Blues Harp

This CD is the work of three exceptional blues musicians from the Milwaukee area. The trio consists of Jim Liban on harp, vocals and baritone guitar; Jim Schutte on drums; and Perry Weber on guitar and vocals. Simply stated, these fellas are the real deal. Jim Liban is one of the top blues harp players in the world, but woefully under recognized, and is a soulful singer as well. Schutte and Weber have exceptionally strong blues pedigrees (as does Liban).
The entire CD has a loose, stripped down juke joint vibe - just guitar, drums, harp and vocals on most tracks. No tricks or gimmicks here, folks. Shoot, the closest thing present to an electric bass guitar (sorry Cornbread) is a baritone guitar. Jim Liban’s harp tone is huge, both amplified and acoustic and his vocals are very good. The guitar work of Perry Weber is of the Eddie Taylor less-is-more style (Tasty!) and the drums drive the songs along without overpowering them. A true blues ensemble sound in the spirit of the master of Maxwell Street.

This CD is the work of three exceptional blues musicians from the Milwaukee area. The trio consists of Jim Liban on harp, vocals and baritone guitar; Jim Schutte on drums; and Perry Weber on guitar and vocals. Simply stated, these fellas are the real deal. Jim Liban is one of the top blues harp players in the world, but woefully under recognized, and is a soulful singer as well. Schutte and Weber have exceptionally strong blues pedigrees (as does Liban).
The entire CD has a loose, stripped down juke joint vibe - just guitar, drums, harp and vocals on most tracks. No tricks or gimmicks here, folks. Shoot, the closest thing present to an electric bass guitar (sorry Cornbread) is a baritone guitar. Jim Liban’s harp tone is huge, both amplified and acoustic and his vocals are very good. The guitar work of Perry Weber is of the Eddie Taylor less-is-more style (Tasty!) and the drums drive the songs along without overpowering them. A true blues ensemble sound in the spirit of the master of Maxwell Street.

In the '70s, harmonica man Billy Branch was one of the young upstarts helping to keep the Chicago blues sound alive; in the 21st century, he's matured into one of the Windy City's most venerable blues talents, and as a musician and educator, Branch has spread the word about the blues across the country and around the world. Branch has led the Sons of Blues, his backing band, since the mid-'70s, and despite numerous personnel changes, the SOBs have never wavered in their dedication to pure, unadulterated Chicago blues.

As authentic as the lines on his forehead and his droopy eyes, veteran bluesman Charlie Musselwhite gets better with age. (At 62, he's a respected survivor with dozens of albums to his credit.) On Delta Hardware the journeyman musician pays tribute to, and revels in, his Mississippi roots. Although he's spent time in Chicago and on the West Coast, for this album of churning swamp and deep Southern blues he taps his formative years in the town of Kosciusko. Musselwhite's poignant voice and crying harmonica convey loss and sadness on the tense, swirling "Black Water," one of two tracks dealing with Hurricane Katrina.

The Kilborn Alley Blues Band is the real deal, a rip snortin', fire breathin' gang that puts heart and soul into every note they play. Gritty, raw, and a bit sloppy in the best sense of the word, they hold nothing back and play the blues with a nasty rock edge that will appeal to youngsters as well as die-hard fans. They kick things off with "I'm Spent," a Chicago-meets-the Delta rave-up with hints of Little Walter in the wailing harmonica work of Joe Asselin. Andrew Duncanson lays back on the lead guitar to deliver a sweaty lead vocal while Asselin's honking accents up the ante. "Christmas in County" has a Memphis soul feel, the sad tale of a Christmas Eve drug bust, with stinging lead guitar work from Duncanson and wailing harp from Asselin laid down over the sinister groove of Chris Breen's bass and Ed O'Hara's drums. "Come Home Soon" has a bit of Al Green in its arrangement, a sad tale of a soldier in Iraq longing for his family. Sideman Gerry Hundt's organ provides a churchy, sanctified vibe to the proceedings, complementing Duncanson's sparse, stinging guitar and weary vocal.

Recording may be a relatively new luxury to Neal Pattman, but in life he is a grizzled veteran. His first album is a stark affair, almost an eavesdrop into a backroom rehearsal. A frisky harp player and singer, Pattman is joined by Taj Mahal and labelmate Cootie Stark on over half the album, and together and in various configurations the trio turns out some fine, jaunty country blues. There are, however, a number of clumsy stabs at testimonial blues, and these diminish the appeal of the album as a whole. In fact, everything has a clumsiness about it, and when it swings in favor of the musicians, it can be quite charming. When it doesn't, though, it can come off as plain gawky.