Beaucoup Blue

Here is an offering in the acoustic blues style from Boucoup Blue titled Hearts At Home. Beaucoup Blues is:
Adrian Mowry on vocals, six and twelve string guitar
David Mowry on vocals, six string, slide and Dobro guitar
Jim Salamone on drums, percussion and harmonica

Beaucoup Blues is a Philadelphia based father and son duo of David and Adrian Mowry. They give us some great acoustic blues with eight of the thirteen tracks having been penned by one of the Mowry’s.

They start with a John Lee Hooker song titled Little Wheel. This song had my toes tapping almost from the first note. On My Way is next and is an Adrian Mowry original. It features some nice lyrics and great vocals and instrumentation. This is followed by Arthur Johnson’s Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor. Another Adrian Mowry original is next in Lonesome Blues. Benny Goodman’s Stompin’ At The Savoy is next. This is followed by Tony Joe White’s Rainy Night In Georgia. This is a great cover of a wonderful song. On The Corner is another Adrian Mowry original, and is a very well written and arranged slow shuffle. They follow with I heard Gabriel Singing, a David Mowry original. Another David Mowry song follows titled Four In The Morning with lyrics by George C. Remaily. The Elmore James classic It Hurts Me Too is next. Heartache On Horizon is next and is another Adrian Mowry original. Next is I Surrender and is another David Mowry original. The cd ends with the title track Hearts At Home penned by Adrian Mowry.

This is a solid offering with great cover song, wonderful originals and features great vocals instrumentation and harmonies. I am happy to have had the opportunity to hear this great music. As a lover of acoustic blues both old and new, I think there may be some new classics here from the Mowry’s.

Beaucoup Blue has traveled the east coast bringing their acoustic blues based folk music everywhere they stop, make a point of catching these guys if they are every within reach.

Visit their web site at:
www.beaucoupblue.com

Get Hearts At Home here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W7VFH3C2

The Paul Speidel Band

Just in is the newest release from The Paul Speidel Band titled Guitar Bass Drums. This cd should appeal to many whether they are a traditional blues lover or even a guitar lover. Paul and his partners Steve Skop on bass and Brendan Byrnes on drums have produced a truly wonderful set of music. I was surprised when I first popped the cd in to find it consisted of all instrumentals, a lack of lyrics on a cd is a rarity that only the most secure will attempt. These guys have pulled it off as very few can. The playing is tight, concise and fluid. Paul’s mastery of guitar makes for a very pleasing experience. The rhythm section keeps the music on a great track. The opening track Doggin’ The Walk, is a great lesson in blues guitar. It has a heavy Chicago sounding influence and reminds me of the playing of Buddy Guy and Johnny Winter. Next is Dirty Mudflaps, which comes out sounding like something we would have expected from Stevie Ray Vaughan had he still been among us. I also hear some Chuck Berry in the riffs. Burnslide is next and is an awesome bluesy number. This song is pure feeling and pure blues. A slow shuffle to get lost in, Texas style and featuring some very nice slide playing. He follows this with 3-Way Wiggle. This is a great boogie number that comes out reminding me of Hand Jive. He seems too meld blues and jazz to perfection here while keeping a pure blues feel. Beautiful In Blue follows and is correctly named. This is a wonderful song. It has a distinct jazz feel and is truly beautiful. Another boogie follows in The Bounce. A great name for this song as you gotta be dead not to move to this one. TX is next and has an almost early ZZ Top feel while having a sound it’s own. It is definitely a Texas style guitar song. Solar Winds is next and shows us once again the depth of Paul’s range of expression on guitar. Next we are treated to Dirty Mudflaps (Reprise), as Paul expands a bit on the version we heard earlier in the cd. He closes the cd with Only Three Bars Around, a slow shuffle which is the only one I felt would have been better with lyrics.
Overall this is a great product and a definite keeper. The voicings, timings and rhythms were superb throughout.
If you are in or plan to be in the Boston area, these guys are a must see.

Visit Paul’s web site at:
www.PaulSpeidelBand.com

Get Guitar Bass Drums here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OWTRT80Z