Review
Buddy Miles
Blues Berries
(Ruf 1073)
Miles-o-philes should be ecstatic with this Jim Gaines produced release which stretches the boundaries of the blues. There are 10 tunes, including just a single cover. However, it seems odd that Miles gets top billing, as it is obvious this disc was a collaborated effort by the Blues Berries. In addition to Miles delivering tough vocals and bottom heavy drums, band members include: Chris Layton (drums), Tommy Shannon (bass), Rocky Athas (guitar), Mark Leach (B3/keyboards) and Robert Ware (bass) .
Athas grew up playing gigs with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson. Rocky played finger-tapping guitar before Eddie Van Halen was commemorated as its founder. Athas' insatiable appetite for the glory of arena rock was whetted during his time with Lightning in the 70s and 80s. It was during this period that he initially crossed paths with Miles. The taste of the big time came when he joined Black Oak Arkansas. As drummer for Jimi Hendrix's legendary Band of Gypsies, Buddy Miles needs no introduction. He has also performed and recorded with Muddy Waters and Carlos Santana.
"Tobacco Road" features a slow, heavy groove with plenty of Buddy's screaming vocals. Augmenting them is Rocky's wailing guitar. Rock, soul and funk are fused with flair on the radio-friendly "Life Is What". This song demands airplay and so does, "Miss Suga' Fine" which hits you hard with power chording and muscle bound guitar. "Compassion For The Blues" is a slow blues with tenderness. Buddy Miles may well have compassion for the blues, but Rocky Athas has absolutely no mercy for his guitar strings.
Mark Leach, aka Muggie Doo, Buddy's buisness partner and "Express" band leader, adds finesse to the friction with his B3. He has a powerful and soulful attack to the organ that's both scary and beautiful.
"Come On Back" is sweet and sensual. "Texas Cannonball" is an explosive tribute to Freddie King. The fitting lyrics include: 'he played like thunder, greased lightning and all, a country boy from Texas that had it all.'
Based on the autobiographical and living-in-the-past lyrics to "Rock & Roll", Miles appears to be caught in a time warp. He reflects on the period when he first came to San Francisco after parting ways with Pickett. He depicts the era to a tee complete with references to Nick Gravenites, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick, the Fillmore, Electric Flag among many others. In fact, you can imagine Miles dreaming about the lyrics in the CD's pensive cover photo of him. If rock and roll is your native tongue and you are longing to return to your heritage, this CD is for you.
- Tim Holek - Southwest Blues
Muggie joins the Bernard Allison Group
As the newest member of the Bernard Allison Group, Look for Mug to be in Europe much of the 2015 concert season. Bernard, is the son of the late great blues legend Luther Allison. He is an absoulutely astonishing guitar player and vocalist, and has built a new powerhouse of a band that includes Bassist George (Dr. Funk) Moye, and drummer Mario Dawson along with Muggie. The band will be on tour for most of 2015 in promotion of Bernard's upcoming new album " In the Mix", an eclectic and soulful collection of new material and a couple of his fathers songs revisited. check back in December for the release date.
The new Bernard Allison Group CD "In The "Mix slated for release
January 1, 2015 on Jazzhaus Records, Germany. Stop back for more details beginning December 1st. You are gonna love this one !
Buddy Miles 'Berries' the Past, by Todd Seely
The life of Buddy Miles has seen more ups and downs than a whore's drawers, but he is back riding high with his new release 'Blues Berries'. The disc is a return to the rock, funk and soul stew that Buddy is famous for. Recent efforts like 'Miles Away From Home' strayed a little too far away from the blues, but 'Blues Berries' finds Buddy with his irons firmly in the fire. Sneaking up on you, right out of the starting gate, is a funk-infused version of "Tobacco Road". This will apparently not be any standard 12-bar blues and shuffle exercise, as the rest of the album proceeds to prove. By the time Buddy reaches the end of the nine-and-a-half minute emotional marathon that is "Compassion For The Blues", he'll have everyone reaching for a Kleenex and crying in their beer. He also struts out two of the latest loves of his life, "Big Mama" and "Miss Suga' Fine". The ladies carry a lot of weight, "Miss Suga' Fine" being the heavier of the two. There's also a taste of Louisiana in "Bayou Delta" and an acoustic stopover, where Buddy and his gang pay a visit "Down At The Crossroads". Buddy's gang, by the way, includes some old friends to this listener's ears. First off, there's Rocky Athas. A legend in Blues-rock circles, Rocky is the perfect foil to Buddy's Funk and Soul tendencies. Much like baseball's great "Babe" Ruth, Rocky seems able to take aim with his Strat, then swat riffs and licks at will. Holding down the beat with Buddy is Chris Layton. Are these two gentlemen playing drums or pounding tent stakes into the ground? The drums are that powerful. Flying below the radar are bassists Tommy Shannon and Robert Ware, laying a throbbing foundation for the others. Layton and Shannon, remember, are better known as Double Trouble. They prove that here, kicking dirt and attitude around over the course of these songs. Tying the whole package together is the B-3 keyboard tapestry that Mark Leach weaves in and around the songs. In the end, it all boils down to a great album from a band of gypsys, if you will. They're all at the top of their game, and they have met at a crossroads, where the Blues Berries grow plump and sweet. Stop. Sit a spell. Have a taste.
