SHAWN KELLERMAN
Land of a 1000 Dreams
Flaming Cheese fc2007-01001

It has been six years since his last solo release and a year since his joint effort Raw To The Bone with Bobby Rush. Anyone who heard either of those CDs or has seen him perform with Michael Pickett, Paul Reddick, or Carlos del Junco, may think Shawn Kellerman is either an electric guitar sorcerer or a country blues purist. He tends to get classified as blues, but there is more that than in Kellerman’s arsenal. Fans of many music styles will enjoy this varied CD. On Land of a 1000 Dreams, Kellerman proves to be an accomplished guitarist, arranger, songwriter, and band leader. There are 11 offerings that contain rock, funk, hip hop, soul, gospel, and blues. Kellerman handles all guitars, lead vocals, as well as contributes bass on half of the mostly original CD.

The lead off title track – co-written by Shawn’s Mississippi pal Mark Whittington – is a throw back to 1970s Allman Brothers southern rock. The song even features twin lead guitars. The vocals are mixed beyond the point of distortion, which inadvertently disguises their deficiencies. Brawny horns are prominent on the funky Big Time, which reveals Shawn’s reverence for the southern U.S. The Canadian guitarist spent five years in Mississippi, where he lived, played, and toured with such notable blues artists as Bobby Rush. The ultimate funk is delivered on Whipsnap, which sounds like an updated version of Heatin’ It Up from Shawn’s debut disc Take Note. The lyrics are minimal, so the entire focus is on the groove, and it’s intensified by stratospheric horns, rockin’ guitar, and hot-plucked bass. This song will become a living legacy to James Brown. Wash My Back is a slow blues with too much attention on unproven vocals. The song was written by Lucky Peterson, who traveled to Canada to perform with Shawn at a series of standing room only CD release parties. At those concerts, Kellerman performed these songs equally well live proving that his magic is not a phenomenon of the recording studio. Never Give Up is the kind of blues they dig down south. On it, Kellerman’s guitar whips you into shape like the look your woman gives you when she disapproves your actions. Based loosely on I’ll Play The Blues For You, Bug and Shawn is a merger of rap and blues, and it works real well. I was astounded the first time I heard Kellerman’s instrumental version of the old spiritual Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Savior. If you have found salvation in sacred steel (the Campbell Brothers have been performing the song for years), you’ll hear the glory in this song.

Yes, there are some shrill and kickin’ guitar solos, but they aren’t cranked and wailed to excess. The debonair guitarist burns with control, and resists blasting off notes like a moon bound rocket. Though it is aggressive, the guitar playing is urbane. Using an impressive array of guest musicians such as Douglas Watson and John Lee may have injected some inconsistencies among the songs. Land of a 1000 Dreams displays all aspects of Kellerman’s many talents and musical styles. He is so much more than a hot shot, lightening fast blues/rock guitarist. Using a vocalist as good as this CD’s positive qualities, could elevate Kellerman to the big time.

----- Tim Holek

GINA SICILIA
Allow Me To Confess
SwingNation SNCD388007

www.SwingNationRecords.com   www.GinaSicilia.com

How many 21 year old women do you know who can talk about Big Maybelle, Little Esther Phillips. Otis Redding., and Etta James? Well, Gina Sicilia can and does. This young singer from Philadelphia PA grew up listening to blues, doo-wop and soul and it certainly shows on this, her debut CD. She is a talented songwriter too, as she wrote eight of the eleven tracks, but it is her voice that is most stunning, wonderfully flexible but extremely soulful as she tackles slow blues, rocking R’n’B, soul ballads, sixties styled soul stompers and even a little country. She is aided in her endeavours by a cooking band in which producer Dave Gross also supplies some excellent guitar work. Such subtle little touches as the harmonica work on ‘One Of Many’ or the guest appearance of guitarist and Dixiefrog artist Arthur Neilson on ‘Rest Of My Days’ are indicative of the care, love and attention to detail that has gone into making this such a successful set. We will be hearing more of the talented Gina Sicilia – and soon please!

----- Norman Darwen

PEPE AHLQVIST & UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Mister Blues
Bluelight Records BLR 3390 2

www.pepeahlqvist.com

The Finnish blues artist Pepe Ahlqvist will be known to many European blues lovers as he has been active since the early seventies and made some excellent records along the way! Though many will recall him as a singer and harmonica player, here he has dropped the harp and taken up his first instrument, the guitar – and how! Not that he is a flashy player – far from it, but the notes he chooses are just right – quality over quantity. The Umo Jazz Orchestra are the kind of outfit all too rarely heard these days, a big, swinging and genre hopping outfit, akin to the Ray Charles Orchestra at its best, or Gil Evans Band (think particularly when they worked with Cleanhead Vinson). Pepe sings well in a variety of styles, from the swinging jump-blues of the opener to the blues-rcoing cover of BB King’s ‘So Excited’ that closes the set – in between there are soul numbers, a variety of blues styles, some wonderful modern(ish) jazz with a cover of Horace Silver’s ‘Senor Blues’, funk via ‘Dancemaster’ and even the almost jazz-meets-rap of ‘T’s And B’s’. This kind of big band blues comes along all too rarely, which means it is invariably worth listening to – and this release is sheer class.

----- Norman Darwen

JONY JAMES BLUES BAND
What About Tomorrow
Blue Wave CD151

This Buffalo, New York power trio is comprised of Rod Horning bass, Kent Leech drums, and Jony James on guitar, dobro, and vocals. They do not perform upbeat blues/rock like Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, or Robin Trower. The band’s sound is heavy, and it contains a mystic darkness. The majority of the nine Jony James written songs can be described as mind-altering rockers.

The opening track Strange & Funny Thing still contains strength though it is not a swift song. Ironically, the lyrics are practically spoken in a gentle fashion. Still Love You features a catchy rhythm and crushed pebble stone vocals that alternate between stereo channels like records from the psychedelic ’60s. Likewise, You & Me (Like A Rose) has a light and attractive rhythm which is not as dreary as the others. With fuzzy sounding guitar notes, which are created by very bent strings, Tragic Magic reminds me of fellow New Yorker Chris Beard. Throughout 45-minutes, James’ guitar ranges from rough to dirty to assaulting.

On What About Tomorrow, Jony James abides by no one’s rules except his own. In fact, on the title track, he advocates to (“Know who you are and stand your ground”). This combined with some of the song’s tempos and pattern changes is admirable. On the downside, the unexciting songs are mainly slow-paced and the range-lacking vocals are frail. In his liner notes for this rock CD, Blue Wave Records president Greg Spencer forewarns “The Jony James Blues Band dares to be different. Listen and be challenged.” Now I enjoy a pulse-pounding blues/rock workout as much as the next non-traditional child of the ’60s, but What About Tomorrow is too different. Its fruit falls far from the tree.

----- Tim Holek

SCOTT McKEON
Can’t Take No More
Provogue PRD 7213 2
www.scottmckeon.com

Singer and guitarist Scott is a 20 years old (young!) guy out of Britain who has been attracting a lot of attention recently. He originally released this set himself last year, but Provogue has now picked it up for the international market and it has to be said that the label, with its ‘Where Blues Meets Rock’ philosophy, is certainly an appropriate home for Scott’s music.

Co-produced with Jesse Davey of UK blues-rockers The Hoax, this finds Scott taking on guitar, bass and drums duties though his regular band of Geoff Lai on bass and Ben Jones on drums plus the co-producer on guitars, Hammond organ and percussion also help out on a programme of 10 original songs. Yes, there are influences from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn – try ‘Can’t Take No More’ or the ponderous ‘Maybe’ but there is a refreshingly fresh feel to this set – and that is not an attribute frequently associated with blues-rock. Have a listen to ‘All The Same’, ostensibly a riff-laden slab of blues-rock, until it reaches the original and unusual guitar break.. ‘Last Thing I Do’ is a straight blues, the longest track on the album at five seconds short of nine minutes and building to a huge crescendo, whilst the opening ‘Shot Down’ is equally impressive for capturing the raw sound of British blues-rock from the early days and ‘Cool Lookin’ Woman’, featuring Jesse Davey, brings to mind vintage Fleetwood Mac with its rocking acoustic guitar prominent in the mix.

Check this out if you have a taste for the sound of UK blues-rock – you won’t be disappointed.

----- Norman Darwen

ROSCOE SHELTON
Save Me
SPV/ Blue Label 95812
www.spv.de

Roscoe Shelton was born in Lynchburg, Tennessee in 1931 and like many others, he began singing in church, but once he turned to Rhythm & Blues his voice betrayed the influence of smoother vocalists such as Little Willie John and Ivory Joe Hunter. For this reason perhaps, he has only really become known to the blues community relatively recently, despite having made some excellent deep soul singles for the likes of labels big and small – Valdot, Simms, Sound Stage 7, Excello (with whom he began recording in the fifties), Ref-O-Ree and T-Jaye. In 1994 producer/ guitarist Fred James coaxed him back onto the live music scene and he recorded some material which was released on album over the next few years. He died in Nashville in 2002.

In one sense, this set is a bit of a rag-bag. The dozen tracks are drawn from various sources: two tracks from the first and long out of print ‘Excello Legends’ album that Roscoe recorded with Clifford Curry and Earl Gaines, an alternate version of a duet with Earl Gaines that appeared on their collaboration in 2000, a duet with Mary Ann Brandon from her 2002 CD, two out-takes from Roscoe’s 1995 set for Appaloosa, three publishing demos, and three tracks from the album Roscoe was working on when he died.

Musically though this has a coherence that makes this a real success. This is blues with a hint of soul for the most part – try the title track for an excellent slow performance – though the duet with Mary Ann has a wonderful swampy, southern rock approach, and the number Roscoe wrote with Tina Tuner in mind – ‘A Step In Then Right Direction’ – would have suited her down to the ground with its powerful chugging rhythm. His duet with Earl Gaines is almost Sam Cooke styled and ‘The Best Day Of My Life’ is southern soul from one who knows all about it. The influence of the uptown blues men can be heard on ’Blues At Midnight’ and ‘The Next Time (Excuse Me)’.

To sum up then, of most definite interest to all the blues lovers in the house!

----- Norman Darwen