CD Woodbury Band review…June 3, 2013…

THE CD WOODBURY BAND

MONDAY NIGHT!

WIDE WILLIE PRODUCTIONS

THESE BLUES KEEP ME RIGHT HERE–MEAN JENNY–BEEN SO LONG–MONDAY NIGHT–PAWN SHOP–PLEASURE’S ALL MINE–RING-A-DING–BURN THE BRIDGE–TWO WHEELS–SAUBALL BLUES

The CD Woodbury Band hails from the state of Washington, which also served as the home of Jimi Hendrix for a time.  In fact, CD himself has played Jimi’s music for the Hendrix family, as well as entertaining  two U. S. presidents.  As a guitarist, one can hear elements of blues, rock, Motown soul, and New Orleans funk all over the latest release from the CD Woodbury Band, entitled “Monday Night!”  CD and his backing crew of Don Montana on drums, Mike Marinig on sax, Chris Kliemann on keys, and Mike Fish on bass wail thru ten band originals that indeed run the gamut of several musical genres’.

 

The party starts with a classic “my baby done left me” shuffle, built around a “Chicken Shack-ish” riff, entitled “These Blues Keep Me Right Here,” and Chris and CD trade spirited solos off each other at the bridge.  “Been So Long” and “Mean Jenny” channel the “endless boogie” of John Lee Hooker up thru the Hill Country of north Mississippi, the latter a tale of a woman so spiteful, she’d “make an alligator cry.”  “Pleasure’s All Mine” is a jazzy, sax-heavy tale of playin’ in the band and traveling from town to town, while “Ring-A-Ding” is CD’s jump-blues ode to that “special girl,” and again features cool guitar and piano interplay.  “Pawn Shop” is a slow-blues autobiography of the band during its salad days, finding CD having to pawn his Gibson 335 just to eat.  “Two Wheels” has Don Montana on vocal over a groovy tale of his overly-generous biker mama and his “cherry red ’69 shovel!”

 

The title cut was our favorite.  It could have easily been named “Monday Night on the corner of Rampart and Canal,” with its funked-up percussion and organ, the scratchy guitars and Famous Flames-era horn section driving this second-line romp and  “cookin’ us all up a little rice and beans.”

 

For several years, the CD Woodbury Band has been called “the Northwest’s best-kept secret.”  Now, the word’s out everywhere with the release of “Monday Night!,” with its clever songcrafting, fascinating instrumentation, and overwhelming power to make you wanna get up and boogie!!!   Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.

Les Dudek review…June 2, 2013…

LES DUDEK

DELTA BREEZE

CDBABY.COM/CD/LESDUDEK

CHAOS–DELTA BREEZE–HIGH ON THE WATER–WIDE OPEN IN THE WIND–I TOLD YOU THAT–TIME WILL TELL–ONE WHITE LIE–TAKE MY MONEY–TROUBLE WITH THE LAW–TAKE–THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS

 

Les Dudek is a rock legend around these parts, and many fans have heard him, and may not have realized they were listening to him.  His guitar is all over Boz Scaggs’  Seventies breakout album, “Silk Degrees,” as well as on several of Steve Miller’s classic releases.  And, he plays part of that dual lead guitar on “Ramblin’ Man,” as well as acoustic guitar on “Jessica” from the Allman Brothers Band classic “Brothers And Sisters” album.

He’s had quite a solo career, too.  Our favorite of his earlier works is a song called “Gonna Move,” which has become a staple of Susan Tedeschi’s live shows.  For his seventh solo album, entitled “Delta Breeze,” Les stays true to his Southern-rock roots on these eleven originals.  Joining him on this sweet ride are Dan Walters on bass, Gary Ferguson on drums, and Joe Skinner on the rub-board.  “Chaos” kicks things off, and it is a guitar lovers dream.  Les uses swooping, flaring leads and jazz-inflected chord changes to bring to mind those classic Southern rock instrumental jams.   The title cut reminds us all to live each day as if it were our last, and to be true to oneself.  The set closes with another poignant song, “These Are The Good Old Days.”  It features excellent guitar work, and Les uses it to leave a legacy with this cut, telling us that tomorrows are never promised, and that life should be enjoyed to the fullest.

 

He gets in plenty of good jabs at the powers that be, too.  A tongue-in-cheek poke at the government, which seems hell-bent to “Take My Money” (and my guns, too!!) rides over a cool, second-line rhythm pattern.  He takes a tougher stance on “Take,” with its swirling guitars and warnings of those who’d go after everything you’ve got—including your soul.  “Trouble With The Law” is a jumpin’ shot of roadhouse boogie, and has Les blowin’ a mighty mean harp.

 

Our favorite was an easy choice.  Les breaks out the slide for a rockin’ anthem for all his biker brothers who are “leathered up and ready to ride,” entitled “Wide Open In The Wind.”

Albums that keep the faith of true Southern rock are few and far between, but Les Dudek has sho’ nuff crafted one in “Delta Breeze.”  Grab your copy today over at   CDbaby.com/CD/LesDudek  and ENJOY!!

 

Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow

Rory Block Review May 31, 2013…

RORY BLOCK

AVALON

STONY PLAIN RECORDS  SPCD 1369

EVERYBODY LOVES JOHN–AVALON–CANDY MAN–FRANKIE AND ALBERT–GOT THE BLUES CAN’T BE SATISFIED–LOUIS COLLINS–RICHLAND WOMAN BLUES–SPIKE DRIVER BLUES–STAGO LEE–MAKE ME A PALLET ON YOUR FLOOR–PAY DAY

 

For the fourth installment of her “Mentor Series,” Rory Block chose another of the great bluesmen that she not only met in person, but who also had a profound effect on her music.  This man was Mississippi John Hurt, and “Avalon” has Rory paying tribute through ten songs that were either Hurt originals or songs closely associated with him,  and one of her own originals written just for this set.

Rory met John Hurt in December, 1963, at a concert in New York, during the folk music boom of that era, when many pre-WWII delta bluesmen were being “rediscovered.”  In seeing him perform, Rory noticed two things-he sang songs that dealt with violence, murder and sex, taboo subjects indeed for Sixties’ culture.  Also, she noted that he swayed from side to side as he played, deriving an extra energy from the movements.  She called this the “Mississippi John Hurt bounce energy,” and attempted to recreate that positive flow throughout her versions of these songs.

Rory’s original, “Everybody Loves John,” leads off, and serves as Hurt’s biography of sorts.  It denotes important moments in his life, such as signing with Okeh Records and playing the Newport Folk Festival.

 

Her exquisite finger-picking skills are on full display in her takes on “Avalon,” “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor,” and the set-closing “Pay Day,” with a backing chorus that gives this one a gospel feel.

 

She also faithfully brings to life Hurt’s songs that deal with murder, namely the slide-driven “Louis Collins,” the tragic love story that is “Frankie And Albert,” and “Stagolee.”

Rory also brought out the playful sexuality of songs such as “Richland Woman Blues” and the sly double-entendres’ of the baudy tale of the “Candy Man.”  These two serve as our favorites.

 

Rory Block is the most celebrated female acoustic blues artist on the scene today, and she has learned from mentors such as Son House, Fred McDowell, and Rev. Gary Davis.  Now we can add Mississippi John Hurt to that list, with “Avalon” treating his music with the devotion, respect, and energy that we have come to expect from Rory.      Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.