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warm blues flavoured tale concerning the fact that ultimately, all we have is today! The national
resonator guitar he uses adds to the intimacy.

‘Dial It In’, is about a road tale with a radio for company. ‘All Across America’, is a realisation,
that what we run from is what we end up being. ‘Hippy Bluesman Blues’ is a warning tale of ‘bad
tripping’.
‘Amsterdam Blues’ recalls a spiritual and very, very secular trip to Amsterdam. The Reverend’s
guitar playing is very enticing throughout the set.

‘Tears of Fire’, is a fiestily played rendition of lost love and how life seems to reject you.
‘Skyflower’, concerns the love and trust given by a beautiful woman.

‘Don’t Miss Nothing ‘Til It’s Gone’, is a classic tale of a lost love and all the misery that follows.

The last number is Grateful Dead’s ‘Keep On Truckin’, which was inspired by legendary bluesman
Blind Boy Fuller, additional lyrics are from the Grateful Dead’s psychedelic lyricist Robert Hunter.

This release also contains a bonus nine track CD entitled Odds and Ends and Interviews, which
will be of particular interest to his more knowledgeable admirers, it includes live solo rendition’s
of songs from last year’s, ‘Songs Of Beauty For Ashes Of Realization’.

Well worth a Listen!

Brian Harman

The Namedroppers—Blue Diamonds—Horizon Music
Group

The Connecticut based band, were originally the backing band
for guitarist Charlie Karp, who sadly died in 2019. This is their
third album ‘Blue Diamonds’. Their line-up is: Bobby T.
Torello; drums, Scott Spray; bass, Ron Rifkin; keyboards and
Rafe Klein; lead vocals and guitar.

The ten numbers here veer towards the rock end of the blues
spectrum and the opener is ‘Blue Diamonds’, which is a rising,
rousing piano led rocker concerning a tale of how abusing
certain chemicals will wipe your mind. In the same rolling,
rocking vein ‘Hollywood’ is the many told tale of fame or
infamy.

‘Just Come Home’, is a sad, Doo-Wop influenced melancholy ballad of lost love and despair.

The classic ‘Further On Up The Road’, is given the shuffling, rolling, treatment which, makes it
a fine toe tapper. ‘Back To Chicago’, is quite simply, an enjoyable road tale with a Bo Diddley
beat. ‘New York’, is a soul infused tale of wishful hope and bitter disappointment.

Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Red House’, features the late Charlie Karp on guitar on this very nice soulful,
acoustic version.

‘Ukraine We Stand’, is a powerful, martial rocking, blasting ballad, in solid support of the nation.

‘Are You Lonely?’ is a pleasantly strident blues shuffle; Carole Sylvan adds depth with her backing
vocals.

‘Blue Guitar’, is a fine example of the band performing live; rocking guitars, rolling, pounding
piano and stunning, pounding drum work and raw, raucous vocals.