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and the production is very muddy which gives it a raw down-home sound but again just adds to the
sameness of the overall feel.

Graham Harrison

Joanna Connor—4801 South Indiana Avenue—KTBA Records
ASIN : B08QBQK26F

The title of the album refers to the address of Theresa’s
Lounge, the famed South-side Chicago club that once hosted
artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter and
included Junior Wells and Buddy Guy in its house band. Joanna

wanted this album to a tribute to the music played there (even
though it was recorded in Ocean Way Recording Studios in
Nashville) and she enlists Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith as
producers to achieve this, as well as a band with her and Josh
on guitars, Reese Wynans (keyboards), Calvin Turner (bass)
and Lemar Carter (drums).

‘Destination’ is a pounding opener with Joanna's slide guitar and Wynans' boogie piano and Jimmy
Hall helping out on vocals, 'Come Back Home' is a nice riff-y blues (more great piano) and Luther
Allison’s 'Bad News' is a powerful slow blues. We come out of that into a rocking version of Big Bill
Broonzy's ‘I Feel So Good’ followed by a take on Albert King’s ‘For the Love of a Woman (Man)’.
‘Trouble Trouble’ adds a brass section for a drop of West-side soul and both Joanna and the band do
a great take on Mel London’s ‘Cut You Loose’. Joe Bonamassa adds his guitar to the final two tracks,
Little Johnny Taylor's soul/blues classic ‘Part Time Love’, while the atmospheric talking blues ‘It’s
My Time’ is different to anything else here. I can't say that I've been a big Joanna Connor fan in the
past but this is a really good album, well-produced and featuring some good playing and songs that

provide variety without having to leave the blues genre to do it.

Graham Harrison

Suitcase Sam—Goodnight Riverdale Park—Curve Music

Suitcase Sam is—by choice—a bit of a mystery man. His web

page has the tone of a John Le Carré spy-story. The best we
can say, is that Mr Suitcase is probably Canadian (give-away
title on the album) and may or may not be a hobo or possibly
a distant relation of Jack Kerouac. Whatever is the case, this
is a masterful record, reminding me of the likes of Leon
Redbone in his prime, with tones of old country music—Mr
Suitcase’s voice reminds me of a cross between Hank

Williams and Garth Brookes!

The give-away track is an terrific intrumental called ‘Maple
Leaf Stomp’ (subtle innit?). Other outstanding tracks include
the closer, ‘Tattered Shoes’ which I love, and ‘My, Oh My’ which sounds like a Ray Charles (with
the Rayletts) gospel-meets-country piece. Wonderful! First released in 2019 only in North America,
add this to your collection ASAP.

Ian K McKenzie