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Ruby Ann

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ruby ann - run wildRuby Ann – Running Wild

Rhythm Bomb Records – RBR 5752 [2014]
One More Time – Half past Crazy – You Gotta Pay – Always Gone – Anytime – Have A Heart – Bossman – Same Thing – Heartless Man – Watchdog – Got The Feeling – Run Wild
Oh my soul! With the release of “Running Wild”, Portuguese songstress Ruby Ann has entered the very close club of the great singers (in which she’s in very good company with Deke Dickerson, Big Sandy…). Recorded in Chicago at Hi-Style studio by Alex Hall (who also plays piano) it gathers an impressive cast of musicians: Beau Sample (double bass), Patrick Morrow (drums), Bill Pekara (guitar), Joel Paterson (guitar and harmonica), Eddie Clendening (guitar), Josh Bell (sax) and Sophia Wolff (backing vocals).
It features some well chosen covers and a couple of originals tailor-made for the singer from the pens of Big Sandy, Mark Winchester (Planet Rockers, Brian Setzer) and Ken Mottet.
As Big Sandy puts it in his introduction, this twelve-song effort showcases Ruby Ann’s incredible versatility. Whether it’s a country tinged song or a soulful ballad, a rock’n’roll or a British blues invasion number (Anytime by Riot Squad) she’s always on top. Not only she can sing anything (I’d bet she could sing the phone book and make it sound hot) but she has the rare capacity to make covers that sound as if they had been written specifically for her.
In that, she’s very similar to Marti Brom (another permanent member of the “greats” club) who can easily go from All I Can Do Is Cry to I Go To Sleep without effort.
Highly, highly recommended (and let me add one more highly just for the superbly designed digipack.)

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Billie and the Kids – Jukebox Daddy

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billie-and-the-kids-jukebox-daddyRhythm Bomb Records – RBR 5757 [2014]
Scorched – Your First Kiss – Bumble Bee – Jukebox Daddy – Blueprint Of My Heart – Maybe – It’s Wrong – How Can You Leave A Man Like This – I’ve Got A Feelin’ – Lonely Days – Come On and Fool Around With Me – You’re Gonna Be Sorry – Need You Tonight – Your Love – Tough – I’m Wise – I Thought I Told You Not To Tell ’em

I realised that this one was on my list of record to review for quite a long time and I quickly put it in the player. After a few bars of the first song I thought I had made a mistake, the sound I hear didn’t match the picture I saw on the booklet. How could a strong and “black” voice like that come from such a young and frail lady? I double checked, pinched me (one never knows) but I soon had to admit the reality: Billie & the Kids don’t come from New Orleans but from Zagreb, Croatia and Jukebox Daddy has not been recorded for Savoy or Modern in the fifties but for Rhythm Bomb in 2013.
These boys (piano, guitar, double bass, drums and three saxes as well as a couple of guests) and girl nailed the sound of their favourite records (Etta James, Ruth Brown, Varetta Dillard) perfectly and make it sound natural. It’s due to their musicianship and ease, but mostly to their ten originals penned by Jurica Stelma, the band’s bassist that include ballads, boppers, jumpers and some latin too.
Don’t miss it.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Gone Hepsville

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gone-hepsville-lotsa-rhythm

Gone Hepsville – Lotsa Rhythm

Rhythm Bomb records RBR5770
Lotsa Rhythm – Hip As I Can Be – Lazy Town – She Won’t Shut Up – The Jump – Born 15 Minutes Late – I’m Gone Hepsville – I Ain’t Crazy – Fake Out – 3am Romance – Sweet Defeat – Surrendered – Rockin’ Bug – When Mister Woogie Beats The Boogie – Hepsville Stroll – Trix On Trixon – True Fine Mama That Loves Me – I’m In Flames

Gone Hepsville is a six piece band – that also goes under the name of the Fireballs – and they comes from the Czech Republic. They play good old Rock’n’roll with a very traditionnal sound (it’s been recorded at Lightning Recorders in Berlin by Axel Praefcke) in the style of Bill Haley, the Treniers, Freddie Bell or closer to us the Big Six.
All songs are band’s originals and they’re pretty well done. The double horn attack of Petr Janovský (tenor sax), and Pavel Zlámal (baritone sax) take no prisonners and are the real engine of the band. Behind them the rhythm section, with piano, is super tight (powerful slap bass and swingin drums). Both Petr Pospíšil (upright bass, ) and Pavel Štursa (guitar) sing lead which brings a lot of variety to the setlist as do the instrumental tracks.
This is the kind of music that talks directly to your feet and is sure to make you jump, bop and rock.
www.rhythmbomb.com
www.gonehepsville.com

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Lew Phillips

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Lew Phillips - s/t
Lew Phillips – s/t

Lew Phillips – s/t

Rhythm Bomb – RBR 5782
Fallin’ In Love Is Easy – Marie-Lou -Laurie-Anne -Be My Baby – Tell Me Why – In The Night -Your Love -Hey Baby -My Little Woman -You’re The One -On My Way -Love Makes Me Feel Blue -What Have You Done -Rock With Me Baby -Mister Colter

Lew Phillips is a young rocker from Canada. After one ep and one single on Wild Records, Rhythm Bomb presents his debut album with 15 self-penned songs. Beside singing lead, Phillips also plays lead and acoustic guitar. The other musicians are Dominic Simard and Eddy Blake Eaton on bass and Michel Dagenais (Howlin’ Hound Dogs) who plays drums, bass, piano, organ. He is also credited for producing, recording and mixing the record.
Phillips has a good voice and obviously Buddy Holly had a major influence on his musical development (and probably still have). One can find and hear the same inflections and hiccups in his voice. The songs are in adequation with the voice and often sound like some Holly’s long lost recordings. Other influences that can be heard are Ritchie Valens, notably on the ballad Laurie Anne and a bit of Little Richard on Rock With Me Baby. Dagenais’s production is perfect and give to the LP a true and real 50’s sound.
Despite the fact that some of the orginals sounds VERY much like Buddy Holly  (Tell Me Why that is quite close to Tell Me How and In The Night being just a mix between Take Your Time and Well All Right) it’s a very good album. Good to hear new artists like Phillips or his label mate Ricky Fabian, who concentrate on the melodies.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Sidewynders (the)

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the Sidewynders - let's go sparkin' with...
the Sidewynders – let’s go sparkin’ with…

The Sidewynders – Let’s Go Sparkin’ With…

Rhythm Bomb – RBR5788 – 2014
Lyin’ Baby – Heart In A Daze – Salty Dog Blues – Fancy Free – No Shame – Knock On Wood – Mad At You – Dry Run – Closer & Closer – Every Girl’s Heart – The Blues Don’t Care – She’s Got It Made – She’s Alright With Me

Rhythm Bomb launched its Los Angeles branch with two releases that will be hard to top: the Frantic Rockers and this album, Let’s Go Sparkin’ with the Sidewynders.
The line-up remained unchanged since their debut album except for the addition of Brian “Shorty” Poole of Dave’n’Deke Combo fame on steel and double bass. The band rips through a 13-song-half-an-hour set of mostly originals ranging from Sun inspired Rockabilly to hillbilly bop with fine harmonies and a bit of western swing in between with superb interplay between Ramon Espinoza on guitar and Poole on steel. Cervantes sings with his heart (and a bit of his guts too)  while Carlos Velazquez provides a solid beat but not too heavy.  Danny Angulo (Rip Carson, Omar) guest on three tracks on second and baritone guitar.
Perfectly recorded by Poole and Wally Hersom for two songs it’s a killer from start to finish!

Fred ‘Virgil’ Turgis

Frantic Rockers

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Frantic Rockers - Savage Beat
Frantic Rockers – Savage Beat

Frantic Rockers – Savage Beat

Rhythm Bomb RBR5784
I Wanna Boogie – Hoodoman Blues – Rolling Stone – Crying And Pleading – All Through The Night – Tears I Cried – I’m Gone – Drive Me Insane – Rumors – Howling – All Night Long – Have Some Fun Tonight – Crazy
Rhythm Bomb has just launched a LA branch and this one is one of the first two new release. And believe me firends, that’s what I call a hot platter. Beware it’s gonna burn your player down.
Take some classic harmonica driven Chicago blues, add a good dose of neo-rockabilly (their upright bassist, Jorge, is really a frantic rocker) and sprinkle it with a punkish attitude reminiscent of the Sonics or the Downliner Sect, and maybe you’ll have a close idea of how this four guys from Los Angeles sound. The rhythm section is tight as hell, powerfull slap bass with Diddley beat, their guitar player is an ace and the singer has the perfect gravelly and threatening voice.
I couldn’t recommand this album enough.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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