Danny's Star Wars, Blogs and Music

This a real showcase of this yong man's talent. All are original songs and demonstrate his blues, R&B, and soul qualities that make this Louisiana native popular.

The CD begins with the cover track and "Keep Me Coming Back", will do just that, a funky song.. Marc then does a soulful redition of "Hard Knocks".some really good organ licks throughout. "Real Good Thing" slows down the tempo with a little Rhodes and organ to compliment the arrangement. "Why Should We Wait", is a track that's a little funky and "Powers In The People" reminds me of Marvin Gaye, now that's a compliment!

"Evil Things" is full of Marc's soulful voice with piano and strings filling the song, "When It's Good" is a duet with LeAnne Rimes and shows a country twist to the CD.

Marc is touring and his band includes: Calvin Turner on bass, Chad Gilmore on drums, Court Clement on lead guitar and DeMarco Johnson on keyboards

This is my first CD by Marc Broussard, but will not be my last! My kind of music. I have included "Why Should She Wait" for you to check out.

The Hammond B3 Organ has made an impact on almost every genre of music and this All-Star CD reflects jazz, blues and funk throughout with each selection played by some of the best to ever crank up a Hammond..

Joey DeFrancesco's "Ashley Blue", has jazz licks that get's you swinging. John Medeski's takes on " Swamp Road" with a combination of Hammon growl and lends itself to a futuristic sound. The sound turns funky with "Mickey Fick" as Art Neville makes great use of the Leslie with slow and fast speed adjustments and will keep you coming back to listen to it often.  Michael Omartian really keeps the funk alive with "Say Something", then Rich Vogel of Galatic  makes use of the drawbars, creating some unique Hammond sounds in "My Little Humidor".

The next track is performed by the Hammond B3 master, Jimmy Smith.  The man that started out soloing using horn lines rather than sections of big band's literally changed the Hammond into a soloing instrument. He burns the keys in" There Will Never Be Another You", with not only the percussion sound Hammond players have adopted as THE B3 sound, but also, makes use of the drawbars from full pull to milder settings in the chord progression.

"Drop Shot" is yet another funky tune performed by Rickey Peterson. Jack McDuff's signature "Misty", makes one wonder how a wooden box, with tone generators, tubes and oil can sound like a heartfelt song that sings to you.

Also included are tracks with Mick Weaver, Larry Goldings, Reuben Wilson and Tommy Eyre, completing an impressive, diverse and stimulating CD worthy of any music collection and a must for the folks that play a Hammond.

This is my favorite compliation of the pure Hammond sound and to get you in the groove, I've included "Say Something" by Michael Omartian for your enjoyment.

 This is Ryan Shaw is Ryan Shaw, a soul singer of the present singing like the past.

This CD could have easily been released in the 1960's. It reminds me of an era when the Impressions, the Temptations, Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke were leading the Billboard Charts. I sampled the CD and placed an order immediately.

This young man from Georgia, has 11 tracks on his CD. "Lookin For A Love", originally recorded in the great R&B era by Bobby Womack is indeed a track to hear. He sings Jackie Wilson's "I'll Be Satisfied" in a way that only Ryan can give it justice to. Heck, if you miss the sounds of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and their music, this will fill some of the void those legends left us.

The CD also includes some other work, which reflects the Combo Kings and the Sharpees, now that was music. The original tracks include:"Nobody," "We Got Love," and set closer "Over and Done". Even those tracks could have been recorded in the 60's.

If you feel like all new music is sounding the same these days and missing the great vocals of an era gone by, this NEW CD is for you.

I have included "I Am Your Man" to check out!

Soul Satyr's "No Slackin" is a genuine mixture of blues, rock and soul which brings back the saying "When Music Was Music"! When compared to today's commercialism music, it's refreshing to listen to a band with some real talent.

If you like "Tower of Power", then you'll really enjoy the horn section which includes: Joe Reasoner playing saxes and flute, Ted Basinger on trombone, and John Bonham on trumpet. On the Hammond B-3, which is ever present, yeah!, is   Linda Dachtyl. On lead vocals and guitar is Johnny Mack with Steve Wald on bass and harp. The band's drummer Brian Duress is complimented with Cary Dachtyl on percussion.

"No Slackin" has 11 tracks and starts off with"You Don't Want Me To Answer That", full of horns, deep soul vocals, and both an organ and guitar breaks. "Get Over Yourself" verges on rock and "Comin Back On You" starts off like a big band sound then get's you up to buggy, with Linda adding a Hammomd riff and Johnny adding a solo too. " Seven Nights", well each time I hear I need to get a cool one. "Hole In My Heart", a blues felt song with some excellent chord changes and "This is Now" are of a slower tempo and reminds of the soul music of the late 60's early 70's, which I loved. The same style I played and enjoyed the most.

The band even adds a little swing music with "Gotta Find Me A Woman".  So get off the couch, grab your woman and burn some calories.

Overall, this is a feel good CD, great when you might need a boost. If you like the blues, horns and the sound of Tower of Power, Eric Clapton and some of the southern soul of the Allman Brothers, this one's for you.

To purchase it you can go to: CDBABY, Pterodactyl Studios or Dig Station.. So what are you waiting for?

I have included "You Don't Have To Answer That" for you to check out

This live CD was recorded at Ronnie Scott's in London and contains songs that cover Jeff Becks's career with some new renditions as well. Beck has included songs from many of his past work including: "Who Else", "You Had It Coming", "Guitar Shop", "Blow By Blow", and my favorite "Wired".

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer exhibits his extrodinary ability to make the Strat actually sing, with the ever present whammy bends and volume dynamics that truly seperates Beck from every other guitarist on the planet. Another talent is Jeff's gift to crossover from genre to genre: rock, fusion, jazz and this CD reaffirms why he is highly regarded as the "guitarist's guitarist".

The 16 tracks include 'Beck's Bolero', a Jimmy Page creation; "Eternity's Breath" by John McLaughlin: "Stratus", by   Billy Cobham and "You Never Know" by Jan Hammer.

The band is tight through out the CD and with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Jason Rebello on keyboards and Tal Wilkenfeld on bass. They explode on "Space Boogie", Vinnie attacks the bass drum, while, Tal walks the bass with Jason and Jeff trading licks with the guitar and synth. A softer side is revealed on the "Behind the Veil" a Tony Hymas song, but Beck does some fast, and at times almost angry licks for spice. The live version of Beck's own "Big Block", will either make a guitarist go practice or throw it in the trash can.

"Nadia" best represents Beck's unique style and why a completely instrumental CD, can still yield singing through an instrument. I have included it for your listening pleasure.

Although "Led Boots" is always worth listening to, my favorite on this CD is "A Day In The Life". Beck's interpretation of this Lennon-McCartney song, well, I'm Speechless. Then he goes into "Where Were You", and Jeff, I'm right here checking it out.  You should too!



 

Don Airey has a resume that is historical as it is impressive. A keyboardist extrodinare, Don has played with Ozzie Osbourne, Rainbow, Jethro Tull, Whitesnake, many others and is currently with Deep Purple. His lastest CD, his first solo CD in almost 20 years, is a refection of all of his combined experiences and includes numerous progression and chord changes.

" A Light In The Sky" really does not yield a certain genre definition. Although there are some vocals on the CD, it's about the music. Airey has gathered together a different set of collaborators (though Laurence Cottle of Sting/Eric Clapton/Brian Eno/Bill Bruford fame once again contributes precision bass-playing).

On this recording, Don uses a Hammond A-100, 2 Leslie custom 147's, Marshall JP900 and 4X12, Kurzweil PC2, Kurzweil K 2000 a Minmoog and more.

Ther are 17 tracks, although some are intros and quite short. The Hammond Growl is there and loops and effects inprove and reveal the synth's sounds, Rhodes and Hohner Clav in particular. Impressive piano in several songs, most notably:

"Lost In Time"; "Into Orbit".  Deep Purple influence in " Shooting Star", reminds me of the Jon Lord period. By the way, Don purchased the Hammond C-3 from Jon and uses it with Purple. "Love You Too Much" is a soft song, but yet it verges on heavy.

In conclusion, this is one for the musicians, not for the pop charts. It will challenge us that play keyboards.. but "A Light In The Sky", will please the ears of the pros, and make us all proud that a keyboardist, an elite, pulled it off. I  am listening to "Love You Too Much", with violin and yet more complicated changes. If you play keyboards, this will inspire you.

Crank up the Hammond, jam, feel it, move the music higher> Don sure does!.

I have included "Ripples In The Fabric of Time" for you to check out. Don Airey's site here.