Koes'Mo' - That's What People Call the Blues

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:55:06 
Size:126,8 MB 
Label:Musichub 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. That's What People Call the Blues - 4:22
 2. Born Under a Bad Sign - 4:57
 3. Cash on Delivery - 3:49
 4. Poor Boys Blues - 3:15
 5. Fine Wine Woman - 4:24
 6. This Is the Song, This Is Your Song - 4:03
 7. Lots of Fun - 3:52
 8. Valet Parking Guy - 3:16
 9. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out - 3:40
10. When, When, When - 3:22
11. Sittin' Here Thinking - 4:56
12. Power of the Blues - 3:42
13. I Play the Blues for You - 7:26

"That's What People Call the Blues" is an upcoming album by the German blues duo Koes'Mo', scheduled for release on October 27, 2026.
What makes this project unique is the musicians' focus on creative arrangements, offering fresh and unexpected takes on traditional blues. The duo consists of Fritz Köster (guitar, vocals) and Max "Mojo" Moritz (bass, production)—the name itself is derived from the highlighted letters of their names. Koes'Mo' have long been active on the music scene and are known for preserving the authenticity of the genre while infusing it with a contemporary sound.

That's What People Call the Blues

That's What People Call the Blues (Y)

Jason Pastras Trio - No Light That I Can See

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:45:25 
Size:105,9 MB 
Label:ExtraPlush! 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. No Light That I Can See - 7:02
 2. The Reverend - 4:06
 3. Domestication Blues - 5:47
 4. Get That Rider - 4:37
 5. So Many Devils - 5:29
 6. Woe Is Me - 3:38
 7. Count Slackula - 3:46
 8. No Luck - 5:08
 9. Girl U Like - 5:48

The Jason Pastras Trio is a progressive Blues band with subversive tendencies. Well versed in classic blues styles, but with an explorative bent, the band is driven to amalgamate the traditional with the ephemeral and esoteric. Soulful, reverb-soaked shuffles meet grinding riffage, psychedelic soundscapes, and percolating instrumental interludes. The Jason Pastras Trio weaves threads of bluesy instrumental prowess through imaginative, original songwriting.
Jason Pastras Portrait
Though he's garnered the experience to establish himself as a journeyman of the Atlanta Blues scene, Jason Pastras is no traditionalist. The Jason Pastras Trio takes a progressive view of the blues, letting it rock, groove, or freak out if the moment requires. Original songwriting, fresh takes on classics, and unfettered jamming are the hallmarks of a dynamic trio that keeps its focus on generating optimal vibrations for the people.
Jason Pastras: "My dad was a big blues fan, and he was also part of the Woodstock generation. When I was first learning to play, my first hero was Billy Gibbons. I was obsessed with the Deguello record. When my Dad saw I was into that, he got me three key records: B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream, and I played them non-stop and learned every lick I could. That led me to Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter (he was a big influence - I saw him live three times in the early days of my playing), Albert Collins, and more."
At the same time I was learning more traditional blues, I was also heavily attuned to bands that took the blues and added something very unique: Jimi Hendrix(the GOAT), Cream, ZZ Top(the first 6 records), and Santana.
"As a kid, Albert King was always playing in the the house and the car, too. We always listened to Rogene Bailey's blues show on WCLK, which hipped me to a lot of players, like Anson Funderburgh, Tinsley Ellis, the Kinsey Report, Johnny Copeland. At some point around this time, Stevie Ray Vaughan was on Austin City Limits, and it blew my mind! What a time for the blues!"
"There was a period of time during which classic blues was the template for my band's sound, but I always wander back to something that combines the raw bluesiness of a unit like the Jelly Roll Kings with 70's funkiness and creativity of albums like Completely Well, Texas Cannonball, and I'll Play the Blues For You, plus the fuzzed-out psychedelia that I've always loved."
Looking back, Jason Pastras is suprised to find himself a kind of veteran of Atlanta's Blues scene. He's been a mainstay at Fat Matt's for decades. He hosted the popular Darwin's blues jam for several years in the 2000's, playing with scores of established and up-and-coming Atlanta luminaries. He's played a wide range of venues over the years, from Blind Willie's to the Earl.

No Light That I Can See
No Light That I Can See (Y)

Big Jim Kohler - Two Dollars Short

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:30:34 
Size:72,7 MB 
Label:Blues Wolf Records 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Jim Dont Lie - 4:24
 2. One Trick Pony - 6:14
 3. Kohler's in Nola - 2:18
 4. Chicago Shootout - 2:16
 5. Mr Whoopie - 3:43
 6. Two Dollars Short - 3:25
 7. The River - 4:09
 8. Another Story - 4:01

Big Jim Kohler released the album "Two Dollars Short" in October 2026.
Big Jim has traveled to Chicago to play with Son, the great Lindsay Alexander, Charlie Love and others in clubs such as Kingston Mines and Buddy Guy’s Legends. At home the J.K.B. has played such great venues as Chicago Blues, Kenny’s Castaway, and the Sugar Bar in N.Y.C., Stephen Talkhouse on Long Island and the Ocean Mist Club in RI. The bands live C.D. “Way Down In The Blues” was recorded at Louie’s Lounge a great Long Island blues club. In Sept. 06’ David Bromberg sat in with Big Jim after a L.I. gig. When not working Jim can be found sitting in with Scott Holt, Paul Zunno, Larry McCray, Michael Powers or a host of local or national acts!

Two Dollars Short

Two Dollars Short (Y)

Darondo - Let My People Go

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2006
Time:35:43 
Size:82,2 MB 
Label:Luv n' Haight 
Styles:Funk/Soul/R&B 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Let My People Go - 3:58
 2. Legs - 3:44
 3. Didn't I - 3:29
 4. I Want Your Love so Bad - 4:10
 5. How I Got Over - 3:42
 6. My Momma and My Poppa - 4:11
 7. Sure Know How to Love Me - 3:22
 8. Listen to My Song - 4:17
 9. True - 4:47

You might have heard Darondo's irresistable soul nugget "Didn't I" - as the opening cut on the Gilles Peterson Digs America compilation. Back in the day he was seen cruising around town in a white Rolls Royce with a "Darondo" license plate. He opened-up for James Brown and lived a colorful lifestyle hanging with folks like the notorious Fillmore Slim. Take a listen to these tracks, released for the first time together on an album, and you may agree that he could have been the next Al Green or Sly Stone. But about 25 years ago Darondo disappeared. Let My People Go is nine tracks long, compiling the three super-rare 7" singles that comprised Darondo's musical career and includes three previously unreleased tracks recently found on a reel of demos. Mixing low-rider soul with blues and r'n'b, he delivered in a variety of styles. From the socially-charged title track to the sexually-driven funk of "Legs" Darondo's raw soul sound is turning heads worldwide.

Let My People Go
Let My People Go (Y)

Dario Lombardo & The Blues Gang - Searchin for Gold

Bitrate:320K/s

Year:2003
Time:40:10 
Size:92,7 MB 
Label:Il Popolo Del Blues 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Lonesome Blues - 3:37
 2. I Can't Stand the Pain - 4:49
 3. Sorry Don't Fix - 4:15
 4. Bad Neighborhoods - 4:28
 5. Searchin for Gold - 4:11
 6. new Age Blues - 2:49
 7. I Still Call It the Blues - 3:14
 8. I'm Tired - 5:03
 9. K's Waves - 3:47
10. It's Breakin Me Up - 3:55

Italian singer and guitar player Dario Lombardo has produced a personal cd with an extreme good taste and musical cleverness Lombardo has included ten good songs in his new cd, nine own compositions and one version He is also backed by a bunch of good musicians who have perfectly understood Dario’s musical message and become involved into the whole project with great ability, which gives as a result a very efficient performing Dario Lombardo and his Blues Gang have take benefit to their knowledge of genuine blues, to make them become a more conceptual music, and play them from a new innovative, fine and brave way.

Searchin for Gold
Searchin for Gold (Y)

Danny Moon - To Good To Be Bad

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2000
Time:38:51 
Size:89,6 MB 
Label:S-R 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Black Cloud - 5:09
 2. To Good to be Bad - 4:11
 3. Two Jobs - 4:21
 4. Somebody Elses Blues - 4:02
 5. A Mans Gotta Do - 2:52
 6. Red Hot - 3:19
 7. Back in Your Arms - 4:31
 8. Want it to Work Out - 2:44
 9. Heart of Gold - 3:57
10. De Same Way - 3:40

"Too Good to Be Bad" is a studio album by American musician Danny Moon (a pseudonym for Daniel Malone), released in 2000.

To Good To Be Bad
To Good To Be Bad (Y)

Tab Benoit - Blues Masters Live (Live)

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:75:46 
Size:174,2 MB 
Label:Whiskey Bayou Records 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Muddy Bottom Blues (Live) - 5:38
 2. Her Mind Is Gone (Live) - 4:37
 3. Nice and Warm (Live) - 8:47
 4. Let Love Take Control (Live) - 7:26
 5. Dog Hill (Live) - 6:20
 6. I Got Loaded (Live) - 8:02
 7. Louisiana Style (Live) - 6:08
 8. Crawfishin' (Live) - 4:55
 9. Mardi Gras Medley (Live) - 9:40
10. Cherry Tree Blues (Live) - 8:11
11. Bayou Boogie (Live) - 5:56

More than two decades after the tapes were made, Acoustic Sounds is opening one of the most intriguing chapters of its blues archive. The new Blues Masters Live series launches October 2 with previously unreleased performances by Tab Benoit and Tony Joe White, recorded at Blue Heaven Studios in Salina, Kansas in 2002 and 2003.
The recordings come from Blues Masters at the Crossroads, the concert series held at Blue Heaven Studios from 1998 through 2018. Across those two decades, generations of blues musicians performed inside the former Gothic-style church that Acoustic Sounds transformed into its renowned recording venue.
Rather than simply documenting another night on tour, these recordings captured the artists directly to two-track half-inch tape at 15 inches per second. More than twenty years later, those original analog tapes now form the foundation of the first two releases in the new archival series.

Blues Masters Live (Live)
Blues Masters Live (Live) [Y]

Mr Bob`s Machinery - Fourange

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:41:14 
Size:95,3 MB 
Label:S-R 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. All I Do Is The Blues - 3:57
 2. I Love You Still - 3:43
 3. First Time - 4:13
 4. Contract With The Devil - 4:21
 5. Sweetest Smile - 5:26
 6. Back In The Woods - 3:01
 7. Just You Bring Me Some Loving - 3:56
 8. Miss Your Kiss - 3:08
 9. You're Giving Me The Blues - 3:14
10. My Baby's Bad - 3:11
11. I Got Some Tricks Up My Sleeves - 2:58

A blues-infused powerhouse: MR BOB’S MACHINERY – A band that, with four albums of self-crafted blues under their belt, knows how to get everything moving. In just three years—marked by four released albums and a multitude of live performances—MR BOB’S MACHINERY has firmly established itself on the Swedish blues scene. MR BOB’S MACHINERY writes original blues that resonates with a wide audience; it is engaging, challenging, and full of groove and humor, while remaining accessible and relatable. On Spotify, the band has currently surpassed a quarter of a million streams. MR BOB’S MACHINERY offers an experience that sets the walls, the floor, and the crowd into a state of pure, rhythmic vibration. (Be sure to check out their YouTube channel, where they have posted several full concerts.) MR BOB’S MACHINERY consists of: Pea “Mr. Bob” Sjölén – Guitar, Vocals; Andreas “Mr. Bassman” Hennius – Bass; Gerhard “Joppe the Beat” Johansson – Drums; Andreas “Burning Keys” Kembler Widmark – Keyboards; Arne “Arnenym” Hedberg – Harmonica; and Anders “Loudmouth” Söderberg. MR BOB’S MACHINERY hails from the area spanning southern Uppsala and northern Stockholm County.

Fourange
Fourange (Y)

Alex Kilroy - New Shade Of Blue

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:28:44 
Size:66,3 MB 
Label:PARC Records 
Styles:Blues
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Crossroads On My Mind - 3:57
 2. New Shade Of Blue - 4:44
 3. Sacred Ground - 5:27
 4. Sacred Ground (Reprise) - 3:26
 5. Make It Stop Raining - 4:04
 6. Living For The City - 4:34
 7. Life By The Drop - 2:30

Alex Kilroy has announced a new EP, New Shade of Blue, due October 23.  The EP follows Kilroy’s debut album, Break My Chains, which was released in May. While that album incorporated blues rock, Southern influences, gospel, pop and melodic songwriting, New Shade of Blue moves toward a more traditional blues sound. The seven-track EP also includes renditions of Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City” and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Life By The Drop.” Kilroy recorded the latter on August 27, 2026, in memory of Vaughan’s life and legacy.

New Shade Of Blue
New Shade Of Blue (Y)

Mark Van Mourik - Not A Given

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:46:06 
Size:105,9 MB 
Label:S-R (Self-Released) 
Styles:Blues/Electric Blues/Blues Rock 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Blame It On The Water - 3:44
 2. Not A Given - 7:05
 3. Just One More Blues Song (Alternate Version) - 4:00
 4. Keeps Me Up - 4:11
 5. Mistreated (Alternate Version) - 9:06
 6. Not So Kind - 3:49
 7. We Get Up - 5:32
 8. One Last Song - 8:36

Mark’s musical journey began at an early age, copying his father on a toy guitar. Seeing this, Mark’s Dad gave him his old acoustic nylon string guitar.  Mark’s father saw he had to use three fingers to play one note, so quickly thereafter a smaller size acoustic guitar was made available.  His father taught him three chords and from then on Mark went to explore the guitar on his own.  A gifted ear and a natural understanding of chord progressions helped him to learn to play along with songs from his father’s records of artists like BB King, The Eagles, CCR, Eric Clapton, The Everly Brothers, Elvis, Fats Domino,  The Shadows, Freddy Fender, John Denver and even The Beach Boys as earliest influences. He soon realized that when you put microphones inside the body of the guitar and cranked up the volume, distorted notes would come out.  Soon the speakers of the home sound system were broken.  After saving money by doing extra choirs, Mark bought his first electric guitar, a red and brown Avora.  Now he was ready to perform at school and was also welcomed to the stage to play with his father’s band, starting out playing with his back toward the audience. Then Mark joined the school band and started playing with other young musicians in town.  Around this time, he was first exposed to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix.  A new musical interest was sparked and soon Mark bought his first Jimi Hendrix vinyl, Live at Winterland . “Wow, these strange noises came out of that guitar?”  To much delight of the neighbors, Mark and his brother on drums started their own “Experience” in the attic.
Playing in local bands, Mark copied the gimmicks of Jimi Hendrix by playing with his teeth, behind his head and back and with lots of distortion.  The rock genre of the nineties and local musicians influenced his choice of music. His father was also a huge influence on him, explaining; “It is not about how fast you play or how many notes,  it is about playing with a feeling and hitting the right note at the right time.  Listen to the Blues.”  The Blues were always around and as Mark grew up, the appreciation for his father’s words grew with his appreciation for the Blues.In 1995, Mark met Roy Roberts, a Bluesman from the United States.  Being a fantastic singer and performer, Roy was hitting the right note at the right time.  When acquainted, Mark and Roy jammed together at the local Blues Cafe.  Impressed with the young man’s talent, Roy invited him to come to the U.S. to play and record with him and other affiliated artists. Together they toured across the United States and Europe, where Roy often introduced Mark as his adopted son. Mark has had the privilege of playing music with artists such as; Roy Roberts, Taj Mahal, Barbara Weathers, Floyd Miles (featuring Gregg Allman), Skeeter Brandon, Priscilla Price, Chick Willis, Sandra Hall, D.C. Bellamy, Tom Browne, William Bell, Willy “Big Eyes” Smith, Yahzarah, B. B. King’s AllStar Band, Howard Tate and many other fine musicians.
Being in the U.S. and working with so many fantastic musicians exposed Mark to the roots of music styles like Blues, Jazz, R&B, Soul and Funk, which he has incorporated into his own style. Mark has recorded his own albums entitled Passages and Dutch Guy Playing the Blues, which have had airplay across the globe.  Mark currently resides in the Netherlands, where he has started his own Blues band.  Please be sure to check him out for yourself,  he plays “the right note at the right time”.  You’ll be glad you did!

Not A Given
Not A Given

The Sean Coleman Project - Apropos of Nothing

Bitrate:320K/s

Year:2026
Time:41:08 
Size:94,8 MB 
Label:MonkeyBigshow Records 
Styles:Rock/Blues Rock/Americana/ 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. You've Got to Choose (feat. Mia Boostrom) - 3:45
 2. Who I Am (feat. Elisa Smith) - 3:08
 3. Might Just Be My Day (feat. Brad Goff) - 3:59
 4. Jumping at the Chance (feat. Mia Boostrom) - 3:37
 5. Pray For Me (feat. Elisa Smith) - 3:20
 6. A Glimpse of Heaven (feat. Sean Coleman & Bill Danylik) - 3:24
 7. I Can Only Be Me (feat. Mia Boostrom & Laurie Ellington) - 3:21
 8. We're Not Speaking Anymore (feat. Mia Boostrom) - 3:41
 9. The Mourning Dove (feat. Mia Boostrom) - 4:15
10. Who We're Going to Be (feat. Elisa Smith) - 4:53
11. Pray For Me (feat. Mia Boostrom) (Acoustic Version Bonus Track) - 3:39

Apropos of Nothing’, the debut album from the Sean Coleman Project, has been pitched as “a throwback of sorts”, and it isn’t always hard to work out why. Coleman’s music takes in a wealth of classic influences, and his approach to recording – collaborating with as many folks as possible – has their mood of a latter day Santana project, if not the sound. ‘Apropos of Nothing’ is a celebration of old school album making in the truest sense; it isn’t really about the quick hits, or the effectiveness of streaming individual tracks. To get the best out of this record, the listener should sit back, make time, and digest everything as a whole, in the same way vinyl buyers did back in the 70s and 80s.

Apropos of Nothing
Apropos of Nothing (Y)

Trampled Under Foot - Badlands

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2013
Time:56:07 
Size:129,8 MB 
Label:Telarc 
Styles:Blues/Modern Electric Blues 
Art:Full 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Bad Bad Feeling - 3:53
 2. Dark Of The Night - 3:45
 3. Don't Want No Woman - 4:20
 4. Mary - 4:53
 5. Badlands - 4:32
 6. You Never Really Loved Me - 4:16
 7. Pain In My Mind - 3:37
 8. I Didn't Try - 3:57
 9. Desperate Heart - 4:07
10. Down To The River - 4:11
11. Home To You - 4:23
12. Two Go Down - 4:14
13. It's A Man's Man's Man's World - 5:50

There’s always something special about sibling groups.  Maybe it’s the fact that the related band members share much of their background with each other, resulting in the musical elements brought to the band coming from a similar place.  Or maybe it’s simply that there’s a heart-warming element to seeing brothers and sisters playing music together.  Either way, know that all three members of Trampled Under Foot share the same musical influences, the same drive for success, and the same parents. Trampled Under Foot’s major label debut, Badlands, has a particular unity to it.  The album will leave you feeling as though you’re going somewhere, and at thirteen tracks it takes its time.  The trio have an organic sound perhaps a little too lush for an album called Badlands.  Electric pianos and guitars quiver in and out atop heavy, driving drum work.  Vocal duty is split between Danielle and Nick Schnebelen, each bringing a different element to the music that goes beyond the difference between a male and female vocalist.  Nick’s voice has a soulful, rock and roll quality to it, whereas Danielle’s a strong earnestness.  The unabashed southern elements that comprise the instrumentation adhere well to Trampled Under Foot’s strong melodies, and Badlands avoids getting caught in the trap of monotony. Trampled Under Foot shines best in their edgier, riff-based songs, such as “I Didn’t Try.”  An element of quirkiness is added here as well, as the occasional bar is cut off halfway to make room for the next.  Nick’s steel guitar makes an appearance on “Down to the River,” which also has one of the catchiest hooks on the album.  There are some spectacular moments of brooding moodiness as well, such as the record’s title track.  Danielle’s writing has also gotten far more ambitious than the typical blues lyricism previous Trampled Under Foot releases have been comprised, of, even questioning traditional gender roles in “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” Trampled Under Foot have had some years to hone their craft, and it’s beginning to show.  Wrong Side of the Blues put them on the map, and now that Badlands has begun to enthrall listeners, it’s no doubt why Trampled Under Foot are being hailed as one of the more significant artists of the blues.  Badlands shows signs of ambition while still remaining catchy and accessible, and still staying true to blues. (https://bluesrockreview.com)

Badlands
Badlands (Y)

Marshall Lawrence - Where's The Party ?

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2003
Time:41:21 
Size:95,4 MB 
Label:Self-Released 
Styles:Blues/Electric Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Key To The Highway - 4:09
 2. I'll Play The Blues For You - 4:47
 3. Pour Me Another - 4:24
 4. How Many More Years - 4:44
 5. Snatch It Back And Hold It - 3:13
 6. But I Forgive You Blues - 3:29
 7. There's Something On Your Mind - 3:52
 8. Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do - 4:54
 9. I Just Want To Make Love To You - 3:47
10. Hey Brother - 3:57

On “Where’s The Party ?” Marshall Lawrence took traditional blues songs and infused them with a raw, fiery energy. It’s a wild ride he likes to call “acid blues”.  On this album, Marshall paid homage to the great veterans of the blues and also included a couple of his original tunes. “Where’s The Party ?” is an album for traditional blues enthusiasts who seek electrifying performances and an enigmatic blues experience.

Where's The Party ?
Where's The Party ? (Y)

Elam McKnight & Bob Bogdal - The Rural Wasteland: Postcards from a Zombie Nation

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:45:29 
Size:105,2 MB 
Label:BBH Productions 
Styles:Blues/Blues Rock/Country 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Pojo’s Place (2006) - 4:13
 2. Fever Dream - 4:14
 3. The Rural Wasteland - 3:39
 4. Red Sarong - 4:30
 5. Catacombs of My Mind - 4:02
 6. Wicked Highway - 3:34
 7. This Old World Is Wicked - 2:32
 8. Kool-Aid - 3:28
 9. Sticky - 4:28
10. Zombification - 3:47
11. Pojo's Place (2026) [Extended Jam] - 6:56

Blues-Rock Duo Elam McKnight & Bob Bogdal Confront the American Farm Crisis on Haunting New album “The Rural Wasteland: Postcards from a Zombie-Land".
 Eschewing political talking points for plainspoken, hard-country truth, the track acts as a stark, sonic documentary of the modern family farmer fighting for economic survival against shifting tariffs, industrial consolidation, and systemic neglect.
What maximizes is how the album balances melancholy with a sense of subtle protest, never shouting but still clearly making its point. Each guitar line feels settled, as if it belongs to a place time has slowly passed through. There’s a quiet emotional weight within the performance that lingers after the final note. It’s a simple but powerful reminder that rural stories deserve to be heard and remembered with care and honesty, making it a heartfelt and truly human piece of music today.

The Rural Wasteland: Postcards from a Zombie Nation
The Rural Wasteland: Postcards from a Zombie Nation (Y)

Eric Johanson - The Open Bayou

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:42:23 
Size:99,8 MB 
Label:Levee Ward Records 
Styles:Blues Rock 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Till the Sun Swallows the Earth - 3:49
 2. Shake The Fever - 4:11
 3. Mercy and Madness - 4:24
 4. Alligator Smile - 3:30
 5. The Open Bayou - 5:09
 6. Still I Move - 4:29
 7. Lay Your Trouble - 4:00
 8. Back Down in New Orleans - 4:10
 9. Castaway - 4:42
10. What Makes You Real - 3:55

New Orleans’ guitar slinger Eric Johanson’s fifth studio set of originals (released Oct. 16) is the first he produced. It’s also the debut for his own label, Levee Ward Records. As such, he proudly takes complete responsibility for every aspect of this recording. And since he has been at it for nearly a decade, he is experienced enough to know what he wants and how to get it. That’s made clear in the pre-release notes where he states “With this record, I didn’t explain anything. I followed the ideas all the way through.”
The basic tracks were laid down in just three days, between live shows, with his tight touring bass and drums duo. That yields a rawer, less structured ambiance, helped enormously by mixing pro Bill Skibbe whose work with Jack White, The Kills and the always unpredictable, gritty and minimalistic Jon Spencer, precedes him. Skibbe’s understanding of how to squeeze the most out of Johanson’s guitar, without overdubs, is one of the many striking aspects of ‘The Open Bayou.’ That’s not to disparage Jesse Dayton’s terrific production of 2023s ‘The Deep and the Dirty,’ also recorded live in the studio, which debuted in the top spot on Billboard’s Blues Chart. But with no one else calling balls and strikes this time, Johanson is particularly proud of this collection. As usual, although blues is the basic thread, Johanson expands into hard rock, 70s psychedelia, and a more eclectic sound. It’s honed and enhanced by Skibbe’s hand and the band connecting in the studio, allowing the songs to flow where the guitarist is most comfortable without outside interference. The one constant is a swampy vibe often prevalent in the music of his New Orleans hometown. Thumping drums vibrate through the title track’s riffs where the rhythm section lays down an ominously boiling undercurrent allowing Johanson’s guitar to shift into an Allman Brothers Band-inflected solo.
The thickness that squirms between the slow, time-bomb ticking heartbeat of “Castaway” is another example of how these songs explode out of the speakers with taut, controlled power. “And I do what I want, and I get what I need…so take all my devotion, just a drop in the ocean” he sings, which could refer to a relationship with a lover or the music he makes. Regardless his Duane Allman-influenced solo pushes the song to the next level without slavishly emulating the deceased guitar icon’s style. Johanson is known for his slide prowess, spotlighted on “Mercy and Madness.” He takes us to the album’s titular bayou, creeping, crawling and gradually submerging the song into the Southern recesses of his psyche. His guitar wrenches and pulls the listener into a dim world where “Sparks fly when the wind blows/Live wire hanging so low.” Early, pre-album release single “Shake the Fever” delivers a wallop with overdriven, almost distorted chords somewhere between Hendrix and older Billy Gibbons. Johanson keeps his vocals restrained yet vital, leaving room for a Trower-like excursion into the darkness. The song suddenly takes a bucolic side road to upend the punch, before returning to the almost metal-ish riff, exploding like a fireworks finale. His guitar punches into a ripping lick any hard rock act would be jealous of on the throbbing “Back Down in New Orleans,” another in a set of captivating blues rockers that emphasize the rocking while staying informed by blues.
Johanson’s expressive, often emotional, boyish voice lightens the disc’s denser qualities. Despite the darker tone, nothing is forced. His lyrics are sharply written and slyly delivered with reserved authority that helps this music land on solid, if swamp-infested, ground.
“More fuzz, more slide, more groove. This is the best thing I’ve ever done” he boasts on his web page. Based on the quality and impressive chart positions of his previous albums, that’s a strong statement. Still, after one spin of the extraordinary ‘The Open Bayou,’ you’ll likely agree.

The Open Bayou

The Open Bayou (Y)