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Phantom Blues Band—Blues For Breakfast—CD Baby
ASIN : B0B4913GLY

Mike Finnigan was a member of the Phantom Blues Band (and
a musician who also played with Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal
amongst others) who passed away in 2021 and the proceeds
of this album will go to his music charity. The remaining
members of the band are Johnny Lee Schell (guitar, vocals),
Larry Fulcher (bass, vocals), Tony Braunagel (drums), Joe
Sublett (sax), Les Lovitt (trumpet) and Mike's replacement on
keyboards the excellent Jim Pugh - we also have guests Bonnie
Raitt, Curtis Salgado, Ruthie Foster and Mike's son Kelly
Finnigan. We blast off with Sam and Dave’s 'I Take What I Want' with Johnny and Larry trading
verses a la Sam and Dave, then it’s the jazzy 'Get Involved' followed by Muddy Waters' 'She’s
Into Something' with Johnny on vocals and guitar and a honking sax solo from Sublett. 'Move
On Up' is the Curtis Mayfield classic given a reggae twist with Johnny and Larry on vocals and
Ruthie Foster also helping out and 'OK, I Admit It' is a swinging tune with Mike Finnigan on
vocals and Hammond and the band falling in behind.

'Still Be Friends' is a lovely subdued melodic blues ballad featuring Fulcher and Schell and
Johnny also takes the lead vocals on Freddie King's 'Country Boy' before being helped out by
his old employer Miss Bonnie Raitt. Sam Cooke’s slow blues 'Laughing and Clownin' has Curtis
Salgado on vocals and harp and Curtis also sings on Ike Turner’s 'I Know You Don’t Love Me'

which features another classy sax solo from Sublett as well as searing Hammond organ from
Kelly Finnigan. 'That’s What Love Will Make You Do' is a funky song from Little Milton with
Larry on lead vocals and some nice organ from Mr. Pugh, while closer Muddy’s 'Stuff You Gotta
Watch' has his barrelhouse piano driving the song. This is a fitting tribute to a great musician
Mike Finnigan and it was a nice idea to include his song 'OK, I Admit It' as well as letting his
son play - his son is truly a chip off the old block.

Graham Harrison

Eric Clapton—Nothing But the Blues—Rhino ASIN :
B09YPB5JJ8

These are live tracks from the Fillmore Auditorium in San
Francisco recorded during the ‘From the Cradle Tour’ in 1994.
Eric’s band was Andy Fairweather Low (guitar), Chris
Stainton (keyboards), Dave Bronze (bass), Andy Newmark
(drums), Jerry Portnoy (harmonica), Simon Clarke (sax), Tim
Sanders (sax) and Roddy Lorimer (trumpet). If like me you

love Eric playing the blues then the album ‘From the Cradle’
was a real treat, an all blues record that even had Eric
revisiting Eddie Boyd’s ‘Five Long Years’ as featured on The
Yardbirds’ ‘Five Live Yardbirds’ LP. And even if we’ve seen some of these additional live songs
like Jimmy Rogers’ ‘Blues All Day Long’, Robert Johnson’s ‘Malted Milk’ and the blues
standards ‘Every Day I Have the Blues’ and ‘Forty-Four’ before in the 1995 film ‘Nothing but
the Blues’ this is the first time that they have been available on record.