Tag Archives: soul

Album review: KELLI BAKER – Mother

Posted on October 31, 2026 by petefeenstra

Gulf Coast Records [Release date 13.11.26] ‘Mother’ is a well honed and passionately sung conceptual rock-blues debut album from a New York based, Arizona raised vocalist, who makes the most of some cross-genre impulses to broach funk, soul and Americana. … Continue reading →

Album review: JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – The Trouble With Love

Posted on October 15, 2026 by jason

Journeyman Records [Release date 23.10.26] Joanne Shaw Taylor is my favourite of all the current blues guitar slingers around. I think one of the reasons is her pop sensibility in her song writing. She packs as much punch in one … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, beth Hart, blues, guitarist, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Joe Bonamassa, Kevin Shirley, Orianthi, pop, review, rock, soul, The Trouble With Love | Leave a comment

Album review: DAVE PACKHAM – The Wedding Dance

Posted on September 29, 2026 by petefeenstra

Self release [Release date 11.04.25] Dave Packham is a singer song writer based in Shoreham-by-Sea East Sussex, who uses emotional turmoil as creative energy, on an album that I somehow overlooked on its release well over a year ago. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Ben Mead, Dave Packham, David Coomber, funk, Julian Tardo, Monophonics, Nick Drake, R&B, review, rock, roots, soul, The Wedding Dance | Leave a comment

Gig review: THE DAMN TRUTH – Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool, 6 September 2026

Posted on September 8, 2026 by jason

Playing at one of the last sweaty bastions of rock music, The Waterloo in Blackpool, Crobot opened the show. A band of four from Pottsville Pennsylvania they blasted the good size and receptive audience with their own recipe of hard … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 6 September 2026, Blackpool, blues, blues rock, Crobot, gig, psychedelic, review, rock, soul, The Damn Truth, Waterloo Music Bar | Leave a comment

Album review: BYWATER CALL – Broken Souvenirs

Posted on July 28, 2026 by jason

Bandcamp [Release date 29.07.26] Diversity is definitely this Bywater Call’s strength. From Al Green type soul to stark americana acoustic Davey Graham style guitar picking with a vocal, to almost goth style moods, and the glue sticking this all together … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Al Green, album, Americana, blues, Broken Souvenirs, Bywater Call, Meghan Parnell, review, rock, soul | Leave a comment

Gig review: PARKER BARROW – Greystones, Sheffield, 22 July 2026

Posted on July 26, 2026 by jason

It couldn’t be any less than five stars, it really couldn’t. Supported by Georgia Nevada from Cambridge, who came over as a coquettish Dolly Parton type figure. She wasn’t rough enough round the edges for my liking, but a large … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 22 July 2026, blues, blues rock, Georgia Nevada, gig, Greystones, Parker Barrow, review, rock, Sheffield, soul | Leave a comment

Album review: THE ROLLING STONES – Foreign Tongues

Posted on July 11, 2026 by jason

Polydor [Release date 10.07.26] I know, I know, I can’t give six stars. Well in that case this definitely gets a big cheeky bombastic five. Kicking off with ‘Rough And Twisted’ the B-side of the first single ‘In The Stars’, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues, Charlie Watts, classic rock. rock n roll, country, Foreign Tongues, funk, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, review, Robert Smith, rock, Ron Wood, soul, Steve Winwood, The Rolling Stones | Leave a comment

Album review: THE MILK MEN – Milky Way

Posted on July 5, 2026 by jason

Website [Release date 15.05.26] Sometimes I think I’ve lived in a parallel universe for a few years, where everything is the same but there is no music, and then I suddenly pop back into the same universe as you, and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues, blues rock, Milkfest, Milky Way, review, rock, rock 'n' roll, soul, The Milk Men | Leave a comment

Album review: ALBERT CASTIGLIA – Grits & Glory

Posted on June 25, 2026 by petefeenstra

Gulf Coast Records [Release date 10.07.26] Which came first the music or the album title? Either way, ‘Grits & Glory’ is an excellent rock-blues record forged by the sort of perseverance, determination and will to succeed alluded to in the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Albert Castiglia, album, Bill Murray, blues, British blues, Cliff Moore, Dave Gross, funk, Graham Wood Drout, Grits & Glory, John Lennon, Johnny Winter, Junior Wells, Mike Zito, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Hangen, review, rock, soul | Leave a comment

Album review: HARD-FI – Sweating Someone Else’s Fever

Posted on June 22, 2026 by jason

V2 Records [Release date 19.06.26] It seems only like yesterday that Hard-Fi made a big splash with their debut album, ‘Stars of CCTV’, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. Where does the time go?! Hard-Fi called it a day … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alt pop, alt rock, dance, Hard Fi, indie, Latino, review, Richard Archer, soul, Sweating Someone Else’s Fever | Leave a comment

Album review : THORBJORN RISAGER & THE BLACK TORNADO – Live At Hotel Cecil

Posted on June 7, 2026 by petefeenstra

Provogue Records [Release date 19.06.26] Recorded in their home town of Copenhagen, Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado’s ‘Live At Hotel Cecil’ is a superb album on which they reclaim blues as exciting, lyrically strong and musically adventurous. They draw on … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album review, Arcade Fire. blues, boogie, Emil Balsgaard, funk, Joachim Svensmark, Live at Hotel Cecil, Martin Seidelin, Peter W. Kehl, rock, soul, Thorbjorn Risager, Thorbjorn Risager &The Black Tornado | Leave a comment

Album review: HOLLIE ROGERS – Everything’s Fine

Posted on June 6, 2026 by jason

Website [Release date 05.06.26] Acclaimed singer-songwriter Hollie Rogers is back with her latest album ‘Everything’s Fine’. Hollie has been releasing music for over a decade now, however, on this album she’s given it her all and there are a number … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Beth Nielsen Chapman, blues, Elles Bailey, Everything’s Fine, Hollie Rogers, melodic, pop, review, rock, soul | Leave a comment

Gig review: BETH HART – New Theatre, Oxford, 4 June 2026

Posted on June 5, 2026 by jason

A few gaps in the crowd tonight as the gig was rescheduled from May 22 with some fans sadly unable to make the new date. Regardless, we knew we were in for a special evening of music, especially given the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 4 June 2026, beth Hart, blues, blues rock, gig, jazz, New Theatre, Oxford, review, rock, soul, wille and the bandits | Leave a comment

Album review : THE 5th DIMENSION – Let The Sunshine In – The Soul City and Bell Albums (6CD Boxset)

Posted on May 17, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 29.05.26] The 5th Dimension, five vocalists, three male, two female, burst onto the US music scene in 1966. Nobody comes from nowhere of course, no matter what the media headlines might say. Each one, Jimmy Davis, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Aquarius, Billy Davis, Fifth Dimension, Jimmy Webb. Laura Nyro, Let The Sunshine In, Marilyn McCoo, pop, review, soul | Leave a comment

Album review: MIKE ZITO – Outside Or The Eastside

Posted on March 28, 2026 by petefeenstra

Gulf Coast Records [Release date 24.04.26] Mike Zito’s ‘Outside Or The Eastside’ is a hard hitting rock-blues album with autobiographical songs and thoughtfully chosen covers. He tells us the new album: “is an ode St. Louis and the late-night culture … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Albert King, album, blues, guitar, Howlin Wolf, Johnny Winter, Lonnie Brooks, Mike Zito, Nina Simone, Outside Or The Eastside, review, rock, Roy Buchanan, soul, The Rolling Stones, Willie Dixon | Leave a comment

Album review: LIGHTNING THREADS – Trinkets

Posted on March 13, 2026 by GRTR! HQ

https://www.lightningthreads.com/ [Release date 28.01.26/Streaming 01.05.26] The follow up to their 2023 debut album, ‘Off That Lonely Road’ the Threads new record, ‘Trinkets’ sees the band following much the same Blues rooted path but there’s a growing maturity, evident in both … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues, blues rock, Lightning Threads, review, soul, Trinkets | Leave a comment

Gig review: FORTY ELEPHANT GANG – Harwell Village Hall, February 20 2026

Posted on February 21, 2026 by jason

First gig of the 2026 season of gigs hosted and promoted by Big Ginger Tom Music, which includes a sold out show by Seth Lakeman in the autumn and the Urban Folk Quartet in May. Support act is Warwickshire based Lauren … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Americana, blues, folk, Forty Elephant Gang, Friday 20 February 2026, gig, Harwell Village Hall, indie, Lauren South, review, soul | Leave a comment

Single review: JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – Hell Or High Water

Posted on January 28, 2026 by jason

Website “Can I help you sir?” “Yes I’d like some gospel blues served up with a soupçon of acoustic guitar and banjo, with lashings and lashings of raunchy electric guitar and topped off with an economic but searing guitar solo” … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged blues, blues rock, guitarist, Hell or High Water, Joanne Shaw Taylor, review, single, soul | Leave a comment

Gig review: ELLES BAILEY – Wax and Beans, Bury, 19 January 2026

Posted on January 23, 2026 by jason

This is my first time attending one of these intimate record shop gigs, and what a delight it was. Elles Bailey, with her acoustic guitarist and best friend Demi Marriner in front of an audience of around fifty people. It … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 19 January 2026, blues, Bury, Can't Take My Story Away, Demi Marriner, Elles Bailey, gig, melodic, review, singer, soul, Wax and Beans | Leave a comment

Album review: ELLES BAILEY- Can’t Take My Story Away

Posted on January 11, 2026 by andynathan

Cooking Vinyl & Outlaw Music (Release Date 16.01.26) Elles Bailey’s career seems to be picking up momentum at present. The Bristolian singer-songwriter’s last album ‘Beneath The Neon Glow’ reached No 12 in the charts and a European tour with Rag … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, blues, Can't Take My Story Away, Elles Bailey, Ethan Johns, Luke Potashnick, review, soul | Leave a comment

Gig review: SANANDA MAITREYA – Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 5 November 2025

Posted on November 7, 2025 by jason

Sananda Maitreya, formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby, returned to the UK stage after a long hiatus, bringing his eclectic blend of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelia to a devoted London crowd. With a career spanning over three decades, this … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 5 November 2025, funk, gig, London, melodic, pop, psychedelic, review, rock, Sananda Maitreya, Shepherd's Bush Empire, soul, Terence Trent D’Arby, the Sugar Plum Pharaohs | Leave a comment

Album review: ROOMFUL OF BLUES – Steppin Out!

Posted on October 11, 2025 by petefeenstra

Pete Feenstra chatted to Chris Vachon from Roomful Of Blues for Get Ready to ROCK! radio. First broadcast 19 October 2025. Alligator Records [Release date 24.10.25] ‘Steppin’ Out!’ is Roomful of Blues’ first studio album for 5 years and their … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged Al Copley, album, Big Maybelle, blues, Buddy Johnson, Candye Kane, Chris Vachon, DD Bastos, Duke Robillard, horns, jazz, Otis Grand, R&B, review, Rich Lataiile, Roomful of Blues, Smiley Lewis, soul, swing | Leave a comment

Album review : CARL BALDASSARRE – Deep Grooves

Posted on September 12, 2025 by brianmc

CB Music [Release date : 12.09.25] You have to admire Carl Baldassarre’s honesty for treating this self produced album as an academic exercise rather than a labour of love, although love of music of whatever stripe is clearly his motivation. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Carl Baldassarre, funk, Jacob Dupre, Kool and the Gang, Nick D’Virgilio, review, Sly Stone, soul, Stevie Wonder | Leave a comment

Album review: BEN GRANFELT – It’s Personal

Posted on July 31, 2025 by petefeenstra

Pete Feenstra chatted to Ben Granfelt for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio playing tracks from the new album ‘It’s Personal’. First broadcast 27 July 2025. A1 Records [Release date 30.05.25] ‘Its Personal’ is Ben Granfelt’s 21st solo album and his … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged Al Stewart, album, Ben Granfelt, blues, fusion, Gringos Locos, guitar, Guitar Slingers, interview, It's Personal, Jari Saminen, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, JJ Cale, Los Bastardos Finlandeses, Masa Maijanen, Pink Floyd, review, Robin Trower, rock, soul, Stoney Curtis, The Leningrad Cowboys, Wishbone Ash | 1 Comment

Gig review: STEVIE WONDER – British Summer Time, Hyde Park, London, 12 July 2025

Posted on July 15, 2025 by andynathan

(Photo: Isha Shah) Legend of soul, songwriter of countless hits, but why you may ask is Stevie Wonder being reviewed in a website dedicated to rock music? Well, many of the top singers in our world, from Glenn Hughes to … Continue reading →