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Rob's drums drive most tracks with Dom's guitar and vocals providing the meat and the harmonica
and backing vocals adding the seasoning, the harmonica players each have a slightly different style
and sound to add variety. Also, although most tracks power along with the drums/electric slide

guitar/harmonica, some tracks have a different vibe. 'Big Dreams and Open Country' is a beautiful
laid-back melodic song and 'John Prine' starts off in similar fashion and turns into a song
mourning the death of the American country singer. The album closes with two traditional blues

songs, an acoustic version of Willie Cobb's 'You Don't Love Me' and an electric take on Fred
McDowell's 'Shake 'Em On Down’.

Graham Harrison

Bob Corritore and Kid Ramos—From The Vaults: Phoenix
Blues Sessions—Southwest Musical/Vizz Tone ASIN :
B08HTJ77F7

Harmonica player Bob Corritore (originally from Chicago) has

run Phoenix’s blues club The Rhythm Room for well over twenty
years giving him the opportunity to record sessions with the
club’s many performers over the years, he's now releasing three
albums of unreleased sets from these master tape archives in the

'From the Vaults' series. This is the second release with guitarist
Kid Ramos from sessions from the late 1990s to the early 2000s
and the sessions feature vocalists including Henry Gray, Nappy Brown, Big Pete Pearson, Chico

Chism, Doctor Fish and Chief Schabuttie Gilliame. The band includes Paul Thomas (bass), Johnny
Rapp (guitar, mandolin), Tom Mahon and Henry Gray (keyboards) and Chico Chism (drums).

We get off to a rocking start with 'Aw Shucks Baby' with Nappy Brown on vocals and the band

swinging along behind - great piano from Mahon and harp from Bob - while 'Come On In' features
Henry Gray on vocals but this time with really nice lead guitar from Kid. '24 Hours' is the Eddie
Boyd slow blues with Dr. Fish out front, more nice guitar and Bob on chromatic harp, then Roscoe

Gordon's 'No More Doggin' picks up the pace with The Chief barking out the vocals. We carry on in
similar fashion with lots of familiar classic blues songs, great playing from the band and the
singers swapping in and out to give some nice variety. This is very much a band album and
although the album is credited to Bob and Kid they don't monopolise proceedings, everyone gets a

shot, for example there is lots of great piano - both from ex-Howlin' Wolf sideman Henry Gray and
also Tom Mahon who also plays beautifully. Despite being recorded in Phoenix the album is tough-
sounding, authentic Chicago blues and I really enjoyed it, if I had to pick a favourite track I'd go

for 'Natural Ball' with Big Pete Pearson out front and great playing from all the band, although to
be fair all the tracks are of the same high quality.

Graham Harrison