Mississippi-born but Texas-based Omar Kent Dykes understands a fundamental fact about the blues. He knows there are only a handful of rhythms and themes in the blues grab bag, and he uses them all over and over again in slightly different guises, which is far from a bad thing. It is the fundamental conservatism of the blues and its limited palette that has kept the form alive long after its colorful offspring (R&B, soul, rock & roll, etc.) flew the roost, taking a large part of the audience with them. But Omar understands all this. He has had a 30-year career playing these rhythms, and he knows how to keep it all simple, direct, and powerful, and how to build new songs out of the fabric of the old songs without destroying their familiarity.

The Doobies team up with the Memphis Horns for an even more Southern-flavored album than usual, although also a more uneven one. By this time, Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, and company had pretty well inherited the mantle and the core (and then some) of the audience left behind by Creedence Clearwater Revival and John Fogerty, with Johnston songs like "Pursuit on 53rd Street," "Down in the Track," and "Road Angel" recalling pieces like "Travelin' Band," while Simmons' "Black Water" (their first number one hit) evoked the softer side of the "swamp rock" popularized by CCR.

Buchanan was a terrific guitarist, but My Babe is not the place to hear him in his glory. Too often, the album is dragged down by slick production and Paul Jacobs' overbearing vocals. Buchanan's playing is fairly good, but he sounds a little uninspired, which is understandable, considering his surroundings…

Though Robin Trower found his greatest career success in the mid-'70s, his intensely soulful brand of Jimi Hendrix-inspired psychedelic blues-rock guitar playing helped him maintain a healthy audience decades past his commercial heyday…

Jethro Tull was very much a blues band on their debut album, vaguely reminiscent of the Graham Bond Organization only more cohesive, and with greater commercial sense. The revelations about the group's roots on This Was – which was recorded during the summer of 1968 – can be astonishing, even 30 years after the fact. Original lead guitarist Mick Abrahams contributed to the songwriting and the singing, and his presence as a serious bluesman is felt throughout, often for the better: "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You," an Ian Anderson original that could just as easily be credited to Big Bill Broonzy or Robert Johnson; "Cat's Squirrel," Abrahams' big showcase, where he ventures into Eric Clapton territory; and "It's Breaking Me Up," which also features some pretty hot guitar from Abrahams.

Phenomenal first solo studio disc by this amazing gifted guitarist/vocalist from Denmark who is best known as the prolific leader/founder of the awesome power trio: Blindstone. Includes 10 tracks of outstanding, world-class, powerful, killer, retro-sonic, blues-based, total heavy guitar excellence that lands down hard with exceptional musical brilliance. Martin J. Andersen has arrived & landed rock solid to the core as a solo artist and has achieved true guitar rock greatness on the aptly titled, amazing beyond belief Six String Renegade disc. From start to finish, Andersen kicks our asses hard with his brain-damaging brand of high-voltage, electrified, guitar rock riffage/mojo. An excellent mix of vocal + instrumental tracks, the Six String Renegade disc finds the axemaster exploring his Blindstone + deep hard rock musical roots which always land with an ever-loving, vintage, blues-based, guitar rock vibe.

Julian Sas stepped into 2005 with a brand-new album, a brand-new band and a brand-new sound. “Twilight Skies Of Life” is Julian’s sixth studio album and a giant leap forward for the axe-man from the Dutch Delta, the ‘Land van Maas en Waal’, that part of the lowlands where rivers Maas and Waal (a branch of the Rhine) are trying to emulate their big sister Mississippi. Julian spent four weeks on “Twilight” in the studio with producer Jos Haagmans, who is best known for his work with multi-platinum Dutch-language bards Boudewijn de Groot and Frank Boeijen. The sound got heavier, muddier, fuller. That has a lot to do with the fact that ten years of experience led to a truly international four-piece.

The title of this 60-minute retrospective on the legendary power trio pretty well describes itself – it is a strange amalgam of interviews and some well-chosen (and some not so well-chosen) performance clips. Strangely enough, the best part of the documentary, from the standpoint of information, is the interview segment with Jack Bruce and lyricist Pete Brown describing their way of working, and Ginger Baker's recollection of how "Strange Brew" came to be written out of another song altogether, "Lawdy Mama."…

John Lennon would have turned 67 in 2007. If alive, he could well be at the forefront of bringing peace to Darfur, where more than half a million have died from violence and disease during four years of rebel discord. So to create awareness of the ongoing conflict, Amnesty International (with permission from Yoko Ono) has mined Lennon's solo work and rounded up nearly two dozen current artists to reinterpret the music, which spans the ex-Beatle's entire post-band catalog (plus a pair from while the Fab Four were still in business). As with any attempt to cover Beatles-related music, results are hit and miss, with kudos going to Snow Patrol and the Postal Service for capturing the starkness of "Isolation" and "Grow Old with Me," respectively, Mexican rock band Jaguares for uncovering the fear and fury in "Gimme Some Truth," and (surprise!) Christina Aguilera for nailing the complex composition and mood of "Mother." Other highlights include Jackson Browne's piano-led "Oh My Love," Green Day's louder straight take on "Working Class Hero," and the Black Eyed Peas turning "Power to the People" into a gospelly protest. Will resurrecting 30-to-40-year-old messages of peace and love be enough to help end the brutalities in Darfur? That remains to be seen. But selecting John Lennon as the author of those messages will make people listen and, with this collection, may keep them listening.

The new album, which has been recorded in Madrid and Las Vegas, is expected to be released in March 2016. It includes 14 new songs which fuse Latin rhythms, blues and rock with the unmistakable guitar sound of Javier Vargas and feature exceptional vocal contributions by Paul Shortino, Gaz Pearson, Devon Allman and Tim Mitchell. Indispensable performances by Luis Mayo on bass/vocals and Peter Kunst on drums/vocals give superb shape to this album.

Bill Durst - The Great Willy Mammoth (2009) {Durstwerks CD 8882}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 318 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 101 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 37 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2009 Durstwerks | CD 8882
Rock / Blues / Blues Rock

Bill Durst may very well be the closest thing to a bona fide musical living legend that our sleepy would-be metropolis has ever seen. From international chart success with his truly amazing band Thundermug to the many solo albums he has issued since, he has never given over to posturing of any kind and has stood his ground firmly regarding his music, personal identity and independence.

When Fleetwood Mac released its first live album in December 1980, it captured the legendary band’s most iconic lineup on stage demonstrating the full scope of their collective, creative powers. Recorded mostly during the world tour for Tusk, Fleetwood Mac Live delivered a double-album’s worth of exhilarating performances that included massive hits like “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way,” “Rhiannon,” and “Don’t Stop.”