Maurice Richard Libby (Whiteboy Slim)

Just got this in from Maurice Richard Libby and what a treat.
Maurice is heavily influenced by the sounds of Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong and early on was popular for filling venues such as the El Mocambo, The Silver Dollar Saloon and Black Swan with his band Automatic Slim. Maurice studied Jazz and Composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He formed a solo career when Automatic Slim disband.

Maurice is scheduled to play the Mid Point Music Festival in Cincinnati in September.

This cd, his first as a solo act, Homemade was released in 2003 and shows he has some great talent.
From the opening song Slow Down’s nostalgic sound, we hear some great stuff. A boogie number is next in Hey Babe. This sounds like a great tune to see him do live. I Found A Woman is next and is a shuffle. His jump blues sound is great. He moves into Flesh & Blood next, which is another shuffle type. He has a refreshing sound like the greats of old. He follows this up with I Never Lied To You Baby, Which is a great song. The heavily gospel influenced Sing Hallelujah is next and has a nostalgic blues sound with modern twist. Waiting For The Sun is next and features his skill on harp. Into the Wind is up next and opens with a great bit of harp before taking us thru another modern old type tune. Reasons You Need (To Sing The Blues) follows and features a unique style and sound that mixes modern music with blues. It’s Strange is next and it is aptly named. I found it an odd arrangement, but he makes it work if you stay with it. He closes the offering with Bad Timing and I had to agree. I didn’t want to see it end so soon.

Maurice Richard Libby aka Whiteboy Slim is a great artist and songwriter. He will be sure to carve out a place of his own in the world of blues with more offerings such as this. His new cd will be released in August 2006.

Visit him on the web at:
http://www.whiteboy-slim.com

Get Homemade here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BP6KO4A7

The Crossroads Band

Here is a great band from Washington Falls, NY. They play a style which is considered blues rock with an R&B flavor. I have liked this band since I first heard them a few years ago when a friend played their music for me. This band features some very talented musicians and the vocals are smooth as silk.

This is their Debut cd from 2002 and is titled simply Crossroads. It features ten tracks and begins with Free Man.This song is a favorite of mine for it’s great rhythm and clean sound. I can’t dance but can’t help moving to this rhythm. That is followed by I’m So Glad. A slower tempo tune, which is sure to be a favorite. The pace lifts a shade for Stranded. Another Slower Ballad type follows with Oh, Mama. Nice harmony and great vocals. They follow with Higher Ground. This, as do many others on the cd have a 70’s feel with a modern sound. They pick up the pace for a nice fast shuffle in You Broke Me Baby. The pace drops again for Time Slips Away. A song that speaks of how fast time passes. A slow rock song featuring great harmonies follows in Better. One Night follows and is a true ballad. This is the only cover song on the entire cd and was penned by Bartholomew/King. It has a 50’s blues ballad feel and sound, and is a great job. They close the cd with More Than I can say. It is another slow ballad type song and is, as with the rest of the songs featured, a very well written piece of musical art.

This cd is a definite keeper. Ladies will love it for a bit of music to snuggle up to. It is beyond me why these guys haven’t gotten more attention from the industry. Their sound and style makes them a shoe in for crossover hits.

Visit The Crossroads Band at:
http://www.crossrdsband.com/main.htm

Get Crossroads here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BR9CJOFO

Mike Elrington - Too Good To Be True

I received this cd from Mike the other day and have been listening to it for two days. This is a very hard one to review, but has nothing to do with the quality of the music. Mike is a great vocalist and the band is awesome.

This cd from 2003 is titled To Good To Be True and indeed it sounds it. These guys are for real however.

They open the cd with the title track Too Good To Be True. A great blues rock song. This will get your blood moving. Next is a slower song staying in the blues rock genre called Better Days. Pretentious Ways follows and is blues rock number with a funky edge. Great tune. A slow song is next called Wipe Your Eyes. Here Mike shows that his great vocals extend to ballad type songs as well. A bogie number is next in There She Was. It sounds kind of like a boogie shuffle rhythm and is great. It get rockin in short order however. Watch The Rise is next and is the hardest to describe. It is a nice song but has a couple spots where he uses language not suitable for small children. This song gets rockin pretty good. Destiny follows and is a real rockin number. A slower tune is next in Find My Lover Someday, A nice ballad type song with great sound. What’s A Man Gotta Do is next and is a great rockin number. He closes the cd out with Stars. This song I find hard to descried as it’s style and sound are different from the norm but pretty good. It is a slow song sung over piano. Mike has shown on this recording effort that he has great skills and talent.

The cd didn’t show me as much blues flavor as I had expected but in terms of hearing great music it didn’t disappoint. All tracks were written by Mike Elrington, which shows he is a very talented songwriter as well.


Visit Mike Elrington’s web site at:
http://www.mikeelrington.com/


Get Too Good To Be True Here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YANVIOHP

Harpdog Brown & The Bloodhounds - Once In A Howlin' Moon

I am pleased to be able to introduce you to another friend of mine, the very talented Harpdog Brown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a very fine harp player. He has come a long way from his beginnings, where he played guitar and sang as an opening act for comics at a Comedy Supper club in downtown Edmonton in 1980. Harpdog brown has become one of the finest harp players active today. His latest release Once In A Howlin’ Moon was released in 2001 and recorded live at The Vat in Red Deer, Alberta on Friday the 13th of October, 2000.

This cd shows Harpdog having a great time entertaining the crowd as he mesmerizes us with truly excellent harp playing. From the opening instrumental/introduction called Relaxin, we get a taste of the great harp playing to come. He next tackles Everything’s Gonna Be Alright by Little Walter Jacobs and shows us he is a talented vocalist as well. He has a voice and style tailor made for blues. We get treated next to James Cotton’s Soul Survivor. This is a very good cover of this great tune. He next takes us thru a Sonnyboy Williamson song called 9 Below Zero. This old shuffle is a great song and Harpdog does a very good job on it. A boogie number follows called Flip Flop Bop. This song features some really nice piano and is a great dance tune. Blue Light is a nice slow blues that takes you down into the depth of mournful blues. The harp seems to moan its notes throughout this great song. A slow boogie follows in Pink Champagne and features some decent harmony reminiscent of the 50’s. Harpdog gives a great rendition of Next Time You See Me next. A Harpdog Original is next called How Come? The boogie number shows that Harpdog can write a good song as well as play. He seems to really have a good time with this one. T-Bone Walker’s Evenin’ follows. This song is a great song and has been done justice by the treatment Harpdog gives it. Baby What Do You Want Me To Do by Jimmy Reed is next. I always liked this song and I like how Harpdog does his cover. It seems he just gets better as the show progresses. He closes the show with Farmer John. This live recording gives us a chance to see how good a show he puts on. This man is a must see.

Visit Harpdog’s website at:
http://www.harpdogbrown.com/


Get Once In A Howlin’ Moon here:


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AF6C17PB

Nobody's Bizness

Nobody’s Bizness

Lever’s Blues welcomes Nobody’s Bizness. This is a great new band from Lisbon, Portugal. Their music is true Delta Blues from it’s roots. Take a journey back in time and experience covers of some great music.

This cd is only available as a net release on the You Are Not Stealing Records label. This is the first effort by an extraordinary new group. The cd opens with the best cover of Nobody’s Business by Robert Johnson that I have heard in many years. Petra has a voice that is perfect in this style of music. Next she tackles the great song Come On In My Kitchen with a sound and style this song truly deserves. A great job is done next on Down In The Dumps. This music is straight from the delta in classic style. We are next treated to a truly great cover of Sittin’ On Top Of The World. Next we get the sultry treatment on their cover of Smack Dab In The Middle. This band sounds as if they have been at this for decades. A true delight for the ears. Another slow number follows in The Same Thing and features the first male lead vocals on the set. A voice that sounds straight from the cotton fields. Woman Be Wise follows and Petra once again delivers a perfect set of vocals for the music. They close the set with When The Lights Go Out. This is another nice treatment of an old song. Nobody’s Bizness is a perfect fit for their choice of material.

Nobody’s Bizness is:
Petra ( Vocals ) / Luis Ferreira ( Guitars ) / Catman ( Vocals & Harmonica & Piano ) / Pedro Ferreira ( Guitars & Back Voices ) / Luís Oliveira ( Bass & Back Vocals ) / Isaac Achega ( Drums & Percussion)

Visit their site at: www.myspace.com/nobodysbiznessband

Get Nobody’s Bizness here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E3DCIWL5

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