Marius Tilly Band – Come Together | Album Review

This CD review was originally published in the November 12, 2015 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Marius Tilly Band – Come Together

String Commander

www.mariustillyband.com 11 tracks / 45:03

The Marius Tilly Band is a trio that draws inspiration from the hard blues-rock of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and blends these sounds with modern songwriting structures and lyrics. Based out of Dortmund, Germany, the members of this young band are Marius Tilly on vocals and guitar, Benjamin Oppermann on bass, and Maximilian Wastl on drums. Come Together is their sophomore effort, following up on their very good debut, Blues Colors, Red Lights. The new album’s eleven original tracks clock in at a touch over 45 minutes, and during that time a lot of musical ground is covered.

Though the content is mostly amplified and rock-based like the opener, “Believe,” there is also some nice acoustic blues to be found on this disc. “Fly” is a lovely traveling blues song with a bit of a Delta feel thanks to Tilly’s resonator guitar and howling lyrics, and “Far Away” builds with layers of guitars and textures as it sets a somber mood to close out the disc. It should be noted that through these guys are from overseas, all of the words are in English. These lyrics are quite good, and are not presented with the awkward syntax and feel that sometimes result when songs are sung outside of the vocalist’s native language. By the way, the CD includes a book of lyrics, which is a cool touch that has become quite uncommon in recent years.

Their blues work is good, but blues-rock is where the Marius Tilly band really shines. Two songs in particular, “Headaches” and “Skin’s Electric,” have a majestic infusion of funk that make them the standout tracks on Come Together. It does not hurt that both songs are very well written and the backline of Opperman and Wastl are innovative and extremely tight. Combining these elements with Tilly’s strong guitars and vocals makes these tracks a fine listening experience.

Their more conventional blues-rock songs are also solid, and like the rest of the songs on the album they are radio-friendly. “Hold On” features throaty vocals that double up with the guitar at times, which is strikingly effective and musical. Also, “Water Falls” features some lovely Hammond work from guest artist Artur Kuhfub that adds another layer of complexity to the band’s sound. There are not any two songs that sound alike here!

The trio even throws down a few pop tunes that are quite good. “Elevator Girl” is a high-energy song with heavy drums and wah pedal -infused guitar that includes some cool call and response from Wastl and Oppermann on the chorus. “Take Off” has almost the polar opposite feel, with a moody feel that is brought out by heavily processed 1980s style guitars that are processed with an abundance of delay and reverb. The final product ends up being like a mash-up of INXS and U2, if that makes any sense to the Generation X readers out there.

Come Together is a solid effort from the Marius Tilly Band with healthy servings of accessible rock, pop and blues music. Their unique sound is very likeable, and their live shows are chock full of contagious energy. Unfortunately they are only touring Europe right now, so American fans will have to make do with listening to their CDs and viewing their YouTube videos until someone starts paying attention and gets them to come to a festival here in the states.

Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Bernard Allison – In the Mix

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This CD review was originally published in the August 27, 2015 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Bernard Allison – In the Mix

Jazzhaus Records

www.bernardallison.com

www.jazzhausrecords.com

10 tracks / 57:20

In any business it is hard to try to live up to the success of one’s father or mother, but in the music business there is the added challenge of trying to meet the expectations their fans and trying to make new ones. Bernard Allison has been walking this tightrope for his entire career, and has done an admirable job of living both in his father’s world and in the one he has created for himself.

Bernard Allison is a supremely talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who also happen to be the son of the late Luther Allison, the Chicago bluesman who was renowned for his red-hot live shows. Bernard got an early start on his career, joining his dad on stage at the age of 13 and moving on to play lead guitar for Koko Taylor’s Blues Machine a week after graduating from high school. He has been recording solo projects for the past 25 years, and has since made his home in Europe where they appreciate his music too!

In the Mix is Bernard’s 17th solo album (if I counted right), but it is his first release in almost six years and it is a bit of a departure from what he has done before. He is a killer guitarist, and with friends and tutors like Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan, that is not too surprising. But this time around, he has put aside the usual heady guitar work and focused more on the vocals and arrangements, making this a rock solid disc in all dimensions. Allison was the producer, vocalist and guitarist, and he was joined in the Minneapolis, Minnesota studio by the core band of George Moye on bass, Mark “Muggie” Leach on the keys, and Mario Dawson on the skins.

Bernard wrote five new songs for this project and the other five tracks are well chosen and rearranged covers, including two written by his father. Given his recording hiatus, it is cool that Allison starts this set with “Five Long Years,” and surprisingly this is the Colin James version, not the oft-covered Eddie Boyd hit. Here we get to hear contributions from two guest artists: Bruce McCabe on piano and Jose Ned James on the sax. There are a few stout lead guitar licks, but this song remains accessible to a large audience with its conventional rock approach.

This is followed up with a “Call Me Momma” tune that Bernard co-wrote with his mother, Fannie Mae Allison. In this funky and soulful piece, Jose’s sax takes an early lead over Leach’s B-3 and Bernard uses his solid tenor voice as he sets the example of asking a sage woman for advice, even as a grown man. It is apparent that his mother brought him up right, and that he wisely continues to learn from her experience.

There are a few well-chosen covers on this disc, including Tyrone Davis’ “I Had It All the Time” and a funky take on Freddie King’s “I’d Rather Be Blind,” but there is also more great original work to be found here: Bernard is a mature songwriter who know what he is doing. One of these is “Lust for You,” a collaboration with another master, Ronnie Baker Brooks. This could have been a blues or rock song, but the instrumentation makes it come off almost like a country tune. It is not what would be expected from either of these gentlemen, but its complex structure and different sound work out really well with the other songs on the albums.

There is plenty of other great original music, too. After slowing things down with the rhythm and blues of “Tell Me Who” Bernard cranks out some righteous straightforward blues with “Something’s Wrong.” The band really shines here with the tight backline of Moye and Dawson keeping the beat under the dueling keyboards of Leach and McCabe. Allison does not disappoint his old fans here, as he takes the opportunity to show off a bit on the guitar with an awesome solo towards the end.

It would be a shame not to mention the two songs that were written by Luther Allison, as there is nobody more qualified to cover them than his own son. “Move From the Hood” is one of the strongest tracks on In the Mix, with a bouncy 12-bar blues shuffle feel, fun doubled sax and organ lines, and a couple of killer guitar breaks. The other tune is the closer, “Moving on Up” which delivers the message that there can be hope, despite whatever the present circumstances are. Leach’s Hammond carries most of the melodic weight in the song, including a trick solo midway through.

Bernard Allison is his own man, but he is not hiding from his heritage either and In the Mix is his most thoughtful and well-planned album to date. This mix of blues and soul is powerful and should bring his music to a wider range of fans that expect more than guitar pyrotechnics. Keep an eye on his website for tour updates, and hopefully he will be coming to this side of the Atlantic so we can see him again soon!

Low Society – You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down |Album Review

Low Society – You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down

Icehouse Records

www.screaminblues.com

www.icehouserecords.com 12 tracks / 56:20

You can find blues in any flavor you like: Delta, Chicago style, Memphis style, jazz-influenced, blues-rock, and stuff that just defies categorization. Low Society provides the latter, pushing the limits of blues with their own high-energy rocking sound.

Low Society is fronted by the formidable Mandy Lemons who is from Houston, but made her way through New York City to finally end up in the rock and roll capital of the world: Memphis, Tennessee. The other major part of this band’s equation is Sturgis Nikides, a guitarist who was originally inspired by seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. It sounds like he has not put his axe down since that day in 1964, as he is a masterful player in the blues-rock world, including his own brand of mind-bending slide work.

These two got together in 2008 in the Big Apple and hit it off, writing and recording and playing the first of hundreds of gigs. Eventually they moved to Memphis, where they were able to learn another way to approach the blues from one its the masters, saxophonist Dr. Herman Green. Low Society released their very good debut album, High Time, in 2011 and they have not let up, including a performance at the 2014 International Blues Challenge.

You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down is their sophomore album, and it is truly something to behold. Sturgis and Mandy laid down a dozen tracks that include ten Nikedes/Lemons originals, and two cool covers. They were joined on this effort by a super-tight backline of Nick Dodson on bass and Mike Munn behind the drum kit. Rounding out the ensemble were Green on the sax, Rick Steff on the keys, Brian Hawkins and his blues harp, and Lee Booth with backing vocals. Nikides produced this project and the album was recorded at the venerable America Recording Studio in Memphis, with mixing done by Larry Nix (of Stax fame).

Their set kicks off with “Crammed & Jammed,” and it is obvious that this band has a good head of steam and they know there way around the hard-rocking blues block. Over the rock solid Memphis-supplied bass and drums, Nikedes slide work is vicious and Lemons’ voice is a glorious mixture of raw power and smooth phrasing, sort of like a combination of Big Mama Thornton and Shirley Bassey. I would love to use a Janis Joplin comparison, but that would be too easy!

This is followed up by the first cover, Koko Taylor’s “Voodoo Woman,” and Mandy does a bang-up job on one of her inspiration’s most iconic songs. Steff’s Hammond sets the appropriately spooky and dramatic mood, and the Dr. delivers a dump truck load of killer saxophone alongside Sturgis’ best Sonny Landreth-style playing. After these two high-intensity songs, things are dialed back a bit for “Need Yer Love.” This song is sexy as hell, and under the chanteuse is an offbeat rhythm filled in with accordion that lends a bit of Paris mixed with circus atmosphere.

The originals are all very well written, and the songwriters did not create a template to knock out ten songs that are all the same with only the words moved around. Each of their songs has a unique feel and construction so that things always stay sharp. “Son House Says” has a jazzy fusion feel to it, and the title track has a Southern rock vibe with honky-tonk piano. But the standout track is “This Heart of Mine,” which is a slow blues rock ballad that sounds like something Led Zeppelin would have recorded. Well, it would sound like that if they had a high-energy woman singing, a little background organ, and Robin Trower/Stevie Ray playing the guitar. Other than that, it is just like Led Zep…

But it was hard to pick out a favorite as all of the songs are very good – there is not a dud to be found, and they mix genres with furious abandon. Low Society sounds just as comfortable combining a hoe-down with a trip to a church for “Up in Your Grave,” or pulling out the resonator guitar and bringing in John Shaw on piano for the Memphis Minnie spiritual gem “Let Me Ride.” After almost an hour things draw to a close with “Should’ve Known Better” which brings some righteous Texas blues that is spiced up with a little sax from Dr, Green.

If you are a fan of blues or rock, you will like You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down. Low Society hit the ball out of the park with this one, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. So, pick up a copy of their album, and make sure you head over to their website to see if they have any gigs coming up. It will be worth your time!

Thank you!