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.
On this recording, Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues deal out the Blues as though they were in a night club. Straight ahead, to the point, with the intent to make us dig deep, and feel good, or however we need to feel. The music is diverse, and showcases the talent of Carl Weathersby as well as Billy.
Although they have mixed elements of hip-hop and alternative rock into their repertoire, the North Mississippi Allstars are really at their best when they blow out the rust on the kind of Mississippi folk-blues numbers they learned firsthand from the likes of R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Othar Turner. Essentially a swampy, rootsy power blues duo comprised of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, slide guitar, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums), the sons of legendary Memphis producer and musician Jim Dickinson, the Allstars have always had one foot in the traditional cane and drum bands of North Mississippi, another in the electric modal drone version of the blues practiced at local juke joints and house parties, and yet another in the grand rock power stomp style of Led Zeppelin.
You can’t miss Ghalia. She’s the natural-born rock star with the leather jacket and wicked grin, leaning from her album sleeve to offer you a hit on her hip flask. But the real Southern blend ain’t in the bottle, it’s on the songs. Following the New Orleans flavours of her 2017 breakthrough, Let The Demons Out, this year sees the acclaimed Brussels-born singer-songwriter dive deeper into the American South, recording in the hill country of Mississippi, where she shared her songs with a cast of esteemed local musicians and caught the flying sparks. This is Mississippi Blend: an album as fiery and throat-burning as Delta moonshine.
Now comes a remarkable set, sure to be cherished by Ochs fans and followers, Phil Ochs, The Best Of the Rest: Rare and Unreleased Recordings, which comes out on CD on May 22nd. It consists of many demos he made for Warner-Chappell music which have not been heard by the public ever, some of songs that he recorded on his albums, but also many of songs never recorded and unknown.