Category: Blues

Blues with Friends from Dion Makes a Struggling Run Better

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Blues with FRiends -Dion

Ok so I’m doing it again. I started to posts yesterday and I didn’t finish either one of them! So now rather than go back and write a little in each one of them I’ll just plot ahead and write a new posts. Recently, I haven’t run very often on Saturdays, but yesterday the weather conditions were slightly better than they were in Friday, so off I went, with Blues with Friends from Dion providing the soundtrack.

I quickly  realized, even though the temperature was fairly low, the humidity was going to make this a tough run!

The Run

So it became one of those runs during which I need to trick myself. As I reach the 2.5 mile mark my thought become ‘“well you’ve made 2.5 mile you only have 1.5 miles to go you can do that”z. Then at 3 miles it’s 3 miles down only 1 more to go.. “if you’ve gone 3 you can certainly make 1 more“. But even with that semi-positive re-enforcement the last mile was a struggle. Additonally, he emergence of the sun and the lack of shade over the last half mile didn’t help things!  Needless to say I made it, but with no semi-strong sprint at the end. My pace over the last block was more of a slow  crawl. Here are the nerdy details.

The Nerdy Details

Total Miles: 4.08 Total Time 46.52 Pace 11:29

Avg Hr 144 bpm Max HR 157 Cals Burned: 611

I am not going to list the mile splits because the GPS was goofy during they run. Consistently, I was reaching the mile and half mile points well before I normally. Therefore, my pace was actually a little slower than listed above.

The Soundtrack: Blues with Friends -Dion

Throughout the run though I was struggling.  I was still able refocus on this fine new album.’s music. And yes for those of you who remember it is that Dion DiMucci better known mononymously as Dion

For those of you who don’t remember here’s some background from Wikipedia….Dion’s…

…. work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, rock and R&B styles—and, most recently, straight blues. Initially as lead singer of Dion and the Belmontsand then in his solo career, he was one of the most popular American rock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era. He had 39 Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a solo performer, with the Belmonts or with the Del Satins. He is best remembered for the singles “Runaround Sue”, “The Wanderer”, “Ruby Baby” and “Lovers Who Wander”, among his other hits. Read More

About Blues with Friends…

I really enjoyed the album both during the run and  when I listened to it earlier in the week.

From Amazon

Blues With Friends, the new studio album from Dion, is packed with a great batch of songs written during a productive time coming off his latest release. When the legendary Joe Bonamassa was eager to be involved, it inspired Dion to invite others to join the project. He says, “I wanted the best musicians alive like Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Van Morrison and more to take them in unexpected directions. Wayne Hood, my producer, brought out the best of them.” Read More

My Thoughts

The bottom is that Blues with Friends is a terrific album. Three of my favorite songs are “Blues Comin’ on ” with Joe Bonamassa and “Uptown No 7” with Brian Setzer. and “Song for Sam Cooke (Here in America)” with Paul Simon. Here it is and it’s a great song….

Check Out Dion on  Facebook or Spotify

Malcolm Wells – Hollerin’ Out Loud Helps a Tough Run!

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Yesterday  The Weather Channel’s morning Running Condition Rating was a 7 out of 10. While that rating is indicative of good running conditions, it’s on the dividing line between good conditions and difficult conditions. For me, today’s conditions were tough. They were tough not because of temperature or humidity but for that damn bright sun! I decided that the soundtrack for the run would be Malcolm Wells and the Two-Timers Hollerin’ Out Loud.

I have started judging the running conditions based on where I first break a sweat and today it was quite early in the run. When I completed the first mile in 10:20 ( a time that would have thrilled me a couple of months ago) I knew today was destined to be a normal run.

At the 2nd mile mark my overall pace had gotten even slower and I was struggling just a little. So I mentally decided to slow down and live to run another day. By the middle of the third mile my pace had slipped to around 10:30 per mile. And all I wanted to do was finish with a pace faster than 10:30.
I had to really force myself to give it all I had over the last 0.1 miles. And with that last sprint which was run  at a pace of 8:28 minutes per mile, I was able to finish with an overall pace of 10:21 minutes per mile. That finish is the one good thing I‘ll take away from today‘s run! Here are the Nerdy Details…..

   The Nerdy Details

Total Dist: 3.12 Time 32:35 Pace: 10:26 min/mile

Mile Splits

Mile-1 10:20   Mile-2: 10:24 Mile-3 10:47

Mile-4 (0.12)8:28

Avg HR 140  Max HR 158 Cals Burned: 384 Cals

The Soundtrack -Hollerin’ Out Loud 

The soundtrack for the run was Hollerin‘ Out Loud the debut release from Malcolm Wells and the Two-Timers. As soon as I heard the Blues harp that kicks off „call My Name“ the first track on Hollerin‘ Out Loud  I knew I  was going to love this album. Then came the great guitar and truly sealed the deal!

Malcolm Wells is a terrific blues harpist who lists the these musicians ascontemporary influences:James Harman, Rick Estrin, Gary Primich, RJ Mischo and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. A few of my favorites!

Malcolm is also a fine composer, arranger and vocalist! Malcolm composed and arranged all eleven tracks on the album.

Malcolm‘s biography on his website is very short

Malcolm was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the summer of 1966. He is very good at surrounding himself with talent.

Malcolm Wells Surrounds Himself with Talent

Those that he has surrounded himself with collectively known as the Two-Timers include: acclaimed guitarist Matt Woods, bassist Patrick Recob and drummer Dwight Dario.

Each member has been successful prior to becoming a Two-Timer.

Matt Woods‘ releases have been nominated for a Blues Music Award, two Blues Blast Awards and have twice made the finals in the Blues Foundation’s “Best Self Produced CD” competition;

Patrick Recob, was also a Blues Blast Award nominee, who has played with just about everyone of Malcolm’s influences previously mentioned.

While Dwight Dario‘s has been performing for five decades! He was a seventeen year member of The Big George Jackson Band. Dwight has toured Europe a dozen times and has received several of his own various music organization awards.

Thoughts about Hollerin’ Out Loud

Hollerin‘ Out Loud is a terrific album from track one to track eleven. The songs are varied and interesting and the musicianship on each track is top notch, as are the vocals.

What makes Hollerin‘ Out Loud special for me is Malcolm‘s blues harp and Matt Woods guitar work. My favorite tracks include: “Call My Name”, “Muffin Top”  and “Gentleman’s Bet”

So Check It Out!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of Malcolm Wells

Artist’s Website 
Facebook
Album Review
Spotify
Amazon

Here’s “Muffin Top” from Hollerin’ Out Loud

Mike Zito -Resurrection Makes a Good Run Great!

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The following was posted earlier this week on Renaissance Granddad I thought I’d catch you up a bit before I post about today’s run!


The Run

Oh, what a difference a cloudy sky and a temperature that is a few degrees lower make on a morning run! I have been making it a habit to check the running conditions each night before a run. Last night the rating for this morning was an 8 out of 10 until after 10am. And the rating was correct! The beat thing was there was no bright sun beating down on me!

I ran the first mile in just a shade under 11 minutes. (10:59). The second mile was slower because much of the mile was uphill. My mile time was 11:20 and the average pace dropped to 11:09. I ran the third mile and fourth mile in around 10:56 with a little sprint at the end.As a result,  I was able to finish with an overall pace of 11:00 min/mile and I was a happy runner! Here are those pesky nerdy details

The Nerdy  Details

Total Dist: 4.14 Time 45:33 Pace: 11: 00 min/mile

Splits

Mile 1 10:59 Mile 2: 11:20 Mile 3 10:56 Mile 4 10:58? (I screwed up the Fitbit results by trying to edit my time and lost the exact last 1.14 miles)

Avg HR 138  Max HR 152 Cals Burned: 563 Cals

The Soundtrack: Resurrection

The soundtrack for the run was Resurrection the latest release from Blues Guitarist Mike Zito. I’ve been a fan since I first heard his debut album Pearl back in 2010.

Resurrection - Mike Zito

Zito says this about Resurrection ….

….Resurrection is an album of feelings, emotions, and is very personal. The title track is how I once almost lost my love, but it came back stronger than ever. I have had this song in me for years, but it only makes sense now to share it with the world. After the year we have had on planet Earth, I believe we all need a rebirth. This rebirth has given me an opportunity to be who I want to be musically and artistically.” More

About Resurrection

Resurrection was produced by Grammy-winner David Z. He is best known for his long-standing work with Prince. In addition, Z has contributed to albums by Etta James, Billy Idol, BoDeans, Buddy Guy and John Mayall, among many others.

Zito has help from a lot of old friends on Resurrection. While Zito provides blistering guitar work and lead vocals, those old friends helping out include: Matthew Johnson – drums; Doug Byrkit – bass guitar; Lewis Stephens – piano, organ; Zach Zito – acoustic guitar; Lisa Andersen – backing vocals; Eric Demmer – Saxophone; and Fernando Castillo – Trumpet.​

About The Tracks on Resurrection

The eleven tracks on Resurrection include eight original songs that showcase Zito‘s talent as a composer. The remaining four tracks showcase his talent as an interpreter of other compositions, as he tackles the work of JJ Cale (“I’ll Make Love To You”), Eric Clapton (“Presence of the Lord”) and Willie Dixon (“Evil”). 

“I wrote and recorded the music I felt strongest about and I wanted to share it with the world,” Zito says.” I played my guitar the way I want to play my guitar, not the way anyone says I am supposed to play my guitar. I sang the way I wanted to sing – in my voice with my emotions. I had David Z produce for me again after a few years apart. We have now worked on seven albums together and I believe he understands my music and helped me to shape this album to be strong in the year 2021. This is an album that requires deep listening from beginning to end. More

Final Thoughts

I was really glad that unlike many runs today‘s run was fairly easy.  That’s important because I was able to “come back to the music” several times during the run.
What I heard each time was Mike Zito at the top of his game! His vocals were “vintage” Mike Zito and they reminded me at several points along the way of the vocals I first heard on Pearl.
I know this album is going to be in my music rotation for a while! So Check It Out!
Speaking of Mike Zito being at the top of his game. At this years Blues Music Awards at The Blues Foundation’s 42nd Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN,  Zito won two awards

The first award was in the category of Blues Rock Artist. While the second wasBlues Rock Album of the Year for Mike Zito and Friends – Rock ‘n’ Roll:  A Tribute to Chuck Berry. Check it Out, too!!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of Mike Zito

Here’s a short playlist of the songs on Resurrection. At the 3.25 mile mark of today’s run I “came back to the music” and chuckled when I heard “Running Man”…..

 

Savoy Brown – Ain’t Done Yet! – Yeah!

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Ain't Done Yet - Savoy Brown

So according to my new blog schedule, (which you don’t  know about because I still haven’t finished the post about it yet, damn you ADD) today, I am supposed to be writing about a blues album I picked on Saturday and listen to twice since then.

The thing is I didn’t create this schedule until this Sunday, so I didn’t know I was supposed to pick an album to listen to prior to writing this post.

The good thing though is I have used the new album from Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet. 
as the soundtrack for at least two runs. Even better, I haven’t written about the runs or album yet.

Through the years, I never have been a  Savoy Brown fan. Oh, I knew the  name but never listened to a full album until somewhere around 2011, when they released the album Voodoo Moon

About Savoy Brown

From the Savoy Brown Website…

Savoy Brown was formed in 1965 by guitarist Kim Simmonds in London, England. Simmonds has been the group’s guiding hand from the first singles released in 1966 through the band’s newest effort, their forty-first album “Ain’t Done Yet”

The three- piece line-up now includes Kim Simmonds on guitar and vocals, Pat DeSalvo on bass and Garnet Grimm on drums. This trio has established itself as the longest-running consistent line-up in the band’s history, now going strong for more than 10 years.

Over the last ten years, my favorite Savoy Brown albums have been Voodoo Moon, Witchy Feelin’ and City Nights. I do believe Kim Simmonds has handled the lead vocals on all these albums, except Voodoo Moon.

Thoughts About Ain’t Done Yet

In my opinion,  Ain’t Done Yet is an appropriate statement about both the band and its driving force Kim Simmonds. This album had me from the opening tracks “All Gone Wrong” and “Devil’s Highway” to the closing instrumental  “Crying Guitar“

Throughout the album, the tracks are varied, well written and  interesting. Simmonds vocals and guitar playing are always spot on. Simmonds guitar never outplays the song, it just fits in perfectly. I guess that’s a result of crafting 41 albums!

What I admire most is that after 53 years and 41 albums Simmonds and Savoy Brown are still recording fresh great new blues songs! I for one am glad they “ain’t done yet”!

Links for the Further Exploration of Savoy Brown

Band’s Website

Wikipedia

Twitter

Instagram

Spotify

Here’s the title track from Ain’t Done Yet

Rise from Joanna Connor Highlights a Good Run

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Rise - Joanna Connor

So I succeeded in avoiding running all weekend. My excuse Saturday was it was too cold in the morning. Then in the afternoon we babysat Logan while his parents took their new puppy to obedience training. After that there was College Football as I watched the end of the Gators game, followed by the LSU-Alabama game. The Georgia game ended the night.

The Run

So after my EKG which looked Like last years which was very good, I hit the road. It was actually the first time I’ve run in the late afternoon. Not knowing how traffic would be on some of the major roads in town, I ran a course where I don’t have to cross any main roads. Basically, it was the same course I ran last Tuesday with a different first 3/4 mile.

I even seriously thought about not running today. However, when I saw that it’s going to rain tomorrow morning which is the only time I can run tomorrow. I knew I had to run today .

It was a strong easy run, slightly slower than last Tuesday’s run. Here are the nerdy details….

The Nerdy Details

Total Distance:  3.24   Total Time: 32:31  Pace: 10:02-

Splits  Mile 1: 9:53 Mile 2 – 10:12  Mile 3: 10:16 0.23 9:08

Avg HR: 140  Max HR 171 Calories Burned: 407 cals

 

The Soundtrack –  Joanna Connor’s Rise

The soundtrack for the run was Rise  the new release from Joanna Connor I first discovered Ms. Connor’s music which is highlighted by here dynamic guitar work,  when I listen to her 2916 release Six String Stories.  I was impressed with that album and Rise is just as impressive more even more impressive.

While Joanna stretched herself musically on Six String Stories, she went even farther on Rise providing touch of jazz, Celtic music and even hip-hop. And while I don’t love the hip-hop it works on the album. The songs on the album provide a personal statement from Joanna…..

“It’s all about rising in life, rising to know yourself, rising to meet the challenge of exploring yourself deeper. Putting it out there.”

She also has a new backup band– drummer Tyrone Mitchell and Cameron Lewis, bassist Joewaun Jay Red Scott and keyboardist Delby Littlejohn. The group adds some fresh energy to the album. Joanna says the following about the album and band…

“The whole record is me and a bunch of younger men,” she says. “So there was some kind of power coming through them to me.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that  Rise from Joanna Connor is a great album, with some terrific guitar work from Joanna. Some folks say that the highlight of the album is “Bad Hand”a duet with Joanna’s long-time friend Mike Zito.

As for me two highlights for me were the two instrumental tracks “Joanna in A” and “If You Want to Stay”. Two others that were standout tracks for me were: “Earthshaker” and  “Blues Tonight” which may be my favorite track”

So Check Out  Rise and while you’re at it also check out Six String Stories.

I’ll end with Guitar World’s comment about Joanna…


Joanna Connor might be the best — or most original — blues-based slide guitar player you’re likely to come across today. Or tomorrow. 

Links for the Further Exploration of the Blues of Joanna Connor

  1. Artist’s  Website
    Facebook
    Twitter
    YouTube
    Amazon

Here’s one of the highlights of Rise a Joanna Connor – Mike Zito duet.

 

Mike Zito Kicks Off An Improvised Workout

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A Cold Morning Leads to an Improvised Workout

So it was 24 degrees outside when I got up this morning. Being the fair weather runner that I am I decided that if I run today it will be later this afternoon. I decided instead to just do a light workout. Maybe a little less strenuous than if it were only workout for the day but a little harder than my normal pre-run workout.

Mike Zito’s Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry kicks off my morning workout

I didn’t use a soundtrack per say but made it up as I went along. I started out with some dance-cardio. The first three songs were from Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry Mike Zito’s new album. Two songs from Victor Wainwright came next “Piana from Savannah” and “Let’s Go, Get Gone”  At that point, I was 10 plus minutes into the workout and heals burnt over 100 calories.

I was also ready to shift gears and shift into some Kundalini using Snatam Kaur’s “Mul Mantra”. This portion of the workout consists of some Kundalini warm up exercises and the core workout exercises. It last a little over 7 minutes.

The final section of the workout focused on legs and hips. All done to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s cover of  “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”

The Nerdy Details

Total Time: 35:02.  Calories Burned: 269.  Avg HR 107

HR Zones: Peak 1 min. Cardio: 18 min Fat Burn: 12 min

Now as I sit here writing this, the temperature has risen to a comfortable running level. So I should be out running, but LSU is playing Alabama, and I do want to watch that game. Hmm, looking at the weather for tomorrow I see it’s going to be warmer tomorrow and the Eagles are t playing. I do believe I will be running tomorrow!

Now if I do another 20 minute Cardio workout Later today I could burn as many calories as a run!!

Links for the Further  Exploration of the Blues of Mike Zito

So here’s Mike Zito and Walter Trout performing Johnny B Goode. Which is in many people’s minds associated with what movie?

 

 

 

 

A Strong Workout Plus the Altered Five Blues Band’s “Mint Condition”

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Altered Five Blues BAnd - Charmed & Dangeous

A Strong Workout Plus Altered Five Blues Band’s “Mint Condition”

So last week was nice. Morning temperatures were in the mid-60s and relative humidity was also fairly low. Yesterday and today overall temperatures were up. This morning it was 76 degrees at 8 o’clock with 95% relative humidity and the sun shining brightly! Not conditions that I like to run in! This  68 year-old body can take just so much!

Anyway I decided to do an indoor workout. Since it was supposed to be a running day, I wanted to make it a mostly cardio workout. One of the things that I decided to include in the workout was a set of exercises, some of which are  from Kundalini yoga, I do to Snatam Kaur’a Song of the Mul Mantra.

I used probably the first Cardio playlist that I created which contains a lot of songs from the Sixites and added a few different songs. I kept it mostly just dance cardio but did use light weights, a resistance band and a 5 lb medicine ball during the workout. Here are the results!

The  Nerdy Results

  • Total Time: 60 min  Calories Burned : 541
  • Avg HR 117 bpm  Max HR 168 bpm
  • Time in HR Zones
  • Peak: 7 min Cardio: 35 min Fat Burn: 10 min

The results show that I burned as more calories today than I did on my 3.1 mile run on Tuesday. (All be it in more time).I also achieved my goal of  having the workout be mostly cardio. I may try this schedule running 2 days a week instead of three for a few weeks to see if my knees are a little better for it. While my knees aren’t real bad, they don’t feel as good as they use it on the non-running days.

Morning Music Playlist

If anyone is interested here is the basic playlist I used for the workout. I did however skip a few songs and added one or two songs from another playlist.

Now, how about some other late morning music …..

The Altered Five Blues Band – Charmed & Dangerous – “Mint Condition”

A few weeks ago, I discovered the Altered Five Blues Band. Their new release Ten thousand Watts was on the Roots Music Blues Chart ( this week the album is number 8 on the chart) but hadn’t been released yet. So when I went to Spotify, I checked out their 2017 release Charmed &Dangerous. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a band I was going to like .

On the first track “Charmed and Dangerous”  I heard some killer guitar, good vocals and organ!! Oh yeah !

The second track “Mint Condition” continued the love fest, as the organ became more prevalent. Then they won me over by adding some blues harp on then third track  “Three Forks”.  I was sold on the band!!

I’ll write more about the band after listening to Ten Thousand Watts a few more times. But for now let’s go into the afternoon  with some late morning music “Mint Condition”from the Altered Five Blues Band album Charmed & Dangerous. Check it Out!

 

John Mayall Makes A Good Run Better! Try It

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Nobody Told Me - John Maayall

Originally Posted Aug 2019 – Revised and Updated Feb 2026

The Run

Yesterday’s was one of those days that was about as close to perfect as you can get. First we were going to be babysitting our grandson Logan all day while his parents and older sister went to Six Flags. The good thing was we didn’t need to be there until 9:30. That meant that I could run around 8:00 and and be done and showered by 9:30. So I got up at 7:00 did some warm up exercising and was out the door by 8:00.

I ran a 3.1 (5K) mile course that is pretty flat. It’s the fourth time I’ve run since I was sick with an upper respiratory infection and a touch of pneumonia. Overall, it was the best of the four runs. Here are the results….

The Nerdy Details

Total Distance: 3.19    Time :33:38     Pace: 10:33

Avg HR   144       Peak HR  163         Cals 423

Splits   1 – 10:18    2-  10:40      3- 10:51    0.19  9:38

The Soundtrack – Nobody Told Me – John Mayall

he first John Mayall album I bought was 1969’s The Turning Point. I really loved that album an over the next 50 years I have continued to follow his legendary career and he has consistently provided me with great albums!   Nobody Told Me is another.

Throughout his career Mayall has always had a terrific lead guitarist in his band, starting with Eric Clapton! Other guitarists who have worked with Mayall include: Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout,Coco Montoya and Rocky Athos.

Guest guitarists on Nobody Told Me  include Todd Rundgren, Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray, Alex Lifeson (Rush), Steven Van Zandt and Carolyn Wonderland.

Bottom line

The bottom line is that at 85 years young John Mayall sounds as good as he ever has. While I like all the tracks on the album I would have to say that these four are my favorite tracks: “ What have I done Wrong” and “Delta Hurricane” with Joe Bonamassa. “Evil and Her to Stay” with Alex Lifeson and “Distant Lonesome Train” with Carolyn Wonderland.

So if you’re a fan of John Mayall you have probably already checked this album out. So I’d be interested in your opinion. And if you’ve never heard of Mayall check it out and I bet you’ll be checking out several more albums included in his extensive discography!

Here’s the Official Video for the tile track of Nobody Told Me featuring the band’s new lead guitarist Carolyn Wooderla d!

Ok so there were three things that made Tuesday a great day. A good run, babaysitting my 20 month old grandson Logan and finally I finished the 34th book I’ve read this year, Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva. When it was released in 2010 it won the Edgar for Best First Novel. I will be writing about it shortly!

Links

Artist’s Website

Album Review: Glide Magazine

Facebook

Instagram

Blues Wednesday – Sean Chambers

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So for the last couple of weeks I’ve had Sean Chambers second album Humble Spirits on the mp3 player and have enjoyed it. Sean is a Florida bluesman in the mold of Stevie Ray Vaughan, i.e. blues with a rock edge. Humble Spirits, was produced by Bud Snyder (The Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule), and featured featured such special guests as Bernard Allison, Frankie and Dan Toler (The Allman Brothers), Bobby T. Torello (Johnny Winter) and Greg Allman band alumnus Bruce Waibel.

Sean has been ranked in the Top 50 blues rock guitarists by Britain’s “Guitarist Magazine” and he can really play! I feel that his guitar playing carries his ok vocals on the album!

Anyway there are a lot of decent songs on the album and it’s certainly worth several listens and will probably stay on the player for a while!

Sean Chambers Release Ten Til Midnight

Today I listened to his current release Ten Til Midnight.  I was only able to listen to a few of the tracks but what I heard sounded pretty good. If it cools off tomorrow the album will probably be playing when I run!

Here’s what it says on Sean’s website about the album:

On Ten ‘Til Midnight co-producer Tim Blair wanted to go for a live sound similar to their incendiary concert shows; so most of the tracks were recorded with few overdubs. They feature Chambers on guitar and vocals, and his regular touring band: Tim Blair on bass and Paul Broderick on drums. Special guests includes Ben Crider on Hammond B-3 organ, Jack Henriquez on piano, Gary Keith on harmonica, and Robin Bouie and Clarence L. Stevenson on backing vocals.

Here’s what Blogcritics says about Ten ‘Til Midnight:

Ten Til Midnight is a high-energy, pedal-to-the-metal, blues rock album that will leave you plastered against your seatback. Remember that speaker ad a few years back showing the guy sitting in a chair in front of his speakers, his hair blowing back? Yeah! That’s it, that’s the one. And that’s this CD, too. Ten cuts, 41 minutes of rockin’ blues.

So if you like Stevie Ray, Corey Stevens and other blues rock guitarists check out Sean!

Here’s “In the Winter Time” from Ten ‘Til Midnight

Joanna Connor – Six String Stories.

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Six String Stories – Joanna Connor –  The Best Blues of 2016?

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted an album titled Six String Stories on the Roots Music Report Blues Chart. The artist was Joanna Connor. Since the title of the album was interesting and I had never heard of Ms. Connor, I went to Spotify and gave it a quick listen. Wow! It sounded great! But then my ADD kicked in and I was soon off listening to other albums and Six String Stories was set aside.

Somehow at the end of last week the album caught my attention again and I went back to Spotify and listened to it again. Boy am I glad I did! Ms. Connor is one hell of a slide guitarist! She may even give my favorite slide guitarist Dave Hole a run for his money!

How Have I Missed Joanna Connor?

So why have I never heard of Ms. Connor? Well, it seems that her career started out way back in 1989 with the release of her debut album Believe It released on Blind Pig Records. Eight more albums followed over the next ten years. After the release of The Joanna Connor Band in 2002, decided to take a break from recording ad touring to raise her daughter. She has continued to play live locally in her adopted home Chicago.

The reason I have never heard of Ms.Connor may be that she began he career during MY period of child rearing. In 1989  Sharon, Lois and Bram and Raffi spent more time on my turntable than blues! Additionally, she hasn’t released any albums during the time, when I  rediscovered the blues, and started exploring new artists more fully. So now back to Six String Stories!

About Six String Stories

One of the things that I really liked about Six String Stories was the variety in Joanna;s music.Joanna’s fiery slide blues licks are mixed in among some soul, gospel and funk! Of the ten tracks on the album Joanna co-wrote eight of them with  Marion Lance Lewis, a multi-instrumentalist and mainstay of her live band.

In his review in Elmore magazine Jim Hynes writes….

….Connor sings like she wields her axe, fiercely with a “take no prisoners” approach.  The opener, “It’s a Woman’s Way” and “By Your Side” feature her trademark slide.  She takes the slow blues route on “We Stayed Together,” trading some verses with Lewis.  She treats Jill Scott’s “Golden” with the right jazz-soul feel as it morphs into funk over her spoken part.   The bayou-inspired “Swamp Swim” shows the improvisational side of her playing especially when offset by the guitar heavy “Halsted Street.”   The centerpiece of the album is “Heaven” which brings in the gospel with horns and the Lewis Family Singers..  Connor says, “I wrote that as more of a political song with West African feel, but Lance gave it more of a gospel sound. His brothers are pastors and have churches so they brought that kind of feel to it.”  The much covered “Sky is Crying’ sounds like a completely different tune here  Read More

Bottom – Line

Six String Stories may be my favorite blues album of the year! It has everything I love in an album, Fantastic guitar playing coupled with well-written and sung songs. A couple of great covers are also thrown in the mix. .My favorite tracks so far are “It’s a Woman’s Way” and “By Your Side” and the two instrumentals “Swamp Swim” and “Halsted Street”. So Check it Out! And as per usual I have a lot of back-catalog music to explore!!

Artist’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
AllMusic
Amazon

The Video

Here is that video from The North Atlantic Blues Festival……enjoy!