british blues bands 2020

St. Louis Mike Zitos Quarantine Blues is that album and has a power that will outlast even the stubborn Coronavirus. } At the rate Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters are keeping up with the times, we can expect to hear great music from them for another thirty years at least. Zitos guitar work shines most on the hard-driving Dont Touch Me, but the standout track may be the closing track, What it used to be a soft and poignant ballad at a time when such a thing is desperately needed. Great list! Perhaps his most endearing quality for his fans is his resistance to change. Greene has all the guitar, vocal, and songwriting power anybody could ask for and will no doubt reach the heights of stardom we all dream of. Many people consider King King to be the strongest blues/rock band out there these days and Maverick proves the band is worthy of such profound praise. Inspired by the current pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, its actually, an upbeat plea for us all to calm the hell down and have a little faith/ in the human race.. Page 2 of 11: The best blues guitarists of all time Intro + best rock guitarists The best blues guitarists of all time Early innovators Kings previous albums and EPs include Carolina Confessions, Due North, The Marcus King Band and Soul Insight. More surprisingly, the rest of the album sways just as sweetly and gallops just as hard. We also learn that the wounds of his upbringing, far from killing his spirit, has fueled it. Blacktop Run is a much better album than it might have been years earlier. While the cities and shires of the British Isles might not hold quite the same mythological status as iconic blues breeding grounds like Mississippi, Chicago or Memphis, theres no denying that theres a lot of talent in the UK right now. All in all, Roomful of Blues (kind of) self-titled album would be a nice introduction to anyone unfamiliar with the band or anyone who doubts the sincerity of revival bands. Everybody knows the name . Theres a lot of hype surrounding Dom Martin right now, and while pundits are not to be confused with soothsayers, it only takes listening to a track or two to understand why so many are predicting a bright future for the Belfast born blues man. Bernard Allison website, Toronto native and #1 Billboard artist, Anthony Gomes is a blues/rock guitarist, singer-songwriter who propels blues/rock into the contemporary music culture. Lets just hope some younger fans can give My Blues Pathway a listen and learn the same lesson from him. Individuals [ edit] Ian A. Anderson Elles Bailey [1] Ginger Baker Long John Baldry [2] Chris Barber Norman Beaker [3] Jeff Beck [2] Duster Bennett [2] Graham Bond [2] Marcus Bonfanti [4] John Bonham [5] Geoff Bradford Jack Broadbent [6] Jack Bruce [2] Danny Bryant Eric Burdon Standouts include the plaintive Cant Start Over Again (with Jeff Beck) and What if I Told You (with Samantha Fish). Shake your Moneymaker packs the albums most powerful punch as Johnny Iguana bangs the keys into impressive submission. One cursory listen might lead you into thinking their sound is Southern rockthey are much more than that. Its often said that every blues song is basically about a good man feeling bad. event : evt, The set is a back porch session by two of the most famous blues players ever and lets Bishop and Musselwhite do it their own raw-boned way with minimal interference to disrupt the vibe. You can click on the british blues band names to see more information about that particular notable british blues group. When all is said is done, its hard to imagine anyone getting a better introduction (or re-introduction) to the amazing sounds of blues piano at its best. The Gospel-influenced Burying Ground may be the albums best track because it reminds listeners of how much of Crays signature sound is rooted in his deep, resonant voice. This is double-strength blues/rock that will cure what ails you. Rise up features other demonstrations of this bands ability to revive the past, recognize the present and brace for an uncertain future. He began as a doo-op singer, peppering the pop charts with such hits as The Wanderer and Runaround Sue, then moved in the direction of folk with the 1968 smash Abraham, Martin and John.. 20 Great New British Artists to Watch - Rolling Stone Music 20 Great New British Artists to Watch Wolf Alice, Lpsley, Stormzy and more By Rolling Stone July 6, 2016 Lady Leshurr & Let's Eat. Song Starter Kit: Ghosts from The Fire Cosmic, Waiting for Your Love from The Fire Cosmic, John the Revelator from Island. callback: cb Larkin Poe have developed a slide blues sound that takes classic values forward without falling down intro the retro traps so many others have. Song Starter Kit: 12 Gauge from A Savage Life, Blues On The Bay from A Savage Life, Hell For You from Spain to Italy. Review of Last Light On The Highway (HTTP response code 503). Song Starter Kit: Bringing It Home from Bringing It Home (single), Shake a Bone from Shake a Bone, Devil Take My Soul from O2. listeners: [], If this album is any indication, theyre just getting started. The man sounds every year his age and his latest effort works precisely for this reason. Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 4 million WordPress sites. Featuring a dazzling array of talent including Jason Isbell, Steve Cropper, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Jerry Douglas, and Duane Eddy, Uncivil War is both compelling and incredibly moving. Review of Blacktop Run He's appeared and recorded with major artists including B.B. But the albums most inspirational track may be Give God the Blues, a gospel/blues hybrid that simultaneously reminds the blues listener of the genres spiritual past and takes us to the present by asserting that the ugliness of humanity does not come from above. Pearl Jam. on: function(evt, cb) { Think of her as a softer, more intimate Etta James. Review of Wild and Free on: function(evt, cb) { Climax Chicago Blues Band. Martin Harley Taking influence from British folk, Americana and various flavours of world music as well as the blues, Harleys sound is something of a slow-cooked sonic one pot stew. They are raw, unpolished and ragged. Will Johns is one of those artists that can take all the known elements of blues and rock, understand them, respect them, and then apply his own creativity to uplift them. Testament to his heavy hitting blues rock prowess, Barras has also toured Europe alongside Billy Gibbons as the frontman in Supersonic Blues Machine, and the band has opened for the likes of Black Stone Cherry, Beth Hart and Joanne Shaw Taylor. } Colin Cooper (vocals, harp) Pete Haycock (guitar, vocals) Derek Holt (guitar) Take me Back does just that. After this auspicious start, Johns formidable chops as a guitarist, singer and songwriter were cultivated the hard way: in the trenches of bands, breakups and tours up and down the UK and far beyond. A multiple award-winner, Gomes delivers heartfelt, compelling songs inspired by the pandemic on Containment Blues. Ive had the pleasure of listening to 8 of these albums. Perhaps you didnt review John Nemeths new Stronger Than Strong album. List includes The Yardbirds, Eric Burdon & the Animals, more. In addition to the buoyant title track, stand outs include the inspirational One Thing Every Day and Beys stunningly poignant cover of John Lennons Imagine. The Georgia-born singer may be gone, but the music he left behind will undoubtedly inspire an army of future blues fans. One of the few successful bands also headlined by a famous actor, i.e. Its a fine enough album closer to make you forget that Stronger that strong is at times a little uneven. Meanwhile the stunning ballad Crying guitar features as gentle and warm a touch as its descriptive title would imply. If they're near the top of the best british blues artist list, though, then they should have at least some information available. Kirk Fletcher website, Powerhouse, soulful vocalist and songwriter Shemekia Copeland released Uncivil War on Alligator Records, a defining entry in her discography. Broadbents party trick is playing slide with a beat up hip flask, and it doesnt take too much imagination to figure out which creative stimulant likely played a big part in perfecting that skill. His lyrical themes are invariably down to earth, while his guitar playing is absolutely otherworldly. To anyone concerned with the current state of the blues, Whitney Shays latest release Stand Up could have been delivered with you in mind. More likely, youll be walking down the street, headphones in, and only become alerted to the fact your gaits developed an unusual slink because people have started staring at you. Brox possesses and commands a vast vocal range and is also a highly accomplished flautist which works surprisingly well in a bluesy context. })(); 2023. } Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, #705 of 880. These guys are the real thing. He spent many years backing up classic rock legend Alan Parsons but Greenes time to shine on his own has most definitely arrived. Thats awesome, glad our lists are helpful and you enjoy them! Thanks to frontman Wille Edwards sterling electrified Weissenborn playing and gritty vocals, however, the overall sound always returns to feel good blues rock. Please Help Keep Rock & Blues Muse Alive, Cant You See What Youre Doing To Me (Live) ft. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marc Broussards New Single Features Joe Bonamassa Thats What Love Will Make You Do, Review: Feed the Wolf by Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). . Nice list. Cameos from time-tested veterans of the blues make the album shimmer most and the relentlessly upbeat Birmingham (featuring Robert Randolph and Keb Mo) may be the best example. Tackling the legendary works of Jimmy Rogers, Larry Williams and Jimmy Nolan is no easy undertaking, but Grammy nominated vocalist and blues harpist Kim Wilson is up for the task. A five-time Blues Music Award and British Blues Award nominee, Fletcher released My Blues Pathway on Cleopatra Records, his sixth solo album. You can only vote once on this list. Whether hes playing solo with nothing but his lungs and a road worn Resophonic guitar for amplification or backed by the slightly unusual arrangement of a double bassist and a duo of percussionists, the King Size Slim sound is all about rhythm and groove. Although shes since gone on to craft a style very much of her own, the lasting effect of this early exposure to the scene can be felt in charmingly autobiographical tracks like Bluesmans Child. Their notable 2010s albums have been This is War, Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams, and America. Philip Sayce, The four-piece have managed to commit their on-stage vibrancy to record with great success, and whether youre hearing them through headphones or a cranked festival soundsystem, Wille and The Bandits make for fun listening every time. The (Male) Singer You Most Wish You Could Sound Like. Larkin Poe website, Southern rock and roll band Robert Jon & The Wreck have been releasing albums since the bands inception in 2011, collecting multiple awards along the way. The Greatest Entertainers Of All Time. Here are the blues players you choose as 2020's standouts. 399 listeners. Kyla Brox Good Times, as its title would suggest, pines for days gone by with a wistful, gentle breeze of a sound. Song Starter Kit: Hell Drive You Crazy from Saving Grace, Did I Break The Law from We Fly Free, Free Man from The Uprising EP. Have you Lost Your Mind Yet is not for those who prefer their music blues or otherwise performed in a more straightforward, conventional manner. As a vibrant collection of songs, All My Dues are Paid continues to fuel it even beyond the singers passing of roughly five months ago. Songs like Battleground and what seems to be a Hendrix tribute Kissing the Sky bustle with speaker-rattling vigor, but others simply dont. That brings us to his latest offering Thats What I Heard. And he's evolving fast; this year's El Dorado finds him really stretching out into soul and country under the production of Dan Auerbach (opens in new tab). This year, they performed a similar feat, claiming three more awards, including Blues Album of the Year for 2021's Saving Grace. A vintage party that evokes the kind of old-school shindig where you could picture James Dean cutting the rug with Marilyn Monroe. BA1 1UA. A recent inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame, Bettye Lavettes name may not be as familiar to some as other greats, but make no mistake, this blueswoman is deserving of the highest praise available. In terms of song quality, We Fly Free is uneven. His work here is tasty, emotive and, at times, downright chilling. Here are the blues players you choose as 2020's standouts. Guitarist Aaron Bond brings the riffs usually opting for either Gibson Les Paul or a cigar box guitar for slide while Grace takes care of more of the melodic duties on lead vocals, violin and mandolin. } Howlin' Wolf. window.mc4wp.listeners.push( The Kris Barras Band A strong opening track has a way of steamrolling the listener into submission. Review of Quarantine Blues Over the last few years, Troy Redferns name and his reputation has been preceded by the title, Britains King of Slide Guitar. Its a little unclear as to who originally bestowed him with this prefix, but its safe to say it wouldnt have stuck if he didnt know how to navigate his way around a resonator with a bottleneck quite as well as he does. Songs from the Road will make a believer of you. Sure, theres humor laced in this tale, but we get the feeling Smither means it. The plaintive voice of Chris Smither has served him well for decades. Dions latest venture, Blues with Friends, features yet another change in direction. Forced to cancel or postpone extensive touring plans before she could return with socially distanced shows, the inspirational Samatha Fish adapted, playing weekly Facebook live performances from home for fans. Landreth is perhaps the most identifiable guitarist in American music and routinely melds blues, rock, swamp, and singer-songwriter DNA into one of the few truly original styles in the roots music world. Gary Clark Jr. Gary Clark Jr. is another player who incorporates ostensibly alien elements into the mix and yet it's still the blues. Kindred Spirits may be a mixed bag for the fan of traditional blues, but for the fan ready to welcome a new approach, this album is an early Christmas present. Keary, If youve got a younger blues fan with birthday coming soon, Stand Up would make a lovely gift. The Music is the only one thing that support all of us in these mad times! The best rock guitarists in the world right now, as voted by you. Indeed he sounds like he means everything. Who will be the new Foo Fighters drummer in the post-Taylor Hawkins line-up? Songs from the Road not only packs extraordinary power, but, as its title suggests, it demonstrates his ability to transfix a crowd with scorching funk-tinged blues. ); It also doesnt hurt that the bands leader (also its singer and chief songwriter) has the shredding skills that guitarists of all ages would understandably envy. Samantha Fish / Cassie Taylor / Dani Wilde. This is magnificent thank you! Song Starter Kit: Bluesdaddy from Bluesdaddy, Never Rains from Hooks & Lines, Last Page from Something Old, Something New. Marcus King website, Mike Zito and his smoking band tracked Quarantine Blues while actually in quarantine at the beginning of the pandemic. Releases from stalwarts like Savoy Brown and Robert Cray as well as newer voices like Whitney Shays and Shemekia Copeland shone as brightly as ever. She made a big. These artists/bands are in no particular order. Joe is always high in this list every year he's the biggest blues guitarist in the world, but also the hardest working. Son of Dave, or Benjamin Darvill as his mother named him, in fact hails from Winnipeg, Canada. Another touching example is Black Lives Matter.. Daughter of cult Mancunian blues figure, Victor Brox, her musical career began when she was a teenager performing in his band. In other words they know exactly where the blues lives. And thats very much a good thing. This is very much the case with Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhites deeply satisfying 100 Years of the Blues. Both lyrically and musically they vow to keep going and going, providing the listener with ample incentive to keep listening and listening. Tracked in Nashville and produced by Ellis and his longtime co-producer Kevin McKendree, the sessions show the influence of Albert King, Peter Green, and Hound Dog Taylor but are jam-packed with Ellis own hard-edged style. Generated by Wordfence at Sat, 4 Mar 2023 13:48:21 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. When life gives you lemons, as they say, Song Starter Kit: Cheats and Liars from Shining in the Half Light, Medicine Man Acoustic from Medicine Man Acoustic, Whats the Matter With You from Road I Call Home. 25 new blues artists you need to hear! A truly memorable effort. Wille and The Bandits are UK festival favourites whose brand of uplifting, rootsy blues rock has been working fields full of music lovers into jubilant frenzies for over a decade. The harmonies on this album are part of the bands signature sound, along with well-crafted songs and outstanding musicianship. More than anything else, he lets his soul lead the way. Please Help Keep Rock & Blues Muse Alive, Marc Broussards New Single Features Joe Bonamassa Thats What Love Will Make You Do, Review: Feed the Wolf by Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf. I depend on you for my Blues recommendations and will go through all these albums. Review of Live At The Paramount In fact it stays on its feet all the way through. We tried very hard to narrow our list down to Top 20 but we could not bring ourselves to cut one more album. English blues band, Savoy Brown has been proving this belief wrong since the mid-sixties. Led by vocalist/guitarist Robert Jon Burrison, whose voice is one of the most ear-pleasing today, the band includes Andrew Espantman, Steve Maggoria, Henry James and Warren Murrel. He's proof positive of the timeless power the blues possesses in gifted hands his deep soulful vocals as potent with an acoustic as his Strat. Mark Lyon - Electric, Acoustic, Slide, Steel guitar and vocals. A comprehensive rundown of the best guitarists of all time, featuring the trailblazers, the early innovators, the best jazz, rock, indie, blues, metal and acoustic players - and the top guitarists around today. After all, what could be more heartbreaking than a man facing the demise of his car. King Size Slim Here we have a slight interloper in the ranks. Huge mistake to exclude Kenny Wayne Shepperd. Why We Love Them: "Best album since Yield " is nearly as much of a Pearl Jam clich as "best since Tattoo You " is a Stones clich, but this . As euphoric and full of joy as its title would imply, Iguanas Chicago Spectacular! Robin Trower We Fly Free, released by One Road Records, is their follow up to EP, Innocence of Youth, also released in 2020, When Rivers Meet possess a clear talent for songwriting as well. A member of the same post-war generation that spawned the likes of Clapton, Beck and Page, Trowers ability to dream-up and release new material has never really waned over the years, and if anything its accelerated in recent times. Mike Zito website, Nine-time Blues Music Award winner and three-time Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster puts her big-league vocals into a brass-heavy big band setting on Live At The Paramount. Apple Pie and a .45 is the most riveting track, detailing the nightmarish recent tale of a madman who opened fire on a black church. Joined by long-time band mates, Pat DeSalvo and Garnet Grimm, Aint Done Yet features well-crafted tracks with catchy hooks, Simmonds smooth vocals, and a band thats as tight as it can be. If you're a fan of blues and blues/rock, some of these artists you know well. The band includes Ehab Omran (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Justin Young (lead guitar, vocals), Tom McCullough (drums) and Nick Frantianne (bass.) But their latest release contains a number of songs that could have only seen life in the current day. The full-voiced tenor has created an album that has its share of weaker moments, but on balance, Take Me Back is a strong work and fine introduction to the fan whod never before experienced his output. Until rudely interrupted by the global pandemic, Shaw Taylors touring schedule was one of the most tireless in the business, and her gutsy guitar playing and husky vocals are best appreciated live on stage. If the late Frank Bey isnt familiar to you, the opening (and title) track of his final album serves as a fine introduction. We're loving the Lovell sister's blues takes on Lenny Kravitz, Phil Collins and Elton John hits for their Kindred Spirits records but it's their own songs on Self Made Man that are the main event. On this song, Wilsons harmonica must be heard to be believed. British-Jamaican singer/songwriter Celeste won this year's prestigious BBC Sound of 2020 prize for her satiny soul pipes and refined instrumentals perfect for a rainy Sunday. Youre going to like what you hear. Ordinary Madness is a strong showing from one of the best guitarists, singer-songwriters of the modern era. Armed with a loop station, a briefcase full of harps and a bag of slightly homemade looking percussion instruments, Son of Dave is a one-man blues explosion. His song writing goes far beyond tried and tested tropes, his licks balance classic vibes with contemporary flair, and his main guitar of choice an Ernie Ball Music Man Eddie Van Halen signature isnt exactly the conventional bluesmans go to. All My Dues are Paid is a truly special album. Theres just too much great music this year. As a young kid, he starred in Andrew Lloyd Webbers West End production of School of Rock, and went viral after bringing the house down at BB Kings Beale Street Blues club aged just 10. Adept at acoustic and electric styles, he imparts a natural, unlaboured charm to his guitar playing, and hes been blessed with an innate gift for storytelling that allows him to side-step lyrical cliches at every turn. Picking a favorite would be tough, but the soft ballad Bell Bottom Blues (first made famous by Eric Claptain) is nothing short of heartbreaking. British husband and wife duo When Rivers Meet have been riding high since they cleaned up at the 2021 UKBlues Awards, taking home four trophies in one night. Also vital is Diggin Roots with Ron Artis the 2nd. Wille and The Bandits In times like these, its vital to get the occasional reminder of how fun the blues can be. Sonny Landreth website, The Allman Betts Band keeps the family flame burning brightly on 2020s Bless Your Heart on BMG Records. The list includes all new british blues bands, and if there are any missing on the list, you can always add them yourself. It was a tough year for blues its players win hearts and minds the old way, on the stage. The band formed in Dani Wilde, Victoria Smith, Samantha Fish 71 listeners We don't have a wiki here yet. Uncivil War would not have been possible by a less time-tested voice. A listen to You Make Me Feel must provoke the listener to ask why he hasnt released more. This is a lesson he seems to have learned from the greats of the blues. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A portrait of Peter Green, guitarist and co-founder of rock band Fleetwood Mac, c. 1968. If theres a finer blues harpist around these days, he or she must be well-hidden. })(); 2023. The Blues Band was credited with kicking off a second blues boom in Britain, which by the 90s led to festivals all around the country, including The Swanage Blues Festival, The Burnley National Blues Festival, The Gloucester Blues and Heritage Festival and The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival at Colne. And he's there at only 21 years of age. Uncivil War is a staggeringly ambitious album and because Shemekia Copeland has the skills to see it home, it may be the years best blues album. You may also want to check out Brave Rival who have just released their debut album. Despite the pandemic, 2020 brought so many outstanding blues, rock and roots albums. In October, Erja also took part in our Virtual Guitar Show, breaking down some of the songs from her back catalogue and showing us her rig . A British blues/rock duo and husband and wife, When Rivers Meet have the kind of frenetic sound that the blues needs. If the title track doesnt send shivers up your spine, its time to have your spine examined. If you enjoy our site, you can help with a small donation. Sometimes, having friends in the right places helps a great deal. Review of Maverick This is the sound that inspired him as a young man and has informed his musical journey from then until now. Song Starter Kit: Good Stuff from When the World Stood Still, One Way from Paths, Keep Your Head Up from New Breed. Their fifth studio album, the songs are intense and moody with hints of the Delta. Joe Bonamassas credentials are well known to any fan of the blues especially those whose tastes revolve around tasty guitar work. All the top british blues bands named on the list also have discographies on their pages if you click on the british blues band names themselves. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (function() { Shes gone on to release eight acclaimed studio albums since then the latest of which was produced by blues heavyweight Joe Bonamassa and released on his KTBA (Keeping The Blues Alive) record label. The result is a kind of authenticity that smacks of hard graft and a lifelong love affair with the music. His idiosyncratic guitar playing often echoes the hypnotism of Mississippi Hill Country Blues, while his vocals are projected forth with all the volume and cadence of a wild street poet. If ever there was a bluesman suited for a bare bones recording style, it is Rush. It seems to work every time, it rarely works better than it does here. King King website. Savoy Brown. If youre ready to dive into something out of the ordinary, its close to a masterpiece. Foster soars above her own lofty standards with the big band behind her and showcases the finest female voice in todays roots music scene. There's the jazz end of the blues; folk blues; blues rock; straight forward, honest to goodness, down home blues; Chicago blues; British blues; country blues; as well as white men. More from the Levee is just that stunningly good. Why release one album in 2020 when you can put out two? Toby Lee Uncivil War is a definite high point in her career, and addresses vital issues of society and humanity. Born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz in an orthodox muslim household, the eccentric artist whose stage name is Fantastic Negrito has a sound and musical approach all his own. As always, Bonamassa puts on a clinic on how to make great music and guitar fans the world over will love every moment of it. For anyone who suspected they were a mere novelty, The Juice provides the most vibrant evidence to the contrary. Overall, its pretty clear that Savoy Brown aint done yet. Shemekia Copeland website, British blues/rock duo, When Rivers Meet is made up of husband and wife outfit, Grace and Aaron Bond. [38] These Poetic Geniuses Wrote Your Favorite Songs of All Time. Contemporary rhythm and blues, rock and roll and funky rhythms weave their way through most songs on One Shot, brought to life by superb musicians and an electrifying vocalist. So awesome to see When Rivers Meet made the list!! Having spent most of his career as an R&B songwriter (The Ann Peebles hit I cant stand the Rain is his best known song) the 78-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee has also dabbled in releasing vocal albums. In 2020, Robert Cray sounds as much like Robert Cray as he did in 1990. Elvin Bishop website Dont let the title of Jeremiah Johnsons latest album fool you. No point in listening to them if they aren't actually good or even half-way decent british blues bands. And the albums other highlight is the soft, slow Rambling Blues. Much more than a platform of musical skills, this album reminds us how dark, dangerous and reckless the genre can become when done right. But then again, Stronger Than Strong isnt just an exercise in navel-gazing and indeed, the upbeat love ballad I Can See Your Light Shine offers the best illustration of the blues at its happiest. Pair this with his undeniable on-stage charisma and its a winning combination. The most obvious example of a timely song is Blues for George Floyd. With a self-explanatory title, it pays gentle homage to a fallen citizen and victim of ignorance who has, for deeply sad reasons, been very much in the news of late.

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