REAL
BLUES AWARDS
Best Blues Vocalist/Male/Modern
- Shawn Brown
Best Song/Lyrics - When The Lights Go Out
Best Instrumental/Sax - Blues For Ronnie
Best Southern Blues Release
Best Southern Blues CD/New
Best Blues Vocalist/Male - Shawn Brown
I had the distinct pleasure
of seeing Willie Lomax and Shawn Brown at the Tampa Bay
Blues Festival this spring and it was one great show. Shawn
is back doing keyboard and vocal duties on this cd and all
I have to do is close my eyes and I can see them tearing
up the stage…Don’t wait to buy this disc; it’ll
be a classic before you know it.
WEST MICHIGAN BLUES SOCIETY
(Issue 12 / Dec 2003) read entire
review
…a
modern-day triumph that finds its groove in all things timeless.
THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL
(Memphis Newspaper / Jan 31, 2004) read
entire review
… a classy effort…
opening number, a soul stormer in classic Otis Redding fashion.
Next up is a slow-burn item, poised perfectly on the cusp
between southern soul and the blues, with intense vocal,
droning horns and good arrangement with clever use of backing
vocals and some fine guitar!… blends a bit of Otis
Rush with a cool sixties r&b vocal… fierce instrumental
sparring between Lomax and Eric Gales; there is some lovely,
tough Freddy King styled playing…‘When The Lights
Go Out’ is again slow and intense and despite lasting
almost ten minutes it is a gripping performance, both vocally
and musically, reminiscent of Buddy Guy in his prime, but
exhibiting a self-discipline and understated approach that
Buddy has rarely achieved…. A first rate, all-original,
southern – particularly Memphis – flavoured
blues album with plenty of soul undertones is the very pleasing
outcome.
BLUES & RHYTHM
(Issue 184 / November 2003) read
entire review
“…the Willie
Lomax / Shawn Brown Soul Crusade… “Ribs…”
really blew a lot of minds and now that the world has had
a chance to digest “Ribs…” we get something
equally as magnificent….package of magic and joy is
the perfect prescription for 2003/2004…Shawn Brown
once again proves to be a formidable gospel-styled vocalist
and a great Hammond organist whose vocal gymnastics make
virtually every song he sings a standout…Once again
Willie Lomax drops another classy/classic production on
our laps that stands out amidst the competition…5
bottles for an example of Modern R&B-drenched Blues
that once again proves for one and all; “It ain’t
dead yet”
REAL BLUES MAGAZINE
( Issue 27 / Oct 2003 )
read entire review
… Shawn Brown gained
national recognition on the last album, and he’s even
better now: His robust B-3 adds muscle and anchors Lomax’s
solos… strident Southern soul with wailing sax…
The somber title track, about materialism’s eventual
void, recalls James Carr’s deep ballads on Goldwax.
Lomax’s shards-of-fire playing is at its best on this
Song of the Year candidate….“Blues for Ronnie,”
a tribute to Ronnie Earl that opens with Martini’s
raucous strip-club sax…. blues album with soul and
feeling… Best Blues Money Can Buy accomplishes that
goal and more.
BLUES REVUE
( December / January 2004 ) read
entire review
Wow! Willie Lomax can
wale a blues tune. What a song Best Blues Money Can Buy
is. Plus the rest of the album is powerful. Now this is
fiery blues with a magnificent feel. With artists like Shawn
Brown, Leroy Hodges, Jerry Martini, Walfredo Reyes Jr, Howard
Grimes and Eric Gales how can this not be a killer CD? The
Willie Lomax Blues Revue has just made a significant contribution
to blues music with the release of this album. 5 stars
ROOTS MUSIC REPORT
(October 2003)
"an extravaganza
of Blues, R&B & Soul of the highest calibre . .
. exactly what it says on the box . . . "Best Blues
Money Can Buy."
BLUES FREEPRESS
(Issue 15/October 2003)
… This is one helluva
recording if you like your good time blues with a healthy
dose of Memphis soul…. Shawn Brown on vocals and the
B-3, who knocked everyone’s socks off at this year’s
Tampa Bay Blues Festival. He is all over it ‘like
a dog on a porkchop.’… Shawn’s vocals
and B-3 will have you running for a box of Kleenex and Willie’s
guitar will have you running for a bottle of bourbon….
Willie’s guitar has you on the ropes… Drop some
coin on this one because it’s worth every penny.
SUNCOAST BLUES SOCIETY
( November / December 2003 )
…a strong piece
of sock-it-to me soul…overall quality makes this one
well worth seeking out.
BLUES IN BRITAIN
(Issue #23 / Jan 2004) read
entire review
…The axe grinder
assembled one helluva band for this session, calling on
soul greats Leroy Hodges and Howard Grimes (the rhythm section
behind the almighty Hi Records sound), six-string virtuoso
Eric Gales, and a horn section from hell (Memphians Jim
Spake and Scott Thompson, who’ve backed everyone from
Ike Turner and Bobby “Blue” Bland to the late
great Rufus Thomas, alongside Family Stone alumnus Jerry
Martini) to round out his decidedly modern soul-blues sound.
Lomax’s secret weapon, fellow Floridian Shawn Brown,
fits right in with his church-inspired Hammond B-3 chords
and his complex piano riffs. Who knew that you could still
write great soul songs in 2003? While diehard fans maintain
that Otis Redding closed the book on the subject with his
death in ’68, no one has – thankfully –
told Lomax, who drops the astounding Stax-influenced title
track, Can’t Get Enough, and the searing When the
Lights Go Out (inspired, like the album’s closer,
Freedom Is Not Free, by the events of September 11, 2001)
without seeming to break a sweat…Does the album live
up to its title? In a genre that sometimes seems to be filled
with poorly produced sessions, second-rate sidemen, guitarists
who can’t sing, and white men who lack a shred of
soul, Lomax’s latest shines like a brand-new dime.
Andria Lisle
LIVING BLUES MAGAZINE
(Nov/Dec 2003)
REAL
BLUES AWARDS
Best Production
Best Independently Released Blues CD
Best Blues Vocalist Award - Shawn
Brown
“One of 1999’s
best releases...literally bursting with talent...an incredible
listening experience that blows away 95% of the competition
on today’s recording scene... hailed as the Hit of
‘99.” - REAL BLUES
(Issue 23)
“Blues with Soul. Blues
with Power.”- RELIX
(Vol.26 No.4)
“...Blues with a dash
of soul so Southern fried it sizzles.”
“...A great dirty downhome juke sound, so full of
flavour you can smell the ribs...
Optimum Score.” - JUKE BLUES
(Issue 44)
“Heartbreaking guitar...Deep
Soul of the Highest Order...Shawn Brown’s one of the
most exciting young talents to come on the scene in a long
time.”
Achieved #16 on the Living Blues Radio Charts - LIVING
BLUES (Issue 146)
“Surprise star Shawn
Brown’s bright, impassioned tenor handles blues and
soul with ease, and his rich organ tones provide a soulful
bedrock for Lomax’s clear, focused guitar.”
- BLUES REVUE (Issue 49)
“...Lomax plays superb
guitar throughout...his leads are effervescent...high spirited
delta joy.” - BLUESPRINT
(July ‘99)
“...True-blue
Blues at its Best.” - ROCK
& BLUES NEWS (Aug.-Sept.’99)
“...Sweet, smokey soul...wicked
acoustic slide.”- JAM MAGAZINE(Issue
278)
“...Lomax’s lush
guitar lines sliding over and around...like a kudzu vine”
- BLUES N’ RHYTHM
“...hard core Blues playing and Soulful singing .
. .dynamic Blues . . .swinging organ and wailing harmonica”
- CADENCE (Vol.25 No.6)
“Radiates
with the feeling of a heated night in Memphis. . .Shawn
Brown’s rich, smokey voice interjects soul with a
soothing undercurrent of Hammond organ.”
- TAMPA TRIBUNE
(8/27/99)
“…Lomax is a talented
young guitarist content to remain in the background and
sizzle
a la Ronnie Earl, Anson Funderburgh, and Otis Grand…guitar
fireworks showcase
elegant dynamics of touch and tone as they move effortlessly
from deep-seated slow
blues into jumpin’ swing. Sam Carr’s dominating
Delta time separates this from the
hordes of generic new blues in the bins…should put
a hefty bite into playlists.”
BLUES REVUE ( Dec/Jan 1997
)
“…With lyrics
as timeless as Lomax’s, what’s not to love…Jay
Miller would have paid
a bunch of green to this guy to lock him into the Excello
studios in the early ‘60s…Let
your hair down baby, it’s time to have some fun.”
VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE
( 1996 )
“…Lomax plays
on the button and keeps to the point while Peterson is a
fine chanter
in a rough and ready, unsophisticated style and fits the
mood perfectly in a set of totally
original material…all adds up to a crackling performance…has
to be a winner.”
BLUES & RHYTHM ( No.
114 )
“…impressive guitar
playing…ideally suited to Peterson’s raw and
powerful vocals…full
of intimidation and menace while Lomax fires sinewy guitar
licks from the churning
grooves. Ronnie Earl adds his considerable talents…riding
some smouldering guitar
licks…will appeal to a wide range of blues buyers,
especially Chicago fans.”
BLUEPRINT ( September 1996
)
“…a disc which
should be in the running for Best Independent Release of
The Year for
a number of reasons…playing is vintage 1950s and of
a caliber only associated with long-
time blues veterans…quite tasty…This is pure
down-home, straight goods blues, delivered
with taste and loads of talent. Very seldom will you find
a disc with this much talent on
board and such a selection of strong material…there’s
just too much great music for one
disc, something I never thought I’d hear myself saying
in this day and age…if all the
independent artists and labels today would take this disc
and use it as an example of how
the blues should be played and recorded, it would make every
critic’s job a lot more
enjoyable…Sam Carr may be the best drummer on the
planet and James Peterson sings
better here than on his own discs…5 big bottles for
a recording that sets all kinds of
standards in taste and talent.”
REAL BLUES ( December ‘96/
January ’97 Number 4 )
“…Fine tunes with
lots of variety and plenty of soul…really enjoyable…You’re
sure to
find something to like.”
BLUES ACCESS ( publisher
Cary Wolfson/ Winter ’97 )
“…one of the best
blues releases emanating from Florida in a long long time…from
Hooker-styled blues boogie guitar to smooth Chicago blues…ass-kicking
blues outfit…
Variety, substance, feel, and a graceful adept knowledge
of the vast subtleties of the
blues…a retro-contemporary blues CD as good as any
major label release, and one well
worth investing in.”
JAM MAGAZINE ( September
13, 1996 )
“…an all-star
cast…excellent harpman Rock Bottom contributes some
of his best work…
most will find plenty to enjoy here - nice to note, too,
that the lyrics are consistently
interesting.”
BLUES GAZETTE ( Fall 1996
)
REAL BLUES AWARD
: BEST SOUTHERN BLUES BAND
REAL BLUES
( February to March ’97 Number 5 )
