Tag Archives: blues

Bonamassa and his band fire on all cylinders on this live 2-CD or 2-DVD set. Recorded, amazingly, at a single sold-out Los Angeles concert in 2015, the selections pay tribute to the three "Kings" of the blues: Freddie King, Albert King, and Bonamassa's mentor B.B. King.

'What Happened, Miss Simone?' is a great documentary about an amazing woman that comes with a bonus CD containing some of her greatest songs.

'Any Way You Love, We Know How You Feel' is a dream of an album. Continuing much of the spacey jam-rock of the band’s previous three albums, it also breaks rank from those other releases and manages to forge along in a new and seemingly less restrained path.

With its emotional extremes, seriousness, sadness and laughter following one another, this album is a realistic representation of life, superbly performed by Kolassa and the musicians and sensitively produced by Jensen.

While the overall feel of ‘Mean Business’ seems quite homogeneous, there are enough details varying here and there that make it an ear-grabbing listen.

This is a meticulously crafted album by talented musicians and songwriters who know how to deliver emotion in any musical style they choose.

We see a few scenes of Janis and fellow musicians hard at work in the studio, and plenty of performance clips, but where the film excels is in showing us how her life fed her performances.

Keb' Mo' and his band prove they can handle funk, country blues, a bit of psychedelia, ballads and traditional blues without ever breaking a sweat.

While not bad, 'Paper' could benefit from less layering and stronger vocals, as well as a unifying theme.

Janiva Magness is a shining light for love and passion delivered with beauty and style.