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Chris 'Badnews' Barnes—Badnews Rising—Vizztone ASIN :
B09B5YG16T

I'd never heard of Chris 'Badnews' Barnes before but he is

apparently an American television comedian and writer who has
a sideline as a blues singer/harmonica player and a writer of
blues songs. This album was made at Nashville’s Sound Stage
Studio with Tom Hambridge in the producer's chair and a band of

Kevin McKendree (keyboards), Pat Buchanan (guitar), Tommy
MacDonald (bass) and Hambridge (drums). We start with 'You
Wanna Rock? You Better Learn The Blues' a Willie Dixon-style

song that advocates learning the history of the blues and more
blues history on 'When Koko Came To Town' which tells the story of a Koko Taylor gig that Chris
saw. 'Quid Pro Quo' is a catchy song with riffing horns, 'My Baby Be Cray Cray Cray' is a blues
shuffle that dispenses relationship advice and 'I Slow Danced With Joni Mitchell' has Chris

reflecting on his life, complete with imagined meetings with famous people. 'Chicks Dig Me' is a ZZ
Top-ish bragging boogie and 'Kettle Black' and 'Texas Weiner' are more of the same and closer 'I
Like Cleavage' does what it says on the tin - it's a celebration of women's cleavage. You know with

this producer and this band that this record is going to sound good, I don't know Chris Barnes but I
guess that like John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd he is a blues fan and although you can sense that love
in his performance he isn't the greatest singer and I'm afraid that I found some of his lyrics not
very funny and actually detracting from the music.

Graham Harrison

The Ronnie Wood Band—Mr. Luck—A Tribute to Jimmy Reed
BMG ASIN : B094TCWJ3D

This album celebrates the music of blues legend Jimmy Reed with

18 tracks recorded live at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in
November 2013 with Ronnie and his band of Mick Taylor (ex
Mayall, Rolling Stones - guitar), Dave Green (bass) and Dexter

Hercules (drums), plus guests including Bobby Womack, Mick
Hucknall and Paul Weller. It's sometimes said of Jimmy Reed
that he only had one song - to which I usually reply yes but it was
a bloody good one! In truth his songs and sound were a bit

samey and hearing them all together here only enforces that,
Ronnie and Co. do a reasonable job in replicating the Jimmy Reed sound and keeping it swinging
but Ronnie isn't the best singer (or harmonica player) and the numbers featuring the guests on

vocals tend to be the better tracks, although Bobby is relegated to just a backing singer. It was nice
to hear Mick Taylor's guitar playing and I'm sure that if you were there on the night it would have
been a great experience but I'm not sure that really comes across on record.

Graham Harrison