VA - Sean Carney's Blues For A Cure: Blues Cures Studio Jam Vol. 4

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Time: 59:47
Size: 138.6 MB
Released: 2012
Styles: Modern electric blues
Art: Front

1. Omar Coleman - Too Late (feat. Jonn Richardson, Sean Carney, Abdell B Bop, Jan Roll & John Popovich) (2:53)
2. Joey Gilmore - That's What Love Will Make You Do (feat. Dave Workman, Manny Manuel, John Popovich & Jan Roll) (5:18)
3. Ray Fuller - So Many Roads (feat. Dave Workman, Franc Robert, Manny Manuel, John Popovich & Jan Roll) (5:38)
4. Long Tall Deb - Every Day I Have the Blues (feat. Dave Workman, Sean Carney, Jonn Richardson, Manny Manuel, John Popovich & Jan Roll) (4:29)
5. Franc Robert - The Sky Is Crying (feat. Ray Fuller, Omar Coleman, Trent Sholl, John Popovich & Jan Roll) (6:24)
6. Joey Gilmore - Bluesman (feat. Dave Workman, Manny Manuel, John Popovich & Jan Roll) (9:50)
7. Long Tall Deb - Blues Don't Care (Married to the Blues) (feat. John Popovich, Marty Romie, Jan Roll, Omar Coleman, Sean Carney & Jonn Richardson) (5:25)
8. Jonn Richardson - You're Gonna Make Me Cry (feat. Dave Workman, John Popovich, Marty Romie & Jan Roll) (5:57)
9. Joey Gilmore - Shake, Rattle and Roll (feat. Sean Carney, Jonn Richardson, Abdell B Bop, John Popovich & Jan Roll) (6:46)
10. Hunter Wolfe - Your Death (is Killing Me) (feat. Abdell B Bop, Joey Gilmore & Omar Coleman) (3:10)
11. Jonn Richardson - Love The World (feat. Marty Romie, Sean Carney & Omar Coleman) (3:51)

Blues Cures Studio Jam Vol. 4 continues the tradition of bringing International Blues Challenge winners and competitors together to give the world a taste of the incredible talent that comes together every year in Memphis. This year’s lineup includes three IBC Champions, Joey Gilmore, Jonn Richardson and Sean Carney. Rounding out the lineup of great Blues artists are Dave Workman, Omar Coleman, Ray Fuller, Long Tall Deb, Franc Robert, Hunter Wolfe, ARE, John Popovich, Marty Romie, Abdell B Bop, Manny Manuel, Trent Sholl and Jan Roll.
Welcome to Blues Cures Studio Jam Volume 4, continuing a legacy of live in the studio Blues and passionate support of incredible, life saving programs such as The Stefanie Spielman Fund For Breast Cancer Research. We also support The Blues Foundation, which not only is responsible for The International Blues Challenge and The Blues Music Awards, but also programs like The HART Fund, created to assist musicians in need of medical care.

Blues Cures Studio Jam Vol. 4

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Franc Robert - Why Do I Never Win

Year: 2011
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:30
Size: 105,1 MB
Styles: Electric and acoustic blues
Scans: Front

1. Runnin' Man I Will Be (5:59)
2. The Train Be Rolling (2:29)
3. Boogie Sugar Baby (4:03)
4. Lemon Headed Girl (4:09)
5. Cotee River Blues (3:14)
6. Landlord Blues (3:09)
7. Why Do I Never Win (4:24)
8. Marcie's Blue (3:39)
9. These Blues Are Killing Me (4:22)
10. Three Forks And Poison (3:54)
11. Groovin' On The Outskirts (2:58)
12. Need More Sumpin (3:06)

Mind Balm Records has just released Franc Robert’s latest release Why Do I Never Win, a wild mix of rockin’ delta blues-influenced music, with a little intricate finger picking trance-style blues mixed in for good measure. Franc Robert (pronounced Robher) is a Florida blues guitar sensation who’s been artfully playing his brand of blues across the country for decades now. His new album truly shows the depths of his artistic ability.

The first track starts off on a burning hot slide number, with Franc’s just below shouting vocals lending a fantastic immanence to the track about running from one’s demons. The drums kick in with an urgent beat and the album thrusts the listener into Franc’s world, one where the blues, in it’s many forms, lives and thrives. Franc manages to artfully strain all of his blues influences among the tracks within Why Do I Never Win.

Albert King influenced guitar work graces “Lemon Headed Girl”, while “Marcie’s Blues” shows off beautiful guitar prowess in a track that would have felt right at home in any of Otis Taylor’s trance-blues albums. “These Blues Is Killin’ Me” is a fantastic hard-rocking blues number about excessive drug use and needing another fix. Franc’s vocals throughout are great, changing to the necessary setting, and his guitar prowess is second to none.

Overall, this Florida musician knows his blues, and isn’t afraid to show you. Listeners will be able to get a full dose of blues styles with a stripped-down sound that gives a raw and powerful thread that binds the album together. This is the third fantastic release from Mind Balm Records, and Franc’s second solo, and with the continuous output of simply good blues music, it will certainly be exciting to experience future albums from both. /Matt Marshall

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Franc Robert - 49x61

Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:40
Size: 98,8 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Front

1. Goin Down South (5:15)
2. House Of The Rising Sun (3:25)
3. 49 Cross 61 (3:03)
4. I Got What I Wanted (3:46)
5. Moving To Splitsville (3:09)
6. The Boxcar Tourist (3:25)
7. Queen Of Hearts (3:36)
8. Monday Morning Blues (4:49)
9. Cross Roads Stomp (3:48)
10. Troubles Be On My Mind (3:40)
11. Back Alley Blues (4:40)

The former leader of Back Alley Blues Band steps into the limelight with his first solo record, 49x61. Inspired by a trip to Mississippi, the title track "49 Cross 61", "Cross Roads Stomp", "The Boxcar Tourist" and "Goin Down South" all get that rock-solid down home blues feel. "House Of The Rising Sun" is a completely new take on one of the most revered American songs ever. "I Got What I Wanted" and "Moving To Splitsville" recall second generation Chicago-style blues, while "Monday Morning Blues" and "Back Alley Blues" explore the somewhat jazzier side of things. Rounding out the collection is "Queen Of Hearts" which is an ode to two staples of the blues-women and gambling, with "Troubles Be On My Mind" rounding out the set with a last-call feel before the dawn. Look for Franc Robert & The Boxcar Tourists around Florida real soon!

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Franc Robert & The Boxcar Tourists - Goin Down To Florida

Size: 123,4 MB
Time: 52:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Electric Blues, Reggae Blues, Delta Blues
Art: Front

01. Goin Down To Florida (3:49)
02. A Night With The Blues (4:18)
03. Voodoo Stomp (4:10)
04. What Is This Love (3:36)
05. Watch You Walk Away (2:54)
06. Devil's At The Crossroads (5:42)
07. Poor Me Blues (2:26)
08. Cheap Cadillac (4:01)
09. Not A Chance (4:21)
10. The Worst We'd Ever Seen (3:09)
11. A Fool For Trying (2:45)
12. Riverboat Stomp (3:19)
13. You'll Come Home (4:37)
14. Goodbye (3:08)

Finally getting some of the recognition after 30+ years in the blues trenches, Franc Robert’s “Mulligan Stew” (on Blue Chihuahua Records) has been receiving press accolades and extensive airplay all over the USA and on the internet, winning fans wherever he plays his brand of stripped-down delta drenched blues. 2012 has certainly been a year to remember, playing concerts and festivals all over Florida with an album that truly shows what he is capable of, singing, playing and writing his own style of blues.

“It all started with hearing Clapton”. Certainly those words have been heard before from many musicians over the years, but it’s rare for one to grow far beyond the seed that germinated one afternoon in 1980. And for Franc Robert, that seed has grown into a life-long love affair with the blues. “I just became obsessive about playing guitar, to the point it drove both my parents crazy, being locked away in my room, tiny amp blasting out what I was playing. Eventually, my mother stopped calling it noise and started calling it music… one of the better days of my life!” Soon after starting to play, Franc joined a series of bands through high school (like so many others) constantly honing his chops, but none of them really went anywhere, nor did they satisfy his love for the blues.

Fast-forward to 1984, and a move to Montreal, Canada, to join his father in his commercial illustration business. Almost immediately, Franc gravitated towards the small but close-knit blues community, which then centered around The Rising Sun, a small club known for having big name performers playing there on weekends. “It was a great time back then-saw Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Dutch Mason, Willie Dixon play there. There was the Jazz Fest going at the time as well, with the blues stage just down the block from the Rising Sun”. Franc started showing up at the Blue Monday Jam sessions, eventually hosting the jams himself from time to time. “You’d never know who would show up-Dutch Mason made it down, Jeff Golub sat in on my guitar one night, local harp legend Jim Zeller would come down, lots of touring bands would show up. The place was really well known across Canada, and the best players made a point of stopping in when they could.” Being around so many talented musicians inspired Franc even further, and eventually he was leading several of his own bands around town, working by day with his father and playing all night.

Moving to Tampa Bay, Florida in 1990, Franc fell right into the blues scene-and fell right back out. “It was good because I caught on with a band immediately-I showed up at a jam the first night I got there, on a Monday, and was gigging with a band by Friday! It was fun while it lasted, but I needed to feed my kids, so I had to quit playing for awhile.” Franc finally returned to the blues scene in 1996, but blues music was not often heard on the north side of Tampa Bay back then. “Myself and Donny Kuryliew (of Lazy Boy And The Rockers) were the only guys in our neck of the woods who wanted to really play blues-everyone else wanted to do Lynyrd Skynyrd!” It took awhile, but Back Alley Blues Band, led by Franc, won over converts up and down the Nature Coast of Florida, playing a mixture of Chicago and Texas blues, with some swamp music thrown in for good measure. BABB became a fixture on the scene, eventually opening up concerts for Charlie Musselwhite, Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers, Tinsley Ellis, Sean Carney Band, Pat Travers, LeRoy Parnell, “Sauce Boss” Bill Wharton, and many others. They also released a CD “Boxcar Tourists” in 2006 to positive reviews and local airplay.

Franc formed the Boxcar Tourists specifically for the 2010 release of 49×61, recruiting Trent Sholl on bass and Remi Sawyer on drums. This combination made its first appearance in August, 2010, and recorded “Why Do I Never Win” on the Mind Balm Records label. Remi left the band in March 2011, replaced by returning Back Alley Blues Band drummer Dave Simmons. This combination is the basis of the “Mulligan Stew” record, released in 2012 to incredible reviews and international airplay, appearing on the Roots Music Report Blues chart for 3 months, reaching #22!

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Franc Robert - Ride The Iron Road

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:44
Size: 91.0 MB
Styles: Acoustic blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[1:33] 1. Honey What's Wrong
[2:37] 2. Ride The Iron Road
[3:00] 3. These Low Down Blues
[2:27] 4. Chihuahua Blues
[2:40] 5. Dem Devil Bones
[2:30] 6. Mississippi On My Mind
[2:13] 7. Railroad Blues
[2:48] 8. Tax Time Blues
[8:57] 9. Traveling Bluesman
[2:05] 10. Treat Me Right
[3:02] 11. Mississippi Blues
[2:36] 12. Never Felt More Alive
[3:08] 13. Sunday Morning

The last time that Franc Robert showed his acoustic side was on 2011’s well received Why Do I Ever Win. Since then Franc has issued Mulligan Stew in 2012, and now he returns to his acoustic side with Ride The Iron Road, on Blue Chihuahua Records. At 41 minutes Ride The Iron Road shows off 11 originals and three traditional blues cuts.

As an acoustic set, the simplicity of the presentation really adds to the impact of the music, with only Franc and his guitar(s) painting vivid images, as this Florida native is so talented at doing. The sound is clear and unadorned, allowing the music to stand on its own merit. While very satisfying all the way through, we found a few selections particularly interesting. “Chihuahua Blues” reminded us a lot of “Rambling On My Mind,” in a pleasing way, and “Dem Devil Bones” is a brisk paced George Thorogood inspired acoustic romp that will have listeners slapping their knees to the beat. “Mississippi On My Mind” is simply great picking, superbly played. “Railroad Blues” is fast paced pickin’ and slidin’ fun. “St. James Infirmary Blues” is a really interesting performance, presented here as a shuffle, and almost upbeat. Ride The Iron Road is an album best enjoyed when listeners want a break form the loud brashness of an electric blues set, and instead want to enjoy a more quiet and intimate blues experience. ~Barry Kerzner

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