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Duke Robillard & His All Star Band—Blast Off—Nola

Blue Records ASIN : B0G45MFWVD

Duke Robillard is 77 but the title of his new album “Blast

Off” tells you that he isn’t slowing down, this is the same
mix of blasting jump blues, jazz, rockabilly and soul

music that he’s been playing for years, although he does
hand all the vocals over to Chris Cote here, which allows

him to concentrate on playing guitar. It’s a rocking jump
blues that starts us off – ‘When I Get Lucky’, followed by

the old classic ‘I’ll be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You)’, with both having
great ensemble and soloing brass. ‘Feel My Cares’ is a moody laid back blues

featuring Duke’s lead guitar and ‘Lowdown’ is a down and dirty Tom Waits song
(Duke has toured as Waits’ guitarist, as well as with Bob Dylan, John Hammond,

Ronnie Earl etc.). I really liked Allen Toussaint’s ‘Confusion’ an unusual New Orleans
classic as performed by Lee Dorsey, with Duke adding a wah-wah guitar solo!

The title track is a surf guitar instrumental and we also get three other instrumentals
- the brass heavy ‘Play Boy Hop’, the Booker T and the MGs-style ‘Galactic Grease’

and the swinging ‘The King’ a number by the Count Basie band. The guys also do a
fine version of ‘Warm and Tender Love’ the Percy Sledge soul ballad from the 60s

and we finish as we started with a jump blues - ‘Look a There, Look a There’. This
is a great album from both Duke himself, Chris Cote on vocals and also the wonderful

All Star Band, it’s got lots of variety and the guys play every style with complete
mastery.

Graham Harrison

The Black Crowes—A Pound of Feathers—Silver

Arrow Records ASIN : B0GFF8K4KF

Boom! Slashing guitar chords and then slide guitar -

‘Profane Prophecy’ really starts this album with a bang,
a loud, loose rocker in the Stones/Faces mould. This

album was recorded in Nashville in ten days with Jay
Joyce producing and follows their 2024 album

‘Happiness Bastards’, released when the Robinson
brothers finally settled their differences after a 15-year

feud and hiatus. ‘Cruel Streak’ is (slightly) more restrained and ‘Pharmacy
Chronicles’ is country soul like something from the Stones’ ‘Exile on Main Street’

with piano, organ and slide guitar. The guitar on ‘Do the Parasite’ sounds bloody
great – blues-drenched but also rocking – together with Chris’s shouted vocals it

reminded me of the Sex Pistols!