MISS LAVELLE - STOLEN LOVE

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Side A = 1. Teen-Age Love   2. If I Could Be With You   3. Stop These Teardrops   4. Yes, I've Been Crying   5. Stolen Love   6. You're The Most

Side B = 7. Just Look At You   8. Tide Of Love   9. Run To You   10. Why Young Men Go Wild   11. Everybody's Got Somebody   12. The Best Part Of Me

Sleazy Records / SR10-20

A few months ago Sleazy Records released this compilation in 10" pink vinyl format in their "Ten X Ten Series" including the 6 singles Miss LaVelle got released between 1958 and 1965 for the Duke label.

I have to admit that I bought the record knowing just about nothing about this singer... but supposing that if Sleazy Records found it good enough to release it in their "Ten X Ten Series", it might worth the money... And after listening to it for the first time I saw I was right. By the way, "Stop These Teardrops" was the only song I recognised during that first listening. Of course, I've played the record many more times since that first time... and many more will come in the future because Miss LaVelle's powerful voice is just astonishing and the songs included, with styles going from Rhythm'n'Blues to Soul, including Blues and, in a certain way, Doo Wop, are just great.

I prefer Miss LaVelle in her Rhythm'n'Blues songs and for that reason her first 2 singles, so the first 4 songs of this record, are my favourites: "Teen-Age Love", "If I Could Be With You", "Stop These Teardrops" and "Yes I've Been Crying". Anyway, "Why Young Men Go Wild" is close behind in my preferences...

Good compilation work by Leo Castro, great sleeve notes by Aisha Khan and nice artwork by Berto Martínez... I mean, is good to see such a work dedicated to a singer, Miss LaVelle, that for whatever reasons didn't get the success she probably merited in the second half of the 1950's and the first half of the 1960's, even though the quality of her recordings was above average, as this record proves.

Pink vinyl for Miss LaVelle's 10" in

Sleazy Record's "Ten X Ten Series".

BIG JOE TURNER - THE VERY BEST OF

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DISC 1 = 1. Shake, Rattle & Roll   2. Flip, Flop & Fly   3. Honey Hush   4. I'll Never Stop Loving You   5. Bump Miss Susie   6. Don't Make Me High   7. Lipstick, Powder And Paint   8. Roll'Em Pete   9. I Need A Girl   10. TV Mama   11. Low Down Dog   12. Rock A While   13. World Of Trouble   14. Blues In The Night   15. Married Woman Blues   16. Well All Right   17. Time After Time   18. Nobody In Mind   19. Don't You Cry   20. Cherry Red   21. Wee Baby Blues   22. You Know I Love You   23. Switchin' In The Kitchen   24. After A While   25. Morning, Noon And Night

DISC 2 = 1. Corrine, Corrina   2. Hide And Seek   3. Boogie Woogie Country Girl   4. The Chicken And The Hawk   5. I Get The Blues When It Rains   6. Love Roller Coaster   7. Midnight Cannonball   8. Trouble In Mind   9. Rebecca   10. Red Sails In The Sunset   11. The Chill Is On   12. Still In Love   13. Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop   14. Teenage Letter   15. Sweet Sixteen   16. Ti-Ri-Lee   17. You're Driving Me Crazy   18. Until The Real Thing Comes Along   19. We're Gonna Jump For Joy   20. Here Comes Your Iceman   21. St. Louis Blues   22. When I Was young   23. Pennies From Heaven   24. Morning Glories   25. Baby I Still Want You

Not Now Music / NOT2CD607

One of those cheap editions that are always welcomed to fill a gap in your collection or for those that are just starting one. Sometimes those kind of CD's don't have good sound quality, but this is not the case: the sound is good enough. "Cheap" does not always mean "bad quality": here we have an example.

The content of the double CD is absolutely clear just reading the title: Big Joe Turner's very best songs... which means that we have not only Rock'n'Roll, but also Blues and Jazz... Of course, being Big Joe Turner there are songs than can fit in more than one of the above-mentioned styles. To highlight any of the 50 songs included above the rest will be a hard and nonsense work: it is a Big Joe Turner greatest hits, so top quality everywhere for sure... Just take a glance at the track listing and you'll see.

So, we get 50 great songs by one of the true Rock'n'Roll pioneers, in good sound quality and at a bargain price... Maybe it is not a record for "experts", but if your collection lacks of a Big Joe Turner record, this one released this year by Not Now Music is a very good option.

NICO DUPORTAL AND HIS RHYTHM DUDES - GUITAR PLAYER

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1. When I'm Gone   2. Lost In The Game   3. Polish Woman   4. Oh Baby   5. Can't Afford To Lose Her   6. She Knows How   7. Real Good Lovin' Tonight   8. Big Mary's   9. Guitar Player   10. Oh Oh   11. Josh & Slim   12. Much Later   13. Polish Woman (bonus track)

Rhythm Bomb Records / RBR 5800

Ladies and gentlemen, from France, Nico Duportal And His Rhythm Dudes!!!

Brand new CD from the French band. A band that I believe is the best one playing Rhythm'n'Blues in Europe for sure. Nico Duportal is a true guitar ace (I've seen him even compared to T-Bone Walker at least in a couple of places) and is the owner of a voice that fits the style wonderfully. And the same can be said about His Rhythm Dudes: from Thibaut Chopin, who plays the slapbass, to Pascal Mucci at the drums, not forgetting sax players Alex Bartein (baritone) and Arnaud Desprez (tenor) and the piano man Olivier "Red" Cantrelle.

Thirteen songs have been included in the CD, being the last one an alternative take of "Polish Woman" as a bonus track (not much difference from the take chosen for the third cut of the record), and from the opening drum roll in "When I'm Gone" to the last note of that alternative take of "Polish Woman" what we get is top quality Rhythm'n'Blues.

Seven of the songs have been written by Nico Duportal or band members, being the other five covers (yes, that makes twelve, but remember that there is a repeated song) from which is really hard to highlight one out of the rest, as all of them keep top level. High quality Rhythm'n'Blues. Anyway, my favourites are "When I'm Gone", first song of the record; "Lost In The Game", a song made to keep the dance-floor packed and that has good piano; "Can't Afford To Lose Her", composed by slapbass player Thibaut Chopin and in which he plays harmonica brilliantly; "Real Good Lovin' Tonight", another one to keep everybody at the dancefloor and that offers a good work of the brass section; the instro "Josh & Slim"... Well, I can go on and highlight all of them as all of them deserve their share of applause.

It's said: a very good Rhythm'n'Blues record indeed. And when I write Rhythm'n'Blues I mean pure, true, real, old school Rhythm'n'Blues, and not that modern "thing" that some media want to make us believe is Rhythm'n'Blues.

I can't but recommend this terrific record. Really, do yourself a favour and buy it.