We here at FreshScouts loves us some JJ Grey. We’ve been following his albums since his first release with Alligator records in 2007, have been to numerous festivals to see his amazing headlining southern blues shows, and have essentially been stalking his whereabouts online (in a completely non-creepy way.) So of course, when we saw he was coming out with a new album in August, we were ready. We set up shop outside our local record store and slept there for weeks waiting for the arrival of Georgia Warhorse. After numerous scuffles with the locals and run-ins with the law, we realized that waiting outside a record store weeks before an album comes out is NOT a good idea. You live an you learn I guess.
But the waiting was worth it. JJ Grey & Mofro’s latest release is a soulful blend of down-home raspy vocals, heart-wrenching organ licks and some serious slide guitar. I’ve always said that this man’s albums never do justice to his live shows, but this album definitely gets closer with its more intimate moments. Of course, there may be none more intimate than the track “Slow, Hot & Sweaty”, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
JJ Grey & Mofro have come a long way since Country Ghetto, but one thing I appreciate is that even though their sound has continued to evolve, they have not strayed away from their original style. They continue to be the same gritty blues band they were 3 years ago (and before.) They form the industry instead of the other way around. Props JJ Grey. Props.
Buy Georgia Warhorse:
I had the privilege of interviewing this young blues legend at his recent show at the House of Blues in Chicago, IL. With his recent success at Eric Clapton’s 2010 Crossroads Festival (his second appearance in said festival) it was no wonder he played to a packed house. Even though I’ve followed all of his albums and read numerous articles on his musical accomplishments, I was still not prepared to meet Jonny Lang.
Anyone who is familiar with his music knows that this guy has soul – not only in his guitar playing but his deep down, guttural blues voice. If you were to take a listen to one of his albums knowing nothing about the guy, you would imagine him being some old bearded guy with tattered clothes and a worn Fender Stratocaster that maybe wasn’t new in the 70′s. But upon closer inspection you’ll realize that this is a guy that started his career at age 13 and has been rocking ever since is only at the ripe age of 29. I know, it blew my mind too. Check out the interview:
Buy Live at the Ryman:
We featured Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears in our Weekly Jukebox back in June 2009. What we discovered then, and still believe to be true, is that this band is one of the hottest young things on the music scene. These Texas boys hit it hard with a soulful blues swagger that takes no prisoners. Their debut album, Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is!”, is jam packed with the kind of music you would expect from a group of guys calling themselves Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. What’s that? Don’t know what to expect from a band called Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears? Well, all the more reason to toss on the ear phones and go for a ride.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
If you love the unique energy and styling of James Brown, well…you are gonna love you some Black Joe Lewis. There is certainly a retro feel to Lewis’ work, but the music exudes a modern day feel with a grittiness and attitude that keeps each track relevant and powerful. Plus, the band name is genius. Could they be the name of a 1970′s Saturday morning cartoon? Could it be the moniker of a pimp and his lady friends? Could it be the name of one of the most explosive acts out there? Could I possible ask any more questions of you? Ok, enough with the questions. Here is a statement. Listen to Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears!
KC’s Personal Picks: “Sugarfoot”, “I’m Broke”, and “Gunpowder”
Check out the official video for “Sugarfoot”
Buy the album
There’s nothing better for my money than when Michael Bolton sings “When A Man Loves A Woman.” I pretty much celebrate the guys’ entire collection. And Taddy Porter…well Taddy Porter is NOTHING like Michael Bolton. I don’t even know why I made the comparison. In fact he’s the exact opposite. Imagine a super badass blues/rock guy that (I imagine) smokes cigarettes and puts the butts out on his arm. That is Taddy Porter. Although all of that badass stuff isn’t actually confirmed.
His voice is very similar to that of the southern stylings of Marc Broussard and the music definitely holds the same southern flavor. Add slide guitars, wicked guitar riffs and catchy choruses and you have a recipe for a great album. Add in the fact that when you Google “Taddy Porter”, a majority of the search results are for a Porter beer from Samuel Smith. How badass is that?
The album really is a mix of blues and rock with the opening track “Whatever Haunts You” sounding closer to that of Audioslave, whereas songs like “Railroad Queen” are heavy on the slide guitar/blues sound and light on the weak sauce. Check out his self-titled album for a heavy dose of solid rock. And if you want something completely not that, check out Michael Bolton.
Buy Taddy Porter:
Usually when we go to Throwback Thursday, we head back like ten or fifteen years to albums that the Fresh Scouts gang enjoyed in high school or college. But the album we’re revisiting this week goes all the way back to the year after I was born. Tank wasn’t even a glimmer in his father’s eye in 1983, but that’s the year Albert King joined up with Stevie Ray Vaughan to record one of the hottest blues albums of all time.
As far as anyone knows, it’s the only recording in existence that features the great Stevie with his idol, Albert King. The story goes that King actually didn’t want to play the gig for a Canadian television show called “In Session” because he had no idea who Stevie Ray Vaughan was. “Texas Flood” has just been released earlier in the year, and Vaughan had been gaining steam, so you’d think King would’ve known who he was.
Turns out, he did. He just knew him by another name.
That name was “Little Stevie,” a moniker King gave Vaughan at a show in Texas several years before when SRV was just getting his start. Once Al realized who was making the request to play, he made it happen. The rest is 26-year-old history.
From the introduction of the record to the last second of the last track, this is raw blues at its finest, but part of what makes the album so incredible is Vaughan’s need to show off for his all-time favorite guitarist. This results in some of the most ridiculous guitar playing you’ll ever hear. Two tracks—“Stormy Monday” and “Blues at Sunrise”—feature Vaughan snapping off on the git-fiddle like some sort of savant having a seizure of genius on his instrument. It’s like listening to a waterfall spill down the bridge of an electric guitar.
It’s a damn shame both guys are dead now, but at least we have this album to remember them by. The best part? There’s lots of back-and-forth banter on the record that shows the personality of the guys. Listening to King laugh his brilliantly soulful belly laugh makes everything feel so authentic. Seriously, check out “Blues at Sunrise” and get ready to shake your head in amazement.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was the man. What else can I do to persuade you to buy the disc other than to tell you he’s prominently featured?
