Lil Ed and Dave Weld "Keep on Walkin", Louisiana Red "A Different Shade of Red", Billy Branch and Carlos Johnson "Don't Mess with the Bluesmen", Bukka White "Fixin to Die"

LIL ED AND DAVE WELD - KEEP ON WALKIN

1.North Carolina Bound (Acoustic Duo) [4:59]7.5 Mb

2.Combination Boogie [3:21]4.8 Mb

3.I'm not A Slave [4:18]6.6 Mb

4.Confess Diane [6:19]8.5 Mb

5.So Long So Long [3:09]4.1 Mb

6.Let's Boogie Baby [2:28]3 Mb

7.Lonely Lonely (When Evenin Comes) [5:28]8.2 Mb

8.Too Late Baby [5:22]6.8 Mb

9.New Years Resolution [3:12]4.8 Mb

10.Sweet Shiny Brown Eyes [3:44]4.9 Mb

11.I Can't Have Nothin [4:50]7.2 Mb

12.Keep on Walkin [4:31]6.2 Mb

13.Set My Sight on You [2:37]3.5 Mb

14.North Carolina Bound (Band version) [4:55]7 Mb

Download Lil Ed and Dave Weld - Keep on Walkin (mp3)

Lil Ed and Dave Weld "Keep on Walkin" Album Review

Great Chicago blues by two of the best on slide guitars.
This cd is one of my favorites with these two musicians. Playing great blues, and with real feelings. Having heard many small blues bands, these are the guys I will follow anytime I can get to where they are playing. We need more from them on cd's.

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LOUISIANA RED - A DIFFERENT SHADE OF RED

Year: 2002

1.Take Your Time [4:47]6.7 Mb

2.Lou Jean [3:37]5.4 Mb

3.Alabama Train [4:28]7.1 Mb

4.I Had A Dream [2:59]4.7 Mb

5.Blue Evening [4:34]6.3 Mb

6.Blues 2001 [5:12]7.9 Mb

7.Laundromat Blues [3:56]5.4 Mb

8.Lightning Bug [4:01]6.4 Mb

9.Wheres My Friends [3:26]5 Mb

10.Phillipa [3:45]5 Mb

11.Sleep Little Robert [3:04]4.4 Mb

Download Louisiana Red - A Different Shade of Red (mp3)

Louisiana Red "A Different Shade of Red" Album Review

A Different Shade of Red, my review from Barcelona, little dispointed
Before buying a record, I normally read the different opinions about it in this Amazon review's section. Usually this runs very well for me, but in Louisiana Red's `Different shade of Red' I clearly disagree with reviewer deepbluereview. According to him, it is a good record. For me it is one of the limpest Louisiana Red's recordings, too much jumping R&B/JUMP Blues instead of very good classic Blues he is accustomed to do like as "Louisiana train", "Blues evening" and "Where's my friend". This is not to say that it is bad, but it lacks consistency, specially when compared with others Red's records like `Always played the Blues' or `The lowdown back porch Blues', both very good.
Iverson Minter nicknamed `Louisiana Red' is usually a very good Blues supplier but not at all in this case.
Sincerely I'm not glad about having bought this record. I expected much more from it. I give it, thinking in the Blues, from 2 to 2.5 stars.

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BILLY BRANCH AND CARLOS JOHNSON - DON'T MESS WITH THE BLUESMEN

Year: 2004

1.Running from the Devil [0:35]0.8 Mb

2.Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Hard [7:14]11.7 Mb

3.Don't Mess with the Bluesmen [5:09]7.5 Mb

4.Going to New York [7:09]11 Mb

5.Escape [4:07]5.7 Mb

6.Shade Tree Mechanic [6:38]10.4 Mb

7.Hello There [4:49]6.7 Mb

8.Hey Pretty Baby [4:03]6.3 Mb

9.Summertime [4:05]6.2 Mb

10.My Babe [4:23]7 Mb

11.Blues After the Rain [5:08]7.4 Mb

12.Real Mother for Ya [4:09]6.7 Mb

13.Cognac for Breakfast [2:32]3.8 Mb

Download Billy Branch and Carlos Johnson - Don't Mess with the Bluesmen (mp3)

Billy Branch and Carlos Johnson "Don't Mess with the Bluesmen" Album Review

Let's buy this up, spread the word and encourage more!
There are very few blues guitar heroes coming out of Chicago anymore, or so I was thinking till I saw Carlos Johnson play with Otis Rush and Derek Trucks in Tokyo May 2004. Johnson has the flair, showmanship and skills of greats like fellow left-hander Otis Rush himself, though I felt more in the presence of a player the likes of Luther Allison, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy or B.B. King in his love for the audience, his instrument and the music. Carlos Johnson, like Billy Branch, his co-hort on this album, is obviously a man who deserves more recording contracts and big tours. Buy a few more copies of this CD for your friends and get the word out so the record companies pay attention! Chicago bars are great places to see live music, but national treasures like these musicians have got to be shared with all the people. Why do all the good guys have to spend most of their time gigging in Europe and Japan, and making CDs in Europe and Japan, when they play most of their best stuff all thier lives in Chicago? Bring the love home! Hello, Blind Pig, Telarc, are you listening? For more collaborative work you can listen to Carlos Johnson on Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues releases, starting with "Where's My Money?"

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BUKKA WHITE - FIXIN TO DIE

Year: 2004

1.District Attorney Blues [2:41]4.1 Mb

2.Bukkas Jitterbug Swing [2:37]3.9 Mb

3.Special Streamline [2:54]4.5 Mb

4.Shake Em on Down [3:00]4.5 Mb

5.When Can I Change My Clothes [2:58]4.4 Mb

6.Promise True and Grand [3:04]4.9 Mb

7.Po Boy [2:51]4.5 Mb

8.The New Frisco Train [2:59]4.3 Mb

9.Sic Em Dogs on [2:22]3.8 Mb

10.High Fever Blues [2:49]4.2 Mb

11.Pinebluff Arkansas [2:47]4.2 Mb

12.Strange Place Blues [2:51]4.2 Mb

13.Parchman Farm Blues [2:38]4.1 Mb

14.Sleepy Man Blues [2:50]4.2 Mb

15.I'am in the Heavenly Way [3:04]4.5 Mb

16.Black Train Blues [2:56]4.3 Mb

17.Aberdeen Mississippi Blues [2:34]3.9 Mb

18.Good Gin Blues [2:21]3.6 Mb

19.The Panama limited [3:08]4.7 Mb

20.Fixin to Die [2:47]4.3 Mb

Download Bukka White - Fixin to Die (mp3)

Bukka White "Fixin to Die" Album Review

One of the early great blues singers
He was born Booker T. Washington White (Bukka became his name due to a mistake in one of his recording sessions many years later) in 1909, and had a career lasting until 1977. His first recording session was in 1930; he didn't make much of an impression since he did not record anything else until 1937. This CD features his early recordings, made in 1930, 1937, 1939, and 1940.

The liner notes identify him as one of the early greats, the end of the line of blues players originating with Charley Patton and Son House (with Tommy Johnson thrown in for good measure). From this early generation came later well know blues players such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.

Anyhow, what about his craft and his art? Three cuts illustrate:

"The New Frisco Train" comes from his first recording session. Early on, he did railroad songs as one of his genres, and this song comes from that set of works. He shows very good guitar playing, comparing very favorably with the guitar work of others early blues singers. His blues voice is mighty fine, too. The song's focus is trains. There is a second vocalist, identified as "Miss Minnie." The back and forth banter between the two works nicely. The recording quality isn't great, but it's better than some other early blues recordings.

"Shake 'em on down" is a 1937 cut, from his second recording session. This is much more blues oriented than the song previously mentioned. Again, nice guitar work and some good blues vocal wailing.

"Fixin' to Die" was later covered by Bob Dylan, according to the notes. There is the recurring line:

"I know I was born to die. . . ."

Good guitar work again and fine singing. He's backed on washboard by "Washboard Sam."

This is the first work of Bukka White that I have ever listened to(if my memory is correct). And I'm pretty happy with what I have listened to! White is an important part of the early blues, ranking with some of the other greats of the era.

Video Fixin' To Die Blues

Bukka White Bukka White, vocal and guitar. Washboard Sam, washboard. Recordingdate : Friday, 8 March 1940, Vocalion Rec. Chicago Original from : www.kickingmule.org Note : This singers full name is/was Booker Washington White. He did six recordings this day for Vocalion and O'keh Record Co. together with Washboard Sam. All issued, of course !

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