Blues
On his aptly-titled Mascot Records’ debut, What Happens Next, roots singer-songwriter and guitarist Davy Knowles boldly steps forward with timeless and cohesive songwriting; sleek modern production; and a lyrical, play-for-the-song guitar approach informed from soul, folk, rock, and blues. The 12-song album is just as influenced by The Black Keys, Fantastic Negrito, Gary Clark Jr., as it is Muddy Waters, Junior Kimbrough, and R.L. Burnside. It is a cohesive body of work rather than a collection of disparate songs. On What Happens Next, Knowles’s poetic songwriting, and his soulfully emotive singing steal the show. The 12-song body of work offers forth a peaks-and-valleys album experience winding through brawny riffs, jazzy blues balladry, and vintage soul before concluding with one of Knowles’s most personal songs released to date. Throughout it all, his guitar playing is brilliantly understated, his rhythm work is deft and dynamic—beefy on the rockers, and subtly supportive on the slower tunes—and his leads are economical but feature juicy blues bends and thick as molasses lead guitar tones. "What Happens Next" is released on CD and digitally on October 22, 2021 and on vinyl on December 3, 2021 via Mascot Label Group/Provogue Records.
Very special vinyl reissue of the third album from hugely influential British bluesman John Mayall, who gave a boost to a young Eric Clapton when Mayall asked Clapton to join his Bluesbreakers band! Having left the Bluesbreakers behind, Mayall originally released this solo album in 1980 and showed that he had the chops to stand on his own! This reissue revamps the artwork with vintage photos of Mayall in a gorgeous gatefold jacket housing a RED MARBLE vinyl!
Blues-rock legend Joe Bonamassa is back with a brand-new studio album, Time Clocks - produced by Kevin Shirley and recorded in NYC in March of 2021. Bonamassa introduces elements of prog and hard rock to intensify his signature blues-rock style. Joe's co-writers on this record include Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke), Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake), James House and Tom Hambridge who help elevate the storytelling to a whole new level.
Pioneering rock n' roll singer/songwriter Dion delivers yet another powerful collection of timeless blues with Stomping Ground. It's the follow-up to his universally acclaimed Keeping The Blues Alive Records debut, Blues With Friends, from 2020. Dion has yet again enlisted the music world's most iconic and talented stars to bring his blues to life. Peter Frampton, Eric Clapton, Keb' Mo', Joe Bonamassa, Patti Scialfa & Bruce Springsteen, and more join Dion on this year's most heartfelt release.
The defining blues voice of his generation releases the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to his Grammy-nominated debut, 2019's Kingfish. 662 (the area code of his Clarksdale stomping grounds) is a powerful and personal album, a fiery coming-of-age record. The lyrics reflect Ingram's newfound maturity and how your roots inspire where you're heading. Musically, the record delivers a heaping helping of the deep, visceral Ingram guitar magic his fans love, fueling a combustible mix of molten blues rock, down home shuffles and soulful grooves.
Two guitar legends - Eric Clapton and B.B. King - first performed together in NYC in 1967. Over 30 years later, in 1999, the two longtime friends joined forces to create a collection of all new studio recordings of blues classics and contemporary songs. The resulting album Riding with the King would be released in June 2000 and go onto sell over 2 million copies and win the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, the album will be expanded and remastered by Bob Ludwig will be released on June 26th. Two additional previously unreleased tracks have been added to the album: The blues standard “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” and a cover of Willie Dixon’s “Let Me Love You Baby”. Both tracks were recorded during the original sessions and were produced and mixed especially for this release by Simon Climie, who produced the original album with Clapton.
The album features five Dixon originals, plus a selection of covers from writers as diverse as Isaac Hayes (“Hold On I’m Coming”), Johnny Mercer (“Come Rain Or Come Shine”) and “Big” Bill Broonzy (“Key To The Highway”). John Hiatt wrote the album’s title track.
The album features an all-star line-up of musicians: Andy Fairweather Low, Steve Gadd, Nathan East, Joe Sample, Doyle Bramhall II, Susannah and Wendy Melvoin, and Jim Keltner. The celebrated producer and arranger Arif Martin contributed string arrangements and orchestration to two tracks.
"Woke up singing a dead man's song..." is the opening line from the Warren Haynes original "Heavy Load," a line of imagery that feels like the beginning of dirt. Blues. On this album, the iconic American band puts their unique musical stamp on an incredible collection of Blues covers and originals. Haynes, the leader of Gov't Mule, hails from a Southern rock tradition of scruffy virtuosity. Gov't Mule is Warren's show, and the Blues is the informing foundation, personal and universal.
Eric Clapton & B.B. King
Riding With The King: 20th Anniversary Edition [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Blue 2LP]
Two guitar legends - Eric Clapton and B.B. King - first performed together in NYC in 1967. Over 30 years later, in 1999, the two longtime friends joined forces to create a collection of all new studio recordings of blues classics and contemporary songs. The resulting album Riding with the King would be released in June 2000 and go onto sell over 2 million copies and win the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, the album will be expanded and remastered by Bob Ludwig will be released on June 26th. Two additional previously unreleased tracks have been added to the album: The blues standard “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” and a cover of Willie Dixon’s “Let Me Love You Baby”. Both tracks were recorded during the original sessions and were produced and mixed especially for this release by Simon Climie, who produced the original album with Clapton.
The album features five Dixon originals, plus a selection of covers from writers as diverse as Isaac Hayes (“Hold On I’m Coming”), Johnny Mercer (“Come Rain Or Come Shine”) and “Big” Bill Broonzy (“Key To The Highway”). John Hiatt wrote the album’s title track.
The album features an all-star line-up of musicians: Andy Fairweather Low, Steve Gadd, Nathan East, Joe Sample, Doyle Bramhall II, Susannah and Wendy Melvoin, and Jim Keltner. The celebrated producer and arranger Arif Martin contributed string arrangements and orchestration to two tracks.
Austin, TX-based vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Buffalo Nichols - Fat Possum's first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years - delivers his self-titled debut album on the label. The album sees Nichols wrestling with prescient topics, such as empathy and forgiveness on the poignant, ever-building melody of "How to Love;" regret and loss on moving, violin-inflected "These Things;" and the pitfalls of lives lived too close to the edge on the smooth, dynamic "Back on Top." On the tender, aching album opener and lead single "Lost & Lonesome," he gives listeners what he describes as a "glimpse into the mind of that traveler looking for a friend and a place to call home;" inspired by his years traveling alone, looking for a place for his passions to fit in, even if temporarily, the track is an ode to exploration and the creative ingenuity of isolation. At the forefront of each song is Nichols' rich voice and evocative, virtuosic guitar-playing, augmented on half of the nine tracks by a simple, cadent drum line.