and general entertainment reviewers. The current edition of The Mannish Boys features a veritable one-band blues festival of talent; most of the members either lead or are integral members of other successful touring and recording bands. They've honed their blues to a brilliant edge through appearances before sold-out crowds and on festival stages in the U.S., Canada, and in Europe. Their new live recording, "Live & In Demand", captures The Mannish Boys at the top of their game at the 2005 Winthrop Blues Festival, rolling out their dynamic, non-stop, old-style 'blues revue' featuring acclaimed veteran bluesmen Finis Tasby, Johnny Dyer, Kid Ramos, Franck Goldwasser, Leon Blue, Randy Chortkoff, Richard Innes and Tom Leavey.  (less)

West Virginia cave. Adopted by the family of the town's vet, Edgar--as he comes to be known--actually goes on to acquire an education and even falls in love with the vet's daughter, all the while struggling to keep his blood thirst under control. Things end tragically--unsurprisingly, interspecies romance is still battling considerable prejudice in this country. Composer-lyricist Laurence O'Keefe came up with catchy songs that owe a lot to late 1960s and early '70s rock musicals such as Godspell and even The Rocky Horror Show . Skillfully walking the thin line between over-the-top camp and actual emotion, O'Keefe has written a wonderful little musical that cleverly deals with issues of difference and community values. As weird as it sounds, we foresee quite a future for Bat Boy in amateur pr...  (less)

his band Deep Feeling at the legendary night club, The Elbow Room in Birmingham, England, became the birthplace of Traffic. Steve Winwood was attracted to this early type of psychedelic music which Jim was then playing and was impressed by the large following Deep Feeling were building. Winwood often would come along to jam and as his friendship grew closer and Traffic was born. The rest is history. Apart from Traffic’s ten album, multi platinum career, fuelled by Jim’s writing partnership with Steve, Jim has enjoyed a solo career with twelve albums to date. With his new recording, Poor Boy Blue, Jim was keen to explore his roots and used quite a lot of classic instrumentation to achieve the particular sound he was looking for on this album. The basis for the album and most wor...  (less)

shouts, lofty cries, and rumbling, emotional singing that seems to have the power to move mountains. The group stick to their well-known "mother" theme (their first hit was the mind-blowing "I Can See Everybody's Mother, But I Can't See Mine" in 1949) on these two early '70s LPs, issued here as one CD. No less than three songs mourn the death of a matriarch--the bluesy, brilliant standby "Alone and Motherless," the moody, slow-tempo "When I Lost My Mother," and the revved tearjerker "Goodbye Mother." The group singing is tight, the tempo and material varied, the minimal percussion perfectly complementary, the guitar playing subtle, sparse, beautiful. But the real treat is when the five singers wind each other up, like a spinning top, into ecstatic realms of ent...  (less)

trees is an affecting metaphor for human struggle and perseverance. This idea is central to Learning To Bend. Key tracks on Learning To Bend include two reactions to the current political landscape, A Few Honest Words, and an adaptation of Sam Cooke s A Change is Gonna Come, in which Ben has written updated, politically relevant verses. Other highlights of the album are the playful, soul track, How To See the Sun Rise and the vulnerable yet insistent It s Not Impossible, where Ben laments the unfortunate status quo that boys don t cry. Ben has found considerable success in recent years through his ability to bend. In 2007, he was named one of NPR s Top Ten Unknown Artists of the Year. His distinctive cello technique and soulful voice have been mar...  (less)

almost all nonclassical guitarists." On top of his expert albeit unconventional playing, Spence growled, murmured, and scatted his way through a distinctive repertoire that included sea chanties, hymns, and pop tunes. This spontaneous 21-song album was recorded in a Boston apartment with Spence playing a borrowed Martin D-18. Surrounded by a circle of devotees, he comfortably sails through the likes of "Sloop John B." (it was a folk song before the Beach Boys got hold of it), "Will the Serpent Be Unbroken" (notice the revised title), and Spence's personal anthem, "Out on the Rolling Sea." In a single word: singular. --Steven Stolder  (less)

that the boomer pinup boy has continued his metamorphosis. Signed to Jive Records, the label that spawned the careers of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, Bolton enlists the services of Swedish pop Svengali Max Martin, the man who penned Spears's "Oops!... I Did It Again" and the Backstreet Boys' "Shape of My Heart." Superstar producer Mutt Lange wrote the title track and manned the boards, while Lange's spouse, Shania Twain, and Richard Marx made writing contributions. As a result, Bolton has ended up with a pop confection that could top a cake. Ardent, heartfelt, and as transparent as a bride's peignoir, Only a Woman Like You for the most part shows the singer at his very best. Like a hero lifted out of the pages of a Harlequin rom...  (less)

the DVD include live performances from Bunji Garlin, Edwin Yearwood and real Soca flavor with live footage from the 2006 Trinidad & Tobago carnival! Even if you weren’t able to get to the carnival you can enjoy the scenery! The CD is packed with 18 of the hottest new tracks in Soca. Feature tracks include Bunji Garlin with ‘Warrior’s Coming’ a tribute to Trinidad’s ‘Soca Boys’ who will compete in World Cup Soccer finals this summer.  (less)

classic essence of a band working together on all planes to deliver a distinctive brand of magic. The Atlanta, GA band joined forces with Livewire Recordings in 2006 and released an EP in early 2007 GOLD DUST TRAIL. Receiving strong College and AAA Radio support, debuting at #10 most added in the country on CMJ s Top 30 chart, the critically acclaimed release introduced Warm in the Wake to their new audiences. Riding the strength of the EP, the boys headed into Atlanta s Vintage Vibe Productions with Livewire president/producer Colin Cobb (The Rewinds, Ashton Allen, The Winter Sounds) and mastered in London's Abbey Road Studios by Steve Rooke (Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Wilco) in the spring of 2007 to flesh out the most imp...  (less)

god American rock `n' roll band. Like Aerosmith when they still did drugs, KISS before they took off their makeup, or ZZ Top before MTV . Mixing a love for volume, all things '70s, and the punk rock ethos of Loud Fast Rules, Shame Club comes across as a thundering barrage of their influences. Come On is the band's third album, and first for Small Stone . Mixing just a hint of Southern influence with their trademark riff-heavy, eardrum-bleeding rock `n' roll, this is the album the boys were destined to make.  (less)

Tro John, and John Handcock. The Bangkoks boasted a top ten hit called "Love Biscuit" which was the anthem of every blue-lighted house party in 1962. The Bangkoks reassembled as the Dix in 1965 with the addition of new group members Dik Gracin and the Jonsun Brothers thus creating a brand new sound that could only be described as "Orgasmic". The Dix do more than just hit the spot, their cataclysmic rhythms and harmonies combined with their explosive dance moves makes The Dix one of the best groups to grace the recording industry. Almost 40 years after the tragic break up of The Dix, hip-hop pioneer and musicologist Prince Paul (De La Soul, Handsome Boy Modeling School) unearths The Dix lost recording The Art of Picking Up Women via! Mr. Len’s Smac...  (less)

world with their stunning homage to Curtis Mayfield, ‘Right On!’ which truly deserves the ‘classic’ accolade and propelled the boys into the UK top twenty. Since then they have been working non-stop, from Djing around the world to building up their Darkroom Dubs imprint, remixing and putting together a new studio to develop the Silicone Soul sound. Although they list punk and rock n' roll as their early influences, bands such as The Stooges, MC5, Hendrix, The Stones, The Clash and Glasgow's own Primal Scream, they were converted to the house sound of Glasgow by Slam in the early Nineties and since their early releases on Soma they have been refining their unique deep groove. Debut album ‘A Soul Thing’ was a lauded by critics...  (less)