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is more reminiscent of a Hooker-style boogie. This is an interesting album that puts a very
different slant on the blues with its pronounced African lilt, coupled with a certain sophistication.

Graham Harrison

Johnny Wheels & the Swamp Donkeys—Keep on Pushin’—
Lightning in a Bottle
(www.johnnywheelsband.com)

Born John Kennicott, Johnny Wheels was inspired by his father to
take up music - sadly he died when Johnny was six years old, and
Johnny himself was paralysed from the chest down at the age of
12. Overcoming adversity though, he is now a singer, harmonica
player, songwriter and bandleader in the Pacific northwest, and
on this album he leads his trio (completed by Brandon Logan on
guitar, and Taylor Frazier on bass), plus co-producer Jimi Bott on
drums (just check his CV!), through a fine set of blues, soul and
rock.

In fact, the opener is a lovely southern-soul styled number with a big, appropriate arrangement,
and of course a very soulful vocal; the same comments apply to the slow ‘As Long As You’re There’
(there’s some fine blues harp playing too). ‘George Fisk’ is a lively song that mixes funk and rock,
whilst ‘This Time’ is a strong blues-rock performance, as is ‘Mizz Karman’, another piece of
muscular blues-rock, partially rooted in a straight blues shuffle .

‘Light Me Up (Hold Me In)’ is a classic-sounding piece of 60s styled R’n’B, and ‘The Fall’ is one of
those big, intense, slow-burn blues of the type Bobby Bland used to do so well. ‘Finding Your
Way Back Home’ is a more modern funky blues item with plenty of appropriate guitar work, and
the final number, ‘Time To Bail (Keep On Pushin’)’, is a fine, slow-paced, blues-based amalgam
of styles. An impressive closer to an impressive release.

Norman Darwen

P D Martin—Soulbeat Incarnate—Donor/ Naked

(www.facebook.com/pdmartinofficial/)

Lead singer and guitarist Piet Vercauteren – a.k.a. PD Martin - and
his band started out in Autumn 2019 as a blues trio, evolving into
a far more eclectic outfit as they developed. So it is that this set
ranges far and wide, from the straight, gritty, energetic and rather
down-home sounding blues of ‘Artificial State Of Misery’ to the
smooth, reflective and seductive balladry of ‘Tantric Beach Night’,
from the jazzy pop feel of ‘Too Good To Be True’ to the seventies
soul-styled dancer, ‘Strip It Down’, and from the rootsy bluesy rock
of the opening ‘Make Me Pay’ to the funk tinges of ‘Wild River’.

As those titles indicate, PD writes his own songs – all eleven here – and they do certainly avoid
clichés. His band – Joris Holdebeke on bass and drummer Rien Gees - is an accomplished unit,
augmented by several guests, and the set was produced by JB Biesmans, who has featured in
these pages before for his work with Belgium’s Travellin Blue Kings, and who contributes fine
sax playing to a couple of tracks. To sum up then – this is a quality release.

Norman Darwen