Bettye Lavette - Blackbirds
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
When back in 1962 the Powerhouse Michigan-born singer and songwriter Bettye Lavette released her first single, aged 16, called My Man, He's A Loving Man, she was far from imagining that, in years to come, Lavette would have earned five Grammy Nominees and would have been unanimously recognized as one of the most respected, talented and loved R&B, Soul and Blues artists worldwide.
The American artist, this year also inducted into the highly prestigious Blues Hall Of Fame in Memphis, following the remarkable success and the high praises received from the music press for her 2018 album called Things Have Changed, a record produced by Steve Jordan where Lavette had covered some of Bob Dylan's vast songbook, had wisely decided to work once again with Jordan on the making of her new album, an album that would, this time around, dig into some of the songs and the artists still close to the heart of Bettye Lavette but on a wider scale.
Stray Cats - Rocked This Town: From L.A. To London
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
It's always tricky to write about a live album, especially about a band that has always had numerous incendiary live performances throughout the last 4 decades, like the American Rockabilly's torchbearers Stray Cats.
Back from a hiatus of 26 long years, through their 2019's studio album called 40, guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom had clearly shown, with the new record, that there was nothing slowing down the tried-and-true trademark sound of a band still running as strong as their eponymous, hugely successful debut album back in 1981.
Read more: Stray Cats - Rocked This Town: From L.A. To London
Ryan Perry - High Risk, Low Reward
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- Written by: Giovanni "Gio" Pilato
For somebody of 26 years of age only, Mississippi guitarist and singer/songwriter Ryan Perry has gone a long way forward, given the fact that at the tender age of 13, he was already the bandleader of the Homemade Jamz Blues Band, taking second place with his band at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
Through the years, though and despite the great recognition given to him by his success with the Jamz Blues Band, Perry felt the need to show that he and his music have evolved into different musical paths and directions, specifically where the Blues meets Funk and Soul, allowing Perry a wider freedom of expression as an artist.