Mike Zito returns home with Outside Or The Eastside, his fourth solo studio album for Gulf Coast Records. A personal record for Mike shaped by memory, places, and renewal. Walking the streets of his birthplace, St. Louis, Zito reconnects with the sounds, stories, and hard lessons that forged his signature blend of soul-driven blues and fearless storytelling. Thirteen years after Gone to Texas, this album feels like a defining moment, marking a new chapter for Mike, his family, and a life reclaimed in the city that started it all.
The songs paint vivid snapshots of city life and personal reckoning, from late-night regret and self-awareness to raw portraits of neighbourhood survival and street-level truth. Tracks like “Downtown at Midnight”…
Category: blues
Halfway to the Stars gathers all the recordings made by Jack and his band The Cuicoland Express between 2001 and 2003. Includes the albums ‘Shadows In The Air’, ‘More Jack Than God’ and the double album ‘Live at The Milky Way’, recorded at The Melkweg in Amsterdam in October 2001, along with the concert video ‘Live at The Canterbury Fayre’, recorded in 2002.
‘Shadows In The Air’ was Jack’s acclaimed 12th studio album and saw him reunited with Eric Clapton on re-recordings of two Cream classics, ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ and ‘White Room’, along with other notable guests including Dr. John and Gary Moore.
‘More Jack Than God’ was his next studio album and featured new material…
Lowell George may well be the most underrated and underappreciated figure in the history of rock ’n’ roll. As a writer, guitarist, singer, and producer, his influence spanned genres—rock, R&B, country, blues, and the adventurous rhythms of West Coast jazz—and seemed to know no bounds.
Born and raised in Hollywood, California, George mastered multiple instruments at an early age. His prodigious talent soon caught the attention of Frank Zappa, leading to a stint with The Mothers of Invention. In 1969, after parting ways with Zappa, George formed Little Feat. With Zappa’s support, the band secured a deal with Warner Bros. Records and quickly became a musicians’ band, revered for its originality and virtuosity. Alongside George were standout players…
Bluesman? Americana singer/songwriter? Soulful roots-rocker? Check, check, and check. Peter Karp ticks all those boxes, and a few more, in a career that started over a quarter century ago (his self-released debut was in 2000) and has recently revved up substantially. Jersey Town, his 12th, is the fifth since 2017.
The disc’s title (he was born in the smaller city of Leonia) indicates how he was exposed to a wide variety of music through his formative years in New Jersey. He later acquired an affiliation for deep blues after moving to Enterprise, Alabama.
Those life experiences, and more, lend authenticity to his potpourri of styles effortlessly combined in this collection’s eleven songs. As the cover notes declare, “The sound is real,…
Respected folk-blues musician Nathan Bell’s latest project, The Right Reverend Crow, is a formidable soul/blues trio committed to playing what Bell refers to as “anti-fascist, pro-justice songs”. Joining Bell are Alvino Bennett on drums and percussion and Frank Swart on bass. The genesis of the band occurred during the recording of Bell’s most recent release, 2021’s Red, White and American Blues, an album of politically charged songs that, in hindsight, only hinted at what was to come. With Demokracy Blues, Bell has upped the ante with a raw and unflinching look at the current state of American society.
If the album artwork and title were not clear enough, then the opening track quickly makes Bell’s intentions perfectly evident.
Surprisingly, singer-songwriter/harmonicist Curtis Salgado has never released a live album until now. Legacy Rewind: Live in ‘25 was recorded just over a year ago on April 5th at the Triple Door, Seattle, WA, on Salgado’s home turf. The genesis for the project dates to 2019 (pre-COVID), when a fan and producer, Randy Maag, suggested it at the very same venue. Maag suggested older Salgado tunes that are rarely played in his current show repertoire. Maag didn’t forget the encounter and resurrected it six years later. Some songs had never been performed live, while others were two decades old. So, this recording, with a 9-piece band, encompasses R&B, Funk, Soul, and Rock n’ Roll, curated by Maag and Salgado. Interestingly, there is no mention of blues, but we all…
There aren’t many artists releasing two new albums per year, and even fewer doing that within three months. If you’re already a fan of blue-eyed soul man Marc Broussard, these two discs arriving close together is a surprise gift. Even though S.O.S. V: Songs of the 50s was yet another title in his ongoing cover series, the appearance of Chance Worth Taking with 14 new tunes predominantly co-penned by the singer with bassist Calvin Turner, confirms that Brossard’s work ethic and creativity is well-oiled.
Perhaps the input of longtime supporter Joe Bonamassa and shotgun riding producer/right hand man Josh Smith (they also helped write four tunes) pushed Broussard to pen extra material. It’s also more organically blues-based than…
On Friday, March 20 as new Tedeschi Trucks Band album Future Soul made its way into the world, the Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi led twelve-piece powerhouse returned to New York’s Beacon Theatre for night six of a ten-date residency and show number 70 overall for the group at the storied venue.
To begin the night, band officially welcomed the crowd to the age of Future Soul with a full performance of the eleven-track album culminating in the live debut of “Ride On”, the last of its songs to break into the live rotation. To fill out the remaining minutes of the Future Soul set, Susan led the group through longtime staple “I Want More” before passing the baton to Derek to channel some “Soul” from the past-that is…
Hearing a classic R&B song like “Money (That’s What I Want)” originally by Barrett Strong in 1959, the Beatles in 1963 & quirky in 1979 by the Flying Lizards, it’s amazing to hear a bluesy rendition in 1960 by blues-great John Lee Hooker (1912-2001). But here it is. Hooker’s voice is the attraction, with its deep tones & dark storytelling manner. “Come and See About Me” is nearly a whisper, but with John’s presence, it resonates as a tune he could sing personally to you if you’re wearing headphones.
This 12-track studio set was recorded in Feb.1960 as That’s My Story: John Lee Hooker Sings The Blues produced by Orrin Keepnews, who also wrote the liner notes. Despite the blues tag, the songs are recorded with a whispery personal application.
Few modern blues artists collaborate as naturally and as successfully as harmonica master Bob Corritore. With Ernestine Blues, his latest album under the banner of Bob Corritore & Friends, the Arizona-based blues champion gathers an extraordinary lineup of vocalists and musicians from across the contemporary blues scene.
The album brings together powerful voices and seasoned bands for a collection of story-driven songs that move comfortably between classic Chicago blues, early R&B, Mississippi country blues, and soul-blues traditions. The first taste of the album arrived on March, 2026 with the release of “I Love the South“, a collaboration between Corritore and soul-blues legend Johnny Rawls. The pairing proves once again…
Thirteen years is too long between Telecaster expert Tom Principato’s studio releases (his previous one was 2013s terrific Robert Johnson Told Me So). It’s especially frustrating because he was prolific for so many years, especially during the ’90s – early ‘00s, recording many albums on his own Powerhouse label. In 2001 alone there were three titles. He also penned two books; a guitar instructional in addition to a 2020 gathering of memoirs, wryly titled ‘They Tell Me I Had a Good Time.’ So it’s refreshing to welcome the guitarist back, undoubtedly inspired, on Twangin’s eleven-track instrumental collection of obscure covers and fresh originals.
As the title implies, Principato aims for a lighter but no less arresting approach. He was…
Joyann Parker’s Life Lines embraces soul and grit over perfection. In place of overly polished production are genuinely heartfelt efforts, complete with powerful vocals from Parker. Simply, Life Lines is not an album you hear every day in modernity.
Parker started in music much later than many of her peers, which has profoundly influenced her career. Moreover, her success has been largely fan-driven, keeping her music genuine and earnest.
“I started doing this when I was older,” Parker recently told American Songwriter. “And so I felt like I had missed out on a lot. I thought, ‘I’ve got to fit in this box.’ I wasn’t very happy for a while; I don’t feel a lot of that pressure anymore.”
This raw, real approach is evident even in the simplest parts of this ’70s-tinged album,…
It’s tempting to describe guitarist Rick Vito as an incredibly accomplished backing musician best recognized by those who scour small print credits on their favorite CDs.
And while he has supported dozens of headlining names led by Bob Seger (that’s his famous solo on “Like a Rock”), Bonnie Raitt and John Fogerty, anyone who replaced Lindsey Buckingham and toured with Fleetwood Mac for four years can hardly be considered obscure.
Vito was also a member of Mick Fleetwood’s Blues Band, a side project that nonetheless was GRAMMY nominated. He has also released about a dozen albums under his own name, starting with 1992s debut, and also designs Art Deco and Modernistic guitars. And he’s a better…
Temple of Blues II: All-Stars sees Cactus, led by legendary drummer Carmine Appice, continuing their late-career resurgence with a star-studded follow-up to their 2024 comeback Temple of Blues. Rather than simply revisiting past glories, the band expands its sound and scope here, leaning heavily into collaborations that celebrate both their legacy and their influence.
The album thrives on its “all-stars” concept, bringing together a wide range of notable musicians who help shape its blues-rock foundation into something dynamic and varied. One of the standout moments is a new take on the blues standard “The Little Red Rooster,” featuring Dee Snider on lead vocals and Tracii Guns on guitar. The track captures a raw…
Following so closely on the heels of the January 2026 concert piece One Moment in Time: Live in the USA, the re-release of Robin Trower’s 1975 Live! might seem a bit suspect. Instead, it serves as a template for such expansive archival projects (not just for this artist’s discography).
Issued in an elaborate 2CD or 2LP package, what was once a mere concession to the marketplace now becomes an essential entry in the venerable guitar hero’s discography. Fifty-some years ago, the constraints of the vinyl audio configuration prevented the 1975 Stockholm Concert Hall performance from being issued in its entirety.
Now, in observance of the half-century milestone, the entire performance, sequenced in the running order of the actual concert’s…
If there was any question young blues rocking guitarist Gabe Stillman would progress from his impressive 2018 debut Nighthawks-assisted EP, it was demonstrably answered in the affirmative with his first full length album.
Stillman proved that his vocal, instrumental and most importantly compositional talents were more than ready for prime time on 2019s extraordinary Just Say the Word, one of the finest offerings from a new talent that year, and a Top 10 entry on Billboard’s blues chart.
Five years, one label change and a few hundred live dates later, he returns with the terrific What Happens Next?. It’s worth noting that most of the supporting musicians contributing to Stillman’s first Vizztone release – notably…
Blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Selwyn Birchwood has always described his music as ‘electric swamp funkin’ blues.’ Now, on his seventh release and fifth for Alligator, Birchwood sees fit to make that the title. He ‘owns’ this record more than any of his others as it is a self-produced effort, unlike his past two, where he deferred to Tom Hambridge. Here, he sounds positively unleashed, as wild as we’ve ever heard him. Birchwood proudly states in the promotional materials that he carves a unique path: “You would be hard-pressed to find an album or a band that sounds exactly like mine, and that has and will always be the goal.”
Let’s take a closer look. Birchwood, per usual, plays guitar and lap steel. Longtime collaborator Regi Oliver, who has graced all of…
Paul Carrack is releasing a concert album recorded at Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 24, 2024, in celebration of 50 years of his first hit, “How Long,” recorded with Ace in 1974.
For One Night Only (Live in London) comprises two halves with Carrack joined by special guests SWR big band and orchestra playing songs from the album Don’t Wait Too Long and the second half featuring Carrack with his own band playing all his big hits. They’re joined on two tracks by a 150-piece choir, Funky Voices.
Dubbed by the BBC as “The Man With the Golden Voice,” Carrack’s breakthrough moment came when he wrote and sang “How Long” from his days with Ace. Paul also enjoyed great success as the voice behind numerous hits for…
The initial plan for guitarist Robben Ford’s first solo studio album in about five years was supposed to be a tribute to Jeff Beck. But a move to the UK changed direction for what became Two Shades of Blue. The title references not just the locations (London and Indiana) and different musicians used to support jazz, blues, soulful singer/songwriting guitarist Ford (ex-Tom Scott’s LA Express, Yellowjackets and others), but how his approach to the blues genre is wider and more inclusive than most.
Three US recorded songs aim at a Jeff Beck-inflected ‘Blow by Blow’ and ‘Wired’ instrumental groove. He’s joined by veterans bassist Daryl Jones (Rolling Stones, Miles Davis) and drummer Gary Husband (John McLaughlin,..
Dr. John – Live at Rockpalast 1999 is a powerful live document capturing one of New Orleans’ most iconic musical voices in full command of his craft. Recorded on July 9, 1999, at the legendary Loreley open-air stage in Germany.
Known worldwide as The Nighttripper, Dr. John—born Malcolm “Mac” John Rebennack Jr.—was far more than a performer. He was a musical high priest of New Orleans culture, blending blues, funk, R&B, Creole traditions, and voodoo mysticism into a sound that was entirely his own. A six-time Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, his influence reaches far beyond genre boundaries.
Dr. John’s recording career began in 1968 with the haunting debut album Gris-Gris, a spellbinding…