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Tomiko Dixon—The Real Thang!!!—Grand Blues

Singer Tomiko is blues legend Willie Dixon’s grand-daughter,
here with a real blaster. It starts off slow and very much in
keeping with dad’s approach, with Tomiko’s vocal a little strident.

Then suddenly the adrenalin kicks in and it soars into the
stratosphere with a soul/ blues/ rock sound as Tomiko moves
into testifying mode and she lists many of those blues greats
who’ve previously presented us with “the real thang”.

It’s an impressive performance and although Tomiko is hardly
an unknown, let’s hope this lifts her profile higher (and that we’ll
get an album soon). It’s available on all streaming platforms.

Norman Darwen

Jo’ Buddy’s One Man Stompet—Lockdown Sessions & Be-
yond Vol. 1—Ram-Bam
(www.ram-bam.com)

Jo’ Buddy is a Finnish singer and multi-instrumentalist now
based in London. He has made some excellent blues and roots
albums, playing solo or with just a drummer through to full-
blown R’n’B. This set comes out of lockdown of course, and here
he plays virtually everything – all vocals, all guitars (including
lap steel), piano, organ, bass and drums, with guest JD Harmo on
blues harp on two numbers and saxist Masa Orpana on the Bill
Doggett tinged closing instrumental, ‘Lakewood Walk’.

The album also opens with an instrumental, ‘Kingston Street Dance’ and as the title suggests,
there is a noted influence from vintage Jamaican R’n’B, with a boogie-shuffle piano overlaid
with some fine guitar which eventually ends up sounding like Albert Collins. It’s an opener to
make you sit up and pay attention, if you’re not dancing, that is.

The remaining eight tracks are all vocals, and some fall into a New Orleans bag – Jo’ works
frequently with Diz Watson, and it shows: ‘Holler With The Soul’ and ‘Going Back To New
Orleans’ have strong traces of Fats Domino. ‘You Stayed Out All Night Long’ is very Guitar
Slim-inflected. Then there is the Chicago styling of ‘Jo’ Buddy’s Biznes’ (the organ lends a 60s

feel), whilst ‘I’ll Be There By Your Side’ is in a swamp-blues bag, as is the more up tempo ‘Never
Find Another’. ‘If I Could Love Someone’ is a little reminiscent of Lowell Fulson, and ‘Alphabet
Boogie Woogie’ is exactly what it says, except maybe for the unexpected lap-steel solo.

“Stompet” certainly seems an apt word for this exciting set. More please Jo’.

Norman Darwen