I've often wondered how many music lovers actually spend time digging into the background of their favourite music or artists. I know many of my mates claim that they get all they want from the music and the background to them is largely irrelevant. For my part, I'm a big fan of the history of the music I love and I've been an avid reader of such stuff ever since I got my copy of the original Sound of the City. But that might just be because I'm an avid reader of history anyway and I just nerdishly like to see things placed in context.

Any R&B lovers out there for whom the music is more than enough and who wouldn't be remotely interested in picking up a book by the likes of Charlie Gillett or Peter Guralnick?

As many of you know, The Blues Legacy label has recently discovered a host of previously unreleased material from American Blues Legends including none other than Muddy Waters.
It was on this day (April 4th) in 1915 that the legendary Muddy Waters (aka McKinley Morganfield) was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.Muddy Waters is known as one of the greatest, most influential and enduringly important musicians of the 20th Century and we are celebrating the late, great blues man’s birthday today.

You can follow the link here to view information on the Blues Lost & Found release featuring unheard material from Muddy Waters recorded during his first ever visit to European shores:

http://www.blueslegacy.net/VOL_2.html

It was the British Jazz & Blues legend Chris Barber who invited Muddy and his pianist Otis Spann to tour Britain in 1958 – here are some exclusive excerpts from the liner notes from the release:

The formation of the 'Lost & Found' Series came into being, when the Jazz & Blues legend Chris Barber, came across some old 1/4 inch magnetic tapes. On these, he discovered the unique sounds of Sonny Boy Williamson in concert, recorded many decades ago, in England. Chris set about investigating his archives further, only to find more of these tapes, featuring his band together with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and Muddy Waters, to name but a few.

Long before Muddy Waters came to tour with The Chris Barber Band in October 1958, Chris had been talking to his lifetime friend, the great jazzman John Lewis, about his plans for Sonny and Brownie in May '58. Lewis said, "why haven't you booked Muddy Waters, he's the last of the real thing, you got to bring him". Chris said to John Lewis, 'I have no idea how to reach him'. "My impression of where Muddy was living would have been just near the cotton bush on the left, by the Stovall's plantation, but of course it wasn't." Lewis replied 'don't be silly, he's got an agent and a white Cadillac'. The seed was now planted, and arrangements were made to book him right away.

His arrival in Britain may well have begun with a degree of confusion for Muddy Waters. After agreeing the tour, he was requested to play a one off concert for the Leeds Jazz Festival on the Saturday prior to the first date. As the Barber Band were not available that day, Muddy was featured with The Jazz Today Unit (including the great Kenny Baker, best known for playing the trumpet on the Muppet Show). The group in question didn't really know the kind of blues that Muddy represented. "He probably arrived at the first concert of the tour with us in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, not knowing quite what to expect", says Chris Barber. “When they heard our band, both Muddy and his piano player Otis Spann were wreathed in smiles. They realised it felt just like coming home."

The outcome of a tour with the band was nothing short of a magnificent milestone in history. "You can hear the audience reaction on this recording", remarks Chris, "they loved it, the people who liked our style of Jazz were open and willing, and our crowd could understand there was something serious, special and great about this music". The tour with Muddy Waters and The Chris Barber band also introduced the American blues musician Otis Spann (1930 - 1970), considered by many as one of Chicago's leading pianists. Spann was a full time member of the Muddy Waters band at that time, and in throughout his lifetime, collaborated with many of the greats including Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, B.B King, Buddy Guy, and later Eric Clapton and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac.

Muddy Waters was a huge inspiration for musicians in the British scene and is known as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Not only did the tour with Chris Barber enhance Muddy's reputation in Europe, but in turn, reawakened an interest in the blues from the other side of the Atlantic. Arguably, it was this visit to British shores, with Muddy on electric guitar, which led to the phenomenal rise of the blues explosion.

Following the tour with Muddy Waters, The Chris Barber Band made their first American performances in Feb '59. They visited the legendary Smitty's Corner and experienced first hand, the unforgettable sound of Muddy Waters' full band and had the feeling of working with the great bluesman in his first environment. This provided Barber, Ottilie Patterson and the band with a whole new dimension in playing the blues. Having been called up onstage by Muddy with his band in Chicago several times, Chris and Ottilie took great encouragement in playing to an original and natural audience for the music they loved. "There was no, 'why are you playing our music?' just total acceptance. We just wanted to know more and they were keen to find out how we knew of it, it was a great atmosphere", says Chris. Muddy Waters returned to Europe several times in the 60s and 70s, solidifying his role as an instigator of the British Invasion. Chris Barber reminisces, "I don't think Muddy Waters thought of himself as being that important, he just did the job, and did it good too, he just loved the music".

Check out the website:

http://www.blueslegacy.net/

>>>>
Legendary blues guitarist, Jimmie Vaughan will headline the Saturday night with an exclusive UK performance

One of the greatest and most respected guitarists in the world, Jimmie Vaughan will headline the Saturday night at the Maryport Blues Festival. This will be the only performance by Jimmie Vaughan in the UK this year.
Jimmie is an international roots-blues rock sensation, having founded The Fabulous Thunderbirds, toured globally for years, and played with the greatest musicians of all time (including brother Stevie Ray Vaughan) and is a multiple Grammy award recipient.
Jimmie will be performing with his Tilt-A-Whirl band consisting of the great drummer George Rains, rhythm guitarist Billy Pitman, and Hammond B-3 organ player Bill Willis, and as an added bonus will be joined by joined by Austin's Queen of The Blues, Lou Ann Barton .
Vaughan's life is synonymous with music. He picked up the guitar at 13, after he was sidelined by a football injury. By 15, he had started a band and by 16 had opened for Jimi Hendrix in Dallas. In the mid-1970s, he founded the Fabulous Thunderbirds. The band went on to storm the pop charts with the song "Tuff Enough" (1986) and record eight albums, including T-Bird Rhythm (1982), Tuff Enuff (1986), Hot Number (1987), and Powerful Stuff (1989). In 1990, he recorded Family Style with Stevie Ray Vaughan. (His brother died in a helicopter crash later that year.)

Vaughan then embarked on a solo career. With his Tilt-A-Whirl Band, he released Strange Pleasure (1994), Out There (1998), and Do You Get The Blues? (2001). In 2003, he released a career retrospective, Essential Jimmie Vaughan. As a guest musician, he has played with some of the biggest names in music -- and appeared on Bob Dylan's Under the Red Sky, Carlos Santana's Havana Moon, Willie Nelson's Milk Cow Blues, and B.B. King & Eric Clapton's Riding with the King. Vaughan has won four Grammy Awards, most recently for Do You Get The Blues? (Best Traditional Blues Album).

www.maryportblues.com

The Blues Legacy are now on MySpace - we get to stream selected tracks from the Blues Lost & Found Series for you to hear …for Free.
So, if you are not on MySpace…all you have to do is click on
www.myspace.com/blueslegacylabel

And listen to the tracks posted today…If you have a My Space site…make sure we are friends! Get in touch…Your Space or Mine?

For a limited time only we will be streaming for free the following:

Blues Lost & Found Audio Trailer
A teaser with tasters from the series

Dust My Broom
Howlin Wolf playing the seminal blues song with his very own Hubert Sumlin on lead guitar

Hoochie Coochie Man
A live version of Muddy Waters with his famous piano player Otis Spann and the Chris Barber Band

Walk With Me
Howlin’ Wolf gives a cool spoken intro to this track

News Just In:
The respected UK ‘Record Collector’ Magazine give the Blues Lost & Found Series 5 STARS in this months issue…here is what they say:

"British jazz legend brings his American Blues friends"
The Jazz trombonist and blues devotee Chris Barber brought all manner of blues singers to Britain in the late 50’s and early 60’s.His genius move was not only to expose British audiences to such great and then-unheard talents as Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters and Jimmy Witherspoon, but he also had his band provide much of the backing, lending a joyously jazzy vibe to the songs.Here Barber introduces the artists and recalls anecdotes with a very 50s gentility.

The three discs in the set are packed full, taken from six live shows and four studio sessions.Eighteen Terry & McGhee tracks are well worth the price of entry, and the full 11-track set by Sonny Boy Williamson is a gem.Gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe performs mostly solo, filling the room with her huge voice and proto-rock guitar, so when the band joins her the music erupts into rapture.Champion Jack Dupree’s brilliantly mischievous Mother-In-Law Blues supplies a stream of insults that will have you searching for someone to hurl them at.

As you’d expect, the sound varies, but even the hairiest, such as Howlin’ Wolf’s four feral tracks, have character, atmosphere, and plenty of humour. (Mat Croft – Record Collector Magazine)

If you would like to order a copy of any of the CDs just visit the on-line store on www.blueslegacy.net – we deliver worldwide

Keep Bloozin’

www.blueslegacy.net

Another year, another Van the Man album - he says he's never been happier, in control of his own output and organising his own distribution deals on a record by record basis. So, is this new found contentment reflected in the latest in the extensive catalogue.

It certainly seems to reflect its title. The recording is pretty stripped back - no horn ensembles, an occasional sax solo from Van adding the only brass colour to what is basically a guitar, bass, keyboard and drums band. As usual the players are top notch and its particularly pleasing to see the great John Platania (guitarist on the fabulous recordings Van made with the Caledonia Soul Orchestra) back in the fold and playing as well as ever.

The songs are also relatively straight forward - quite a few are blues or blues based, adding weight to the assertion that this is Morrison returning to his roots, at least to a degree. There are also a couple of ballads that hark back to his 70s output, especially to my mind "His Band And The Street Choir". 'Lover Come Back' in particular seems to echo the feel of that album.

The sound quality of the album is also first rate and that, coupled with the fairly consistent vibe that the band puts together, makes for a coherent listen. A lot of the players on the album have played with Van many times over the years and it shows. However, the Keep It Simple theme also applies in part to the songs - there are relatively few stand out tracks and I'm used to highlighting at least one track on a Morrison CD that I'd add to a personal Morrison Best Of collection. 'How Can A Poor Boy', 'Don't Go To Nightclubs Anymore' (do I detect a little humour), 'Soul', 'No Thing' and the title track pass muster but much of the rest is just run of the mill Morrison

Whether or not run of the mill Morrison is good enough for you or whether on this occasion the prosaic nature of much of the material leaves you a more than a little disappointed only you can decide. Even among his more recent material (which some argue has been Van by numbers) I wouldn't put this one up as the one to buy, but there's probably enough here to keep the Morrison die hard (like me) reasonably happy.

Buy Now

He was a contemporary of Junior Parker and Bobby Bland and he also sometimes shared the same big-band backing group on many of his recordings, who as well as providing a rich brass backing to ballads, could also 'jump' with the best of them. Given this link to Bland, it is tempting to wonder whether or not Hinton would or could have ploughed the same soul blues furrow that proved so effective for Bobby in the 70s, had he not died at the ridiculously early age of 39 in 1968.

born in 1929 in Evansville, Indiana, he initially pursued a career as a gospel singer - you may have read that a few times before in the shades bios . He featured on a few singles by the Chosen Gospel Quartet having started out with the Blair Gospel Singers. When he moved to Memphis he joined the Spirit Of Memphis Quartet, singing lead on a number of releases, including 'In The Garden' and 'It Ain't One Thing' (a non gospel version appears on the compilation CD).

Don Robey had a hand in promoting the quartet and spotted Hinton's potential as a solo artist, persuading Joe to try a secular R&B career and signing him to Backbeat in 1958. He went on the established Blues Consolidated tours, which featured Junior Parker and Bobby Bland, and had his first local hit in 1963 with 'You Know It Ain't Right'.

Further sessions at Backbeat led to the recording and release of Hinton's stellar version of the aforementioned 'Funny' and his highest ever placing in the national charts. the Backbeat sessions saw Joe accompanied by the Joe Scott Band (hence the similarities in sound to many of Bobby Bland's recordings, with the great Wayne Bennett the guitarist on the 'Funny' recording).

You can find much of the subsequent Backbeat output on the featured CD. Most of the recordings span the period 1964 - 67 ('A Thousand Cups Of Happiness' is also here, recorded in 1960 and a song that also sold well after the success of 'Funny')

Hinton didn't record that many sides and there is really only the one album you can easily buy. The sound quality isn't that great and some of the material is a little iffy, pushing him in a Brook Benton direction he didn't seem that comfortable to follow. But the best of the CD is on a par with the best soul/blues ballad recordings of the time and he was blessed with a truly remarkable voice. On that basis alone, the "Funny (How Time Slips Away)" collection is worth a flutter!

When he died in August 1968 (of skin cancer), the Backbeat roster had the likes of O.V. Wright on its books and scoring hits with the soul/blues hybrid that was to become so popular. Although Joe's sales were struggling at the time, given his vocal abilities it would have been interesting to see whether or not Hinton could have tapped into that market had his career not been cut so tragically short. As it is, enjoy what is available.

Although Eric's a favourite artist of the Shades site, I'd still concede that the more recent Bibb albums have been a little patchy to say the least. Always good in parts, and never less than enjoyable, some of the material on "Diamond Days" and "A Ship Called Love" simply wasn't as consistent as that found on his earlier releases.

"Get Onboard", it has to be said, is more of the same, although the best songs on this latest CD are as strong as anything he's put out and in Shades view this is a better album than either of the last two studio releases. The first half of the CD is particularly fine, stand outs include 'Spirit I Am', 'The Promised Land', 'Get On Board' and 'If Our Hearts Aren't In It', where he's joined by Bonnie Raitt.

As usual, he covers a wide musical territory, with country, folk and gospel all in the mix along with the usual dollop of acoustic blues. By and large it works well, but the quieter, more reflective numbers occasionally just sound a little too constrained, polite almost. Eric's always had a sentimental side and there has been the occasional lapse on even the best of his albums - 'Mandela Is Free' on "Home To Me" springs to mind - great sentiment but only reasonable execution - and the trend partially continues on this latest offering.

Having said that, there are probably at least four or five songs here that stand comparison with anything in his catalogue to date, but just one or two too many that don't stretch beyond pleasant. Of course, that's still a better track record than you'll find on most of the output you'll probably get to hear this year. Which means that if you are coming to Bibb for the first time, this will probably be a reasonable introduction. The added bonus is that you'll then hopefully visit his back catalogue and discover more gems and even better and more complete albums.

Buy Now

Sherman Robertson (US) first wowed Maryport in 2004 with his zydeco, hard-swinging Texas electric blues, R&B and swampy Louisiana blues and a unique ability to play R&B, zydeco and blues with a rock edge. "

Chris Farlowe is one of the great underrated British souls and blues influenced singers of the last forty years. His most successful was "Out of Time" which was number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1966. His next four singles were also well received. The most famous was "Handbags and Gladrags" (which was written by Mike d'Abo), later covered by Rod Stewart and more recently by the Stereophonics).

Drawing on an eclectic range of influences, Ian Parker is fast becoming Britain's best loved blues/roots performer. A songwriter genuinely literate, sometimes almost literary, Ian is an original craftsman rooted in the blues but not trapped by any desire to replicate the past. He is without doubt a relevant contemporary blues man.

Ian Siegal is one of most respective blues artists in the UK and it has been said that had Siegal been around in the sixties he would today be accorded the same reverence as artists such as Van Morrison, Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton.

The Sunday 10th anniversary celebration programme is now finalised. Joining Jools Holland will be four of the most popular acts who have appeared on the main stage over the last decade. The afternoon session kicks off with the Ian Parker Band followed by the British R&B legendary voice of Chris Farlowe and Ian Siegal and the evening opens with Sherman Robertson Band.

Thank you

Maryport Blues Festival Committee
www.maryportblues.com

Chuck Berry is the most important rock & roll artist; a great songwriter, guitarist and performer. John Lennon said "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."

But Chuck Berry's roots are in the blues, and he played in blues bands, before travelling to Chicago in 1955 to meet Muddy Waters and Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Berry thought his blues material would be of most interest to Chess, but to his surprise it was an old country and western recording, entitled "Ida Red" that got Chess's attention. Chess had seen the blues market shrink and was looking to move beyond the rhythm and blues market, and he thought Berry might be that artist who could do it. So on May 21, 1955 Berry covered "Ida Red" (renamed "Maybellene") with Johnny Johnson, Jerome Green (from Bo Diddley's band) on the maracas, Jasper Thomas on the drums and blues legend Willie Dixon on the bass. "Maybellene" sold over a million copies, reaching #1 on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues chart and #5 on the Hot 100. The rest is history.

Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2000 in a "class" with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, Angela Lansbury, and Clint Eastwood. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Chuck Berry #5 on their list of The Immortals: The First Fifty. He was also ranked 6th on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included three of Chuck Berry's songs (Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene, Rock & Roll Music), of the 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll.

At maryport, Chuck will supported by DARLIN INGRID BERRY-CLAY- Vocals and harmonica, CHARLES BERRY Junior -guitar, JAMES MARSALA -bass, JEAN MICHEL BIGER - Drummer , DANIEL T. ROSSING -Piano

Thank you

Maryport Blues Festival Committee
www.maryportblues.com info@maryportblues.com

Regular visitors to the Shades site will know that Otis isn't revered in quite the same way here as he is in most circles - which of course probably says just as much about Shades tastes as it does about the consensus. Which is not to say that Redding's output is not enjoyed by the Primer - and as Otis Blue was probably the best realised of all his original albums (ignoring the many anthologies that have been released since his death) a reissue is hopefully something we can all enjoy.

 "Otis Blue" was originally recorded over a 24 hour period in 1965 but, unlike many soul albums of the era, it always felt more like a fully realised album than simply a collection of singles and filler. similar in that respect to Aretha's early releases - just not quite as good, obviously . As such, apart from one of the many excellent anthologies, Shades has always felt it was probably on balance the best of his original albums. So what do we get in the 'Collectors Edition'.

First and foremost, the whole album has been successfully remastered - and this alone possibly makes the purchase worthwhile. The reissue is a 2 CD affair: the first CD features the album in mono, a second CD the stereo release - which is interesting but at this stage hardly makes it an essential buy. However, extras on the first CD include six alternate versions / singles including previously unreleased mono mixes of stereo album versions of 'I've Been Loving You For Too Long', 'Ole Man Trouble', and 'Respect'. It also features six classic songs recorded Live at The Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles in April 1966, including 'Satisfaction' and 'Respect', both of course on the original album. The second CD features more live performances and are more polished than those on CD1 - the latter features his road band and, whilst enjoyable, the band proves on occasion to be a little iffy in the 'in tune' department. Of the two versions of the original album, I prefer the mono release - I know that the singles from the album were originally released in mono, so that might be colouring my judgement, but the stereo production is a little too basic and obvious for my tastes. No idea what the story was on original release - were both mono and stereo versions of the LP released?

The album, as we know, features some of Otis' best performances, including a trio of Sam Cooke songs - 'Change Is Gonna Come', 'Shake' and 'Wonderful World' - as well as Otis signatures such as 'Respect', his version of Smokey's 'My Girl' and 'I've Been Loving You Too Long'. It's also handsomely packaged, with good photos and liner notes.

Overall, definitely worth the price, with the additional material more than just filler. Some might argue that the spirit of the original is somewhat compromised by tagging the extra material onto the end of the original album on the first CD, but if that bothers you, then you can always stop listening after track 11 - but then that would be kind of pointless!

Buy Now

Miami, FL(www.myspace.com/reggiesears)

Reggie Sears is a talented Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Musician/ Arranger/Producer/Engineer/Mastering Engineer/Promo Man/all-around Entertainer is currently making waves in both the Southern Soul & Blues world with his Acclaimed, Dynamic Live show which is said to be one of the best, sweaty, greasy performances in the industry & with this new disc should catapult him to the top of the heap.
This new disc, titled "Sweet Thang", is a delicious Southern Soul Blues platter and contains 15 heavenly helpings of Southern Soul-Blues.
The lead single, "Dip My Dipper" & "She Made A Freak Out Of Me" along with the Funky title-cut is getting airplay worldwide on both Southern Soul & Blues radio stations and is still cropping up on new playlists.
Warren Russom, CEO of Redd Dawg Records International says, "We felt this album is one that should be heard by the masses. When Reggie first bought this project to our attention, we were reluctant. We were a new, fledging label with less than a dozen releases, however after hearing a demo, we were very thrilled, but when Mr. Sears bought the finished product to us, we felt that this was one of the year's best
Southern Soul albums that we've heard yet."

The album, written/performed/produced/arranged/mixed/mastered by Reggie, was recorded at his home studio. "I did all the instruments 'live', you know, performed each part only once or twice, which includes the vocal tracks, because, even though I was doing this project by myself, I wanted to get as close as possible to a live
recording." The resulting performances are practically exhilarating. Reggie's
vocals are very strong, and his texture and tone is one-of-a-kind. Possessing a Baritone/Tenor that is every bit smooth like Tyrone Davis as it is Gritty ala Wilson Pickett. Reggie's vocal cords are very flexible on the outing. He Shouts, Cruises, Croons & Whispers throughout the disc, depending on the arrangement and song. The Lead
Guitar is the other star of the disc. Reggie's crispy, vibrato-heavy leads are short, tart & sweet accenting in the right places, much like a good horn arrangement, and supports and adds to the song, but never overwhelming them, and much like Reggie's vocals, can reach out through the speakers and grab you. The Synth-Horns never overplay,
either. They accent in the right places & adds to the mix, never overshaddowing Reggie's Vocal/Guitar Prowess. The same with the Hammond Organ. Sometimes accenting with horns and sometimes against it, the organ provides funky riffs in between the solos & horn arrangements, and at other times, in the back of the mix, providing a
cushion for Reggie's dexterous chops. The layers of rhythm guitar provide a "huge" sound, some parts very funky, some parts very sparse, but never cluttered. The Synth Pad is in the back, providing atmospheric layers & along with the The String Ensemble, adds another dimension to the sound & The tight bass'n'drum combination is funky
throughout making this disc perfect for the steppers.
And the songs, which are well above-average, are just as important as the performances. 7 songs are from the pens of Reggie Sears/or Reggie Sears/Angela Sears, while 8 songs are written by outside sources. Reggie avoids over-done covers & picks obscure tunes from a clavicade of writers/artists. The originals even hold up to the covers.

Often called "The Young Tyrone Davis" because of the similar vocal style, Reggie says "that is probably the biggest compliment you can give me. Tyrone Davis is my favourite vocalist and for years I've tried to immitate him. The same with Johnnie Taylor, Marvin Sease, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Bill Coday, Lee "Shot" Williams, Gerald Levert,
Wilson Pickett, R. Kelly and so many others. But after awhile, I realized, I could still sound like Tyrone & Johnnie & Marvin and the rest of them without copying them, and that I should take there style and mold it into my own. I did the same thing with guitar. Otis Rush, Lonnie Brooks, BB King, Albert King, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy &
Lonnie Mack were my favourites & I did the same thing, and eventually coming up with my own style." Reggie also adds, "but when it comes to overall sound and production, some of my influences are Roy C., Floyd Hamberlin Jr., Tommy Couch Jr., John Ward & Keni Burke. I would try to mimic their sounds but when it came down to it, it was really Reggie Sears that was being put down to disc."

Reggie plans to tour as much as possible to promote this release, and says "I wanna perform as many shows as I can in as many states and countries as possible. I want to play every corner of the world. My dream is to take my music all around the world & make people happy with my music & live shows because thats what makes me happy."

And with an album this good, it should be a crime if people all over
the world couldn't be exposed to this wonderful "Southern Soul-Blues" sound by "The Dip My Dipper Man", Reggie Sears.

This album is distributed by GONZALES MUSIC WHOLESALE- Gonzales,
Louisiana WWW.GONZALESMUSIC.COM and will be avalible on several
internet retail stores.

www.myspace.com/reggiesears

Contacts:
Angela Sears via Broward Soul Company
browardsoulco@hotmail.com
(206)-984-0824

Warren Russom via Redd Dawg Records International
redddawgrecords@hotmail.com
(206) 202-4410

Reggie Sears via Reggie Sears Music
guitarboy229@aol.com
www.myspace.com/reggiesears
(206)-350-4881

Reggie Sears c/o Angela Sears
318 NW 29th Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
33311

As most visitors will probably already know, every Monday night on BBC Radio 2 between 7 and 8 pm, Paul Jones administers a dose of Rhythm & Blues, combining classics, new releases, specially recorded sessions, and the occasional interview. It is the only national radio programme specialising R&B and Blues.

The show has been running since the early 1980s and is broadcast 52 weeks a year with the number of listeners over half a million and growing.

www.maryportblues.com info@maryportblues.com

Since his re-emergence with the excellent "Don't Give Up On Me" circa 2002, Burke has been relatively busy releasing three albums since, of which this is the latest. As on previous outings, Solomon benefits from songwriting contributions from some of his erstwhile supporters/friends; Eric Clapton, Keb Mo, Ben Harper and Jesse Harris are named among the songwriting credits on this effort.

 A relatively low key affair, and in many ways all the better for that - overall, it's a nicely paced album, Solomon's in fine voice and some, but not all the material, is pretty good. Clapton's contributions are amongst the best, the title track in particular proving to be a particularly affecting ballad that latter day Clapton has come to specialise in. Other standouts include 'We Don't Need It' (a Keb Mo contribution), 'A Minute To Rest' (Ben Harper) and Eric's other, more sprightly contribution, 'Thank You'.

There are a few fillers and, despite what others have said, I'd rather not hear Solomon tackle his version of the great American songbook Rod Stewart style, even if 'If I Give My Heart To You' was a song he grew to love though listening to it with his mother. He may well do a fine job artistically, but an album of standards from one of the great soul singers I still think we can well do without. 

This is an OK album, and it will simply be a matter of taste whether or not you prefer this album's low key approach, the high profile "Don't Give Up On Me" or the previous release's direct homage to country music ("Nashville"). It's not going to win over any new converts though, which is someting "Don't Give Up On Me" definitely achieved.

See You Next Review

David Ritz, co-author of Mr Wexler's memoirs, said the producer passed away at his home in Sarasota, Florida.

Wexler rose to fame as a partner in Atlantic Records with the late Ahmet Ertegun.

Amongst many others, Wexler produced seminal recordings by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett.

The son of Polish immigrants, Wexler was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1917. He developed a passion for jazz and blues in his teens, frequenting clubs in the Harlem district of the city.

He also wrote one of the more entertaining music biographies the Shades site has ever read, although its complete veracity might be open to question in a number of areas. You can read a review of his book here

Read a little more about Wexler and Atlantic Records here