BLUES ROCK RECORDING ARTIST KIRSTEN THIEN RELEASES THIRD CD "DELICIOUS" COURTESY OF SCREEN DOOR RECORDS

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Kirsten Thien and Screen Door announce the release of her third album, Delicious. This album has eleven songs with three of them being covers in which she either wrote or co-wrote. Originally from Maine and now residing in New York City, Kirsten Thien comes to us in an up-tempo fashion with her latest work showing us just why she won the Abe Olman Award for Excellence in Songwriting in 2009.

Kirsten Thien has been on the rise since 2001 and infuses her love for Aretha Franklin, traditional New Orleans jazz and the classic women blues singers of the 20's into all her album releases. Erik Boyd not only produced and played bass on the album but arranged the band for each song so that it would blend the talents of the band that tours with the NYC session cats from her last 2006 recording. They also added veteran blues heavyweights, Arthur Neilson (guitar), Billy Gibson (harmonica) and Hubert Sumlin (guitar) with Grammy nominated mixing engineer Dan Myers.

Performing Songwriter raved that "Thien's got a great set of pipes moving from Bonnie Raitt mellow to Aretha Franklin wailing high notes." Jamie Perkins of Portsmouth Herald says "Thien is a natural at songwriting. Weaving her way through the lyrical intricacies of relationships both positive and negative, she seasons her songs with dashes of instrumental differentiation." While The New Britain Herald says "The city's 'New Britain is Alive' lunch-time concert series ....got a toe-stomping start Wednesday with recording artist Kirsten Thien and her band." Don't miss this tasty, soothing and ripened band that blends with Kirsten's voice like "Warm apple pie your grandmother made for you" exclaimed Muzikreviews.

Kirsten Thien will be touring in and our around your neighborhood in the near future but for now here are some tour dates below.
Nov. 11 7:30 pm Williamsburg, VA J.M. Randall's
Nov. 12 8:00 pm Manteo, NC (OBX Marathon Weekend) Poor Richard's
Nov. 13 10:30 pm Kill Devil Hills, NC (OBX Marathon Weekend) Outer Banks Brewing Station
Nov. 19 7:30 pm Stroudburg, PA Sarah Street Grill

Roy Rogers "Split Decision" Album Review on Blogcritics

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The music business loves to categorize. Roy Rogers plays slide guitar and worked for a number of years with John Lee Hooker. So his recordings are generally filed in the blues section. But while blues grooves help provide a strong rhythmic core for the project, there’s much more here than formulaic twelve-bar workouts.

Rogers ranged far and wide to recruit help for his first outing with The Rhythm Kings, his working band, in seven years. On hand are flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert and Philip Aaberg, whose keyboard work has graced outings by artists as diverse as Elvin Bishop and Peter Gabriel. From much closer to home comes son Sam Rogers, who contributes vocal bass, berimbau, and percussion.

Rogers, who produced four of the late blues giant’s last recording projects, set out to craft an eclectic collection here, and while there’s a wide variety in structure and tempo, there’s a cohesive quality thanks to consistently strong songwriting. Rogers wrote or co-wrote everything, ably moving from the almost ethereal delicacy of “Your Sweet Embrace” to the bone-crunching fury of “Bitter Rain” (though the latter is lyrically unimpressive – Rogers fares best when he sticks to simpler subjects).

Opener “Calm Before The Storm” is anything but calm - with Rogers’ nasty slide raging beneath its thick jungle beat, the song drips with brooding menace. “Patron Saint Of Pain” is a fairly straightforward blues workout, but to the song’s advantage Rogers isn’t called upon for more than a cursory vocal; he’s not the strongest singer, but has learned to use his somewhat thin voice wisely and for the most part quite well. There’s straightforward rock ‘n’ roll with “Little Queen Bee” and “River Of Tears,” and slippery, burbling funk on “Rite Of Passage,” featuring great sax work by guest George Brooks (Etta James).

Rogers is a master slide guitarist, but he exhibits exemplary moderation throughout, putting the song before pyrotechnics and letting the composition dictate the texture of his own contributions. His subtly shimmering work on the heartfelt soul ballad, “I Would Undo Anything,” is an object lesson in tasteful restraint, but he’s delightfully dirty on “Walkin’ The Levee,” a crunchy instrumental that closes the disc.

An intelligent and well-crafted collection, there’s much to like on Split Decision. His vocals remain serviceable but Rogers is a superior instrumentalist who knows his way around a studio. Slide guitar fans should definitely give this one a listen. - John Taylor, Blogcritics.org

Candye Kane - Superhero Blues Vocalist Wins The Battle

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Candye Kane Superhero is the name of the original song and the title of her recently released CD for Delta Groove records.

Superhero is Candye’s tenth CD and most significant to date. After fighting off deadly pancreatic cancer over the last year, it is an understatement to say that this recording is a miracle. The title of the CD applies literally and the blues never sounded more relevant for Candye and her fans.

With a career spanning two decades Ms. Kane has earned her keep in life and as a standout blues vocalist, earning the most esteemed acknowledgement from her peers by being nominated for a 2008 National Blues Foundation Award for Best Blues Contemporary Female. Awards and accolades pale in comparison after surviving cancer and then to turn around and record another album is a tribute to the resiliency of Kane and her ever growing legacy.

Superhero hit the streets on June 17th and the feedback has been positive. Amazon.com said “With renewed energy and a new lease on life Candye now makes her triumphant return with Superhero, her most personal and rewarding effort to date.

Superhero was produced by Kane and 26 year old guitar virtuoso Laura Chavez who also plays in her live band. The CD features guest performances by Kid Ramos, Dave Gonzales and Mitch Kashmar along with Kanes' rhythm section featuring eldest son, Evan Caleb on drums and bass veteran, Paul Loranger.

Candye is a warrior of life and the music industry and Superhero is the culmination of those experiences. The blues cooks along and so does Candye, sounding as emotive and passionate as ever.

Visit the new Candye Kane website for detailed biographical information, media and more.

Roy Rogers "Split Decision" Album Review In Billboard

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Slide guitar whiz Roy Rogers has a strong album with "Split Decision," and it's a signature project. Rogers produced the record and authored or co-authored all the songs. His Delta Rhythm Kings bandmates Steve Ehrmann (bass) and Billy Lewis (drums, percussion) constitute his studio rhythm section, and Rogers is joined by such guests as guitarist Ottmar Liebert and sax man George Brooks. The album opens at a furious pace with "Calm Before the Storm," a wall-of-sound number punctuated by Rogers' stinging slide guitar. In a quieter vein, Rogers teams with Liebert on the instrumental "Your Sweet Embrace," a little slice of guitar romanticism that provides a nice mood shift. Another notable instrumental track, "Rite of Passage," affords saxophonist Brooks an opportunity to shine on a bluesy jazz piece. For something with more blues grit, listen to Rogers put the buzz in "Little Queen Bee." -- Philip Van Vleck

Source: Billboard.biz Album Reviews

Sean Costello - April 16, 1979-April 15, 2008

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SEAN COSTELLO, 28, DEAD IN ATLANTA ON BIRTHDAY


(Atlanta, GA)---Blues singer, guitarist, composer Sean Costello was found dead in his Atlanta, GA. Hotel room, Tues., April 15 - the eve of his 29th birthday.
Cause of death has yet to be determined.
Costello, a highly regarded blues musician since age 14, was in the middle of touring to support his latest album “We Can Get Together” (Delta Groove Records)
In a statement Robert Fitzpatrick, Delta Groove president and Rand Chortoff, CEO, said: “Losing someone as young, talented and vibrant as Sean, who has accomplished so much in just a few short years and still had so much potential is a terribly difficult blow.
“Sean had friends and fans around the world and was unanimously praised, by critics and fans alike, as one of the main torch bearers of the blues flame.
“Now that potential will go sadly unfulfilled.”
Costello’s manager Carol Peters: “Everybody who saw Sean saw a brilliant musician working in an authentic American art form, the blues, in a really personal and creative way. A tragic loss not just to his friends, family and fans but to the music community at large.”
Veteran producer Michael Rothschild, who worked on three previous albums with Costello, starting with “Cuttin’ In” (2000) that earned Costello a W.C. Handy Blues award: “I first saw him when he was 14 and he knew all about the music, and the great guitarists like T. Bone Walker and Charlie Christian - he was also a great swing guitar player. He was mild mannered, an immense talent in a small package. There’s no telling how far he would have gone with a longer life.”
Costello had been called a Bluesman for the 21st Century, one that incorporated the eclectic mix of music that surrounded him since his early days in Philadelphia (where he was born) when street corner doo wop entranced his young ears. He had the chance as a young musician to play with traditionalists (B.B. King), gospel performers (Five Blind Boys of Alabama), the new wave (Susan Tedeschi), Dylan expatriates (Levon Helm) and any number of the bluegrass, folk or rock community who crossed his path.
But Costello never left the bedrock blues elements, using them as energy to extend his musical thinking and vision.
At age 9 Costello moved to Atlanta. As he was about to graduate high school with a local reputation as a guitarist, he was offered a record date with Susan Tedeschi. The resulting album became a hit, Costello joined Tedeschi and his own career began. Between the ages of 19 and 23 he won awards (from the Memphis Blues Society, W.C. Handy award nomination), was in and out of the recording studio, and earned the respect of his peers, such as B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Pinetop Perkins, and James Cotton.
In one of his last interviews Costello observed: “All I ever wanted to do was play the guitar well and I’ve been fortunate to be able to make a good living doing it.”
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