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Maryann and the Tri Tones

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Maryann and the tri-tones
Maryann and the Tri-Tones - Kitten Walk
Maryann and the Tri-Tones – Kitten Walk

Maryann and the Tri-Tones – Kitten Walk

Rhythm Bomb rbr 5833 [2016]
Hold Me Tight  Heartbeats – Love Me Tonight – Dance With My Baby – Got You On My Mind – When I See You – Ain’t Gonna Love You Anymore – Kitten Walk – Don’t Touch – Chevrolet – Looking Glass – Wolf Man – If I Had You

Hot on the heels of their excellent debut album, Maryann and the Tri-Tones return with a brand new platter and the result is once again very good. This girl is a mighty good singer and her band rocks! This is all you need to know, believe me.

There’s not a big difference of style between this one and Supersonic Gal except that one can now hear a steel and a pedal steel on five song. It expends their style and adds a hillbilly bop flavor (Ain’t Gonna Love You Any More), or a Patsy Cline vibe (think Crazy) with When I See You. It also works perfectly on their cover of Red Foley’s Looking Glass. They nail that Honky Tonk sound perfectly and you wish they’d do more in that style. Kitten Walk, The title track has an obsessive beat that reminds of Funnel Of Love. One thing is sure, this kitten sure knows how to strut.

Of the thirteen track, eleven are from the pen of Maryann and Artur Skropnik the guitar player with only two covers: the aforementioned Red Foley’s tune and an instrumental version of the classic jazz number “if I had You” that closes the album on a jazzy mood.

Once again, credit must be given to Ike Stoye (who also guests on sax on Wolf Man) and Axel Prafcke for the perfect sound they gave to this album. It seems that everything they touch turn to Rockabilly gold.

Also kudos to Rhythm Bomb who still believe in new artists and works hard to release beautiful objects. Like most of their releases now, this album comes in a beautiful digipack.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Maryann and the Tri Tones - Supersonic Gal
Maryann and the Tri Tones – Supersonic Gal

Maryann and the Tri Tones – Supersonic Gal

Tritone Music TCD 1501 [2015] / Rhythm Bomb RBR 5832 [2016]
Honey Baby – I’m Moving Up – Back To Me – Cruisin’ Around – Lonesome Moon – Supersonic Gal – If I Could I Would – I’m Gonna Leave You – Angel Of The Desert – We’re Gonna Rock’n’roll Tonight

This excellent surprise comes from Estonia and has been recorded in Berlin by Ike Stoye and Axel Praefcke. If you dig your Rockabilly as if it came straight from the fifties, Maryann and the Tri Tones is the band for you. Supersonic Gal was first self released by the band and only a few hundreds copies were made. it was too good to be lost and thanks to Rhythm Bomb has been reissued to a larger audience.
Maryann (not to be confused with Miss Mary Ann from the Netherland) has a strong voice and sings with her own style, contrary to many of her counterparts who too often try to mimic Wanda Jackson.
The Tri-Tones are a solid band with a special mention to their guitar player who assimilated the styles of Hal Harris and Grady Martin. Axel Praefcke guests on guitar and brings a Cliff Gallup touch to Supersonic Gal which has a strong Gene Vincent influence.
With only ten songs (all originals penned by the lead singer and the guitar player) and 26 minutes, this is a very well rounded affair with no filler. A band to follow closely.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Maryann and the tri-tones

Ray Allen

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Ray Allen - Rock, Jive and Stroll with me
Ray Allen - Rock, Jive and Stroll with me
Ray Allen – Rock, Jive and Stroll with me

Ray Allen – Rock, Jive & Stroll With Me!

Rhythm Bomb RBR 5822 (2015)
Belly Button Baby  – Rocking Mama – Ruby Red Lips  – Happy End – Hang Out – Baby Love – Heat Wave – Ole Gang Rock – I Like You, I Need You, I Want You – Beyond My Reach – I Love My Baby – Stay Away From Me – She’s Wild – A Kiss From You – Bubble Gum

This is Ray Allen’s fourth album recorded at Lightning Recorders in Germany. The title says it all,it’s a rock’n’roll album built to make you dance and tap your feet. To achieve that the band varies mood, tempos, instrumentations styles and arrangements. I especially like when they add backing vocals in the best Jordanaires tradition to emulate Elvis’ RCA sound. But there’s plenty more in it. It’s maybe a tad too long for me, I’d easily skip two or three songs but in the end it’s a very enjoyable experience as this style is finally not too often represented on the current scene and we need more artists like Ray Allen.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Lil Mo and the Unholy 4

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Lil Mo and the Unholy 4
Lil Mo and the Unholy 4
Lil Mo and the Unholy 4

Lil Mo and the Unholy 4 – The Big Payoff!

Rhythm Bomb RBR5911 {2015}
Jake Leg – Big Doow – Cry Lil Girl – Sally Forth – My Search – Dig Boy – I Hear You Knockin’ – Easy Does It – Numbers Not Names – Livin’ Some Before I Die – Slippin’ In – Tornado

If you already know the excellent Doo Wop band Lil Mo and the Dynaflos, Lil Mo and the Unholy 4 is their lead singer’s rockin’ side.
Or to put it in a different manner, the Dynaflos are his Jekyll’s side, Lil Mo while the Unholy 4 let his Mister Hyde speak (and if you’ve heard their cover of Save It released in 2013 you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about!).
But I forget to tell you about the essential: Morris “Lil Mo” Everett has to be one the best singer to appear on the rockin’ scene in the last, say, ten years (at least!). His voice is not only good, expressive and powerful, not only can he sings in tune (don’t laugh this is not that frequent) but his tone has to be one of the most original today, the kind you immediatly recognize. It’s so good to hear someone who doesn’t try to imitate the singers of the fifties and comes with his own personnality.
The band is equally good: Mike Sobieski palys guitar (and what guitar,: clean, sharp, rockin’), on bass you have Randy Stanton who played with Marcel Riesco in Truly Lover Trio like the band’s drummer Ricky Mc Cann formerly of the Playboys and who is now part of Big Sandy’s Fly Rite Boys.

Lil’ Mo and the band penned three songs (Jake Legs, Sally Forth and Numbers Not Names) and the remaining songs are covers ranging from well known material to Rockabilly fans (Slippin’ In, Tornado) to lesser known stuff, all played with the band’s trademark sound that make them sound like originals (like the Rimshots did in their time, I know this is not the only example but it sure is one of the best!).
In the end you have one hell of a hot platter made of hot Rockabilly, wild rock’n’roll, swamp blues (they cover Lazy Lester’s I Hear You Knockin’) and a bit of country swing with an awesome cover of Faron Young’s Livin’ Some Before I Die, filled with energy and a feel of emergency and tension that is essential to this music.

No information could be found on the cover about the studio and/or the producer/recording engineer so I don’t know who I have to thank for making such a good sound. And if I say it’is clean and crisp don’t misunderstand me, I don’t mean TOO clean, I mean clean like Big Sandy’s On The Go or anything recorded in a good studio in the fifties (too many believe that to sound “authentic”, a Rockabilly album has to sound muddy and dirty, but Lil Mo and the Unholy 4 don’t fall on that trap!)

I’m going to grab as soon as I can a copy of their previous album, Rapture and will eagerly wait for the next one.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Lil Mo and the Dynaflos

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Lil Mo and the Dynaflos - Get Up and Dance
Lil Mo and the Dynaflos - Get Up and Dance
Lil Mo and the Dynaflos – Get Up and Dance

Lil Mo and the Dynaflos – Get Up and Dance

Rhythm Bomb RBR 5829 {2016}

Get Up And Dance – Hands Off  – Spellbound – At My Front Door – You Belong To Me – She’s The Most – Miss Magician – Zoop – Shut That Door – Why Don’t You Answer – Closer To The Aisle – Bop, Shake, Boogie – Have Love Will Travel – All Night Long

I won’t try to fool you: though I enjoy listenin’ to some doo-wop from time to time, this is not my main thing and I’m far from being a specialist of the genre. But specialist or not, I know when good music come right across my ears to go straight to my feet. Lil’ Mo and the Dynaflos are a 8-piece little combo with four singers led by Lil’ Mo and his very peculiar and original voice and the usual drums-bass-guitar plus a sax. What you have is basically Italo doo-wop mixed with some early vocal Rhythm’n’ blues (and a bit of rockin’ too). As I said the vocals is amazing with very tight arrangement and the backing band does more than just backing if you see what I mean, working closely with the singers.
Half of the songs are covers (The El Dorados’ At My Front Door, You Belong To Me – that I knew first by Gene Vincent, the Five Keys’s She’s the Most, the Charts’ Zoop, The Maharajahs’s Why Dont You Answer and Richard Berry’s Have Love Will Travel and Joe Houston’s instrumental All Night Long) and the remaining titles are written or co written by Lil Mo (Morris Everett) and Cliff Quan, one of the other vocalist.

It’s been recorded at Wallyphonic Studio by Wally Hersom of Big Sandy fame and the sound is as warm and authentic as one can expect.

All those elements contribute to make of this album one rockin’ little gem, that’ll make you jive in your living room, put a smile on your face and simply fill you appetite for good music. What can I say? Buy it!

Quarter Mile Combo

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Quarter Mile Combo - Motels Gas & beer
Quarter Mile Combo – Motels Gas & beer

Quarter Mile Combo – Motels Gas & beer

6 Volt Records / Rhythm Bomb [2009]
Kitten – Electrified – Cougar Mama – Rodeo Show – Good Lovin’- Knockout Punch – 100 Miles to Heartbreak – Preacher Man – Word to the Wise – Wrecking Ball – Boss Lady – Getting Wild (Drinkin’ Song)

These quartet (three guys and one girl) comes from California and this is their debut album released on their own label 6 Volt Records (distributed by Rhythm Bomb Records in Europe). They’re led by the rockin’ voice of Nettie Hammar, and man, she sure knows how to rock. The twelve songs are originals, penned by bass player Todd Jenkins or drummer Gary Daly. There are many great moments on this album. Electrified and Wreckin’ Bell are two traditionnal rockabilly numbers while Kitten and Cougar Mama show the influence of the Reverend Horton Heat in the structure and the solos. It also features a solid rocka-ballad with some kind of Doo Wop vocals (Knockout Punch) and a bit of country with 100 Miles To A Heartbreaker. Preacher Man is very original opening with a church organ and then evoluting into a “film noir” ambiance. The well named Getting Wild closes the set. By no means traditionnalist, though respectful of the past (once again think Reverend Horton Heat) the Quarter Mile Combo deliver here a good debut album.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Mississippi Queen

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Mississippi Queen - Oh Yeah!
Mississippi Queen - Oh Yeah!
Mississippi Queen – Oh Yeah!

Mississippi Queen – Oh Yeah!

Rhythm Bomb RBR5818 {2015}
Everybody Have A Ball – Hey Bartender – Oh Yeah – Mississippi Queen – Knock Knock Rattle – My Way Down – Lonely – Same Ol’ Fool – Eyes Of Blue – Brand New Fool – Precious Memories – Ol’ Black Busted Guitar – Bop Train – Why Should I Fall In Love Again?

Mississippi Queen is one of the longest band in activity in Croatia (if not THE longest band) having formed in 1989 and “Oh Yeah!” is their fifth album. They aim at an authentic sound and one could reproach them to the Barnshakers in term of sound; Musically the band is good but the material if not bad (far from that) doesn’t bring something new to the genre (contrary to the Barnshakers who have he songs and the musicianship). Furthermore Don Karlos their singer shows some weakness being slightly off pitch on some songs. Maybe a producer could have helped them to tighten up their sound.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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