Retro Music Review | Oldies, Reissues and New Releases with a Retro Sound

Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band - Overnight Sensation (Delta Groove; DGPCD 123)

With a combined 60 years of experience playing soul and blues all around the world, Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson are uniquely qualified to produce music that sounds both utterly fresh and undeniably nostalgic. In an era when music in general seems to have lost its soul, these two veterans have released an album infused with true passion and a timeless groove… READ MORE

Mitch Woods - Jukebox Drive (El Toro Rhythm & Blues; El Toro R&B 206)

Whether “Boppin’ The Boogie” or serving up burgers at a “Boogie Woogie Bar-B-Q,” piano man Mitch Woods is the epitome of cool. He rocks those eighty-eights like crazy as a “Saturday Night Boogie Man,” then stumbles in the next morning with a “Blues Hangover.” The latter track is a thrilling rhythm and blues masterpiece, thanks in no small part to Woods’ first class backing band, The Lazy Jumpers. Drummer Blas Picon not only drives the tune furiously, he also delivers a killer harmonica break… READ MORE

Sean Costello - We Can Get Together (Delta Groove Music; DGPCD120)

The blues had a baby and they named it Sean Costello. This amazing young guitarist has got what it takes. A winner of the Beale Street Blues Society new talent award when he was just 14, Costello more than fulfills the promise of that early recognition on We Can Get Together. His style is down to the ground intense, and his vocals are laced with raw, ragged truth… READ MORE

Legendary Rhythm And Blues Revue - Command Performance (Delta Groove; DGPCD121)

“For a good time, call The Legendary Rhythm And Blues Revue.” This slogan should be scrawled on walls from Terre Haute to Timbuktu. Command Performance is the rave-up, jump back, get down, spin-around party record of the decade. This electrifying live album generates enough pure power to light up the entire Western Hemisphere — with a little left over for the other hemisphere… READ MORE

Hiromasa Suzuki - From Where I Am

This is simply badass. Hiromasa Suzuki is a rhythm-and-blues-groove-soul-guitarist par excellence. He takes the instrument places it has rarely gone, advancing the blues form and making the sky cry… READ MORE

DJ At’s Crazy Record Hop Presents: Foot Tappin’ & Dance At The Screamin’ Festival Vol. 1 (El Toro; ETCD 1017)

Organizers of rhythm and swing nights take note: here is the disc you need. This collection of rip roarin’ vintage dance tunes, issued by El Toro to honor the 10th Anniversary of Screamin’ Festival in Spain, is guaranteed to put a shimmy in your shake. There are rock tunes that swing, swing tunes that boogie, and boogie tunes that rock. In fact, there’s something for everyone who likes to move their tail… READ MORE

T-Bear & The Dukes of Rhythm - Let The Sweet Talk Flow (El Toro; El Toro R&B 205)

Dukes of Rhythm guitarist and vocalist “T-Bear” would be one of the finest young blues players in Chicago, if not for this simple fact: he’s not from Chicago. He’s from Sweden. His real name is Torbjörn Solberg, and he plays like a cross between B.B. King and Chuck Berry. His blues wail has a bit of an Elvis growl in it and his original songs are as badass as any of the classics… READ MORE

The Robins - I Must Be Dreamin’ - The Robins on RCA, Crown and Spark, 1953-55 (El Toro R&B 111)

I Must Be Dreamin’, El Toro’s extensive collection of Robins singles, goes a long way toward dispelling the popular myth that The Robins were merely a footnote in the history of The Coasters. Robins gems such as “Empty Bottles” and “Ten Days In Jail” cement the group’s place as one of the finest rhythm and blues vocal acts of the 1950s… READ MORE