BLUES
& GOSPEL
Sonny Rhodes -> Rockin' Sidney
SONNY
RHODES & THE TEXAS TWISTERS |
Evidence 26060 |
Just Blues |
● CD $12.98 |
9 tracks, 36 min., very good
Originally released on his own RhodesWay label, this little known 1985 set features Clarence Edward Smith
(Rhodes' real name) playing his lap steel guitar on B. B. King's Please
Love Me, Tampa Red-Elmore James' It Hurts Me Too (with J. J.
Malone on piano), and on 2 originals, the instrumental East Oakland
Stomp (featuring Bernard Anderson on baritone sax), and the first
recording of his Cigarette Blues (about the death of his wife). The
other original title, House Without Love, brings his intense lead
guitar work to the forefront. The remaining 3 titles are songs by Guitar
Slim, Percy Mayfield and Jimmy McCracklin. (EL)
|
TODD RHODES |
Ace CDCHD 856 |
Blues For The Red Boy - The Early Sensation
Recordings |
● CD $18.98 |
28 tracks, 79 mins, highly recommended
Although there is a
overlap with Classics 5019 and 5040 this issue is indispensable as it was
dubbed from original Vitacoustic and Sensation acetates, includes 16
unissued tunes or alternate takes and comes with a 12 page booklet with
extensive notes and lots of rare photos. This is a terrific collection of
mostly instrumental R&B and jazz featuring a band led by veteran piano
player Todd Rhodes who got his start in the 20s as a member of McKinney's
Cotton Pickers. The band was very hot featuring trumpeter Howard Thompson
and a dynamite three sax line up (Holly Dismukes/alto, Louis Barnet/tenor
and George Favors/ baritone). They were equally at home on a hard driving
rocker like Bell Boy Boogie, a gently swinging ballad like Oh Baby
or a jazzy outing like Bop Bop Sizzle. Their second session from
October 1947 yielded their first R&B - the wonderful mid tempo Blues For
The Red Boy which some eight years later Alan Freed adopted as the theme
song for his Moondog radio program. Although mostly instrumental there are
several appealing song from the band's regular vocalist Louis Sanders who
was a waiter at the Sensation Lounge which was the bands home for a number
of years as well as a couple of vocals by the excellent Kitty Stevenson.
Curiously this does not include his other hit Pot Likker and it's
unfortunate that discographical deatils aren't included but othewrise this
is a must. (FS)
|
PAUL RISHELL |
Tone-Cool 1148 |
Swear To Tell The Truth |
● CD $15.98 |
|
CHUCK ROBERSON |
Ecko 1004 |
Something Good For You |
● CD $15.98 |
11 tracks, 48 minutes, very good
Sweet Southern Soul & a
few bawdy novelty tunes by this veteran who's been putting out singles
since '75. Chuck's been putting out stuff on small Southern soul labels
for years, his biggest hit being Lollipop Man, done with vet Steve
Alaimo for Vision Records. Chuck remakes his hit in an "X-rated"
version, Lollipop Man II, & also has another
"X-rated" Something Good For You, plus mostly original
tunes written by his producer John ward, includes She's Been Slipping'
Out On Me/ Shut In Shut Out & future classic A Whiskey Glass
& A Woman's Ass. (GM)
|
CHUCK ROBERSON |
Ecko 1028 |
Love Freak |
● CD $15.98 |
New album by contemporary blues/ soul singer.
|
PAUL ROBESON |
Columbia 47337 |
The Power And The Glory |
● CD $11.98 |
Sixteen-song selection by baritone actor/ activist Robeson
sung in straight traditional fashion with piano accompaniment and second
vocal by Lawrence Brown. The material, recorded in New York in late 1945,
is amazingly restored to Cedar digital clarity by Tim Geelan at the Sony
East Coast studios. Spirituals and American Folk Songs sung in concert
form, with near perfect pitch and annunciation. Fine suucinct booklet
notes by Michael Neal. For lovers of the classic tradition. (OLN)
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DUKE
ROBILLARD & THE PLEASURE KINGS |
Rounder 11548 |
Rockin' Blues |
● CD $15.98 |
CD compilation from Robillard's first two Rounder albums, And
The Pleasure Kings, Too Hot To Handle. 17 tracks.
|
DUKE ROBILLARD |
Stony Plain 1277 |
Living With The Blues |
● CD $16.98 |
12 tracks, 55 minutes, highly recommended
Much like
Duke's Blues from 1994, Robillard pays homage to heroes while managing
to toss in a few originals. If Walls Could Talk smolders and Use
What You Got is a six-minute slow blues with dynamic guitar and
passionate vocals. Stratisfied is a rocking original feature for
Duke's double stops, simultaneous rhythm and lead, and numbing bends, then
he goes it alone for Tampa Red's Hard Road sporting fine acoustic slide,
although vocally he seems to force an old-style phrasing. Buy Me A Dog
is potent with distorted guitar and thick harp, plus impeccable backing from
the rhythm section, and Good Time Charlie is also strong. Muddy's
I Live The Life I Love buzzes with horns and Painful Memory is a
workout with Guitar Slim's ghost present. Another Robillard-penned offering,
Sleepin' On It, is muscular and the disc closes with B.B. King's
Long Gone Baby, laced with drilling guitar over a stumbling groove. (CR)
|
ELZADIE ROBINSON |
Document DOCD 5248 |
Complete Recorded Works, Vol 1, 1926-28 |
● CD $15.98 |
22 tracks, 66 min., recommended Little is known about her --
she may or may not be from Shreveport, Louisiana or Houston, Texas or
Baltimore, Maryland, but Robinson must have been good because her bluesy
moan triumphs over scratchy copies of poorly recorded Paramount 78 rpms.
And while liner noter John Wilby finds her to be "competent, if not
particularly remarkable" and "not a powerful singer," she
proves herself better. The Blanche Johnson sides on Herwin, which are
purported to be Elzadie, are here, too. Accompanying musicians include
barrelhouse pianist Will Ezell, Blind Blake, Johnny Dodds, Shirley Clay,
and others. (JC)
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ELZADIE
ROBINSON/ LOTTIE BEAMAN |
Document DOCD 5249 |
Complete Recorded Works, Vol 2/ Alternate
Takes |
● CD $15.98 |
23 tracks, 69 min., recommended The 2nd and final volume of
her recorded output, including an unissued take of Rowdy Man Blues,
is here. And while the liner notes offer no more info than vol. 1's,
Robinson's song titles provide material for creative speculation as
regards her life: Pleading Misery Blues/ Mad Blues/ Wicked Daddy/
Unsatisfied Blues/ Cheatin' Daddy/ Ain't Got Nobody. Perhaps her life
was not without it downs and downs. At any rate, these Paramount
recordings are as noisy as the first batch, but worth the bother
nonetheless. Also included are half a dozen "Bonus Tracks" from
Lottie Beaman, whose work is collected on DOCD-5152. All 6 are alternate
takes from a 1924 session. (JC)
|
FENTON ROBINSON |
Alligator 4705 |
Somebody Loan Me A Dime |
● CD $15.98 |
Fenton's second Alligator album. Excellent set
with fine singing and guitar by Fenton and splendid accompaniment by a
small solid band - songs are mostly remakes of songs he had recorded
before - Title song +
Directly From My Heart To You/ You Say You're Leaving/ You Don't Know What
Love Is/ Country Girl/ Texas Flood, etc.
|
FENTON ROBINSON |
Alligator 4736 |
Nightflight |
● CD $15.98 |
1984 album originally recorded for the Dutch Black Magic
label. Fenton is in fine form on a selection of mostly new original songs,
and is accompanied by an excellent band of Chicago musicians with Junior
Wells guesting on one track. 10 cuts.
|
FENTON ROBINSON |
Evidence 26025 |
Special Road |
● CD $12.98 |
13 tracks, 54 min., recommended
Although marred by less
than spectacular production values, and accompaniments that don't always
do him justice, this collection proves that Fenton is one of the greatest
contemporary blues performers. He is a wonderfully soulful singer with a
gospel tinge to his vocals and is guitar playing is unique - dazzlingly
imaginative with a hint of jazz, but 100% blues in his execution. The
material here includes a few new songs (the title song, Money Problem,
etc), some remakes including a spellbinding version of Blue Monday,
and some refreshing versions of blues standards like Baby Please Don't
Go. In spite of my minor reservations this was one of my favorite
albums of 1990 when issued as Black Magic 9012. (FS)
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JIMMIE
LEE ROBINSON & THE ICE CREAM MEN |
Delmark 665 |
Lonely Traveller |
● CD $14.98 |
13 tracks, 60 min., recommended
Chicagoan Jimmie Lee
Robinson, who earned his blues credentials in the 50s and 60s playing and
recording with the likes of Freddy King, Sonny Cooper, Elmore James, Magic
Sam, Jimmy Reed, and Willie Mabon, has been musically idle for a quarter
of a century. Backed here by 3/4ths of The Ice Cream Men, a 4 - piece that
started out in '80 with Smokey Smothers and specializes in a sparse, club
- like feel, Robinson plays in familiar - sounding surroundings. And while
not possessed of a particularly strong singing voice, his smooth guitar
work is a notch above many who traverse this blues terrain. Mr. R.
consistently does a better job on originals such as Leave My Woman
Alone/ Triflin' On You/ All My Life and the unusual I'll Be Your
Slave than he does on the covers. Wonder what that means? (JC)
|
L.C. 'GOOD ROCKIN'
ROBINSON |
Arhoolie CD 453 |
Mojo In My Hand |
● CD $12.98 |
19 tracks, 72 mins, highly recommended
L.C. Robinson was a
fine and popular Bay Area bluesman from the 40s until his death in 1976 at
the age of 58. An excellent and expressive singer he not only played
regular electric guitar, but also steel guitar and fiddle - the latter
influenced by country musicians - though L.C.'s playing is all blues. This
CD is a reissue of his only full length LP (Arhoolie 1062 from 1972) with
nine bonus previously unissued cuts! The first six cuts from 1971 feature
him accompanied by the Muddy Waters Band of the time (Sammy Lawhorn, Pee
Wee Madison, "Pinetop" Perkins, etc) plus Charlie Musselwhite on
harp. The result is an exciting mixture of Chicago and West Coast blues
styles. There are seven cuts from three months later where he is
accompanied by Omar Sharriff/ piano, William Hyatt/ bass and his long time
drummer Teddy Winston. This session is, in some ways, more interesting as
L.C. has more room to stretch out and he plays some great steel on I've
Got To Go and wonderful fiddle on She Got It From The Start.
The final six tracks are from a 1975 radio broadcast with L.C. on fiddle
accompanying his brother Reverend A.C. Robinson who sings and plays
harmonica on mostly traditional gospel favorites and also throws in a
version of Ida Red learned from Bob Wills! (FS)
L.C. "GOOD ROCKIN'" ROBINSON: Across The Bay Blues/ Can't Be A
Winner/ I Don't Know What I Would Do Without The Lord/ I'm Just A Country
Boy/ I've Got To Go/ Ida Red/ Jesus, Did I Know/ L. C.'S Shuffle/ L.C.'S
Theme/ L.C.'s Blues/ Mojo In My Hand/ New Train Time/ Pinetop's Boogie
Woogie/ She Got It From The Start/ Something Mighty Sweet About The Lord/
Stop And Jump/ Sweet Jesus/ Things' So Bad In California/ Ups And Downs
|
TAD ROBINSON |
Delmark 673 |
One To Infinity |
● CD $14.98 |
12 tracks, 54 min., very good Singer, songwriter, pianist
& harmonica player, Tad Robinson, first came on the scene as a member
of the Hesitation Blues Band, and on Dave Specter's 1994 Delmark CD,
"Blueplicity" (Delmark 664 - $16.98) where he sang on 8 tracks. As a soul
blues singer, and with the knack of coming up with original material (9
originals for this CD), Tad Robinson should prove himself popular,
especially if you're a fan of people like Eddie Hinton & Arthur
Alexander. The highlights here include the 2 tracks featuring the
vibrato-guitar sound of Robert Ward (At The End Of The Tunnel, Give
Love A Chance), and soul-inspired titles like One To Infinity, Empty
Apartment Blues and Eight Days A Week (the Beatles song). (EL)
TAD ROBINSON: At The End Of The Tunnel/ Can't Print It Fast Enough/ Coming
Home/ Eight Days A Week/ Empty Apartment Blues/ Give Love A Chance/ Little
Rascal/ Lonely Man/ One To Infinity/ Raining In New York/ Trouble In Mind/
Walking In The Sunshine
|
ROCKIN' DOPSIE |
Maison De Soul 104 |
Saturday Night Zydeco! |
● CD $16.98 |
19 zydeco cuts by the venerable Rockin' Dopsie, with members
of Clifton Chenier's old band! Over an hour of dancefloor fun, including Mardi
Gras In New Orleans/ Shake Rattle And Roll/ The Back Door/ I Got A Woman/
Flip Flop And Fly.
|
ROCKIN' SIDNEY |
Ace CDCH 160 |
My Toot Toot |
● CD $21.98 |
25 tracks, 66 min., recommended. Not exactly an overnight
sensation, Louisiana zydeco/swamp pop singer Sidney Semien recorded
extensively for Jin Records in 1963/64 only to reenter a recording studio
twenty years later and achieve chart success with the mysteriously-named
title track here. This disc features both the twelve 60s tracks and the
thirteen 80s numbers. Among the tasty titles are If I Could I Would/
Send Me Some Lovin'/ It Really Is A Hurtin' Thing/ My Zydeco Shoes/ Once
Is Not Enough, and, of course, the title track. One photo, fine sound,
and authoritative notes by Louisiana music scholar John Broven. Too much
fun to miss. (DH)
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ROCKIN' SIDNEY |
Maison De Soul 1009 |
My Toot Toot |
● CD $16.98 |
20 cuts by the Toot Toot man, including Let Me Take You
To The Zydeco/ My Zydeco Shoes/ Alligator Waltz/ You Ain't Nothin' But
Fine, and of course the smash hit title track. These came out on the
Maison De Soul LP's Boogie, Blues 'N Zydeco/ My Zydeco Shoes Got The
Zydeco Blues.
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