DADDY MACK BLUES BAND
Doctor’s Orders
Inside Sounds – ISC-0548
Guitarist/vocalist Mack “Daddy Mack” Orr was a driving force in the Fieldstones, one of Memphis’ most fabled blues aggregations, until they disbanded in the mid-1990s; he went on to form his own band, and he’s worked as a frontline bluesman ever since. The band featured here is not the coterie of former Fieldstones that he led in the past, but it supports Orr with admirable panache (one track, Finish What You Started [Don’t Stop Now], remastered from a previous Daddy Mack release, gives us a taste of what that earlier aggregation sounded like, although it also includes such newer arrivals as drummer Fast Eddie Lester and guest vocalist Candice Ivory). Although the original Fieldstones seldom featured a harmonica, Billy Gibson—who’s worked with Orr for quite a few years—blends well into the raucous sonic mix. Out in front, Orr rips leads from his fretboard as if pulling rivets from metal (for years he owned an auto repair shop in Memphis); bassist Brad Webb delivers shuffle blues, stripped-down funk, and power-rock thunder with equal aplomb, and when he switches to slide guitar (as on the title song), it sounds as if he and Orr are competing to see who can blow out the sound system first.
But not everything here is balls-to-the-wall. Mississippi Woman is a tightly wound acoustic shuffle featuring Webb on dobro along with Matt Isbell on chunky rhythm guitar, harking back to the days when the “urban blues” of Memphis sounded a lot like what was going on in the country outside of town, albeit harder-driving and more uncompromisingly blunt. And throughout this set, Orr’s vocals display his mastery of expressing deep passion without over-emoting; whether he’s bemoaning mistreatment at the hands of a wrong-doing woman, boasting about his erotic prowess (or hers), or celebrating the joys of illicit romance (“Don’t call it cheating, call it your backup plan”), his growling baritone remains in control while resonating with deeply felt emotion and erotic intensity.
Legendary Memphis jukes like Green’s Lounge may be gone, but the spirit that animated them remains alive in the music of Daddy Mack Orr.
—David Whiteis
FRANK BEY
Peace
Nola Blue – NBR-038
Frank Bey passed away five years ago. Posthumously nominated for a Grammy Award (Best Traditional Blues Album) for 2020’s All My Dues Are Paid, Bey was the subject of a loving documentary film of the same name. That film charted Bey’s rise, voluntary departure from the music world, and triumphant resurgence. A new compilation, Peace brings together 11 tracks that showcase the brilliance of the Millen, Georgia, native.
The album opens with That’s What Love Will Make You Do, a shuffling, funky number with a strong and assertive Bey lead vocal, tight rhythm section, and spirited horn section. The soulful One Thing Every Day is reminiscent of Rita Coolidge’s classic ’70s reading of Jackie Wilson’s Higher and Higher. Bey’s version underscores the ease with which he could deliver a wide range of styles with total authenticity.
Midnight and Day is smoky, down and dirty blues, with the musicians digging deep into the pocket; its spare arrangement places the spotlight on Bey’s vocals. The contemplative acoustic textures—one guitar and a harmonica solo—of City Boy couch Bey’s heartfelt vocal in just the right context.
The up-tempo, Chicago-flavored Blues Comes Knockin’ delivers the sound and feel of a live performance. The well-worn melody is applied to a sassy lyric, and Bey communicates it in style. The tune’s harp solo is a delight. There’s a subtly New Orleans character to the jaunty Walk with Me. Guitarist Jeff Monjack—who’s all over the album—provides steel guitar and insistent foot stomping on Bed for My Soul; thanks to his work and Bey’s assured vocal, the tune feels like a superbly recorded busking performance. A testament to Bey’s versatility and textural range, If You Want Me sounds like a showcase for a different—yet very good—singer.
The loose, live-feeling Blues in the Pocket is Frank Bey at his funkiest. Featuring an extended spoken (shouted, really) intro, the song shows that Bey learned a few tricks from his former musical associate James Brown. The song’s sly and humorous lyrics are punctuated by tasty sax flourishes.
A reverent and sincere reading of Sam Cooke’s Change Is Gonna Come reminds listeners yet again just how easily Bey could switch from blues to another style (in this case, gospel). The collection concludes with a meditative and original reading of John Lennon’s Imagine. In Bey’s capable hands, the song receives a completely new melody, but the sentiments of the original shine through.
Peace is drawn from various sessions, but the high production values and top-flight musicianship belie its compiled nature; the collection feels like a cohesive set of songs put together with an album in mind. If—as seems likely—it represents the last musical statement from the late singer—Peace represents a fine farewell.
—Bill Kopp
LITTLE FREDDIE KING
Things I Used to Do
Newvelle – NVN005
A follow up to Going Upstairs, his 2020 vinyl-only Newvelle LP, Things I Used to Do shows that at age 84, longtime New Orleans–based guitarist and singer Little Freddie King (Fread Eugene Martin) is up for taking a shot at anything blues related. While the previous recording—one of the most outstanding efforts of his long career—placed him at the helm of a four-piece band with a few guests joining in for various tracks, this time around he was asked to work in a stripped-down setting with support mostly from Paul DeFiglia on acoustic bass and occasionally Robert DiTullio on harmonica, with the idea that he would reinterpret some of the classic blues recordings he heard when he was coming up in McComb, Mississippi. And, that’s exactly what he does on this second vinyl-only Newvelle LP, revealing a side of his playing distinct from the raucous, full-band, electric blues he usually delivers at Crescent City clubs and festivals.
For listeners familiar with King, it’s clear that despite his stage name’s reference to an electric blues icon, his music draws more prominently upon the styles of players like John Lee Hooker and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Things I Used to Do opens with a laid-back, acoustic guitar take on Hobo Man, a variation on Hooker’s Hobo Blues. He’s a deft guitar picker, and DeFiglia provides an underpinning, while DiTullio adds color. Hooker’s I Got My Eyes on You is a driving boogie with King on acoustic, with both bass and harmonica driving the groove. Interestingly, he also credits the title track to Hooker, who did record a version of the song, but it’s clearly the Guitar Slim classic. It’s a slow, powerful reading played on an electric guitar, supported by DeFiglia’s bass. Maybe King just sees the approach as more Hooker than Slim. His debt to Hopkins is acknowledged with Mojo Hand, a slow and sinuous boogie played by the acoustic guitar and bass. King’s guitar picking really shines on Howlin’ Wolf’s Smokestack Lightning as he delivers the song’s signature riff with an understated, easy swing. On the fourth verse, DeFiglia’s booming bass line comes in adding a driving momentum to the performance. Composed by Lowell Fulson and famously covered by B.B. King for his first hit, Three O’clock Blues features the guitarist flashing some jazzy single-note runs over a walking bass line. The most rocking selection in the set is the electric guitar–driven I Wonder, which he takes credit for even though it often is associated with B.B. King. Dr. Ross’ Cat Squirrel is a solo acoustic performance that King conflates with verses from Muddy Waters’ Catfish Blues. Waters gets his own homage with a lightly swinging acoustic rendition of Honey Bee. The Willie Dixon–composed, Sonny Boy Williamson II–associated Bring It on Home, played on acoustic guitar, bass, and harp, gets a laid-back treatment. A production error resulted in an extra track being added to the LP, so there’s no composer credit for Rock Me Mama—it could be from Hopkins, Hooker, or Arthur Crudup—but it’s a welcome addition as King’s electric guitar, DeFiglia’s bass, and DiTullio’s harmonica deliver a fast-paced rendition that brings Things I Used to Do to a close.
—Robert H. Cataliotti
BOB CORRITORE AND FRIENDS
Doin’ the Shout!
SWMAF Records/VizzTone – SWMAF28
Bob Corritore is one busy cat. When we last checked in with the blues harpist and bandleader (and his Friends), the new album was Phoenix Blues Rumble. That was way back in 2023, the same year that Bob Corritore and Friends released not one but two other sets: Women in Blues Showcase and High Rise Blues. Corritore had churned out yet another album in ’23—that one a collaboration with Jimi “Primetime” Smith—and followed up all that activity with 2024’s Crawlin’ Kingsnake, a set with John Primer. Again: busy, busy, busy.
Corritore and Friends are back in the early months of 2025 with Doin’ the Shout!, a blues extravaganza featuring some of blues’ biggest names on vocals.
Thornetta Davis is first up with Say Baby Say. The standard blues changes of the song are enlivened by a swinging arrangement, Davis’ assured vocal, and solos from Corritore and guitarist Johnny Burgin. Davis also takes the mic for her jump blues original That Don’t Appease Me. Burgin’s guitar licks engage in conversation with Davis, and some beefy sax—with a catchy breakdown riff—adds just the right touch.
Woman Wanted is a showcase for the stinging lead slide guitar of Bob Margolin. And Oscar Wilson’s powerful bluesbreaking voice is a delight. Wilson sings on Just a Dream as well; a stomping, slow blues in a traditional style, it provides an opportunity for the players to dig in.
The title track on Doin’ the Shout! is soulful jump blues, featuring an inviting, handclap-infused arrangement and a spirited shout vocal from Nora Jean. Corritore turns in some of his best harp work on the track. Nora Jean is on hand again for It’s My Life, an original from her pen. It’s a loping, insistent blues with tasty slide courtesy of Johnny Rapp (who also plays lead on the title cut).
Even before the vocal comes in, the arrangement of I’ve Got Three Problems telegraphs that it’s a vehicle for the inimitable Bobby Rush. The playful—and more than a little suggestive—lyric (by Rush himself) is a laugh riot, and a highlight of Doin’ the Shout! And Corritore’s solo is a simple thing of beauty.
I Guess I’m a Fool features the vocal talents of Francine Reed. A late-night weeper, it’s understated but very effective, in a style reminiscent of Ray Charles. The vocals of Tia Carroll shine brightly on I’ve Got to Be with You Tonight. Carroll is ably supported by guitarists Kid Ramos and Johnny Main.
John Primer’s guitar work is featured on many of the album’s tracks, and he takes the lead vocal on the good-timing Twenty Room House. Anthony Geraci’s piano work on the track is sprightly and assured. Jimi “Primetime” Smith duets with Carla Denise on Same Old Thing. Singing in unison an octave apart, the duo provides some of the liveliest moments on the set. The set wraps up with the slow-burn blues of My First Love, featuring Bob Stroger on vocals. It’s a fine way to end this diverse yet sharply focused collection.
—Bill Kopp
JOHN PRIMER
Grown in Mississippi
Blues House – BHP-JP2025
With this recording, John Primer pays tribute to his formative years growing up in Camden, Mississippi. Although he didn’t become a professional bluesman until after he moved to Chicago in 1963, Primer got his earliest musical education during those years.
Primer’s liner notes give us some insight into how deeply these songs resonate for him. The opener, John’s Blues Holler—complete with crickets chirping in the background and what sounds like a shovel or a hoe striking the earth—is an a cappella recreation of “the field hollers I would hear workin’ in the fields,” and it sets the tone. “Traditional” as much of this music may be, Primer’s emotional focus and finely honed musical sensibility make it contemporary—this is a celebration of the blues in the present tense, not as an exercise in moldy-fig historicism.
Over the course of this set, Primer is joined by a crew of first-call blues players, most with strong Mississippi roots—Bobby Rush, Charlie Musselwhite, Eden Brent, and Lightnin’ Malcolm are a few of the names that will be familiar to many readers. Primer’s own fretwork is on display as well, and at age 79 (he’ll be 80 by the time this review sees print) not only has he not lost a step, his playing sounds richer, more dexterous, and more deeply felt than ever. Offerings include a yearning rendition of Leroy Carr’s Blues Before Sunrise (a song that “always made me think about getting up early to work in the fields”), featuring a resonant harmonica solo from Deak Harp; a raucous take on Louisiana Red’s double-entendre Let Me Be Your Electrician (“my stepFather’s [sic] favorite song”), with a squalling, Cotton-esque solo from Primer’s regular harp man Steve Bell; and Primer originals like I Ain’t Kickin’ Up No Dust (“a song I wrote thinking about walkin’ for miles in dusty MS”); John’s Crawdad Song (“the first song I learned to play on my diddley bow”); the playfully funky Nothin’ But a Chicken Wing (which “represents the chitlin’ circuit” and features some appropriately greasy harp work from Bobby Rush); and the autobiographical Born in Mississippi (structured, like Ain’t Kickin’ Up No Dust, around Elmore James’ classic Dust My Broom theme).
Primer honors two of his early idols and role models with Down in the Bottom, which was originally recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in 1961, along with fresh takes on Big Joe Williams’ Baby Please Don’t Go (featuring Musselwhite on harmonica) and Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues, both of which Muddy Waters covered (and both of which are credited here to Muddy as songwriter). A Better Day and the spiritual Lay My Burdens Down “pay tribute to the gospel I grew up with,” although a lot of Primer’s fellow church-goers in 1940s/’50s-era Mississippi would probably have winced at A Better Day’s 12-bar blues structure. Lay My Burdens Down showcases Primer’s daughter Aliya, whose wispy mezzo-soprano attains a poignant mix of spiritual uplift and emotional vulnerability. Eden Brent contributes some appropriately churchy keyboard work.
This disc is a journey deep into the blues-infused soul of one of our premier contemporary blues artists—savor it, and give thanks that the power of the Mississippi blues tradition lives and breathes within him, and that he continues to share it with us.
—David Whiteis
SILKROAD ENSEMBLE WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS
American Railroad
Nonesuch – 075597897586
Rhiannon Giddens continues to carve out a singular path in modern American music. Her stunning, sure vocal technique grounded in classical study, her instrumental mastery, and her passions for history and social justice have resulted in a body of work as eclectic as it is excellent. In 2020, Giddens became the artistic director of Silkroad, the cross-cultural arts organization founded in 1998 by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and the position has proven a natural fit for her gifts. Their latest project is American Railroad, a concert tour and album of music inspired by the multicultural identities of the workers who built America’s railroad system and those who were most affected by its construction.
Giddens and the Silkroad Ensemble weave a series of original compositions together with traditional songs, creating a vibrant, seamless, and sometimes startling sonic narrative. The North Carolina native’s singing on Swannanoa Tunnel, a “hammer song” first sung by Black convicts working on the railroad, and which forms the solemn first half of a medley with a ripping instrumental version of Steel-Driving Man, is some of her finest to date—rich with feeling, resonant with meaning. Pipa player Wu Man’s mournful Rainy Day imagines the sadness of Chinese women missing their loved ones far away in America; she is joined by Giddens on banjo, who sings the lyrics in Chinese. Maeve Gilchrist’s instrumental Far Down Far depicts conflict between Irish Catholic and Protestant workers, dancing, soaring, and pulsating with emotion and tension. Have You Seen My Man?, a doomed ballad of a woman seeking her lost lover down rails she is unable to ride, features the haunting harmonies of Giddens, Karen Ouzounian, and Mazz Swift. The stirring Mahk Jchi, composed and sung by Pura Fé and whose title means “Our Hearts” in the Tutelo/Occaneechi/Saponi dialect of eastern North Carolina and Virginia, decries the destruction of Native lands and cultures by those with “no spirit, no right, no god / You are the death from graves you rob.”
For those interested in learning more about this history, an accompanying podcast and digital booklet are available at www.silkroad.org/american-railroad. In this current political moment, when stories like these are at an ever-greater risk of erasure, projects like American Railroad resound even louder by magnifying the diverse voices of those who built our nation.
—Melanie Young
BOBBY RUSH & KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
Young Fashioned Ways
Thirty Tigers – 15638-CD
It’s ironic, in a way, that Bobby Rush and Kenny Wayne Shepherd would choose to title their new collaboration Young Fashioned Ways, given the fact that the album makes a solid statement about the durability of the blues and, in effect, pays homage to a somewhat traditional template. Granted, it can also be considered a super star summit of sorts, one that finds this highly acclaimed duo showing their mutual admiration and finding plenty of common ground.
Naturally then, the prowess and proficiency the two men bring to the table all but assures some powerful performances. Both men had a hand in writing the ten tracks, leaving nothing to chance as far as direction was concerned. To the contrary, the pair’s shared strengths make for a formidable combination, courtesy of Rush’s gritty vocals and outstanding harp playing in tandem with Shepherd’s searing guitar riffs. Their efforts are mostly underscored by a steady strut, as demonstrated by songs such as Hey Baby (What Are We Gonna Do) and 40 Acres (How Long) in particular.
While a certain drama and desire are evident in each of these entries, there’s more than a hint of attitude thrown into the mix as well. G String provides a good example. A song that strongly implies that there’s a sexual encounter in the offing, it’s nothing less than an explicit entreaty: “When you wear that dress, Make sure you wear it short / The less you wear, The less I have to take off.”
Rush’s wailing harp underscores the lecherous intent.
So too, there’s some sinister suggestion inherent in Make Love to You, which finds Rush’s howl and growl conjuring up a sound similar to Howlin’ Wolf with characteristically ominous overtones.
Naturally, Shepherd makes his own emphatic impression as well, especially on the song titled You So Fine, which elevates his sizzling slide guitar work solidly to the fore. So too, Young Ways finds him wailing away at full throttle.
For the most part, however, Rush and Shepherd effectively share the spotlight, and in so doing, ensure the drive and dynamic. As a result, Young Fashioned Ways becomes an outstanding example of a pure and provocative sound.
—Lee Zimmerman
BABE STOVALL
Pied Piper of New Orleans
Dust-to-Digital – DTD-59
Pied Piper of New Orleans is a significant new release on several levels. First, it’s a beautiful representation of the art and craft of Babe Stovall, a singer/guitarist from the folk blues revival of the 1960s, who never got the recognition that the lauded discoveries and rediscoveries who delighted audiences at major folk clubs and festivals received. Second, it shines a light on a folk blues revival scene that was taking place in New Orleans, a locale that is almost never considered in writing about that era. Third, Stovall and these recordings represent the initial forays into researching, documenting, and analyzing the country blues idiom by David Evans, who went on to do a lifetime of work as one of the preeminent scholars in the field. This album is the first in a series of never-before-heard musical releases for Dust-to-Digital from Evans’ personal archive.
Born in Tylertown, Mississippi, in 1908, Jewell “Babe” Stovall was influenced by Delta legend Tommy Johnson. He moved to New Orleans in 1964 and quickly became a familiar figure busking on the streets of the French Quarter and a frequently featured artist at Preservation Hall. Pied Piper of New Orleans is comprised of three sessions recorded in January 1966 and a final session from August of that year. The digital download recording is accompanied by a booklet featuring extensive historical, biographical, musicological, and personal notes from Marc Ryan and Evans.
Stovall performs solo, in a duo with young folk blues acolyte guitarist Ryan, who introduced Evans to the blues artist, as well as duets with associates from rural Louisiana—guitarist Roosevelt Holts, violinist Herb Quinn, guitarist O.D. Jones, and mandolin player Dink Brister. The 17-track program consists of standard country blues numbers, including Boll Weevil, Kansas City Blues, How Long Blues, Big Road Blues, and Salty Dog Blues, as well as spirituals and gospel tunes, such as Precious Lord, Take My Hand, Do, Lord, Remember Me, When the Saints Go Marching In, and The Ship Is at the Landing. Stovall delivers his vocals with wry humor and a spirited bravura. His fingerpicking guitar work is intricate and always at the service of driving the groove. Pied Piper of New Orleans opens a window into the past for a man, a time, and a place, and, as the initial release in Evans’ new series, promises good things to come.
—Robert H. Cataliotti
TOMMY CASTRO AND THE PAINKILLERS
Closer to the Bone
Alligator Records – ALCD 5025
Tommy Castro leans hard into the blues vibe on Closer to the Bone, his eighth LP for Alligator Records. Joined by longtime ensemble the Painkillers and a bevy of featured guests, the veteran Bay Area soul blues giant delivers biting, ballsy straight-ahead blues cuts primed to sear scorch marks on even the finest home entertainment speakers.
Castro is in full-hearted voice throughout this recording. He is sly and seductive on the reverb-drenched The Way You Do, a late-hour counterpoint to Rick Estrin’s brawling harmonica. He lays into the stripped-down Crazy Woman Blues with palpable fervor, his voice almost rending on the high notes as he wails forth this tale of ill-fated romance. Castro’s guitar is every bit as muscular as his vocal attack. Joined by the easy-swinging tenor saxophone of his fiancée, Deanna Bogart, Castro’s axe is rough-necked and slinky on the rockabilly-flavored She Moves Me, and Keep Your Dog Inside finds the bandleader’s resonator guitar twanging delightfully alongside the warm backing vocals of James and Dwayne Morgan of the Sons of Soul Revivers.
The Painkillers are likewise firmly on their A-game, showing off what makes them one of the most enthralling bands in contemporary blues. Bowen Brown’s pitiless full-throttle drums help turn Everywhere I Go into a thrilling four-alarm smoker. This tune was penned by Painkillers bassist Randy McDonald, who, on the Ray Charles classic A Fool for You, is bracingly effective in support of pianist Chris Cain’s tender phrases and Kid Andersen’s exultant organ. (Andersen also produced and mixed this dynamite-sounding album.) Keyboardist Mike Emerson is sleek and supple on the album-opening Can’t Catch a Break, and he tempers Castro’s sharp edge on One More Night with quintessentially cool organ fills.
Other standout guests on Closer to the Bone are drummer June Core and pianist Endre Tarczy, who have a rollicking party on the spicy Bloodshot Eyes; harmonicist Billy Branch, gracing the anxious groove of Ain’t Worth the Heartache with a sublime country tinge; and pianist Jim Pugh, who matches the unholy fury of Castro’s guitar on the hammer-down Freight Train (Let Me Ride). Pugh’s organ and the Sons of Soul Revivers are also in full effect on the album closer, Brownie McGhee’s Hole in the Wall, taking this listen out on a soaring peak. At its frequent finest, this is indeed as close to the bone as blues gets.
—Matt R. Lohr
STEVE HOWELL & THE MIGHTY MEN
Yeah Man
Out of the Past Music – OOTP 0020
For his 13th long player, guitarist and singer Steve Howell has hand-picked an eclectic assortment of old tunes. The low-key Yeah Man features some well-worn classics alongside some relatively obscure selections.
Howell’s electric reading of Blind Lemon Jefferson’s 1926 composition Long Lonesome Blues is sultry and understated. The title track—a cover of soul man Eddie Hinton’s late ’70s Yeah Man—is spare and uncluttered; it conveys a laid-back character distinct from the sassy, wailing original. J.B. Hutto waxed 20% Alcohol in 1968; Howell and his band emphasize the Wang Dang Doodle–esque feel of the song.
Rhythm and blues heroes the Clovers released One Mint Julep in 1952; the doo-wop classic has been covered many times since then, by a wide array of artists. Howell’s nearly wordless version bends the tune into an electric country blues mode; a twangy and extended lead guitar break echoes Duane Eddy’s reading of the cut.
As Steve Howell explains in his annotations for the album’s CD booklet, Little Ol’ Wine Drinker Me has been recorded by Dean Martin and—believe it or not—actor Robert Mitchum. The country flavors of the melody and lyric come through in Howell’s cover version. Again, a lead guitar break adds interest.
Many artists have recorded I’m Glad for Your Sake; Howell notes that the Sir Douglas Quintet’s 1968 version is his favorite. And it’s that version that most informs his approach to the song, tailor-made for late-night slow dancing. Just Like Romeo and Juliet is another oft-covered tune. Rock fanatics will likely be most familiar with the spirited, up-tempo ’60s version by Michael and the Messengers, featured on Lenny Kaye’s influential Nuggets compilation. But Howell’s reading will be nearly unrecognizable to those listeners.
Jazz hero Julian “Cannonball” Adderley found crossover success with his recording of keyboardist Josef Zawinul’s soulful Mercy Mercy Mercy; the Buckinghams added words and took it to the pop charts a second time. Howell’s subtle instrumental take on the song has shades of Steve Cropper’s style. Bo Diddley’s signature beat is the foundation of Dearest Darling; Diddley waxed the B-side back in 1958. Howell and his band lean into the nearly one-chord arrangement. Playful lead guitar crosstalk enlivens the song.
Steve Howell & the Mighty Men deliver Billy Swan’s countrypolitan Lover Please in a faithful manner. Somewhat surprisingly, the group’s take on the spiritual standard Wade in the Water is the most energetic performance on the set. Howell’s brief solo is effective.
Yeah Man closes with an instrumental cover of Bob Dylan’s protest anthem Chimes of Freedom. An insistent, rock-solid rhythm section pins down the arrangement, and Howell plays some heartfelt lead guitar.
The oomph never comes on this record, but that’s by design. As such, listeners in the mood for a well-executed, well-chosen collection of songs delivered in a laid-back, relaxed fashion will certainly enjoy Yeah Man.
—Bill Kopp
