Texas Blues Mastery

Real Gone is 23-year-old Texas blues/rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Ally Venable’s fifth solo album. Ally co-wrote all but four of the twelve cuts on the album. Venable first burst on the scene at the age of 16 and since that time with each new album she has matured to the point of sharing the stage with legends like Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa. In fact, Buddy Guy appears on the album to contribute his vocals and guitar on “Texas Louisiana” and Joe Bonamassa on guitar for “Broken and Blue.”

Second Winter, Johnny Winter's second album for Columbia, originally had the distinction of being the only album in rock history that was a three-sided double LP. Musically, 35 years after its original release, Second Winter is still an oddity. Issued by Sony's Legacy division, the set has been painstakingly remastered, and expanded by bonus cuts and an entire disc of live material. It's too bluesed-out to be a pure rock record, and too psychedelically dimensioned to be a pure blues album. Tommy Shannon calls it "power blues." And as for whatever else passed for blues-rock at the time – Cream, Hendrix, Canned Heat, etc. – forget it. This set is a whole different animal. Cut in Nashville with all tracks begin done within one or two takes, the energy of Second Winter is undeniable. The sheer range of styles Winter assaulted in his restless quest is astonishing too.

Any cd which starts out with Blues Power featuring Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown on vocals, Eric Clapton on guitar, and Leon Russell playing piano and doing vocals is worth a listen to. Long Way Home continues to impress with every track. Brown demonstrates his musical skills, and careful choice of music. His all star cast includes Clapton, Russell, Ry Cooder, John Loudermilk (who wrote Tobacco Road and does the vocals on the cd) Sonny Landreth and Maria Muldaur. Great tracks besides Blues Power are Don't Think Twice with Maria Muldaur doing vocals with Gatemouth, Mean and Evil with Leon Russell sharing the stage with Gatemouth and of course Tobacco Road. This is a great cd for a blues or rock fan.

Blues-roots guitarist Chris Duarte releases Ain't Giving Up, his 15th studio album. Featuring a wide range of outlaw blues, Americana, roots, and even alt-country influences, Ain't Giving Up finds the Austin, Texas guitarist teaming up for the first time in 22 years with producer-guitarist Dennis Herring, also known for his work with artists like Buddy Guy, Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello, and the Hives. But the resulting album isn't a calculated return to roots affair. Recorded live on the studio floor with vintage gear and minimal overdubs, it's a raw and revved-up showcase for the virtuoso's jaw-dropping chops; his mastery of the elusive Texas shuffle; and his deep love and commitment to the blues.

Ryan McGarvey has in a relatively short amount of time not only gained an international fan base, but admiration from his personal idols as well. In the past few years of Ryan's career he has had the honor, and the pleasure of sharing the bill with such top name act's as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Joe Bonamassa, Gov't Mule, and many, many more. His debut CD release "Forward In Reverse" reached the top 20 (out of over 200,000 Artist's CD's) on the best sellers list on CDBaby.com (The worlds largest online independent distributor). With rave reviews complimenting everything from his fiery guitar chops, which range from everything from delta slide to heavy rock, his unique vocals, or mature songwriting skills, Ryan McGarvey's live shows will leave you breathless and wanting more…