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feature of every track here and I would have liked to have heard more from him. Ben has recently
undertaken a European tour (as seems more and more the case these days he didn’t visit Britain)
and he’s also played on Joe Bonamassa’s Blues Cruise — showing that Joe recognises great talent
when he sees it.

Graham Harrison
Greg Brice—Debut Album—gregbricemusic.co.uk

Greg Brice is a young-ish singer/guitarist from the West Midlands
and his solo gigs often include both acoustic and electric sets
featuring blues classics, original songs and covers of left-field acts
like The Wood Brothers and Professor Longhair. This is his debut
crowdfunded album recorded at The Sweet Shop in Stroud and
featuring Jack Thomas (bass) and Aron Attwood (percussion/
backing vocals) - the rhythm section of Stroud band The Achievers.
We start with ‘Early Bird’ an un-bluesy band song that reminded
me of The Beatles (!). ‘Saturday Night’ features Greg on electric
slide on this song with a driving New Orleans groove (nice
harmony vocals from Aron) and ‘Come On’ is an up-tempo rocker with finger-picked guitar.

‘Till I Don’t Know When’ is a bluesy song again featuring electric slide and the blues influence
bleeds into the following moody ‘My Life’ with its finger-picked guitar and processed vocals.
‘Tipitina’ is the New Orleans Professor Longhair classic — does Greg transfer to piano for this
one I hear you ask? errr, no — this shouldn’t work on guitar but Greg carries it off perfectly and
I’ve also seen him do it live without the rhythm section! ‘As the Crow Flies’ is another cover this
time of Rory Gallagher with more electric slide guitar, ‘Together but Long Distance’ is a laid-back
rocker that starts with lovely solo finger picking before the rhythm section joins in and with
more vocal support from Aron. ‘Work for a Living’ has a funky NOLA groove and Greg on electric

guitar — and a really nice concise guitar solo - and we bow out with the soulful ‘Brother’ with
Steve Watts adding organ and more nice electric guitar from Greg. I thought that this was a very
accomplished album, different from the live solo sets that I’ve seen and I would have liked a
couple of solo songs for a bit of variety but The Achievers guys are excellent throughout and
really complement Greg’s guitar and vocals without swamping him.

Graham Harrison

Dr. John—Things Happen That Way—Rounder Records
ASIN ‏:B09YB5NF74

This was Dr.John (Mac Rebennack)’s last studio album and was
co-produced by Mac, guitarist Shane Theriot and Lukas Nelson.
We begin with Willie Nelson’s standard ‘Funny How Time Slips

Away’ with Mac in restrained mode but this is a lovely poignant
performance with Mac’s piano supported with nice Hammond
organ, Hank Williams’ song ‘Ramblin’ Man’ is very bluesy then
Willie Nelson joins Mac on vocals for the old gospel song ‘Gimme
That Old Time Religion’. I can still recall the thrill of hearing Mac's

original version of ‘Walk On Gilded Splinters’ at Manchester’s Magic Village club in the late 60s
and this new version recorded with Lukas Nelson’s band still has that same strange menace,
while another Hank Williams song ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ is also charmingly poignant.