Kenny Neal - Straight From The Heart

Size: 109.5 MB
Time: 46:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Electric Blues, Louisiana Blues
Art: Full

01. Blues Keep Chasing Me (4:22)
02. Mount Up On The Wings Of The King (3:20)
03. I'll Play The Blues For You (4:52)
04. Two Timing (4:10)
05. Louise Ana (4:50)
06. It Don't Cost Nothing (4:29)
07. Bon Temps Rouler (4:07)
08. It's Been So Long (3:01)
09. Someone Somewhere (5:51)
10. I Got To Tell Somebody (3:23)
11. New Orleans (4:01)

Down in Louisiana, they do things differently. The Southern states musical giants have always had their own distinct recipe for American roots: spiced with jazz, steeped in swamp-blues and cooked up a little differently by every artist who performs it. As a second-generation child of the Bayou State, Kenny Neal has taken his own inimitable guitar, gale-force harp and roadworn voice all over the globe. But in 2022, the Grammy-nominated blues masters latest album, Straight From The Heart, finds him drawn by the siren call of his hometown and musical ground zero, Baton Rouge. Neal both led and produced a crack team of local musicians at his own Brookstown Recording Studios. All the tributaries of the blues converge here, flowing into one rich tradition. Lining up in the studio alongside his Baton Rouge compadrés, the respect that Neal commands on the scene also drew some special guests, including hot-tip blues sensation Christone Kingfish Ingram, pop royalty Tito Jackson, and two songs with Rockin Dopsie Junior & The Zydeco Twisters. You'll even hear Neals supremely talented daughter Syreeta drive the vocal outro of Two Timing.

Straight From The Heart MP3
Straight From The Heart FLAC

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Kenny Neal - Hooked On Your Love

Size: 113,3 MB
Time: 49:29
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Hooked On Your Love (4:45)
02. Bitter With The Sweet (4:49)
03. Down In The Swamp (3:35)
04. Blind, Crippled, Or Crazy (4:23)
05. If Walls Could Talk (3:43)
06. Things Have Got To Change (4:41)
07. New Lease On Life (3:27)
08. Ain't Nothing You Can Do (2:54)
09. Old Friends (4:37)
10. Tell Me Why (4:43)
11. Voodoo Mama (4:01)
12. You Don't Love Me (3:45)

Being the oldest son of Louisiana harmonica legend Raful Neal and having Lazy Lester, Buddy Guy, and Slim Harpo as family friends and frequent household guests meant Kenny Neal literally grew up with the blues, the swamp variety and otherwise, and his career as such has been all about plying the family business. A pretty good harp player himself (he was still a toddler when he was given his first harmonica by Slim Harpo), Neal has also developed into a sleek, economical, and graceful electric guitarist, and thanks to songs like the title track here, “Hooked on Your Love,” and the wise and beautiful “Bitter with the Sweet,” he has also become a skillful songwriter. This set isn’t quite as powerful as his previous Let Life Flow album from 2008, but only by a slight degree, and it’s clear that Neal has hit his mature stride in the past couple of years. The above originals are the highlights here, but so, too, are covers of Little Milton's “If Walls Could Talk,” Bobby Bland's “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do,” O.V. Wright's “Blind, Crippled, or Crazy,” and Spencer Wiggins' “Old Friends.” Each features confident singing, tasteful and appropriate horn charts, elegant guitar leads (and now and then a chugging harp solo), and a gently swinging Louisiana groove, making this a nice follow-up to Let Life Flow. ~Steve Leggett

Hooked On Your Love MP3
Hooked On Your Love FLAC

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Anthony Wild - Gonna Have To Call A Tow-Truck

Size: 89,6 MB
Time: 38:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Front

01. Tricky To Me (3:54)
02. Slip'n Down Low (3:23)
03. Need To Know Basis (4:29)
04. Tow Truck (3:28)
05. Picture Of Love (3:17)
06. Mississippi Mud (3:46)
07. Talk'n About The Blues (Feat. Kenny Neal) (3:42)
08. Sweet Potato (Feat. Kenny Neal) (2:26)
09. Cookie Crumbles (3:15)
10. Treated Right (3:34)
11. Hold On To Your Love'n (3:13)

Originally from Wisconsin, Anthony began singing at 4 years of age. This served as a basis to inspire him to continue during his teen and adult years, as he began to sing and record after his family moved to Florida.

With inspiration and experience ranging over years of the Blues, Anthony Wild brings you back to a time when music was pure, raw and exciting. Join and take part in his plentiful journey’s with his latest release, written and titled on personal experience, Gonna have to call a tow-truck.

“Music has always been about healing and expression for me. Its an avenue to releasing what is inside your soul. It’s why I’ve always been so attracted to the blues, because I’ve lived them.” - Anthony Wild.

Gonna Have To Call A Tow-Truck MP3
Gonna Have To Call A Tow-Truck FLAC

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Lucas Spinosa - Friends & Legends Of Louisiana

Size: 102,2 MB
Time: 43:30
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Louisiana Blues, Blues Rock, Blues Soul
Art: Front

01. Beale Street Blues (Feat. Jason Parfait) (4:14)
02. While You're Still Mine (Feat. Parker James) (4:43)
03. Belly Of The Beast (Feat. Sonny Landreth & Wayne Toups) (4:07)
04. Want It To Be (Feat. Don Rich) (4:26)
05. I Believe (Feat. Bob Henderson) (4:56)
06. Southern Side Of Life (Feat. Kenny Neal) (4:35)
07. Red Tail Lights On A Blues Highway (Feat. Chris Leblanc) (4:13)
08. The Two Of Us (Feat. Gregg Martinez) (4:38)
09. Living In A Fantasy (Feat. Ryan Foret) (3:12)
10. Memories (Feat. Bryan Romano) (4:22)

Songwriter and keyboardist Lucas Spinosa assembled an impressive cast of south Louisiana all-stars for “Friends and Legends of Louisiana.” Spinosa — who was the leader of the Baton Rouge-area band Southern Star in the 1990s — produced the album, did most of the songwriting and played keyboards for this one-of-a kind project.

Every “Friends and Legends of Louisiana” song stars a different, well-known singer from Louisiana. The project also contains a variety of musical flavors, encompassing swamp pop, blues, rock ’n’ roll, swing, gospel and even smooth jazz.

The guest vocalist list includes bluesman Kenny Neal, zydecajun artist Wayne Toups, blues-rocker Chris LeBlanc and swamp pop singers Don Rich, Gregg Martinez and Ryan Foret. It surely is a soulful, smoky collection of Louisiana voices.

Spinosa does a fine job of matching singers to the songs he and Billy E. Henderson have written. Rich, the popular swamp-pop artist from Pierre Part, sings “Want It to Be,” a ballad that sounds custom-made for him. Horns — that requisite element for so much south Louisiana music — and keyboard triplets complement Rich’s characteristically from-the-heart vocals.

Spinosa casts Baton Rouge blues artist Neal in the churning, bluesy-country song, “Southern Side of Life.” Neal blows swamp-blues harmonica for the track and poignantly sings in his unmistakably deep and grainy voice.

“Belly of the Beast,” featuring Toups’ vocals, Lafayette slide guitar master Sonny Landreth, horns and B-3 Hammond organ, takes a rousing gospel-meets-rhythm-and-blues hybrid direction. While "Belly of the Beast" is a fine performance and production, it leans too heavily on some famous songs, namely Crosby, Stills, & Nash’s “Love the One You’re With,” John Boutté’s “Treme Song” and, a standard from southwest Louisiana, Little Bob’s “I Got Loaded.”

There’s more musical variety in “Red Tail Lights on a Blues Highway.” Spinosa once again matches the right singer to the right song, placing Baton Rouge’s LeBlanc in the spotlight for a blues-rocking tale about a haunted highway. And blue-eyed soul singer Parker James takes the mic for “While You’re Still Mine,” a love song in a smooth-jazz vein. But lasting nearly five minutes, the song runs long. Some of the album’s other four-minute-plus selections could also use trimming.

Despite some long tracks and the mentioned instance of derivativeness, “Friends and Legends of Louisiana” is an ambitious opus worthy of praise and popularity. ~John Wirt

Friends & Legends Of Louisiana MP3
Friends & Legends Of Louisiana FLAC

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VA - Blues Christmas

Size: 107,4 MB
Time: 45:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock, Xmas
Art: Front

01 Joe Louis Walker - Christmas Comes But Once A Year (2:44)
02 Larry McCray - Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' (3:05)
03 Steve Cropper - Let's Make Christmas Merry, Baby (5:08)
04 Popa Chubby - Back Door Santa (2:12)
05 The Paul Nelson Band - Christmas Tears (3:26)
06 Kenny Neal - I'll Be Home For Christmas (3:06)
07 Eric Gales - Little Drummer Boy (2:24)
08 Chris Spedding - Blue Christmas (3:00)
09 Pat Travers - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (4:03)
10 Leslie West - Silent Night (2:19)
11 Foghat - Run Rudolph Run (2:57)
12 Wolf Mail - I Want To Spend Christmas With You (3:06)
13 Debbie Davies - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (2:24)
14 James Montgomery Band - Deck The Halls (1:46)
15 Harvey Mandel - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (3:33)

Blues Christmas

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The BB King Blues Band - The Soul Of The King

Source: CD
Size: 140,3 MB
Time: 59:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Irene Irene (4:29)
02. Sweet Little Angel (4:55)
03. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere (3:26)
04. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss (4:48)
05. Low Down (4:41)
06. She's The One (5:27)
07. Taking Care Of Business (3:17)
08. Becoming The Blues (5:19)
09. Hey There Pretty Woman (4:09)
10. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (4:02)
11. Regal Blues (A Tribute To The King) (5:15)
12. Pocket Full Of Money (6:07)
13. The Thrill Is Gone (3:37)

Long live the King. Four years since the passing of the great B.B. King, his towering influence over the blues world - and beyond - remains undimmed. From the long-standing fans still held spellbound by 1965's classic Live At The Regal album, to the young guitarists adding a shiver of vibrato to an emotive solo, King's music will never be forgotten. And this year, the iconic bluesman's presence is felt stronger than ever, as his spirit imbues a star-studded new album, The Soul Of The King. The term 'legend' doesn't do justice to B.B. King. The eight-decade story of how a Mississippi cotton-picker rose to the heights of the blues - changing the genre forever with his soul-drenched voice and 'one-note' touch - is told by his acclaimed studio catalogue and fabled live shows. Now, as the men who walked alongside him every step of the way for over 35 years, The B.B. King Blues Band writes the next chapter, on an album that salutes King's classic songs and showcases their own. "It's important," nods executive producer Terry Harvey, "to continue what he started." Boasting several world-class songwriters in their ranks, The Soul Of The King finds the lineup supplying material that stands alongside their late leader's catalogue - along with guests that include Joe Louis Walker's soulful tribute on Regal Blues and Kenny Wayne Shepherd's masterful solo on opener Irene Irene. Meanwhile, as King's faithful sidemen, this band of blues lifers have the great man's music under their fingernails, and made a bracing return to his greatest cuts. There's a heartfelt turn from Michael Lee on The Thrill Is Gone. Mary Griffin and Taj Mahal combine their vocal and guitar talents on Paying The Cost To Be The Boss - while Kenny Neal lends poignant vocals and licks to Sweet Little Angel. "Our approach was not to stray too far from the original, but still to make it fresh," says Harvey. "I want the world to remember B.B. and to introduce his music to the youth of today." They might have an illustrious history, but The Soul Of The King reminds us that The B.B. King Blues Band are a lineup moving forward, writing a love-letter to their fallen leader while staking their own claim in the modern era. "When we started this album, we wanted to let the world know the B.B. King Band is live and well," explains Harvey. "And that we are continuing B.B.'s musical legacy".

The Soul Of The King

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Kenny Neal - What You Got

Year: 2000
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:50
Size: 119,9 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. I Smell Smoke (4:41)
2. Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right (4:04)
3. Neal And Pray (3:30)
4. Little Brother (Make A Way) (4:30)
5. What You Got (4:31)
6. Blues Ain't Nothing But A Good Man Feeling Bad (4:16)
7. Deja Vu (4:01)
8. I'm The Man Your Mama Told You About (2:46)
9. Loving On Borrowed Time (4:02)
10. You've Been Spying On Me (5:15)
11. Never Thought About Growing Old (5:51)
12. Killed The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg (4:18)

This is Neal's third album for Telarc and it's definitely one of his best releases to date. He's long been known for his Louisiana blues groove, but this CD will force critics and fans to reassess their take on Neal's sound. Tracks like "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right," "Little Brother (Make a Way)," "I'm The Man Your Mama Told You About," "Loving on Borrowed Time," and "Deja Vu" are robust numbers that variously evince Chicago and Memphis influences, while the title track is a gorgeous bit of soul music that showcases Neal's mature voice. In fact, one of the major highlights of this collection is Neal's vocal work.

He has become an exceptional blues singer, with a powerful and wonderfully nuanced voice. Add his excellent lead guitar work and make note of the fact that he wrote, or co-authored, nine of the 12 songs on this disc. The guy has become a multiple-threat bluesman and this album, in demonstrating that, has to be seen as a pivotal point in Neal's discography. /Philip Van Vleck, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

What You Got mc
What You Got zippy

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Tab Benoit, Debbie Davies, Kenny Neal - Homesick For The Road

Year: 1999
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:10
Size: 125,1 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Deal With It (4:40)
2. Down In The Swamp (5:18)
3. Bop 'Til I Drop (4:15)
4. So Cold (4:04)
5. I Put A Spell On You (4:50)
6. Money (4:45)
7. Luberta (4:53)
8. I Can't Afford Myself (5:42)
9. I've Been Mistreated (3:25)
10. Night Life (3:58)
11. Still Called The Blues (4:34)
12. Homesick For The Road (3:41)

Homesick for the Road provides a showcase for three fine blues singer/guitarists. The recording is clean and crisp, as is typical of the Telarc label, and the music cooks from start to finish. This disc provides an excellent introduction to each performer, with ample opportunities for each to shine.

Debbie Davies brings to mind Bonnie Raitt, with her appealing vocal timbre and bluesy delivery. The youthful Benoit sings with an authority beyond his 31 years, making Screamin' Jay Hawkins' classic "I Put a Spell on You" his own. Kenny Neal has the scruffy, soulful delivery of a man who knows what the blues are all about. His "I've Been Mistreated" sounds like a late '60s slice of Muscle Shoals soul.

All three of the co-leaders are excellent guitarists, and the band is solid and tight. Homesick for the Road rolls down the car window for an enticing look at three relatively young performers carrying the blues torch into the future. /Jim Newsom, AllMusic

(For complete personnel details, see artwork included.)

Homesick For The Road mc
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Kenny Neal & Billy Branch - Easy Meeting

Year: 2003
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:15
Size: 134,4 MB
Styles: Acoustic blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Going Down Slow (3:59)
2. The Son I Never Knew (Take 2) (6:03)
3. I Just Keep Loving Her (3:04)
4. My Babe (3:16)
5. Early One Morning (4:09)
6. Going To The Country (3:29)
7. Don't Start Me To Talking (4:31)
8. Mannish Boy (7:48)
9. Billy And Kenny's Stomp (4:45)
10. Baby Bee (4:25)
11. Northern Man Blues (6:44)
12. The Son I Never Knew (Take 1) (5:56)

The glut of recordings dropped on the blues market in recent years is a welcome addition for most, but a good portion of them have hardly seemed worth either the money or time invested. Few and far between sound as magnificent and rewarding as the Easy Meeting between Kenny Neal and Billy Branch. Although recorded in France in 1998, mastering wasn't completed until October of 2002, but this session is a much welcomed addition from both artists. Neal and Branch sat down for a mostly acoustic date and in the process paid tribute to St. Louis Jimmy with a fine version of Going Down Slow, and two Little Walter gems; I Just Keep Loving Her, where Branch offers stunning harp, while My Babe is a fresh take on a well-worn warhorse.

Vocal duties are evenly split between the duo with both appearing relaxed and solid; Neal's Early One Morning is impressive, and a slow and gripping Going To The Country could easily have been tracked five decades ago. Branch makes use of an amplifier for Sonny Boy Williamson's Don't Start Me To Talking and delivers a warmly distorted harp tone, and both plug in for Willie Dixon's Mannish Boy and Billy And Kenny's Stomp should remind some of the rich offerings from the Maxwell Street neighborhoods in the late 1940's. Busy Bee mines Slim Harpo territory and Branch's Northern Man Blues is a slow and rich grind with more distorted harp, and the disc closes with Neal's minor-key The Son I Never Knew, one of two takes, each of them lowdown and gritty. The depths of passion reached by Kenny Neal and Billy Branch are matched by their enthusiasm throughout and they manage a telepathy that makes them seem as if they're joined at the hip.

Note: This album was re-released in 2004, now entitled "Double Take".

Easy Meeting mc
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Various - Horn Band Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 98:38
Size: 225.8 MB
Styles: Assorted styles
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[1:39] 1. Corey Harris - Congo Square Rag
[3:12] 2. Big Twist & The Mellow Fellows - Pouring Water On A Drowning Man
[3:17] 3. Buddy Guy - I Can't Quit The Blues
[3:07] 4. Clarence Gatemouth Brown - She Walks Right In
[3:18] 5. Fenton Robinson - You Say You're Leaving
[3:43] 6. Lucky Peterson - Jammin' In The Jungle
[4:29] 7. Roomful Of Blues - You're Driving Me Crazy
[3:22] 8. Rufus Thomas - I Just Got To Know
[3:34] 9. Albert Collins - Snatchin' It Back
[4:52] 10. Bob Margolin - Lonesome Bedroom Blues
[4:32] 11. Clarence Gatemouth Brown - - Never Unpack Your Suitcase
[5:31] 12. Curtis Salgado - Gettin' To Know You
[2:24] 13. Nappy Brown With The Heartfixers - Hidden Charms
[8:12] 14. Big Twist & The Mellow Fellows - Steamroller Blues
[3:56] 15. Elvin Bishop - I'm Gone
[5:39] 16. Johnny Heartsman - Please Don't Be Scared Of My Love
[4:42] 17. Kenny Neal - Outside Looking In
[3:10] 18. Lucky Peterson - - Heart Attack
[2:55] 19. W.C. Clark - I've Been Searching
[5:18] 20. Lonnie Brooks - Alligators Around My Door
[4:25] 21. The Mellow Fellows - I've Got To Find A Way
[4:14] 22. Albert Collins - A Good Fool Is Hard To Find
[3:07] 23. Roomful Of Blues - Ain't Nothin' Happenin'
[5:47] 24. Rufus Thomas - Big Fine Hunk Of Woman

In the argot of American popular music, the word "horn" is used for any wind instrument, most often the saxophone, but it is also applied to all woodwinds and brasses, especially those played by soloists. In this context "horn section" refers to a group of wind and brass instrumentalists — usually comprising saxophone, trumpet and trombone players; sometime singularly, and sometimes in pairs or more of each instrument. The horn section usually has written parts which are prepared by an arranger using orchestration to provide a harmonic and melodic accompaniment to a song or musical group. In some cases, the horn section may improvise a simple backing part using well-known "stock" lines.

Horn sections are an integral part of musical genres such as jazz, R&B, blues, funk, calypso, ska, soul music and gospel music. Most of these horn sections feature some combination of saxophones, trumpets and trombones. More rarely, other wind or brass instruments such as flute, clarinet or tuba may be added. Other popular musical genres, such as rock and pop, also use horn sections.

Horn Band Blues mc
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Various - Back Porch Americana Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:37
Size: 157.1 MB
Styles: Assorted styles
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:20] 1. Marcia Ball - Married Life
[2:47] 2. Cephas & Wiggins - All I've Got Is Them Blues
[3:37] 3. Corey Harris - Bound To Miss Me
[3:31] 4. Ann Rabson - Serial Love
[3:36] 5. Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women - Too Much Butt
[4:04] 6. Tinsley Ellis - The Sun Is Shining
[4:28] 7. Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - Diggin' My Potatoes
[4:42] 8. The Siegel-Schwall Band - Afraid Of Love
[2:00] 9. Kenny Neal - Bad Luck Card
[3:19] 10. Little Charlie & The Nightcats - Steady Rollin' Man
[3:44] 11. Charlie Musselwhite - Make My Getaway
[2:58] 12. John Jackson - She's So Sweet
[3:22] 13. Bob Margolin - Big Tree Blues
[3:55] 14. Buckwheat Zydeco - Throw Me Something, Mister
[5:54] 15. Billy Boy Arnold - Young And Evil
[5:48] 16. Lonnie Brooks - Two Trains Running
[3:42] 17. The Holmes Brothers - Close The Door
[3:41] 18. Koko Taylor - I Got What It Takes

Back Porch Americana Blues mc
Back Porch Americana Blues zippy

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VA - Christmas Blues

Size: 174,4 MB
Time: 73:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Blues, Xmas
Art: Front

01 Marcia Ball - Christmas Fais Do Do (3:14)
02 Carey Bell - Christmas Train (3:36)
03 Lonnie Brooks - Christmas On The Bayou (4:46)
04 Charles Brown - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (3:12)
05 Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Christmas (3:12)
06 Michael Burks - Christmas Snow (4:00)
07 Lonnie Brooks - All I Want For Christmas (Is To Be With You) (4:56)
08 Cephas & Wiggins - Christmas Day Blues (3:09)
09 C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band - Zydeco Christmas (3:25)
10 W.C. Clark - Christmas Party (3:51)
11 William Clarke - Please Let Me Be Your Santa Claus (4:32)
12 Shemekia Copeland - Stay A Little Longer, Santa (4:24)
13 Tinsley Ellis - Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin' (3:22)
14 The Holmes Brothers - Back Door Santa (3:04)
15 Roomfull Of Blues - Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get The Blues (3:23)
16 Kenny Neal - Christmas Time In The Country (4:34)
17 Charlie Musselwhite - Silent Night (2:43)
18 Coco Montoya - A Bluesman's Christmas (4:30)
19 Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials - I'm Your Santa (2:54)
20 Little Charlie & The Nightcats - Santa Claus (2:57)

Christmas Blues

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Kenny Neal - A Tribute To Slim Harpo And Raful Neal

Size: 89,9 MB
Time: 38:53
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Modern Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Rainin' In My Heart (3:38)
02. What A Dream (4:34)
03. Swamp Boogie (2:25)
04. Late Last Nite (5:03)
05. King Bee (4:28)
06. Te-Ni-Ne-Ni-Nu (3:30)
07. Scratch My Back (3:13)
08. Baby Bee (5:07)
09. Worry, Worrin' (3:32)
10. Got Love If You Want It (3:20)

Kenny Neal is among the most impressive of contemporary blues artists. Son of Baton Rouge legend Raful, he has been a progressive torch bearer of that city’s blues tradition and impresses by his uncrushed, at times lazy sounding musical style. Back in 2006 I purchased his tribute to Slim Harpo and his father. This has become a collector's item, but is available as downloads for those who can't afford what folks are asking for the actual CD.

One of the most versatile as well as skilled blues artists working today, Kenny Neal has just issued a new disc that goes to the roots of his music, A Tribute to Slim Harpo & Raful Neal (True Light Entertainment). Originally this was a Slim Harpo tribute by him and his father, the late Raful Neal. They recruited James Johnson and Rudolph Richard from Slim Harpo’s original band to participate in this. Ten Slim Harpo songs were recorded when Kenny went on tour and in the interim Raful was diagnosed with bone cancer so Kenny was among those looking after his dad who passed away September 1, 2004. Going back to the tapes he listened to the tapes and decided to release what was initially a tribute to Slim Harpo also as a tribute to his dad.

Kenny shares the vocals with his father, with the exception of What a Dream on which James Johnson sings while the band captures the understated, laconic grooves that made Harpo’s originals so classic. Raful opens the set with a nice vocal and some harp on Rainin’ in My Heart, while Kenny and Raful swap harp riffs on Swamp Boogie. Raful comes across very appealingly on King Bee, Scratch My Back and Got Love If You Want It, while the two share the vocals on Late Last Nite, with Kenny taking the vocal prior to the harp break which is followed by Raful singing and closing the song with his nicely played harp, and Te-Ni-Ne-Ni-Nu where Raful takes the lead with Kenny joining in on the chorus.

Its nice to hear this played in such a nice relaxed manner, lacking the frenzy or overstatement that mars some rock interpretations of this material. Kenny Neal and his late dad have put together a small gem of a disc, and if playing time is a little short, there is no frills or filler here. Highly recommended. ~Review by Ron W

A Tribute To Slim Harpo And Raful Neal

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Mitch Woods - Friends Along The Way (Bonus Track Edition)

Size: 173,0 MB
Time: 73:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01. Take This Hammer (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (6:04)
02. CC Rider (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (5:38)
03. Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket (Feat. Elvin Bishop) (4:06)
04. Singin' The Blues (Feat. Ruthie Foster) (4:02)
05. Mother In Law Blues (Feat. John Hammond) (3:19)
06. Cryin' For My Baby (Feat. Charlie Musselwhite) (6:42)
07. Nasty Boogie (Feat. Joe Louis Walker) (3:58)
08. Empty Bed Blues (Feat. Maria Muldaur) (4:53)
09. Bluesmobile (Feat. Kenny Neil) (3:27)
10. The Blues (Feat. Cyril Neville) (5:38)
11. Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man (Feat. Elvin Bishop) (2:55)
12. Blues Gave Me A Ride (Feat. Charlie Musselwhite) (2:27)
13. Chicago Express (Feat. James Cotton) (2:29)
14. Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive (Feat. John Lee Hooker) (5:11)
15. Midnight Hour Blues (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (4:30)
16. In The Night (Feat. Marcia Ball) (2:58)
17. Take This Hammer (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (Radio Version) (5:18)

The theme of friendship has carried Mitch Woods along through his career and has led him to this, his current duets and trios project…. Friends Along The Way. Featuring Guests: Van Morrison, Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Joe Louis Walker, Maria Muldaur, Cyril Neville, Marcia Ball, John Hammond, Kenny Neal, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker and more… Mitch Woods has delivered a career spanning tour de force. What you hear on these songs is a simple duo or trio of musicians each expressing their innermost feelings and emotions through their instrument….the voice, piano, guitar, harmonica, tambourine…anything that can communicate the feelings, the rhythms of life to the audience. Friends Along The Way finds Mitch reaching into his historical sense of music. He reaches backwards to the roots rather than forward for his inspiration. This shines through on the first single “Take This Hammer” featuring a stunning vocal performance from Van Morrison and backed on guitar by Taj Mahal and of course Mitch Woods on piano. With Friends Along The Way, Mitch wanted to get a chance to play with some of his contemporaries in an intimate and mostly unplugged environment. The piano as an instrument lends itself to this format so perfectly. Mitch can play rhythm, lead, bass, and sing while accompanying some of his friends, who happen to be today’s blues and musical greats. It is a great instrument for bringing out the best of these awesome artists who are keeping the blues flame burning for generations to come. Some say music is a gift. It is a gift, not only to the person who performs it but to the world. The musicians you hear in these songs have spent a lifetime doing what they love to do….play music. Enjoy…this album is Mitch Wood’s gift to you.

Friends Along The Way

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Kenny Neal - Let Life Flow

Year: 2008
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:12
Size: 115,3 MB
Styles: Electric blues, soul-blues
Scans: Full

1. Let Life Flow (4:38)
2. Blues, Leave Me Alone (5:03)
3. You've Got To Hurt Before You Heal (5:14)
4. Louisiana Stew (4:23)
5. Starlight Diamond (3:16)
6. Another Man's Cologne (4:50)
7. Broken Dreams (4:51)
8. Bleeding Heart (4:04)
9. Since I Met You Baby (4:55)
10. Fly Away (4:38)
11. It Don't Make Sense You Can't Make Peace (4:16)

Son of Louisiana bluesman Raful Neal, young Kenny had some big shoes to fill, but he's been more than up to the task. He plays bass, guitar, trumpet, piano and guitar, and worked in Toronto with the Downchild Blues Band as well as with his siblings in the Neal Brothers Band before returning to Louisiana in 1987 to cut his debut, Bio on the Bayou. Since then Neal has continued to blend his swampy roots with soul and R&B to put his own contemporary spin on the blues. Let Life Flow finds the 50-year-old bluesman in fine voice delivering four originals and seven covers.

Neal accents "Louisiana Stew" with a long, jaunty, country flavored harp solo, while on "Fly Away" he drops a bit of sage spiritual advice into the mix. His Memphis-style guitar fills accent the tune, but it's his gospel drenched vocals that standout. The title track has a soulful '70s feel, with Neal's Al Green influenced vocal, and subtle horn accents from Joe Campbell's trumpet and LeRoy Harper's sax. "Since I Met You Baby," the Ivory Joe Hunter chestnut gets taken back to its blues roots by Neal's gritty delivery. His mellow guitar solo, full of slow bent notes and full round tones complement Lucky Peterson's rolling piano work.

"It Don't Make Sense, You Can't Make Peace," a Willie Dixon tune, has a swampy groove with a slight Latin tinge, mournful backing vocals, and Neal's sanctified lead vocal. "Another Man's Cologne" tells a familiar story of infidelity. Neal's sneering, slightly bemused vocal and stinging guitar tell the sad story to a funky backbeat. "You've Got to Hurt Before You Heal," another simmering slow blues, lets Neal show off his soulful vocal style with Peterson supplying sanctified organ work. Neal is in fine voice throughout and his understated bluesy guitar works fine, but nothing here really catches fire. /AllMusic

Let Life Flow mc
Let Life Flow zippy

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Phil Gates - The Twelve Rhythms

Size: 145,9 MB
Time: 62:31
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues Funk, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. New Kinda Funky ( 3:48)
02. We Are The Ones ( 4:51)
03. Your Needs Were More ( 3:26)
04. Honey Hush ( 5:44)
05. You Want Me ( 4:12)
06. You Cannot (Feat. Eric Gales) ( 4:29)
07. We're Together ( 4:41)
08. We Havin' Us (Feat. Kenny Neal) ( 4:58)
09. Turn Me Up ( 4:37)
10. The Machine (Feat. Kenny Neal) ( 3:52)
11. Let Yourself ( 6:41)
12. I Love The Way (Feat. Poncho Willaims & Rob Mullins) (11:07)

Phil Gates was born in Chicago Ill., into a family of musicians that helped form his music style, and ability. Phil began playing musical instruments at the age of eight, and listening to a wide array of music has always been his main source of inspiration. Phil has played venues from small clubs, to the U.S. Air Force’s “Tops in Blue” World Tour, which performed in sixteen countries as well as the halftime show of the NFL Superbowl.

Phil has performed at many venues all over the world with his band. Also, the band was featured for five consecutive years on Hornblower Cruise’s “Friday Night Blues Dinner Cruise”. Phil’s style is reminiscent of the early high energy Buddy Guy, mixed with a special blend of flavors from Jazz, Fusion, New Orleans, and the Chicago, Delta, and Mississippi Blues styles.

The Phil Gates Band won the “Beale Street Blues Kings” Competition in Memphis, and competed in the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge.
Phil has been steady contributor to the Blues Community in Southern California. He founded the Los Angeles Blues Society, and has been a valued judge for the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN, and also at many of the Guitar Center “King of the Blues” competitions in Hollywood, CA

Phil has also performed at great venues such as B.B. King’s, Cozy’s, Biscuits and Blues San Francisco, Highway 99 Seattle, WA, The Coach House, CA, The Monterey Bay Blues Festival, The Santa Clarita Blues Festival, The Topanga Canyon Blues Festival, The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, The Blues Music Awards Blind Raccoon Showcase, The Blues Nights Gossau(Blues Festival in Gossau, Switzerland), The Rock und Blues Festival in Gams, Switzerland.

Phil had the opportunity in his early years to listen and study great talent. As front of house engineer at the Caravan of Dreams Performing Arts Centre in Fort Worth, Texas, Phil worked with some of Blues and Jazz’s greatest performers to include: Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King, Dizzie Gilespie, Wynton & Branford Marsalis, Kevin Eubanks, Eartha Kitt, Dianne Reeves, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and many others.

The Twelve Rhythms

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Joe Louis Walker's Blues Conspiracy - Live On The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise

Year: 2010
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:53
Size: 170,0 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Scans: Full

1. Slow Down GTO (w. Mike Finnigan) (6:08)
2. Ain't That Cold (w. Johnny Winter) (5:49)
3. You're Gonna Make Me Cry (w. Curtis Salgado & Mike Finnigan) (8:04)
4. Eyes Like A Cat (w. Tommy Castro, Tom Poole, Deanna Bogart, Keith Crossan) (5:46)
5. Ten More Shows To Play (w. Kirk Fletcher) (5:44)
6. Born In Chicago (w. Jason Ricci, Paris Slim, Nick Moss) (5:53)
7. Sugar Mama (w. Watermelon Slim) (11:59)
8. Tell Me Why (w. Duke Robillard & Todd Sharpville) (7:10)
9. A Poor Man's Plea (w. Kenny Neal) (5:15)
10. It's A Shame (w. Linwood Taylor, Kevin Burton, Henry Oden, Jeff Minnieweather) (5:25)
11. 747 (w. Paul Nelson, Tab Benoit, Mitch Woods) (6:33)

The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise is one of those excursions on which a batch of musicians are put on a cruise ship with their fans for a few days of playing on the high seas, which makes it an ideal occasion for a live album packed with guests. Joe Louis Walker, appearing with his regular backup band (Linwood Taylor on second guitar, Kevin Burton on keyboards, Henry Oden on bass, and Jeff Minnieweather on drums), welcomes 18 guests on these 11 tracks, most prominent among them Johnny Winter and Duke Robillard.

In fact, his interactions with such fellow guitarists are among the high points on the disc. Walker revisits his own repertoire, dating back to his debut album, Cold Is the Night ("Ten More Shows to Play") and its follow-up, The Gift ("747"), along with tracks from his last couple of records. His is an electric blues sound that, while rooted in tradition, also came along after such blues-rock acts as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream, and there are occasional echoes of that style. It may be that, given the circumstances, the players were inclined to let themselves go a bit more than usual; after all, nobody had to worry about driving home.

In any case, the arrangements can be stretched out to the point of being a little loose and ragged, and the singing, while enthusiastic, can be too. Most of that singing is done by Walker himself, and it's possible that he makes a point in a sleeve note of saying the album has no overdubs or fixes as a way of explaining the occasional croakiness in his voice. Such imperfections are more than offset, however, by the enthusiasm with which everybody plays. /William Ruhlmann, AllMusic

Live On The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise mc
Live On The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise zippy

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Kenny Neal - Bloodline

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:33
Size: 102.0 MB
Styles: Louisiana blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:16] 1. Ain't Gon' Let The Blues Die
[3:48] 2. Bloodline
[5:11] 3. Plain Old Common Sense
[4:45] 4. Funny How Time Slips Away
[3:47] 5. Keep On Moving
[3:43] 6. I Go By Feel
[3:41] 7. I'm So Happy
[4:00] 8. Blues Mobile
[3:48] 9. I Can't Wait
[3:51] 10. Real Friend
[4:38] 11. Thank You Bb King

2016 release. Multi-talented New Orleans bluesman Kenny Neal, son of Louisiana legend Raful Neal, proudly presents a celebration of his family heritage with this stellar studio album. A member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and a multi-award winning talent, Neal has never sounded better than he does here, offering some of the most moving songwriting and performances of his incredible career. Bloodline proves that the blues is most definitely in the blood - no less than eight members of the Neal clan lend their musical talents to this unique album, making it a true family affair.

Bloodline

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Various - Blues: S**t My Dad Listened To

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:10
Size: 149.2 MB
Styles: Assorted blues styles
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Hound Dog Taylor - Rock Me
[2:39] 2. Junior Wells - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
[2:28] 3. John Hammond, Jr. - Seventh Son
[3:18] 4. Kenneth Banks - Blue Man
[5:29] 5. Michael Messer - Robert Johnson's Wake
[4:01] 6. Corey Harris & Henry Butler - King Cotton
[2:18] 7. James Cotton Blues Band - Cotton Crop Blues
[2:34] 8. Howlin' Wolf - Dorothy Mae
[3:13] 9. William Clarke - Fishin' Blues
[3:39] 10. Lil Charlie & The Nightcats - My Money's Green
[5:12] 11. Koko Taylor - The Man Next Door
[5:05] 12. Shemekia Copeland - The Fool You're Looking For
[2:41] 13. Charlie Musselwhite - My Road Lies
[2:32] 14. Kenny Neal - Early One Morning
[3:11] 15. Jimmy Johnson Blues Band - Ain't That Just Like A Woman
[3:01] 16. Luther 'Guitar Junior' Johnson - Just Like Mama Said
[3:48] 17. Clarence Gatemouth Brown - Digging New Ground
[2:58] 18. Billy Boy Arnold - Move On Down The Road
[3:07] 19. The Holmes Brothers - Rounding Third

Blues: S**t My Dad Listened To

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Kenny Neal - I'll Be Home For Christmas

Size: 110,9 MB
Time: 47:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Blues, Xmas
Art: Front

01. Christmas Comes But Once A Year (5:19)
02. Silver Bells (4:28)
03. Winter Wonderland (3:04)
04. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (2:47)
05. Please Come Home For Christmas (3:23)
06. I'll Be Home For Christmas (5:00)
07. Merry Christmas Baby (Version 2) (3:40)
08. Lonesome Christmas (6:29)
09. Merry Christmas Baby (Version 1) (6:00)
10. O Come All Ye Faithful (3:36)
11. Silent Night (3:34)

A Louisiana-flavored Christmas album from New Orleans blues singer/guitarist, Kenny Neal!

Neal has received multiple awards including the Blues Music Award for Song Of The Year and the Monterey Bay Blues Artist Of The Year Award - he has also earned multiple Grammy nominations and was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in 2011!

This album mixes both traditional and modern holiday favorites to enrich anyone's season!

I'll Be Home For Christmas

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