Blues, Roots, Rock, Jazz & World Music
October 2005 - Lydia Pense & Cold Blood Release
'Transfusion'
(Dig Music 116)
'Transfusion'
(Dig Music 116)
Finally, the first album by Lydia Pense and Cold Blood in 30 years! This energetic collection shows that Lydia Pense has not lost her edge. She's joined by current and former members of Cold Blood, Tower of Power, and Santana and offers a duet with Lenny Williams (It Could Be You) and Michelle Shocked (Down to the Bone.)
"Lydia Pense & Cold Blood work in close coordination on Transfusion, bringing forth a big, soulful sound...filled with lots of funky instrumental work, lively vocals, and good material. Transfusion's soulful groove is easy to enjoy.
AMG/allmusic
Cold Blood rocked the Fillmore with Lydia Pense's powerful chops and a strong horn section during those vintage years... The years have been very kind to Lydia Pense with a voice that reflects Janis Joplin 's in power and quality, the singer has matured like vintage wine...produced by veterans Steve Dunne andSkip Mesquite, the Transfusion CD remains true to Cold Blood's traditional burning delivery of good tunes. Jazzreview.com
Transfusion features Lydia Pense doing what she does best: cultivating the perfect blend of funk, R&B and the blues with a tight sound and horn-driven melodies... Transfusion is the result of the experience of the last 40 plus years, and features Michelle Shocked on Down To The Bone and Lenny Williams who does a duet with Pense on "It Could Be Me, It Must Be You". The album is graced with the fine musicians that make up Cold Blood... John Shelton/Ivany Top 21
"Lydia Pense & Cold Blood work in close coordination on Transfusion, bringing forth a big, soulful sound...filled with lots of funky instrumental work, lively vocals, and good material. Transfusion's soulful groove is easy to enjoy.
AMG/allmusic
Cold Blood rocked the Fillmore with Lydia Pense's powerful chops and a strong horn section during those vintage years... The years have been very kind to Lydia Pense with a voice that reflects Janis Joplin 's in power and quality, the singer has matured like vintage wine...produced by veterans Steve Dunne andSkip Mesquite, the Transfusion CD remains true to Cold Blood's traditional burning delivery of good tunes. Jazzreview.com
Transfusion features Lydia Pense doing what she does best: cultivating the perfect blend of funk, R&B and the blues with a tight sound and horn-driven melodies... Transfusion is the result of the experience of the last 40 plus years, and features Michelle Shocked on Down To The Bone and Lenny Williams who does a duet with Pense on "It Could Be Me, It Must Be You". The album is graced with the fine musicians that make up Cold Blood... John Shelton/Ivany Top 21
Established 1990
Blues, Roots & Rock
Artist Roster
Maria Muldaur
'Naughty, Bawdy & Blue'
'Naughty, Bawdy & Blue'
Stony Plain SPCD 1319 (May 2007 release)
Maria Muldaur - still remembered for her classic hit Midnight at the Oasis - has become one of Stony Plain's most treasured artists.
"Naughty Bawdy and Blue" is the third in a series of CDs of classic blues material from the '20s through to the '40s. This time however Maria changes her focus from country blues to the vaudeville blues artists who recorded racy, entertaining blues, usually backed by the best jazz players of the day. Maria sings and delivers this material better then anyone.
Both previous Stony Plain CDs, Richland Woman Blues (2001) and Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul (2005) were nominated for Grammy Awards.
This album recreates the songs associated with the classic black singers of the '20s who were major pop stars in their day - among them Bessie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Sara Martin, Ethel Waters, Sippie Wallace and Mamie Smith, the first female blues artist to be recorded, who sold more than 2 million copies of her first hit "Crazy Blues."
These songs are tough, funny, independent and - as Maria explains - were recorded by women "liberated socially, financially and most of all sexually from the confines and mores of the time." Maria is accompanied throughout by pianist James Dapogny's seven-piece Chicago Jazz Band.
Bonnie Raitt makes a special guest appearance on "Separation Blues, a tune written by Sippie Wallace, with whom Bonnie toured in the '80s. Both Bonnie and Maria sang the song with Sippie Wallace prior to her death in 1988.
"Naughty Bawdy and Blue" is the third in a series of CDs of classic blues material from the '20s through to the '40s. This time however Maria changes her focus from country blues to the vaudeville blues artists who recorded racy, entertaining blues, usually backed by the best jazz players of the day. Maria sings and delivers this material better then anyone.
Both previous Stony Plain CDs, Richland Woman Blues (2001) and Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul (2005) were nominated for Grammy Awards.
This album recreates the songs associated with the classic black singers of the '20s who were major pop stars in their day - among them Bessie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Sara Martin, Ethel Waters, Sippie Wallace and Mamie Smith, the first female blues artist to be recorded, who sold more than 2 million copies of her first hit "Crazy Blues."
These songs are tough, funny, independent and - as Maria explains - were recorded by women "liberated socially, financially and most of all sexually from the confines and mores of the time." Maria is accompanied throughout by pianist James Dapogny's seven-piece Chicago Jazz Band.
Bonnie Raitt makes a special guest appearance on "Separation Blues, a tune written by Sippie Wallace, with whom Bonnie toured in the '80s. Both Bonnie and Maria sang the song with Sippie Wallace prior to her death in 1988.
June 3, 2007
Naughty, Bawdy & Blue At #4 On The Billboard Blues Chart
Naughty, Bawdy & Blue At #4 On The Billboard Blues Chart
Jazz
Latest Releases
Too Slim And The Taildraggers
'The Fortune Teller'
Underworld Records - 2007
'The Fortune Teller'
Underworld Records - 2007
Too Slim and the Taildraggers recently released their 14th album, Fortune Teller. Despite numerous best-of awards and hall of fame inductions from three Blues societies, this was my first encounter with them. There seems to be a lot of Internet chatter about these guys in the blues genre. Personally, I don't hear it on Fortune Teller. Fortune Teller is a straight forward rock and roll record that mingles seamlessly between southern, swamp rock, Americana, and even a slight calypso-ish sound in Mexico. In the cd booklet Too Slim says that the making of this cd was a very difficult process. You certainly can not tell that from listening to the album. Fortune Teller is a great "sitting on the front porch with some friends drinking whiskey" album, and I say that having test driven it on just such an occasion. This cd will appeal to fans of Skynyrd, The Drive-By Truckers, and electric blues acts such as the North Mississippi All-stars. I really look forward to diving deeper into Too Slim's more bluesy back catalogue and you can look for them to be featured on ninebullets more in the future.
Nine Bullets Review
Nine Bullets Review
October, 2007 - 6 Weeks in the Top Ten on the Billboard Blues Chart!
November 9, 2006:
'Heart Of Mine' reaches #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart!
'Heart Of Mine' reaches #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart!
Maria Muldaur releases 'Heart Of Mine'
singing "Love Songs Of Bob Dylan" (Telarc CD-83643) on August 26, 2006.
Here's what the critics have to say:
singing "Love Songs Of Bob Dylan" (Telarc CD-83643) on August 26, 2006.
Here's what the critics have to say:
"Heart of Mine, may well be her best recording since her days at the Oasis. Remarkably, she has found a way to put a different stamp on a Dylan dozen, and it works very well. Her voice is huskier than it was back in the day, but she still has that light, sexy playfulness that was always so endearing." Portfolio Weekly
"It's hard to go wrong covering Bob Dylan, but fortunately Maria Muldaur most of the time also finds ways of injecting her own personality into the songs rather than settling for faithful recreation." Nashville City Paper
"Maria Muldaur…is a great singer and has a beautiful voice- a disparate instrument with both childlike charm and enough whisky weathered weariness to keep it Bluesy. For 'Heart Of Mine: Maria Muldaur Sings The Love Songs Of Bob Dylan' she's created some of the best Dylan covers to date."
Blues Critic.com
