Chris Daniel & The Kings w. Freddi Gowdy - 40: Blues With Horns Vol. II

Album: 40: Blues With Horns Volume II
Size: 96,0 MB
Time: 41:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Styles: Blues/Funk/Soul mix
Art: Front, booklet

1. Jump (When My Baby Says) (3:24)
2. I Like Funky Music (4:07)
3. Everybody's A Millionaire (3:53)
4. I Need Some Good Luck Bad (3:43)
5. Dance Dance Dance (4:35)
6. Congo Square (3:53)
7. Stealin' Candy (4:47)
8. I Like Your Shoes (5:03)
9. Under Pressure (3:47)
10. When You're Cool (The Sun Shines All The Time) (4:06)

In the liner notes of their effervescent new album, 40: Blues With Horns Volume II, by Chris Daniels and the Kings, Daniels describes Louis Armstrong's brilliant 1928 recording of “West End Blues” as the beginning of an era of “horn-band sound.” The King's 20th album on their 40th anniversary proves that their magnificent big-band sound is still keeping that era alive. The Colorado-based Kings have been pumping out music since their 1984 founding by Daniels, with the band membership shape-shifting along the way. The Kings of this album are: Chris Daniels, vocals, electric, acoustic, slide and synth guitars; Freddi Gowdy, vocals; Steve Ivey, drums; John Thornburg, bass and vocals; Colin “Bones” Jones, guitars; Bob Rebholz, alto sax and flute; Darryl “Doody“ Abrahamson, trumpet and vocals; Darren Kramer, trombone. Daniels and Gowdy share the vocals all through the tracks.

Guests adding their talents throughout include Christian Teele, percussion; Mark Oblinger and Linda Lawson, vocals with Robert Johnson and Kenny Andrus; Sam Bush, mandolin and fiddle; Hazel Miller, vocals; Tom Capek, B3 and keyboards; Steve Conn, accordion, B3; and Sonny Landreth, slide guitar. The multi-award-winning Kings have toured with Albert King, James Taylor, Tom Jones, Al Kooper, David Bromberg and many more, and backed everybody from bluesy Bonnie Raitt to rocking Bo Diddly and country superstar Garth Brooks. The band plays good old-fashioned jump blues and their distinctive mountain-funk with joyous emotion, horns that blaze through ten tracks on this musical romp, and Daniels and Gowdy sharing vocal duties on each one.

(For personnel details, see info included.)

40: Blues With Horns Volume II mc
40: Blues With Horns Volume II gofile

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Chris Daniels & The Kings - Louie Louie

Year: 1998
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:37
Size: 91,9 MB
Styles: Jump blues, swing
Scans: Front, tray

1. If You're So Smart, How Come You Ain't Rich (2:54)
2. All For The Love Of Lill (2:47)
3. Sure Had A Wonderful Time Last Night (3:34)
4. Penthouse In The Basement (3:29)
5. Azur-Te (Paris Blues) (3:16)
6. Choo-Choo-Ch' Boogie (2:24)
7. Shine (3:39)
8. (You Dyed Your Hair) Chartreuse (2:21)
9. I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You (4:48)
10. Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens (2:58)
11. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (3:18)
12. Five Months (4:03)

When jump blues experienced a rebirth in popularity in the '90s and bands like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy hit big, quite a few young acts jumped on the bandwagon and started embracing the music and fashions of the '40s. Chris Daniels & the Kings, however, weren't jumping on any bandwagon -- formed in the mid-'80s, the Colorado outfit was playing jump blues and jive before those styles came back in fashion. The title Louie Louie will make many rockers think of the Kingsmen's '60s smash, but that isn't one of the songs you'll find on this CD. Rather, Louie Louie takes its name from the artists that lead singer/guitarist/producer Daniels calls "the three Louies": Louis Jordan, Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong.

Though one can hear the influence of all of those Louies on this fun, entertaining album, Jordan's influence is especially strong. In fact, many of the songs that Daniels embraces come from Jordan's repertoire, including "Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby," "Choo-Choo-Ch Boogie" (one of Jordan's biggest hits), "If You're So Smart, How Come You Ain't Rich" and "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens." With the dark-humored "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You," Daniels chooses a song that was recorded by all three Louies. As the album's producer, Daniels is careful not to overproduce -- he was obviously going for an organic approach. Although not brilliant, Louie Louie is competent, enjoyable and sincere. /Alex Henderson, AllMusic

Personnel: Chris Daniels (vocals, guitar); Randy Amen (drums, vocals); Dean Ledoux (keyboards, vocals); Kevin Lege (acoustic and electric bass, vocals); Bones Jones (lead and rhythm guitars); Carlos Chavez (alto and tenor saxophones, vocals); Forrest Means (trumpet, vocals).

Louie Louie mc
Louie Louie zippy

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Chris Daniels & The Kings - Blues With Horns, Vol. 1 (Feat. Freddi Gowdy)

Size: 104,1 MB
Time: 41:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Funky Blues
Art: Front

01. Sweet Memphis (3:46)
02. Fried Food - Hard Liquor (5:01)
03. Get Up Off The Funk (4:19)
04. Soothe Me Baby (3:45)
05. Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me) (4:06)
06. Baby's In Love With The Radio (3:42)
07. Can't Even Do Wrong Right (3:39)
08. You Can Stay But That Noise Must Go (4:29)
09. Them Changes (3:44)
10. Rain Check (5:07)

Personnel:
Chris Daniels – vocals, guitar, slide guitar and synth guitar
Freddi Gowdi – vocals
The Kings:
Randy Amen – drums and vocals
Kevin Lege – bass and vocals
Colin “Bones” Jones – lead guitar
Jim Waddell – alto and tenor sax and vocals
Darryl Abrahamson – trumpet and vocals

Guests:
Sonny Landreth – slide guitar
John Magnie - keyboards (Subdudes)
Doug Krause – keyboards
Clay Kirkland - harmonica
Hazel Miller and Coco Brown – backing vocals
Bob Rebhoz – tenor sax and horn arrangements
Darren Kramer – trombone and horn arrangements

This is Chris Daniels & The Kings 15 album, and our second with Freddi Gowdy. As we’ve toured blues festivals over the US and Europe I’ve noticed that the old tradition of horns is disappearing. At a blues & brews in Greeley I met one young blues-fan who’d been standing and staring at us. He came up after our set and asked me why I called our music ‘funky blues’ – a name festivals and European fans use to describe our music. He was a traditionalist and thought blues was 12-bars, guitar and maybe harp, but not sax, trumpet and horns. I gave him my email and suggested he listen to Bobby Blue Bland, Johnny Taylor, Albert King, Walter Wolf Man Washington, Gatemouth Brown and a host of incredible artists who’s use of horns is as essential to their music as a guitar is to Sonny Landreth. I also suggested he check the life and history of W.C. Handy. He wrote me back about a month later and said, “I had no idea. I got into blues because of Gary Clark Jr. and the then discovered Stevie Ray Vaughn and then Eric Clapton and Robert Cray and I never knew about this horn thing. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. My favorite right now is Johnny Guitar Watson. Have you heard his old stuff from the 50s and 60s?” I had to laugh. And I thought, I wonder how many other blues fans don’t know about the New Orleans, Memphis horn tradition in blues that goes back 100 + years. That’s the seed that started this album. The reason that this is called “Volume I” is simple. We only scratched the surface of all the incredible blues with horns. More to come!

Blues comes from countless inspirations, lust, lost love, oppression, health, booze, self-destruction – you name it. And by playing it, singing it and dancing to it –blues liberates – even if only for a moment. There are a lot of very simple lyrics in blues that say a great deal more than the basic text. But there are also really great (and funny) lyrics in blues. T Rex, Bobby Blue Bland, Walter Wolfman Washington all bring that sense of empowerment to their lyrics. What’s important is not that you lay your head on some lonesome railroad track. What’s important is that you ‘snatch their damn head back.’ I grew up listening to Koerner, Ray and Glover and like their songs these lyrics were really fun to sing. With love and thanks to Freddi, The Kings, Jacob, John, Mark, Hazel, Coco, Doug, Sonny, Magnie, Clay Kirkland and Greg for making this the best Kings album so far. Big hugs, Chris Daniels

Blues With Horns, Vol. 1

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Chris Daniels & The Kings - Stealin' The Covers

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:55
Size: 144.1 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. Roll Over Beethoven
[2:22] 2. Choo Choo Ch'boogie
[4:48] 3. Just Kissed My Baby
[3:04] 4. 634-5789
[4:03] 5. The Heart Of Saturday Night
[4:19] 6. Congo Square
[4:38] 7. Crossfire
[4:34] 8. In The Night
[2:48] 9. In My Life
[4:40] 10. Who's Makin Love
[5:40] 11. Riding With The King
[5:00] 12. Soul Mine
[2:58] 13. Crosstown Traffic
[4:29] 14. Killing Floor
[3:09] 15. Sing, Sing, Sing
[2:47] 16. Cool Yule

Chris Daniels and the Kings have toured the world several times (They're huge in the Netherlands), the USA repeatedly, and Colorado so much that I'm sure the stage at The Little Bear has their footprints worn in it. I've seen this group uncountable times (spanning over 20 yrs) in wildly different settings and they never fail to deliver. For those not familiar with the band, they keep horn music alive and kicking! Every song has The Kings brass driving the song along and carrying the listener with them. Not many of the songs they do are deep, reflective tunes, exploring the inner psyche, although they have had their reflective moments. Most of their music is Good Times music that has you tapping your toes and boogying across the floor.

This particular recording is a selection of songs that they have been playing/covering at concerts for years. On their previous recordings they have pretty much stuck with either new or lesser known tunes. By naming the disc "Stealing the Covers" they let you know exactly what they are going to do, cover the song, make it theirs, and run away with it! Roll Over Beethoven opens the disc and they steal through tunes like Choo-Choo-Ch' Boogie and Crossfire before mellowing out to The Heart of Saturday Night and In My Life. Along the way they abscond with Who's Making Love, Soul Mine, In the Night, and Sing, Sing, Sing. To top it all off we finally get a Chris Daniels & The Kings Christmas song! Cool Yule is it's title and is a fun addition. A great disc by a great band. Keep up the good work guys and we'll see you at the next show!! ~ Charles S. Holzheimer

Stealin' The Covers mc
Stealin' The Covers zippy

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