#4 Larkin Poe Self Made Man
Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? is Xavier Dphrepaulezz’s third release under the moniker Fantastic Negrito. His music is a bouillabaisse of the blues, rock, funk, hip hop and soul. Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? is energized and filled will classic soul passion, owing a debt to icons such as Prince and Sly Stone. While the album may not be as original as Negrito's The Last Days of Oakland, it is damn close.
Playlist Tracks: Chocolate Samurai, How Long, Your Sex Is Overrated
#2 Joe Bonammassa Royal Tea
The blues provide the foundation for Larkin Poe’s roots rock and southern rock. And Larkin Poe can play rock n’ roll. Larkin Poe can hit as hard as any rockers, male of female. Self-producing Self Made Man might be a gamble for less talented artists. Downplaying their Americana influences, the best parts of Self Made Man are the songs that offer hard hitting rock n’ roll. Larkin Poe ranks with the best of the new generation of rockers who understand the tradition and continued value of the blues, roots rock, southern rock and Americana.
Playlist Tracks: She’s A Self Made Man, Holy Ghost Fire, Back Down South, God Moves On The Water
Dr. Will has graced the stage with artists such as now deceased legends Louisiana Red and Willy DeVille (Mink DeVille). I Want My Money Back is an eclectic mix of rock, blues, jazz, and New Orleans influenced music insanity. You’ve never heard anyone quite like Dr. Will. While he has clearly adopted elements of Dr. John, Captian Beefheart and Tom Waits, he has taken those influences and made them his own. It’s little wonder Dr. Will is a popular live artist. His music is energetic is a way that easily connects with an audience. Yet another European musician who deserves to be heard on this side of the Atlantic.
Playlist Tracks: High Jeopardy Thing, Guilty Conscience Blues, Big Old Drum
Too Slim & the Taildraggers deservedly rank as one of the best blues rock bands of the last thirty years. The band consistently releases well written, hard rocking blues that has earned them a dedicated following. The Remedy is a solid addition to the legacy the band has built. Recorded in Nashville and produced by the band, The Remedy actually explores roots rock to a degree prior releases did not. Its hard to say that a band that’s been around 30 years is at its peak, but one can say that Too Slim & the Taildraggers have again hit the nail on the head with The Remedy.
Playlist Tracks: She’s Got The Remedy, Devil’s Hostage, Reckless, Sunnyland Train
Do you enjoy a party? Like to dance? Like the blues? If so, Seasick Steve’s brand of boogie blues rock is for you. Seasick doesn’t break any new ground or reinvent the blues on Love & Peace. When you can make music as good as this, originality is overrated. The efforts of album contributor Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars) permeate Love & Peace. The album is at times more diverse than the usual Seasick album. It certainly has a number of tracks that hold up to his best work.
Playlist Tracks: Love & Peace, I Will Do For You, Church Of Me
Led by Risager’s unparalleled vocals, Thorbjørn Risager & the Black Tornado are simply one of best blues rock bands in the world. The fact that the band is not that well known in the USA is this country’s loss. Too Many Roads (2014) was a stunner. While Change My Game (2017) was a strong release, it suffered by comparison. Come On In is what you get when you mix the blues, rock and soul. Great music the way it is supposed to sound.
Playlist Tracks: Come On In, Last Train, Never Givin In, Love So Fine
#8 Fantastic Negrito Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?
Walter Trout is simply one of the most underappreciated blues musicians of the last half century. He is closing in on 30 solo albums. He has survived substance abuse and a liver transplant. Since his transplant, Trout hasn’t wasted a moment of his extended life. He has become a machine when it comes to writing and releasing albums. Ordinary Madness rocks more than some blues fans may like, but it is Trout hitting on all creative cylinders. Trout’s confessional lyrics give great insight into a man who has glimpsed death and now appreciates the gift that is life. There are no disposable tracks here. Ordinary Madness is simply one of Trout’s most musically diverse albums and one of the best in what is a extended music catalogue.
Playlist Tracks: Ordinary Madness, Wanna Dance, Heartland, Final Curtain Call, The Sun Is Going Down
Dion DiMucci is 80 years old. How many first-generation rockers are still standing, much less making music that moves the needle? Well, there is Dion. Blues With Friends adds 14 original compositions to the legendary artists’ repertoire. Guest appearances by Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck, Samantha Fish, Billy Gibbons, Sonny Landreth, Van Morrison, Brian Setzer, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Van Zandt suggest Dion has a lot of friends. Each contribute to the effort, yet the real star here is Dion. At age 80, Dion displays a vocal ability that belies his age. Blues With Friends isn’t an iconic artist coasting, he is in a groove and hitting on all cylinders. Blues With Friends may not be a perfect album but it is a damn good one.
Playlist Tracks: Blues Comin In, My Baby Loves to Boogie, I Got Nothin, Song for Sam Cooke (Here In America)
#1 Too Slim& the Taildraggers The Remedy
#9 Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado Come On In
#7 Dr. Will I Want My Money Back
Blues Rock Reviews
#5 Peter Karp Magnificent Heart
#10 Seasick Steve Love & Peace
Joe Bonamassa is a veritable work-horse when it comes to recording and releasing albums. Royal Tea is his second album this year (the other being a re-make of his first release). Royal Tea is somewhat of an outlier in Bonamassa’s catalogue. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, Royal Tree honors Bonamassa’s love for British blues-based rock. The album reflects Bonamassa’s love for the music of artists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Five of ten tracks are co-written by Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake). Another track was co-written with Jools Holland (Squeeze) and Dave Stewart (Euthrymics). The lyrics on three tracks come from Pete Brown, the renowned lyricist for Cream. Recording at Abbey Road in London, it all adds up to Royal Tea being more a classic rock album than a blues or blues rock album. Truth be told, Bonamassa has always had an affinity for classic rock. His songs have long incorporated elements of British rock from the late sixties and early seventies. So while fans who look to Bonamassa for the blues may be a little disappointed, Royal Tea generally works as a classic rock album.
Playlist Tracks: Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye, A Conversation With Alice, Beyond The Silence.
While Peter Karp has released just a handful of albums. he is well-known in the blues world. His guitar-work is never flamboyant. His focus, even when playing live, is on being true to the song. Magnificent Heart is a fine example of Karp’s skill with words. The songs open up like a fine wine on repeated listens. Karp vocals, six-string and piano are ably assisted by his son James Otis Karp Peter Karp is a gem and Magnificent Heart proves it.
Playlist Tracks: The Letter, The Grave, Chainsaw, Let It On Out, Cool Cool Thing
#3 Walter Trout Ordinary Madness
#6 Dion Blues With Friends