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Coral Lee

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Coral Lee - The Weather Vane
Coral Lee – The Weather Vane

Coral Lee – The Weather Vane

Rhythm Bomb RBR5825 {2015}
All I Can Do Is Sing – Big Wide World – Rock and Rollin’ Fever – My Sweet Baby Blue – Me and My Chauffeur – Cadillac – Black Cat Blues – Hi Fly Boogie – Lover Man – Rodney – The Weather Vane – Boppin’ On The Moon – Bobby Brown – I Stole The Train

Another excellent surprise from Rhythm Bomb. Coral Lee comes from the land down under and for her third album has teamed up with the fine folks of Lightning Recorders Studio in Berlin. The combination made by the young girl’s voice, the talent of the band and a bunch of self penned originals (the sole cover being Memphis minnie’s Me & My Chauffeur) is superb. The core of the album is made of hillbilly/rockabilly with the occasional detour by 50’s Rock’n’roll with a hint of doo wop and some songs have a more 60’s feel.
There’s a lot of good singers out there (well, at least there’s a few) but Coral Lee has a little something more than many others with her songwriting talent. Tthis is not your run of the mill Rockabilly/hillbilly that you’ve heard for the umpteenth time elsewhere, and the guys at LRS know how to arrange her songs and make them sound.
Follow this girl closely, as I bet that she’ll soon become the darling of the festivals across Europe.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Dig Wayne

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dig_wayneDig Wayne – ShackRouser

RBR 5658 Rhythm Bomb Records
Shack Rouser – Just A Flirt – The Hell You Say – Four Mill Hill Blues – Black Widow – Dont Mean No Never Mind – Lucky Number 13 – Devil Red – She Walked Away – I’ll Wind – Blue Is The Color Of Love – Wagon Wheel.
Dig Wayne is back…Who is that guy? Remember, you know him well. Dig was one of the first american rockabilly revivalist from the beginning of the eighties with his band Buzz and the Flyers before forming The JoBoxers, scoring international hits (Boxer Beat, Just Got Lucky, Johnny Friendly…) and becoming a successful actor with movies, TV and theatre.
In 2005, he appears at the second Greenbay Rockin’ Festival and one year later he was invited at the Rockabilly Rave in England. That cool guy was always different: a black guy in a white rockabilly world, a kinda pop and new-wave lover, one of the founder of the neo-rockabilly style against the fifties fundamentalists. He hasn’t really changed in spite of the more than 25 years past since his first and last rockabilly album. This “little” album (only 12 tracks) called “Shack Rouser” is recorded for the Rhythm Bomb Records with the help of the Chisellers, a band made of Jeffrey P.Ross, Russell Scott, Philippe Aubuchon, Carl Sonny Leyland with the engineering of Deke Dickerson, the master of the Ecco-Fonic Studios in L.A. Be prepared to hear some modern rockabilly, only self-penned songs, a mixture of smooth and cool mid-tempos songs with bongos, harmonica and piano that remind me of the eighties jazzy “Matt Bianco-Carmel-Mink DeVille” style (“Black Widow”, “She Walked Away”) with some drivin’modern rockabillies (“Shack Rouser”, “Don’t Mean No Never Mind”, “Devil Red”). Wayne ends his album with a gospel “Wagon Wheel”. I’ve particularly appreciated the “Lucky Number 13” song with his atmospheric guitar. But there is something missing in this album, nothing to do with the soul but rather with the flesh. Even if the band is made of first class musicians, the sound is a little too weak to make this album more than very pleasant to listen to. But Dig is a great live performer and I’m sure he can overcome this mildness on stage.
Long Tall David

Various artist – Perfect for Parties 3

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Perfect for parties 3 - Rhythm Bomb
Perfect for parties 3 - Rhythm Bomb
Perfect for parties 3 – Rhythm Bomb

Various artist – Perfect for Parties 3

RBR5820 [2015]

1. Killswitch ! – The Rip Em Ups 2. You Gotta Go – Crystal & Runnin Wild 3. Something Wicked This Way Comes – Jittery Jack 4. When I Watch You – Twisted Rod 5. By My Side – Carolina and her Rhythm Rockets 6. Rumors – Frantic Rockers 7. Lotsa Rhythm – Gone Hepsville 8. Mary Lou – Rusty Pinto with CC Jerome 9. When Im Gone – Nico Duportal and his Rhythm Dudes 10. Schnick Schnack Boogie . Jai Malano with Nico Duportal 11. Where Can I Put The Junk – Cherry Casino and the Gamblers 12. Mutha – The Playboys 13. Johnny Rocket – The Kabooms 14. Little Baby Of Mine – Spo-Dee-O-Dee 15. Mess You Up – Hanks Jalopy Demons 16. Go Man Go – Dale Rocka and the Volcanos 17. Revenoor Man . The Shadowmen 18. Bossman – Ruby Ann 19. Stay In Bed – Rob Ryan Roadshow 20. Ice Water – Fia Sco and the Majestics 21. Mad And Blue – The Roy Kay Trio 22. That Somethin – The Margraves 23. Ride The Savage – The Sabres 24. Hot Rod Racing – Ati Edge and the Shadowbirds 25. Babyshaker – The Boners 26. Sins And Secrets – The Backseat Boogie 27. Roots Man – Levi Dexter 28. Motor Head Baby – Ezra Lee 29. Hideaway Blues – Ricky Fabian feat. Ruby Ann 30. Cant Stop Lovin You – Marc and the Wild Ones 31. Chicken – Blackberry & Mr. BooHoo

 

This 31 songs compilation album gives a good overview of the recent albums released by Rhythm Bomb. Every genre that fits in the rock’n’roll spectrum is well represented here: hillbilly and honky tonk with a western beat(The Shadowmen, Fia Sco), traditional rockabilly (the Roy Kay Trio, the Kabooms), rhythm’n’blues (Nico Duportal, Jai Malano, Rusty Pinto), Rock’n’roll with a jive influence (Gone Hepsville) wild (Frantic Rockers, The Rip Ems Ups, Jittery Jack) or with a 60’s feel (Ricky Fabian) and some neo-rockabilly too (Levi Dexter).
The selection is, with a few exception (Crystal and Runnin’ Wild) very good.
Besides being perfect for parties, it’s also the perfect record to discover the good work of Rhythm Bomb and it’ll sure make you want to dig deeper in their back catalog.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Ezra Lee

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Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band - Boomerang Boogie
Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band - Boomerang Boogie
Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band – Boomerang Boogie

Ezra Lee & The Havoc Band – Boomerang Boogie

Rhythm Bomb Records – RBR 5823 [2016]
Boomerang Boogie  – My Baby Wants To Rock’n’Roll All Night – Nasty Boogie – Is It Wrong (For Loving You) – Caught In The Middle – Honky Tonk Girl – Motorbilly Radio (Go Cat Go) – My Baby Dont Lie To Me – Tore Up – Honky Tonk Downstairs – Try To Forget My Name – So Long – Endless Sleep – She`s Tough – Let It Rock

For his new album, the third, for Rhythm Bomb, Ezra Lee teamed up with the Shaun Havoc band (Shaun Havoc on drums, Kevin Spiers on guitar, Pete Mavric on double bass and Mark McGurgan on tenor saxophone). To bring variety to the set both Lee and havoc takes the lead vocal duties.
If you compare to his previous albums, it shows a slight departure in term of sound. It delves more into the sixties and mixes rockin’ blues, New Orleans rock’n’roll and country rock. Some songs evoke either Creedence Clearwater Revival or even the Flyin’ Burrito Brothers like Motorbilly Radio (Go Cat Go). The later features a pedal steel while some other songs have a guest fiddle for a straight Honky Tonk sound (Try to Forget My Name).
The choice of covers reflects that eclectism too with songs coming from the catalogs of Champion Jack Dupree, Charlie Rich, Jody Reynolds, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry but also the Paladins, the Reverend Horton Heat and Aussie fellows Pat Capocci and Danny & the Cosmic Tremors.
Pumping piano, strong drum beat, mean electric guitar and jumpin’ sax, everything concurs to make a solid Rock’n’Roll album.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Ezra Lee - Motor Head baby
Ezra Lee – Motor Head baby

Ezra Lee – Motor Head baby

Rhythm Bomb RBR5809 [2015]
Rock Little Baby – Motor Head Baby – Wow Wow – Volcanic Boogie – Over At Hattie’s Barrelhouse – It’s You Baby – The Entertainer – Don’t Say That You Love Me – Last Date – Pink Champagne – Rocker – A Little Unfair – Skinny Woman – Low Down Piana Blues – Rock & Roll Outlaw

Ezra Lee the piano pounding wizard of Oz returned with a brand new album that confirmed all the good things we thought about him.
Backed by the excellent Firebird Trio (Pete Belair on guitar, Hank Elwood Green on drums and on slap bass Chris Nomad D’Rozario who played with Brian Setzer during one of his recent Rockabilly Riot Tour) Lee covers a wide range of style. Of course there’s plenty of Jerry Lee influenced Rock’n’roll (and the production of Paulie Bignell with the drums to the fore strenghten that impression). there’s also a good dose of blues (most notably the excellent Low Down Piana Blues), some Boogie Woogie and even of cover of Scott Joplin’s ragtime classic The  Entertainer. The sole minor flaw would be the cover of AC/DC’s Rocker that doesn’t really fit him vocally but that shouldn’t prevent you to buy that very good album.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Ezra lee - You Can't Stop A Freight Train
Ezra lee – You Can’t Stop A Freight Train

Ezra Lee – You Can’t Stop A Freight Train

Press-Tone Music PCD 15.
Just One Of Those Things / Mean What I Say / Creola / Can’t Stop A Freight Train / I’ll Keep Waiting / Rock’n’Roll Piano Man / Pantin’ Panther / Ezzy’s Boogie / Look, But Can’t Touch / Count On Me (To Shoot You Down) / Firefly / Spread It All Around / The Devil Is A Dame / She Done Gone.

Singer-pianist Ezra Lee is another proof of the good state of health of the Aussie’s rockin’ scene. Like his first recordings available on “Preston Rockabilly vol. 2” this album has been recorded at Preston Studio by the expert hands of Graeme Thomas (and Cal Robinson too) with long time friend Pat Capocci on guitar (who also wrote or co-wrote half of the songs here), Cal Robinson on bass and Ricky “the Goat” on drums.
It’s a pretty good and solid debut album. One could fear that a pianist named “Lee” would merely be a Jerry Lee copycat, but it would be a huge mistake. Sure it contains a healthy dose of piano pounding rockers like Just One of Those Things, Ezzy’s Boogie (pretty much like Jerry Lee’s Real Wild Child) and of course Rock’n’roll Piano man.
 But there’s plenty of other good things too like Sun rockabilly (Spread It Around) and Honky Tonk (I’ll Keep Waiting, Count on Me (to shoot you)) which proves that this boy also likes Moon Mullican. One will also find a couple of blues numbers that show his admiration for Otis Spann and Jonnie Johnson like Mean What I Say or Firefly a Muddy Waters inspired number. There’s also a beautiful New Orleans blues with a Rumba beat called Creola (a little bit like Earl Hooker’s Guitar Rumba), a Texas blues (Pantin’ Panther) and a Carl Mann influenced rocker.
No need to say that Pat Capocci’s guitar is the perfect complement to Ezra’s voice and piano.
Good job folks, I’m really looking forward the next one…
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

 

Nico Duportal and his Rhythm Dudes

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Nico Duportal & his Rhythm Dudes - Dealing with my blues
Nico Duportal & his Rhythm Dudes - Dealing with my blues
Nico Duportal & his Rhythm Dudes – Dealing with my blues

Nico Duportal and his Rhythm Dudes – Dealing with my blues

Rhythm Bomb Records ‎– RBR5844 [2016]
Don’t You See – I Know The Rules – Now Hush – The One To Blame – I Will Unfriend You – Mess And Chaos – Benzola Ascensor – Sometimes – Brand New Day – Junior’s Mambo – Soul Patch – Long Way To Go – Mess And Chaos (Acoustic Bonus Track)

Nico Duportal,French ace guitar player and singer, is not the kind of guy to rest on his laurels. One year after the excellent Guitar Player (that I hope you all own) he releases a brand-new platter that is even better. Once again, the Rhythm Dudes (Pascal Mucci on drums, Alex Bertein on baritone, Thibault Chopin on upright bass, Sylvain Téjérizo on tenor and Olivier Cantrelle on piano and organ.) are here to provide the perfect background to let the many talents of mister Duportal shine.

While his previous album was almost 100% rhythm’n’blues, “Dealing With My Blues” expands his musical horizons and shows the influence of many other genres, including a heavy dose of Soul with, terrific idea, the use of an organ (and if you like Jimmie Va. There’s someTilt a Whirl band, you’ll be delighted) Mambo too with Junior’s mambo penned by  Tim Lelegems ex-Fried Bourbon and Shakedown Tim and the Rhythm Revue, a band recently produced by Duportal. There’s also a bit of of surf (Soul Patch), a hint of Calypso (the One to Blame) and more modern things like Mess and Chaos (that Don Cavalli co-wrote) that shows that Duportal is not a “revival” guy and that his music is not a piece of museum.

All songs are originals mostly penned by Duportal but bass player Thibault Chopin composed two (and co-wrote another). In addition to Junior’s Mambo Tim Lelegems co-wrote I will Unfriend You (facebook friends beware!) and last but not least French blues legend Benoit Blue Boys penned Benzola Ascensor an instrumental on which he also plays harmonic (by the way Nico will appear on Benoit Blue Boy’s forthcoming album, a tribute to French Rock’n’rollers of the of the fifties like Mac Cak.)

Buy it here or if you order from France here.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Nico Duportal and his Rhythm Dudes - Guitar Player
Nico Duportal and his Rhythm Dudes – Guitar Player

Nico Duportal and his Rhythm Dudes – Guitar Player

Rhythm Bomb Records  – RBR5800 [2015]
When I’m Gone – Lost In The Game – Polish Woman – Oh Baby – Can’t Afford To Lose Her – She Knows How – Real Good Lovin’ Tonight – Big Mary’s – Guitar Player – Oh Oh – Josh & Slim – Much Later – Polish Woman (bonus track, unreleased version)

If you dig 50’s black rhythm’n’blues, stop what you’re doing right now and run to your local record shop – if it still exists – or go to Rhythm Bomb’s website to buy Nico Duportal’s amazing fourth album. When you listen to it, you’d swear that someone has unearthed a lost recording made for Peacock or Specialty and put it on cd.
The last time I had the same level of enthusiasm for a similar artist was at the turn of the millenium when I listened to Nick Curran’s debut album.
Like Curran, Duportal has the whole package: the voice, a guitar style in which one can hear the influences of Tiny Grimes, T. Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown and Johnny Guitar Watson and the songs (and he even has the look!). Six out of 12 are originals he wrote or co-wrote and double bass player Thibaut Chopin wrote another one. The cover are well selected coming from the catalog of Jackie Brenston, Titus Turner, Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Eddie Bo.
One word has to be said about the Rhythm Dudes without whom this album wouldn’t be such a success. The rhythm section (Olivier Cantrelle on piano, Pascal Mucci on drums and Chopin on bass) keeps a steady beat whith precision and swing (yes, both!) while the horns (Alex Bertein on baritone saxophone and Arnaud Desprez on tenor) are groovy, juicy and hot.
A must have.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

The Shadowmen

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The Shadowmen - True Love Highway - Rhythm Bomb
The Shadowmen – True Love Highway – Rhythm Bomb

The Shadowmen – True Love Highway

Rhythm Bomb RBR 5785 [2014]
Revenoorman – Sleep Rock-A-Roll Rock-A-Baby – Aint That A Dilly – Rebound – Oh Sally – True Love Highway – Warm Love – Baby’s Gone – See It My Way – Poor Boy Blues – Cant Find The Door Knob – Don’t Mean Maybe, Baby – Have A Ball – Love Bug – Kitty Kat – Baby We’re Trough

The Shadowmen are a five-piece band from Albuquerque and “True Love Highway” is their debut album. This excellent piece of music is sure to make the delight of 50’s sounding rockabilly lovers, espacially those who dig the Texas style of Alvis Wayne, George Jones, Sid King or Buddy Holly.
Their originals, 6 out of 16 songs, are solid and don’t detract from the very well chosen covers. Their main singer, Josh Garcia, can easily switch from hillbilly to hot rockabilly and his hiccups, unlike too many singers, don’t sound like a gimmick. Lead guitarist Tom Sanderson plays tasty licks and one can hear the influences of the greats like Hal Harris or Hank Garland. Jeremy McDonald is the band’s second singer and sings harmonies on their hillbilly number and Jimmy and Johnny influenced stuff. He also engineered the recordings and a special kudos must be given to his excellent work. You’d never believe it’s been recorded in 2014 but think of the Gold Star studio in the second half of the 50’s instead. The mix is clear and it allows you to hear and appreciate each instrument and musicians (too often modern bands think that “authentic” means “muddy”).
Really looking forward their nexty efort.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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