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Bubba and The Big Bad Blues—Drifting—Fullerton Gold
Records
Although, Southern Californian Christopher “Bubba” Clerc
has been performing with his band for over ten years, this is
only his second album. On it he provides guitar and vocals,
with him are a selection of very fine musicians, including;
Nick D’Virgilio, Tony Braunagel, Jason “JR” Lozano and Shawn
Nourse on drums, with Doug Swanson, Mike Barry and
Johnny Bazz on bass, Jacob Dupree and the late Mike
Finnigan provide the organ work, with Rick Solem on piano;
the horn section is Richard Rosenberg, trombone; Joe Sublett,
saxophone and Les Lovitt, trumpet. The album of ten original compositions and two covers
was recorded at Ultra Tone Studios in Studio City California and Sweetwater Studios in Fort
Wayne Indiana. The music here is a lively mixture of Texas Blues, Southern Californian Blues
Rock, Southern Soul and New Orleans R&B.
The album kicks off with ‘I Want To Make Love To You Baby’, a Freddie King influenced
tramping guitar-led Texas swinger underpinned with sweetly soaring horns, spiky B3 and
rolling piano. Whereas, Don Nix’s ‘Helping Hand’, is a bracing, hold-onto-your-hat mixture of
Jimi Hendrix styled vocals and slashing guitar, matched with Jon Lord (Deep Purple) gothic
filled stabbing B3,(which, is not bad actually) ‘Drifting’, is a slow burner with majestically
punchy and sweetly soaring horns entwining with a subtle B3 to underpin a richly played
guitar and delicately delivered vocals.
The unfettered rocker ‘Do What’s Right’ features a punchy percussion beneath the racing
guitar, B3 and stabbing, swaying horns. ‘She’s Your Problem Now’, is quite simply a highly
enjoyable tramping Texas shuffle with a rocking guitar and persistently pleasant percussion.
Paul Weller’s ‘Amongst Butterflies’, is a B3 dominated mixture of jazz and psychedelic
inflections. ‘If You Need Me’, is a nice heads down, Southern, slide guitar, piano and B3 driven
rocker. Also, ‘I Own The Road’, is a splendidly frantic, rolling and stabbing piano-led rocker.
Finally, a change of pace and emotion is delivered with the B3 and guitar building ballad ‘My
Love’,
Very nice!
Brian Harman
Trudy Lynn—Golden Girl—Nola Blues Records NB 018
This year, at the soon to be, fine age of 75, Ms. Trudy Lynn
who was born Lee Audrey Nelms, in Houston’s Fifth Ward,
has been nominated for the Best ‘Soul Blues Female Artist’,
in the Blues Music Awards, making it her 13th nomination.
She is also, the recipient of the 2019 ‘Living Legend’ Blues
Award from the Houston Blues Society and the ‘Jus’ Blues
Music Foundation’s Willie Mitchell Lifetime Artist Award.
An early influence, was her cousin the late Al “TNT” Braggs,
a popular Houston vocalist and also a songwriter for Bobby