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guitar. The remaining tracks feature Tom on drums and vocals with a band including Bob Britt
(guitar), Tommy MacDonald or Glenn Worf (bass), Kevin McKendree, Jon Coleman, Chuck
Leavell (keyboards) and Emil Justin provides backing vocals throughout. I’m afraid that I
didn’t particularly like any of these tracks, Tom is an OK singer but I don’t think that he holds
the attention like his guests and I just found the songs a bit bland although the song ‘Johnny

Winter’ where Tom calls for Johnny to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shows that his
heart is in the right place.

Graham Harrison

Buffalo Nichols—The Fatalist—Fat Possum ASIN
:B0C83TMFMR

When I reviewed Carl ‘Buffalo’ Nichols’ debut album I wasn’t
entirely convinced but I said that I found it interesting and I’d
keep an eye out for what he did in future. This is his sophomore
release and works basically the same territory as the first
record – country blues with a few modern production tweaks.

Opener ‘Cold Black Stare’ is Buffalo singing over acoustic slide
guitar and tambourine but with background noises featuring
birdsong and thunder for added atmosphere, then we get his
take on Blind Willie Johnson’s ‘You’re Gonna Need Somebody
on Your Bond’ – again he sings the song straight but there is also unearthly synthesizer and
sampled Charley Patton vocals in the background.

‘Turn Another Stone’ adds a nice mournful fiddle (Jess McIntosh) and ‘The Difference’ is a
melodic song featuring folky finger-picked guitar without any electronic embellishments. The
fiddle is back for ‘The Long Journey Home’ which also has Buffalo on banjo. It’s an unnerving
melancholy song “We live to suffer and don’t know why” that owes more to Nick Cave than

country blues and the title track has a similar feel and has been compared to Leonard Cohen!
With the closing ‘This Moment’ we’re back to more familiar country blues with added fiddle
and Samantha Rise adding her vocals – lovely. It’s only two years since his debut release but
this album is a real step forward, while at the same time being basically the same country
blues, based on his fine voice and guitar playing but with better songs. Also, the added
technology – samples etc. – add extra atmosphere to the tracks without overpowering them
and still allowing the power and the beauty of the blues to come through.

Graham Harrison

Bluesman Mike Francis—Lawman’s Blues, Single—Self Re-
lease

Bluesman Mike Francis is a solo blues artist based in the North
West of England and is well known up and down the British
blues circuit. Earlier this year he collected the coveted, “Best
Unplugged Act of 2022” award from the Wrinkly Rockers Club.

His brand new single ‘Lawman’s Blues’ opens with a bang, it has
a driving rhythm with real energy. Mike’s famous twelve string