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R E V I E W
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Layla Zoe—Nowhere Left To Go——Layla Zoe ASIN :
B089D34NC1

In these very strange times Canadian singer Layla Zoe had to
resort to making this album with crowdfunding and she included
songs by friends and fellow artists including Jackie Venson,

Alastair Greene, Bob Fridzema, Suzie Vinnick, Guy Smeets, Brandi
Disterheft and Dimitri Lebel. Layla has a big powerful voice
although the first song here 'Pray' is quite subdued and gospel-
sounding with limited backing of just piano and organ and backing
vocals with Layla soaring over the top, this is followed by the title

track which is more in the blues rock style with heavy guitar and 'Sometimes We Fight’ is a blues
ballad. 'Don't Want To Help Anymore' is another strident blues rock track while 'This Love Will
Last' is more subtle and melodic and 'Susan' is a slow blues again featuring piano and organ as the
lead instruments. With 'Little Boy' the guitars are back and they carry into the nice slow blues
'Might Need To Fly' and in 'Lies' we have a jazzy Tom Waits-style track with Layla singing over just
a funky upright bass and then we finish with 'Dear Mom' a beautiful acoustic track with mandolin
and fiddle. Layla can certainly belt it out in the style of Janis Joplin but I don't think that she has

the control of say Shemekia Copeland and I thought that she was a lot better on the more subdued
tracks - for me 'Dear Mom' was easily the best vocal performance here.

Graham Harrison
Jimmy Regal and the Royals—Late Night Chicken—Lunaria

Records ASIN: B08F3WJWC5
Jimmy Regal and the Royals are a South London three-piece
featuring not Jimmy Royal but Corin J. Williams (guitar), Joff
Williams (harp, vocals) and Sammy Samuels (drums), the sound is
classic Dr. Feelgood via Chicago blues. Opener 'Late Night
Chicken' sets the style with both the sound and also the feel -

driving, rough and ready - as well as links to classic British old-
style R&B the band also sound a bit like more modern American
bands with limited line ups - The White Stripes and The Black
Keys. 'Sun's Gonna Rise' is pure Howlin' Wolf pounding drums,
riffing guitar and dirty, distorted harp while 'Going to the Fair' is
a more laid back melodic offering that lopes along and features some nice Jimmy Reed-style harp.

'Regal Alley' is an instrumental that opens with weird distorted harmonica (?) sounds before
descending into galloping interplay between the drums and guitar then we're back on track with
the maximum R&B of 'That's All It Took', while 'Can't Cry No More' has an African vibe with kora
player Diabel Cissokho and Joff playing diatonic harp. The album then finishes with three covers -
Junior Kimbrough’s trance blues 'All Night Long', Howlin’ Wolf’s powerful 'Commit A Crime' and

finally Jerry Byrne’s rocking 'Lights Out'. This is a fine album that is in the tradition of classic
British R&B but isn't limited by that genre and also has touches of rock and roll and world music to
add variety and originality.

Graham Harrison