The Bottleneck Cafe

The new album “Say Africa” from South African musician Vusi Mahlasela isn’t for World Music purists. It is however, for anyone who wants to hear some beautiful music by one of  the most talented vocalists in the world today.  Known as “The Voice” in South Africa, Vusi Mahlasela has been working on breaking into the mainstream in the United States for sometime now.  His first exposure in the U.S. came with the release of the documentary (and accompanying soundtrack) AMANDLA!  Then thanks to recent appearances on albums by artists such as Warren Haynes and fellow South African Dave Matthews, Vusi Mahlasela’s popularity started to grown in the Jam Band community in the States. But “Say Africa” could make him a household name.

Roots music legend Taj Mahal was selected to produce “Say Africa” and I must say that he was the perfect choice.  Taj Mahal’s talents and knowledge of music go far beyond the genre of “Blues” for which his music is usually categorized.  In his long career Taj Mahal has put albums in almost every genre of roots music from Hawaiian music to a 1999 release entitled  ”Kulanjan” in which he was paired with Malian Kona player Toumani Diabate.  The album “Say Africa” however is much more of a mixed pallet then “Kulanjan“.  But it’s Taj Mahal’s knowledge and love of the traditional Music of Africa which keeps the album from becoming too much of a crossover attempt.  Songs like “Say Africa” and the up-beat jazzy “Woza” are very accessible and could easily find their was to adult contemporary radio.  For “Nakupenda Africa” Vusi is joined by singer Angelique Kidjo.  The song features some beautiful vocal work by both parties and is nice introduction to the wonderful music of Africa.  Every track on this album is beautifuly produced and given an “organic” feel. This album is real people playing real music.  Like a good producer Taj Mahal keeps the album focused and on track but stays out of the way and lets Vusi Mahlasela do his thing and tell his stories.  This album is the perfect purchase for anyone who wants to start their journey into the beautiful world of Africa music.

Influenced by musicians such as Robert Johnson and Tampa Red, Elmore James changed the way musicians approached the guitar. Born January 27th 1918 in Richland, Mississippi. Elmore’s first instrument was a Diddley Bow (a single string attached to the wall).  He then picked up the guitar as a teenager and started playing juke joints and barn dances. After a stint in the U.S. Army Elmore returned to the States and continued to work as a professional musician.  He had his first hit with his rendition of Robert Johnson’s “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom”.  After the success of “Dust My Broom” Elmore moved to Chicago and started to record for a number of different labels. He would continue to record and perform until his death in 1963.  Many guitarists were inspired to try their hand at playing slide guitar after hearing Elmore’s playing on songs like “One Way Out”, “The Sky Is Crying”, “Madison Blues”, and “Done Somebody Wrong”.  Guitar royalty such has Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Duane Allman, and Bonnie Raitt all have cited Elmore James as a major influence. If Elmore were alive today he would have been celebrating his 93rd birthday.  Happy Birthday Mr. James. Thank you for the great music!

Texas Country Blues Preacher Reverend KM Williams is the real deal. His new album “When I Rise” (Dialtone records) is by far one of the best new releases of 2010.  Recorded in only 7 hours, this album doesn’t do anything other than deliver straight up good gospel-blues with a message.  Rev. Williams’ slide playing is fluid and full of feel, especially on the Fred McDowell meets Junior Kimbrough sounding tune “Please Come Home”.  Which not only grooves but ROCKS!  But the good Reverend doesn’t just deliver the goods on guitar.  He also delivers on the vocal front.  His voice is passionate and has commanding presence.  A good example of this is the the title track “When I Rise” where we get a glimpse of what it might be like to hear one of Rev. KM Williams sermons (yes, he is actually an ordained minister).  Sadly this album isn’t available at most record stores. At this time you can only purchase it on iTunes and at www.dialtonerecords.com .  But don’t let that stop you!  ”When I Rise” is an ESSENTIAL album for any one who is a fan of real no-frills roots music.

On October 26, 2010 in the U.S. Buddy Guy’s new album “Living Proof” found it’s way on to record store shelves.  In my opinion Buddy Guy has always been an exceptional live performer, but I must say his studio albums over the last 20 years have been a little hit or miss.  Albums like “Sweet Tea” (2001), “Blues Singer”(2003), and  ”Damn Right I Got The Blues” (1991)  were welcome additions to the Buddy Guy studio album catalog, but the rest of his studio albums from the 90′s and 00′s, have been a little too slick for my taste.  So where does this leave Buddy’s new album “Living Proof”?  In my opinion this album is the best album he has done since his work with Junior Wells.

The album opens with the track “74 Years Young” which contains one of the most intense guitar solos that I have heard from Buddy on a studio recording in a long time.  The tracks “Thank Me Someday” and “Livin’ Proof” show us why artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix cited Buddy Guy as a major influence and the track “On The Road” finds Buddy laying down a slick groove with help from the Memphis Horns.  The only two tracks where the album loses a little steam are actually the tracks that are being pushed the most by his record label.  ”Stay Around A Little Longer” is a duet with the great B.B. King, but the track never seems to get out of first gear and the track “Where The Blues Began” with Carlos Santana is pretty much just a “album filler” at best.  But if you are a serious Blues fan and you pass on this album after only hearing these two tracks you will be doing yourself a MAJOR disservice.  The other 10 tracks are pure gold and are a good reminder that age is just a number.  At 74 years young Buddy Guy is living proof that the blues are alive and well!

I must admit that at first I was a bit skeptical when I heard that blues legend James Cotton was releasing a new album.  Live, Cotton is still a strong performer but he hasn’t done much recently in the way of recording.  His new album, “Giant“, is his first solo release since 2004 and the first in many years to not involve many different guests vocalists (due to a battle with throat-cancer Mr. Cotton no longer handles lead vocal duties).  For this album Mr. Cotton has decided to use his own band and stick to straight-up Chicago Blues. Good move.  That decision helped Mr. Cotton produce one of the best albums of his impressive career.

“Giant” was released September 28, 2010 on Alligator Records (Cotton’s first release on this label) and features Cotton’s own touring band.  The album opens with the strong shuffle of  ”Buried Alive In the Blues” and finishes with a slow soulful tribute to the late great KoKo Taylor.  Through out the album Mr. Cotton’s lively harmonica playing shows us why he is considered blues royalty.  The instrumental “With The Quickness” jumps, swings, and has the punch to knock you out!  Even the bass solo on B.B. King’s “How Blue Can You Get” doesn’t sound out of place.  This album is a welcome addition the “James Cotton catalog” and should be part of any blues lover’s collection.

Lightnin’ Hopkins is one of the most loved blues musicians of all time.  Lightnin’ was born Sam Hopkins in March of 1912 near the town of Centerville Texas. Hopkins’ long life on the road started when left his home at the tender age of 8.  Over the course of his life he would travel the world and become one of the most recorded Blues artists of all time.  In 1954 Lightnin’ Hopkins recorded what I consider to be one of the best Country Blues albums of all time.  That album is “Lightnin and the Blues”

Full of songs about bad luck, tough love, and hard living “Lightnin and the Blues” is a true Blues album.  The performances  captured here are so strong that for better or worse you can really feel what Lightnin’ is singing about in these songs.  In the song “Sick Feelin’ Blues” Lightnin’ sings about having Pneumonia and being in such pain that he feels like he is losing his sight.  Most of us can relate to the song “Sittin’ and Thinkin” which finds Lightnin’ reflecting on his life and wondering about the whereabouts of a former love.  My personal favorite song on this album is the lead track “Nothin’ But The Blues”.  The slow groove and weary vocals of this song set the tone of the album.  This album is a must have not just for any blues fan but for any fan of American roots music.

When you think of cities that are rich with blues history the first cities that come to mind might be cities like Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Clarksdale, or even Kansas City.  However, one city that is commonly forgotten as a blues producing power house is Oakland, CA.    In fact, many people who remember the heyday of Oakland’s 7th street blues scene say that it was the West Coast version of the famous Beale Street blues scene in Memphis, TN.  Musicians would come from all over the world to play clubs on 7th street and at one time or another artists like Etta James, Big Mama Thorton, and Roy Hawkins called Oakland home.  But if one person can be called “The Godfather of West Coast Blues” that person is musician/label owner Bob Geddins.  Mr. Geddins was the first African-American to own a record plant and record labels in Oakland.   The music from these multiple labels has been collected, remastered and issued as a four CD box set titled “The Bob Geddins Blues Stroy”.  The amazing four disc set features artists such as Jimmy McCracklin, Lowell Fullson, Jimmy Wilson, and even a track sung by Bob Geddins himself!  While four discs might be a little much for someone just getting into this genre of blues, it’s perfect for listeners who want get totally stuffed on the music of Oakland in the 1940′s and 1950′s.

To me, the best way to get an idea of what a blues musicians is about is to hear them perform live.  Sadly, due to the death or poor health of many blues legends this isn’t always possible.  We are lucky however, to have many wonderful live recordings from this blues masters available to us on records, CD’s, and MP3′s.  Here are some of my favorite Live Blues recordings…

MUDDY WATERS, JAMES COTTON and JOHNNY WINTER “BREAKIN’ IT UP, BREAKIN’ IT DOWN”

There are a number of great live albums that showcase the strength of Muddy Waters’ many different bands over the years.  However, none of these albums cook like 2007′s Breakin’ It Up, Breakin’ It Down.  Originally recorded in March of 1977,  Breakin’ It Up, Breakin’ It Down features Muddy himself joined by blues legends Johnny Winter, James Cotton, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Pinetop Perkins, and Bob Margolin.  The band is firing on all cylinders, performing songs from Muddy’s recently released album Hard Again as well as a hand full of blues classics.  We are lucky to be able to experience this classic performance, for the music on this album was almost thrown away when the record label that originally owned this recording went out of business!

B.B. KING “LIVE AT SAN QUENTIN”

The most famous live recording from blues legend B.B. King has to be his 1965 album Live at The Regal. While Live at the Regal is a fantastic recording, my personal favorite B.B. King live release is B.B. King Live At San Quentin.   Recorded at San Quentin prison in 1990, Live At San Quentin shows off the true power of Mr. King’s touring band.   The band keeps pace with Mr. King through a greatest hits set list and is able to stop on a dime when their leader decides it is time to address the audience.   This leads me to another strong point of the album.  Mr. King’s warm personality.   Listening to this record, you get a great sense of what wonderful performer B.B. King is!  It almost sounds like his is preaching to a church congregation then a group of prisoners.  For those of you who aren’t able to see Mr. King live (he still performs about 230 shows a year) this recording will give you a great idea of how much fun a B.B. King concert can be.

John Lee Hooker “Live At Cafe’ A Go-Go/Live at Soledad Prison”

Boogie master John Lee Hooker never sounded better then he did on the albums Live At Cafe’ A Go-Go and Live At Soledad Prison. Both shows have been remastered and put on one CD.   For Hooker’s 1966 performance at New York’s legendary Cafe’ A G0-Go his backing band is none other then the Muddy Waters Blues Band!  Mr. Hooker is in fine form as he the band tear through powerful versions of “I’ll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive” and “I’m Bad Like Jesse James”.   For the Soledad Prison show is also a very strong performance from Mr. Hooker and his band (his regular touring band at the time).  The highlight of this performance has to be the rockin’ version of “Bang, Bang, Bang”, to which his captive audience (no pun intended) finds very amusing.