GA-20 With Charlie Musselwhite - Blues Now

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:34:41 
Size:80,1 MB 
Label:New West Records 
Styles:Blues/Harmonica Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Crazy Love - 3:15
 2. I Can’t Hold Out - 2:28
 3. I’ll Change My Style - 2:50
 4. Big Stars Falling - 3:21
 5. Universal Rock - 2:30
 6. The Blues Never Die - 4:00
 7. Strange Land - 3:58
 8. Stroll Out West - 4:03
 9. Short Dress Woman - 3:26
10. Cristo Redentor - 4:45

Boston-based blues trio GA-20 paired up with the legend and harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite for a brand new album titled Blues Now. The 10-track record was produced by the band’s Matthew Stubbs, and will be released via New West Records on July 31, 2026. It fuses the old-school with the modern, experience with fresh perspectives, pure feel with raw energy.
“Crazy Love” is a crazy ride. Crazy, infectious rhythm, with crazy harmonica riffs and solos throughout. Penned by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Buddy Guy, if there’s a song on this album that will get crowds up on their feet, it’s this one. “I Can’t Hold Out,” on the other hand, is a mean blues shuffle tune with guitars fuzzed to the max, and slide parts to make your head spin. Got to love these old school, upbeat blues tracks. Following on, “I’ll Change My Style” is a warm, major-key, 60s-style ballad, with nothing but a sprinkle of blues on top added by Mr. Musselwhite’s harmonica.
“Big Starts Falling” is a lazy-paced blues number, featuring some jazzy guitar parts, before moving on to “Universal Rock”. The fast and rushing tempo in this instrumental brings the “Got My Mojo Working” type of vibe to the mix. A classic slow blues titled “Blues Never Die” follows. Guitar and harmonica converse throughout the tune while the lovely bass line swings and rolls along the subtle drum beat. In contrast, “Strange Land” has almost got a North Mississippi quality to it. Built upon a hypnotic rhythm and a single chord. Drums steadily pump the energy, while guitars sound like they’ve been drenched in motor oil.
“Stroll Out West” – tasty production techniques bring the vocals to the forefront, with that slight distortion and a lot of slapback on the voice. The ending is the highlight of this song, though. The way it all crumbles and ‘falls apart’, but it’s all 100% intentional. Considering the album has been recorded live makes it that much more special. It takes great band chemistry and non-verbal communication to make things like that sound this good. “Short Dressed Woman” picks the pace right back up before bringing it all the way down for the final track of the album, a somewhat mysterious and nostalgic slow-burning instrumental titled “Cristo Redentor” – which definitely sounds like the soundtrack to a film’s closing credits, very fitting!
The energy of great musicians playing their hearts out and having fun in the process oozes out of this record. Speaking about the recording process, Musselwhite said: “We’re so good we have to make mistakes on purpose. Everything went smoothly. Making this album was as easy as falling off a log”. All that feel, responsiveness, and tiny imperfections make Blues Now special; it’s blues in its purest form.

Blues Now

Y

Albert Castiglia - Grits & Glory

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:51:57 
Size:119,6 MB 
Label:Gulf Coast Records 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. In My America - 5:22
 2. I’m Afraid To Fall Asleep - 4:27
 3. Uncertainty - 6:14
 4. Michigan Avenue - 3:53
 5. Sack The Juggler - 3:20
 6. Slumlord Billionaire - 5:22
 7. The Milk Is Still Good - 5:04
 8. Don’t Burn Down The Bridge - 3:33
 9. When The Coin Came Callin' - 3:33
10. Afro Blue - 6:42
11. Yer Blues - 4:22

The result is fierce, soulful, and electric, an album that crackles with history, heart, and the kind of grit that demands to be heard loud and lived with. Albert Castiglia isn’t pulling any punches on ‘Grits & Glory,’ his latest solo studio album on Gulf Coast Records, recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. The record feels like a full-circle moment—reconnecting Albert with the wide-eyed, guitar-slinging kid from New York whose world was flipped from black and white to technicolor by an 8-track of Rubber Soul on the way to a ball game. That spark of curiosity sent him chasing sounds and players—Jeff Beck, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page—whose influence has echoed through Castiglia’s playing ever since. British blues always felt essential to his DNA… just out of reach. Until now. The idea ignited during a 2023 European tour, when Albert and Gulf Coast Records’ Olly Overton began talking about bringing him back to Britain to record. Castiglia was all in—on one condition: he’d do it with his road band, Cliff Moore on bass and Ray Hangen on drums. The final piece fell into place with producer Dave Gross, a longtime friend with deep Abbey Road knowledge and a trusted history with Albert, having produced ‘Solid Ground.’ With the team assembled, the vision was locked.
Once the label gave the green light, there was only one possible home for the sessions: Abbey Road. Ahead of recording, Albert immersed himself in British culture, stopping in Birmingham to walk the streets that shaped Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi—heroes who left a lasting mark on his musical soul. With the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, the visit carried added weight and reflection. Then it was on to London, where the red light came on and ‘Grits & Glory’ took shape 100% unfiltered Castiglia, steeped in British-flavoured blues. The result is fierce, soulful, and electric, an album that crackles with history, heart, and the kind of grit that demands to be heard loud and lived with.

Grits & Glory

Y

Bottlerocket Combo - The Hungry Mile

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2013
Time:36:58 
Size:85,5 MB 
Label:Bottle Rocket 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. 3801 - 3:25
 2. True Blues Man - 3:13
 3. The Hungry Mile - 3:01
 4. Gravy Train - 2:36
 5. Lincoln Town - 2:59
 6. Mobile Phone - 4:01
 7. Use It or You Lose It - 2:33
 8. No News Blues - 3:15
 9. Poor Side of Town - 3:15
10. Who's Fooling Who - 3:07
11. Everything's Alright - 2:25
12. Hign Fashion Queen - 3:02

Bottlerocket Combo is the acoustic side project of singer and rhythm guitarist of The Bellhops, The Rockhoppers and The Hellboppers, Ian Dittman. Setup as a duo act with lead guitarist Rob Turner, occasional performer with The Bellhops and the Rockhoppers , this album expands upon this adding bass, drums mandolin and harmonica. Country style blues, acoustic blues, folk style blues and folk are the mainstays of this album, delivered in most part with acoustic guitars and dobro heading up the other instrumentation. The album is mostly original tunes penned by the prolific songwriting talents of Ian Dittman and assisted by Rob Turner on a 3 of the tracks.

The Hungry Mile

Y

Heikki Silvennoinen - Blues Blue Sky

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2000
Time:67:19 
Size:157,7 MB 
Label:Pirkka-Hämeen A&G Oy
Styles:Blues/Rock 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Steady Rollin' Man - 3:15
 2. Strange Brew - 4:02
 3. Blow Wind Blow Wind - 4:45
 4. Behind The Bars - 4:59
 5. Sitting On Top of the World - 4:19
 6. The Bear - 3:59
 7. Angel So Blue - 5:31
 8. Blues Stay Away - 3:02
 9. Wakin' Man Blues - 2:47
10. Spoonfull - 5:36
11. Little Rachel - 4:29
12. All Your Love - 3:56
13. I Loved Another Woman - 3:35
14. Sleepy Time Time - 5:41
15. Blues Blue Sky - 7:15

Heikki Johannes Silvennoinen (27 April 1954 – 18 December 2024) was a Finnish musician and an actor. He was a guitarist and a songwriter in several notable Finnish bands of the 1970s and 1980s, and also recorded solo albums. Silvennoinen ran a production company called Pirkka-Hämeen Apina & Gorilla Oy ("Ape and Gorilla of Pirkka-Häme Inc."). With his fellow comedian, Timo Kahilainen, he owned Porkkana Ryhmä Oy ("Carrot Group Inc."), responsible for Kummeli's output.
In the beginning of the 1990s Silvennoinen released his first solo album, Mature And Cool. It included his own songs and a cover of Blind Willie Reynolds song "Outside Woman Blues" (popularized by Cream). His second solo album, Bobcat, was released in 1997. It includes Silvennoinen's own song "Sun Don't You Shine" and a cover of "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix. On the sleeve notes of the album he thanks his idols, not just Hendrix and Clapton, but also Peter Green and Stevie Ray Vaughan (he has personally met Vaughan and Clapton). His next album, Sweet Surrender, was released two years later. In 2000 Silvennoinen founded his own label and released the album Blues Blue Sky, which contains mostly old blues songs. 

Blues Blue Sky

Y

Ellis Hooks - Uncomplicated

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2004
Time:55:55 
Size:129,8 MB 
Label:Sheridan Square Records 
Styles:Blues/Rock 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. It's Gonna Take Some Time - 4:27
 2. Never Give Up on Your Love - 4:25
 3. It's a Hassle - 3:17
 4. You Can't Change Me - 3:34
 5. Slide the Gun - 3:29
 6. M'Baby - 3:11
 7. That's Not What I Need - 4:02
 8. Forty Days and Forty Nights - 3:51
 9. Can't Take This No More - 3:05
10. Sweet Justina - 3:22
11. Uncomplicated - 4:27
12. The Hand of God - 3:19
13. She Locked the Door - 3:47
14. I Don't Want to Go Home - 3:24
15. The Idea of You - 4:10

Ellis Hooks is a musician whose work spans genres: soul, rock, gospel, the blues. I would best describe Ellis Hooks' music as laid-back. A good voice, good music, and never a bad song. 
A brilliant modern soul, blues, and R&B album that draws from influences, like Robert Cray, Sam Cooke , and a host of others. Ellis Hooks is a gifted songwriter and musician. All the songs on this album are superb, and Ellis Hooks is obviously deeply passionate about his songs. He sings and plays from the heart, and has produced a gem of an album with this recording. This album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy his "Up Your Mind" album. This guy is destined for greatness.

Uncomplicated

Y

Empty Can Band - Still Alive

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2004
Time:50:38 
Size:116,5 MB 
Label:Self-Released 
Styles:Blues/Rock/Americana/Folk 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Empty Heart Blues - 3:27
 2. Standin' in the Rain - 3:24
 3. Tomorrow's Comin' - 3:20
 4. Every Day - 4:48
 5. Out All Night Blues - 4:42
 6. Yes You Do - 3:53
 7. The Wrong Way - 5:17
 8. Jimmy & Jerry Lee - 3:45
 9. Hambone Intro - 1:49
10. Just a Little Roadhouse - 2:32
11. More Hambone Info - 2:07
12. Happy Too - 4:14
13. Across the River - 3:20
14. Secret Mission - 3:53

The Empty Can Band, Aurora’s hometown rock and blues band.Hambone from Hambone’s Blues Party calls The Empty Can Band, “The best bar band in the land.”The Empty Can Band, with two original albums to its credit, has been performing for Fox Valley and Chicago audiences for two decades. Performances have included headlining Aurora’s Downtown Alive, where they also opened for international touring acts Koko Taylor, The Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band and Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees. They have played all the local clubs including Two Brothers Roundhouse, Ballydoyle, The Shore Club, The Phoenix Club and The Venue in Aurora.
Their music is a crowd-pleasing mix of rock, blues and Americana, and covers several decades of music.The Empty Can Band has enjoyed several members over the years. Founding musicians Rich Van Ham, Dave Glynn and John Mackniskas are still driving the band forward. JD Klatt, another founding member and bass player, left the band prior to Paul Wegman’s passing but has played with the band several times since then on bass, keys, tuba and trombone. Jim "Chevy" Chevalier replaced JD and had performed for several years in the Dave Glynn Band before the ECB was formed.
Todd joined the band in 2010 and has been the heartbeat of the group, providing drums and vocals. Ray Rehberg joined the band in 2010, and played with the band for about seven years providing tasty guitar and mandolin. He also gets called back on occasion as do the Empty Can horns featuring Lori Klatt on saxophone, Theresa Muir on flute and Dale Muir on trumpet.

Still Alive

Y

Mike Sanchez - Hey Now!

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2025
Time:47:44 
Size:110,3 MB 
Label:Doopincd07 
Styles:Rock'n'Roll/R&B/Soul 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Lydia - 2:43
 2. Boogie Oogie - 2:43
 3. Cadillac Song - 2:57
 4. Hey Now! - 3:20
 5. I Need A Woman - 2:45
 6. The Kokomo - 4:10
 7. Mad Girl - 3:24
 8. Keep Turning Me On - 2:04
 9. Water To A Dying Flower - 3:28
10. Glamour Girl - 3:48
11. What Can I Do? - 2:26
12. Safronia B - 2:39
13. The Monkey - 2:53
14. Lula - 2:36
15. I Don't Care Who Knows - 2:58
16. She's Gone Away But... - 2:43

Musicians:
Mike Sanchez – vocals/piano/Hammond B3 on track 7
Drew Davies – tenor saxophone/backing vocals & guitar on track 5
Jean-Marc Labbe – baritone saxophone
Kevin L´Hermite – drums
Xavier Nikqi – double bass
Big Boy Bloater – guitar
Thomas Mestres - Trumpet 

UK born singer, pianist Mike Sanchez grew a love for American roots music from an early age, in 1981 formed The Rockets, 1984 The Big Town Playboys. In 2000 went solo with his own band and rhythm & blues review, 2001 joined Bill Wyman´s Rhythm Kings for 4 years. Since 2000 has self released his own albums which are all available here. Now based in Spain.

Hey Now!

Y

Eli Paperboy Reed - Down Every Road

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2022
Time:34:00 
Size:78,5 MB 
Label:Yep Roc Records 
Styles:Soul/Blues/R&B 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Mama Tried - 2:14
 2. I'm Bringing Home Good News - 2:30
 3. Somewhere Between - 3:33
 4. Teach Me to Forget - 2:26
 5. It's Not Love, But It's Not Bad - 2:47
 6. If We Make It Through December - 2:49
 7. Silver Wings - 2:35
 8. I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can - 2:25
 9. I'm a Lonesome Fugitive - 2:53
10. One Sweet Hello - 3:29
11. Workin' Man Blues - 3:37
12. Today I Started Loving You Again - 2:36

Throughout his career as an R&B revivalist, Eli Paperboy Reed has centered his attention on the soul made in the back half of the 1960s and the early years of the 1970s--a period that happens to coincide with Merle Haggard's ascension to the upper echelon of American music. During this period, country and soul intermingled in a variety of fashions but Haggard didn't quite partake. He sang blues and jazz, he wrote a pioneering song about interracial romance called "Irma Jackson," but he didn't delve into the gritty, funky sounds emanating out of the south. Despite this, Reed's decision to record a full-length tribute to Merle Haggard not only seems right, it seems logical. Haggard's music encompassed so many different sounds, styles, and emotions that they could easily be rearranged into retro-soul numbers, which is precisely what Reed does on Down Every Road. Sticking with the material Haggard wrote and recorded for Capitol Records--all but one of the songs here can be found on the landmark 1996 box set Down Every Road 1962-1994--Reed recasts these songs as slow-burners and ravers, anchoring his interpretations on funky backbeats, dressing them in reverb and tremolo, then delivering them with potent efficiency. The twelve songs here have the punch of a stack of old 45s: most of them clock in well under three minutes, which gives the album a swift momentum. Despite its rapid clip, Reed packs in a lot of imagination into this record, turning "Mama Tried" and "It's Not Love But It's Not Bad" into insistent soul romps while teasing out the blues in "If We Make It Through December" and "Today I Started Loving You Again." Keeping things succinct means that Reed places equal emphasis on his vocals and guitars, making sure to keep the melody and message of the songs in the forefront, letting Haggard's songbook shine through.<br /><br />&copy Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Down Every Road

Y

Piero De Luca - Blues On My Side

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2009
Time:48:41 
Size:112,8 MB 
Label:New LM Records 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Blues On My Side - 4:49
 2. Go On Obama! - 4:24
 3. Silicon Valley Woman Blues - 6:54
 4. Let Me Love You - 3:53
 5. Leave This Country - 3:58
 6. Lowdown Mama - 3:36
 7. Rubbing With My Baby - 4:57
 8. Lover's Blues - 5:25
 9. Sweet Sugar Baby - 4:15
10. It's Only Italian Blues (But We Love It) - 6:26

The historical group known as Big Fat Mama started in 1979 from an idea of Piero De Luca, still the only proprietor of the band’s name. In its thirty-year experience, the group has so far recorded eight LPs or CDs and has played throughout Europe and in all the most important Italian festivals, sharing the stage with legends like Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Clifton Chenier Jr, Honeyboy Edwards, Legendary Blues Band, Jimmy Rogers, B. B. King, Blues Brothers Band, Albert Collins, James Cotton, Magic Slim, Sherman Robertson, Little Willie Littlefield and touring across Europe along with outstanding artists such as Louisiana Red, Eddie C. Campbell, Johnny Mars, Zora Young, J. Monque-D, Michael Coleman.
After a few years devoted to a much more rock sound, since 2002 the group took the way back to the Blues. The release of the CD I Been Around (Crotalo/New LM Records NLM 146 - 2007) has been the first milestone along the course of this comeback which has reached its aim recording in 2009 the CD Blues on My Side (Crotalo/New LM Records NLM 171) produced by Piero De Luca, Luigi Monge and Antonio "Candy" Rossi. Whether it draws inspiration from some masters of the genre such as T-Bone Walker or John Lee Hooker, revisits the New Orleans beat of Professor Longhair or winks at 1930s hokum blues or 1940s and 1950s Chicago blues, this CD is imbued with blues feeling and fully reflects Piero’s musical vision. All the songs on this CD are original, the lyrics are deliberately modern and deeply rooted and steeped in the genre at the same time in that they are meant to prove that blues music is not dying at all anywhere in the world, Italy included. Now the band features a four people line-up (two guitars, harp, bass, drums and three voices), performing great blues standards as well as the original tracks from the latest two albums. While carrying on live activity in venues and festivals, Big Fat Mama keeps on writing new songs in order to release further records.

Blues On My Side

Y

Marco Pandolfi - Rain Or Shine

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:49:36 
Size:114,1 MB 
Label:Epops Music 
Styles:Contemporary Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Fire - 4:56
 2. Eagle eye - 2:59
 3. Tangerine is a Moon - 5:09
 4. Black boy fly - 2:43
 5. Hex - 4:23
 6. Rain or Shine - 4:12
 7. Glass half full - 3:00
 8. Another blues - 2:48
 9. No matter how - 3:31
10. Moon pie - 4:04
11. Stay with me all night - 3:39
12. Last train - 3:01
13. Messy scrawl - 3:02
14. Closing interlude - 2:06

He offers a unique live performance that blends traditional blues with the flavor of folk songwriting, singing and playing guitar and harmonica simultaneously.
"My new album, ‘RAIN OR SHINE,’ is finally out!
I want to thank, first of all and once again, the EPOPS MUSIC label, which believed in me and released these 14 new songs, written and performed by me with the help of incredible musicians who are also dear friends" ~ Marco Pandolfi/

Rain Or Shine

Y

Harmonica Hinds - Finally

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2008
Time:64:52 
Size:149,2 MB 
Label:Joyride Studio 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Full 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Wake The Spirit - 3:59
 2. Goin Down To The River - 6:03
 3. It's So Cold - 8:28
 4. You Got It Good - 3:42
 5. Take Your Time - 6:16
 6. Stop Complaining - 5:50
 7. Imelda - 4:58
 8. Harmonica Hinds Shuffle - 5:03
 9. Don't You Still My Money - 5:00
10. Can't Stay Here For Ever - 4:00
11. That Old Dichotomy - 6:33
12. Connected With The Sun - 4:54

Musicians:
Mervyn "Harmonica" Hinds - vocals, harp;
Eddie Taylor Jr. - guitar;
Tom Holland - guitar;
Edward G McDaniel - bass;
Kenneth Smith - drums.

Mervyn "Harmonica" Hinds has been a regular on the Chicago blues scene for over thirty years, with the occasional recording session behind artists such as Koko Taylor, John Primer, and Eddie Taylor Jr., but very little under his own name. This self-produced effort, with Taylor Jr. and Tom Holland on guitars and a first-call rhythm section of bassist Greg McDaniel and drummer Kenny Smith should help to bring some long-merited attention Hinds'way.
The group steps out smartly with the Little Walter-style instrumental Wake The Spirit to open the set before Hinds steps up to the vocal mic on Goin' Down To The River, a brisk shuffle in a Jimmy Reed bag with Taylor Jr. taking his dad's guitar part. The slow blues It's So Cold features some nice Walters-influenced slide but at 8:28 drags on a mite long. Things pick up again with You Got It Good, an instrumental featuring chromatic harp and a distinctive surging beat. Next up is the after hours instrumental Take Your Time, with slide in the Robert Nighthawk/Earl Hooker mode. Stop Complaining takes us back to Eddie Taylor territory before the stripped-down Imelda and an aptly titled Harmonica Hinds Shuffle.The band nails the Howlin' Wolf rhythm of Don't You Steal My Money, with slide from the Elmore James school this time. Hinds turns philosophical on the album's last three cuts, contemplating his mortality on Can't Stay Here For Ever and That Old Dichotomy before finishing with a Connected To The Sun that would not have been out of place on Sun Ra's Saturn label.This is one of the most enjoyable albums in the classic Chicago blues style to come down the pike lately-let's hope that the title should be taken to mean "finally"as in "at last," and not as in "the last."  -Jim DeKoster 

Finally

Y

Ed Earley Band - Going On Blue

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2000
Time:39:16 
Size:90,4 MB 
Label:Self-Released 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. The Game Goes On - 4:48
 2. Blues At Sunrise - 8:06
 3. Tin Pan Alley - 5:07
 4. Run, Run Baby - 5:00
 5. Let The Good Times Roll - 3:25
 6. Chitlins Con Carne - 2:33
 7. Better Than That - 4:37
 8. Your Good Thing - 5:36

Ed Earley, legendary Blues Trombonist for Albert King, Luther Ingram, Elvin Bishop and many more... now offers up his own band's sass and style for your listening and dancing pleasure... this dynamic group of exceptionally talented musicians include: Crisco Janda on Drums, Rich Smith on Keyboards, Peter Rochelle on Bass, Ian Lamson on Guitar and Miz Lisa Lane on Vocals... all are fabulous performers in their own right, and Ed has brought them together in a way that cannot be resisted... come see the Best of the Best.... The Ed Earley Band came together in late 1994. Doing private parties and small clubs they found a "certain magic" that has, over the past 14 years, made them a hard working blues band. Today they have 2 albums, "Going on Blue" and "Raggedy Old Car Blues", available in stores as well as receiving regular airplay on several stations. 

Going On Blue

Y

Earl Green - One Way

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2008
Time:59:42 
Size:137,3 MB 
Label:Snakestone Records 
Styles:Blues 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. I Know You Like It - 5:53
 2. Heavy Load (feat. Pee Wee Ellis) - 5:11
 3. Losing My Mind - 4:12
 4. Hand In Hand - 3:40
 5. One Way - 6:17
 6. I Wish It Was Simple (feat. Pee Wee Ellis) - 4:40
 7. Good News - 4:06
 8. Hard Times - 6:37
 9. Brand New Day - 4:08
10. In for a Big Surprise - 3:39
11. Lonely Man - 6:46
12. Like a Rocket - 4:30

What makes different a singer like Earl Green to the rest of his colleagues? Possibly his singing conviction, his songs but over all the way he sings Green has got one of the best British rhythm and blues voices and undoubtedly he is one of the most considered United Kingdom artists His  album is particularly based on blues, but it cannot be defined as a blues album, because it is a sophisticated, ambitious, rich cd, with a variety of styles, as you will find different sources and other musical genres influences, such as jazz and funk melodies and even rock fusion rhythm patterns and musical nuances Green is backed by a bunch of high quality musicians who show their musical skills and great quality, such as brothers Jake and Artie Zaits on guitars, Richard Simmons on keyboard, Jeff Walker on bass and Evan Jenkins on drums.

One Way

Y

Spencer MacKenzie - Empty Chairs

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:42:25 
Size:97,6 MB 
Label:Gypsy Soul Records
Styles:Blues Rock 
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. Empty Chairs - 4:29
 2. Trip - 3:25
 3. What You Do - 4:28
 4. Don't Know Where I'm Going - 3:11
 5. Till I Get To You. - 3:57
 6. Frozen Hearts - 4:10
 7. Helping Hands - 3:18
 8. Why - 3:58
 9. Shoot Me Down - 4:08
10. Won't Find Her - 3:18
11. Evil - 3:57

“Wanna be heard, not ignored,” sings Spencer Mackenzie on the title track of album number four, and right there you get the sense that this isn’t just another blues-rock record quietly passing through the night. This is a statement. A confident, assured, magnificent one.
The opener “Empty Chairs” sets the tone perfectly — full of soul, swagger and skill. And that’s before we even get to the other ‘S’: the solo. Classy, emotive, and placed exactly where it needs to be. Add in the way Mackenzie deploys backing vocals — lifting, shading, never cluttering — and yes, if Joe Bonamassa crosses your mind, you’re not alone.
If you think that comparison might slow things down, “Trip” immediately disabuses you of the idea. More energetic, more forceful, this one stomps. It’s Mackenzie throwing the doors wide open and saying, very clearly, this is what I do. And he’s not joking.
By the time “What You Do” arrives, there’s no point pretending we’re building to a verdict later — this is already brilliant. Magnificent, even. There’s a familiar feel here too, and if you’re thinking of MV favourites The Commoners, you’re on the right track: their guitarist Ross Hayes Citrullo produces the album, with various Commoners alumni appearing along the way. But this is no side project, no borrowed shine. Mackenzie stands entirely on his own terms.
“Don’t Know Where I’m Going” underlines just how deep those terms go. He sounds like an old troubadour from the Deep South, yet he’s actually a young man from Ontario, already ten years into a decorated career and stacked with Canadian awards. Taking on a Rory Gallagher song is no small thing — doing it this effortlessly is something else entirely.
There’s a relaxed, classy contentment to “Till I Get to You”, before “Frozen Hearts” delivers one of the album’s true high points. Mackenzie’s playing here is simply magnificent — no other word for it — as the song builds patiently, driven by the guitar and the muscular, tasteful rhythm work of Miles Evans-Branagh (another Commoners connection). It swells, it breathes, it lands.
“Helping Hands” shows a darker grin. “Goodbye, I’ll show you out the door,” he sings — and you can hear the relish in it. That edge carries into “Why”, where Mackenzie once again proves — like that aforementioned JB — that the mellower moments are often where he shines brightest. There’s even a subtle touch of funk running through it.
“Shoot Me Down” taps into a classic blues feel without ever sounding dated, a trick far harder than it looks, while “Won’t Find Her” proves there are no throwaway moments lurking in the deeper cuts. She done him wrong — and in the blues, wasn’t it ever thus?
Closing track “Evil” rounds things off beautifully. Even when she’s evil, there’s hope in the guitar — that sense that life, for all its mess, can’t be all bad. It’s a fitting way to end a record that balances grit with grace so effortlessly.
Early on, I used the words soul, skill and swagger. If record reviews really could be reduced to just three words, I’d happily stop right there — because when it comes to Spencer Mackenzie, that’s genuinely all you need to know.
Oh, and one more thing.“Empty Chairs” is magnificent. Make sure you know that too.

Empty Chairs

Y

Billy Thompson - This World

Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2026
Time:62:57 
Size:144,8 MB 
Label:MoMojo Records 
Styles:Blues/Rock/Americana
Art:Front 

Tracks Listing:
 1. This World - 4:19
 2. Downsizing 2025 - 5:10
 3. Like Rain - 4:00
 4. For True - 4:49
 5. Melia - 5:10
 6. Every Single Rider - 4:16
 7. Thankful - 4:48
 8. Batman & Robin - 4:06
 9. Hope Peace & Joy - 3:57
10. Old Blue - 3:32
11. Dinosaur Eggs - 4:09
12. Monkey Back Guarantee - 4:51
13. Truth Come to Power - 4:45
14. Of the Angels - 4:56

It has been a while since we heard from Billy Thonpson (2017’s BT), partly explained by his tenure since 2022 as guitarist with zydeco star CJ Chenier. However, here we have a new recording to enjoy, recorded in seven different studios, in Virginia, New Orleans and California, with many of the tracks initially started off at Billy’s home. Not surprisingly, given the number of studios, there is a large number of musicians involved and the presence of a couple of now deceased musicians suggests that the recordings took place over quite a lengthy period of time: drummers are Lionel Batiste Jr, Doug Belote, Tony Braunagel, Eddie Christmas, Andy Kravitz and Eric Selby; bassists are David Martin Barard, David Myles Curtis, Kevin Hennessy, Hutch Hutchinson and Golder O’Neill; keys are by Dave Curtis, Mike Finnigan, Luciano Leaeas, Michael Leroy Peed and Tom Worrell; horns appear on two tracks and there are also a variety of additional percussion instruments and occasional backing vocals. Billy handles the lead vocals, plays guitar (mainly slide) and occasional bass and wrote all the songs, working with Kirsten Trump who wrote the lyrics for four and Keith Glover who collaborated on one.
The title track starts things off as Billy asks us all “what have we done to this world?” strong slide at the heart of this environmentally conscious song. “Downsizing” was originally tracked in 1998 but is re-worked here with more of Billy’s excellent slide work and some horns discreetly beefing up the tune. “Like Rain” is the song co-written with Keith Glover, a playwright with whom Billy has collaborated on a number of musical theater pieces; it’s a slower tune tracked in NO, so the presence of Kirk Joseph’s sousaphone at the bottom of the mix is understandable as Billy plays acoustic guitar on this one. “Monkey Back Guarantee” is an attractive slide-driven rocker, the intriguing title a play on words with the phrase “a monkey on my back”, while “For True” is one of the highlights here, a funky background, catchy chorus and Billy’s slide giving the track a Little Feat feel, the lyrics bemoaning that Billy may “never find a love for true”.
The other nine tracks all started out as home recordings though the finished productions lack nothing. “Melia” races along courtesy of Doug Belote’s drums and Michael Skinhus’ congas which certainly get your feet moving, another strong track. “Every Single Rider” adds a touch of country, Billy’s slide sounding like a pedal steel and “Thankful” is an appropriately joyous tune. Two tracks have strange titles: “Batman And Robin” is a wistful acoustic ballad whilst “Dinosaur Eggs” adds bass, drums and congas to Billy’s guitar, vocal and harmonica, all recorded at home.
Four songs were written by Billy and Kirsten Trump. “Old Blue” was recorded with Phantom Blues Band members Tony Braunagel and the late Mike Finnigan; it’s arguably the closest to a straight blues here, lyrically referencing a pet dog that is “better watered and better fed – she loves that dog more than me”! Billy rocks out a little on the powerful message song “Truth Come To Power” while “Hope, Peace And Joy” has celebratory lyrics given a full treatment with a large choir and “Of The Angels” is a latin-tinged number that addresses the issues of homelessness, poor immigrants and racial prejudice in a society that is divided on these issues; a fine piece of writing and playing that closes the album in fine style with its chorus “we are creatures of the angels”.
Good to have Billy back with a thoughtful and attractively played album which should have wide appeal.

This World

Y