Through all of the years, rocking the blues has never ebbed or flowed. Here are a couple new releases.
Leading a rocking trio, guitarist and vocalist Richard Rozze brings together Jonathan Noyce/b and Simon Lea/dr for a mix of tunes that range from 70s stead rockers to deep swamp fests. At times, the bands sounds like the blues rocker Free, with a gritty feel on “Living Man” and some tasty licks for “Forgotten”. Noyce gives a rich bass line on the shuffling “Sovereign” and the team gets folksy on ”How Can I Sleep When I’m Awake”, with a touch of romance on the pretty “Go It Alone”. Lea rumbles on “ Prana” and lays down a deep rivulet for “Voice of The Wind”.
Singer and keyboardist Cassius King gets swampy with Chalo Ortiz/g, Chris White/b and JR Lozano/dr on an ep of jiving rockers. Ortiz’s guitar roars like Hendrix on “Better Man Blues” and sears on “Last Call For The B lues”. The band rolls like Tower of Power on the street soul of “Feel Good Music” and digs a deep groove on “Do It All Again”. Street smarts.