Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1024 in the Series) is Jeff Healey Band, See The Light See The Light was the break through album by Canadian Blues guitarist Jeff Healey.  It was released in 1988. It was steep in Blues-Rock but actually featured a hit that was John Hiatt (with help from Fred Koller) penned ballad, “Angel Eyes.” “Angel Eyes” wasn’t the only Hiatt tune on the disc.  Healey does a killer job on “Confidence Man.”  Some other highlights include the title cut, “See the Light” plus “My Little Girl,” “Hideaway” and “Someday, Someway.”  Jeff also does a wonderful version of ZZ Top’s, “Blue Jean Blues.” See the Light was produced by the great team of Greg Ladanyi and...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1010 in the Series) is Buddy Guy, Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues The process of selecting a blues album to review is not an easy one.  First of all, a lot of people will not think they like the blues or will say they don’t know enough about the blues.  The real answer to both of these questions is that if you listen to music at all, and like music, then you are by definition a fan of the blues.  All of the great rock & rollers of today were heavily influenced by the blues in one form or another. “I’m a King Bee,” “Walking the Dog,” and “Now I’ve Got a...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#954 in the series) is Steve Earle and the Dukes, Terraplane. Steve Earle’s new album Terraplane is being billed as his blues album. We’ll talk about that a bit more in a minute. More importantly I think – it’s a Steve Earle and the Dukes album, and a damn fine one at that.  Steve Earle has had many different personas and approaches in his career, Country rock and roller, hard core troubadour, singer songwriter, bluegrass musician, political activist, you name it  – but mostly I think the best name to fit him – if he even needs one – is a folk singer.  And if you don’t think folk singers can play or sing the blues then you...

Today’s Cool Album the Day (#945 in the Series) is Al Kooper, Stephen Stills, Mike Bloomfied, Super Session. Blues, Blues, Blues. Blues at its best. This album was a project put together by Al Kooper. Al had just left Blood, Sweat and Tears. It was 1968. He recruited Mike Bloomfield to play guitar for this project.  They had known each other since playing together on Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 revisited.  He also had Stephen Sills in on the project. Still was in the process of leaving The Buffalo Springfield at the time. Al Kooper played the VERY well-known keyboard part in ‘Like a Rolling Stone.’ In fact, he got the gig mostly by accident.  He was invited to the...

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Shake Your Hips” by Slim Harpo This record’s got it all! An insinuating groove that doesn’t quit…otherworldly vocals that spook and caress at the same time…laid bare stripped down production, and the stellar harp playing that gave Slim Harpo his surname. There’s good reason why ‘60s British Invasion groups like The Who, the Yardbirds, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones borrowed so heavily from him. Today’s Song Of The Day is the version of “Shake Your Hips” that The Rolling Stones carbon copied for their Exile On Main Street Album. The following year, ZZ Top revisited the track to form the basis of their first break-out hit “La Grange.” Although this...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#871 in the Series) is Otis Blue, Otis Redding Sings Soul.  If you are a musical purist and do not allow live albums, compilations, or greatest hits packages to infiltrate your desert island disc knapsack, then Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul should be added to your collection post haste. The album, released in 1965 just months after the death of Sam Cooke, was the first really pure Otis Redding record.  More cohesive in style, this effort has much more of a live feel about it, with the entire package (including the sultry, evocative blond on the album cover) produced with an artistic flow that was previously missing from his prior efforts that...

Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Take A Giant Step” by Taj Mahal There is no rhyme or reason as to how I come up with the songs I choose to write about every day. They usually spring out of something I’ve been listening to or something I’ve read. So, if you regularly follow this column, you’ll get a pretty good idea of some of the stuff I listen to on a daily basis. For instance, today’s Song Of The Day came about after reading a review of the first of three Rolling Stones concerts in Chicago this week. Now, I’m not planning on attending any of their shows here as I believe they’ve not only totally...

  34th Annual Blues Music Award Winners Last Night the 34th annual Blues Music Award winners were announced at a ceremony at  Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. We have the nominees and winners listed below. —————————————————————————————————————————————– Acoustic Album **Not Alone – Ann Rabson w/ Bob Margolin** -** winners listed first** Billy Boy Arnold Sings Big Bill Broonzy – Billy Boy Arnold Blues on Solid Ground – John Primer Deeper In The Well – Eric Bibb Talking Guitar – Paul Rishell Acoustic Artist **Eric Bibb** Carolina Chocolate Drops Doug MacLeod Harrison Kennedy Paul Rishell Album of the Year **Show of Strength – Michael Burks** And Still I Rise – Heritage Blues Orchestra Double Dynamite – The Mannish Boys Son of...

  Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “When My Man Comes Home” by Brittany Howard and Ruby Amanfu Yesterday I wrote about a single from Jack White’s Third Man Record label by Gibby Haynes of The Butthole Surfers. The record was a recent release in Third Man’s “Blue Series” of 45rpm releases. Over the past few years, Third Man has released interesting one-off singles by the likes of Beck, Tom Jones, Stephen Colbert, Jeff The Brotherhood, Wanda Jackson, Chris Thile & Michael Davis, Laura Marling and Insane Clown Posse in the “Blue Series.” Typically the records are produced by Jack White and are recorded very quickly during stop offs at the Third Man headquarters by artists passing...

  Jimmy Vaughan has been forced to cancel at least one upcoming show after suffering a heart attack last week. The canceled show was to he held February 16th, at the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbia, India. The festival made a statement on their website: “Jimmie Vaughan was admitted to Pomona Hospital Medical Center on January 23rd, 2013 with an acute myocardial infraction (heart attack). He had a coronary angioplasty and stent placement. He is still in the hospital but recovering and has been advised by his cardiologist to rest at home for a month.” The next shows on his itinary March 22 at the Granada Theater in Dallas, Delta Downs, Vinton, LA,April 10th and Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pa...