Al Basile - Blues In Hand

Album: Blues In Hand
Size: 132,2 MB
Time: 57:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2025
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. All Your Lies (4:18)
2. Blues Is My Roommate (6:21)
3. Blues After Blues (4:07)
4. How Is It? (5:02)
5. Good Friends (3:43)
6. Leave It All Behind You (5:22)
7. Ain't What You Say (4:24)
8. Older By The Minute (4:09)
9. Thank You, Fool (1:56)
10. Good Rhythm (2:56)
11. My Dearest Dream (5:30)
12. You Ain't That Fine (4:40)
13. When You Lose Your Money (4:54)

Eight-time Blues Music Award-nominated singer/songwriter/cornetist Al Basile has released his latest CD, Blues in Hand, on Sweetspot Records. This is Al's 21st release on Sweetspot since 1998. After 2023's career retrospective B's Time, Al is back with all new songs and a new production team. Using his Duke Robillard and Roomful of Blues veteran players, and recorded by Jack Gauthier in the familiar surroundings of Westlake Recording studio in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, Al had combined Jack's great tracking with the most up-to-date technology by mixer and masterer Glenn Halverson at his Sonic Hill Studio in Ooltawah, Tennessee. The results are a new sound for Al's classic blues-roots songs.

Personnel: Al Basile (vocals, cornet); Kid Andersen, Jhett Black (guitar); Brad Hallen (bass); Mark Teixeria (drums); Bruce Bears (keyboards); Jeff "Doc" Chanonhouse (trumpet); Doug James (tenor sax).

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Al Basile - Red Breath

Size: 423 MB
Time: 65:47
File: Flac
Released: 2003
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. Are You My Love (4:50)
2. This Could Be The Year (4:36)
3. Could It Be You (4:55)
4. You Took Me By Surprise (4:10)
5. I Didn't Know About You (7:10)
6. Four Kisses (4:12)
7. Facing The Winter Alone (4:40)
8. Love Moves On (5:53)
9. No More Sad Songs (5:28)
10. Stray Thoughts (4:32)
11. B.D. (4:36)
12. Love Turned Out The Light (6:01)
13. Born To Swing (4:37)

Originally a poet and fiction writer, Al Basile was the first to get a master's degree from Brown University's Creative Writing program; he also wrote musicals as an undergraduate. Meeting Duke Robillard in 1969 changed his artistic direction for life. He began his performing career in 1973, hired by Duke as the first trumpet player for Rhode Island's premier jump band Roomful of Blues, and played with such blues and jazz greats as Cleanhead Vinson, Red Prysock, Helen Humes, Joe Turner, and Johnny Shines. Leaving in 1975 to devote himself to teaching, singing, and songwriting, he was reunited with Duke Robillard, Roomful's founder, in the late eighties, His songs and playing have continued to appear throughout the nineties on Robillard's records for Rounder, Stony Plain, Pointblank, and Shanachie. Songs he has cowritten with Duke have been used on television's Homicide: Life on the Street and the feature film Blood and WIne. Ruth Brown recorded one of Al's songs on her Handy Award winning 1997 release R&B=Ruth Brown, and was the first project with a song by Al to be nominated for a Grammy. The second came last year on Duke's Guitar Groove-a-Rama featuring Al's tune "This Dream (Still Coming True)" was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album of 2006. Al began his own solo recording career in 1998 with the well received Down On Providence Plantation and followed that up with 2001's Shaking the Soul Tree. Both discs were roots projects produced by Robillard and with him and his band backing Basile up on his own blues and soul based roots songs, the second emphasizing Memphis soul grooves and adding former Susan Tedeschi keyboardist Tom West to a horn section with Doug James and Sax Gordon Beadle alongside Al's cornet. 2003's Red Breath was Basile's first jazz CD, though he had fronted jazz combos for twenty-five years and had been featured as a swing-based cornetist on Duke's jazz projects such as After Hours Swing Session. Several underknown songs by Rodgers and Hart and Vernon Duke were unearthed and given perhaps their first jazz treatment, and Al showed the influences of Armstrong, Sinatra, and Strayhorn in his playing, singing, and writing styles. 2005's solo effort Blue Ink was a collection of Al's blues songs with Duke and his band again backing him up and featuring Jerry Portnoy on harp, fresh from recording Me&Mr.Johnson with Eric Clapton. This was a dream backup band for this material, which covered a range of blues styles from fifties Muddy Waters to Freddy King to swamp/funk blues to New Orleans/Longhair type blues. Duke produced and played guitars throughout. Blue Ink reached #18 on the Living Blues radio chart. 2006's Groovin' in the Mood Room stripped the rhythm section down to feature Duke's guitar solos. and emphasized strong grooves to complement Al's trademark lyrics and soulful snging, and again enjoyed lots of airplay both nnationally and internationally, reaching #14 on the Living Blues chart. Great songwriting, singing, and playing -The Tinge puts it all together, as Al adds generous helpings of his cornet playing to a batch of songs which span Kansas City swing to soul-jazz to the classic blues material he first did with Roomful of Blues. With Roomful's Rich Lataille in the horn section along with Doug James and Duke, half of the original Roomful lineup is at work here, and Al has written blues songs like "Not the Wrong Woman" and "Too Slow" which celebrate their shared past (the latter is sung and played in the manner of Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, with whom Roomful first played in 1973). Bruce Katz is brilliant on piano, organ, and Wurlitzer, and along with mainstays Marty Ballou on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums, the rhythm section nails every stylistic challenge thrown at them, from older style jazz like "While We're Dancing" and "Give Me the Rainbow" to brooding plunger muted blues to bubbly workouts reminiscent of sixties soul. With the addition of his rich open tone and relaxed, lyrical solo work to his highly crafted songs, unique storytelling, and strong, personal vocals, The Tinge is Al Basile's statement record. The books and literary magazines which publish his poetry identify him as a poet, but that's only half the story. His recordings prove that he's a bard of the blues. Al guested as a featured cornet player on Dave Gross' Take the Gamble in 2006, and he continues to work with Duke on his own projects - he played on Blue Mood, Duke's T-Bone Walker tribute record nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2004, A Specal Evening with Duke Robillard and Friends DVD released in 2005, played on and wrote for Guitar Groove-a-Rama, and co-wrote the title tune on Duke's 2007 release World Full of Blues.

Red Breath FLAC

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Al Basile - Down On Providence Plantation

Size: 364 MB
Time: 54:58
File: Flac
Released: 1998
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. When I Reach My Limit (4:47)
2. What Your Kisses Say (3:40)
3. Don't Start Something (4:13)
4. Bite Your Tongue (4:20)
5. It Doesn't Hurt Me At All (3:31)
6. Things Aren't Going So Well (5:35)
7. An Understanding Heart (4:48)
8. Prove It To You (4:27)
9. You Brought My House Down (5:28)
10. Pretty Little Lolita (3:36)
11. I Really Miss You (5:38)
12. Lonesome Traveller (4:48)

Down On Providence Plantation is the first collection of Al Basile's personal brand of roots music, which shows the influence of blues, classic R&B, soul, gospel, and 60s rock. Thoughtful lyrics and dramatic situations abound, and the astonishing versatility of Duke Robillard's guitar and band are showcased as well.

Down On Providence Plantation FLAC

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Al Basile - Through With Cool (Feat. Kid Andersen)

Size: 153.5 MB
Time: 65:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Keep On Living (Feat. Kid Andersen) (3:26)
02. My Hero (Feat. Kid Andersen) (5:04)
03. I'm Waiting (Feat. Kid Andersen) (4:43)
04. Say My Name (Feat. Kid Andersen) (5:42)
05. Two Legged Mule (Feat. Kid Andersen) (5:00)
06. Take Your Time (Feat. Kid Andersen) (4:26)
07. Couldn't Live With It (Feat. Kid Andersen) (4:06)
08. Not Anyplace At All (Feat. Kid Andersen) (4:10)
09. We Belong Together (Feat. Kid Andersen) (3:57)
10. Uh Huh (Feat. Kid Andersen) (6:56)
11. Turnabout Is Fair Play (Feat. Kid Andersen) (3:52)
12. You Better Change Your Tune (Feat. Kid Andersen) (4:52)
13. We Lie On Your Grave (Feat. Kid Andersen) (5:26)
14. Through With Cool (Feat. Kid Andersen) (3:47)

Eight-time Blues Music Award-nominated singer/songwriter/cornetist Al Basile his latest CD, Through with Cool, on Sweetspot Records, distributed by City Hall Records.

Through with Cool benefits from Al Basile’s quickly- growing skills as his own producer, refining the sound of his last two production efforts Last Hand and B's Testimony, as Basile directed all the aspects of the new project, recorded by Jack Gauthier at Lakewest Studios in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. Basile (vocals and cornet) is joined on the new disc by his veteran crew of New England music all-stars: Bruce Bears on keyboards, Brad Hallen on bass, Mark Teixeira on drums, Doug James on tenor sax and Jeff “Doc” Chanonhouse on trumpet, plus the guitar wizardry of multi-Blues Music Award nominee Kid Andersen. And fans of Basile’s signature cornet work will be pleased to know that his horn playing has reached another level on the new disc.

Basile will help promote the new disc with a 200 station national radio promotion by Todd Glazer Promotions, and a long-term publicity campaign by Mark Pucci Media; plus print ads in blues magazines, and a CD sampler track in Relix Magazine.

“Through with Cool is the most completely realized of my 19 albums – the closest to what I heard on my head when I first conceived of the songs,” Basile says. “I've worked with Mark, Bruce, and Brad on ten CDs, and they know my music inside and out. The horns have been together on my projects multiple times. And Kid Andersen has outdone himself on his second time out, coming up with great rhythm parts and a rainbow of different guitar colors, each an enhancement to the songs. His versatility and taste show his nomination as best guitarist at this year's BMAs was apt, and I turned him loose on a few extra-long solos that are spectacular. We've also stepped up our production game, with seamless teamwork between Jack Gauthier in the studio and Glenn Halverson in mastering on this, their second project together. It's my best sounding record.”

Other changes make this an improved Al Basile effort. “After a couple of years of vocal difficulties, which were finally diagnosed and healed, I'm singing with more ease and control on this one,” he reveals. “My voice is more responsive, and my phrasing has gained a smoothness that lets me do more with the words. And I spent many more hours practicing my horn during COVID, which has resulted in more control over my cornet sound and lots of fresh ideas. It's great to be improving at these things I love to do as I enter my mid-seventies. Of course, in the end it's really all about the songs – that's why I make records. I express myself by writing poems, plays, and songs – in the poems I'm on my own, but with plays and songs I need help to realize the vision. I'm blessed to have great collaborators who bring out the life in my writing and back me up like champs. We're all proud of Through with Cool. It's the product of many lifetimes spent by the guys and me, learning and refining the skills you hear on it.” ~Mark Pucci Media

Through With Cool (Feat. Kid Andersen) MP3
Through With Cool (Feat. Kid Andersen) FLAC

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Al Basile - B's Testimony

Size: 130.1 MB
Time: 55:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Jazz
Art: Front

01. Lucky Man (3:31)
02. Don't Kid Yourself, Baby (6:05)
03. If All It Took Was Wishing (3:26)
04. I Got A Right To Be Lonesome (3:34)
05. I'm Bad That Way (3:31)
06. Up Close And Personal Best (3:23)
07. One Day At A Time (4:19)
08. When The Girl Says Yes (2:24)
09. I Oughta Be Your Monkey (4:39)
10. It's Your Pain (5:00)
11. Through Thick And Thin (5:58)
12. Would I Do That To You? (4:11)
13. He Said, She Said (5:33)

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, B's Testimony, from Al Basile and it's a real cool mix of blues and jazz. Opening with Lucky Man, a lightly funky, New Orleans flavored track with loose drum rhythm by Mark Teixeira, Brad Hallen on bass and Bruce Bears on piano. Adding in a bit of rock to the blues on If All It Took Was Wishing, Basile on cornet works with Doug James and Doc Chanonhouse to get just the right sound. Funky blues, I'm Bad That Way features some real tasty guitar work from Kid Andersen under some of Basile's best vocals on the release as well as a real nice laid back cornet solo that flows perfectly. Horn backing by James and Chanonhouse give it just the right amount of soul. Andersen steps up early on Up Close And Personal Best with some real hot riffs and follows with some absolute stinging solo guitar lead and Basile's muted cornet soloing lays in the slot making this one of my favorites on the release. Shuffle, I Oughta Be Your Monkey, is a lot of fun with just Basile front and center on cornet and lead vocal and a cool interface between Andersen's fine guitar work and the horns of James and Chanonhouse. Very nice. Another tight guitar solo by Andersen highlights It's Your Pain. Kid blends chickin pickin styling with bluesy approach, Basile's own laid back cornet solo laid in and the rich organ work of Bears tying it all together. On Through Thick and Thin Andersen really gets loose on guitar and if you've never heard that, it's an absolute joy. The guy really can play and he's really inventive. He swings from riff to riff with wreckless abandon and blows the top off of this one. Excellent! Built around a similar musical theme as "A Thrill Is Gone" Would I Do That To You?, is a great R&B shaped blues number. Basile leads on vocal with horn response by James and Chanonhouse. This track is a real sweet showcase of his cornet work and again resolves with Andersen just slaying the guitar. His bends, mixed with his (what sounds like) whammy vibrato is off the hook. Soft horn backing by James and Chanonhouse really add warmth for a strong finish. Wrapping the release is He Said, She Said, a low slung blues number with a real nice piano display by Bears and solid vocals by Basile leading to another hot guitar solo by Andersen. Basile closes the show with a poised cornet solo line. Really cool release. ~Bman

B's Testimony MP3
B's Testimony FLAC

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Al Basile - Last Hand

Size: 103,6 MB
Time: 44:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Jazz
Art: Front

01. It Ain't Broke (3:05)
02. Invisible Man (2:46)
03. Don't Toy With Me (4:54)
04. What Would You Be Doing? (3:05)
05. I Could Get Used To This (3:12)
06. Don't (3:23)
07. After I'm Gone (4:04)
08. Has He Got A Name? (2:54)
09. The Problem Is Me (4:23)
10. Second Wind (3:20)
11. Closer To The Bone (3:47)
12. Time Heals Nothing (5:24)

Al Basile is a poet, lyricist and cornet player who played with the early incarnation of Roomful Of Blues. He has been making records under his own name since the late 90’s but since retiring in 2005 from his day job as a High School teacher he has released a string of excellent albums, usually produced by long-time friend Duke Robillard. Back in 2018 he issued Me & The Originator which combined songs and spoken-word interludes and here he has gone a step further by writing and recording a suite of songs that describes a ‘May to December’ romance that ends tragically. It is Al’s intention to create an audio play based on the song cycle, tentatively entitled Last Hand: The Musical, so watch out for that in due course.

Given the subject matter here, Al decided to strip things back musically, to produce the album himself and work with a trio of Bruce Bears on piano and organ, Brad Hallen on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums, all members of Duke Robillard’s regular band. Al handles vocals and adds his cornet to just two tunes. The effect is to provide a jazz-inflected backdrop to Al’s lyrics which, as always, are superbly crafted. “It Ain’t Broke” finds the man content with his single status but ready to provide experienced male company when required: “Life can bring you down but have no fear, I can make your troubles all disappear.” However, Al is also aware that, at a certain age, women stop noticing you, you become an “Invisible Man” and you become sceptical, so that when he is approached by a younger woman he instinctively rebuffs her with the words “Don’t Toy With Me”. The trio is on top form through these first three tracks, the jazzy piano and bubbling bass lines fit the songs perfectly while Al’s world-weary vocals also suit the mood. Once he realises how he has hurt the girl he apologises and sets off on this new relationship, still surprised that she is interested in him – “What Would You Be Doing – with a beat-up man like me?”.

Becoming more comfortable with the new relationship, he decides “I Could Get Used To This” and realises that he is in love, the one word title “Don’t”showing that he doesn’t want it to end. Of course, in a relationship where there is a big age difference, one partner will live beyond the death of the other and Al reflects on that in “After I’m Gone”, encouraging her to continue to see her friends, yet then worrying that she may fall for someone of her own age in that circle, pondering “Has He Got A Name?”, before recognising that “The Problem Is Me”. After those doubts and suspicions the couple has a brief period of happiness (“Second Wind”) but tragedy looms as the girl falls seriously ill and the man is desperately concerned in “Closer To The Bone”. When she dies he knows that “Time Heals Nothing”, Al’s cornet adding further despair to the doom-laden piano chords as he reflects that it should have been him to go first: “This ain’t the way it’s supposed to be, time is playing some kind of evil trickery, the first one to go was supposed to be me”. A sombre end to the album.

Al’s vocal range is somewhat limited, less evident on his albums with a bigger band but more obvious here. Nevertheless, the songs are first class and the sparse backing with its jazz-blues mix works well, making Last Hand a worthy addition to Al’s discography. ~John Mitchell

Last Hand MP3
Last Hand FLAC

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Al Basile - B's Hot House

Year: 2019
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:27
Size: 135,3 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Front, back

1. So-Called Storyteller (4:47)
2. Five Roads (3:48)
3. Razor Wire (4:28)
4. Try One (2:52)
5. Don't Fool With The Truth (3:38)
6. Give Me That Look (3:50)
7. Looking for A Cookie (4:52)
8. Can't Keep Me From Dreaming (4:00)
9. I See You There (5:15)
10. I Ain't Changing (4:09)
11. You Don't Know Lonesome (3:32)
12. What Dogs Wanna Do (3:54)
13. Talking In A Room (3:21)
14. Time Has Made A Fool Of Me (5:55)

Al Basile sings with a voice like Eddie Floyd, plays muted trumpet like Miles Davis and leads a band like Booker T Jones on this swampy collection of STAXY originals. He teams with guitar legend Duke Robillard along with Mark Teixeira (drums), Brad Hallen (bass), Bruce Bears (keyboards)and a horn section of Doug James (tenor sax) and Jeff Chanonhouse (trumpet). The songs sound like they come out of the nightclubs of Memphis' Beale Street, with smoky horns framing Basile's solo and singing on "So-Called Storyteller" and the boogalooing "Looking For A Cookie".

Bears' organ hums through the shuffling "Razor Wire", and Robillard's guitar cries through the stomping "Don’t Fool With The Truth" while Teixeira delivers a stroll beat with the cymbals on "Give Me That Look". A few slower ballads and sepia moods come to the fore with Basile relaxed on "Can't Keep Me From Dreaming" and baring his noir'd soul for "I See You There". Some gospel has Basile preaching on "You Don't Know Lonesome" and the team smokes like baby back ribs on "What Dogs Wanna Do". If you can’t make it to Memphis anytime soon, get some take out dry rub and dig these tunes at home. /George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly

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Al Basile - Me & The Originator

Size: 178,3 MB
Time: 75:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. The Trunk (3:08)
02. Poor Boy's Day (3:17)
03. What He Carried (1:20)
04. My J-O-B (3:58)
05. Useless Good Advice (2:20)
06. Lefty's Nine Lessons (5:55)
07. Self-Reliance (1:28)
08. She Made Me Believe It (5:42)
09. The Bee's Lot (1:17)
10. Here Come Your Trouble (3:44)
11. What He Deserved (1:54)
12. I Forgot How To Care (4:07)
13. Learn To Draw! (1:33)
14. First One To Go (5:27)
15. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (1:13)
16. What You Got For Me (3:31)
17. Who Owns It (3:24)
18. All Right (3:12)
19. Solo (1:49)
20. A Go Of It (3:24)
21. Young And Old (1:30)
22. So Wrong For So Long (4:16)
23. Confessing The Blues (1:40)
24. If It Goes, It Goes (5:02)
25. How It Goes (1:00)

Multi Blues Music Award nominee Al Basile brings his original songs and stories to life on the new CD, Me & the Originator. Produced by Duke Robillard, who also adds his guitar talents on the new disc, Me & the Originator showcases Al’s abilities as a storyteller in poems and songs, and as a vocalist and cornet player, backed by an additional group of New England-based all-star musicians, including Mark Texeira (drums), Brad Hallen (bass), Bruce Bears (keyboards), Doug James (tenor and baritone sax) and Jeff “Doc” Chanonhouse (trumpet).

Me & The Originator MP3
Me & The Originator FLAC

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Al Basile - 2 albums: Soul Blue 7 / Shaking The Soul Tree

Album: Soul Blue 7
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:07
Size: 146.8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[4:20] 1. Housekey Blues
[5:36] 2. Dollar To A Dime
[4:48] 3. You Showed Me Something
[5:49] 4. Lonely Are The Brave
[3:50] 5. I Hope You're Right
[4:31] 6. Causing Joy
[7:52] 7. This Dream (Still Coming True)
[5:48] 8. Where Are You Tonight
[3:29] 9. Wrong Love
[4:14] 10. Give It Like You Get It
[5:22] 11. Fool Me Again
[2:56] 12. Today's Your Birthday
[5:27] 13. Termites In My Basement

Soul Blue 7 is the followup to Al Basile's 2008 release The Tinge, which reached #14 on the Living Blues charts in March of 2008. Again produced by and featuring blues legend Duke Robillard, Soul Blue 7 also has Al's former Roomful of Blues mates Duke, Doug James, Rich Lataiile, Marty Ballou and Carl Querfurth, plus special guests Sugar Ray Norchia and Sax Gordon Beadle. Al's songs draw from the blues, swing, and soul jazz traditions and feature his vocals and cornet solos along with his customary attention to strong lyric writing.

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Album: Shaking The Soul Tree
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:29
Size: 147.6 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[3:41] 1. Leave A Good Thing Alone
[4:02] 2. Look Into It
[3:49] 3. Rueful Rules
[4:41] 4. 35 Women
[4:01] 5. Breaking The Ice
[3:39] 6. After The Fall
[4:55] 7. Drive Me Darling
[5:12] 8. Lorelei
[3:41] 9. I Picked Her Up
[3:37] 10. You Scare Me
[2:53] 11. One Step Closer
[4:49] 12. You Know
[3:55] 13. Brand New Fool
[3:35] 14. She's A Taker
[3:30] 15. Sleeping Beauty
[4:20] 16. Ain't That A Man

Al Basile's second solo album again uses Duke Robillard and his band to back Al up on 16 songs, which range from Texas blues to Stax flavored soul workouts, with a few surprises from '60s rock thrown in. Basile's horn playing is prominent in a section featuring Sax Beadle and Doug James, and former Susan Tedeschi sideman Tom West is stellar on piano and B3. The songwriting often shows the influence of Arthur Alexander, and contains "gems that will appeal to soul fans of all persuasions...Basile's naturally soulful vocals are underpinned by a great band performance replete with funky sax and tough, uncompromising guitar." ~ Mick Rainsford, Blues in Britain.

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Al Basile - Blue Ink

Year: 2004
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:56
Size: 131,2 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. I Got To Love And Be Loved (3:42)
2. The Catch-Up (6:40)
3. Just A Heartache (3:47)
4. Stop Knockin' (3:49)
5. Hooray For Me (And To Hell With You) (3:04)
6. Full Time Job (4:51)
7. Annie Get Your Thing On (4:10)
8. Hurt Me (4:05)
9. Lonesome Sun (3:06)
10. School In Hell (5:37)
11. Sugar Shock (3:19)
12. Fifth Of Never (5:08)
13. Say Your Prayers (5:33)

Former Roomful Of Blues member and lyricist Al Basile assembles a winning team to back him on his fourth solo album, Blue Ink, a laid-back collection of blues and R&B, including Roomful Of Blues' founder, Duke Robillard, and legendary harmonica player Jerry Portnoy. The eclectic set covers New Orleans R&B on "Lonesome Sun," Chicago blues on "I Got to Love and Be Loved," and Southern blues on "School in Hell," with Basile's witty and subtle lyrics providing a fresh take on each genre. /Allmusic

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Al Basile - Quiet Money

Size: 127,2 MB
Time: 54:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Electric Blues, Jump Blues
Art: Front

01. Bues Got Blues (4:08)
02. Simple Ain't Easy (3:41)
03. Do You Even Know (3:54)
04. Wrong To Be Right (3:21)
05. Quiet Money (5:52)
06. Put Some Salt On It (4:02)
07. Line By Line (3:27)
08. The Time Is Now (3:33)
09. I Woulda Been Wrong (2:56)
10. Not Today (5:21)
11. True To Form (3:51)
12. You Got Two (3:51)
13. Who's Gonna Close My Eyes (6:12)

Quiet Money is Al Basile's 14th release on Sweetspot, following 2016's Mid-Century Modern, which was nominated for a Blues Music Award as Best Contemporary Blues Album. Produced by Duke Robillard and using the Duke Robillard Band and Roomful of Blues Alumni horns, this disc combines the classic urban and jump blues styles which formed the basis of the original Roomful style with Al's celebrated modern lyrical approach.

Al Basile grew up in a park in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He graduated from Phillips Academy in 1966, and in 1970 he was the first to receive a Master’s Degree from the Brown University Writing Program. He began his musical career as a cornet player with Roomful of Blues in 1973, and has worked with the Duke Robillard Band as a songwriter and recording member since 1990, appearing on twelve CDs and a DVD; his songs have been used in films and television and covered by such artists as Ruth Brown and Johnny Rawls, and bands New Jump Blues and the Knickerbocker All Stars. He has twelve solo blues and roots CDs out under his own name, the last several having reached the top 15 on the Living Blues airplay charts in their year of release. They have all been produced by Robillard and feature his guitar playing and many former Roomful members: guest artists have included the Blind Boys of Alabama, jazz great Scott Hamilton, and the late Sista Monica Parker. He has been nominated five times, in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, for a Blues Music Award as best horn player. While hundreds of his songs have been published since the Sixties, his poetry and fiction has begun to be published in recent years. He taught full time at the Providence Country Day School in East Providence, RI from 1980-2005 and since then has concentrated on his writing, performing, and recording.

Quiet Money

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Al Basile - Mid-Century Modern

Size: 118,3 MB
Time: 50:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Memphis Blues, R&B, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Keep Your Love, Where's My Money (3:40)
02. Like You Or Despise You (3:39)
03. Midnight Blue Persuasion (4:20)
04. Tickle My Mule (3:11)
05. I've Got To Have Meat (With Every Meal) (2:26)
06. Like A Woman, Like A Man (4:03)
07. Blank Dog (4:00)
08. Carry These Blues (5:05)
09. No Truth To The Rumor (4:24)
10. Listen To The Elders (4:03)
11. Night Crossing (3:10)
12. Big Trees Falling (3:26)
13. Lie Under The House With Me (5:05)

Al Basile's 13th CD is a collection of new songs based on mid-century blues and classic R&B musical style, with Al's heralded lyric writing. Produced by Duke Robillard, it has Duke's rhythm section joined by 'Monster' Mike Welch on guitar, and Roomful of Blues alumni horns. Familiar musical influences include Louis Jordan, Buddy Johnson, Richard Berry, Albert King, Lee Dorsey, Slim Harpo, and mid-period Miles Davis. Radio promotion by Todd Glazer Promotions, a four month publicity campaign by Mark Pucci Media, print ads, etc. Basile has been nominated five times since 2010 for a Blues Music Award as Best Horn player and his cornet solos and soulful, perfectly suited vocals are featured throughout.

Mid-Century Modern

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Al Basile - B's Expression

Size: 120,2 MB
Time: 51:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Memphis Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Whole Lot Of Good Good Lovin' (3:29)
02. It Wasn't That Good (4:23)
03. Not Like I Do (4:38)
04. Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Being Right (3:53)
05. I'm Runnin' Late (2:38)
06. Have I Given My Best (3:52)
07. Never Good Enough (4:19)
08. Something's Missing (3:26)
09. Answer Me (4:02)
10. I Didn't Come Here To Lie (3:34)
11. Even Jesus Fell (4:08)
12. That Ain't Bad (2:57)
13. You Know, You Don't Know (6:08)

Produced by long-time friend Duke Robillard and recorded at Lakewest Recording Studio in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, B’s Expression features 13 all-original Al Basile songs, backed by a simpatico band that includes: Duke Robillard – guitars; Mark Teixeira – drums; Bruce Bears – keyboards; Brad Hallen – bass; Doug James – tenor and baritone sax; and Carl Querfurth – trombone.

An original member of the seminal roots music group, Roomful of Blues, Al Basile is a multiple Blues Music Award nominee. He’s written songs for and/or appeared on over 10 Duke Robillard albums, including the Grammy nominated Guitar Groove-a-Rama and Stomp! The Blues Tonight.

His songs have also been recorded by such other blues giants as Ruth Brown and Johnny Rawls.
Following up the critical success of Basile’s last CD, Woke Up in Memphis (2014), the tracks on B’s Expression are firmly rooted in the blues and soul styles of the Memphis sound epitomized by Stax and Hi Records, while offering up a palette of songs that showcase his unique ability as a wordsmith.

B's Expression

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Al Basile - 2 albums: The Goods / The Tinge

Album: The Goods
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:28
Size: 143.0 MB
Styles: Soul-blues
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[3:55] 1. The Price (I Got To Pay)
[3:20] 2. Along Come The Kid
[5:06] 3. Lie Down In Darkness (Raise Up In Light) (Feat. Blind Boys Of Alabama)
[5:15] 4. 1.843 Million
[5:20] 5. Time Can Wait
[3:40] 6. I Want To Put It There
[4:16] 7. The Itch
[9:11] 8. Mr. Graham Bell
[3:30] 9. She's A Taker
[5:34] 10. Reality Show
[5:06] 11. Pealing Bells
[4:23] 12. Don't Sleep On Santa
[3:44] 13. Distant Ships

Singer-songwriter-cornetist Al Basile is backed up by the Duke Robillard band with a guest appearance by the Blind Boys of Alabama. Al's last three CDs placed at #14 or higher on the Living Blues airplay chart; this disc has 13 more of Al's songs which fuse his acclaimed lyrics and diverse roots musical styles with Duke Robillard's production, Al's increasingly ambitious vocals, and the cornet soloing which was recognized by the Blues Music Foundation in 2010 in the best instrumentalist - horn category.

The Goods mc
The Goods zippy

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Album: The Tinge
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:29
Size: 131.6 MB
Styles: R&B, Urban blues
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[3:40] 1. Go Back Home To The Blues
[4:39] 2. Just Wait And See
[5:37] 3. Airlift My Heart
[3:51] 4. Not The Wrong Woman
[4:16] 5. Can I Trust You With A Kiss
[4:15] 6. Give Me The Rainbow
[7:25] 7. Too Slow
[3:45] 8. While We're Dancing
[4:40] 9. Daddy Got A Problem
[3:53] 10. She's In Love With Losing
[4:09] 11. You're Still Right
[4:19] 12. Losing My Cool
[2:54] 13. Strawberries And Cream

Al Basile’s sixth solo CD The Tinge shows off all his skills, adding a generous helping of his rich cornet sound to the mix of exceptional songwriting and soulful singing which marked his last two releases, Blue Ink and Groovin’ in the Mood Room. It also reunites him with bandmates from the original Roomful of Blues, and with producer Duke Robillard taking his usual guitar chair, touches on Kansas City swing as well as Soul Jazz on its journey through the blues territories Basile’s explored throughout his thirty-five year career. A lifetime of musical influences from Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton to Stanley Turrentine and Memphis Soul - The Tinge puts it all together.

As familiar as some of the flavors of The Tinge may be - nothing short of the richest, best-made American music of the last century - Basile serves up a uniquely satisfying dish which deserves to be on your regular menu.

The Tinge mc
The Tinge zippy

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Dave Gross - 2 albums: Take The Gamble / Crawling The Walls

Album: Take The Gamble
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 59:50
Size: 137.0 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[4:13] 1. She Walks Right In
[3:52] 2. Mess On My Plate
[6:03] 3. I'm Leavin' Baby
[4:02] 4. I'm So Hungry Blues
[4:41] 5. Swingin' On All Six
[3:50] 6. Walkin' In A Daze
[6:13] 7. That's All You Get
[4:37] 8. You Ain't Playin' Me No More
[3:25] 9. I Know Your Wig Is Gone
[4:07] 10. After You've Gone
[6:24] 11. Movin' On Down The Line
[2:41] 12. Once Had A Girl
[5:36] 13. Make Things Right

Take the Gamble, the new release by Dave Gross is anything but a gamble as it loudly affirms that 21 year-old Dave may be the most versatile performer of roots music to arrive on the scene in quite some time. Under the eye of producer Duke Robillard, Dave nimbly glides from decade to decade, revealing his impressive command of the many styles of blues and swing. Dave demonstrates that his phrasing and virtuoso chops are the equal of just about any guitar hero. Dave also shows that he is a skilled songwriter whose poignant lyrics and stylish melodies seem to be written by someone far older; credited for 9 out of the 14 songs on this record. His vocals range from bluesy, down and dirty to almost crooner-like.

The CD kicks off with “Gatemouth” Brown’s foot-stomping classic “She Walks Right In” flowing right into his own tune with New Orleans roots, “Mess On My Plate” – both with a killer horn section. The album is laced with strong originals complimented by 4 carefully chosen covers. Dave and the Duke fire licks back and forth on “I’m Leavin’ Baby,” while Duke plays beautiful rhythm guitar on the swing classic, “After You’ve Gone.” Throughout the record, Dave pays tribute to his heroes; T-Bone Walker (“I Know Your Wig Is Gone”, “I’m So Hungry Blues”), Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt (“Swingin’ On All Six”, “After You’ve Gone”), among a stew of influences that never seem to overshadow Dave’s own unique voice. He brilliantly weaves from style to style while never compromising who “Dave Gross” is.Dave is backed by an all-star cast including Duke Robillard, Doug James (baritone/tenor sax), Dennis Gruenling (harmonica), Al Basile (cornet), Arthur Neilson (Upright bass, guitar), AJ Hager (Fender bass), Doña Oxford (piano/organ) and Mark Teixeira and Matt Mousseau (drums).

Take The Gamble

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Album: Crawling The Walls
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:40
Size: 116.0 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[3:39] 1. It's My Life, Baby
[3:48] 2. Rock In My Shoe
[2:55] 3. Cubano Jump
[4:27] 4. Crawling The Walls
[2:58] 5. Inspiration Blues
[4:57] 6. You're Not The One
[6:34] 7. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
[4:36] 8. Don't Take Too Long
[5:36] 9. Find Yourself Another Man
[7:50] 10. It Was Born In The 20's
[3:15] 11. A Little Love, A Little Kiss

"Crawling the Walls" is Dave Gross' third studio effort, and demonstrates his extraordinary talents and phenomenal growth as a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. In addition, it introduces this multi-talented artist's enviable and seemingly innate knack for producing—a rare ability for such a young musician.

Recorded "live" in the studio with top-notch musicians, the diverse repertoire of material featured on "Crawling the Walls" reflects Dave's varied musical influences. The album showcases with energy and enthusiasm his diverse playing and writing style, as well as his ever-expanding set of musical tastes. The material on the record stems from traditional blues and jazz, rock 'n' roll, and swing, a colorful patchwork of the music he loves, the music that seems to be ingrained in his heart and soul.

These confluences of styles are performed by this young master with complete and irrefutable reverence for tradition and those who came before him, yet all the while sustain a fresh appeal. Dave's personal and youthful interpretations and approach to expressing his love for these timeless genres make for a refreshing record.

Crawling The Walls

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Al Basile - At Home Next Door (2-Disc set)

Any doubts as to just how good a Singer, Songwriter, and Cornet player Al Basile is, can quickly be put to rest after only a few moments of listening to his great release, "At Home Next Door", his ninth Duke Robillard produced album. Even better news about Al Basile's release is that it is also a double album release, with one CD featuring his Blues Songwriting and Performing with his own Label, Sweetspot Records, a tenure lasting now 14 years, and a second CD featuring new songs which are done in the a 60's Memphis Style.

As with all of Al's previous releases, Duke Robillard, his former boss when he played in the band, Roomful Of Blues, not only produced but also performed on them, including this one, on all Tracks, as Guitarist. In addition to Duke Robillard, Al has also drawn from a wide area of the Northeast, adding some of the best Bluesmen going, featuring no less than 16 great musicians on "At Home Next Door". ~John Vermilyea

Album: At Home Next Door (Disc 1)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 64:14
Size: 147.1 MB
Styles: Contemporary blues
Year: 2012

[3:40] 1. Go Back Home To The Blues
[3:38] 2. I Got To Love And Be Loved
[5:04] 3. Picked To Click
[5:27] 4. Termites In My Basement
[4:40] 5. Daddy Got A Problem
[3:42] 6. Just A Heartache
[5:35] 7. I Really Miss You
[3:51] 8. Not The Wrong Woman
[3:35] 9. Bad Intentions
[4:06] 10. Annie Get Your Thing On
[7:25] 11. Too Slow
[4:19] 12. Housekey Blues
[4:14] 13. Give It Like You Get It
[4:53] 14. 80 Bells

mc
zippy

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Album: At Home Next Door (Disc 2)
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 57:47
Size: 132.3 MB
Styles: Contemporary Memphis blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Too Much Like Fate
[5:12] 2. Keep That Heart
[3:36] 3. Stony Ground
[5:13] 4. Only Jodie Knows
[6:09] 5. A Mystery To Me
[3:59] 6. She Was Sayin' Giddyap (I Was Sayin' Whoa)
[4:07] 7. It Is What It Is
[4:46] 8. A Little Too Far
[4:35] 9. Tryin' To Impres The Girl
[3:58] 10. Miss Dissatisfied
[5:17] 11. My Phone's Got A Mind Of Its Own
[3:27] 12. The Streak
[4:00] 13. The Closer

mc
zippy

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Al Basile - Woke Up In Memphis

Size: 126,2 MB
Time: 53:51
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Memphis Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Yesterday You Left (5:23)
02. Don't Make Me Beg (4:01)
03. When Things Get Tough (3:07)
04. One More Stone In The Pitcher (2:48)
05. I Woke Up In Memphis (4:26)
06. Jimmy & Johnny (3:14)
07. Saved By The Blues (3:45)
08. Nibblin' Through The Fence (3:15)
09. Make A Little Heaven (4:27)
10. Falling Stars (3:07)
11. Too Tough (3:53)
12. Big Like Elvis (4:14)
13. You Choose Me (4:07)
14. Masked Man (3:58)

Al Basile is just about to release his tenth solo album titled Woke Up In Memphis. The former member of Roomful Of Blues has done it his way as his own Sunspot label has now celebrated 15 years of existence. He has always been a friend of blues guitarist Duke Robillard who has produced his latest release. If Robillard is going to be in the studio, he might as well contribute his guitar skills, which are some of the best in the business.

In addition to Robillard; he has gathered a talented band to back him in the studio. Current Roomful Of Blues sax player Rich Lataille, former member and baritone sax player Doug James, drummer Mark Teixeira, keyboardist Bruce Bears, and bassist Brad Hallen all support Basil’s vocals and cornet. They add up to an excellent aggregation.

Basile has always been a first-rate song writer and all tracks bear his signature. His lyrics are personal, incisive, and always interesting. The music has layers of textures and his use of horns provide a defining emphasis.

His new album, while grounded in the blues, travels in a number of directions as it incorporates elements of rock, jazz, and gospel. Guest vocalist Sista Monica Parker propels “Make A Little Heaven” into a gospel fused extravaganza. Add in “Saved By The Blues,” “Don’t Make Me Beg,” “One More Stone In The Pitcher,” and “Big Like Elvis,” and you have a nice selection of very listenable songs.

Al Basile has a lot of years and miles under his belt. Woke Up In Memphis is a fine addition to his legacy. ~Review by David Bowling

Woke Up In Memphis

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Al Basile With Duke Robillard - Groovin' In The Mood Room

Released: 2006
Size: 114.9 MB
Time: 50:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues / Rock / R&B
Art: Front

1. I Got To Be The Boss [3:57]
2. How Much Better (Better Can Get) [3:15]
3. She's On The Mainline [3:43]
4. Picked To Click [5:08]
5. Your Turn To Pay [5:37]
6. Baby Sister [3:06]
7. I'm In A Mood [5:24]
8. The Show Must Go On [3:35]
9. Your Rights [3:35]
10. Take My Word For It [2:48]
11. Be A Woman [3:08]
12. Coffee And Cadillacs [3:23]
13. You Satisfy [3:26]

Original member of Roomful of Blues, longtime writing partner and sideman for Duke Robillard, Al Basile writes songs in classic blues and roots styles with a fresh lyrical perspective. Groovin’ in the Mood Room is a followup to his successful 2005 title Blue Ink, and features Al singing thirteen of his songs with world class backing - Duke on all guitar parts and piano (his first recorded solo), frequent Robillard mate Marty Ballou on electric bass, and current Duke Robillard Band drummer Mark Teixeira.

The stripped down rhythm section allows Duke free rein to create guitar parts which complement the strong grooves. He employs his usual array of electric and acoustic guitars, and adds dobro on the Delbert McClinton-inspired “Your Rights.” As producer and main soloist, Duke continues to find the perfect sounds and settings for the broad range of Basile’s songs. The infectious rhythm makes this sound like a record for exuberant dancers, while those who listen to lyrics will find the adult stance, economy of storytelling, and high level of craftsmanship they’ve come to expect from all of Al Basile’s songs.

Groovin’ in the Mood Room uses the roots of rock - blues, classic R&B, and soul - to reinvent classic rock n’ roll for adults who want to hear something new they can relate to. Call it Neo-Classic, call it Boomerrock (“We’re Not Dead Yet!”) - it has something for those who like to dance, and those who like to really listen. From rockabilly and country to 60’s backwards guitar, from Texas blues to Memphis soul, every song Basile serves up is lean and tasty. And you can hear the fun they’re having in the Mood Room right through your speakers.

Groovin' In The Mood Room

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