Steve Howell - My Mind Gets To Ramblin'

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:24
Size: 110.8 MB
Styles: Country blues
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[4:12] 1. I Can't Be Satisfied
[4:32] 2. Louise
[3:56] 3. All My Friends Are Gone
[4:24] 4. Mississippi Blues
[4:13] 5. Policy Blues
[3:13] 6. Steady Rollin' Man
[3:13] 7. Ain't Nothin' In Ramblin'
[3:38] 8. Prodigal Son
[3:47] 9. Dirty Deal Blues
[2:42] 10. Windy & Warm
[2:26] 11. Ain't You Sorry
[2:53] 12. Joshua F'it The Battle Of Jericho
[5:11] 13. Rowdy Blues

Even though Steve Howell was due to celebrate his 56th birthday three days after the release of My Mind Gets to Ramblin', it was only his second solo album. Howell is an accomplished fingerpicking guitarist and a musical scholar, and the disc is his treatment of country blues, including songs by and associated with Muddy Waters, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Bo Carter, Robert Johnson, Memphis Minnie, and Mance Lipscomb. Doubtless Howell himself would not claim that he and his talented band, including ace session bassist Joe Osborn, who co-produced the album, improved upon the performances of the originators of these songs. Their interpretations are spirited and exact, but never biting, starting with a version of Muddy Waters' "I Can't Be Satisfied" that somewhat belies the title. The emphasis is on getting the details right, and they do, even if the emotions underlying the music are more distilled than expressed. Still, their affection for the form, starting with the leader who sings in an agreeable wheeze, is obvious. If Howell hasn't recorded much, it's probably because he is better appreciated in a live setting than on an album that necessarily comes off as more tribute than competition to earlier performers of the material. ~William Ruhlmann

My Mind Gets To Ramblin' mc
My Mind Gets To Ramblin' zippy

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Steve Howell & Jason Weinheimer - A Hundred Years From Today

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:18
Size: 80.8 MB
Styles: Blues-jazz guitar
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Lulu's Back In Town
[3:05] 2. Kansas City Blues
[3:43] 3. Going Back To Florida
[3:17] 4. Louis Collins
[4:23] 5. A Hundred Years From Today
[3:09] 6. I've Got The Blues, Can't Be Satisfied
[3:27] 7. Basin Street Blues
[2:53] 8. Limehouse Blues – After You've Gone
[4:02] 9. Who's Been Here
[4:35] 10. Rocking Chair

A few years ago, in 2015, Steve Howell pushed out an excellent acoustic blues release, ‘Friend Like Me’, which merely hinted at just how talented he truly is, an album that had a sparkling immediacy and gained plaudits across the blues and roots music world. With this ten-track follow-up, Howell again shows just how well he understands the music and its significance.

Originally from Texas, Howell has moved around a fair bit with spells in Loiusiana, Pennsylvania and the UK all adding to his background and back-history. Here, joined by veteran, bad-ass bassist Jason Weinheimer, Howell has again produced the blues-goods with a masterful album that includes covers of his own major influence, Mississippi John Hurt, and additions from Bo Carter, before moving effortlessly through some mighty fine jazz standards from the likes of Jack Teagarden’s title track, and smoky hints of Wes Montgomery, classic Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington all drifting through the mix.

Try his delightful take on the old classic Fats Waller signature tune, Lulu’s Back In Town for starters, a perfectly pitched display of raw ability and tasteful picking. Overall, this is an album of top-quality, sensitively styled and delivered acoustic blues and southern jazz music. A wonderful addition to Howell’s growing body of work. ~Iain Patience

A Hundred Years From Today

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