesmusicfan.com with a string of fabulous female blues artists including new tunes by the Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion and Eliza Neals that you just have to hear! And I will finish it with new songs by the Rolling Stones, Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Fetterman, and another blues rock group out of West Virginia, Three’s Company Blues, that you just don’t want to miss! So grab your favorite beverage and click the link. Cya from 12 to 2 pm EST!
Below is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
Arsen Shomakhov
Three Arrows
Katie Kadan
Hey Yo
Lucinda Williams
Happy Woman Blues
Kristin Diable
Black Plague & Dynamite
Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion
When the Blues Come A Knocking
Eliza Neals/Derek st. Holmes
Never Stray
Mojo Hands
High Blood Pressure
Michael Grimm
Hold On I’m Comin’ (feat. Bill Medley)
Vegas Strip Kings
Hold On
Terry Hanck
Here It Comes
Tony Holiday
It’s Gonna Take Some Time
Travellin’ Brothers
I Believe
Jimmie Vaughan
Hey-Yeah
Sonny Landreth
Hell At Home (with Eric Clapton) [2016 Remastered]
The world has gone strange…….the news just feeds on the tragedy. Come join us on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com at 3 pm EST for some Good Time Roadhouse Blues! Escape the alarmists and the doom and gloom for a couple of hours! Grab your beverage of choice and let’s enjoy some badass Roadhouse blues! The world can wait…it’ll still be there when we finish the show!
It’s St. Patrick’s day and most of us are in self quarantine of one sort or another at home…ugh. BUT it is Tuesday and time for the Ben Vee Roadhouse Nooner from 12 to 2 pm EST on BMFR. Grab your favorite beverage..perhaps a smoke…..and join us for some great contemporary tunes at http://www.bluesmusicfan.com!
We will featuring songs from Italy (T-Roosters), Canada (Liz Brasher), Bali (The Bardogs), the UK (Mick Jagger & the Red Devils), Ireland (Gary Moore) as well as some badass roadhouse tunes from all across the USA!
At High Noon today, March 10th, it’s time for the Ben Vee Roadhouse Blues Nooner on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com! Tune in at 12 Noon EST for the best of the new contemporary blues crossing my desk and a couple of classics by the masters of the genre.
Got some new Robert Cray, The Reverend Shawn Amos & the Brotherhood, Sonny Landreth, Lisa Mills, Lil Red & The Rooster, and much more during today’s Roadhouse Blues Nooner (12 PM EST) on http://www.bluesmusicfan.com for the 3rd of March.
Below is the intended playlist:
ARTIST
TITLE
Lil Red & The Rooster
Big Boy Boogie
The Rolling Stones
Shake Your Hips
Johnny Shines
Rollin’ & Tumblin’
Sonny Landreth
Somebody Gotta Make A Move
The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood
The Job Is Never Done
Robert Cray
You’ll Want Me Back
Forrest McDonald Band
Blues in a Bucket.
Lisa Mills
Greenwood, Mississippi
Jim Gustin & Truth Jones
Never Forget
Jeremiah Johnson
Showdown
Saverio Maccne
The Only Thing I’ve Got
Marcus Malone
Testify
Mike Zito & The Wheel
The Road Never Ends (With Delbert McClinton)
Jimmy Reiter
Hooked
Devon Gilfillian
Troublemaker
Billy Branch and The Sons Of Blues
Last Night
Leela James and The Truth Band
I’m Out!!
Dion
Hoodoo Man Blues
Joe Bonamassa
High Water Everywhere
Niecie
Rise Up
Coco Montoya
I Wouldn’t Wanna Be You
Beth Hart
Trouble
Popa Chubby
Rescue Me
Studebaker John
Rockin’ Hot
Sean Pinchin
River
Lil Red & The Rooster
Narcissistic Blues
Lazy Lester
I’m a Man (feat. Benoit Blue Boy, Geraint Watkins, Stan Noubard Pacha)